Podcasts and Vodcasts by Topic
Earth Science
Surviving the Storm - July 08, 2010
Emergency medicine physicians shared important lightning safety information, warning individuals, "When thunder roars, go indoors." The simple rhyme serves to help bystanders stay out of harm's way and avoid the neurological damage that results from being struck by lightning.
Lightning is a form of static electricity. We experience static electricity every time we drag our feet on the carpet and then touch a conducting surface, like a metal doorknob.
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Detecting Bombs, Saving Lives - May 17, 2010
Science and engineering students are developing a detection method to find improvised explosive devices (IEDs). detectors use magnetic waves to sense the magnetic field given off by the ferrous material in the IED.
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Taking Math to the Streets - May 11, 2010
Mathematicians reveal the hidden math in everyday life, finding numerical patterns in common places like your bathroom tile and backyard fence.
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Life On Mars - April 12, 2010
Atmospheric Scientists and Physicists Discover Lightning on Mars Using Unique Detector
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Robots Taking Over the Garden - December 11, 2009
Computer Scientists Send Robots to the Garden to Tend to Tomato Plants
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New and Improved Wind Power - December 04, 2009
Mechanical Engineers Create Wind Turbine That Responds to the Wind, Maximizes Power Generation.
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Inside the Wind - November 20, 2009
Aerospace Engineers Use Wind Tunnel to Study Hurricane-Strength Winds
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Smart Bridge Keeping Drivers Safe - November 06, 2009
Civil engineers installed approximately 400 sensors in a bridge to monitor how corrosion, temperature and traffic loans impact the structure.
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Students Achieve Over One Thousand Miles-Per-Gallon in Competition - October 30, 2009
Engineering students teamed up to build super- efficient gas-powered cars (approximately 1,200 miles-per-gallon) that compete for the highest miles-per-gallon.
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Geophysicists Explain the Science Behind Surfing - October 09, 2009
Geophysicists are able to explain the science of surfing by running experiments while riding the waves.
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A Brush with the Laws of Electromagnetism - August 21, 2009
Watch physicists Becky Thompson-Flagg and Ted Hodapp trade quips as they show how to take apart a small DC motor and find out how it works. They get the armature of the motor spinning with just a battery, a few wires, and a permanent magnet.
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Making Rain - July 17, 2009
Researchers found that bacteria can initiate ice formation when super-cooled water droplets condense around the microbes and found evidence of these microbes in snow and rain samples from around the world.
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Roboclam to the Rescue - May 08, 2009
Mechanical Engineers designed a robotic clam to mimic the digging motion of the razor clam in nature.
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Cars Powered by the Sun - April 03, 2009
Arts, Science, and Engineering Students Driven by Solar Energy to the Finish Line
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Big Quakes Trigger Small Quakes - February 06, 2009
Seismologists Find Large Earthquakes Can Trigger Smaller Ones in Unlikely Locations
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Finding Victims After a Disaster - December 10, 2008
Scientists and Engineers Develop Aerial Imaging System to Identify the Locations of Persons in Need After Disasters
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Two New Tires: Safety on a Budget - December 01, 2008
Ergonomists Find New Tires Provide More Control When Replaced In Rear
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Dangers of Going Green - November 26, 2008
Industrial Hygienists Suggest Watching Out for Mold When Going Green
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Predicting When Tornadoes Will Strike - November 10, 2008
Meteorologists Examine Relationship of El Nino and Winter Tornadoes in the U.S.
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Slower Growing Grass - October 29, 2008
Horticultural Scientists Develop Slow-Growing Grass
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Tracking Pollution From Space - October 27, 2008
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers Use Satellites to Track Ozone Levels
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Year 'Round Bloom - October 20, 2008
Horticulturists and Botanists Develop Flower that Blooms All Summer Long
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Jellyfish Fight Terrorists - September 19, 2008
Biologists and Engineers Create Fast-Acting Pathogen Sensor
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Thunderstorms Cause Asthma - September 17, 2008
Meteorologists and Epidemiologists Study Connection Between Thunderstorms and Asthma Attacks
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Man-Made Hurricanes - September 15, 2008
Civil Engineers Create High-Powered Hurricane Simulator
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NASA Saving Lives - September 12, 2008
Earth Scientists and Meteorologists Create Historically-Based, Realistic Weather Animations
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Measuring Lightning - September 10, 2008
Electrical Engineers and Meteorologists Devise Method to Measure Strength of Lightning Strikes on Tall Buildings
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Knowing Where Tornadoes Will Strike - August 01, 2008
Meteorologists recently studied the effect of gravity waves on tornado formation. They found that when gravity waves push down on rotating thunderstorms the storm compresses and spins faster. Being able to recognize and track gravity waves before they reach thunderclouds allows meteorologists to better predict tornadoes, increasing both the accuracy of their predictions and the amount of warning time that they can provide.
