AMSEcast

04:01

AMSE Science Report with Katie McKissick

AMSEcast ·

2025/02/02

Katie McKissick, author of the book DNA is You: The Marvelous Science Behind Your One-Of-A-Kind-Ness is our guest on this episode of The AMSE Science Report. Our wide ranging conversation looks at the mechanisms of DNA and how it shapes our lives.

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Susanne Foritzik

AMSEcast ·

2025/02/02

Many have spent their childhood staring into the classic ant farm. Today we talk with Susanne Foritzik about her terrific book Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth’s Tiny Conquerors. We first talked about the amazing quantity and diversity of ants that exist today.

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39:46

Building the Empire of the Sum with Keith Houston

AMSEcast ·

2025/01/29

Keith Houston is the author of Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator. He joins Alan on this episode of AMSEcast to discuss the history of calculating. From the ancient Lebombo bone to mechanical calculators, Keith covers the evolution of calculating tools. This includes modern milestones like John Napier’s logarithms, the HP-35 scientific calculator, and the TI-81’s impact on U.S. classrooms. Keith also discusses his forthcoming book, Face With Tears of Joy. In this book, he

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01:03:12

AMSEcast Conversations: Climate Change Science from...

AMSEcast ·

2025/01/15

Alan Lowe, Executive Director of the American Museum of Science and Energy, launches AMSEcast Conversations with a compelling discussion on Jay Hakes’ book, The Presidents and the Planet: Climate Change Science from Eisenhower to Bush. The panel, featuring Hakes alongside energy experts David McCollum and Charles Sims, traces the origins of modern climate science to the 1950s work of Roger Revelle and Dave Keeling. The panel explores the evolution of climate science, the challenges of political

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57:55

A Theory of Everyone with Michael Muthukrishna

AMSEcast ·

2025/01/02

Dr. Michael Muthukrishna, Associate Professor at LSE, joins Alan to explore his book, A Theory of Everyone. It reveals how cultural evolution—our “software” of beliefs, language, and logic—shaped humanity's unique trajectory. He explains the "laws" of energy and innovation: energy abundance fuels cooperation and progress, while innovations like the steam engine drive efficiency and competition. Michael highlights the "paradox of diversity," where fresh ideas thrive amid aligned communication and

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04:01

AMSE Science Report The Physics of Santa

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/21

A few thoughts on the 24 hour, madcap & meteoric flight across the planet

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41:06

The Hidden Lives of Ants with Susanne Foitzik

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/18

Alan, an ant enthusiast since childhood, is joined by Susanne Foitzik, author of Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth’s Tiny Conquerors. She explains that while queens start colonies and lay eggs, they don’t control the colony. Worker ants take on specialized roles like brood care and foraging, with older ants handling riskier tasks. Ants communicate through pheromones and use impressive navigation skills. Some species, like the Argentine and fire ants, thrive in new

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with guest Eric Jay Dolin

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/14

Following the horrific devastation wreaked by Hurricane Helene, I was so heartened to see many in our community and around the nation come together to help those who had lost everything. I had spoken a while back on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Eric Jay Dolin about his book, A Furious Sky: The 500 Year History of America’s Hurricanes. We talked about some of those storms, including the Galveston, Texas, Hurricane of 1900. The people there had been encouraged to think a hurricane could not do any

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04:01

A reflection of the year 2000

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/14

A few thoughts about the technological development and advancement over the past 25 years.

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37:33

Finding a Lab of One’s Own with Dr. Rita Colwell

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/04

Dr. Rita Colwell is a pioneering scientist and professor at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins who has made groundbreaking contributions to microbiology and public health. She joins AMSEcast to discuss her experiences being the first woman to lead the National Science Foundation as well as her advanced research on Vibrio bacteria and cholera while founding CosmosID to improve rapid pathogen detection. During the 2001 anthrax attacks, she led a cross-agency effort to identify the spores,

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with guest Camper English

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/03

Whether you like to have an occasional drink or are a teetotaler, you will enjoy a conversation I had on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Camper English about his book Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails. Camper’s book is a fascinating look at how, over the centuries, many alcohols and various things we add today to cocktails originally had medicinal purposes. For example, monks in the Middle Ages were at the center of research on agriculture

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with guest Sam Kean Author of the...

