Podcast · Tech & Science
by Nate | The Company Making Podcasts · English · Tech & Science
Created by Nate when he was 5 years-old, The Show About Science is an awesome adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Over the last 11 years, Nate has filled each episode with fascinating information from scientists and educators from around the globe. Together, Nate
31 Aug 2026 · 20 min
In this episode, Nate follows biologist Rachel Page into the rainforest at dusk, where a puddle full of tiny, love-struck frogs must get loud and brave to survive.
E113 · 24 Jun 2026 · 18 min
The cheetah is built for speed. It can go from zero to 60 in just a few seconds. But today, the fastest land animal on Earth is losing a much bigger race: the race to survive.
E112 · 10 Feb 2026 · 24 min
A frozen corpse. A melting glacier. A 5,000-year-old crime scene. Nate talks with Brenda Fowler about Ötzi the Iceman and how modern science helped uncover the life, death and secrets of one of history’s most famous archaeological discoveries.
E111 · 15 Mar 2025 · 28 min
Seeds hold history. They carry the genetic blueprints of the past and the key to our future. But when disaster strikes, how far will scientists go to save them before they’re lost forever? In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate traces the incredible journey of some of the world’s most valuable seeds - from the Middle East to the Arctic Circle to the wheat fields of Kansas. Along the way, he uncovers how a global network of scientists are racing against time to safeguard our food supply for generations to come.
E110 · 14 Sep 2024 · 16 min
On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate sees what it’s like to fly a plane and attempts to make this episode from 2,000 feet in the air. Can he pull this off?
E109 · 27 Jul 2024 · 17 min
It's the hottest day of the year, and deep underground, a mysterious countdown has finally hit zero. After years of silence, millions of cicadas are emerging from the earth, ready to take the stage in a once-in-a-lifetime event. But how do these creatures synchronize their grand entrance?
E108 · 27 May 2024 · 23 min
In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate unearths the surprising history of the Kentucky Coffee Trees growing in his backyard and quickly becomes obsessed with germinating their seeds. This obsession leads him to a lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he meets up with plant ecologist, David Zaya, to uncover the evolutionary tale of these trees and the role humans now play in preserving them.
E107 · 24 Mar 2024 · 15 min
Bacteriophages, also known as ‘phages,’ are the most common lifeform on the planet. They are constantly hunting for bacteria to infect and kill. What if we could harness these tiny microbes to help us in our fight against harmful, disease-causing bacteria? On this episode of The Show About Science, Ben Chan, from Yale University, joins Nate to explore the potential of phages in treating human infections amid the declining effectiveness of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
E106 · 27 Jan 2024 · 26 min
How safe is the water that we drink? On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate explores how we monitor and study the chemistry of our rivers with guests Stephen MacAvoy and Melissa Pierce.
E105 · 1 Dec 2023 · 27 min
What it would really entail to conquer the relentless Martian elements, engineer a thriving, self-reliant biosphere, and craft life-preserving abodes within the alien realms of lava tubes? Find out on this episode of The Show About Science.
E104 · 16 Oct 2023 · 17 min
In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate interviews Elizabeth Rusch, author of "The Twenty-One, The True Story of the Youth Who Sue the U.S. Government Over Climate Change."
E103 · 23 Sep 2023 · 18 min
The platypus is a fascinating animal that has perplexed generations of scientists. Now researchers are studying the platypus on the molecular level, and it's proving to be just as surprising.
