Talk Archives

Microbes are all around us and inside of us, but how can they help improve our lives? By studying how microbes live and adapt to their environments, we can gain insight into how to benefit human health, develop new and cheaper products, and other advancements.

Why do so many people believe in supernatural phenomena? Is it something we grow up with? Dr. Hood will examine the evidence for this idea, and demonstrate that even rational adults can hold supernatural beliefs that they themselves may not recognize.

How does energy impact the environment and our lives? Dr. Webber provides a sweeping view of energy’s role in society over hundreds of years with fun facts, myth busting, and an optimistic eye towards future technologies and solutions.

Drones have been all over the media as well as our imaginations. What’s real and what’s possible for these remarkable flying machines? Todd Humphreys shares the ways drones can be used in the future versus what is portrayed in the movies.

Every day in the news there are more stories about record-breaking weather. Kevin Kloesel talks about the science behind extreme weather events such as tornadoes and super storms, and how meteorologists deal with uncertainty in their forecasts.

Chemistry is easy. Dr. Laude demonstrates how a few simple, recurring ideas in chemistry can help you understand concepts like climate change, how batteries work, and how food is made.

Humans have long been fascinated with their evolutionary cousins in the primate world, monkeys. Dr. Anthony Di Fiore shares the social behavior of our primate cousins, and how they may be both strikingly similar to, and vastly different from, humans.

Space travel and exploration are popular settings for works of science fiction and can be a source of inspiration for space technology. What scientists and engineers can actually do with space technology is different from what is presented in fiction, though the discoveries are no less fascinating.

Animals often display fascinating colors to help show or hide themselves. Dr. Molly Cummings examines the visual mechanisms animals use to avoid being eaten or to advertise for mates. Dr. Cummings provides vivid examples from creatures in the ocean and the jungle.

NASA’s third Mars rover “Curiosity” is an extraordinary machine that carries the biggest, most advanced suite of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to the Martian surface. Dr. John Grotzinger, lead scientist for Curiosity’s mission, shares discoveries about Mars’ past climate and geology.