highlighting the latest news that might
make a great show. I tried to sit back and
observe, but the mood was contagious;
soon I was suggesting puns and throw-
ing out new topics. You can listen to the
comedic and creative chaos for yourself on
our website at http://www.earthmagazine.org.
Many episodes start with a broad,
umbrella topic before delving into several
seemingly divergent subtopics that, in the
end, come together to form a cohesive
picture. “Geology is Destiny” (aired Jan.
16, 2017) is a great example. Bentley and
Shostak meandered through discussions
about how glaciers carved out paths that
became travel routes and created natural,
protective moats around land masses.
Then the conversation jumped to the lim-
iting geography of an island and its role,
in the case of Mauritius, in the extinction
of the dodo; and finally, they wrapped up
with how human influences have changed
the planet enough to create a new epoch:
the Anthropocene.
While listening, I wondered how
these topics could be linked, and was
delighted by the end-of-episode sum-
mary: Geology has helped humans,
geology can shape evolution and possi-
bly hinder adaptation, and geology can
be altered and influenced by humans.
I wasn’t expecting to get a history and
biology lesson with my geology, but it
broadened the show in a unique way. As
a geologist, I did have a cringeworthy
moment hearing the pronunciation of
a couple of terms, which made me long
for a geologist to have been a bigger part
of the conversation. Minus my possibly
over-attuned ear, I enjoyed the conver-
sational discussion of such diverse topics
by Shostak and Bentley and the overall
presentation tone. The show was light-
hearted, humorous, and gave me a new
perspective on geology.
In addition to regular shows, one
episode a month is devoted to critical
thinking, something they call “Skeptic
Check.” Bentley describes the recurring
skepticism episodes as a crucial part
of their programming. “To understand
what science is, you have to understand
what it is not.” Coming from the SETI
Institute, she says, carries its own burden
of pseudoscience with it. “It was import-
ant to elevate the science of astrobiologyand also the hunt for extraterrestrial life
... listening for radio signals is not the
same as taking calls from people who
[claim to have] spotted little green men.”
A science program should be able to sep-
arate the science from the pseudoscience
and create room for thinking critically,
she says.
Presenting a topic under the guise of
skepticism also allows the hosts more
range to discuss thornier issues, such as
the perks and pitfalls of gluten or asking
why politicians never seem to discuss sci-
ence in any detail. I particularly enjoyed
the “Science and the Election” episode
(aired Oct. 10, 2016), which dealt with
the movement to inject science into our
political system.
“Big Picture Science” is a quirky, stim-
ulating program that can entertain and
enlighten in equal measure. If you are an
equal opportunity science fan, love a good
pun, and are curious about the strangest
scientific facts out there, I’d encourage
you to tune in. More episodes can be
found at http://radio.seti.org/episodes.)IVSYMRMWERIHMXSVMEPMRXIVREX*&78-&R MRXIVZMI[ [MXL MPZERS (SPSQFERS EX
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