The PopSci Podcast

Podcast: How It Works

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0000

From the world's tallest mobile crane to NASA's new escape system for the Orion crew capsule, from the meanest drill to the Army's new Blackhawk upgrades, Sr. Associate Editor Seth Fletcher walks host Chuck Cage through How It Works.

Podcast: Who Protects The Internet?

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:52:00 +0000

While we may connect to the 'net wirelessly and painlessly, maintaining the thousands of miles of undersea and buried cable -- and the rest of the net's physical infrastructure -- is a huge task. Host Chuck Cage sits down with Deputy Editor Jake Ward and author James Geary to discuss just who protects the internet in its physical form.

Power From the People: Human Powered Transport

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Riding your bike to work? That's old school. Human powered transport options are expanding dramatically! Host Chuck Cage sits down with Bruce Grierson, author of "Power to the People," from this month's issue of Popular Science, taking on the concepts of negawatts, bullet bikes, and cars you can row.

Extreme Engineering

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Inside the biggest cruise ship, the tallest skyscraper, the longest tunnel, and more amazing, massive-scale projects

The Human Jet

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:51:00 +0000

How to bring a flying machine to the masses.

Podcast: Explaining the Personal Tilt-Rotor

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:18:00 +0000

The writers and editors behind the story of one of year's most exciting aircraft concepts reveal how it came to fruition

The Making of the Biggest Prank

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:30:00 +0000

What does it take to get on the inside of a prank? Writer Bob Parks and PopSci Deputy Editor Jake Ward sit down with host Chuck Cage to discover the story behind the story of one of the biggest college pranks in history.

Science of YouTube: Uncanny Valley

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:56:00 +0000

In the premier episode, we dive into that space between the robots and humans and find some very creepy things. Follow the series at popsci.com/scitube.

iPod Hat Trick

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:41:00 +0000

Trick out your iPod three easy ways

Cocktail Party Science: Carbon Discredit

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Russ George knew how to fight global warming: Grow rainforests' worth of plantlife in the open ocean, plantlife that would suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. He had the boat, the money and the team to make it happen. Everything was going according to plan—that is, until the environmentalists mobilized

Visting the Green Megalopolis

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:03:00 +0000

Visting the Green Megalopolis

Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:29:00 +0000

To rescue the Earth, we need bold engineering ideas that go beyond simple recycling

Cocktail Party Science: Inventions of the Year

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:19:00 +0000

A homebuilt tumor killer, one-wheeled motorcycle and more

Cocktail Party Science: The Space Archaeologists

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Archaeologists are using satellites and high-tech radar to unearth ancient civilizations—and avoid landmines along the way

Cocktail Party Science: Inside Speed Racer

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:23:00 +0000

The science of the summer blockbuster.

Cocktail Party Science: The Real Iron Man

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Super powerful exoskeletons aren't just the stuff of science fiction

Cocktail Party Science: RC Jets

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:03:00 +0000

It's not kids stuff. The high-stakes hobby of R/C jets on this week's podcast as host Chuck Cage sits down with the writer and photographer behind "Wing Men".

Cocktail Party Science: All About DIY

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:31:00 +0000

How the motorized skateboard for the urban jungle came about. Staff photographer John Carnett relays the story of his latest DIY exploits.

Cocktail Party Science: Science Confirms the Obvious

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:19:00 +0000

Caffeine wakes you up, rock stars die young and long ambulance rides aren't ideal. The writers and editors of PopSci's "Science Confirms the Obvious," talk to Chuck Cage about the studies that make you say "duh."

Cocktail Party Science: How it Works

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:03:00 +0000

Rip open a Pleo, get the run down on hybrids, and learn about the military's futuristic flying laser gun as Chuck Cage and the editors of PopSci take you inside some of the world's most sophisticated machines.

Cocktail Party Science: Solving the Gas Problem

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:38:00 +0000

The editors and writers of PopSci sit down with host Chuck Cage to discuss genetically-modified fuel, the Vatican and whether the Internet is, indeed, for porn (not voters).

