Jan
20
Dedicated to my sports-crazed husband. J-E-T-S! (maybe next year)
From the Distillations website:
Whether it’s football season, baseball season, or basketball season, one thing is constant: a good chunk of the population has sports on the brain. On today’s episode of Distillations we explore why this is the case. First, producer Lindsay Patterson follows a high school basketball team to learn about the role chemistry plays in winning a big game. Then we check in with the fans at home, learning what happens in your brain when you’re cheering on your favorite team. One word: Dopamine! (Thanks to Ric Seaberg for the great song.)
Image courtesy of Flickr user seantoyer.
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Jan
6
The latest Distillations is all about the genome. This from the Distillations website:
“Each of us is made of more than 20,000 genes that determine everything from our tendency towards baldness to our likelihood to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. On today’s episode of Distillations we look at how researchers have sought to identify our individual genomes and how they can be interpreted. First, we learn how advances in DNA sequencing technology are increasing the likelihood that soon we will all have our genomes mapped. Then we talk to an expert in personalized medicine about the pros and cons of having such sensitive information available.”
Image courtesy of Flickr user skreck.
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Dec
23
It’s official – reporting on alcohol has become a Distillations holiday tradition. In 2007 we covered champagne. In 2010 it was beer. And this year, the hard stuff. First, producer Catherine Girardeau visits St. George Spirits in Alameda, California, where master distillers concoct tasty artisan spirits. Catherine also visits one of my favorite Bay Area spots – the Exploratorium – for a distillation demonstration. Then, a segment about the morning after – a study of the hangover. Pickled sheep eyes in tomato juice, anyone?
Photo of Buddha’s Hand Citron Vodka by Erin Hall, courtesy of St. George Spirits.
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Dec
9
On this episode of Distillations, it’s a symphony of science. First, our assistant producer Anne Fredrickson reveals one of the secrets of Stradivari violins’ phenomenal sound. Then, a profile of sound artist Susan Alexjander, who uses vibrational frequencies from the natural world – from DNA to planetary spins – to create her music. I produced that one, my first non-narrated piece in awhile.
Image courtesy of the Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, Othmer Library of Chemical History, Chemical Heritage Foundation.
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Nov
25
Attention all shoppers, this episode of Distillations is all about what happens to you chemically when you hit the mall. First, producer Sheri Quinn has the story of her mom, a shopoholic. She interviewed my good friend Mauricio Delgado, a neuroscientist at Rutgers, Newark, about what happens in your brain when you shop. Then, Lindsay Patterson explains the dangers hiding in… receipts?
Image courtesy of Flickr user kevinspencer.
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Nov
11
In this latest episode of Distillations, we ask the age-old question: are we alone in the universe? First, a segment about how two famous cosmologists battled it out over the Big Bang. Then, producer Andrew Stelzer visits the SETI Institute to learn about the search for extra terrestrial life, and, once we find it, how we’ll go about making conversation. If you’re a space nerd like me, you’ll love hearing the Arecibo message. It’s like an intergalactic techno song. So cool.
Image courtesy of NASA.
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Oct
28
I’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Hyde Park’s CIA since I moved to the Hudson Valley, and I finally found one. On this Halloween episode of Distillations, I learn to make candy corn with the Culinary Institute’s Peter Greweling. Plus, I find an excuse to call my friend Iris – a Dutch expat now living in Alaska – to interview her about a Dutch treat I can only describe as… inedible. But she LOVES it. We have a segment on what Drop, or salt licorice, is made of. Here’s a hint: one of the ingredients can also be found in fertilizer.
Image courtesy of flickr user Juushika Redgrave.
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Oct
14
My upstate NY garden is offering up the last of its bounty for the season – a few green beans, the final tomatoes, some late-season lettuces. And in this week’s episode of Distillations, we celebrate the end of the fall harvest. First, a segment on the Doomsday Vault, a safe-deposit box for plant seeds – buried deep in a mountain in the middle of the Arctic. Then, producer Sabiha Khan has the story of Miguel Santistevan, who uses the farming techniques of his ancestors to grow crops in the harsh high desert of Northern New Mexico.