E102 · 8 Aug 2023 · 22 min
Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a Visualization and Emerging Technology Scientist at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard, and Smithsonian. In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate and Dr. Arcand dive into the mysteries of the universe illuminated by Chandra's use of X-ray light. From uncovering the intricacies of black hole cosmic recycling processes to exploring the aftermath of exploded stars and the mesmerizing pulsars emitting high-energy particles like cosmic lighthouses, this is a galactic tour like no other! Connect with The Show About Science:…
E101 · 3 Jun 2023 · 21 min
Can sound help us understand the complex patterns in our universe? This question leads Nate to Symbolic Sound in Champaign, Illinois, where composer Carla Scaletti guides him on a journey where sound, music, and data intertwine in captivating and thought-provoking ways. Along the way, we'll meet Kimberly Arcand, who unveils the hidden melodies of space through her celestial soundscapes, delve into the fascinating world of protein folding with Martin Gruebele, and listen to the delicate dance of DNA with Mark Temple. This episode was inspired by a fantastic LA Times article entitled The…
E100 · 18 Apr 2023 · 18 min
Brian Selznick is an illustrator and author best known for his books The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, and The Marvels and Kaleidoscope. Brian joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to talk about the science behind his latest book, Big Tree. The book follows two small sycamore seeds, Merwin and Louise, who are looking for a safe place to grow while trying to save the entire world. Brian's research into fossil species, climate change, fungal hyphae and paleobotany form the backbone of this mesmerizing journey from the Cretaceous period to present day. Learn more about…
E99 · 5 Mar 2023 · 17 min
The CZ Biohub’s inspiring story began when Priscilla Chan asked Stephen Quake a seemingly impossible question: “Is it possible to cure, prevent, and manage disease in our children’s lifetime?”. In 2016, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by Priscilla and Mark Zuckerberg, set out to answer that question with a bold new mission. On the final installment of our CZ Biohub series, Priscilla and Stephen join Nate to talk about the work being done at Biohub, and how understanding human biology is the key to unlocking powerful medical treatments and cures. Through their commitment to the cause,…
E98 · 19 Feb 2023 · 16 min
On the third installment of our CZ Biohub series, we visit a lab nicknamed "Le Petit Hotel de Poisson" (The Tiny Fish Hotel) where scientists are using zebrafish as a model organism to study human development. Along the way, we'll meet Loïc A. Royer, who leads a team at Biohub including Merlin Lange and Shruthi VijayKumar who are using something called a light-sheet microscope to document the incredible complexity of individual cells as they develop into fully functioning organisms. Manu Leonetti and Sandy Schmid from previous CZ Biohub episodes also join us on the tour. Watch a video…
E97 · 31 Jan 2023 · 12 min
This is the second episode of our four part series focused on the CZ Biohub in San Francisco where scientists are working to cure, prevent, or manage disease by the end of the century. In this episode, we meet Quantitative Cell Science group leader Manu Leonetti. Manu and his team are using "genetic glowsticks" to map all 20,000 proteins in a single human cell. Their flagship project – OpenCell – is a library of fluorescently engineered cell lines to define the locations and interactions of human proteins within our cells. You can see the images Manu describes in the episode here:…
E96 · 12 Jan 2023 · 13 min
Over the next 4 episodes, we're going to take you on a tour of the CZ Biohub in San Francisco where scientists are working to cure, prevent, or manage disease by the end of the century. Every year, 400,000 people die of malaria - usually children in impoverished areas. In the first episode of our Biohub series, you'll meet Paul Lebel, a member of the CZ Biohub Bioengineering team, who is helping to create a device that uses machine learning to accelerate and improve the process for identifying malaria-infected red blood cells. If the project is successful, the hope is that they can diagnose…
22 Dec 2022 · 16 min
We're revisiting one of our favorite episodes of The Show About Science from 2015. Back when Nate was 5 years old, he interviewed Santa Claus about the science behind his workshop and what happens when kids send drawings of new toys for Santa to produce in his present factory. Santa than suggested that Nate talk to Roger, his Head of Research and Development. Roger is also the author of The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey (amzn.to/1NwaZr4) and Can Reindeer Fly?: The Science of Christmas (amzn.to/1NwaYDG). Finally, Nate talks to Lt(N)…
E95 · 6 Nov 2022 · 17 min
Alan Gratz is the New York Times bestselling author of 18 novels for young readers, including Ground Zero, Refugee, Allies, Grenade, Prisoner B-3087, Projekt 1065, and Ban This Book. His latest novel, Two Degrees, puts climate change front and center as four different kids navigate the threats of global warming. He joins Nate on this episode to talk about the science behind the book. No spoilers episode: https://on.soundcloud.com/oYW8g Learn more: https://www.alangratz.com/writing/two-degrees/ Music on this episode comes from Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme song was composed…
E94 · 6 Oct 2022 · 17 min
DALL-E 2 is a new AI system that can create realistic images and art from written text descriptions. Mark Chen is a research scientist at OpenAI, the company the created DALL-E 2. He joins Nate on this episode to explain how AI is putting the art in artificial intelligence. Sign up to make your own images with DALL-E 2: https://labs.openai.com/auth/signup See what my friend, Olivia, and I made with DALL-E 2: https://bit.ly/3MfG7BC Music on this episode comes from Sounds Like An Earful and Epidemic Sound. Our theme song was written by Jeff, Dan, and Theresa Brooks.
