American Scientist Podcast

The FIFA World Cup kicks off today in North America, as qualifying teams compete for the sport's most coveted prize: The World Cup trophy. Not to be overlooked, the commemorative ball is more than eye-catching visual design. Its surfaces can comprise different numbers of panels, new textural elements, and seams that vary in depth, width, and length.  In this extended interview of cover story &...

The FIFA World Cup kicks off today in North America, as qualifying teams compete for the sport's most coveted prize: The World Cup trophy. Not to be over looked, the commemorative ball is more than eye-catching visual design. Their surfaces can comprise different numbers of panels, new textural elements, and seams that vary in depth, width, and length.  In this extended interview of cover stor...

Today, we’re joined by Dr. Cecilie S. Traberg. The transcript for this episode will be available the day following the original airdate. Links/Sources mentioned : Dr. Traberg’s website: https://www.cecilietraberg.com/   Solomon’s Secret , a digital murder mystery game designed to explore the psychology of misinformation and social influence  Dr. Traberg’s research: Traberg, C. S., Roozenbeek, J.,...

Today, we’ll hear from Dr. Dan Willingham, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. He’s taught there since 1992, and until about 2000, studied the neural basis of learning and memory. But today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education. He’s the author of several books, including the best-selling Why Don't Students Like School? , a...

In this episode, we're talking about how we consume, process, and share information—and how all of this is changing as our relationships with technology evolve.  Jason Lodge is the Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab and Professor of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, in Australia. He explores the cognitive, metacognitive, and e...

Emma Levine and Shereen Chaudhry join this episode of Wired for This. Transcript Links/Sources mentioned : HOPE LAB , led by Dr. Levine and Dr. Chaudhry with Dr. Erika Kirgios and Dr. Jane Risen Some relevant HOPE LAB research from Dr. Shereen Chaudhry:  Chaudhry, S.J. & Loewenstein, G. (2019) “ Thanking, apologizing, bragging, and blaming: Responsibility exchange theory and the currency of co...

What does it take to change a mind? In episode two of  Wired for This , we’ll hear from Dr. Katy Milkman, James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and host of the behavioral economics podcast  Choiceology . She cofounded the Behavior Change for Good Initiative and has advised organizations such as Google, the White House, and the U.S. Department of Defense....

Welcome to Wired for This—a deep dive into how we think , believe , change , and connect . In this limited series, we’ll explore the psychology of human behavior and neuroscience—what drives us forward, what holds us back, and how we navigate a world bursting with noise, contradiction, and complexity. Dr. Paul A. O’Keefe is a social psychologist and professor of organisational behaviour at the Uni...

The American Scientist Podcast presents a new audio series, Wired for This , premiering on September 10, 2025. Wired for This offers an in-depth look at how we think, believe, change, and connect. In this bi-weekly limited series, we’ll examine the psychology of human behavior and neuroscience—what drives us forward, what holds us back, and how we navigate a world bursting with noise, contradictio...

Chris Pickard is a materials scientist who employs what are called first principles methods—modeling techniques that work out material properties using fundamental rules such as quantum mechanics and Newton’s laws. Trained as a condensed matter physicist, he refocused on materials science just as interest in the field was exploding amid advancements in computation. Switching between empirical and...

An interview with the president and founder of African Gong, Elizabeth Rasekoala. Her current book "Race and Sociocultaral Inclusion in Science Communication" brings together perspectives from science communicators from the global south. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist. Edited by Nwabata Nnani.

An interview with Virginia Tech environmental engineer, Linsey Marr. Her expertise in aerosols came to center stage as she and her colleagues worked for years to change policies based on faulty ideas about the transmission of the coronavirus. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist. Edited by Nwabata Nnani.

We'll hear from science communication leaders and podcasters on why podcasting is an important platform for Science. Interviews from Samir Honwad—professor at the University of Buffalo, Wendy Zuckerman—host of Science VS and 2022 Sigma Xi IFORE award winner, and Aaron Scott and Emily Kwong from NPR Short Wave as well as one of their guests Dr. Tiana Williams-Claussen from the Yurok Tribe. Host, Jo...

Andrea "Annie" Kritcher discusses her and her team's achieved ignition, raising new hopes for fusion as a practical energy source. Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.

Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias is melding enviromental data and how these early populations interacted. Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.

The collision of the Great Resignation and long-standing gender inequities in medicine is heightening calls for improved family leave policies at American health care institutions. Host Jordan Anderson and American Scientist editor Katie L. Burke discuss caregiving support policies, bringing in perspectives from interviewees Christina Mangurian of UCSC, Jessica Lee of UCSC, and Neda Laiteerapong o...

On using synthetic biology to create next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics -- an interview with James J. Collins of Harvard and MIT, one of founders of the field.

How science fiction promotes science curiosity and why that matters. Hear from science communication practitioners and scholars Reyhaneh Maktoufi, Thomas DeFrantz, and Stephanie Castillo.

The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are already transforming our view of the universe. Hear from John Mather, Nobel Laureate and senior project scientist for JWST at NASA.

There are many ways organisms adapt to their environments, which can be seen both with the eye and in an organism's genetic sequence.

Researchers are working to understand the cellular composition and diversity of the brain, creating a catalog of cell types as well as seeking to plot the relationships, structures, and functions of those cell types.

Arrays of microneedles that could replace injections have been the subject of research for some 50 years, but have not yet been commercially successful. A new type of high-resolution 3D printing could change that.

As entomologist Suzanne W.T. Batra has long argued, there are far better pollinator bees than they honeybee. Hear an interview with the researcher whose colleagues at the USDA named a research conference "Batrafest" to honor her.

Liquid-filled scaffolds that are not enclosed, but don’t leak? A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came with a 3D-printed unit with an internal structure that water clings to and flows into... even though it has holes.

Rewards and pitfalls to communicating science on social media: a discussion with Michael Xenos at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, BlackInNeuro and SciComm Collective's Danielle Nadin, and Samantha Yammine, also known on the internet as Science Sam.