Cocktail Party Science: Jonathan Coulton, Live at SXSW

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:36:00 +0000

Listen to JoCo, review the origins of the Internet and learn how tech can change the world in this week's podcast

Cocktail Party Science: The Anonymity Experiment

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:33:00 +0000

The editors of PopSci and host Chuck Cage learn just how hard it is to make themselves disappear from writer Catherine Price. Also the impressive creation of space kimchi and more

Cocktail Party Science: Your Sewer on Drugs

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:05:00 +0000

Host Chuck Cage and the editors of PopSci sit down with writer Eric Hagerman to discuss how exactly those drugs get down there, and how scientists are using sewer epidemiology to get better numbers on drug users.

Naked Flash Drive

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:50:00 +0000

Trick out your flash drive by stripping it down to its bare essentials.

The Parabolic Cookware Wi-Fi Antenna

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:22:00 +0000

See how to boost your computer's Wi-Fi reception with any piece of parabola-shaped metal cookware

Disposable Cam-Belt

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:17:00 +0000

Doug explains how to build perhaps the world's most fashionable high-tech belt using only leather straps, a disposable camera and some elbow grease. Oh, and a belt, of course. Far more complex than it sounds—launch the video for in-depth instruction and proceed at your own risk.

A Musical Stash For Your Cash

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:24:00 +0000

Jake demonstrates how to keep prying coworkers out of your secret stuff with this Altoids-tin storage box, complete with an "alarm" fashioned out of the guts of one of those musical greeting cards. Ah, the "sound of punishment." Enjoy.

RFID Snooper-Proof Wallet

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:18:00 +0000

Protect your RFID-equipped credit cards from potential information theft

Old Hard Drive = New Fridge Magnets

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:16:00 +0000

Find powerful rare-earth magnets inside of a dead hard drive

The Coffee Can Cellphone Antenna

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Boost your cell reception at home by hooking your phone's hidden antenna-out to a coffee can antenna

The Bottlecap Tripod

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:02:00 +0000

Utilize a few nuts and bolts, a soda or water bottle and the often-overlooked tripod mount on the bottom of your digital point-and-shoot to take beautiful, rock-solid shots in low light.

Episode 37: Super Paint

Mon, 21 May 2007 16:07:00 +0000

Popsci editor Nicole Dyer won't shut up about this new paint that has no need for primer, dries quickly and doesn't stink.

Episode 36: Fly Fights

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:46:00 +0000

Edward Kravitz, the Don King of fruit fly fights, talks about how the modification of a single gene can make fruit flies fight like the opposite sex.

Episode 35: Electric Cars

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:39:00 +0000

ZAP CEO Steve Schneider would like to sell you an electric car that's actually practical. What would it take for him to put you in a zebra-striped car today?

Episode 34: Spore

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:54:00 +0000

Game designer Chaim Gingold talks about his work on the creature editors in Will Wright's highly anticipated game Spore.

Episode 33: Into the Escape Pod

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Coulton talks to NASA about emergency escape strategies for the new generation of post-shuttle spacecraft. Astronauts on a roller coaster: whee!

Episode 32: Plasma Converter

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:32:00 +0000

Coulton talks to garbage guru Joseph Longo about his company's plasma converter - garbage in, energy out.

Episode 31: Homemade Zamboni

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:59:00 +0000

What do you get when you cross a lawnmower with a snowblower with a 4-wheel-drive utility vehicle? Hint #1: it's awesome. Hint #2: it's a Zamboni.

Episode 30: Deep Brain Stimulation

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Coulton talks to neurologist Michele Tagliati about this radical new procedure that's changing our understanding of the human brain.

Episode 29: Internet Addiction

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:04:00 +0000

Maybe it's time to admit you have a problem.

Episode 28: Cellphones and Sperm

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:53:00 +0000

Is your phone making you sterile?

Episode 27: Can Tech Solve the World's Water Woes?

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:49:00 +0000

Coulton talks to water-conflict expert Peter Glick about worldwide disputes over shared water resources, and how technology might come to the rescue.

