Universe of Art

You’ve probably heard that if you scream in space, no one will hear a thing. Space is a vacuum, so sound waves don’t have anything to bounce off of. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that space is silent. A team of researchers are taking data from a variety of telescopes and assigning them sounds, creating song-length sonifications of beloved space structures like black holes, nebulas, galaxies, and beyond. 

The album, called “Universal Harmonies” aims to bring galaxies to life and allow more people, such as those who are blind and low-vision, to engage with outer space.

Guest host Flora Lichtman talks with two of the scientists behind “Universal Harmonies,” Dr. Kimberly Arcand, visualization scientist at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, and  Dr. Matt Russo, astrophysicist and musician at the University of Toronto.

Visit our website to listen to a selection of the ethereal sonifications of “Universal Harmonies.”

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. The original segment featured in this episode was produced by Science Friday producer Rasha Aridi. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

Read this episode's transcript here. 

Few pop culture properties have lasted quite as long as Star Trek. A dozen Star Trek television shows have aired over the last sixty years—not to mention countless movies, novels, and comic books. 

Science concepts have always been integral to the Star Trek franchise: from warp speed travel to dilithium. But how much does the series accurately depict?

Science Friday host Ira Flatow speaks with astrophysicist Dr. Erin Macdonald, science consultant for Star Trek about the legacy of the franchise, and how accurate the science is within the series. And Universe of Art host D. Peterschmidt chats with Science Friday producer Kathleen Davis about producing the segment and the role expert consultants play in TV and movies. 

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. The original segment featured in this episode was produced by Science Friday producer Kathleen Davis. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

You can read this episode’s transcript here.

In Alien, the titular xenomorph uses the body of a human host to grow and eventually burst out of his chest. In the video game-turned TV series The Last Of Us, a fungi called cordyceps causes a catastrophic global pandemic by infecting humans and forming a parasitic relationship that turns them into flesh-eating zombies.

Are you noticing a pattern here? As far as pop culture is concerned, humans and parasites definitely have beef. 

Dr. Tommy Leung, a lecturer and parasitologist at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, was dissatisfied with the negative perception surrounding his primary research focus. “The word ‘parasite’ in general vernacular is kind of like an insult, and that’s one reason why people don’t care about them,” he said.

So, to help people understand the fascinating world of parasites, he started Parasite Monmusu, or Parasite Monster Girls, a blog where he shares original vibrant anime art of monster characters inspired by parasite species. Leung hopes that his illustrations and writing will help change negative perceptions of parasites.

Lauren J. Young, associate health editor at Scientific American, profiled Leung in an article she wrote for Science Friday called Why We Should Defend Parasites. Universe of Art host D. Peterschmidt sits down with her to talk about what she learned while writing it, and then reads her article.

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. The original article featured in this episode was written by Lauren J. Young. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

This episode's transcript will be available in a few days.

Jim Metzner is one of the pioneers of science radio—he’s been making field recordings and sharing them with audiences for more than 40 years. He hosted shows such as “Sounds of Science” in the 1980s, which later grew into “Pulse of the Planet,” a radio show about “the sound of life on Earth.”

Over the decades, Metzner has created an incredible time capsule of soundscapes, and now, his entire collection is going to the Library of Congress. 

John Dankosky talks with Metzner about what he’s learned about the natural world from endless hours of recordings and what we can all learn from listening. Plus, they’ll discuss some of his favorite recordings. To hear the best audio quality, it might be a good idea to use headphones if you can.

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. The segment in this episode was originally produced by Rasha Aridi and John Dankosky. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

Read this episode's transcript here.

We might intrinsically know that engaging with and making art is good for us in some way. But now, scientists have much more evidence to support this, thanks in part to a relatively new field called neuroaesthetics, which studies the effects that artistic experiences have on the brain. 

A new book called Your Brain On Art: How The Arts Transform Us, dives into that research, and it turns out the benefits of the arts go far beyond elevating everyday life; they’re now being used as part of healthcare treatments to address conditions like dementia and trauma. 

Universe of Art host D. Peterschmidt sits down with the authors of the book, Susan Magsamen, executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at the Pederson Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and Ivy Ross, vice president of design for hardware products at Google, about what we can learn from neuroaesthetic studies, the benefits of a daily arts practice, and the kinds of art they both like making. 

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

Stringed instruments can be a joy to the ears and the eyes. They’re handcrafted, made of beautiful wood, and the very best ones are centuries old, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, or sometimes even millions.

