Are we the only ones out there? How likely is it that we’ll find intelligent alien life on other planets? And if we do, what will it be like? With help from astrobiologist Dr. Kaitlin Rasmussen and zoologist Dr. Arik Kershenbaum, we’ll uncover the secrets of the universe! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🔎About The Featured Experts Dr. Kaitlin Rasmussen is an astrobiologist at the University of Washington/Virtual Planet Laboratory , and author of forthcoming book, Life in Seven Nu

Halloween science podcast! Ever wonder what a mummy smells like? Or why millions of animals were mummified - including baboons?

Shirts made from spider silk? Leather made from fungi? In this episode, we're exploring how synthetic biology is pushing the future of fashion! Welcome to Life Lab! This is the fourth part of our five part series about how tiny life can change our world. In Life Lab, we explore the incredible power of synthetic biology to solve some of our biggest challenges - and asking how it could change our future. Life Lab is supported by the Engineering Biology Research Consortium, a

Should we make the move to Mars? And how would we live there? Join us as we pack our bags for Mars with the help of synthetic biology. We’ll find out how astronauts could grow their own food, medicine, and even building materials on the Red Planet. But when Lindsay and Marshall start to disagree about moving to another planet, some tricky questions threaten the mission… This is the second part of our five part series about how tiny life can change our world. In Life Lab, we

EDUCATION RESOURCES: NGSS Standards: LS 3-LS3-2 Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect Why and how do cats purr? That’s what Reid wants to know. It sounds like a simple question, but it leads us to a deep challenge: Can we ever understand cats? To find out, we launch a full-scale cat purr investigation. You’ll hear from a puzzled veterinarian, a scientist who studied her cat’s annoying purr, and the author of purring.org, the premier cat purr research website. It’s a purr-fec

EDUCATION RESOURCES: NGSS Standards: LS 4-LS1-1 Crosscutting Concept: Systems and System Models Do bugs have elbows? That’s what Clare wants to know. Her question starts a debate between Team Bug Arms and Elbows, and Team Bug Legs and Knees! Choose a side, and come on the trail of a bug bod mystery with superstar entomologist and dragonfly specialist Jessica Ware. Turns out, dragonflies are a lot weirder (and ancient!) than you might think! MEET JESSICA WARE When we got a que

EDUCATION RESOURCES: NGSS Standards: LS 4-LS1-1 Crosscutting Concept: Systems and System Models What is a butt? That’s what science journalist Katherine Wu wanted to know. Her quest for an answer leads her into a web of big butt questions, and a search to find the top butt scientists in the world. She discovers a debate over where butts come from, and a very strange butt that could rewrite the annals of butt history. "THE MASTERPIECE OF BUTT SCIENCE JOURNALISM" This episode f

EDUCATION RESOURCES: NGSS Standards: LS How do you count the cutest seals on the planet? With the help from thousands of people around the world! Conservation scientist Leo Salas explains the story behind the first-ever global count of Weddell seals in Antarctica. Plus, you’ll find out what counting seals shares with searching for ancient tombs! Meet Leo Salas Leo Salas is a quantitative ecologist, which means that he uses math to solve problems in the environment and its re

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES: NGSS Standards: LS 4-LS1-2 Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models How do you find out why we laugh? With tickling, of course! Gorillas and other great apes appear to love being tickled, and sound like they’re laughing just like us. Animal biologist Marina Davila-Ross thought tickling might connect humans and great apes - and hold the clues to the origin of laughter. To find out, she assembled teams of ticklers in an experiment full of giggles.

How did some animals start to walk on land? Why were dinosaurs so huge? What did our primate ancestors look like? Let’s dive into this special road-trip edition of Tumble, a safari through animal evolution. Your tour guides have put together some of their favorite episodes about evolution and their time traveling jeep will take you waaaaaaay back in time. Now buckle up, because it's gonna be a bumpy ride! Dive Deeper Curious to learn more about each episode? There’s free reso