Episode 26: MIT's Disco Dance Floor

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:32:00 +0000

Jonathan gets down with Mike Anderson, one of the MIT students behind the LED-powered homemade disco floor

Episode 25: An Elemental Fascination

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:29:00 +0000

Mr. Coulton finds a kindred spirit in Theo Gray, PopSci's science-whiz columnist and the man behind the Periodic Table Table. For more, see popsci.com/periodictable

Episode 24: Meet Ed Sutt, Creator of PopSci's Innovation of the Year

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:47:00 +0000

Jonathan's back after conquering a bout of space madness to chat with the man behind the HurriQuake Nail

Episode 23: Giant Yellow Jacket Nests

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:29:00 +0000

What made a swarm of yellow jackets in Alabama build an enormous nest inside a '55 Chevy pickup truck?

Episode 22: John Hodgman and the Furry Lobster

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 22:20:00 +0000

Funnyman John Hodgman (of "Daily Show" fame) visits Lunar Base One and talks...lobsters.

Episode 21: Floating Chernobyl

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:51:00 +0000

A nuclear reactor at sea: Worst idea ever?

Episode 20: Studying Language with Birds

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:18:00 +0000

Erich Jarvis is breaking new ground in the study of human language. His learning tool of choice? Zebra finches.

Episode 19: Catching the Cybercrooks

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 23:20:00 +0000

Episode 18: The Invisibility Cloak

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 21:32:00 +0000

Can high-tech metamaterials make one of science's most far-flung fantasies a reality?

Episode 17: The Worm Whisperer

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 21:27:00 +0000

A brilliant zoologist + marine worms + Jell-O = a new understanding of the underground world

Episode 16: Coulton Gets a Second Life

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 20:40:00 +0000

Jonathan Coulton enters a virtual world and learns what it's like to be schizophrenic.

Episode 15: The Future of Robots

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:02:00 +0000

Will robots have human intelligence by 2029? Coulton talks with big-thinking futurist Ray Kurzweil about his surprising prediction

Episode 14: Are We Getting Safer?

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:01:00 +0000

Jonathan Coulton finds out just how much homeland security tech has improved since 9-11.

Episode 13: Green Cars

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:52:00 +0000

Writer Billy Baker discusses the X Prize race for the 100-MPG car

Episode 12: Grow Your Own Organs

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:40:00 +0000

Jonathan Coulton talks to Dr. Anthony Atala of Wake Forest University about man-made internal organs, and something called "skin pockets"

Episode 11: The Roach Whisperer

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000

Meet the Belgian brainiac behind the world's first robot roaches, designed to lead pesky bugs out of hiding—and your apartment building.

Episode 10: The Smell of War

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000

Hear how the U.S. military is prepping soldiers for war with simulations of the noxious odors of combat.

Episode 9: Patenting the Body

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:05:00 +0000

In this episode of the PopSci podcast, Jonathan Coulton talks to writer Rebecca Skloot about a curious aspect of intellectual-property law: patents that could make it illegal to talk about medical conditions you already have.

Episode 8: DIY Projector

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 04:05:00 +0000

PopSci photographer and DIY madman John Carnett explains how he built a rolling LCD projector for his backyard.

Episode 7: Poo Power

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 04:05:00 +0000

An inside look at San Francisco's plan to turn waste methane from dog droppings into a viable source of energy.

Episode 6: Web Toll

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 04:05:00 +0000

Is there an end in sight to free Internet as we know it? Yes, if Big Telecomm has its way.

Episode 5: The LAPD's Spy Toys

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 19:59:00 +0000

Ace reporter Coulton sleuths out secrets about the Los Angeles police department’s high-tech crime fighting devices—and discovers that they also use grappling hooks.

Episode 4: Blood Rains

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 04:01:00 +0000

Could India's red rains have been caused by...aliens?

Episode 3: Iraq Tech

Tue, 30 May 2006 04:01:00 +0000

How wired are U.S. forces on the frontlines, really?

Episode 2: The Return of 3-D

Tue, 23 May 2006 04:01:00 +0000

Why Hollywood may never work in two dimensions again

Episode 1: MyLifeBits

Fri, 12 May 2006 17:19:00 +0000

In the future, we'll all have photographic memories.