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Sam Illingworth
Join Dr Sam Illingworth as he provides insight into new scientific research via the medium of poetry.
Total 280 episodes
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Episode 280: Roots of Renewal

Episode 280: Roots of Renewal

This episode explores new research, which has found that rainforest protection reduces the number of respiratory diseases. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Rainforest’ by Teresa Mei Chuc here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: https://linktr.ee/sam.illingworth 
06:5125/11/2024
Episode 279: Beneath the Shelf’s Skin

Episode 279: Beneath the Shelf’s Skin

This episode explores new research, which has observed warm ocean water moving beneath the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica, where it contributes to ice melting. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read 'Ice' by Gail Mazur 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 
06:5118/11/2024
Episode 278: A Map of Echoes

Episode 278: A Map of Echoes

This episode explores new research, which has found that bats use an acoustic cognitive map for navigation. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Bats' by Luke Hathaway 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 
06:0811/11/2024
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