Knowable

 What are the limits to what’s knowable — and how does our thinking about big questions in science and technology evolve over time? The Knowable Magazine podcast explores puzzles as diverse as the existence of black holes and how to build an artificial heart — with plenty of surprises along the way. Hosted by science journalists Adam Levy and Charlotte Stoddart.

Quantum entanglement’s long journey from ‘spooky’ to law of nature 07/18/2023

Quantum entanglement’s long journey from ‘spooky’ to law of nature Quantum mechanics has always included mind-bending ideas. But the concept of quantum entanglement, famously termed “spooky at a distance” by Albert Einstein in a 1947 letter, seemed to challenge the limits of belief. It remained well on the edges of modern physics until John Stewart Bell’s 1964 paper suggesting a way to actually test the baffling idea that two particles can somehow share a measured property even when well separated. Host Adam Levy chats with Nicolas Gisin of the University of Geneva about Einstein’s quote, Bell’s test and why it took so many decades for entanglement, the focus on the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, to go mainstream. Plus, how the phenomenon could help secure communications with your bank. Find the transcript and additional resources at . /episode/index/show/knowable/id/27478734

How the placebo effect went mainstream 06/27/2023

How the placebo effect went mainstream Sloppy by modern standards — and maybe even those back then — a 1955 article on the placebo effect by Harvard anesthesiologist Henry K. Beecher was nonetheless remarkable and influential. It paved the way for sounder drug trials and pushed scientists to better understand how we process pain. To explore its significance, Host Charlotte Stoddart enlisted the help of Ted Kaptchuk, director of the Program in Placebo Studies at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who knows the paper well. Find the transcript and additional resources at . /episode/index/show/knowable/id/27163551

The fossil that launched a dinosaur revolution 06/13/2023

The fossil that launched a dinosaur revolution The fossil Archaeopteryx forever changed our understanding of dinosaurs and the origin of birds, but it took a century after its discovery and a one-page paper to shift scientific consensus. Here’s the story of that by American paleontologist John Ostrom, and published in the journal Nature, describing the bird-like features of Archaeopteryx and convincingly arguing that birds were descended from a group of dinosaurs called theropods. Host Charlotte Stoddart speaks with of the University of Texas at Austin, whose own research focuses on the early evolution of birds and the origin of flight. Find the transcript and additional resources at . /episode/index/show/knowable/id/27093468

Scientists warned about climate change in 1965. Nothing was done. 05/30/2023

Scientists warned about climate change in 1965. Nothing was done. A key report to President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 warned that humankind was “unwittingly conducting a vast geophysical experiment” through the burning of fossil fuels and a consequent buildup of “the invisible pollutant” — carbon dioxide — in the atmosphere. Here’s the story of what happened next to that report — and what didn’t, and why. Host Adam Levy speaks with Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of the book . And he talks with environmental scientist Dana Nuccitelli, research coordinator for , which aims to build political will for climate solutions through citizen volunteers. Find the transcript and additional resources at /episode/index/show/knowable/id/26950530

How antidepressants changed ideas about depression 04/26/2022

How antidepressants changed ideas about depression Serendipitous discoveries led to drugs like Prozac and to new insights into the physical basis of this debilitating disorder. But scientists continue to search for deeper understandings and therapies that will bring relief to those who still struggle. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/22980683

How particle accelerators came to be 03/29/2022

How particle accelerators came to be PODCAST: They started out so small, one could fit on the palm of your hand, but to make groundbreaking discoveries, physicists had to think really big — as in, vast machines with the power and capacity to reveal the tiniest building blocks of our universe. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/22601222

The history of climate change offers clues to Earth’s future 03/15/2022

The history of climate change offers clues to Earth’s future Digging — quite literally — into our planet’s past to study its paleoclimate has shed light on bygone ice ages and hints at trouble ahead for our now-warming planet. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/22447064

Structural biology: How proteins got their close-up 03/01/2022

Structural biology: How proteins got their close-up The journey to understanding these critically important molecules, in their thousands of different flavors, began with a chance discovery. Today, after decades of painstaking lab work and dizzying technological leaps, the field of protein science is exploding. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/22289807

The search for exoplanets 02/15/2022

The search for exoplanets Not that long ago, scientists found evidence that our Sun wasn’t unique — other stars have their own orbiting bodies. It was a discovery centuries in the making. What does this mean for Earth today and our place in the universe? (Season 2/Episode. 2) Hyperlinks to scientists and papers in /episode/index/show/knowable/id/22132340

The science of dreams 02/01/2022

The science of dreams Freud thought that dreams were the gateway to our unconscious mind. Today, many scientists think the opposite: that the dreaming brain is quite similar to our awake, conscious state. But dreaming is a very personal experience and one that we can’t share — making the phenomenon very difficult to study. We still don’t know for sure why we dream, but in this episode, we'll hear how psychologists, neuroscientists and philosophers have been trying to answer that question. Hyperlinks to scientists and papers in /episode/index/show/knowable/id/21968240

Season two trailer 01/25/2022

Season two trailer What are the limits to what’s knowable — and how has our thinking about big questions in science and technology has evolved over time? Knowable Magazine’s science history podcast returns on February 1, with brand new episodes exploring the science of dreams, the search for extrasolar planets, the quest to treat depression and so much more. Subscribe today to stay in the know. The Knowable Magazine podcast from Annual Reviews explores the limits to what’s knowable — and how thinking about big questions in science and technology evolve over time. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/21879833

Memory, the mystery 01/24/2022

Memory, the mystery /episode/index/show/knowable/id/17553182

The dazzling history of solar power 01/13/2021

The dazzling history of solar power The dazzling history of solar power: Once fringe and futuristic, this renewable energy shines brightly today as a cheap and efficient source of energy. Still, it remains controversial — for much different reasons. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/17537102

The heart of invention 01/13/2021

The heart of invention lacing or assisting the human heart with a machine would save countless lives. But the quest to build an artificial heart has had many gruesome missteps and caused researchers to reimagine how to keep our blood flowing. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/17524523

How black holes morphed from theory to reality 01/12/2021

How black holes morphed from theory to reality Black holes, from theory to reality: Physicists were mostly skeptical when the idea of black holes emerged a century ago from Einstein’s work. This podcast episode tells the story of how the evidence evolved from circumstantial to conclusive. /episode/index/show/knowable/id/17510396

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