E93 · 3 Aug 2022 · 21 min
Alan Nathan has been a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois since 1977, but for the past 10 years, he has expanded his research interests to focus on the physics of baseball. His work looks at the dynamics of the collision between the ball and bat and the aerodynamics of a baseball in flight. On this episode of The Show About Science, he joins Nate to talk about what every baseball player should understand about physics and how that knowledge could improve their game. Read more about Alan's work here: http://baseball.physics.illinois.edu/ Our theme song was…
E92 · 25 May 2022 · 14 min
The History Channel show, “Kings of Pain,” follows wildlife biologist Adam Thorn and professional animal handler Rob “Caveman” Alleva as they get bitten and stung by some of the most dangerous animals and vicious stinging insects in the world. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate goes behind the scenes to learn how they're working to create a complete and comprehensive pain index that will ultimately help save lives. "Kings of Pain" returns with a new season on Thursday, May 26th. Learn more here: https://www.history.com/shows/kings-of-pain Subscribe to The Show About Science…
E91 · 4 May 2022 · 24 min
Proteins are one of the main drivers of human diseases. Scientists are now mapping all of the proteins in the human body in a similar way to how the Human Genome Project mapped genes. On this episode of The Show About Science, Neil Kelleher, PhD invites Nate to his lab on the campus of Northwestern University to explain how it all works. Learn more about Neil's work here: http://proteomics.northwestern.edu/
E90 · 8 Feb 2022 · 14 min
Why don't I have a tail? That's the question that Bo Xia asked himself when he was a little kid. Bo is now a PhD candidate at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Bo's latest research attempts to answer his childhood question by identifying the mutation that resulted in ancestral humans losing their tails. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate and Bo talk about his work and why this mutation may have happened. Read more about Bo's work: www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/scienc…-their-tails.html
E89 · 21 Sep 2021 · 19 min
Hidden ten miles south of Hastings, Michigan and only accessible via an old gravel road is the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, a nature center and biological field station. On this episode of The Show About Science, we meet Ellen Holste, PhD. Ellen is the Community Program Manager at the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute and our tour guide into the amazing world of fungi. Be prepared to learn and have some fun as we scour the prairie for all sorts of fungus. Learn more about the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute: https://www.cedarcreekinstitute.org/ Listen to more episodes of The Show About Science:…
E88 · 11 Aug 2021 · 16 min
Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University where he leads the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. His research focuses mainly on quantum gravity, the theory of quantum black holes and the nature of time. On this episode of The Show About Science, he joins Nate to talk about the science of time travel. Learn more about Paul Davies and the Beyond Center: http://beyond.asu.edu/ Listen to more episodes of The Show About Science: https://theshowaboutscience.com/
E87 · 24 Jun 2021 · 16 min
Wael Farah is a research scientist at the SETI Institute, where he searches the stars for alien life. The Allen Telescope Array (ATA), where Wael conducts his research, is located at the Hat Creek Observatory in Northern California. The ATA is a collection of 42 relatively small dishes (antennas) that are designed to work together for SETI searches. In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate talks to Wael about how the Allen Telescope Array works, fast radio bursts, SETI, and what might lure extraterrestrial life to earth. Learn more about SETI and the Allen Telescope Array here:…
E86 · 3 Apr 2021 · 16 min
What do our dogs think about all day? Do dogs experience emotions like people do? Gregory Berns is a bestselling author and a professor at Emory University where he studies animal neuroscience. On this episode of The Show Show About Science, he joins Nate to talk about how he trained dogs to go into an MRI scanner—completely awake—so he could figure out what they think and feel. Learn more about Gregory's work here: http://gregoryberns.com/
Created by Nate when he was 5 years-old, The Show About Science is an awesome adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Over the last 11 years, Nate has filled each episode with fascinating information from scientists and educators from around the globe. Together, Nate
The Show About Science is a English tech & science podcast from Nate | The Company Making Podcasts. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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