
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

Dec 5, 2022 • 10min
Cultural identity in sperm whales
Taylor Hersh explores how patterns of clicks produced by sperm whales suggest the exchange of cultural information between the whales.

Nov 14, 2022 • 19min
Tuning into nature’s music
Researchers discuss what animal soundscapes can tell us about the health of ecosystems.

Oct 31, 2022 • 10min
Point sources of methane emission
Daniel Cusworth discusses combining aircraft-based and satellite-based measurement to identify methane emission point sources.

Oct 17, 2022 • 11min
How climate warming releases ocean methane
Syee Weldeab describes what researchers can learn from ancient global warming about the risks posed by ocean floor methane hydrates.

Oct 3, 2022 • 10min
U-turn in occupational gender segregation
Ling Zhu and David B. Grusky explore intergenerational factors influencing occupational gender segregation in the United States.

Sep 19, 2022 • 10min
Activated patients reduce implicit bias
Izzy Gainsburg and Veronica Derricks discuss how patient activation can disrupt implicit bias in physician-patient interactions.

5 snips
Sep 6, 2022 • 10min
How bumblebees respond to noxious stimuli
Matilda Gibbons, Lars Chittka and Jonathan Birch discuss the possibility that bumblebees may feel pain.

Aug 15, 2022 • 21min
Science of Misinformation
Researchers explore how misinformation spreads and what can be done to stop it.

Aug 1, 2022 • 9min
Bias and the placebo effect
Lauren Howe and Alia Crum explore the interactions of societal biases with the placebo effect.

5 snips
Jul 18, 2022 • 13min
Epigenetic clocks for humans and dogs
Steve Horvath and Elaine Ostrander explain the usefulness of epigenetic clocks in humans and dogs.