This Is Science with Jess Phoenix

This Is Science with Jess Phoenix

This Is Science with Jess Phoenix is the official podcast of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Jess brings her experience as a volcanologist and science communicator to the mic through science storytelling and conversations with dynamic scientific explorers, change-makers, and innovators. Ignorance is the disease, and curiosity is the cure!

Episodes

The Age of Unreason

January 20, 2025 • 29 mins
UCS Center for Science and Democracy Director Dr. Jennifer Jones joins Jess to discuss what the second Trump presidency means for science, and what you can do to defend science.
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Greening Our Growing

January 5, 2025 • 28 mins
Ever wonder if agriculture and green energy can work together? The answer is yes, and Jess talks with UCS experts Dr. Angel Fernandez-Bou and Vivian Yang about farming and the future of energy in the United States.
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Road Rave

December 9, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess hits the road to visit the Los Angeles Auto Show and talk with UCS electric vehicle expert Dr. Dave Reichmuth about what's hot in green vehicles.
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Science Will Not Be Silent

November 25, 2024 • 29 mins
The 2024 election results are sending shockwaves through the scientific community, but we haven’t been caught flat-footed. Jess talks with Dr. Christopher Williams, political scientist with the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists about what we might see in the coming months, and more importantly: what we’re going to do to make sure science keeps saving lives.
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xkcd

November 11, 2024 • 29 mins
As a post-election palate cleanser, Jess talks with webcomic artist, author, and cultural phenomenon creator Randall Munroe. They discus stick figure science cartoons and endless curiosity, delve into science mysteries, and even workshop lava moats.
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Spooky, Scary Skeletons

October 28, 2024 • 29 mins
We all know dinosaurs are extinct, but their demise is definitely a scary story with implications for us all during this spooky season. Jess gives out treats as she talks with Dr. Ken Lacovara, renowned paleontologist and discoverer of the world’s largest dinosaur about the fate of the dinos, the fate of our planet, and a revolutionary new museum in New Jersey where the two collide.
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Move It, Move It

October 15, 2024 • 29 mins
Everyone needs to get from point A to point B, and Jess talks with urban planner and UCS Director of Clean Transportation Steven Higashide about the latest and greenest in what moves us.
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Re-release: Wet, Hot American Summer

October 1, 2024 • 29 mins
Hurricanes pounding the southeast, heatwaves and smoke from fires across the country, and temperature records falling left and right…Jess talks with UCLA climate scientist and Weather West blogger Dr. Daniel Swain about this summer of extremes.
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Mosses and Matriculation

September 17, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess talks with California State University, Los Angeles Biology Department Chair Dr. Kirsten Fisher about desert mosses, climate change, and the changing state of science in higher education.
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A Democracy, If You Can Keep It

September 3, 2024 • 29 mins
A new report using voting precinct-level data uncovers key information about who is actually voting in our elections, and who our current democratic process is leaving behind. Jess talks with UCS scientist and report author Dr. Liza Gordon-Rogers about what this means for the 2024 elections.
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Getting (Lead) Down To Earth

August 6, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess visits the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to unearth efforts by Dr. Aaron Celestian and his team to use a groundbreaking new mineral-based method to clean up lead contamination in L.A. backyards.
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The Science of Violence

July 23, 2024 • 29 mins
After the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump, Jess talks with Dr. Garen Wintemute, Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California - Davis, about the science of political violence and what we can do to stop it. This episode discusses difficult topics like gun violence and mentions suicide, so please take note.
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Water, Water Every Where

July 9, 2024 • 29 mins
A groundbreaking new report reveals the looming threats facing United States coastlines from now through 2100. Experts Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto and Shana Udvardy cover what you need to know.
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Strange New Worlds

June 25, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess talks with NASA OSIRIS-REx mission lead planetary scientist and cosmochemist Dr. Dante Lauretta about collecting samples from the asteroid Bennu that are now helping us understand the very origins of the universe.
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Food Fight

June 11, 2024 • 29 mins
Food justice activist and writer Rae Gomes joins Jess to talk about what we get wrong about food in the United States, and what we can do to make things right.
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This Is Science Season 2: Science Boogaloo

May 28, 2024 • 13 mins
Jess has the details on some recent UCS victories in the real world, and gives a preview of what you can expect for the second season of This Is Science.
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Season 2 Is Coming!

May 14, 2024 • 32 secs
Thank you to all of our listeners for a fantastic first season of This Is Science with Jess Phoenix! We are grateful for your support, and stay tuned for the start of Season 2 in just a few weeks.
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War Of The Words

May 1, 2024 • 29 mins
Dr. Jo Lukito of the University of Texas, Austin has made using science to understand political language her life’s work. She joins Jess for the third episode in our ongoing series about the science of democracy in the 2024 election cycle.
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Earth Day Two Ways

April 16, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess hosts a conversation between climate scientist Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel and environmentalist and actor Eric Balfour about climate solutions and the future of humanity and our planet.
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Feet To The Fire

April 3, 2024 • 29 mins
Jess talks with California's Attorney General Rob Bonta about a historic lawsuit he filed against Big Oil to hold them accountable for the devastating effects of climate change caused by their fossil fuel products.
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