But there’s a new violin in the works—one that’s 3D-printed. It costs just a few bucks to print, making it an affordable and accessible option for young learners and classrooms. 

Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Brown is a concert violinist and the founder and director of the AVIVA Young Artists Program in Montreal, Quebec, and she’s been tinkering with the design of 3D-printed violins for years. She talks with Ira about the science behind violins, the design process, and how she manages to turn $7 worth of plastic into a beautiful sounding instrument.

Get updates on the project at printaviolin.com.

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. The original segment was produced by Rasha Aridi, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

Annea Lockwood thinks of rivers as “live phenomena” that are constantly changing and shifting. She’s been drawn to the energy that rivers create, and the sound that energy makes, since she first started working with environmental recordings in the 1960s.

One of her projects has been to create detailed “river maps” of the Hudson, Danube, and Housatonic rivers. Using stereo microphones and underwater hydrophones, she captures the gentle, powerful sounds of the water, along with the noises of insects, birds, and occasional humans she finds along the way.

Lockwood’s 2010 composition, “A Sound Map of the Housatonic River”, takes listeners on a 150-mile tour, from the headwaters in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, past sites of toxic PCB contamination, to the Connecticut Audubon sanctuary, where the river spills into Long Island Sound. You can also hear an excerpt of the full composition at Annea Lockwood’s music portfolio.

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. The original segment was produced by John Dankosky, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

You can read the transcript for this episode here.

When you look into the sky, the space between stars looks empty and void—but it isn’t. That’s where stars are born. And since astronomers and astrophysicists can’t reach these stellar nurseries, they rely on data collected by telescopes to peer into space.  

But what if you could hold part of the galaxy in their hands? Or peer into an orb and see the birthplace of stars? By combining astrophysics and art, that’s exactly what Dr. Nia Imara does. She’s a visual artist and assistant professor of astronomy at UC Santa Cruz, based in Santa Cruz, California. Imara talks about studying stellar nurseries, how she creates stellar nursery spheres, and what she can learn from holding them in her hand.

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. The original segment was produced by Rasha Aridi, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to [email protected].

Last year, the staff of Science Friday came across a tweet that caught our attention, sent out by researcher Dr. Maureen Berg. It read: “Hello, does anyone know of any animal that has a few butts? Like, more than one, but fewer than 100? I’m generally talking butts as the anus, but I'm open to other interpretations.”

Turns out, it was a call to source comic ideas for Invertebrate Butt Week, a celebration of—you guessed it—the butts of invertebrates. “Invertebrates really get the short end of the stick,” says Rosemary Mosco, the creator of the comic series Bird And Moon and #InverteButtWeek organizer. “People are not as excited about them as, say, a majestic whale or a beautiful bird. And I love my birds, but [invertebrates have] such an incredible diversity. So, butts are sort of a cheeky way to access some of that amazing diversity and celebrate it.” 

Rosemary and other illustrators and scientists teamed up to create #InverteButtWeek, a celebration of the behinds of the backbone-less. “It’s a chance for some people who do science communication to do the silliest thing that they can possibly think of,” says Dr. Ainsley Seago, curator of invertebrate zoology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 

Universe of Art’s D Peterschmidt talks to the organizers of #InverteButtWeek about how it came together, their favorite invertebrate butt facts (like how sea cucumbers have anal teeth), and how you can see the illustrations people created. 

Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. You can read this episode’s transcript here.

Each generation has science communicators who brought a sometimes stuffy, siloed subject into homes, inspiring minds young and old. Scientists like Don Herbert, Carl Sagan, and Bill Nye are classic examples. But our modern age of social media has brought more diverse communicators into the forefront of science communication, including the wild, wonderful world of STEM drag stars.

These are queer folk who mix the flashy fashions of the drag world with science education. Some, like Kyne, use TikTok as a medium to teach concepts like math. Others, like Pattie Gonia, use drag to attract more people to the great outdoors. The accessibility of the internet has made these personalities available to a wide audience.

Kyne and Pattie Gonia join Science Friday host Ira Flatow to talk about the magic drag can bring to science education, and why they think the future of SciComm looks more diverse than the past.

Plus, Universe of Art host D Peterschmidt interviews the original producers of this segment, Kathleen Davis and Community Manager Kyle Marian Viterbo, about why they wanted to feature these artists and the surprising connection they share with the mission of public radio. And SciFri Experiences Manager Diana Plasker tells us how you can attend a SciFri Book Club event in Chicago on April 27, where author Dan Egan will talk about his new book The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus And A World Out Of Balance.