Wendy Valencia-Montoya
Organismic and evolutionary biology Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University studying thermogenic plants and pollinator signaling, including infrared cues used by beetles.
Best podcasts with Wendy Valencia-Montoya
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Dec 11, 2025 • 28min
Hunting asteroids from space, and talking to pollinators with heat
Freelance science journalist Robin George Andrews delves into the NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission, explaining how it aims to uncover hidden asteroids that could threaten Earth. He discusses the importance of infrared detection for sizing these objects and the implications for planetary defense. Meanwhile, Wendy Valencia-Montoya, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, shares her fascinating research on how thermogenic plants use heat to communicate with beetle pollinators, suggesting that heat-based signaling may predate colorful cues.