Image courtesy of Mary Tefre/Svalbard Globale Seed Vault.
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Sep
30
We love to talk about history on Distillations and on today’s show we go way back to the Jurassic Era.
First, a look at how some recent fossilized finds have strengthened the link between birds and dinosaurs. Then, producer Lindsay Patterson talks to paleontologist Jack Horner and others about why triceratops may follow brontosaurus out of the pre-history books.
Plus, the catchiest dinosaur rap I’ve ever heard. ROAR!
I dedicate this show to my dino-obsessed three-year-old, who probably could have fact-checked this entire show.
Image courtesy of Flickr user InfoMofo.
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Sep
16
This is the fourth and final episode of Distillations’ series Our Chemical Landscape – a look at how science has shaped each of these four areas: the city, the suburb, the farm, and today, the wild. In this sound-rich show, we look at how animals use chemistry to communicate.
From the Distillations website:
First we learn about the firefly singles’ scene. And next, producer Diane Hope explores the clever ways residents of the Sonoran Desert interact while hiding from the harsh world around them.
Image courtesy of Flickr user kangotraveler.
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Sep
2
Back in Distillations episode #88 we explored the sense of smell. In this show, we take on another sense – TASTE. First, producer Audrey Quinn examines the ubiquitous and wildly inaccurate tongue map. Then, Andrew Stelzer talks to the man who put Stevia—a sweetener 300 times sweeter than sugar—on the market.
Image courtesy of Flickr user Mike Burns.
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Aug
19
This is part three of Distillations‘ four-part series Our Chemical Landscape. In this episode we head out to farm country to learn how crop production has evolved in response to exploding global population growth. First we learn about the gruesome pursuit of guano—a powerful natural fertilizer—in the 19th century. And next, producer Julia Botero visits a Louisiana farm to investigate the impact of the EU’s ban on genetically modified crops.
Image courtesy of Flickr user chefranden.
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Aug
5
One more best of show while the team rests up and works on new content for the fall. From the placebo show, Michal Meyer reveals the dubious science behind the idea of mesmerism. Next, Bob Kenworthy and Gigi Naglak show how climate change is impacting two countries in extreme ways. And reporter Esther D’Amico examines how shows like The Big Bang Theory are convincing teenagers that being a geek isn’t so bad.
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Jul
22
The Distillations crew takes a break every August to regroup and plan for the next season’s shows. So instead of new material, we pull together our favorite segments from episodes past. This one includes a few of my personal favorites: James Voelkel’s essay on Palmer the Poisoner from our Forensics show, Gigi Naglak on how maggots are used to treat infections from our Gross Out episode. And finally, Josh Kurz’s feature on how placebos manage to fool the brain.
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Jul
8
I didn’t have much to do with this show other than a few early conversations with indie feature producer Zoe Sullivan, but I couldn’t resist posting this one anyway, especially with a title like “Chem-moo-stry.” Details from the the Distillations website:
Over a billion cows are currently grazing on lands across the world, but what do we actually know about them? They’re big. They moo. They give us milk. But what else? On today’s show Distillations is answering some long-standing questions about cattle. First, we find out why the effects of dairy are nonexistent for some and unbearable for others. Then, producer Zoe Sullivan takes us to a research farm at the University of Wisconsin where scientists are exploring the mechanisms of cow digestion—with a little help from the clear, removable “portholes” implanted into its research cows.
Image courtesy of Flickr user twbuckner.
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Jun
24
This is the second of Distillations’ four-part series Our Chemical Landscape. In this episode, we move from the city to the burbs, where increased sprawl is creating a host of traffic and related air quality issues. First, Distillations assistant producer Anne Fredrickson brings us a brief history of electric cars. Then, a feature from Austin, Texas where producer Lindsay Patterson explores how mass transit options might help mitigate growing transportation and pollution concerns in her area.
Commuters taking the highway to downtown Austin. Image courtesy of Flickr user Rutlo.
