KPCW Cool Science Radio

NASA Scientist Dominic Benford takes a behind the scenes look at NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope before it launches in September. Learn how this first-of-its-kind observatory will map the universe one panoramic frame at a time.

From advising the White House on science and technology policy to leading AI strategy at the University of Utah, Dr. Manish Parashar discusses how artificial intelligence is reshaping research, industry and everyday life.

Beth Simone Noveck discusses how artificial intelligence could strengthen democracy, improve government services and help rebuild public trust in institutions.

Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis explores how music can transport us into vivid inner worlds and what those musical daydreams reveal about the mind.

Astrophysicist Emma Chapman explores how radio waves reveal the hidden universe and what they can teach us about everything from distant planets to the origins of the cosmos.

Kevin Williams, founder and CEO of Ascend AI Labs, explores how AI has evolved from a future possibility into a powerful opportunity and how organizations are learning to harness it to work smarter, move faster, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing world.

University of Utah chemist Matthew Sigman explains how machine learning is transforming drug discovery. By predicting how molecules form, especially their critical “handedness,” new tools can dramatically cut the time, cost, and trial-and-error required to develop life-saving medicines.

Simon Rogers of Google discusses his book, “What We Ask Google,” and what two decades of search data reveal about human curiosity, behavior and connection.

Astrophysicist and journalist Maria Luísa Buzzo discusses her Scientific American article on unusual galaxies that appear to lack dark matter, challenging how scientists understand galaxy formation.

Mathematician Richard Elwes discusses his book, “Huge Numbers,” and how the pursuit of ever-larger numbers has shaped math, science and human thought.

Science journalist Lee Billings of Scientific American discusses Artemis II and what it means for the future of human space exploration.

Physicists Vedant Basu and Carsten Rott of the University of Utah discuss the next phase of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the ongoing search for cosmic neutrinos.

Linda Lehmkuhl, CEO of MedVet, discusses her journey from veterinary cardiologist to health care leader and the evolving science of specialty and emergency care for animals.

Science journalist Humberto Basilio discusses his Scientific American article on a remarkable discovery of thousands of dinosaur footprints in the Italian Alps that could reshape what scientists know about early dinosaurs.

Entomologist Samuel Ramsey discusses "Secrets of the Bees" and what the hidden lives of bees reveal about ecosystems, agriculture and survival.

Astrophysicist Jeffrey Bennett discusses his book, “The Scale of the Universe,” and how understanding the vastness of space and time can reshape how we see ourselves and each other.

A leading AI researcher, Dr. Melanie Mitchell, explores the gap between pattern recognition and genuine comprehension and how today's most powerful models still stumble on the difference.

Utah's dramatic landscape holds clues to ancient lakes, shifting climates, and powerful geologic forces. Geologist Dr. Holly Godsey of the University of Utah explores Lake Bonneville, getting students into the field, and bringing science to life.

Geneticist Adrian Woolfson discusses how artificial intelligence and synthetic genomics are making it possible to design entire genomes from scratch — a shift he calls artificial biological intelligence.

Science journalist Rebecca Boyle discusses her Scientific American article on mysterious “Little Red Dots” discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope that could reshape how scientists understand the early universe.

Archaeologist Lisbeth Louderback, curator at the Natural History Museum of Utah and associate professor at the University of Utah, discusses new research suggesting Indigenous people in the Four Corners region may have begun domesticating the Four Corners potato thousands of years earlier than previously believed.

Park City High School's all-girls robotics team, Team Minerva, just placed 2nd in the state championship. They talk about robotics and AI, how they became hooked on building robots, and how they hope to inspire the next generation.

In this episode, geologist-turned-writer Evan Howell discusses his High Country News article exploring the surprising scientific link between the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater in northern Arizona.

In this episode, University of Utah geologist Thure Cerling discusses research showing that lead exposure has dropped dramatically over the past century — and the proof is preserved in human hair.

University of Utah geologist William Johnson discusses the discovery of a hidden, pressurized freshwater aquifer beneath the Great Salt Lake and what it could mean for dust control and the lake's future.