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/03

Ridge, Tennessee. Our home of Oak Ridge got its start as a major part of the monumental Manhattan Project, the nation’s successful effort to build the first atomic bomb and end World War II. We talk a lot at AMSE and the K-25 Atomic History Center about the history of the Project, the science and engineering behind it, and the role of Oak Ridge and other locations in its successful outcome. But what is hard to teach is the atmosphere that surrounded that work. Our nation was at war, our soldiers and

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01:04:03

The Wonders of Psychological Science with Joel Levy

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/03

Renowned author and science historian, Joel Levy, shares his expertise on consciousness, intelligence, and the delicate dance between nature and nurture. Through his latest work, "Psychology for Busy People," the discussion traverses psychology's extensive history, from its origins to contemporary challenges and applications. Joel offers captivating perspectives on thought experiments, the core of consciousness, the nature-nurture debate, and the subtleties of mental health. Tune in as Alan and Joel

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Carl Zimmer

AMSEcast ·

2024/12/03

I have a fundamental question for you – what is life? For something seemingly so basic, it is quite hard to define. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Carl Zimmer, took on that topic in his book Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive. I spoke with Carl on our podcast, AMSEcast, and, among other indicators of life, he raised one that was a bit surprising – life is defined, in part, by decision making, and not just for us creatures who have brains.

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48:57

Finding Balance Between Tightness & Looseness with...

AMSEcast ·

2024/11/20

Dr. Michele Gelfand is a cultural psychologist and author of Rule Makers, Rule Breakers. She joins us to discusses how “tight” and “loose” cultures shape societies. Tight cultures, like Japan’s, respond to threats with strict rules and order, while looser ones, like the U.S., allow greater flexibility. Gelfand suggests a balanced “Goldilocks” approach, adjusting strictness and flexibility to suit each environment's needs, from families to organizations. She also explores online accountability,

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29:33

How Windell Oskay is Inspiring a New Generation of...

AMSEcast ·

2024/11/06

In this episode, Alan talks with Windell Oskay, co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Windell discusses updating Make: The Annotated Build-it-Yourself Science Laboratory, a childhood favorite of his, to inspire today’s young scientists. They highlight the importance of hands-on learning, creativity, and safety, especially in electrical experiments. Windell is also the author of Open Circuits: The Inner Beauty of Electronic Components, which explores the hidden beauty inside electronics,

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with guest Luis Elizondo

AMSEcast ·

2024/11/04

Welcome to the AMSE Science Report. Are we alone in the universe? Many people are now taking a fresh look at that question thanks to recent revelations about unidentified aerial phenomena or UAPs, and those revelations have been spearheaded by the important work of Luis Elizondo. Lue recently joined me on our podcast, AMSEcast, to talk about his New York Times bestselling book, Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs. In a truly incredible, candid, eye-opening conversation, we spoke about

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04:01

AMSE Science Report Sava Sobel

AMSEcast ·

2024/11/04

Dava Sobel is an American writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. Her books include Longitude, about English clockmaker John Harrison; Galileo's Daughter, about Galileo's daughter Maria Celeste; and The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars about the Harvard Computers. Taken from Wikipedia

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Ian McNeely

AMSEcast ·

2024/11/04

Welcome to The AMSE Science Report. I spoke on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Ian McNeely, about his fascinating book titled Reinventing Knowledge: From Alexandria to the Internet. At our institutions in Oak Ridge we focus every day on the collection and use of knowledge, so it was fascinating to talk with Ian about how knowledge has been viewed and transmitted throughout the ages.

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01:00:23

The Many Technological Advancements of Asad Madni

AMSEcast ·

2024/10/30

Alan Lowe sits down with the renowned Dr. Asad Madni. Dr. Madni shares his extraordinary journey as an engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur, detailing his groundbreaking contributions to fields like digital signal processing, MEMS technology, and artificial intelligence. From revolutionizing the Naval fleet with the Transline Analyzer to advancing automotive safety with MEMS gyroscopes, Dr. Madni's innovations have left an indelible mark on modern technology. Listen in as he discusses career

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