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Artwork for The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge

Lucas Willard
Climate Change
Artificial Intelligence
Higher Education
Covid-19
Wildfires
Dinosaurs
Long COVID
Education
Neuroscience
PFAS
Pygmy Seahorse
Kenya
Public Health
Vampyr
Sharks
OLO
Stone Tools
Pliocene Epoch
Anthropology
Evolution

Throughout the world, new discoveries are being made every day that shape our ways of thinking and redefine our understanding of today’s information-driven society. "The Best of Our Knowledge" highlights those breakthroughs across multiple disciplines and across the globe, putting you in touch with the men and women at the forefront of their fields. Each week, host Lucas Willard examines some of t... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes44Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ScienceSociety & Culture

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Artwork for The Best of Our Knowledge

Latest Episodes

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.On this episode, we’ll the explore the phenomenon of musical daydreams.Our guest is Elizabeth Margulis, Director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. She wr... more

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.On this episode, we’ll learn how an unusual fossil offered scientists a new glimpse into the evolutionary history of some of Earth’s earliest animals.And we’ll learn how p... more

On the latest 51%, we speak with sociologist Gretchen Sisson about her book Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Sisson studies the relationship between abortion and adoption in the U.S., and is part of a t... more

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.According to a recent analysis, hundreds of private colleges and universities across the United States are at risk of closing in the next 10 years.On this episode, we spea... more

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Recent Guests

Shuhai Xiao
Geobiologist at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
Episode: A surprising sponge fossil and dispelling a centuries-old rumor
Tobias Schovanec
Geochemist studying archaeology
University of Bonn
Episode: A surprising sponge fossil and dispelling a centuries-old rumor
Gretchen Sisson
Sociologist; author of Relinquished
University of California, San Francisco
Episode: Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished' and the politics of adoption
Jon Marcus
Journalist with The Hechinger Report
Hechinger Report
Episode: The enormous challenges facing small colleges
Harrison Smith
specially appointed associate professor at the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo
Earth Life Science Institute, Tokyo
Episode: Searching for life and a mimicking spider
Alex Bentley
founder of Huasca Amazonia, conservation foundation based in Ecuador
Huasca Amazonia
Episode: Searching for life and a mimicking spider
Robert Martignano
Senior Program Manager, Center for Health Workforce Studies
University at Albany, CHWS
Episode: Nurses, tarantulas, and curious chimpanzees
Leanne Keough
Communications Director
Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany
Episode: Nurses, tarantulas, and curious chimpanzees
Alireza Zamani
Evolutionary Biologist
University of Turku
Episode: Nurses, tarantulas, and curious chimpanzees

Host

Lucas Willard
Host of The Best of Our Knowledge

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#240
United Kingdom/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished' and the politics of adoption
Q: What reforms or alternatives could better support families and prevent coercive practices in adoption?
Expand crisis support and foster care options to keep families together where possible, reduce financial and geographic coercion, and promote transparent, enforceable openness in legitimate adoptions while safeguarding the rights and well-being of mothers and children.
Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished' and the politics of adoption
Q: How does the post-Roe landscape influence adoption discussions and policy?
Access to abortion intersects with adoption in complex ways; the landscape changes who becomes a parent or relinquishes, and the need for justice and supportive care for families becomes more urgent than simply treating adoption as a solution to pregnancy.
Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished' and the politics of adoption
Q: What should people know about adoption if they are considering it?
Adoption is not inherently about caring for children; it often reflects the desires and pressures of prospective adoptive parents, and there are systemic dynamics—like market demand, cross-state regulations, and financial incentives—that can shape outcomes for mothers and children.
A surprising sponge fossil and dispelling a centuries-old rumor
Q: So how did you conduct your study into this specifically?
The researcher describes reviewing historical texts while applying geochemical analyses to the Akan gold artifacts from the shipwreck to verify or challenge those written narratives, sampling around 300 pieces to assess composition and origins.
Searching for St. Elmo’s Fire
Q: What lets you know that there is, in fact, St. Elmo's Fire actually occurring if it's something that you can't see with the human eye?
The ultraviolet camera shows white dots representing ultraviolet signals that move with the wind and thunderstorm activity, indicating corona discharges even when nothing is visible to the naked eye.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Best of Our Knowledge

What is The Best of Our Knowledge about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features interdisciplinary conversations with scientists, researchers, journalists, and educators who explore new discoveries and their implications across science, technology, and higher education. Recent episodes blend paleontology and geochemistry to rewrite historical narratives, investigate adoption and reproductive justice from a sociological lens, and scrutinize challenges facing small colleges and the nursing workforce. Other segments highlight fascinating natural history, animal behavior, atmospheric science, and the ethics and policy dimensions of scientific and educational issues. A common thread is the use of interdisciplinary methods and expert perspectives to translate complex research into accessible discussions for ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Best of Our Knowledge?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Best of Our Knowledge:

1. The New Yorker Radio Hour
2. Radiolab
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. Hidden Brain
5. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

How many episodes of The Best of Our Knowledge are there?

The Best of Our Knowledge launched 10 years ago and published 44 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Best of Our Knowledge?

Recent guests on The Best of Our Knowledge include:

1. Shuhai Xiao
2. Tobias Schovanec
3. Gretchen Sisson
4. Jon Marcus
5. Harrison Smith
6. Alex Bentley
7. Robert Martignano
8. Leanne Keough

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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