Salty permafrost’s role in Arctic melting, the promise of continuous protein monitoring, and death in the ancient world

Science Magazine Podcast

Science Podcast

News Commentary, News, Science

4.2 • 791 Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

First up on the podcast, Science News Editor Tim Appenzeller joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss why a salty layer of permafrost undergirding Arctic ice is turning frozen landscapes into boggy morasses. Next on the show, glucose isn’t the only molecule in the body that can be monitored in real time; proteins can be, too. Freelancer producer Zakiya Whatley talks with Jane Donnelly, an MD/Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, about what we could learn from the live monitoring of key proteins, from the status of a transplanted organ to the early signs of a flare up in autoimmune disease. Finally, philologist Robert Garland joins books host Angela Saini to talk about ancient cultures and their death practices in his book What to Expect When You’re Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. Authors: Sarah Crespi; Angela Saini; Tim Appenzeller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	This podcast is supported by the Icon School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the academic arm of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, and one of America's leading research medical schools.
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1:00.0	at edu.c.n.c.c.c.E.N.S.S.E.N. This is the science podcast for September 25th, 2025. I'm Sarah Crespi.
1:11.2	First up this week, Science News Editor Tim Appenzeller is here to discuss why a salty layer
1:16.9	of permafrost undergirding Arctic ice is turning frozen landscapes into boggy morasses.
1:24.8	Next on the show, glucose isn't the only molecule in the body that can be monitored in real time.
1:31.5	Proteins can be too.
1:33.2	Freelance producer is Akiah Watley, talks with researcher Jane Donnelly about what we could learn from the live monitoring of key proteins.
1:41.5	Finally, philologist Robert Garland joins books host Angela Saney to talk about
1:46.5	ancient cultures and their death practices. In his book, What to Expect When You're Dead,
1:51.9	an ancient tour of death and the afterlife. We salt sidewalks and driveways to melt ice at temperatures below zero.
2:05.1	It's definitely easier than scraping up that ice or making the air hotter some way.
2:09.8	It turns out the same thing is happening to permafrost layers in the Arctic.
2:14.3	Permafrost, as the name implies, is buried layers of permanently frozen soil, or at least
2:19.8	frozen for two years or more. It's unexpectedly salty in some places, and this is accelerating
	...

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