Shows / UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined
Each week, UnDisciplined takes a fun, fascinating and accessible dive into the lives of researchers and explorers working across a wide variety of scientific fields.
Episodes
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Finding truth in documentary filmmaking
You Can See Everything is earning widespread acclaim for pushing the boundaries between reality, performance, and fiction. But that doesn’t mean it’s doing…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Searching the past for future solutions
Throughout human history, civilizations have lost touch with knowledge, traditions, and practices that their ancestors developed over thousands of years — a…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What does it mean to be alive?
For centuries, we have tended to associate consciousness with the most sophisticated things our brains can do: thought, reason, language, memory. But Antonio…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Shoot for the moon (and then some), pt. 2
Moonshots are big, audacious ideas that have the potential to change the world. Today, they've become synonymous with Silicon Valley and vast corporations.But…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Shoot for the moon (and then some), pt. 1
Moonshots are big, audacious ideas that have the potential to change the world. Today, they've become synonymous with Silicon Valley and vast corporations.But…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: In pursuit of a user-friendly healthcare system
If you've lived in the United States for a long time, you probably know that when someone tells you a doctor is “out of network,” that’s important, or that…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Silicon Valley's impact on U.S. politics
There are a lot of rich and powerful people in Silicon Valley who have said some strange things about democracy.It would be easy to dismiss some of this as…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: When is throwing something away more environmentally sustainable?
We tend to think that using something until it wears out is good for the planet. But what do we do if the thing we’re using up and wearing out is damaging our…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How do we handle internal propaganda?
We all know politicians, advertisers and social media algorithms are trying to influence what we believe. But what about our own brains? How do we know when…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Surviving a wildfire evacuation
When wildfire threatens a community, what determines who makes it out safely? Emergency managers, firefighters, and weather all play critical roles, but so do…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How should we think about cancer?
When we think about cancer, we tend to think about what doctors can do. But what about what patients can do? How much of that is hope? How much of it is…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What can marine microorganisms tell us about the ocean?
The ocean takes up roughly 70% of the planet, but we still don’t know too much about everything that is out there. Most ocean life is very small, and tends to…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The power of noticing
Twenty years ago, Richard Louv helped us begin to think differently about childhood and nature.Now, he's asking a related but perhaps even more provocative…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What can theatre teach us about kindness?
For years, comedy thrived on cynicism. The world was a mess, people were selfish, and anyone who believed otherwise was the punchline.But from Ted Lasso, to…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Learning relevance from relegated soccer teams
In the United States, we tend to celebrate people who pick a destination, set a goal, believe in themselves, and refuse to quit until they get exactly where…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How science fiction reflects science fact
If one of the most important roles of science fiction is that it makes unfamiliar ideas emotionally legible, what are the ideas that we need to be reading…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How athletes change their perception of time
A few years back, we had David Sinclair on the program. David is one of the world’s top researchers working on the question of whether we can extend human…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How A.I. is remaking the university experience
There is no denying it: A.I. has changed higher education, and teachers are trying to catch up — to figure out how to live in this new world, and how to make…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What Animals Know About Us
Scott Simon has spent a lifetime telling other people’s stories on national public radio. But every now and then, along the way, he’s found reasons to tell the…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Why we ‘reward’ motivated employees with more work
In workplaces everywhere, the most engaged employees often become the go-to for extra work. It feels logical, but management scholar Sangah Bae believes that…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The Joy of Polymathy
A geologist, a planetary scientist, a NASA mission leader, and an expert on team-building walk into a bar. The bartender says, “hey, Lindy, are you drinking…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The Future of Meat Is Clean, Climate-friendly, and Moral
For decades, the case against industrial animal farming has been framed as a moral one—and it hasn’t slowed consumption. As countries grow wealthier, meat…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Return to the Moon
Jani Radebaugh, a planetary scientist at Brigham Young University, has spent her career studying the landscapes of other worlds — and for decades, that work…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The Climatologist and the Dendrochronologist
This winter’s snow drought may leave a mark that lasts for centuries. Justin DeRose, a dendrochronologist and assistant professor of silviculture and applied…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What does climate migration really look like?
For years, many people have assumed that climate change will send massive waves of “climate refugees” across borders around the world. But Jan Freihardt, a…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Building a future with climate-conscious architecture
In 2011, an EF-5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, claiming 161 lives. Almost immediately researchers like Marc Levitan, from the National Institute of…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Is climate change funny?
Is the greatest existential threat our species has ever faced really something to joke about? Aaron Sachs thinks so. And, in fact, he thinks that, in many…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Social inequality on a rapidly heating planet
We’ve long found different ways to explain that the world is made up of haves and have-nots. We live in the developed world or the developing world. There are…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Why do we drink?
For a very long time it was thought that some alcohol, in moderation, could be healthy for us. The latest research suggests that’s simply not true. This…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What do we learn from aging?
