Podcasts and Vodcasts by Topic
Light
Detecting Bombs, Saving Lives - May 17, 2010
Science and engineering students are developing a detection method to find improvised explosive devices (IEDs). detectors use magnetic waves to sense the magnetic field given off by the ferrous material in the IED.
Watch Video
Lasers: Transforming Life - May 16, 2010
In this wonderful video produced by the Optical Society of America, NPR Science Friday's host, Ira Flatow describes how lasers are used in optical fiber communication, surgery and more.
For more great laser innovations, visit:
www.laserfest.org and http://www.osa.org/
Watch Video
Laser Labels For Fruits And Veggies - April 19, 2010
Physicists Replace Pesky Fruit and Vegetable Sticker Labels with Edible, Permanent Laser Etchings
Watch Video
Students Achieve Over One Thousand Miles-Per-Gallon in Competition - October 30, 2009
Engineering students teamed up to build super- efficient gas-powered cars (approximately 1,200 miles-per-gallon) that compete for the highest miles-per-gallon.
Watch Video
Catching Cataracts Early with Lasers - October 23, 2009
Ophthalmologists use safe laser light to identify damaged proteins in the eye to detect the early signs of cataract formation.
Watch Video
Food Processing Cook Up Healthier Fried Foods With New Radiant Oven, No Deep Frying - October 16, 2009
Food processing engineers constructed an oven that uses radiant energy to fry food without oil.
Watch Video
Keeping Cool on the ice - July 24, 2009
Scientists Design High Tech Hockey Jersey Using Lasers.
Watch Video
Hearts In Danger - June 24, 2009
Medical physicists improved their ability to replace leads connecting pacemakers and defibrillators to the heart by using an excimer laser.
Watch Video
Dr. Chris Monroe on Quantum Entanglement - June 16, 2009
Dr. Chris Monroe from the University of Maryland describes his experiments with the curious properties of quantum entanglement.
Watch Video
Reducing Your Lead Footprint - May 15, 2009
Materials scientists created a lead-free piezoelectric material to replace the current one used in electronics that contains up to 40 percent lead. To make the material, tiny samples of bismuth ferrite and samarium ferrite are formed into puck shape pieces. A laser then fragments the pucks into different molecules and chemicals, creating a mist that is coated onto a chip.
Watch Video
Walk-In MRI - May 01, 2009
Physicists are Right Up Front with Upright, Walk-In MRI
Physicists created a low magnetic field walk-in MRI that enables them to obtain images of the patient in many positions--standing, sitting or laying down.
Watch Video
Cars Powered by the Sun - April 03, 2009
Arts, Science, and Engineering Students Driven by Solar Energy to the Finish Line
Watch Video
Diagnosing Heartburn - January 30, 2009
Gastroenterologists Use Lasers to Diagnose Chronic Heartburn More Effectively
Watch Video
Finding Victims After a Disaster - December 10, 2008
Scientists and Engineers Develop Aerial Imaging System to Identify the Locations of Persons in Need After Disasters
Watch Video
Jupiter's Little Red Spot - December 08, 2008
Planetary Scientists Detect Strong Winds in Anticyclone on Jupiter
Watch Video
Workout For the Eyes - October 22, 2008
Optometrist Establishes Sports Vision Clinic to Improve Athletic Performance
Watch Video
Patients go Wireless for Faster Recovery - September 29, 2008
Orthopedic Surgeons Develop Monitoring System for Joint Replacement Surgery Patients
Watch Video
Detecting Disease in Less Than 60 Seconds - September 24, 2008
Viral Immunologists Invent Speedy Virus Identification Technique
Watch Video
Measuring Lightning - September 10, 2008
Electrical Engineers and Meteorologists Devise Method to Measure Strength of Lightning Strikes on Tall Buildings
Watch Video
Cell Phones Manage Diabetes - September 08, 2008
Epidemiologists Use Wireless Technology to Improve Blood Sugar Monitoring
Watch Video
Odorless Paint - December 01, 2007
Chemists have added polymers to a new paint that dries faster and requires no second coat or primer. The paint uses long polymer chains to surround pigments, which makes it easier for latex spheres to bond to it. That advance makes the color cover the wall more completely. Additionally, this technique means that the paint requires almost zero volatile organic compounds, which contribute to odor and also smog.
Watch Video
Crime Alert! Molding Fingerprints - January 01, 2007
Photonic crystals -- materials with precise patterns of gaps that make them reflect only selected wavelengths of light -- could soon replace the traditional ink-based fingerprinting. In a new silica-based, photonic-crystal material, the spacing of the gaps changes in response to pressure applied. Corresponding changes in its color reveal fingerprints with high precision -- not only the ridges in the skin, but also the depth of the ridges, the shape of the finger, and the mechanical properties of the skin.
