If proven true, string theory could answer questions about the structure of the universe and reality itself, including whether there are more dimensions all around us. It's "Skeptic Check: String Theory" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

String theory! Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing? Anything? Everything? On our most recent Skeptic Check, Seth asks Brian Greene what string theory has done for us lately. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

We are a curious species, says physicist Brian Greene. "We yearn to understand where we came from and where we're going." Could string theory hold the answers? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

String theory has yet to be proven or disproven. But over the decades, it has generated many different ideas that have influenced new areas of mathematics. Learn more about the impact of string theory on modern physics on this week's episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

String theory posits that the universe is made up of tiny vibrating strings. If it's true, it could answer big questions about the nature of the universe. But how do you test it? It's "Skeptic Check: String Theory" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

String theory could help us make sense of a wider reality, says physicist Brian Greene. "If it proves to be correct, it could provide the deepest insights we can get into why there is a universe and what matter is made of." bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his bestselling book, "The Elegant Universe," author and physicist Brian Greene discusses the challenges and promise of string theory with Seth Shostak this week: bit.ly/3XYdhfm

The emergence of string theory was a seismic shift, says physicist Brian Greene. It promised to unite the theories of particles and gravity. But where does the theory stand today? This is "Skeptic Check: String Theory" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

It's been 25 years since Brian Greene's bestselling book "The Elegant Universe" brought the concept of string theory to the public. But what's happened with the theory since then? This week, it's "Skeptic Check: String Theory" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

Quarks and bosons and neutrinos, oh my! This week, we explore the fundamental nature of the universe with physicist and author Brian Greene. It's "Skeptic Check: String Theory" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

String theory promised to unite quantum physics and gravity. Many were giddy about the suggestion that tiny vibrating strings might make up the universe. What happened to this idea? It’s "Skeptic Check: String Theory” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...

One the best known proponents of string theory, Brian Greene, describes why it is still the best theory to understand the fundamental laws of nature. But can it even be tested? This week, it’s "Skeptic Check: String Theory" buff.ly/SOmv0qH

A DIY solar panel movement has come to countries like Pakistan. Social media videos are showing users how to build their own source of energy in areas where access to a reliable national electrical grid is inconsistent. Learn more on this week's episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

Texas is the fastest growing clean energy state in America, outpacing even California in solar energy production. Clean energy has had a stabilizing effect on an electric grid that previously struggled with blackouts. We look at the "Solar Good" this week: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

When energy analysts noticed Pakistan's sudden drop in its grid's energy demand, they found a surprising answer; solar panels were spreading across rooftops, "like mushrooms after a rainstorm" reports @billmckibben.bsky.social. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

When the first solar panel was built in 1954 at Bell Labs, it was so expensive that it could only be used for satellites. But now, solar energy is cheaper than energy from fossil fuels. We look at the history and rise of the solar industry in this week's episode bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

Solar energy production may be on the rise, but so are global temperatures. "We're in a real race to see whether we can build fast enough to even begin to catch up with the physics of global warming," says author @billmckibben.bsky.social. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

In recent years, the solar energy industry has picked up major momentum. "This is the fastest energy transition in history," says author @billmckibben.bsky.social. He breaks down our rapidly changing energy landscape on this week's episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

We've had the technology to turn sunlight into electricity for a long time. But it's been a long journey to get to this moment where solar energy is giving fossil fuels a serious run for their money. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

Efforts to address global warming can often feel slow, but author and environmentalist @billmckibben.bsky.social says he is encouraged by one fast mover - the sudden, widespread rise of solar energy. This week, we consider the "Solar Good" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

The sun is the largest nuclear reactors we know. We now have momentum harnessing its power at scale. From Texas to Pakistan to China, hear how cheap solar is toppling fossil fuel with author @billmckibben.bsky.social bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

Want good news on the climate front? The world is making immense strides in harnessing solar energy. Some of the leaders might surprise you (we see you, Texas!) This week, author @billmckibben.bsky.social on our sunnier future: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...

