Science for the People

What do ancient cities have to tell us about ourselves and our future? Annalee Newitz talks about their latest book, "Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age", and what ancient ruins can tell us about our modern selves. From Catalhoyuk to Cahokia, join us on a tour of cities past.

For humans and creatures of all sorts, play goes beyond having fun. Cognitive scientist Junyi Chu shares about the motives behind play, from showing off one's fitness to practicing skills, and she shares about her research studying children, play and cognition. Game designer Holly Gramazio comes at play from the perspective of an artist. She talks about how games, such as Pokemon Go or others that originated during the pandemic, can change how players perceive a place and connect to other people. Related link: Play, Curiosity, and Cognition by Junyi Chu and Laura E. Schulz

2020 is over, and honestly? Good riddance. But before we go, let's take a look back. Because 2020 was tough, but it was also a year that science played a bigger role in people's lives than ever before. Hosts Bethany Brookshire and Rachelle Saunders talk with Tina Saey, Deja Perkins, and Carolyn Gramling about three big science stories that definitely made an impact on 2020. Related links: The science stories that defined 2020: coronavirus, diveristy movements and more As 202 comes to an end, here's what we still don't know about COVID-19 This COVID-19 pandemic timeline shows how fast the coronavirus took over our lives What will life be like after the coronavirus pandemic ends? Health care workers and long-term care residents should get COVID-19 vaccines first Meet 5 Black researchers fighting for diversity and equity in science A #BlackBirdersWeek cofounder aims to amplify black nature enthusiasts Daily global CO2 emissions dropped dramatically as COVID-19 kept people at home COVID-19 lockdowns dramatically reduced seismic noise from humans What's behind August 2020's extreme weather? Climate change and bad luck Climate change made Siberia's heat wave at least 600 times more likely 4 ways to put the 100-degree Arctic heat record in context Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes broke all kinds of records in 2020 By 2100, Greenland will be losing ice at its fastest rate in 12,000 years Global warming may lead to practically irreversible Antarctic melting New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier's icy underbelly

It's the holidays and it's 2020. For many of us, it's the first time we won't be able to be together, doing the traditional things we always do. It seems like it might be okay, I mean, people are always telling us to make our own traditions. So why does it hurt so much? Why does the loss of our rituals leave us so adrift? And why, with all the pressure of the pandemic and joblessness and politics are any of us bored? Bethany Brookshire speaks with Science News social sciences writer Sujata Gupta about the importance of rituals, and with Gimlet's "How to Save A Planet" senior reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis about the ups and downs of boredom. Related links: Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic? on Science News by Sujata Gupta Boredom Is Spreading the Coronavirus on Elemental by Kendra Pierre-Louis This Pandemic Is Perilously Boring on Wired by Michael Waters

Once again we've brought back Joanne Manaster and John Dupuis to reflect on their 2020 reading lists, and to highlight their favourite reads. So grab a coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or other cosy beverage of your choice, pull up our companion blog post with the full book list with links, and settle in for our annual episode that is sure to add new books to your reading list. Charities mentioned in this episode: National Low Income Housing Coalition (USA) American Indian Science and Engineering Society (USA) Equal Justice Initiative (USA) Charity Navigator (USA) Food Banks Canada Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Indspire (Canada) CanadaHelps.org MacLean's list of Canada's best charities 2020 The Trussell Trust (UK) Shelter (UK) Crisis (UK) Stand Against Racism and Inequality (UK) Charity Commission for England and Wales Scottish Charity Regulator The Charity Commission for Nothern Ireland

We're still in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, and one of the things many of us are hoping for every day is more good news about a vaccine. What does the Coronavirus vaccine effort look like? How does that compare to the usual way vaccines are pursued and developed? How many are in process, what stage are they at, what approach do they take, and which ones look promising? What's "good enough" for a Cornoavirus vaccine when it comes to efficacy and safety? How quickly can we roll one out when we decide one works well enough to start using in earnest? And what are the ethical implications and impacts on the wider vaccine effort of fast-tracking the first vaccine to hit the magic "ready" mark? We deep dive these questions and the vaccine effort with chemist Derek Lowe, who has been following the vaccine effort closely and blogging about it since it began on his blog In The Pipeline. Related links: Coronavirus Vaccine Roundup, Early September Cold Chain (And Colder Chain) Distribution The Vaccine Tightrope Vaccine Efficacy Data an update on 9 Nov of controlled efficacy data for the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, not discussed in the interview which was recorded earlier in the week

Just a quick message abour our somewhat erratic programming schedule of late. For a variety of reasons, our team needs to slow down a bit to give ourselves time and energy to focus on other things going on in our lives and this crazy year, so we'll be going to a monthly schedule for a while to give us here at Science for the People some room to breath. Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere; we're just going a little slower for a while.

When you think of science communication, you might think of TED talks or museum talks or video talks, or... people giving lectures. It's a lot of people talking. But there's more to sci comm than that. This week host Bethany Brookshire talks to three people who have looked at science communication in places you might not expect it. We'll speak with Mauna Dasari, a graduate student at Notre Dame, about making mammals into a March Madness match. We'll talk with Sarah Garner, director of the Pathologists Assistant Program at Tulane University School of Medicine, who takes pathology instruction out of the lab and on to Instagram, @passion4pathology, complete with dissections. And we'll hear from Vaughan James, a graduate student at the University of Florida, who decided to find out if hearing about science at a science fiction convention actually, well, made people like science any more. Related Links: March Mammal Madness March Mammal Madness - How to Play @passion4pathology on Instagram Dragon Con Science Track Science Communication Efforts and Identity at Popular Culture Conventions on Sage Journals by Vaughan James

Do you like tea? If you, like many of us, do, then you probably have an idea (or perhaps very strong opinions) of what a "good cup of tea" tastes like. But what does "quality tea" really mean? This week host Rachelle Saunders speaks with Sarah Besky, Associate Professor in the IRL School at Cornell and author of the book "Tasting Qualities: The Past and Future of Tea", about the unique history of tea production and valuation to try and understand what we mean when we say "quality tea".

This week we focus on heart disease, heart failure, what blood pressure is and why it's bad when it's high. Host Rachelle Saunders talks with physician, clinical researcher, and writer Haider Warraich about his book "State of the Heart: Exploring the History, Science, and Future of Cardiac Disease" and the ails of our hearts.