Five Science Podcasts Worthy Of Your Ear-Time

I love science. I imagine, so do you, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this piece about five excellent science podcasts.  

But I have a confession. My math skills are fourth-grade level at best. Any discussion of chemistry gives me hives, and biology induces panic attacks. 

If I was good at science, I'd be a scientist. That's why I enjoy science podcasts that achieve two basic goals. First, they make science understandable to a mutton head like me. Second, the science podcast make the science interesting. No lectures. No science-y terminology that keeps my thumbs on my phone, frantically searching for the meaning of the gobbledygook the hosts are serving up.

To be clear, there are so many strong science podcasts out there, I could make a comprehensive list of science podcasts that would run into the hundreds. 

For most listeners, time is a precious commodity, so I will respect your busy schedule and confine my number of the "best" science podcasts to five.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov

 

 Unexplainable

 Produced by Vox --known for quality, thoughtful podcasts – Unexplainable host Hassenfeld explains that the podcast isn’t about the answers. “It’s about the questions,” he says. Alex Trebek would be proud of him.

Unexplainable launched its first episode in March 2021. Dutifully, that initial episode focused on the mystery of dark matter, which is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Therefore, dark matter can not be detected by electromagnetic radiation and can’t be seen directly.

The format of Unexplainable is straightforward and is smartly designed to enhance understanding rather than grovel for listeners. In the show, host Noam Hassenfeld is joined by an array of experts and Vox reporters each week to look at fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them. 

The name of the podcast, Unexplainable, smartly retains the Vox Today, Explained, branding nomenclature and benefits from that identical desire to interpret the dark arts of current events and scientific uncertainty.

Hassenfeld’s recipe for hosting success blends earnestness, an ear for irony, a touch of dry wit, and a sincere desire to illuminate often obtuse and misunderstood scientific principles.

Hassenfeld isn’t afraid to wade into the softer sciences with a perilous episode about the lack of scientific rigor in many psychology studies. Not afraid to defend science against conspiracy theorists and the foil hat crowd, Hassenfeld has tackled cloud formations and the effect climate change may have and a two-parter on the lingering effects of “long COVID on thousands of patients.

Currently, Unexplainable is runnning a series called Making Sense about our senses. So far, the podcast has covered sound and touch. Predictably, both episodes are easy on the ears and digestible for the brain.

 New episodes drop every Wednesday.

 Dope Labs

 Dope Labs is the Webby Award-nominated science meets pop culture podcast from Spotify Studios. Last November, the show returned for season four.

 The podcast is co-hosted by Dr. Titi Shodiya and Dr. Zakiya Whatley, Duke University graduates, rising star experts and women of color disrupting the STEM space (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) --- who self-identify as "two of the dopest scientists and best friends you will ever meet."

 Zakiya believes in science education for all, formal or informal, across multiple platforms. Her efforts focus on broadening access to and persistence in STEM careers. Much of her work targets populations historically underrepresented in the sciences.

Shodiya works in the National Voluntary Lab Accreditation Program as a Program Manager for Calibration labs. She manages accreditation and accreditation activities for over 150 labs that cross disciplines all over the US and internationally.

In each episode, the hosts serve up scientific principles with a healthy dose of tea---- unpacking pop culture through the black lens. From cuffing season to Cardi B, they’ll take what’s trending and put it under the microscope with the help of some very smart (and cool) scientific friends. 

The podcast reinforces its mission: "At Dope Labs, we believe “science is for everybody” and our mission is to bring out the inner scientist in YOU (especially communities typically left out of the science field, many of which are women and people of color)."

This season, Dope Labs, the weekly series, will feature guests that delve into pertinent conversations around science denial, COVID-19 era anxiety, fintech and how technology can make shopping more accessible, representation and HBCUs, and more.

“Dope Labs” is a product of Spotify’s Sound Up podcast accelerator program, educating and supporting women of color in the podcasting space, offering tools and resources to turn participants’ creative ideas into fully-developed podcasts. Through programs like Sound Up, Spotify provides curated listening experiences to connect users with culture in a visceral and personal way, while inspiring a new wave of cultural and socially-minded podcasts. 

This podcast is definitely worth a listen for several reasons. First, it’s entertaining and fun for a "science" show. Second, the co-hosts have an easy rapport that makes the podcast "ear worthy" and third, the show targets an underserved audience, especially dealing with STEM issues.

Science Vs

 Hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs is successful because of two primary reasons. First, Zukerman’s good-natured humor topples listener expectations about what a science podcast should sound like. Second, the unique mission of the podcast --using scientific investigative techniques to separate fact from myth – sparks interest, controversy and insight.

In a post-truth world, Zukerman and her team of scientific detectives take on incendiary topics in today’s zeitgeist, such as gun control, vaccinations, climate change, organic food, and even the G-spot.

And they do so tongue-in-cheek but also with no fear of proclaiming “the data isn’t clear” or “we need more data for greater certainty.” Behind the wily wisecracks of Zukerman and the show’s refusal to take itself too seriously, Science Vs is deadly serious about facts, research, facts and conclusions. But it never seems to get too far ahead of its skis, making claims it cannot substantiate.

The proof of the show’s success is its consistent ranking as one of the most downloaded podcasts.

Science Vs started in Australia when Zukerman, a science journalist, heard about actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her company’s claims about steam cleaning woman’s private areas. With Australian Broadcasting Company’s Kaitlyn Sawrey of its podcast division onboard, the Science Vs podcast was birthed and quickly became popular with its unique style.

