Discover Studying Abroad

4 cool science podcasts you should check out

These fun and informative podcasts will feed your curiosity about the science of everything, from today’s top TV shows to fidget spinners to deep space

BY Cherryy Chauhan | 03-08-2017

By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, used under CC license)

Once you’ve been bitten by the bug of curiosity, you’ll find it impossible to avoid the urge to seek answers to the questions that keep popping up in your mind. And why resist? They say today’s science is tomorrow’s technology, which makes it all the more important to keep up with science and technology trends. Here are 4 science podcasts to help you do just that, along with a sample of each.

Science Friday

As its name suggests, this talk show airs weekly on US public radio stations. Started in 1991, the program was created and hosted by award-winning science journalist Ira Flatow. Produced by a non-profit called Science Friday Initiative, it covers a range of topics including physics and chemistry, earth science, space, health, biology, nature, technology and engineering, math, energy, and ethics and policy. Around 1.8 million listeners tune in each week, and the podcast is among the top 15 downloads on iTunes.

The Naked Scientists

Created in 1999 by Dr Chris Smith, a medical scientist at Cambridge University. a consultant virologist at the Cambridge University, The Naked Scientists is a website, podcast and radio talk show that airs on BBC. Each episode is an hour long, and features a digest of science stories, audience interaction, and interviews with scientists. If you like experiments, you should definitely check out the Kitchen Science segment!

Quirks and Quarks

Launched in 1975, this award-winning weekly program of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has been hosted by science journalist Bob McDonald for the past 25 years, and nearly 800,000 listeners in Canada alone (not counting the thousands more around the world who listen to the podcasts). The show focuses primarily on the latest trends and cutting-edge developments in science and technology, and their the political and ethical implications. Get the word straight from the horse’s mouth when scientists explain the journey of their discoveries. Here's an episode to try: How Your T-Shirt Could Charge Your Phone

StarTalk

This science podcast, started in 2009, is hosted by US astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s the youngest program on our list, but has gained huge momentum thanks to the mass media appeal of Tyson and his fellow presenters, and also to its content brewed out of science and popular culture.