''Big Picture Science'' is the national science radio program and podcast, produced at the

SETI Institute The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit research organization incorporated in 1984 whose mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe, and to use this knowledge to inspire and guide present and futu ...

and hosted by Senior

Astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

Seth Shostak and journalist Molly Bentley, the executive producer of the show. The program uses innovative storytelling to connect trends in contemporary research and technology. Episodes are thematic, providing in-depth discussion of particular developments in science. Topics covered include the latest developments in science. Guests include researchers from academic, public and private spheres (including

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

), popular science writers, cultural critics, engineers, and

ethicist An ethicist is one whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and (importantly) is expressed in some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgment. Following the advice of ...

s focused on science. Once a month an episode, "Skeptic Check," is devoted to critical thinking and takes on topics in

junk science The expression junk science is used to describe scientific data, research, or analysis considered by the person using the phrase to be spurious or fraudulent. The concept is often invoked in political and legal contexts where facts and scientifi ...

and the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

. The show is broadcast on approximately 155 radio stations, many of them NPR affiliates. These include

KALW KALW (91.7 MHz) is an educational FM public radio station, licensed to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), which serves the San Francisco Bay Area. Its studios are located at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School off ...

in San Francisco,

WCMU-FM WCMU-FM (89.5 FM) is a public radio station in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The station, owned by Central Michigan University, is a National Public Radio member station, airing a large amount of classical and jazz music along with a variety of othe ...

in Michigan, WVPE in Indiana,

WHRV WHRV is a Public Radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. It is the flagship National Public Radio member station for Hampton Roads, and is a sister station to the area's PBS member, WHRO-TV. ...

in Virginia,

WIEC Veche ( rus, вече, véče, ˈvʲet͡ɕe; pl, wiec; uk, ві́че, víče, ; be, ве́ча, viéča, ; cu, вѣще, věšte) was a popular assembly in medieval Slavic countries. In Novgorod and in Pskov, where the veche acquired gre ...

in Wisconsin, and WNYE in New York City, as well as World FM in Tawa, Wellington,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and American Forces Network. The show is also available for download via

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

and direct download from podcast networks as well as the show's website where archived shows from 2006 on can also be found. Episodes are cut to an NPR clock. ''Big Picture Science'' was formerly titled ''Are We Alone?''

References

External links

* * {{Skeptical podcasts Search for extraterrestrial intelligence American talk radio programs Audio podcasts Science podcasts 2002 radio programme debuts