PNAS Science Sessions
Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in PNAS, plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.
Latest episodes
Jun 7, 2019 • 6min
Visual prosthetic devices for the blind
Peter Schiller discusses a device that could one day restore sight to the blind by directly stimulating the visual cortex.
Jun 7, 2019 • 2min
Call for papers: PNAS Plus
PNAS Editor-in-Chief Randy Schekman discusses the journal's new option to publish online-only research articles.
Jun 7, 2019 • 5min
Nano-healing and the future of surgery
Rutledge Ellis-Behnke discusses his research in nano-healing, a technology that halts bleeding and helps the brain and body to recover from injury and disease.
Jun 7, 2019 • 5min
Identifying the source of HIV infections in criminal cases
David Hillis explains how phylogenetics can be used to solve criminal cases involving the intentional transmission of HIV via unprotected sex.
Jun 7, 2019 • 6min
Microexpressions and the science behind "Lie to Me"
Paul Ekman, the scientist whose research inspired the Fox television drama "Lie to Me," explains that almost everyone can learn to read the facial microexpressions that reveal concealed emotions, but that the technique is no "Pinocchio's nose."
Jun 7, 2019 • 5min
The "missing link" between fish and land animals
Neil Shubin researches the evolutionary origin of anatomical features. Dr. Shubin's most recent discovery, Tiktaalik roseae, has been dubbed the "missing link" between fish and land animals. Dr. Shubin discusses Tiktaalik and the evolutionary shift from life in water to life on land.
Jun 7, 2019 • 2min
Tracking the spread of flu-like diseases in schools
Marcel Salathé researches disease transmission and prevention, at the Penn State University Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. To investigate how flu-like diseases spread through schools, Dr. Salathé used wireless sensors to measure the number of close-proximity, person-to-person interactions during a typical day at a local high school.
Jun 7, 2019 • 6min
Pollution in indoor environments
Charles J. Weschler studies the chemistry of indoor pollutants, including airborne particles, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic gases such as ozone. Listen as Dr. Weschler discusses the consequences of indoor pollution at home and in the workplace.
Jun 7, 2019 • 4min
Dark matter, dark energy, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, host of "NOVA ScienceNOW," and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Listen as Dr. Tyson discusses the extraordinary capabilities of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Jun 7, 2019 • 5min
Scientific credibility, public exposure, and irate third-graders
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, host of "NOVA ScienceNOW," and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Listen as Dr. Tyson discusses the balance between scientific credibility and public exposure, and the pitfalls of challenging Pluto's status as a planet.
