After repeatedly failing to find a room on the campus of Carnegie Mellon that is silent enough to record our podcast in, we asked ourselves this question. Because every little sound messing up our pristine recording—the spinning of computer fan

Episode 8: What happens when you jump into a hole that goes through the center of the earth?

Sep 24th, 2013 16m 53s

This week, we're traveling halfway around the globe using the most direct route we can think of-- through the center of the Earth. To help us along the way, we consult the mind of Professor Markus Deserno of the department of Physics at Carne

Episode 7: Where is the highest point in Pittsburgh?

May 14th, 2013 20m 32s

In this episode we ask: where is highest point on land in the city of Pittsburgh? In answering, we uncover the events that give our city both its unique topography, as well as the "gold mine" beneath our feet----the Marcellus Shale. To help us

Episode 6: Is there a cure for a hangover?

Mar 5th, 2013 20m 22s

Many of us know the feeling— after a night of having a few too many, you wake up feeling miserable. One of the great enigmas of our time, hangovers have been affecting humans for thousands of years. There must be a cure, right?In this episode

Generation Anthropocene: Climate Geoengineering (Granger Morgan)

Jan 10th, 2013 23m 48s

In our changing climate, wouldn’t life be simpler if we had a thermostat we could dial down the earth’s temperature with?It turns out we do, actually. And a few billion dollars is all it would take to deploy a version of solar-radiation manag

Generation Anthropocene: Life In The PostNatural World

Jan 6th, 2013 23m 10s

How much does a genetically-engineered tomato have in common with your dog? A lot more than you might think.Both are shining examples of PostNatural organisms, a term Rich Pell, assistant professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon, uses to describe

Episode 5: What makes a sad song sad?

May 2nd, 2012 17m 7s

Ever been listening to a sad song wondering why it sounds so darn sad? Happy, sad, peaceful or angry — there's just something about music that makes us feel a certain way. Apart from any lyrics, there seems to be much more to music than meets t

Episode 4: What does the brain do while reading?

Apr 11th, 2012 26m 54s

As you’re reading this sentence, what is your brain doing? What’s actually going on as it turns a bunch of lines and circles into words that carry meaning? This week, I Wonder… explores the world of reading.During the program, we talk to som

Episode 3: How has the internet changed us? (and how hasn't it)

Feb 21st, 2012 30m 21s

This week, a caller ponders about something so prominent in many of our lives…the Internet. Is the internet radically reshaping society? Or is it just another tool to allow us to do things that we’ve always done?During our search for insight

Episode 2: Are cities good or bad for the environment?

Feb 7th, 2012 30m

In our second episode of I Wonder..., a caller's asthma leads him to wonder whether cities are good or bad for the environment. We discuss this inquiry with an environmental historian, an atmospheric chemist, and random pedestrians to try to un

Episode 1: When do we get our first memories?

Jan 16th, 2012 29m 2s

A caller wonders if it's possible for her 30-something year old brother to actually recall a memory from when he was 4 years old. In trying to answer her question, we spoke with memory experts in the Pittsburgh area: Lynne Reder, CMU; Mark Whee

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