A project has returned 40 acres of abandoned area to its original wetland. The bioretention ponds in the Sankofa Wetland Park in the Ninth Ward have already provided a buffer against Hurricane Ida. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

New Orleans author Nathaniel Rich on facing climate change clear-eyed, “Why don't we think about cities as having lifespans like people? What's this illusion that cities last forever? No city has lasted forever.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

Journalist Boyce Upholt’s history, “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River,” describes what we're asking the levees to do when we build them to restrain a river that does not want to be restrained. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

The Mississippi River watershed drains water from 31 states. Journalist Boyce Upholt describes how the Big Muddy came to whip around across the country like an unchecked hose and how it earned that nickname. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

New Orleans resident and author Nathaniel Rich describes whether the land-building projects aiming to rebuilt the coastal wetlands are sufficient to protect a sinking New Orleans and disappearing Gulf Coast long term. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

The survival of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be free. Can it keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system? Or is retreat the only viable option? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. We consider how efforts to control the river are shaping the Gulf Coast 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

Historian Andrew Horowitz describes why the canal levees in New Orleans collapsed dramatically during Hurricane Katrina, while the Mississippi River levees held firm. This week's episode is “Katrina and the River.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

“New Orleanians who experienced the Katrina flood firsthand said… that when they got a taste of that flood water on their lips, it was salty,” says historian Andy Horowitz describing how the canal, not river, levees failed during Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

The future of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be wild. Can engineering keep pace with climate change? The last in our series tied to the storm’s 20th anniversary: “Katrina and the River,” looks at the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

Climate change may be outpacing our ability to deal with it using engineering. Our third episode tied to the 20th anniversary of the devastating hurricane, “Katrina and the River” looks at efforts to tame the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...

Death! Decay! Maggots! Our latest episode is "The Decomposers". Happy Halloween! bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Plants need phosphates in order to grow. Since our bones contain high concentrations of phosphates, fertilizer used to come from macabre sources, including graves. Modern fertilizer is made with phosphate mining, which is causing environmental issues. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

The element Phosphorus is necessary for all known forms of life, but it is also intrinsically linked to death and decomposition. Jack Lohmann's latest book, "White Light," explores how the natural cycle of phosphorus has been disrupted by human activity. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Studying decomposition leads to important anthropological insights, including into populations that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. A longstanding question about Neanderthal diets was recently answered by studying the chemical composition of maggots. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Scientists who study Neanderthals have long been perplexed by a seemingly simple question - what did they eat? High levels of nitrogen couldn't be explained by an all-carnivore diet. But recent research has proposed a surprising - and squirmy - answer. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

As a body decomposes, the microbiome of the soil around it changes, creating a sort of "decomposition island." Organic compounds containing nitrogen and phosphorus are released and recycled back into the environment. This week, the chemistry of death of decay bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

On this week's episode: scientists study decomposition at the "Body Farm'; an ancient mystery turns out to have a wriggly solution; and an element accidentally discovered by alchemists turns out to be necessary for cells to function and matches to burn. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Many people donate their bodies for scientific research, including to the Anthropology Research Facility (commonly known as the Body Farm), where researchers study decomposition to make important insights into forensics and anthropology. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

It's natural to shy away from talking about death, but some scientists face it head on. Meet the forensic anthropologists who study what happens to our bodies after we die at the "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Death and decay are not only a natural part of life; they're also necessary for its continuance. All forms of life on Earth are still here, in one form or another. Learn more about the ultimate recycling program on this week's episode, "The Decomposers" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Death and decay are essential to life’s continuance. We consider what is involved in the ultimate recycling program with forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

Forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville describe what happens to bodies after death; plus, maggots are key to solving a Neanderthal mystery when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...

The sinking of the Titanic may be the most iconic shipwreck of all time, but there are countless sunken vessels with stories to tell. This week, marine archeologist David Gibbins joins us to dissect the wreckage of twelve disasters. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/shi...

Stretching all the way back to the Bronze Age, our discovery of shipwrecks has proven vitally important in our quest to understand the world. This week, archaeologist David Gibbins joins us to talk about twelve important marine disasters. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/shi...

“Shipwrecks are these extraordinary pinpricks of clarity into the past,” says marine archeologist David Gibbins, who joins us this week to talk about his new book: A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/shi...

Shipwrecks are tragedies, but they are also time capsults. In his newest book, David Gibbins sets out to tell the history of the world in twelve iconic shipwrecks. He joins us this week to discuss them. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/shi...

With new tech allowing us to peer into the deep and dark oceans, marine archaelogists are more excited than ever. David Gibbins joins us this week to talk about what they have learned, and why there is even more to discover at the bottom of the sea. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/shi...