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Jun
10
This episode was guest produced by my friend and colleague Ari Daniel Shapiro, host and producer of Ocean Gazing, a podcast about the science of the seas. First, Ari brings us to an underwater lab off the coast of Key West where scientists study the effects of CO2 on the coral reef. Then he visits a pontoon boat off the Oregon coast where researchers use light to study the seas.
Also – check out this beautiful audio slideshow Ari produced for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Image courtesy of Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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May
27
This is the first of a new four-part series called Our Chemical Landscape, in honor of the International Year of Chemistry. Each episode will look at how science has shaped one of these four areas: the city, the suburb, the farm, and the wild.
We begin with the city, looking specifically at how energy impacts the city’s past, present, and future. First, an historical essay on the transition from gas lighting to modern electricity. Plus a feature story from Kimberley Haas about Philadelphia’s plan to become the greenest city in the country.
Special thanks to Catherine Girardeau who finished production on this one.
Philadelphia skyline image courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Burkett.
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May
13
The Distillations crew is a decidedly geeky bunch. We revel in it, and with this episode, we hope you will too.
From the Distillations website:
Next time you’re channel surfing, take a look at the scientists depicted on screen. Far from the bumbling poindexters of yore, many of these characters are more like rock stars—solving crimes, saving the world. It makes you wonder: is it becoming chic to be a geek? In today’s episode we seek an answer to this question. First, producer Esther D’Amico investigates how shows like The Big Bang Bang Theory might influence a new generation of scientists. Next, CHF president Tom Tritton looks at some troubling statistics about the state of science education in the U.S. and shares the ways we might improve our standing.
PS: I love my Distillations co-workers for writing “bumbling poindexters of yore”. That is some genius phrasing. 
Image courtesy of Flickr user Bylzz.
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Apr
29
In this episode of Distillations, we look at the use of radioactive isotopes in medicine. First, a segment on using radioactive iodine to cure thyroid cancer. And an interview with two scientists who use PET scans to study the effects of alternative treatments like acupuncture and meditation.
Image of PET scan from a former opioid addict under the influence of morphine, circa 1980.
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Apr
15
Distillations celebrates Earth Day with a show on climate change. First, we profile Chad and Bangladesh – two countries facing opposite but equally devastating effects of climate change – extreme drought and extreme flooding. Then, an interview with atmospheric chemist Susan Solomon, a key member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about what the world’s population might face in the future.
Image courtesy of Flickr user Flying Singer.
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Apr
1
Distillations April Fools’-themed show looks at medical trickery through the ages. First, a segment on 18th-century doctor Franz Mesmer and the earliest documented evidence of the placebo effect in action. (Origin of the term “to mesmerize!”) Then, a feature from super creative audio/video producer Josh Kurz on the modern placebo, and how the pesky human brain both helps and hinders modern medical trials.
Image of Franz Anton Mesmer, 1815.
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Mar
18
Marie Curie was amazing and all, but she’s not the only notable woman of science. Distillations honors women’s history month by profiling a number of lesser-known female chemists. First, a segment on British Nobel Prize Winner Dorothy Hodgkin. Then, we walk you through the “Ladies in the Lab” tour at CHF’s museum.
Image by Gregory Tobias courtesy of CHF Collections.
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Mar
4
This show highlights two centuries of forensic science. First, a segment on a 19th century serial killer brought to justice by the father of British forensic medicine. Then an interview with modern-day forensic specialist Michael Eyring, who helped solve one of the biggest crimes of the 20th century by tracing microscopic paint spatter. It’s real life CSI!
Image courtesy of Flickr user Carlos A. Martinez.
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Feb
18
In honor of Black History Month, this show celebrates the contributions of African-American chemists. Segments on George Washington Carver (not JUST the guy who invented peanut butter) and a glimpse into CHF’s oral history program. You’ll hear interview excerpts from Reatha Clark King and Linda Meade-Tollin, two women who overcame both race and gender stereotypes to achieve great success in their field.
George Washington Carver image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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