Particles of Thought

How Many Leaves Are on a Tree? | Kirk Johnson

Need to know how many leaves are on that tree? Paleobotanist Dr. Kirk Johnson shares the surprisingly nerdy method—because you never know when leaf math will come in handy. For more, check out the extended interview [https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/particles-of-thought/extended-interview-fossil-hunting-sinkholes-and-paleobotany-with-kirk-johnson] with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/] and subscribe to our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA]channel.

The Air You Breathe Is Bacteria Poop | Peter Girguis

Long before trees and grass, microbes were shaping our atmosphere. Evolutionary biologist Peter Girguis explains how ancient bacteria learned to split water for energy, and why their waste product changed Earth forever. For more, check out the extended interview [https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/particles-of-thought/extended-interview-extremophiles-the-deep-sea-and-alien-life-with-peter-girguis] with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/] and subscribe to our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA]channel.

The Fish That Could Walk | Sean B. Carrol

How did animals first make the giant step from water to land? Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll explains how the discovery of Tiktaalik—a fossil with both fish and limb-like features—revealed a key moment in evolution. For more, check out the extended interview [https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/particles-of-thought/evolution-of-new-species-venom-wings-and-more-extended-interview-with-sean-b-carroll]with Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/] and subscribe to our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA]channel.

How Close Can You Safely Get to a Black Hole? | Janna Levin

Black holes aren’t the cosmic monsters Hollywood makes them out to be. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains why they’re so hard to detect, why they’re not as destructive as you might assume, and how you could safely orbit much closer than you think. For more, check out the extended interview [https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/particles-of-thought/extended-interview-black-holes-and-quantum-weirdness-with-janna-levin]with Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/] and subscribe to our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA]channel.

A New Law of Nature? | Robert Hazen & Michael Wong

Could the universe be governed by a law we haven’t discovered yet? Mineralogist Robert Hazen and astrobiologist Michael Wong propose a new rule—the law of increasing functional information—to explain why complex systems evolve and why complexity keeps emerging over time. For more, check out the extended interview [https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/particles-of-thought/extended-interview-a-missing-law-of-nature-with-bob-hazen-and-mike-wong] with Robert Hazen and Michael Wong. Learn more about NOVA [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/] and subscribe to our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA]channel.