The invention of the wheel and axle was certainly a turning point in human history. But do you know why the wheel was originally invented? Find out the surprising answer in this week's episode, 'Nuts and Bolts' bit.ly/4b5VFUu

Humans have used simple inventions like screws and bolts for centuries. In fact, the screws we use today aren't much different than the ones used by ancient Egyptians. We explore the seven small inventions that changed the world in 'Nuts and Bolts' bit.ly/4b5VFUu

If you were building a skyscraper, you'd probably want it to have a solid foundation. But flexibility is also important, explains Roma Agrawal 🔩. She explains how springs help protect buildings from natural disasters in this week's episode bit.ly/4b5VFUu

If your wristwatch is working properly, you probably aren't thinking much about the over 20 screws and springs that keep it ticking. Roma Agrawal 🔩 explores the small mechanisms that make everyday items possible on this week's episode: bit.ly/4b5VFUu

Structural engineer Roma Agrawal 🔩 spends most of her time thinking about how to build big structures. But every large design challenge relies on a few small mechanisms in order to work. Learn more on this week's episode: bit.ly/4b5VFUu

From nuts and bolts, to rivets and screws, and even wheels and springs, our world is held together by a few seemingly simple inventions. But is our knowledge of how these mechanisms work disappearing? Find out more on this week's episode, 'Nuts and Bolts' bit.ly/4b5VFUu

This week, we're showing appreciation for the little things in life. Fasteners like rivets and screws may be simple inventions, but we rely on them to hold our world together. We're getting into the 'Nuts and Bolts:' bit.ly/4b5VFUu

The SETI Institute Roma Agrawal 🔩 Big Picture Science Loved this,great listen! My Dad repaired watches,kept his tools/spare parts,let me play w/when he went back to school for engineering.Taught me to save screws/nuts/bolts which come my way. You never know when you might have what u need after dropping part of an IKEA down a crack.

What’s the big deal about tiny devices like springs and screws? This week, Roma Agrawal 🔩 shows us how the world as we know it couldn’t function without these simple, but ingenious, objects. This week, we bring you the “Nuts and Bolts:' bit.ly/4b5VFUu

The invention of the screw was over 2300 years ago. Yet this simple object remains the fastener in nearly every modern-day invention. This week we unwind the history and importance of ingenious and deceptively simple devices in: “Nuts and Bolts”. bit.ly/4b5VFUu

When you add the deep, quantum nature of matter, there is a subtle process—Hawking Radiation—that can make black holes slowly disappear, says Janna Levin. She and SethShostak talk the “beautiful” mechanisms for this strange phenomenon. bit.ly/4beG9oW

How do you measure a muon? Well Mark Lancaster and his colleagues first had to create a muon on command. They headed to Fermilab to create—and measure—a spinning muon. Hear what they were looking for and what it means for physics: bit.ly/4beG9oW

You may remember the 3 building blocks of matter (protons, neutrons, electrons) from school. But physicists have discovered at least 57 different subatomic particles. Mark Lancaster talks with SethShostak about one particle in particular: the muon. bit.ly/4beG9oW

A black hole is small in size but large in mass. It can absorb all matter and light that comes near, but it's also massive enough to bend light around it. Recently Stanford researchers detected light behind a black hole- the first detection of its kind. bit.ly/4beG9oW

What distinguishes a scientific mind? Curiosity is one thing, says Hakeem Oluseyi, but you also need rigor: you need to test information, and experiment to verify. He talks to Molly Bentley about moving beyond being inquisitive to becoming a scientist. bit.ly/4beG9oW

Einstein came up with the idea of time dilation, or time “slowing down,” depending on your point of view—and that was before the time of endless video meetings! We talk space, time, and other “Phreaky Physics” topics this week: bit.ly/4beG9oW

In Einstein’s theory of gravitation, masses (like the Earth) cause warps in space and time, says theoretical physicist Janna Levin. She talks with SethShostak about black holes, Hawking Radiation, and the evaporation of black holes. bit.ly/4beG9oW

What were you doing at 10 years old? Well, astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi was teaching himself the Theory of Relativity, using an encyclopedia, a skateboard, and a flashlight. He talks to Molly Bentley about his path to astrophysics this week: bit.ly/4beG9oW

Imagine if Albert Einstein kept his head down in the patent office, instead of looking to the sky. His work gave us theories of spacetime that still bend our minds. This week we talk about the far-out physics discoveries that have changed everything. bit.ly/4beG9oW

Time warps, light bending, black holes, and particle accelerators (it’s not a plot for a “Back to the Future” reboot). This week we talk about “Phreaky Physics” and the discoveries that have turned our understanding of the universe on its head. bit.ly/4beG9oW