Economist science correspondent Matt Kaplan discusses his new book, “I Told You So!,” and the scientists who were ridiculed, sidelined or punished for advancing ideas that later proved correct.

NHMU executive director and entomologist Jason Cryan highlights Bug World, a new blockbuster exhibition opening at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Built by the special effects studio behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar,” the exhibition brings the hidden genius of insects to life at a jaw dropping scale.

University of Chicago professor Eric Oliver explores what it actually means to know yourself, and why so many people feel quietly dissatisfied even when life seems fine.

Author and science historian Oren Harman explores why metamorphosis is one of biology's greatest mysteries, and what radical transformation can teach us about identity, survival and change.

Author and professor emeritus Christopher Cokinos explores the moon's enduring pull on human imagination, science and culture. Drawing from his book "Still as Bright: An Illuminating History of the Moon, from Antiquity to Tomorrow," he reflects on how our closest celestial neighbor has shaped belief systems, space exploration and questions about responsibility as humanity prepares to return.

Dr. Vanessa Chang explores how human bodies and technologies have always shaped one another, and why intelligence must be understood as embodied, relational, and deeply human.

Neurobiologist Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, and bestselling author of Brain Rules, where he translates cutting-edge neuroscience into practical insights about learning, memory, focus, and everyday life.

Nematodes make up the vast majority of animal life on Earth, yet most people have never heard of them. A new study explores how these tiny organisms thrive inside the Great Salt Lake's microbialites, shedding light on extreme ecosystems, ancient life and the collaborative nature of modern science.

Spinosaurus is one of the most famous and least understood dinosaurs of all time. New research and reconstructions reveal how fragmentary fossils, lost specimens and evolving science have shaped what we think we know about these strange, sail-backed predators.

Author and technology executive Fred Voccola explains why AI First organizations are already seeing dramatic productivity gains and why companies that fail to adapt may not survive the next decade.

Battery innovation is moving beyond chemistry alone. Thomas Bishop, founder and CEO of Park City-based Paleblue Batteries, explains how advances across battery systems, from cells to management electronics to device design, are shaping the future of portable power.

Dr. Catriona Wallace discusses the ideas in her new book, “Rapid Transformation,” which outlines a science based framework for accelerating leadership development. Wallace explains how ritual, awakened thinking and emerging technology can help leaders adapt more quickly to social and technological change.

Author Matthew Cobb discusses his forthcoming book, “Crick: A Mind in Motion,” which explores the life, collaborations and the scientific breakthroughs of Nobel laureate Francis Crick.

Christopher Gregg explores the surprising genetic links between humans and hibernating animals, what these discoveries reveal about resilience and how this emerging science could transform medicine.

Geologist Jeff Moore explains how vibration analysis, usually used on natural arches and rock formations, is revealing the hidden biomechanics of the saguaro cactus.

Powder Watts founders Thomas Clardy and Kai Kuck discuss how rooftop heat cables became one of the largest hidden sources of winter energy waste and why computer vision and automated control can turn a long-ignored system into a valuable tool for grid stability.

Author Alex Pentland discusses how modern technology often overlooks community, why shared stories drive human behavior and how AI can be redesigned to strengthen collective understanding instead of eroding it.

Acclaimed author Simon Winchester discusses “The Breath of the Gods,” his sweeping new book on the power, mystery and history of wind, and how it continues to shape civilization, climate and conflict.

Monterey Technologies' Todd Cloutier and Tom Sharkey explain how human-centered design and human engineering shape everything from submarines to software, ensuring complex systems help people make better, safer decisions rather than overwhelm them.

Science journalist Asher Elbein explores a radical new theory that life's complexity may have emerged more than once on Earth. New evidence from billion-year-old Gabonese fossils could rewrite evolutionary history. Then, long-time tech industry insider and Park City resident Don Stanger discusses the growing reliance on microchips throughout just about every major industry in the U.S. He tackles the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the U.S. and how it is interconnected with the microchip industry.