The Poetry of Science
Arts
Science
Sam Illingworth
Join Dr Sam Illingworth as he provides insight into new scientific research via the medium of poetry.
Total 277 episodes
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Episode 277 – Colour Shift
Episode 277 – Colour Shift
This episode explores new research, which has found that human actions cause insect colour change. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Insect’ by Annie Finch here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2804/11/2024
Episode 276: Tethered by Moonglow
Episode 276: Tethered by Moonglow
This episode explores new research, which has found that tropical mammals react to changes in lunar light. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Moonlight’ by Paul Verlaine here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4328/10/2024
Episode 275: The Volatility of Life
Episode 275: The Volatility of Life
This episode explores new research, which has used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Near-Earth Object’ by John Shoptaw here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4821/10/2024
Episode 274: Where Migration Ends
Episode 274: Where Migration Ends
This episode explores new research, which has found that drier winter habitat impacts songbirds’ ability to survive migration. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Migration’ by Ira Sadoff here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:1114/10/2024
Episode 273: Wood Vaulting
Episode 273: Wood Vaulting
This episode explores new research, which has found that burying wood in the right environmental conditions can stop its decomposition and help curb carbon dioxide emissions. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Wood’ by Richard Brautigan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:1807/10/2024
Episode 272: The Forge of the Sea
Episode 272: The Forge of the Sea
This episode explores new research, which has found that the long-range transport of dust enhances oceanic life. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Dust’ by Dorianne Laux here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:0129/09/2024
Episode 271: Painting Petals
Episode 271: Painting Petals
This episode explores new research, which has found that flowers use adjustable petal designs to attract pollinators. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Flowers’ by Wendy Videlock here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:0723/09/2024
Episode 270: Lost in the Night Light
Episode 270: Lost in the Night Light
This episode explores new research, which has found that excessive light pollution may increase risk of Alzheimer's. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read “Alzheimer’s” by William J. Harris here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:3816/09/2024
Episode 269: Monster Galaxies
Episode 269: Monster Galaxies
This episode explores new research, which has observed a pair of galaxies in the act of merging 12.8 billion years ago. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Universe’ by Steven Schnur here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2109/09/2024
Episode 268: Under Wandering Light
Episode 268: Under Wandering Light
This episode explores new research, which has found that meteor showers shed light on where comets formed in the early solar system. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Meteorite’ by Randall Jarrell here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4302/09/2024
Episode 267: Echoes in the Earth
Episode 267: Echoes in the Earth
This episode explores new research which has found that underground acoustics amplify soil health. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘This Soil’ by Alice Corbin Henderson here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4826/08/2024
Episode 266: The Nature of the Selfie
Episode 266: The Nature of the Selfie
This episode explores new research, which has found that nature is at risk in the hunt for the perfect selfie. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Manifesto of the Lyric Selfie’ by Becca Klaver here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4219/08/2024
Episode 265: The Earth Rises to Meet the Sea
Episode 265: The Earth Rises to Meet the Sea
This episode explores new research, which has studied how the rising earth in Antarctica will impact future sea level rise. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Way to Keep Going in Antarctica’ by Bernadette Mayer here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4112/08/2024
Episode 264: Chromatic Change
Episode 264: Chromatic Change
This episode explores new research, which has investigated the iridescent evolution of birds. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Birdsong' by Joanie Mackowski here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:0905/08/2024
Episode 263: Renewal in Green
Episode 263: Renewal in Green
This episode explores new research, which has found that even 10 minutes of nature exposure is likely to yield benefits for adults with mental illness. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Wildlife Management III’ by James Galvin here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2229/07/2024
Episode 262: At the Edge of the Lakes
Episode 262: At the Edge of the Lakes
This episode explores new research, which has found that unprecedented warming threatens earth’s lakes and their ecosystems. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Lake Cycle’ by Jessica Nelson North here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2722/07/2024
Episode 261: Cool Roofs in the City
Episode 261: Cool Roofs in the City