“When we began in Australia,” says Wendy Zukerman, “we quickly discovered that we had a lot of American listeners.”

The popularity of the podcast soon attracted the attention of U.S. podcast creators and the show was purchased by Gimlet in 2015. Zukerman and Sawrey made the move to the U.S. along with the show.

When Spotify bought Gimlet in August 2021, Science Vs joined the Spotify fold. That marriage hit a relationship snag when Science Vs was courageous enough to release an episode in early February called Joe Rogan: The Malone Interview challenging the misinformation presented by Rogan and his guest. Rogan, of course, is the most popular show on Spotify. 

Science Vs has a long history of accepting science challenges head on. The show is determined in its efforts to promulgate data-driven science in a world where politicians pose as medical experts. Past show topics have included guns, abortion, COVID, vaccines, and police shootings.

Aware of the jagged cliffs of ideological intransigence on both topics, Zukerman wisely began the episodes with this disclaimer: “We, at Science Vs, are not activists. We are factivists.”

 With a wisdom that belies her relative youth, Zukerman has told other interviewers, “my sensibility is very much to present the science and invite the listener along for the ride,” rather than expect to change people’s minds. This sometimes means the listener is served generous dollops of sarcasm, not always the best way to change someone’s mind.”

Podcasting began as a basement experiment for many, with people just talking on a basic microphone and barely figuring out how to use Audacity. Its roots are humble. Wendy Zukerman and Kaitlin Sawrey embody those bare-bones beginnings and through dint of their vision, effort and talent made Science Vs successful.

 Short Wave

Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives us a sneak peek behind the science headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

The original host of the show was Maddie Sofia, who is an actual scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Rochester Medical Center. The new host, Emily Kwong, is perfectly capable of presenting science on a different wavelength.

Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because Sofia is so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episodes include a tale of swarming locusts in Africa and how scientists in Tempe, AZ are using a low-carb diet to minimize crop damage.

Or a truly troubling episode about a condition called silicosis, and it's been known about for decades. So why is it now emerging in new numbers among workers who cut kitchen counter tops? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains in such a way you’ll say a prayer that you kept your old Formica counter tops.

New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

Science Diction

The people who make Science Friday on NPR also produce Science Diction, a bite-sized podcast about words—and the science stories behind them. 

Hosted by SciFri producer and self-proclaimed word nerd Johanna Mayer, each episode of Science Diction digs into the origin of a single word or phrase, and, with the help of historians, authors, etymologists, and scientists, reveals a surprising science connection. 

Did you know the origin of the word meme has more to do with evolutionary biology than lolcats? Or that the element cobalt takes its name from a very cheeky goblin from German folklore? Fun, nosy, and nerdy, Science Diction takes a look at what we're really saying when we use everyday words. Science Diction is a show for information packrats who are constantly sniffing out knowledge—you can listen while making your coffee or brushing your teeth. 

Episodes dropped once a week in the Science Friday podcast feed for the show's four-episode first season.

Science Diction examines the world around us and shines a light on the hidden science tucked away in our everyday words.
 

 The Disappearing Spoon

Consider this sixth recommended science podcast as a bonus with no extra charge. This recommendation is my one-person battle against inflation. Six for the price of five.

Usually, podcasts generate books. Think of Switched On Pop, Hidden Brain, The Last Podcast On The Left, and others. The Disappearing Spoon reverse engineered that process with a 2010 best-selling book by science writer Sam Kean. 

His podcast of the same name has already spawned several delightful episodes, including the link between Teflon and the A-Bomb, why our hunter-gatherer ancestors had perfect teeth, and the CIA's drug-fueled orgies.

My favorite episode is from 2021 and is called "The Great Masticator." Before you get all "judge-y," mastication means to chew your food. In the 18-minute episode, Kean regurgitates the tale of one Horace Fletcher, a food faddist who was enraptured by the idea that digestion occurs in the mouth, not your stomach.

Fletcher encouraged citizens to chew their food. Chew. And chew. And chew some more. Keep chewing. Until your food is almost liquified. Sounds delicious, huh?

So when your mom urged you to chew your food, she was indeed channeling Horace Fletcher. In the episode, Kean regales us of the lengths Fletcher would go to prove his point --even mailing his poop to a compatriot to prove that his maniacal chewing had turned his poop into a healthy ash-like substance.

In the episode, and you'll hear Kean explain how Herbert Hoover became involved with Fletcher before he was president. And how the outcome of World War I was imperiled.

______________________________________________

So the next time you search for a science podcast, I suggest using the criteria listed below. 

Does the content of the show seem relatable? Can you understand it, or will it be a masterclass for scientific pros? 

Is the host, or hosts, interesting, articulate, have a sense of humor, and love to adorn them selves in the arcane?

Does the show find the right balance between time and information dispensed? Most of the science podcasts I recommend run about 20-45 minutes. Any longer, and I'm in for a TED talk. Pass.

Do the guests on the podcast sound like Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Mike Tyson?

Does the show infuse humor or wit into the topic? 

_________________________________________________

Let me know a science podcast I missed that you recommend. I'll be happy to write an additional article.

Finally, if you are still reading, and I seriously doubt it, see if you can answer these two science trivia questions. 

Let me know your answer, and I'll revise the article to include your name as a brilliant scientist like Dr. Moreau, Dr. No, Doc Brown, Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Frank N. Furter, and Dr. Alan Grant.

 

Question # 1:

At what temperature are Celsius and Fahrenheit equal?

 

 Question # 2:

Do diamonds last forever?