Seeking A Scientist

Our memories are a big part of what makes us human. But why do some moments tend to stick in our brain for years, while others fade away? Neuroscientists Kausik Si and Elizabeth Kensinger explain the different types of memories and share tips for how we can remember better. Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the Stowers Institute for Medical R...

Humans spend one-third of their life sleeping, yet the purpose and function behind this regular state of unconsciousness remains a biological mystery. Sleep researcher Giorgio Gilestro is trying to understand some basic questions about it: like what sleep exactly is, and why it’s even necessary. Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the Stowers I...

Human biology thankfully allows us to adapt to major changes in temperature, but only so quickly. Professor Cara Ocobock is working with reindeer herders in subarctic Finland to find out how the human body evolved to withstand the extreme cold over time. What can we learn from communities that have a long history of living and working in the frigid weather? Seeking A Scientist is a production of K...

We’ve dug into a lot of fascinating topics this past year on Seeking a Scientist, but they’re all so complicated! That means there are a lot of lingering questions that we haven’t had a chance to tackle yet. As we close out 2024, we’re celebrating our favorite science stories of the year and answering the weirdest, wackiest, and most surprising science questions you all submitted — including space...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was m...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was m...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was m...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the  Stowers Institute for Medical Research,  where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA  Kate the Chemist.  Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode w...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the  Stowers Institute for Medical Research,  where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the  Stowers Institute for Medical Research,  where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios. It's made possible with support from the  Stowers Institute for Medical Research,  where scientists work to accelerate our understanding of human health and disease. It's hosted by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, AKA Kate the Chemist. Our senior producer is Suzanne Hogan. Our editor is Mackenzie Martin. Our digital editor is Gabe Rosenberg. This episode was...

Seeking a Scientist THEME | Exciting Progress by The Coma Calling Original theme music from Seeking A Scientist was produced by The Coma Calling. Written x Performed x Recorded x Mixed x Mastered by Kyle Cramb of Ash & Dust Studio in Wichita, KS. © Ash & Dust Music 2023 Enjoy more music from Seeking A Scientist and The Coma Calling on Bandcamp. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Asteroids heading straight for planet Earth aren’t just a scenario out of a Hollywood thriller. Luckily, scientists around the world have long been preparing for such an “Armageddon” scenario. Kate The Chemist speaks with planetary scientist Nancy Chabot, one of the leaders behind one of NASA’s planetary defense missions, about destroying asteroids in space before they reach our atmosphere. -----...

Ever since the 2023 Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of quantum dots, Kate’s phone has been ringing off the hook. Everyone wants her to explain what these tiny clusters of atoms are — and how they relate to the budding field of nanotechnology. In essence, she says, quantum dots are helping chemists make our world brighter, healthier and more energy efficient. Seeking A Scientist is a prod...

Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios, made possible with support from the  Stowers Institute for Medical Research and design help from PRX. It's produced by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, Suzanne Hogan and Byron Love, edited by Mackenzie Martin and Gabe Rosenberg, with help from Genevieve Des Marteau. Our original theme music is by  The Coma Calling.  Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. S...

Over the last few years, the box office has been dominated by films like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" that explore ideas of parallel universes, quantum worlds and alternate lives. There's some real theoretical physics behind those ideas, but they may not look exactly how we imagine. ------ Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios, made possible with support from the  Stowers In...

From molds to yeasts to the mushrooms we fear and love, fungi are connected to life and death on our planet — but are often misunderstood. We only know about 10% of the estimated 3.8 million species that exist. Should we be afraid of the fungal unknown? We asked astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Giuliana Furci, a mycologist pushing for fungi conservation. ------- Seeking A Scientist is a prod...

In April 2023 alone, floods happened across the country, including the land-locked states of Minnesota, Kansas, Utah, Tennessee and Colorado. It doesn’t matter if you live in one of these states or on a coast, everyone in the United States can be affected by water. On the latest episode of Seeking a Scientist, Dr. Kate Biberdorf (aka Kate the Chemist) breaks down the flooding happening in the Unit...

In February 2021, Texas and wide swaths of North America were shut down by Winter Storm Uri, which caused massive blackouts and left millions of people without power for days. The winter storms exposed vulnerabilities in our country’s electrical grid, and underlined the pressing need for a more reliable energy system. Is a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion a possible path forward? ------- Seek...

In 1997, Captain Charles Moore discovered what has come to be known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” the largest accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean. Since then, scientists have documented how plastic has permanently damaged marine ecosystems and even altered evolution. But marine biologist Danni Washington says it’s not all “doom and gloom,” -- scientists are putting innovative soluti...

We tend to think of aging as inevitable, but what if it’s actually something we can control? Researchers like David Sinclair and Nir Barzilai have discovered some of the secrets to reversing aging, and turned old mice young again. But even if humans could live forever, should we? -------- Seeking A Scientist is a production of KCUR Studios, made possible with support from  the Stowers Institute fo...

The future is scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Kate The Chemist is seeking scientists to guide us into the great unknown, from fungus zombies to feeling young forever. Together, we'll puzzle out what our world could look like — and how we can get ready ---- Seeking A Scientist is produced by Dr. Kate Biberdorf, Suzanne Hogan and Byron Love, edited by Mackenzie Martin and Gabe Rosenberg, with help...