About a hundred years ago, we learned about viruses that kill bacteria. This breakthrough was discarded with the introduction of antibiotics. As bacteria become drug resistant, some are looking back to those viruses for help. It’s “Not Just a Phage” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

When Tom Patterson caught a drug-resistant bacterial infection on a trip in Egypt, his prognosis looked grim. Hear the harrowing tale of how his wife and epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee scoured the history books for a cure. It’s “Not Just a Phage” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria are a serious health concern. Some fear a “superbug” could arise that our current slate of medicine can’t handle. The solution, however, may have been lying dormant among us for decades. It’s “Not Just a Phage” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

At the microscopic level, bacteria and viruses are battling it out. Can we harness their antagonism for medical benefit? Trust us, it’s “Not Just a Phage.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

Bacteriophage means bacteria eater. While that may not be a literal description of the viruses that bear the name, their ability to bust up nasty bacteria that makes us sick has some intrigued. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

We typically think of viruses as the bad guys. But we may have been a bit too harsh on some of our microbial friends. This week, we've taken a keen interest in viruses, and it’s “Not Just a Phage:" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

Viruses number in the trillions yet remain relatively obscure. But what we’re learning about one group of viruses that target bacteria, called bacteriophages, may shape the future of medicine. This week, it’s “Not Just a Phage” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

Could viruses be the good guys? An obscure 100-year-old medical therapy to treat infection enlists viruses called bacteriophages that evolved to target bacteria. Can it help us avoid a post-antibiotic world? This week, it’s “Not Just a Phage” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/not...

The human body is complex. So naturally, it's not always easy to replace damaged or failing parts. Science writer @maryroach.bsky.social explores the science of body replacement in her latest book, "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

When a body part stops functioning properly, we may have to rely on technology for a substitution. One example is the iron lung. Science writer @maryroach.bsky.social discusses this breathing machine and other body substitutes in this week's episode. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

From historic brass nose attachments to modern-day organ transplants, successfully replacing a body part has always relied on one thing; the replacement must be compatible with the body. This week, we're looking at the history of "Spare (Body) Parts" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Could genetically altered pigs change the future of organ replacement? Author @maryroach.bsky.social visits a pig farm in China where pigs are being raised for the sole purpose of transplantation. It's "Spare (Body) Parts" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

In the early 1900s, sensational stories about "frog-human hybrids" flooded news coverage. While the stories bordered on science fiction, they did capture the predecessor of a medical innovation still used today to treat severe burns. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Modern-day skin grafts are typically done with a piece of skin taken from the patient themselves or from a cadaver. But there was a time that we relied on other species to help heal major burns - including frogs and chickens. This week, it's "Spare (Body) Parts" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

How do we adapt when body parts are severely damaged, or are lost altogether? In her latest book, "Replaceable You," science writer @maryroach.bsky.social explores the amazing past and hopeful future of regenerative medicine. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

For centuries, humans have tried different methods to replace damaged body parts. From brass nose attachments to frog skin grafts, the history of body replacement technology is strange, innovative, and at times, unsettling. This week, it's "Spare (Body) Parts" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Science writer @maryroach.bsky.social has yet to shy-away from a topic. From cadavers to the digestive system, she explores the science behind taboo subjects. Her latest book explores how we put ourselves back together when body parts fail: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Science writer @maryroach.bsky.social excels in making off-beat or even taboo subjects, such as cadavers or the digestive system, accessible. That continues with her latest book: “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Science writer @maryroach.bsky.social joins us to give us a tour of past and present of where to go and what to use when body parts fail. Her new book is “Replaceable You”. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spa...

Less than a year after opening, a museum documenting the history of the EPA and the government's role in protecting the environment was abruptly closed. That was only the beginning. We examine the impact of cuts to the EPA's resources and regulatory power: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

From scaling back limits on PFAS in drinking water, to eliminating reports on greenhouse gas emissions, cuts to the EPA have shaken its regulatory power. Former EPA deputy administrator Janet McCabe joins us to discuss how these changes will impact us bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

Regulation is currently our best tool for limiting exposure to forever chemicals. In 2024, the first national standards for PFAS in drinking water were created. But now, the EPA is proposing to roll back those regulations. It's "Some Chemicals are Forever": bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

Regulating forever chemicals is difficult, explains @rachelfrazin.bsky.social, because it's not just one chemical, but a family of over 14,000. And because they are long-lasting, the pollution that goes unchecked today may impact humans for thousands of years. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

In the late 90s, the company 3M made a disturbing discovery, explains @rachelfrazin.bsky.social. They could not find a single person whose blood was free from forever chemicals. She joins us this week to discuss her latest book, "Poisoning the Well" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

