Top Science Charts on Apple Podcasts

Boring History for Sleep

1

Boring History for Sleep

Velvet
Hidden Brain

2

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
The Rest Is Science

3

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger
Ologies with Alie Ward

4

Ologies with Alie Ward

Alie Ward
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

5

StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Unexplainable

6

Unexplainable

Vox
The Infinite Monkey Cage

7

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC Radio 4

1 day ago

The Story of Stories

Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What can I do to help my baby sleep through the night? We all feel the need to understand why certain things happen. Some researchers think the drive to explain the world is a basic human impulse, similar to thirst or hunger. This week on Hidden Brain, psychologist Tania Lombrozo discusses how explanations can lead to discovery, delight, and disaster. Then, Jonathan Rottenberg answers your questions about rethinking depression on Your Questions Answered. What are the mistakes most of us make when we try to resist a craving? We talk about that in our latest YouTube video. Check it out, and leave a comment letting us know what you think of the techniques we discuss for grappling with temptations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2 days ago

Earth’s Tilt Makes Time Slippery

A sundial can be almost 16 minutes fast in November and 14 minutes slow in February, yet there's nothing wrong with it. So why does the Sun, our oldest timekeeper, disagree with the clock on your wrist? In this episode, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) explore the equation of time - the strange relationship between Earth's tilt, its orbit around the Sun and the way we measure our days. Why does a day last 24 hours? Has it always been that way? And how can a piece of ancient coral reveal that time itself has changed? To find out, Hannah and Michael investigate an ingenious sundial that appears to correct its own mistakes, and discover the extraordinary places on Earth where shadows disappear completely. Along the way, they explore why sailors relied on the stars, the Moon's remarkable journey across London's sky, and the curious fact that the Pacific Ocean is so enormous it meets itself on the other side of the world. Michael's references:https://rl.se/subsolarpoint https://www.curiositybox.com/pages/closest-approach-to-uranus-------------------For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack MeekAnimator: Sam BensonVideo & Social: Bex TyrrellProducer: Simona Rata + Lucy LipscombeSenior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-CarterChief Digital Officer: Samuel OakleyExec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 day ago

Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor? 🇯🇵🇺🇸 | The Road to America’s Entry Into WWII | Boring History for Sleep

On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States directly into the Second World War. But the attack was not an isolated decision. It emerged from years of growing tensions, competing interests, military expansion, and escalating conflict across the Pacific. This documentary explores the events that led to Pearl Harbor, including Japan’s war in China, its expansion across East and Southeast Asia, the growing confrontation with the United States, economic restrictions, diplomatic negotiations, and the strategic calculations made by Japanese leaders. Why did Japan decide that war with the United States was necessary? What did Japanese leaders hope the attack would accomplish? And how did a single morning in Hawaii transform the course of the Second World War? Settle in for a detailed journey through the political, economic, and military history behind one of the most consequential attacks of the 20th century. Boring History for Sleep — Soft stories about war, diplomacy, forgotten decisions, and the events that changed the modern world.
1 day ago

A sweet truth: the history and science of sugar

This week, Rachael Ralph investigates sugar. Perry Bateman from British Sugar tells her how white sugar and demerara differ; the British Dental Association's Mick Armstrong explains how a high-sugar diet leads to cavities; and Lucy Chambers at Diabetes UK looks at the long-term consequences of high blood sugar. Are artificial sweeteners truly better? Gunter Kuhnle and Jason Halford weigh in. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
2 days ago

The Dark Origins of Halloween 🎃🕯️ | Ancient Celtic Rituals, Ghost Stories & the Birth of a Spooky Tradition | Boring History For Sleep

Halloween may be famous for carved pumpkins, costumes, and trick-or-treating, but its roots reach back thousands of years. Long before modern celebrations, ancient Celtic communities marked the changing seasons with Samhain, a festival associated with the harvest, the coming of winter, and the mysterious boundary between the living and the dead. How did an ancient seasonal festival become one of the world's most recognizable holidays? Why did people once wear disguises and tell stories about wandering spirits? And how did Celtic customs, Christian traditions, and centuries of folklore combine to create the Halloween we know today? Discover the fascinating evolution of Halloween, from ancient beliefs and medieval rituals to Victorian ghost stories, jack-o'-lanterns, and modern trick-or-treating. A calm journey through misty Celtic landscapes, forgotten superstitions, eerie folklore, and the surprising history behind the world's spookiest night. Boring History For Sleep — Soft stories about ancient traditions and the secrets of the past.
1 day ago