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Nanotechnology - Cleaning up our Water - April 01, 2008
Chemical engineers created nanoparticles out of gold and palladium to break down pollutants in groundwater. Adding the particles to groundwater converts dangerous contaminants like trichloroethylene into non-toxic compounds.
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Kids Discovering New Asteroids - March 01, 2008
Astronomy students looking for supernovae examined photographs and found asteroids. They used both unaided eyes and computer analysis to identify the asteroids. The images were composited from three separate images, one each of green, red, and blue. When combined into one image, asteroids stand out because they move against the background.
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Recycling Revolution - August 01, 2007
Chemical Engineers developed a way to break down plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate -- or PET, and recycle it back into high value uses like more soda bottles, water bottles, beer bottles. Inside the recycling plant's extruder, water is removed from ground up plastic. Then, the plastic is melted and chemically broken down -- in a process called depolymerization. The breakthrough in this process is to be able to go from chips of this plastic to the recycled material in about five minutes.
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Making Waves - August 01, 2007
Scientists gives us a sneak peek into the world of wave pools, and explain how these huge pools make constant waves. Waves are made by a huge compressor that feeds four gigantic air blowers. Then a computer controls chambers that generate the waves. When the chamber lids are closed, air from the blowers pushes the water out and makes a wave. When the valve is open, the balance tank fills with water, getting ready to make the next wave. It works just like a toddler pushing a cup upside-down onto water in a bathtub.
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Mystery Diamonds - June 01, 2007
Carbonados, black carbon formations that resemble diamonds, have been show to have a chemical spectrum that indicates they originated before the formation of the Earth; their high hydrogen content suggests they are from a star-like environment. Since this carbon is only found in two locations on our planet, it may have arrived via an asteroid.
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Man-Made Diamonds - March 01, 2007
New and improved technology has now made growing diamonds cost-competitive with mining them. Diamond-making machines subject a graphite-carbon core and a diamond seed at a pressure of 850,000 PSI for four days, recreating conditions similar to those 100 miles below the earth's surface. The lab-grown diamonds that come out are optically, chemically and physically identical to those that occur in nature.
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Ice, Ice, Baby! - February 01, 2007
When droplets of melted snow drip down an icicle, they release small amounts of heat as they freeze. Heated air travels upwards and helps slow down the growth of the icicle's top, while the tip is growing rapidly. Knowledge of the mathematical equations that govern icicle growth -- the same that apply to stalactites -- could help in the prevention of icicle formation on power lines.
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Rip Current Secrets Revealed - August 01, 2006
Rip currents flow in very erratic patterns, not in steady courses as previously believed -- which may help explain why they can be so dangerous even for experienced swimmers. Oceanographers have discovered the behavior by tracking the motion of colored dye added to a wave pool generating rip currents.
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Liquid Body Armor - August 01, 2006
Rheologists have created a new way of bullet-proofing clothes using shear-thickening fluids. Fabric treated with shear-thickening granular suspensions can turn soft material into solid protective gear when struck by a projectile. The treatment can strengthen Kevlar to produce lighter, more comfortable bullet-proof vests, or it can be used to turn extend the bullet-proof protection to ordinary fabric.
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The Mysterious Gravity Hill - June 01, 2006
At several hilly locations around the U.S., know as "gravity hills," objects such as cars left on neutral supposedly roll uphill, driven by unknown forces and against the force of gravity. Physicists say -- and GPS measurements confirm -- that the effects are illusions caused by the landscape. The position of trees and slopes of nearby scenery, or a curvy horizon line, can blend to trick the eye so that what looks uphill is actually downhill.
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Lightning: Fact or Fiction? - April 01, 2006
To study lightning, scientists use rockets connected to the ground by wires. They fire the rockets into clouds, triggering electrical discharges, and storing their power. They have found that lightning doesn't come straight down to the ground, but it instead takes a series of steps.
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Sun Darkens Electronics - March 01, 2006
Solar activity can wreak havoc in communications systems -- particularly during coronal mass ejections, when plumes of electrically charged particles hit earth's atmosphere. Scientists can now track the plumes down to the single affected cities, helping to predict disruptions.
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Fog-Free Glass - January 01, 2006
When moisture condenses on a cool surface, droplets can form that are the right size to scatter light, fogging up glass. A new polymer coating draws droplets into nanopores and transforms them into a transparent sheet, improving vision.
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Firefighting with Fog - January 01, 2006
Firefighters usually don't aim hydrants at smoke, to avoid producing steam that can come back and burn them. But smoke sometimes contains dangerous, flammable gases. Some U.S. fire departments are now experimenting with brief bursts of water on the hot gasses, to cool them down and reduce the risk of explosion. Since it was adopted in Sweden, the technique has cut firefighter fatalities in half.
