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.
Episode 277 – Colour Shift
This episode explores new research, which has found that human actions cause insect colour change.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Insect’ by Annie Finch here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:2804/11/2024
Episode 276: Tethered by Moonglow
This episode explores new research, which has found that tropical mammals react to changes in lunar light.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Moonlight’ by Paul Verlaine here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:4328/10/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Near-Earth Object’ by John Shoptaw here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:4821/10/2024
Episode 274: Where Migration Ends
This episode explores new research, which has found that drier winter habitat impacts songbirds’ ability to survive migration.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Migration’ by Ira Sadoff here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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07:1114/10/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Wood’ by Richard Brautigan here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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06:1807/10/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Dust’ by Dorianne Laux here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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07:0129/09/2024
Episode 271: Painting Petals
This episode explores new research, which has found that flowers use adjustable petal designs to attract pollinators.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Flowers’ by Wendy Videlock here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:0723/09/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read “Alzheimer’s” by William J. Harris here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:3816/09/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Universe’ by Steven Schnur here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
X: @samillingworth
06:2109/09/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Meteorite’ by Randall Jarrell here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research which has found that underground acoustics amplify soil health.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘This Soil’ by Alice Corbin Henderson here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that nature is at risk in the hunt for the perfect selfie.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Email: [email protected]
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06:4219/08/2024
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.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:4112/08/2024
Episode 264: Chromatic Change
This episode explores new research, which has investigated the iridescent evolution of birds.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Birdsong' by Joanie Mackowski here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:0905/08/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Wildlife Management III’ by James Galvin here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that unprecedented warming threatens earth’s lakes and their ecosystems.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Lake Cycle’ by Jessica Nelson North here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:2722/07/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Heat' by John Gould Fletcher here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that meteorite impact rate on Mars can help date planetary surfaces.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Meteorite’ by Randall Jarrell here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Effects’ by Nick Laird here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:4801/07/2024
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
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Baiting Bush Rats’ by Anthony Lawrence here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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08:1524/06/2024
Episode 257: A Promise of Lavender
This episode explores new research, which has identified the gene that enhances some of the properties of lavender.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Lavender' by Mary Enslow here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that mussels downstream of wastewater treatment plants contain radium.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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07:4710/06/2024
Episode 255: Wobbling Stars and Super Earths
This episode explores new research, which has used wobbling stars to find new exoplanets.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘In the Planetarium’ by James Doyle here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has investigated how heatwaves are affecting Arctic phytoplankton.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Invitation’ by Aimee Nezhukumatathil here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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07:4127/05/2024
Episode 253: Seismic Snow
This episode explores new research, which has found that heavy snowfall and rain may contribute to some earthquakes.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Snowfall' by Ravi Shankar here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:4520/05/2024
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.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Leaves’ by Ursula K. Le Guin here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Plastic: A Personal History’ by Elizabeth Bradfield here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that Africa’s flamingos are threatened by rising lake levels.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Flamingo Watching’ by Kay Ryan here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that four in five bird species cannot tolerate intense human pressures.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Birds’ by Linda Pastan here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that common water pollutants cause heart damage in fish.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Water Devil’ by Jamaal May here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Ten Moons’ by Sasha Dugdale here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has used ancient tree rings to reconstruct the climate records of North China.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Trees’ by Mark Haddon here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that fishing for oil and meat drives deepwater shark and ray decline.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that deforestation exacerbates the risk of malaria for the most vulnerable children.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Mosquito Music’ by Philip Gross here
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that cloud clustering causes more extreme rain.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Clouds' by Caroline Forché here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:1204/03/2024
Episode 241: Nuclear Transmutations
This episode explores new research, which has looked to neutron stars to reduce nuclear waste.
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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.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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08:0226/02/2024
Episode 240: Consumed Stars
This episode explores new research, which has detected the faint light of stellar corpses beside predator stars.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Stars’ by Marjorie Pickthall here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that climate change likely triggered pandemics in antiquity.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Return to Rome' by Stanley Moss here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found confirmation of an ancient lake on Mars.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Here’s Mars’ by William H. Dickey here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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07:2505/02/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Exit Glacier’ by Peggy Shumaker here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:3129/01/2024
Episode 236: Cosmic Reflections
This episode explores new research, which has discovered an Earth-sized planet in ‘our solar backyard’.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'The Planet' by Josephine Jacobsen here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has revealed the mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Venus’ By D. Nurkse here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:2915/01/2024
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'The Orange Alert' by Douglas Kearney here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that vulnerable populations face flood risk in most African countries.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Drought' by Tsitsi Ella Jaji here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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08:0101/01/2024
Episode 232: Musical Measurements of the Spheres
This episode explores new research, which has measured the distance to stars by their music.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Music of the Spheres' by Robert Morgan here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has suggested that it’s time to declare a new epoch on the moon, the 'Lunar Anthropocene'.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Moon’ by Amy E. Sklansky here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
Email: [email protected]
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06:2818/12/2023
Episode 230: Twilight Galaxies
This episode explores new research, which has revealed distant galaxies, reshaping our understanding of the universe's evolution.
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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]
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07:4611/12/2023
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.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Coal Deliveryman' by Ramón Cote Baraibar here.
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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
This episode explores new research, which has found that bees cannot taste even lethal levels of pesticides.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Bees’ by Bruce MacKinnon here.
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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