This Is Science with Jess Phoenix

This Is Science with Jess Phoenix is the official podcast of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Jess brings her experience as a volcanologist and science communicator to the mic through science storytelling and conversations with dynamic scientific explorers, change-makers, and innovators. Ignorance is the disease, and curiosity is the cure!

xkcd 11/12/2024

xkcd As a post-election palate cleanser, Jess talks with webcomic artist, author, and cultural phenomenon creator Randall Munroe. They discus stick figure science cartoons and endless curiosity, delve into science mysteries, and even workshop lava moats. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/33906447

xkcd 11/12/2024

Spooky, Scary Skeletons 10/29/2024

Spooky, Scary Skeletons We all know dinosaurs are extinct, but their demise is definitely a scary story with implications for us all during this spooky season. Jess gives out treats as she talks with Dr. Ken Lacovara, renowned paleontologist and discoverer of the world’s largest dinosaur about the fate of the dinos, the fate of our planet, and a revolutionary new museum in New Jersey where the two collide. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/33671297

Spooky, Scary Skeletons 10/29/2024

Move It, Move It 10/15/2024

Move It, Move It Everyone needs to get from point A to point B, and Jess talks with urban planner and UCS Director of Clean Transportation Steven Higashide about the latest and greenest in what moves us. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/33474237

Move It, Move It 10/15/2024

Re-release: Wet, Hot American Summer 10/01/2024

Re-release: Wet, Hot American Summer Hurricanes pounding the southeast, heatwaves and smoke from fires across the country, and temperature records falling left and right…Jess talks with UCLA climate scientist and Weather West blogger Dr. Daniel Swain about this summer of extremes. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/33286172

Re-release: Wet, Hot American Summer 10/01/2024

Mosses and Matriculation 09/17/2024

Mosses and Matriculation Jess talks with California State University, Los Angeles Biology Department Chair Dr. Kirsten Fisher about desert mosses, climate change, and the changing state of science in higher education. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/33100347

Mosses and Matriculation 09/17/2024

A Democracy, If You Can Keep It 09/03/2024

A Democracy, If You Can Keep It A new report using voting precinct-level data uncovers key information about who is actually voting in our elections, and who our current democratic process is leaving behind. Jess talks with UCS scientist and report author Dr. Liza Gordon-Rogers about what this means for the 2024 elections. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/32884232

A Democracy, If You Can Keep It 09/03/2024

Getting (Lead) Down To Earth 08/07/2024

Getting (Lead) Down To Earth Jess visits the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to unearth efforts by Dr. Aaron Celestian and his team to use a groundbreaking new mineral-based method to clean up lead contamination in L.A. backyards. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/32467227

Getting (Lead) Down To Earth 08/07/2024

The Science of Violence 07/23/2024

The Science of Violence After the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump, Jess talks with Dr. Garen Wintemute, Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California - Davis, about the science of political violence and what we can do to stop it. This episode discusses difficult topics like gun violence and mentions suicide, so please take note. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/32265397

The Science of Violence 07/23/2024

Water, Water Every Where 07/09/2024

Water, Water Every Where A groundbreaking new report reveals the looming threats facing United States coastlines from now through 2100. Experts Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto and Shana Udvardy cover what you need to know. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/32071877

Water, Water Every Where 07/09/2024

Strange New Worlds 06/25/2024

Strange New Worlds Jess talks with NASA OSIRIS-REx mission lead planetary scientist and cosmochemist Dr. Dante Lauretta about collecting samples from the asteroid Bennu that are now helping us understand the very origins of the universe. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/31889632

Strange New Worlds 06/25/2024

Food Fight 06/11/2024

Food Fight Food justice activist and writer Rae Gomes joins Jess to talk about what we get wrong about food in the United States, and what we can do to make things right. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/31698507

Food Fight 06/11/2024

This Is Science Season 2: Science Boogaloo 05/29/2024

This Is Science Season 2: Science Boogaloo Jess has the details on some recent UCS victories in the real world, and gives a preview of what you can expect for the second season of This Is Science. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/31508402

This Is Science Season 2: Science Boogaloo 05/29/2024

Season 2 Is Coming! 05/15/2024

Season 2 Is Coming! Thank you to all of our listeners for a fantastic first season of This Is Science with Jess Phoenix! We are grateful for your support, and stay tuned for the start of Season 2 in just a few weeks. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/31298757

Season 2 Is Coming! 05/15/2024

War Of The Words 05/01/2024

War Of The Words Dr. Jo Lukito of the University of Texas, Austin has made using science to understand political language her life’s work. She joins Jess for the third episode in our ongoing series about the science of democracy in the 2024 election cycle. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/31065373

War Of The Words 05/01/2024

Earth Day Two Ways 04/16/2024

Earth Day Two Ways Jess hosts a conversation between climate scientist Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel and environmentalist and actor Eric Balfour about climate solutions and the future of humanity and our planet. /episode/index/show/325a5409-0621-4ae4-8244-1a02a2c88d44/id/30854298

Earth Day Two Ways 04/16/2024

This Is Science with Jess Phoenix

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