Watch Video
Einstein Rings - April 01, 2006
Images from the Hubble telescope reveal eight new Einstein rings, joining only three others previously known. Einstein rings are pairs of galaxies, with a foreground galaxy bending the light of a background galaxy into a ring by gravitational effects. The ring helps astronomers precisely estimate the mass of the foreground galaxy.
Watch Video
Lightning: Fact or Fiction? - April 01, 2006
To study lightning, scientists use rockets connected to the ground by wires. They fire the rockets into clouds, triggering electrical discharges, and storing their power. They have found that lightning doesn't come straight down to the ground, but it instead takes a series of steps.
Watch Video
Lights of the Future - February 01, 2006
Thanks to advances in physics, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will soon move from traffic lights and electronics panels to home lighting, bringing dramatic energy savings, adjustable colors for ambiance, and light-shining furnishings.
Watch Video
Fog-Free Glass - January 01, 2006
When moisture condenses on a cool surface, droplets can form that are the right size to scatter light, fogging up glass. A new polymer coating draws droplets into nanopores and transforms them into a transparent sheet, improving vision.
Watch Video
The Mystery of Black Holes - December 01, 2005
A satellite called Swift is revealing that black holes have a messier birth than previously thought. Instead of being created in one instant, astrophysicists now believe after a star dies and collapses -- ultimately forming a black hole -- it continues to cause havoc. The baby black hole devours material while at the same time spewing it back out, a process that is revealed in multiple outbursts of gamma rays.
Watch Video
Flying and Radiation Risk - September 01, 2005
At the high altitudes and latitudes commercial airlines fly, crews are subjected to higher-than-normal radiation levels from the sun and cosmic rays. Physicist Robert Barish believes airline crew members are exposing themselves to more radiation than almost any other occupation and is calling for the airline industry to better educate workers about radiation.
Watch Video
Screens of the Future - July 01, 2005
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are plastic-based materials that are able to emit light. Engineers are beginning to make displays out of OLEDs by spraying the materials on a surface, the way an ink-jet printer works. The new OLED displays promise to provide a cheaper, brighter, less power-hungry alternative to liquid-crystal displays -- the ones commonly used in laptop computers and cell phones.
Watch Video
Portrait of America - July 01, 2005
One lone physicist hopes to create an ultra-high-resolution portrait of America by taking a series of gigapixel images with his own custom camera, created from parts of old spy planes and nuclear reactors. Each image fills an entire DVD with data.
Watch Video
Einstein At Home - February 01, 2005
In a new project called "Einstein@Home," members of the general public can use their computers' downtime to analyze data that physicists are collecting from space. The data searches for gravitational waves, ripples of gravity predicted by Einstein but never directly observed.
Watch Video
Out of This World - December 01, 2004
Designed to study gamma ray explosions in space, NASA's Swift satellite is the first spacecraft that automatically reorients itself to capture images of a gamma ray burst. When an explosion takes place in sensors pick up the flash of light, and the observatory swivels itself around to get the most ideal view. Researchers hope the Swift will help them discover the cause of the explosions and figure out what damage they do.
Watch Video
Spotting Sunspots - July 01, 2004
Sunspots, large dark spots that dot the Sun's surface, reach a peak every 11 years, unleashing magnetic storms and solar flares that can disrupt communications. A new model focuses on electrified gas -- or plasma -- that flows around the sun because the plasma holds onto magnetic information from past sunspots.
Watch Video
Zero-Energy Home - April 01, 2004
Mechanical engineers have produced a zero-energy model home -- one that produces as much energy as it consumes in a year -- by constructing a heat-conserving airtight building and using renewable resources such as solar energy.
Watch Video
Meddling Microwaves - February 01, 2004
Physicists discovered that magnets stop the static caused by interference between your cordless telephone and microwave. Microwaves produce a number of unwanted frequencies, which can interfere with your calls. By placing magnets along the microwave's magnetron, the extra frequencies are reduced keeping calls static free.
Watch Video
Cloudy Glasses - February 01, 2004
Material scientists found that from the day glass is manufactured there are tine imperfections in the glassware. These scratches become more visible after the glass is cleaned. The tiny scratches make the glass cloudy because light gets spread out as it passes through the glass at different angles.
Watch Video
Space-Age Windows - March 01, 2003
Aerogel, a new material first developed in space experiments and made of 97 percent air, could soon become an energy-saving solution for replacing glass in windows. It insulates from sound better and it is five times better than any other material at insulating heat. Aerogel is composed of a tight network of tiny pores and glass folded over and over.
Watch Video