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The Poetry of Science

316 Episodes
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This episode explores new research, which has found that nearly half of 232 US health datasets were changed, mostly replacing 'gender' with 'sex', without logging or explanation.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Testament to the Agency of Man’ by Rickey Laurentiis here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that damming water in reservoirs from 1835 to 2011 shifted Earth's spin axis by over half a metre.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Toward the North Pole’ by Louis Gilmore here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that vampire bats can lick rabies vaccines off each other, spreading immunity through grooming.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Bats’ by Hussain Ahmed here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that even small amounts of lead in early childhood were linked to lower reading and maths scores all the way through school.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Lead in the Water’ by Jean Garrigue here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that oceans are getting greener near the poles and bluer in the subtropics.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Against Opulence’ by Kimiko Hahn here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which found that climate change and cheese quality are directly linked.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Personals’ by C.D. Wright here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which found that living within proximity to a golf course increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘X Ray’ by Dannie Abse here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that removing fluoride from US water would cost $9.8 billion.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Brushing Teeth with My Sister after the Wake’ by Jim Daniels here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that beers brewed across the US contain 'forever chemicals' linked to health risks.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Lines on Ale’ by Edgar Allan Poe here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that democratic countries often appear greener because they offshore pollution to less democratic nations.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Love in a Time of Climate Change’ by Craig Santos Perez here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that the richest 1% of people caused 20 times more warming than the global average since 1990.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘ted talk’ by Jenny Zhang here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that citizens in more democratic nations report greater wellbeing.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Democracy Poem #1’ by June Jordan here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that a 50% drop in US childhood vaccination could cause 51 million measles cases in 5 years.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘A Mnemonic Device’ by Clare Pollard here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found a link between wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘The Ashes’ by Karin Gottshall here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that carrion crows can spontaneously detect geometric regularity - like right angles and symmetry - just like humans.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Crows in a Strong Wind’ by Cornelius Eady here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found that US Bitcoin mining uses more electricity than Los Angeles, mostly from fossil fuels.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read 'Air' by W.S. Merwin here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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This episode explores new research, which has found a permanent global decline in terrestrial water storage, especially soil moisture.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read ‘Water Table’ by Eliza Griswold here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that insect brains might calculate the sun’s position using internal clocks and trigonometric circuits.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Insect’ by Annie Finch here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that which has found that matcha green tea reduces DNA damage and oxidative stress in bone marrow after gamma radiation exposure.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Green Tea’ by Dale Ritterbusch here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
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This episode explores new research, which has found that decaying jellyfish blooms create hotspots for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Read this episode’s science poem here.
Read the scientific study that inspired it here.
Read ‘Moon Jellyfish’ by Jennifer Martelli here.
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Music by Rufus Beckett.
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Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:
https://linktr.ee/sam.illingworth























