Earth_Magazine_October_2017

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Sarah Derouin

T

itles can sometimes be a hard

thing to live up to, but “Big

Picture Science,” a weekly

radio program broadcast on

about 100 stations nationwide, delivers

on its name. The show, which cleverly

covers everything from a study of frogs

in pants to efforts to create a compassion-

ate computer, lives up to its mission of

presenting a wide-angle view of science

and technology.

The program is hosted by Seth Shostak

and Molly Bentley and recorded at the

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intel-

ligence) Institute in Mountain View,

Calif., where Shostak is also a senior

astronomer. Puns abound in each epi-

sode, and humor is the backbone of the

pair’s presentations.

“Seth and I — we do have a certain

chemistry in that we both have a goofy

sense of humor,” Bentley says. She

describes her co-host Shostak as “a bona

fide, Borscht-Belt comedian meets astron-

omy professor” and says that their ability

to see the humor in all things science

is what makes the program successful.

“We’re willing to be playful and not dry,

but are faithful to the science. We’re not

trying to be entertainment, although we

want to be entertaining.”

Many episodes cover the science

behind everyday topics. A recent show

called “How Low Can You Go?” discussed

how using extremely cold temperatures

in health and longevity treatments is

gaining in popularity. Bentley says ideas

for episodes are everywhere. “You would

be surprised what you’re collecting in the

world at large — reading newspapers,

following what books come out, and

talking to other scientists.” Patterns in

topics emerge in planning meetings, and

these grow into themes for the show.

“The truth is, we all have ideas rattling

around in our heads.”

I experienced that planning firsthand

at a production meeting in August. Sitting

around a conference table at SETI, Bent-

ley and Shostak were joined by Producer

Gary Niederhoff — who also happens to

provide a plethora of voices and accents

for sketches in episodes — and intern

Daniel Merino. The team dove right in,

hammering out the details of upcoming

shows, discussing how to link topics, and

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