sift

Hear the reasons for the initial NYC subway, the first construction techniques and the current engineering involved in building the new second avenue line. We talk to engineers, historians, and sandhogs in this special edition of Sift. This program is part of the STEM Story Project -- distributed by PRX and made possible with funds from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Enjoy!

Hear about one very cool experiment where the hearing centers of the brain process visual information. Why are brains able to do this for a variety of sensory information? What isn't completely plastic in our brains? Voices: Karen Froud - Columbia University Shihab Shamma - Maryland University

Sound comes into your ear and... what happens? Hear how sound is translated to the brain via hair cells (conserved across every animal species) and various brain nuclei in an unexpected, chaotic way. Voices: Andrew Bass - Cornell University Karen Froud - Columbia University Shihab Shamma - University of Maryland

Shazam is an app that can identify songs being played with your smart phone and is still one of the signature apps of any platform. Listen to the hurdles overcome by the app developer, Avery Wang. Also hear Wang describe how the Shazam algorithm works. Voice: Avery Wang

What does your brain do when you listen to your favorite piece of music? Why is music so powerful to humans? We discuss these questions and more. Voice: Don Hodges - Univ. North Carolina Greensboro

Bernie Krause is a musician who has drastically shifted his career to study natural soundscapes. He's discovered information hidden in these natural sounds that are telling for animals and us. Voices: Bernie Krause - Soundscape researcher, musician, author of the book "The Great Animal Orchestra" Jack McElaney - Teacher and Dean at Dwight School in New York City

What is sound? We'll define it physically and through our experience. Interesting descriptions abound as we learn why a piano sound is different than a violin sound alongside a small description of human echolocation. This is the first installment of our series about the information found in sound. Voices: Asif Ghazanfar - Princeton Univ. Bernie Krause - Soundscape artist Shihab Shamma - Univ. of Maryland Avery Wang - Shazam Entertainment Barry Gragg - Dwight School Robert Remez - Barnard and Columbia Univ. Andrew Bass - Cornell Univ. Don Hodges - Univ. of North Carolina Mark Randell - Univ. of Derby Michael Goldstein - Cornell Univ. Uri Hasson - Princeton Univ. Karen Froud - Columbia Univ.

Chef Gift gives us a simple soup. Strangely, it's similar to a primordial soup. Voice: Oliver Gift - Chef at New York City's Low Country: http://www.lowcountrynewyork.com

Listen to people who gaze up at the universe for a living, learn the techniques they use to find planets in other solar systems (exoplanets), and hear their thoughts about life in the deep void of space. Voices: Joe Delfausse - NY Amateur Astronomer's Association Caleb Scharf - Columbia University Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon Ben Oppenheimer - American Natural History Museum

The tumultuous and surprising history of the earth and life's impact on it. Also, a perspective on the future of the planet: earth will continue to change and does not need saving. Voices: Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon Ben Oppenheimer - American Natural History Museum Ariel Anbar - Arizona State University

How to turn chemicals into life.... it's all there! Warning: The chemical terms come fast and often. Voices: Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University Steven Benner - Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon

What are the problems in the origin of life models? Why are scientists pursuing this research despite the odds stacked against them? We answer these questions and land on a profound point about our special place in the universe. Voices: Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University Steven Benner - Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon Ben Oppenheimer - American Natural History Museum Ariel Anbar - Arizona State University

We all want to explain our origins. Hear a Greek origin myth alongside scientific origin stories. Then take a step back to realize that all these stories are still (and likely to be permanently) premature. This is the third installment of our Origins topic. Voices: Caleb Scharf - Columbia University Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University Steven Benner - Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon Ben Oppenheimer - American Natural History Museum Peter Meineck - New York University Spencer Wells - National Geographic Society and Cornell University Music by Erik Tokle: @etokle http://thereisnoteenagelove.com

How small and how big can life be? We consider various answers and even attempt to convince you that life can be the size of a planet. Voices: Susan Perkins - American Natural History Museum Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University

What is life? In the first installment of our Origins topic, hear various attempts to define life and ponder the life of the internet. Voices: Caleb Scharf - Columbia University Bob Hazen - Carnegie Institution and George Mason University Dimitar Sasselov - Harvard University Steven Benner - Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology Luke Constas - Biology teacher in New York Stephen Mojzsis - Colorado University and Universite Claude Bernard Lyon Ben Oppenheimer - American Natural History Museum Ariel Anbar - Arizona State University Spencer Wells - National Geographic Society and Cornell University