NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

The Science of Altruistic Behavior

NSF's Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences supports research focused on human behavior and how behavior can be shaped by social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental forces. Two NSF-supported researchers, Abigail Marsh, a professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Georgetown University and Joshua Greene, professor of psychology and a member of the Center for Brain Science at Harvard University, join us to discuss altruism. What is it? Are first responders altruistic? Are other creatures capable of altruism? If it's on the internet, is it performative?

Mysteries of the Quantum Realm

With accurate definitions of a seemingly contradictory nature and complex concepts like entanglement and teleportation, the realm of quantum science can get unusual very quickly. But what is quantum? What can you do with it? Do the movies get it right? We set out to answer some of these questions with quantum physicist Spiros Michalakis, a staff researcher and manager of outreach at the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech, a U.S. National Science Foundation Physics Frontiers Center.

Ragnarök and the cave of Surtur

During Iceland's Viking Age, a volcanic eruption formed a lava tube, which became a cave known as Surtshellir. Fast forward more than a millennium and a researcher from Brown University heard stories of tourists visiting a Viking Era site inside the cave and taking away bones they found there. What does the site tell us about Viking culture, Norse Mythology, and folklore? We'll speak with Kevin P. Smith to hear what he found when he descended into the cave of Surtur.

Training the Mind

In elite athletics, competitive advantages can come from the smallest of differences. Track, cycling, baseball, basketball, soccer, football have all been fundamentally impacted by technological developments. Supported in part by NSF, NeuroTrainer has developed a virtual reality program that can impact performance by training the mind. We are joined by founder Jeff Nyquist and CEO Noah Rolland. We further explore scientific technology's revolutionary impact on sport with Rayvon Fouché.

The Hidden Benefits Of Mentorship

Mentorship plays an essential role in encouraging and inspiring the next generation. Often, mentors are parents, family members or teachers, but anyone can be a mentor. We'll speak with Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, the 15th director of the U.S.  National Science Foundation, to learn about his experiences with mentorship and his approach to inspiring others. We will also look at the mentor – mentee relationship between NSF Creative Services Division Branch Chief Cori Bassett and AAAS fellow Dr. Sasha Luks-Morgan.

Could eggs make the best water filter?

NSF-supported researchers at Princeton University have developed an egg protein-derived aerogel whose unique structure is able to remove both salt and microplastics from water. We speak with Sehmus Ozeden to learn more about how this aerogel was developed, how it might be used and what impact it could have on the food supply.

Developing Smart Streetscapes

NSF's Engineering Research Center for Smart Streetscapes will forge livable, safe, and inclusive communities through real-time, hyperlocal technologies for streets and their surroundings. We are joined by Principal Investigator Andrew Smyth and Co-PI Mubarak Shah, as well as NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, Assistant Director Susan Margulies, and Program Manager Sandra Cruz-Pol.  

What IS an Echinoid?

While we are seeing climate change impacts around the world, researchers from the Florida Museum have reported the results of 30 dives tracking the number and diversity of one animal that appears to be doing just fine. 

Feeding A Growing Population

The NSF Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production will enable resilient and sustainable food production by developing next-generation technology for capturing, recycling and producing decarbonized nitrogen-based fertilizers. We are joined by Principal Investigator Gerardine Botte, Co-PI Odemari Mbuya, as well as NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, Assistant Director Susan Margulies, and Program Manager Mehdi Ferdowsi.  

Plasmas & Fusion

A recent nuclear fusion ignition event at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has made headlines around the world. We are joined by physicists Slava Lukin and Jose Lopez to find out what nuclear fusion is and to learn about plasmas.