Cool Science Radio

RC Mowers co-founder and CEO Michael Brandt discusses how remote-operated and autonomous mowing technology is helping workers tackle dangerous terrain. He explains how GPS, LiDAR and robotics are being used to improve safety, address labor shortages and make difficult jobs more efficient.

Marc Abrahams, founder and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, discusses the 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes, which celebrate scientific research that first makes people laugh and then makes them think. He shares some of this year's unusual discoveries and the story behind the annual ceremony.

Jeffrey Cole, founding director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, explores how technological change reshapes society, why established institutions can be caught off guard and what decades of internet research reveal about America's changing relationship with technology.

Carleton University biologists Jennifer Bruin and Myriam Hoyeck discuss new research finding persistent environmental pollutants in the human pancreas and explore how these chemicals may affect insulin secretion and metabolic health.

Dr. Alexander Mossbrucker discusses how bioacoustics, artificial intelligence and digital monitoring tools are helping conservationists track endangered wildlife. From detecting Asian elephants by their vocalizations to training rangers in Sumatra, Mossbrucker explores how better data can strengthen efforts to protect animals and their habitats.