Giant Leap with Taylor Wilson

On this episode of Giant Leap, the search for elements beyond the end of the periodic table. Taylor and Joey visit the Heavy Element group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to learn more about the search for new superheavy elements. At the 88-inch Cyclotron, we take an inside look at the race to create new artificial elements and understand their chemistry. We explore the history and future of the quest to expand the periodic table and explore the implications for humanity if we finally discover the long-sought island of stability. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcastYouTube • Podcast • Website • PatreonFeaturing: Jacklyn Gates: Group Leader, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL Scott Small: Operator, 88-inch Cyclotron, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL Jennifer Pore: Research Scientist, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL Taylor Wilson: Nuclear Physicist, Host of Giant Leap Joey Lovato: Journalist, Co-host Giant LeapGiant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.Keywords: Join us inside the legendary 88-Inch Cyclotron at Berkeley Lab as Giant Leap hosts Taylor Wilson and Joey Lovato explore the cutting-edge search for superheavy elements and the long-theorized island of stability. This episode reveals how researchers create brand-new elements atom-by-atom, the incredible engineering behind particle accelerators, how nuclear chemistry is pushing the periodic table into its eighth row, and why blue-sky science fuels breakthroughs in medicine, energy, and our understanding of the universe. From the history of plutonium discovery to the future quest for elements 119 and 120, this deep dive uncovers how tiny collisions inside a cyclotron may unlock entirely new forms of matter — and reshape the periodic table forever. superheavy elements, island of stability, Berkeley Lab, cyclotron, particle accelerator, nuclear chemistry, heavy element discovery, periodic table expansion, element 119, element 120, fusion reactions, nuclear physics, UC Berkeley, Glenn Seaborg, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, radioactive isotopes, atom smasher, gas-filled separator, Fiona spectrometer, blue sky science, nuclear research, ion beams, actinides, nuclear medicine, scientific discovery, new elements, atomic structure Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are species are evolving in response to climate change, ecosystem loss and humanity as a whole? On this episode we speak with evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton about microevolution, animals responding to urban environments, and the effect of nuclear radiation on ecosystems like Chernobyl.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcastGiant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality.This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.Keywords graph: This episode explores evolution and evolutionary biology through real examples of biodiversity, natural selection, and rapid evolution happening around the world today. We look at how urban ecology and human impact on nature drive species adaptation and microevolution, from tuskless elephants shaped by poaching to Chernobyl wildlife thriving in unexpected ways. The conversation dives into apex predators, invasive species, genetic adaptation, ecological resilience, and the growing challenges of climate change as ecosystems transform. Through stories of wildlife adapting to cities, evolutionary responses to pollution, and the complex pressures driving conservation, we uncover how human-caused evolutionary change influences species extinction, environmental pressures, and the future of life on Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s under the ice?Trapped in the ice below the vast glacial ice fields, a frozen time capsule records the history of our planet’s atmosphere. From volcanic eruptions to the rise and fall of empires, the secrets to Earth’s past, and future, are recorded in pristine ice cores collected from some of the most remote locations on our planet. On this episode of Giant Leap, Taylor and Joey talk to one of the world’s leading ice core experts, Joe McConnell and the researchers of the Desert Research Institute’s Ice Core Laboratory. They visit the cold freezers where ice cores from around the world are carefully sampled and the ultra clean trace chemistry lab that collects data from these precious frozen time capsules. What are the big open questions in ice core science? How are we refining our understanding of earth’s climate past and future? What can ice cores tell us about the rise and fall of civilizations? And what mysteries lie locked in the ice? This episode explores the race against time to unlock the stories of our planet preserved under the ice.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology.Also, a huge thank you to Tim Lenard for production support.This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcastPodcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribeWebsite: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcastAround noontime on the First of September 1859, the British astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson noticed something spectacular erupting from the surface of our nearest star while observing a large sunspot group. 17 hours later Earth’s atmosphere would light up in a dazzling display of auroral light and telegraph operators would be stunned by sparks of electricity emanating from their wires. This event which would come to be known as the Carrington Event was the largest geomagnetic storm in the modern era, and serves as a warning to us today about the dangers of space weather. In this episode of Giant Leap Taylor and Joey explore the Future of Space Weather.Will a Carrington scale event happen again in our lifetime? Will modern life irreparably grind to a halt? What can the past tell us about the future of these destructive events? How good are our space weather forecasts and how much warning will we have of future geomagnetic storms? And can we build defenses to survive the next Carrington Event?Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them.This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hear a lot about CO2 and it's warming effect on the Earth's climate. What about Methane? In this episode of Giant Leap, Taylor talks about the methane problem -- where it's coming from, what it's doing in the atmosphere and ways that we could curtail some of its ill effects.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcastPodcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribeWebsite: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcastGiant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them. This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.Keywords: methane climate change, methane emissions, methane vs CO2, greenhouse gases explained, climate science methane, giant leap methane, Taylor Wilson climate, global warming methane, methane sources, how methane warms the planet, methane in the atmosphere, methane solutions, reduce methane emissions, climate crisis, environmental science podcast, climate change 2025, cutting methane emissions, giant leap podcast climate, methane gas explained, future of the climate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electric cars are growing in popularity, but what about hydrogen cars? On this episode of Giant Leap, Joey and Taylor discuss Hydrogen and examine its benefits and challenges.Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcastGiant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them.Subscribe to Giant Leap on your podcast app, or in video format on YouTube.This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson.If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head tohttps://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Giant Leap, Joey and Taylor discuss the various impacts that Earth has endured, and ask: "are we prepared for the next?". Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcastGiant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them. Subscribe to Giant Leap on your podcast app, or in video format on YouTube.This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson.If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe on youtube, or on your podcast app: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribeAs Carl Sagan once said, "We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology…” Giant Leap aims to help people better understand science and technology in a captivating, entertaining format, recorded in Taylor’s working laboratory. Giant Leap is a new podcast that explores the future by digging into cutting edge science, and talking with leading thinkers, explorers and scientists across the globe. Hosted by physicist Taylor Wilson and produced by journalists Joey Lovato and Fil Corbitt, Giant Leap will be available as a podcast, YouTube series, and on broadcast radio. At 14, Taylor Wilson became the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion and is now a nuclear physicist. Along with his scientific pursuits, he’s a science policy advocate, has given several TED talks, and has hosted science documentaries including for the award-winning HBO series VICE. Joey Lovato is a producer at Oregon Public Broadcasting, an on-air host at KUNR and previously created and hosted Indy Matters for The Nevada Independent. Fil Corbitt is a critically acclaimed radio maker whose work has appeared nationally and internationally on NPR, USA Today’s The City, BBC's Shortcuts, 99% Invisible, Snap Judgement, and The World. The first season of Giant Leap will include interviews with Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield, and former Chief Scientist of NASA and current Undersecretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution, Ellen Stofan, among others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.