372 | Erik Winfree on DNA Computers and Robots

When we think of computers, we think of machines running on some kind of silicon chips. But the idea is more general: at heart, a computer is any object that takes in input, processes information, and produces output. Taking inspiration from biology, it is interesting to imagine building computers out of DNA -- a molecule that can store and process information, and is even programmable. Erik Winfree is one of the leading scientists who are using DNA to build tiny computers and even robots that can perform a number of tasks, with important implications for future biology and medicine. Blog post with transcript: https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/10/26/372-erik-winfree-on-dna-robots-and-computers/ Listen or watch Rolex Planet Visionaries wherever you get your podcasts. #ad Preserve your online privacy at Incogni and get 60% off an annual plan at https://incogni.com/MINDSCAPE. #ad Get 30% off your first year of the Base44 Builder plan at https://Base44.com/mindscape. #ad Support Mindscape on Patreon. Erik Winfree received his Ph.D. in computation and neural science from the California Institute of Technology. He is currently Professor of Computer Science, Computation and Neural Systems, and Bioengineering at Caltech. Among his awards are the Tulip Prize in DNA Computing, the Feynman Prize for nanotechnology, the MacArthur Fellowship, and fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Web page Google Scholar publications Wikipedia
19 Oct

Do You Have Trouble Sleeping?

Millions of us move through our days without getting enough sleep. We know that sleep deprivation can affect our physical health and our mood. But sleep researcher Chris Barnes says a chronic lack of good sleep can also affect how we make decisions and even what we value. He joins us to explore the forces that keep us from getting the rest we need, and offers practical strategies for getting better sleep. Later, psychologist Rachel Zoffness returns to answer your questions about the experience of pain, in our latest installment of "Your Questions Answered." Is your parenting style preventing your child from thriving? We explore this question — and share five practical parenting strategies we've featured on Hidden Brain — in our latest YouTube video. Check it out here, and share your parenting strategies with us in the comments! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
1 day ago

Bose-Einstein Condensate, Collisions, The Physics of Fire –TYTYK

What happens to matter when the temperature gets near zero kelvin? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore things you thought you knew about Bose-Einstein condensate, high impact collisions, and how stuff burns. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/bose-einstein-condensate-collisions-the-physics-of-fire-tytyk/ Thanks to our Patrons James Sym, Lyndon Crews, László Plájer, Ricardo Jaquez, David Fosse, Liam McNally, Rebecca Harris, Josh Wise, Henrik jonasson, Vamsi Krishna, Maria Falotico, Drew_Kamera, Kristopher Davis, Chris, Rafael Barão, Garrett, Deucer Doc, Danny Sharp, Hans Schenker bei Google, and Christopher Fazzino for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
5 days ago

What If Dinosaurs Never Went Extinct? 🦖🌍 | The World That Could Have Been | Boring History for Sleep

What if the asteroid had missed Earth 66 million years ago? Instead of disappearing, dinosaurs might have continued evolving, adapting to changing climates and competing with an entirely different set of species. This documentary explores one of the most fascinating questions in natural history: what could Earth look like if dinosaurs had survived? From changing ecosystems and evolving dinosaur species to the possible fate of mammals and the emergence of intelligent life, we’ll explore a world where the great extinction never happened. Would mammals still have risen to dominance? Could dinosaurs have developed radically different forms? And would humans ever have appeared in a world still ruled by dinosaurs? Settle in for a calm journey through an alternate history of Earth and imagine the planet that might have existed if the dinosaurs had never disappeared. Boring History for Sleep — Soft stories about dinosaurs, ancient worlds, evolution, and the mysteries of what might have been.
6 days ago

Nothing Really Matters - Hugh Dennis, Ria Lina, Harry Cliff and Yvette Fuentes

Jessica Fostekew and Adam Rutherford tackle one of the biggest and strangest questions in science: what is nothing? Starting with the earliest philosophers and journeying through to today's cutting-edge experiments, they ask whether true nothingness can ever exist. Joining them to explore one of science's most perplexing and important questions are physicists Harry Cliff and Yvette Fuentes, alongside comedians Hugh Dennis and Ria Lina. Together, they uncover why vacuums are far from empty, how the concept of nothing transformed science, and what the nature of absence can tell us about the origins and fate of the universe. Along the way, they delve into philosophical debates about the void, discover how scientists measure and define "nothing", and explore why the empty spaces between stars may be more active than they appear. They also role-play as positrons, deliberate over badgers, and learn that geckos harness quantum effects in unexpected ways. Our panel reveal that there is, perhaps surprisingly, rather a lot to say about nothing at all. Producer: Mel Brown A BBC Studios Production

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