PNAS

PNAS Science Sessions

Science EN ↓ 422 episodes

Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in PNAS, plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.

Author

PNAS

Category

Science

Latest episode

Jun 15, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Origin of the Great Unconformity 28.03.2022

Brenhin Keller and Kalin McDannell explore the origins of a worldwide gap in the geologic record spanning hundreds of millions to billions of years.

Ethnoracial identity of MENA Americans 14.03.2022

Neda Maghbouleh, Ariela Schachter, and René Flores explore the US Census classification of people with Middle Eastern and North African ancestry.

Disparities in scholarly output 28.02.2022

Thema Monroe-White and Cassidy Sugimoto discuss how disparities at the intersection of race and gender affect the expansion of scientific knowledge.

Frontiers in coral conservation – Part 2 14.02.2022

Researchers explore cutting-edge approaches to coral reef conservation. Image credit: Cody Engelsma (Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL).

Frontiers in coral conservation – Part 1 31.01.2022

Researchers explore cutting-edge approaches to coral reef conservation. Image credit: Cody Engelsma (Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL).

Racial disparities in communication 18.01.2022

Ray Block Jr. and John Holbein report that Americans are more likely to respond to an emailed survey request from a sender with a putatively White name than a sender with a putatively Black name. Image credit: iStock/Prostock-Studio.

Tropical forests in the Anthropocene – Part 2 27.12.2021

A collection of research articles explores how tropical ecosystems have borne the brunt of the human impact on the environment. Image credit: Pixabay/Pexels.

Tropical forests in the Anthropocene – Part 1 13.12.2021

A collection of research articles explores how tropical ecosystems have borne the brunt of the human impact on the environment. Image credit: Pixabay/Pexels.

CRISPR use in agriculture: Part 2 29.11.2021

A special episode explores the state of CRISPR use in agriculture. Image credit: Can Stock Photo/molekuul.

CRISPR use in agriculture: Part 1 15.11.2021

A special episode explores the state of CRISPR use in agriculture. Image credit: Can Stock Photo/molekuul.

Language loss and medicinal plant knowledge 02.11.2021

Rodrigo Cámara-Leret explains the impact of indigenous language extinction on medicinal plant knowledge. Image credit: Pixabay/DEZALB.

How Zen stones form 18.10.2021

Nicolas Taberlet and Nicolas Plihon explore the physical explanation for a fascinating natural phenomenon: the formation of Zen stones on frozen lakes. Image credit: N. Taberlet, N. Plihon. Lab Physique ENS de Lyon and CNRS.

Greenhouse gas emissions tied to concrete 04.10.2021

Hessam Azarijafari, Randy Kirchain, and Jeremy Gregory explore how innovations in the concrete industry can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Image credit: Pexels/Life Of Pix.

Racial and ethnic disparities in pollutant exposure 20.09.2021

Sarah Chambliss discusses racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollutants. Image credit: Pixabay/sueegeneris.

Soil microbes and hybrid vigor 07.09.2021

Maggie Wagner and Manuel Kleiner report that the interaction between maize and soil microbes influences hybrid vigor. Image credit: Kayla M. Clouse.

Racial disparities in air pollution 23.08.2021

Gaige Kerr discusses racial disparities in atmospheric levels of nitrogen dioxide in the United States.

Genome sequencing of extinct giant lemur 09.08.2021

Stephanie Marciniak, Logan Kistler, and Ed Louis describe an extinct giant lemur.

Upslope advance of forest fires 26.07.2021

Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, John T. Abatzoglou, and Mojtaba Sadegh report that forest fires have been advancing upslope across the western United States in recent decades.

How bats know the speed of sound 12.07.2021

Eran Amichai investigates how bats know the speed of sound.

Animal behavior and ecosystem effects 28.06.2021

Mike Gil discusses how changes in animal behavior can affect ecosystems.

Patient–physician racial concordance 14.06.2021

Brad Greenwood explains how patient–physician racial concordance decreases Black infant mortality.

How HIV infects human cells 01.06.2021

Vinay Pathak describes when and where HIV sheds its capsid coating while infecting human cells.

Self-cleaving ribozymes 17.05.2021

Jeannie Lee describes the discovery of self-cleaving ribozymes.

Designing synthetic organisms 03.05.2021

Josh Bongard describes AI-designed, reconfigurable biological organisms made from frog cells.

Exploring electron bifurcation 19.04.2021

Jonathon Yuly, David Beratan, and Peng Zhang investigate how electron bifurcation reactions work.

Listen to the PNAS Science Sessions podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.