Hunting asteroids from space, and talking to pollinators with heat

Science Magazine Podcast

Science Podcast

News Commentary, News, Science

4.2 • 791 Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

First up on the podcast, we’ve likely only found about half the so-called city-killer asteroids (objects more than 140 meters in diameter). Freelance science journalist Robin George Andrews joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the upcoming launch of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor, an asteroid hunter that will improve our ability to look for large objects that might crash into Earth, particularly those hiding in the Sun’s glare. Next on the show, freelancer producer Elah Feder talks with Wendy Valencia-Montoya, an organismic and evolutionary biology Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, about heated conversations between plants and their pollinators. Her work suggests infrared radiation might be the oldest cue for animals to come hither, more ancient than color. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is supported by Xi'en Zhao Tong, Liverpool University, a UK-China partnership advancing
0:06.3	global education and research. In 2026, we celebrate 20 years of innovation. We invite you to be part
0:13.5	of our anniversary journey to see how we're tackling tomorrow's challenges. Visit xjtlu.edu.c.n.c.l.c.m. to explore our story and help write the next chapter.
0:26.2	This podcast is supported by the Icon School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the academic arm of the
0:32.1	Mount Sinai health system in New York City, and one of America's leading research medical schools.
0:37.7	What are researchers on heart health working on to transform patient care and prolong lives?
0:43.2	Find out in a special supplement to Science magazine prepared by the Icon School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in partnership with science.
0:51.0	Visit our website at www.s.s.org and search for Frontiers of Medical Research
0:57.1	dash heart. The Icon School of Medicine in Mount Sinai. We find a way.
1:04.2	This is a science podcast for December 11, 2025. I'm Sarah Crespi. First this week, freelance science journalist Robin Andrews
1:12.9	discusses the upcoming launch of NASA's Neo Surveyor. This is an asteroid hunter that will
1:19.2	improve our ability to look for large objects that might crash into Earth, particularly
1:24.4	those hiding in the sun's glare. Next up, freelance producer Ella Fetter talks with Wendy Valencia Montoya about heated conversations
1:33.3	between plants and their pollinators.
1:36.3	Her work suggests that infrared radiation might be the oldest pollination queue for animals.
1:54.5	This week in science, freelance science journalist Robin Andrews wrote about a new planetary defender, a space-based observatory that will identify large, possibly earth-bound asteroids.
2:02.4	It's called the Near Earth Object Surveyor, set to launch in September 27.
2:07.9	Hey, Robin.
2:08.9	Welcome back to the podcast.
2:10.3	Hey, thanks having me.
2:11.2	Thanks, I've been here.
2:12.3	So this is launching in about two years.
	...

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