The world has changed since enterprising hominids chipped stones to use as tools. Today’s scientific and technological development moves faster than a speeding maglev train. 

If you’re curious about where innovation is headed and delight in the wonders of scientific discovery, tune your ears to Big Picture Science. Science radio doesn’t have to be dull. The only dry thing about our program is the humor.

In one hour, Big Picture Science connects ideas about the origins, the behavior, and the future of life – and technology – on Earth in surprising and playful ways. 

What came before the Big Bang? How does memory work? Will our descendants be human or machine? What’s the  origin of humor? We ponder these questions daily… and expound on them weekly.

The show is hosted by Seth Shostak.Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately fifty papers in professional journals. He also founded and ran a company producing computer animation for TV.

Seth has written several hundred popular magazine and Web articles on various topics in astronomy, technology, film and television. He has edited and contributed to a half dozen books. His first popular tome, “Sharing the Universe: Perspectives on Extraterrestrial Life” appeared in 1998. He has also authored “Life in the Universe” (2006, 2^nd edition, textbook, with Jeff Bennett) and “Cosmic Company” (2003, with Alex Barnett). His most recent book is “Confessions of an Alien Hunter” (2009).

Tune in on Fridays from 9 - 10 am.