This episode explores new research, which has found that painting roofs white is effective at cooling cities at scale. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Heat' by John Gould Fletcher here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:1915/07/2024
Episode 260: The Red Crater Clock
Episode 260: The Red Crater Clock
This episode explores new research, which has found that meteorite impact rate on Mars can help date planetary surfaces. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Meteorite’ by Randall Jarrell here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:3208/07/2024
Episode 259: The Blackest Wind
Episode 259: The Blackest Wind
This episode explores new research, which has found that dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Effects’ by Nick Laird here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4801/07/2024
Episode 258: Rats and Restoration
Episode 258: Rats and Restoration
This episode explores new research, which has found that restored rat-free islands could support hundreds of thousands more breeding seabirds --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Baiting Bush Rats’ by Anthony Lawrence here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
08:1524/06/2024
Episode 257: A Promise of Lavender
Episode 257: A Promise of Lavender
This episode explores new research, which has identified the gene that enhances some of the properties of lavender. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read  'Lavender' by Mary Enslow here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
05:5117/06/2024
Episode 256: Wated Mussels
Episode 256: Wated Mussels
This episode explores new research, which has found that mussels downstream of wastewater treatment plants contain radium. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Merrymakers in a Mussel Shell’ by Holly Corfield Carr here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:4710/06/2024
Episode 255: Wobbling Stars and Super Earths
Episode 255: Wobbling Stars and Super Earths
This episode explores new research, which has used wobbling stars to find new exoplanets. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘In the Planetarium’ by James Doyle here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:0103/06/2024
Episode 254: Shadows in the Sea
Episode 254: Shadows in the Sea
This episode explores new research, which has investigated how heatwaves are affecting Arctic phytoplankton. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Invitation’ by Aimee Nezhukumatathil here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:4127/05/2024
Episode 253: Seismic Snow
Episode 253: Seismic Snow
This episode explores new research, which has found that heavy snowfall and rain may contribute to some earthquakes. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Snowfall' by Ravi Shankar here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:4520/05/2024
Episode 252: The Weakening Pulse of Life
Episode 252: The Weakening Pulse of Life
This episode explores new research, which has found that a magnetic field collapse may have triggered the emergence of animals on Earth. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Moon’s Magnetic Field Once Came from an Asteroid’ by Rebecca Morgan Frank here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
08:1513/05/2024
Episode 251: Women of the Wildfires
Episode 251: Women of the Wildfires
This episode explores new research, which has found that women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Leaves’ by Ursula K. Le Guin here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:1106/05/2024
Episode 250: Plastic Flesh
Episode 250: Plastic Flesh
This episode explores new research, which has found that toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Plastic: A Personal History’ by Elizabeth Bradfield here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
08:1829/04/2024
Episode 249: Pink and Swollen Shores
Episode 249: Pink and Swollen Shores
This episode explores new research, which has found that Africa’s flamingos are threatened by rising lake levels. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Flamingo Watching’ by Kay Ryan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:3322/04/2024
Episode 248: Fettering their Nests
Episode 248: Fettering their Nests
This episode explores new research, which has found that four in five bird species cannot tolerate intense human pressures. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Birds’ by Linda Pastan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:1915/04/2024
Episode 247: Shadows in the Glass
Episode 247: Shadows in the Glass
This episode explores new research, which has found that common water pollutants cause heart damage in fish. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Water Devil’ by Jamaal May here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:3208/04/2024
Episode 246: Secrets Beneath the Ice
Episode 246: Secrets Beneath the Ice
This episode explores new research, which has found that signs of life could be detectable in single ice grains that are emitted from extraterrestrial moons. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Ten Moons’ by Sasha Dugdale here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth   
07:4201/04/2024
Episode 245: Blue Reflections of Time
Episode 245: Blue Reflections of Time
This episode explores new research, which has used ancient tree rings to reconstruct the climate records of North China. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Trees’ by Mark Haddon here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:1625/03/2024
Episode 244: Silence in the Depths
Episode 244: Silence in the Depths