Nonstick pans, waterproof raincoats, grease-resistant pizza boxes, even dental floss - a plethora of products contain forever chemicals. But what do we know about their health risks, and can we limit our exposure? This week, it's "Some Chemicals are Forever" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

A landmark lawsuit revealed that chemical companies dumped PFAS, or "forever chemicals," into our air, land, and water for decades despite knowing about the health risks. We spoke with the journalist whose reporting inspired the 2019 film Dark Waters. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

When his cows began to mysteriously die, Wilbur Tennant suspected they were being poisoned by pollution from a nearby chemical plant. The lawsuit that followed exposed a decades-long corporate coverup and shined a spotlight on the dangers of "forever chemicals". bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

"Forever chemicals" last for hundreds - even thousands - of years. They've been found all over the world, including in the bloodstream of nearly every living being. But how did our world become so contaminated with these synthetic compounds? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

The durability of forever chemicals comes from replacing hydrogen atoms with fluorine atoms in an eight-carbon chain. The strong carbon-fluorine bond does not break down easily. Why that’s a problem for our health: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

Scientists have found forever chemicals everywhere on the planet, including in the blood of nearly every living being. This week, what happens when the federal agency tasked with regulating the chemicals loses its authority and muscle to do so. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/som...

The songs of sperm whales and humpback whales sound very different from one another. Tecumseh Fitch explains how these whale species evolved to communicate in such unique ways. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Animals have rich communication systems, says evolutionary biologist Tecumseh Fitch, but it may be more similar to human music than human language. This week, we're looking at the possibility of "Animal Alphabets:" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Are language and thinking codependent? Cognitive neuroscientist @evfedorenko.bsky.social explains how the human brain works to process both speech and thought, and what we still don't know about how animals communicate. This week, we talk "Animal Alphabets" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Did humans learn to think before learning how to use language? Or did using language allow us to think? We explore the origins of human language with @evfedorenko.bsky.social on this week's episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Scientists are ramping up efforts to record sperm whale sounds, says Carl Zimmer. Artificial intelligence may be a critical tool for recognizing patterns in those recordings. Could AI help us reconstruct a whale language? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

We rely on a phonetic alphabet to communicate, explains Carl Zimmer. Sperm whales appear to have a phonetic alphabet too. But does that mean they're speaking a language? This week, we talk "Animal Alphabets": bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Humans learn their ABCs at a young age. And as it turns out, we may not be the only ones. Scientists may have discovered an alphabet in whale calls. We examine the possibility of "Animal Alphabets" on this week's episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

The sound of a humpback whale is unique and beautiful, but it's the clicks of sperm whale calls that have researchers excited these days. How patterns in sperm whale calls may reveal a complex communication system: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

New research suggests that sperm whales may have an alphabet. But does that mean they're using language? And if so, could we one day learn to communicate back? It's "Animal Alphabets." bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

These aren't your grandma's whale songs. Carl Zimmer discusses how sperm whales communicate with clicks, rather than the musical vocalizations of humpbacks. It may be communication, but is it bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani... ?

Project CETI is decoding whale communication. Find out how these efforts might help the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. We hear the story of chattering cetaceans and “Animal Alphabets” this week: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

Scientists may have discovered an alphabet in whale calls. Does it follow that whales have language? We only know of one species that evolved with an impressive gift for gab, but is speech a unique human superpower? It’s “Animal Alphabets” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ani...

SETI has evolved far beyond passive listening for alien life. We are actively looking for signs of ET, and that has led many in the field to claim that we are closer than ever to finding life off Earth. It’s "Aliens Now" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

Astrophysicist Adam Frank can hardly contain his optimism when it comes to our search for aliens. He joins us this week to talk about his newest work “The Little Book of Aliens” and why we are closer to finding them than ever. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

If there are aliens in the universe, why haven’t we seen them yet? Adam Frank says he knows why. Join us an an extended conversation with the astrophysicist and author this week in "Aliens Now” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

Technosignatures, exoplanets, Dyson spheres and alien civilizations. This week, we’re going far beyond Earth as we look for life on other planets. It’s “Aliens Now" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

Until astrobiological studies began, very few scientists were exploring the universe for life. This week, we explore how the advancement of the field has created an overflow of interest in extraterrestrials. It’s “Aliens Now” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

Seth has long bet listeners a cup of coffee that we will find alien life within the next handful of years. With all the recent advancements in technology, he’s doubling down on that bet. It’s “Aliens Now" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

Humans have been arguing about life off Earth throughout recorded history. So why do some astrophysicists think we are closer than ever to finding alien life? It’s “Aliens Now” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...

If we were to find alien life, our existence as we know it would be altered forever, says astrophysicist and author Adam Frank. This week, he joins us to explore how the discovery of life off Earth could change our lives on it. It’s “Aliens Now" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ali...