Science Friday Folgen

There’s a phenomenon known as the “overview effect,” a changed perspective some people experience after seeing the Earth from space. Retired astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman says that for her, it was a sense of home and connection.“First of all, I just don’t feel that far away,” she said. “I feel like home is bigger than we thought and I just happened to be the one of the furthest out people. But the overwhelming sort of sentiment that I have is if only everyone knew how connected they could be, there’s literally nothing we couldn’t solve.”Coleman flew on two space shuttle missions, spent 159 days on board the International Space Station, and operated the robotic arm during the deployment of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Her new book is Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.She joins Ira to talk about her experiences in space and some of the challenges she faced in getting to orbit, from selection to training to the problem of obtaining a properly-fitting space suit.Read an excerpt of Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Sequoia National Park is largely designated as wilderness. That complicates efforts to protect its iconic trees from worsening wildfires. Also, archaeologists keep finding older and older cave art. Here’s what it could tell us about how humans evolved over time.Protecting Sequoias From Wildfire Raises Tricky QuestionsSequoia National Park in California is known for its towering, iconic sequoia trees, some of which are thought to be thousands of years old. Severe wildfires fueled by climate change and a long history of fire suppression have put these trees at risk. One solution to this problem is to plant new sequoias. But an interesting debate has sparked between those in favor of this and those against it.The vast majority of the park is officially considered “wilderness,” a federal designation that describes an area “untrammeled by man.” This concept of “untrammeled” has become more complicated in the age of climate change: Some people argue that it means humans shouldn’t intervene, even when the ecosystem is changing because of human-made climate change.Guest host Maggie Koerth speaks with Marissa Ortega-Welch, host and producer of the “How Wild” podcast from KALW and NPR. The first episode of this podcast, “Untrammeled,” highlights this debate.What Newly Discovered Cave Art Tells Us About Human CreativityIn July, researchers discovered the oldest known cave art. It was found in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and it shows three human-like figures and a wild pig. The painting was dated at 51,200 years old—5,000 years older than any other known cave art.The finding continues a trend of researchers unearthing older and older examples of human-made art, including those found outside of Spain and Southern France, where most cave art discoveries have been made.Guest host Maggie Koerth is joined by Dr. Isobel Wisher, a postdoctoral researcher with the Evolution of Early Symbolic Behavior project at Aarhus University in Denmark, to discuss how this field of archeology has changed over the years, how new technology is making these ancient cave paintings more accessible to the public, and what they can tell us about the human experience.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

A new study measuring microplastics in organs of the recently deceased found that about two dozen brain samples were 0.5% plastic by weight. Also, having an IUD inserted in the uterus is extremely painful for some people. The CDC now recommends that doctors use local anesthetics.Study Finds A Staggering Amount Of Plastic In Human BrainsIt only takes a quick look at our streets and waterways to be reminded that plastic pollution is a big problem. But that’s just the plastic that we can see. An increasing amount of scientific literature points to microplastics accumulating inside our bodies, particularly in organs.A recent preprint published by the National Institutes of Health found a staggering amount of microplastics in livers, kidneys, and brains of recently deceased cadavers. The brains, however, were the biggest shock: They had 10 to 20 times more microplastics than the other organs studied. Twenty-four of the brain samples measured were found to be about 0.5% plastic by weight.Joining guest host Maggie Koerth is Tim Revell, executive editor of New Scientist based in London. The two discuss this and other top stories of the week, including a possible explanation for an “alien” radio signal, a look into how orb spiders use fireflies to lure other insects, and a study that says playing video games is good for you, actually.CDC Updates Guidelines For Managing Pain From IUD InsertionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced updated guidelines for managing pain from inserting a popular form of birth control called an intrauterine device, or IUD. The recommendations now advise doctors to consider using local anesthetics like lidocaine to help manage patients’ pain.An IUD is a small T-shaped device that is passed through the vagina and cervix and placed in the uterus, where it can remain for several years. Figures vary, but this insertion process can be very painful for roughly 10%-20% of patients. In recent years there’s been an outpouring of patients speaking out on social media about just how painful their IUD insertions were. Many people have recounted how their doctors did not provide anything to help mitigate their pain or, in some cases, dismissed their experiences altogether.Guest host Maggie Koerth talks with Dr. Beverly Gray, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University to discuss the significance of these new guidelines.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.