Shot of Science

In each episode of this series, we ask an expert at the top of their field to tell us what they are thinking about right now.

How Machine Learning Can Help Predict Crises: Hélène Rey 05/28/2020

How Machine Learning Can Help Predict Crises: Hélène Rey Economist Hélène Rey has been working on how to predict crises using machine-learning techniques. A reliable tool would be a boon for authorities seeking to regulate markets to prevent or mitigate economic catastrophes. Dr. Rey is a professor of economics at the London Business School. Her work focuses on international trade, financial imbalances, financial crises, and the International Monetary Fund. She talked to Annual Reviews President and Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallagher about her current projects. This interview was recorded in 2019. Transcript: https://arevie.ws/2X8JJxu /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14603819

Tech Tools to Fight Air Pollution: Michael Jerrett 05/21/2020

Tech Tools to Fight Air Pollution: Michael Jerrett Air pollution is one of the world’s top 10 health threats, and now scientists can enlist satellites, but also citizens and their devices to help fight it. Annual Reviews President and Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallagher chats with Michael Jerrett, from the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an expert in geographic information science for exposure assessment and special epidemiology. They talked about air pollution, its ubiquity, its cost on human health, and the new technologies that we can use today to track it across the world. Transcript: https://arevie.ws/2WNuZUG /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14511713

Growing Cancer Cells in a Lab for Custom-Made Treatment: Hans Clevers 05/07/2020

Growing Cancer Cells in a Lab for Custom-Made Treatment: Hans Clevers What if doctors could collect cancer cells from each patient, grow them in a lab, and test them against different drugs to see which worked best? Hans Clevers, of the Hubrecht Institute, is working to make that happen. Annual Reviews President and Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallagher caught up with him to talk about his research on lab-grown cancer cells, which opens the door to customizing treatment to each individual cancer patient. Transcript: https://arevie.ws/2L8RGfp /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14325980

Mapping Out The U.S. Digital Divide: Nicol Turner-Lee 04/30/2020

Mapping Out The U.S. Digital Divide: Nicol Turner-Lee Thirteen percent of people in the U.S. are unable to access or use the internet, and this is creating a new underclass, says Nicol Turner-Lee, of the Brookings Institution. Transcript: /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14220227

The Vital Science of Science Communication: Dietram Scheufele 04/23/2020

The Vital Science of Science Communication: Dietram Scheufele Communicating science effectively is a necessity. It is also a skill, which many scientists do not master. Dietram A. Scheufele, of the University of Wisconsin, says there are many pitfalls to avoid. See the transcript and the resources shared by Dr. Scheufele: https://arevie.ws/3bDs3PC /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14115203

The Knowledge-Hungry Endeavor of Creating Meat Replacements: Julian McClements 04/16/2020

The Knowledge-Hungry Endeavor of Creating Meat Replacements: Julian McClements Creating products that can replace meat requires a “staggering amount of knowledge of molecular biology, physics, chemistry, physiology, psychology, engineering, and social sciences.” Julian McClements, Professor at the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amhurst and Co-Editor of the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, says that’s what it takes to create sustainability while pleasing meat lovers. He is the author of Future Foods: How Modern Science Is Transforming the Way We Eat, published last year, and Annual Reviews Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallagher interviewed him about creating meat replacements. Transcript: Dr. McClements' book: /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/14009606

The Economics of Social Movements: Tim Besley 04/01/2020

The Economics of Social Movements: Tim Besley How do people’s values evolve? What drives policy? Tim Besley, of the London School of Economics, has explored these questions focusing on the model of environmentalism. Using the tools of economics, he studies the cultural dynamics that drive social change. Annual Reviews Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallaher interviewed Dr. Besley, who is currently the President of the Econometric Society and an Editorial Committee Member of the Annual Review of Economics. /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/13802072

Starquakes—Looking Inside a Star: Conny Aerts 04/01/2020

Starquakes—Looking Inside a Star: Conny Aerts Conny Aerts, of the University of Leuven, says quakes creates waves that let them measure gases inside stars, their density, temperature, chemistry. Oftentimes these data tell a very different story from the information gathered by observing the surface of stars, pushing scientists to refine and improve their models. Annual Reviews Editor-in-Chief Richard Gallagher interviewed Dr. Aerts, who is also an editorial committee member of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/13802018

Better Weapons to Fight Diet-Related Diseases: Shiriki Kumanyika 04/01/2020

Better Weapons to Fight Diet-Related Diseases: Shiriki Kumanyika An epidemic of nutrition-related chronic diseases has been growing for decades in the U.S. and elsewhere, especially among disenfranchised populations, fueled by inexpensive high-caloric processed foods. The cost of this epidemic is high. It isn’t just about obesity and diabetes, because obesity is also linked to cancer. Shiriki Kumanyika, of the Council on Black Health and Drexel University, says it is crucial that health authorities find and implement better ways to fight it. /episode/index/show/shot-of-science/id/13801934

Shot of Science

TOPICS