Ten years after publishing This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, activist and writer Ashton Applewhite reflects on what a decade of living inside her…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Why Do Scientists Attack Other Scientists?
We know that, throughout history, society hasn’t always appreciated revolutionary scientific findings — and sometimes scientists find themselves under attack…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The new Disney reality — everyone (rich) is a VIP
Historically, an “everyone is a VIP” philosophy made good business sense for Disney amusement parks. But now Disney is embracing tiered services. Daniel…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The Patterns of Life, Part 2
Again and again, similar patterns show up in nature in different creatures at different times in their evolutionary histories—even when those life forms have…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The Patterns of Life, Part 1
Again and again, similar patterns show up in nature in different creatures at different times in their evolutionary histories. And when they show up, we often…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Under the sea
Deep in the ocean, jellyfish, shrimp, fireworms and other creatures use multi–colored lights for defense, luring food, attracting mates, and communication. In…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What do budget cuts mean for NASA's future?
The Trump administration is seeking an across-the-board 20% cut to NASA's total funding, and nearly all of that reduction is concentrated in science mission…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The art and science of political speech
Emerging research suggests that human attention spans are getting shorter. That’s a problem for people who want to make change in a world in which the issues…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How a tragedy at a fundamentalist commune affected one Biblical scholar
Dan McClellan loves the Bible. He doesn’t always love what it says. But he works hard not to try to mold it into something that he wants it to be — to meet it…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Does the Bible really say it is the Word of God?
Just about 60% of Americans say they identify as Christian. And just about 20% of Americans say they have read the entire Bible.
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What does nature look like at night?
As diurnal creatures, humans often miss out on the natural world at night. And many of us have a natural urge to see the animals that come out at night as…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How are microorganisms changing the way we understand life?
What is life? However you answer that question, there is a good chance that it’s limited in some way by something that recent research has shown is not…
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UnDisciplined: Can holding leaders accountable to truth unlock a climate revolution?
In his new book, climate analyst Mike Berners-Lee says there's one shift that would go far toward solving every climate bind we’re in: holding corporate and…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Why aren't we using climate phases to predict crop yields?
For decades, we’ve known that climate cycles like El Niño affect regional crop yields. But even though our food system is increasingly global, we haven’t done…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How can we stay connected with plant life through changing seasons?
Herbs have a wide range of uses. A new book explores how plants connect us to the earth, to each other, and to ourselves.
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Americans may soon see a link between climate change and health problems
Rising global temperatures are already impacting human health. One survey suggests that most Americans haven’t yet felt this connection in their own lives or…
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UnDisciplined: What goes into making this show, and how has it evolved over time?
On July 6, 2018, listeners who were tuned into UPR heard UnDisciplined for the first time. Now, nearly seven years later, we’ve shared 300 episodes.
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UnDisciplined: This guy bet his father $10,000 that 10 prophecies wouldn’t come true. Who actually won?
Zach Mack’s father was falling into the abyss. That’s what it felt like, at least, as Zach watched his dad become more and more susceptible to conspiracy…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Can we really recycle our wastewater?
Drought and water shortages are major concerns for many Arizona cities. And there have been many potential solutions approached to try and handle these…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Will the California fires send a shockwave through the economy?
The wildfires in Southern California are on track to become the costliest disaster in U.S. history, and a lot of people are already recognizing that this…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What will Trump mean for the climate movement?
David Roberts clearly isn’t happy about the political direction of this country especially as it pertains to climate. But if you read his newsletter and listen…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How far does grace go?
Rep. Kera Birkeland spent much of her political career writing and passing legislation aimed at trans Americans — legislation that many people view as cruel…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Does DEI training work?
Social psychologist Nilanjana Dasgupta says our bottom-up approach to DEI training is likely ineffective, but there are simple, straight-forward and…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The seagull and the snowpocalypse (Part 3)
A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The seagull and the snowpocalypse (Part 2)
A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: The seagull and the snowpocalypse (Part 1)
A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: We probably can’t prevent forest fires. So what can we do instead?
In hindsight, it’s clear that a century of suppressing wildfires probably hasn’t made us safer in the U.S. West. But knowing what doesn’t work isn’t the same…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: How are climate communicators getting their information about climate?
There are two pretty simple questions that Allison Agsten wanted to have answered as she assumed the directorship of the Center for Climate Journalism and…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Is climate change impacting our health?
The most obvious health risk in a warming world is heat — heat stress which can cause heat stroke, which can cause dehydration, which can cause kidney failure…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: What are the water solutions we’re not thinking of?
For nearly five years, water attorney Emily Lewis has been hosting a podcast on water issues with a special focus on solutions for the water-stressed US West…
- UnDisciplined
UnDisciplined: Is atmospheric water harvesting scalable?
Almost every model of future climate suggests that Western North America will grow substantially drier as global surface temperatures continue to get hotter…