This episode explores new research, which has found that fishing for oil and meat drives deepwater shark and ray decline. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Sharks at the New York Aquarium’ by Charles Martin here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:0818/03/2024
Episode 243: Deforesting Disease
Episode 243: Deforesting Disease
This episode explores new research, which has found that deforestation exacerbates the risk of malaria for the most vulnerable children. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Mosquito Music’ by Philip Gross here --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2811/03/2024
Episode 242: When the Sky Gathers Tears
Episode 242: When the Sky Gathers Tears
This episode explores new research, which has found that cloud clustering causes more extreme rain. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read  'Clouds' by Caroline Forché here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:1204/03/2024
Episode 241: Nuclear Transmutations
Episode 241: Nuclear Transmutations
This episode explores new research, which has looked to neutron stars to reduce nuclear waste. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Near the Desert Test Sites (Palm Desert, California)’ by Sherod Santos here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
08:0226/02/2024
Episode 240: Consumed Stars
Episode 240: Consumed Stars
This episode explores new research, which has detected the faint light of stellar corpses beside predator stars. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Stars’ by Marjorie Pickthall here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2119/02/2024
Episode 239: The Fevered Climate
Episode 239: The Fevered Climate
This episode explores new research, which has found that climate change likely triggered pandemics in antiquity. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Return to Rome' by Stanley Moss here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2612/02/2024
Episode 238: Over Martian Shores
Episode 238: Over Martian Shores
This episode explores new research, which has found confirmation of an ancient lake on Mars. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Here’s Mars’ by William H. Dickey here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2505/02/2024
Episode 237: Retreating Futures
Episode 237: Retreating Futures
This episode explores new research, which has found that Alpine glaciers will lose at least a third of their volume by 2050. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Exit Glacier’ by Peggy Shumaker here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:3129/01/2024
Episode 236: Cosmic Reflections
Episode 236: Cosmic Reflections
This episode explores new research, which has discovered an Earth-sized planet in ‘our solar backyard’. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'The Planet' by Josephine Jacobsen here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:5122/01/2024
Episode 235: In Venusian Skies
Episode 235: In Venusian Skies
This episode explores new research, which has revealed the mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Venus’ By D. Nurkse here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2915/01/2024
Episode 234: Changing Matter
Episode 234: Changing Matter
This episode explores new research, which has found that particulate matter affects both the molecular functions and physical shape of lung cells. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'The Orange Alert' by Douglas Kearney here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2008/01/2024
Episode 233: Driven by Drought
Episode 233: Driven by Drought
This episode explores new research, which has found that vulnerable populations face flood risk in most African countries. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Drought' by Tsitsi Ella Jaji here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
08:0101/01/2024
Episode 232: Musical Measurements of the Spheres
Episode 232: Musical Measurements of the Spheres
This episode explores new research, which has measured the distance to stars by their music. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Music of the Spheres' by Robert Morgan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2225/12/2023
Episode 231: Footprints on the Moon
Episode 231: Footprints on the Moon
This episode explores new research, which has suggested that it’s time to declare a new epoch on the moon, the 'Lunar Anthropocene'. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Moon’ by Amy E. Sklansky here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
06:2818/12/2023
Episode 230: Twilight Galaxies
Episode 230: Twilight Galaxies
This episode explores new research, which has revealed distant galaxies, reshaping our understanding of the universe's evolution. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Lost in the Milky Way' by Linda Hogan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:4611/12/2023
Episode 229: Sulphuric Shadows
Episode 229: Sulphuric Shadows
This episode explores new research, which has found that particulate pollution from coal is associated with double the risk of mortality than from other sources.  ---  Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here.  Read 'Coal Deliveryman' by Ramón Cote Baraibar here.  ---  Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth  
07:3304/12/2023
Episode 228: The Bee’s Vapid Poison
Episode 228: The Bee’s Vapid Poison
This episode explores new research, which has found that bees cannot taste even lethal levels of pesticides. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Bees’ by Bruce MacKinnon here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   X: @samillingworth 
07:2327/11/2023