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Unbreakable Glass - September 01, 2005
Sponges are the homes of colonies of tiny marine animals, and wonders of miniaturized engineering. They employ complex structural arrangements, the strongest glasses known to man, and even microscopic fiber optics that glow in the dark. Scientists are trying to figure how to reproduce some of their tricks, such as producing glass at low temperatures.
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Flying and Radiation Risk - September 01, 2005
At the high altitudes and latitudes commercial airlines fly, crews are subjected to higher-than-normal radiation levels from the sun and cosmic rays. Physicist Robert Barish believes airline crew members are exposing themselves to more radiation than almost any other occupation and is calling for the airline industry to better educate workers about radiation.
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Killing Germs - September 01, 2005
Preventing hospital infections -- from such stubborn bugs as Staphylococcus aureus -- could get a little easier with a new non-toxic, silver-based material. Used in coating, it helps keep hospital air ducts bacterium- and fungus-free. The material is also used in a number of products including athletic footwear, door hardware, pens and business supplies.
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Weather System Protects Homeland Security - May 01, 2005
Homeland security officials are tapping researchers' capability to predict the paths of toxic waste spills and hazardous airborne particles. Using computer science and mathematics, along with information on the wind and other climate, they can make estimates of how the toxin will disperse and where the plume will go.
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Frostless Heat Pump - February 01, 2005
A new invention, the "frostless" heat pump, produces warmer air than a conventional heat pump by raising the temperature on the device's outer coils. This prevents frost on the coils while heat is suctioned more efficiently into the home.
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Glass Bridges - February 01, 2005
To make bridges last longer and less expensive to maintain, engineers are working to incorporate glass into bridge design. Researchers say these longer-lasting glass-based bridges can withstand earthquakes better, and are faster to build, in addition to having high strength and durability.
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Underwater Weather Watchers - January 01, 2005
Researchers are now collecting valuable information about ocean weather from a fleet of cost-effective instruments called Argo floats. Using hydraulic fluid in internal and external sacs, each float sinks about a mile and a half underwater. Every ten days, the float rises to the surface and transmits information on the ocean temperature and salt content. Researchers hope Argo will improve the ability to forecast the paths of hurricanes and where they will make their landfall.
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A Better Golf Game - January 01, 2005
Researchers have designed a golf ball that tends to fly straighter even when a putter unintentionally "slices" it which ordinarily causes it to curve to one side. The new ball has a hollow, metal core that shifts the ball's mass -- or weight -- to the outside. This helps the ball spin less and fly straighter as it sails through the air.
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Protective Paint - October 01, 2004
A new paint fights corrosion by releasing a cerium-based "inhibitor." It interacts with oxidizing agents that would otherwise attack the metal and cause corrosion.
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Playing It Cool - July 01, 2004
New shoulder pads keep players cool, by reflecting 90 percent of the heat from the sun. Made of aluminized polyester, a material originally designed by NASA for the space shuttle, the pads also contain a layer of air that prevents heat from reaching the skin.
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Hurricane-Proof Glass - June 01, 2004
A new hurricane-resistant glass uses a traditional three-layer sandwich of material: two pieces of glass on the outside and an improved middle layer made of fiberglass reinforced polymer. The fibers run at different angles, so, when debris hits the window, the stress waves disperse through it, reducing the shock to the glass. The glass can withstand a bullet flying one hundred miles an hour, and it will hold together through storms with debris coming at similar speeds.
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Zero-Energy Home - April 01, 2004
Mechanical engineers have produced a zero-energy model home -- one that produces as much energy as it consumes in a year -- by constructing a heat-conserving airtight building and using renewable resources such as solar energy.
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Smart Fluids - February 01, 2004
Physicists have created a smart fluid for car suspension systems. When a magnetic field is applied to the fluid it becomes semi-solid and when the field is removed, the fluid returns to a free-flowing liquid. This aspect makes the fluid perfect for suspension systems that need to adapt to changing levels of shock. The fluid also means less mechanical parts are needed.
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Cloudy Glasses - February 01, 2004
Material scientists found that from the day glass is manufactured there are tine imperfections in the glassware. These scratches become more visible after the glass is cleaned. The tiny scratches make the glass cloudy because light gets spread out as it passes through the glass at different angles.
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Samples From The Sun - January 01, 2004
A new NASA program called the Genesis Mission is launching a spacecraft to collect particles from the sunýs solar wind to obtain information on the origin of earth and other bodies in the solar system.
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Take a Swing - August 01, 2003
Computer simulations and lab experiments are helping scientists understand what makes a good swing. When a baseball bat hits the ball in what players call its "sweet spot," less energy goes into making the bat vibrate and more goes into the ball, making it go further. The researchers have also studied the differences between wooden and aluminum bats.
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Space-Age Windows - March 01, 2003
Aerogel, a new material first developed in space experiments and made of 97 percent air, could soon become an energy-saving solution for replacing glass in windows. It insulates from sound better and it is five times better than any other material at insulating heat. Aerogel is composed of a tight network of tiny pores and glass folded over and over.
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