NOVA Now – Details, episodes & analysis

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NOVA Now

GBH

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/21d. Total Eps: 22

Ever read a headline and wonder what's actually happening? Physician and science communicator Alok Patel breaks down the stories that matter. In this 20-episode series from NOVA, connect with the brilliant minds tackling everything from climate change to medical breakthroughs so you can understand what's really going on.

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Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - naturalSciences
24/08/2026
#74
🇺🇸 USA - naturalSciences
23/08/2026
#98
🇺🇸 USA - naturalSciences
22/08/2026
#78
🇺🇸 USA - naturalSciences
09/08/2026
#100

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA
23 shares
https://www.youtube.com/c/Parentalogic
1 share

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/
23 shares

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RSS feed quality

Excellent

Score global : 94%

Publication history

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Would you eat insects to help the planet?

Season 2 · Episode 10

Thursday, October 28, 2021 • Duration 29:38

You may think of insects as creepy-crawly pests. But for at least 2 billion people on the planet, they’re a source of nourishment. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has been around for thousands of years. But it isn’t a global practice today; cuisine in Europe and the U.S. tends to exclude insects. Could that change? The culinary case for insects is a compelling one—but it’s not the only one. A 2013 UN food and agriculture report proposed insect consumption as a possible solution to global food insecurity and a mitigator of climate change. Lately, efforts by scientists and entrepreneurs have pushed this agenda forward.

To learn more about edible insects and what it might take for insects to take a more prominent place on people’s plates, Dr. Alok Patel speaks with two entomologists and tours a Bay-Area based company specializing in protein-packed insect-based treats.

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Cryptocurrency: the future of money in a digital world?

Season 2 · Episode 9

Thursday, October 14, 2021 • Duration 31:33

The internet revolutionized how we communicate and exchange information. Now, it’s causing the ways in which we invest and spend money to change, laying the foundation for cryptocurrency. How this digital currency functions—much like the inner workings of the internet itself—is invisible to most. But the ongoing explosion of interest and investment in cryptocurrency is undeniable. In September, El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. Meanwhile, China announced a ban on all crypto trading and mining.

So what exactly is cryptocurrency, and how risky is it to invest in it? Is the future of money heading in a digital direction? With help from innovators paving the way for the future of money in a digital world, Dr. Alok Patel learns what the hype is all about.

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Welcome to NOVA Now season 2!

Season 2

Thursday, June 17, 2021 • Duration 02:26

Welcome to NOVA Now season 2! Join host Dr. Alok Patel for new insights into the most pressing issues that are impacting our lives. From the PBS science series NOVA, this is a biweekly podcast using science to separate fact from fiction.

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The science of positive motivation for the New Year

Season 1 · Episode 10

Thursday, December 31, 2020 • Duration 25:30

2020 is finally over. After the coronavirus pandemic and everything else the year's thrown our way, it's time to dust ourselves off and get ready for 2021. To do that, we need positive motivation (neurologically, that’s how our brains prepare to get things done). First, we hear from a neuroscientist on the science of becoming and staying motivated. Then, we have a special auditory treat. All season, host Dr. Alok Patel has asked NOVA Now guests which songs motivate them to do their work, whether that’s running COVID-19 tests in a hospital or conducting experiments in a lab. We took those songs and wrapped them up as a gift for you: a Nova Now Spotify playlist. Tune in for a taste of guests’ music picks and to revisit some of our most memorable moments from the year.

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How the future of satellites might affect life on Earth

Season 1 · Episode 9

Thursday, December 17, 2020 • Duration 27:08

In 2020, the world celebrated two decades of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As an orbiting laboratory that has provided astronauts with a view of Earth from outer space, the ISS may not seem very similar to other space innovations like CubeSats and NASA/USGS’s Landsat. But all of these devices are satellites: objects orbiting objects larger than themselves. Satellites can be natural (like the moon and planets, including Earth) or human-made (like the ISS). Joined by two experts in this outer-worldly technology, host Dr. Alok Patel explores how satellites have shaped our understanding of the modern world, including the Landsat program’s effort to create a space-based record of the surface of the Earth, and what lies ahead at the intersection of justice and space.

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Covid vaccines are coming: What’s inside, and how and when you’ll get one

Season 1 · Episode 8

Thursday, December 3, 2020 • Duration 27:16

Pending FDA approval, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines could reach the first wave of Americans in a matter of weeks. Manufacturers of leading vaccine candidates are releasing promising results from clinical trials, revealing that some experimental vaccines, including those from Pfizer and Moderna, are more than 90% effective against the coronavirus. But vaccine development alone will not end the pandemic; getting the distribution right is key. Host Dr. Alok Patel speaks with two immunization experts about the challenges of distribution at an unprecedented scale. Tune in to explore questions like: What are the differences between the first vaccine candidates? Who can expect to get vaccinated first and how much will it cost? And why do vaccines have to be kept so cold?

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The future of food

Season 1 · Episode 7

Thursday, November 19, 2020 • Duration 30:40

Chew on this: Thanksgiving is around the corner and November is Native American Heritage Month. In honor of celebrating nature’s bounty, Host Dr. Alok Patel considers the past, present, and future of food. He digs into the world of food science with the resident science guy at America’s Test Kitchen, speaks with an Indigenous community cook, educator, and community organizer about food sovereignty and equitable food systems, and checks in with a scientist who is genetically engineering plants to photosynthesize more efficiently to increase crop yields.

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The statistical science behind polling

Season 1 · Episode 6

Monday, November 2, 2020 • Duration 21:04

With so much uncertainty on the eve of the U.S. presidential election, one place we look for clarity is in the numbers. Pollsters learned valuable lessons from the 2016 election results that they’ve applied in the current election cycle to try to yield more accurate predictions. Host Dr. Alok Patel interviews a pollster and a statistician, delving into a brief history of political polling in the U.S, what went wrong in 2016, and how statistical concepts like data weighting and margin of error make all the difference in the accuracy of the poll.

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The science of fear

Season 1 · Episode 5

Thursday, October 22, 2020 • Duration 31:26

In a year that’s felt like a never-ending horror movie, some might actually find relief in watching thrillers on-screen this Halloween. But why is it that some people love all things spooky on screen while others can only watch through parted fingers? What makes horror films so scary yet so alluring? And does our fascination with horror media actually help us cope with the horrors of real life? Host Dr. Alok Patel zeros in on the science of fear, enlisting the expert guidance of a horror researcher, a neuroscientist, and the Emmy-winning Foley artist behind the tantalizing and terrorizing sounds in movies and shows like Invisible Man and Monsterland.

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Science in the courtroom

Season 1 · Episode 4

Thursday, October 8, 2020 • Duration 29:14

With confirmation hearings set to begin for Judge Amy Coney Barrett to join the Supreme Court, we ask the question that senators probably won’t: Do judges also need to be scientists? Science may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the U.S. court system, but everything from criminal cases’ forensic evidence to intellectual property disputes involve it. Host Dr. Alok Patel goes straight to the source for answers, speaking with a sitting federal judge and a lawyer who has worked on many Supreme Court cases.

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NOVA Now – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

NOVA Now – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Youtube2

Other1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Youtube2

Other1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify