
Big Picture Science
Big Picture Science
The surprising connections in science and technology that give you the Big Picture. Astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley are joined each week by leading researchers, techies, and journalists to provide a smart and humorous take on science. Our regular "Skeptic Check" episodes cast a critical eye on pseudoscience.
Categories: Science & Medicine
Listen to the last episode:
Everyone knows that a big rock wiped out the dinosaurs. But the danger from an asteroid hitting Earth is not limited to ancient history. To deal with this threat, scientists recently ran an experiment to deflect a potential “city killer.” We’ll hear the results of that experiment, and about a visit to another asteroid. In the dusty material NASA brought back from the asteroid Bennu, scientists found the chemical building blocks of life, including many of the amino acids that are found in our cells. Could an asteroid have brought the ingredients for life to ancient Earth? In this episode, we look at our paradoxical relationship with the space rocks that taketh way – and may help giveth - life. Guests: Scott Sandford - Astrophysicist and Research Scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center Robin George Andrews - Science journalist, volcanologist, and author of "How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense" Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous episodes
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611 - Chasing an Asteroid Mon, 10 Feb 2025
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610 - Coming to Our Animal Senses Mon, 03 Feb 2025
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609 - Skeptic Check: Drone Panic Revisited Fri, 31 Jan 2025
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608 - Skeptic Check: Drone Panic Mon, 27 Jan 2025
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607 - The Best Things in Life are Tree(s) Mon, 20 Jan 2025
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606 - The Ocean's Genome Mon, 13 Jan 2025
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605 - Night Flight Mon, 06 Jan 2025
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604 - Skeptic Check: Naomi Klein Mon, 30 Dec 2024
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603 - Extraordinary Ordinary Objects* Mon, 23 Dec 2024
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602 - Spotlight on SETI ep 4: Chenoa Tremblay Sat, 21 Dec 2024
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601 - 2024: Our Space Odyssey Mon, 16 Dec 2024
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600 - A Real Gas Mon, 09 Dec 2024
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599 - Going Multicellular Mon, 02 Dec 2024
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598 - Skeptic Check: Near Death Experiences Mon, 25 Nov 2024
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597 - Spotlight on SETI ep 3: Pascal Lee Thu, 21 Nov 2024
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596 - Beyond the Periodic Table Mon, 18 Nov 2024
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595 - Amazing Amazonia Mon, 11 Nov 2024
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594 - Fuhgeddaboudit** Mon, 04 Nov 2024
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593 - How Hot is Too Hot?* Mon, 28 Oct 2024
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592 - Platypus Crazy* Mon, 21 Oct 2024
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591 - Spotlight on SETI ep 2: Nathalie Cabrol Thu, 17 Oct 2024
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590 - Skeptic Check: String Theory Mon, 14 Oct 2024
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589 - We'll Always Have Parasites Mon, 07 Oct 2024
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588 - Measure For Measure Mon, 30 Sep 2024
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587 - Skeptic Check: Cell Phone Bans Mon, 23 Sep 2024
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586 - Cold Comfort Mon, 16 Sep 2024
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585 - Introducing Spotlight on SETI! Thu, 12 Sep 2024
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584 - Shipwrecks Mon, 09 Sep 2024
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583 - Calling All Aliens* Mon, 02 Sep 2024
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582 - Life in the Solar System Mon, 26 Aug 2024
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581 - Catching Fire Mon, 19 Aug 2024
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580 - Not Just a Phage Mon, 12 Aug 2024
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579 - Skeptic Check: Is Social Media Harming Kids? Mon, 05 Aug 2024
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578 - Animal Alphabets Mon, 29 Jul 2024
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577 - Allergy Reason* Mon, 22 Jul 2024
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576 - CRISPR Mosquitoes* Mon, 15 Jul 2024
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575 - Don't Lighten Up Mon, 08 Jul 2024
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574 - Aliens Now Mon, 01 Jul 2024
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573 - Skeptic Check: The Body Electric* Mon, 24 Jun 2024
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572 - Flower Power* Mon, 17 Jun 2024
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571 - Animals Being Jerks* Mon, 10 Jun 2024
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570 - Post Social Media* Mon, 03 Jun 2024
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569 - Skeptic Check: Feeling Risky* Mon, 27 May 2024
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568 - Beyond the Standard Model Mon, 20 May 2024
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567 - The Play's the Thing Mon, 13 May 2024
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566 - Nuts and Bolts Mon, 06 May 2024
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565 - Phreaky Physics* Mon, 29 Apr 2024
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564 - De-Permafrosting* Mon, 22 Apr 2024
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563 - For the Birds* Mon, 15 Apr 2024
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562 - Fungi Fear* Mon, 08 Apr 2024