2scientists

Tis the season to be thankful, and we are, for our friend Mel and her return to Tampa. So to celebrate we wanted to re-release her podcast. The volcanologist who studies the earthquakes generated by volcanoes, in order to predict potential eruptions better. Mel's work requires her to spend a lot of time in close proximity to volatile, active volcanoes – even sacrificing her favorite sweater to collect a sample of rock from a lava flow. Can't handle the heat? Get out of the volcano... and listen to Mel's story in this podcast.

Our brains are our little black boxes, making us who we are. But how does a brain store memories and where? Why do we lose them as we get ill or old? This was the subject for our guest, neurologist and neuroscientist Emrah Düzel. His group in Magdeburg Germany, looks at new ways of tackling diseases such as Alzheimer's, like exercise and brain training. So listen in and form a few new synapses of your own.

She's a lady of many accolades: professor of Computer Science at Oxford, the first female professor at the University of St. Andrews and a CBE – Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her services to computer science. She is Ursula Martin.

Meet Randy: scientist of data, teacher of machines, master of visualizations. Like a lion tamer, he uses his computer to whip that data into shape; whether you want to plan your ideal road trip or just learn the perfect way to create a pie chart. A proponent of artificial intelligence, he's excited about all the ways it can help improve our lives.

Think of nuclear power stations and you might think meltdowns with Homer Simpson at the reins. The truth is that nuclear power is a clean and efficient source of energy and far safer than we give it credit for. Just ask Claire Blackett Taylor, a human reliability expert who works at the Halden Reactor in Norway. As the name implies, she studies how the men and women working at these plants can be prepared for anything. We talked safety, sunshine and sea-sickness whilst enjoying a mimosa or two.

You're not prejudiced are you? No, neither are we. Yet we all unintentionally make snap judgements about people every day. This "implicit bias" is the bread and butter of criminologist Lorie Fridell. Her work with the police highlights the dangers of this kind of bias, but also shows that, with a little bit of training, this is something we can all overcome.

Dan Huber has been into sharks since the age of 8. He's studied them, lived with them and almost lost his head because of them! We talk biomechanics, the dangers of captivity and megalodon. So many questions... so little time. We appreciate you humoring us Dan.

Jennifer Sedillo is a microbiologist by training and beer scientist for love. So this Valentine's day we talked to her over a pint, about our pints. We heard how brewing is not just for the bearded sex. And we finally have a reason for why that beer tastes as good as it does!

Resistance is futile! Or not, if you're a disease causing parasite or mosquito. This is where evolutionary biologist Silvie Hujiben comes in. She is looking for new ways to prevent and maybe even eradicate diseases like malaria but without just throwing drugs at the problem. Listen to her explain how controlling evolution might be the answer.

Kim Luddy went from aspiring marine biologist to actual cancer researcher. Now she's working on therapies to train our immune systems to attack cancer cells. Will they be a magic bullet? Probably not. Tune in to hear how immunotherapies could help, the joys of Twitter and how well Kim knows her cats.

Starting out as a chemical engineer Megan Detloff decided that wasn't enough pain for her so she switched to neuroscience. Now as a researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, she looks at what she describes as the "pain of everyday living" or the pain that results from spinal cord injury. Listen to her tell us more about using exercise as a treatment and the veterans that inspire her to keep going.

He's a researcher, teacher, astronaut candidate, director of outreach programs and UFO investigator. Antonio Paris loves and lives Space! He talks to us about his favorite planet – Mars – and whether E.T. is likely to call any time soon.

From inflammation to intellectual property, Ruan Cox details his scientific career to date. Why not all scientists stay in science and why that's a good thing. This scientist talks about his favorite tech and how we should be using it to learn more about our own health. Oh, and if you think of a twitter handle for him, let us know so he too can communicate in 140 characters or less.

Sit back...take a deep breath... and relax. Feeling better? Well maybe you shouldn't be. Catherine Wikholm is a psychologist studying how meditation might not be all peace and happiness. As with any treatment, mindfulness might actually be damaging. On the upside though, find out how man's best friend might specifically be a veteran's best friend in cases of post traumatic stress disorder.

Daniel Yeh is an engineer and associate professor at the University of South Florida and his passion is... waste water? He believes that one man's waste is another man's treasure. Listen in as he tells us more about smarter ways to purify our water whilst generating greener energy. Also, how in India you might get a little Bollywood with your bowel movements.

What if we had a cure for 1 in 20 cancer patients? Even better, what if we could cure cancer before it even occurred? Meet Anna Giuliano, an epidemiologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center and the director of the Center for Infection Research in Cancer. There she specializes in research on the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV (not to be confused with HIV!). How does HPV cause cancers and how can we cure them with a simple vaccine? Listen in to find out more about Anna’s research, the benefits of recruiting Taylor Swift, and how sometimes girls and boys are the same.

Physicist by day, journalist and musician by night – Dr David Robert Grimes just may be the Dark Knight of Science, advocating for higher standards in media coverage and working out the physics behind your favorite guitar riffs.

Evolutionary biologist Joel Brown knows why the squirrels that frequent our yards here in Florida are tiny compared to their heavyweight cousins in Chicago – and now you can too! Listen in as Dr. Brown explains how American squirrels are settling an old score with our would-be British overlords, and how you can study elusive snow leopards by watching sheep.

Bad habits, compulsive thoughts, irrational decisions — we're all plagued by them to varying degrees. But where do they come from? And what can we do to break the habit? Or, can people with issues like obsessive-compulsive disorder find successful treatment? In this episode, we'll answer all of those questions and more with Dr Claire Gillan, who works in the field of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. Claire applies behavioral sciences, psychophysiology, and neuro-imaging techniques to unravel the complicated web of learning, habit formation, and human behavior — with a focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Mark Miodownik loves stuff. As a materials scientist and engineer, he gets a kick out of answering questions like what your skin might have in common with ceramics, or metal for that matter? And, why do materials behave the way they do or feel different to the touch?