Often overlooked root vegetables such as turnips and rutabaga can have a major impact on the Earth’s ecosystem and biodiversity. In this podcast, join chef Alex Guarnaschelli and Eleanor Sterling, Director of the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity, in a discussion about how our food shopping choices can affect sustainable agriculture.

Human languages first appeared between 30,000 and 100,000 years ago, but the question of how languages spread and evolve is still under investigation. In this podcast from a recent SciCafe, join Museum curators Peter Whiteley and Ward Wheeler as they discuss how techniques used in genetic analysis are being applied to anthropology, language shifts, and key patterns in social evolution.

While supernovae are some of the most energetic phenomena known to science, a great deal of mystery still surrounds their origins. In this podcast from a recent “Frontiers in Astrophysics,” postdoctoral fellow Joanne Bibby and Richard Gilder Graduate School student Graham Kanarek introduce the theory that predicts massive stars as supernova progenitors, and discuss how scientists might confirm such a theory in the future. 

The talk, “Spectacular Supernovae” was introduced by Department of Astrophysics Curator Michael Shara, and took place at the museum on October 15, 2012. 

Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes ( 1 hour, 72 MB)

For some professional chefs, an interest in science and technology has transformed their kitchens into laboratories where centrifuges and freeze dryers are just as useful as pots and pans. In this podcast, Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, co-author of the book, “Modernist Cuisine at Home,” discusses ways that home cooks can use common kitchen tools to create astounding flavors.

This “Adventures in the Global Kitchen” event took place at the Museum on October 11, 2012.

Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes ( 1 hour, 6 mins, 80 MB)

Did the Maya really predict that the world would end on December 21, 2012? Learn the true story behind this rumor, as noted hieroglyphics expert Mark Van Stone, author of “2012: Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya,” unlocks the secrets of the complex Mayan calendars.

The talk, which took place at the Museum on October 10, 2012, was hosted by Hayden Planetarium Director Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes ( 1 hour, 18 mins, 93 MB)