Would you be interested in a <a href="https://genomicgastronomy.com/work/2017-2/smog-tasting-take-out/" target="_blank">cookie infused with smog</a> from your favorite city? Maybe a <a href="https://genomicgastronomy.com/work/2022-2/wildfire-loaf/" target="_blank">loaf of sourdough</a> made from wheat tainted by wildfires?Those are just a few of the projects from the Center for Genomic Gastronomy, based in Amsterdam and Portugal, where artists use innovative ingredients to represent environmental crises and imagine what the future of food could look like.Ira talks with Zack Denfeld, co-founder of the Center for Genomic Gastronomy, about how art and food can help us envision a more sustainable food system.<a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/artists-chefs-climate-ecological-crises-food-flavor/" target="_blank">Read the full story about how artists and chefs are putting ecological crises on the menu.</a>Plus, one of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous creations is “The Starry Night,” an oil painting of a quaint French village at night with a blue night sky that dramatically swirls around the yellow stars and moon.It’s easy to admire this painting as a casual viewer, but if you research fluid dynamics, one thing in particular stands out: those iconic swirls in the sky. To a physicist, they look an awful lot like the swirls that atmospheric turbulence produces. And some researchers have been wondering if Van Gogh’s swirls actually match the mathematical models of turbulence theory.Well, a team of researchers from China and France set out to analyze all the swirls in “The Starry Night,” and it turns out that Van Gogh had a knack for depicting the forces of nature. <a href="https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article-abstract/36/9/095140/3312767/Hidden-turbulence-in-van-Gogh-s-The-Starry-Night?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank">Their results were published</a> in the journal Physics Of Fluid.Guest host Anna Rothschild sits down with Dr. Francois Schmitt, research professor in physics at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and co-author of the recent study, to talk about the hidden physics in this famous painting.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. The first segment was produced by Rasha Aridi and Robin Kazimer, and the last segment was produced by D Peterschmidt. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to <a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank">universe@sciencefriday.com</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Would you be interested in a &lt;a href="https://genomicgastronomy.com/work/2017-2/smog-tasting-take-out/" target="_blank"&gt;cookie infused with smog&lt;/a&gt; from your favorite city? Maybe a &lt;a href="https://genomicgastronomy.com/work/2022-2/wildfire-loaf/" target="_blank"&gt;loaf of sourdough&lt;/a&gt; made from wheat tainted by wildfires?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those are just a few of the projects from the Center for Genomic Gastronomy, based in Amsterdam and Portugal, where artists use innovative ingredients to represent environmental crises and imagine what the future of food could look like.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ira talks with Zack Denfeld, co-founder of the Center for Genomic Gastronomy, about how art and food can help us envision a more sustainable food system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/artists-chefs-climate-ecological-crises-food-flavor/" target="_blank"&gt;Read the full story about how artists and chefs are putting ecological crises on the menu.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus, one of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous creations is “The Starry Night,” an oil painting of a quaint French village at night with a blue night sky that dramatically swirls around the yellow stars and moon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s easy to admire this painting as a casual viewer, but if you research fluid dynamics, one thing in particular stands out: those iconic swirls in the sky. To a physicist, they look an awful lot like the swirls that atmospheric turbulence produces. And some researchers have been wondering if Van Gogh’s swirls actually match the mathematical models of turbulence theory.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, a team of researchers from China and France set out to analyze all the swirls in “The Starry Night,” and it turns out that Van Gogh had a knack for depicting the forces of nature. &lt;a href="https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article-abstract/36/9/095140/3312767/Hidden-turbulence-in-van-Gogh-s-The-Starry-Night?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank"&gt;Their results were published&lt;/a&gt; in the journal Physics Of Fluid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guest host Anna Rothschild sits down with Dr. Francois Schmitt, research professor in physics at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and co-author of the recent study, to talk about the hidden physics in this famous painting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. The first segment was produced by Rasha Aridi and Robin Kazimer, and the last segment was produced by D Peterschmidt. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;universe@sciencefriday.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

The Center for Genomic Gastronomy is making foods that capture environmental crises. Plus, what scientists found when they took a closer look at one of Van Gogh’s iconic paintings.

Pollution cookies and the hidden physics in Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'

Octopus mating behaviors can be quite deadly. Many species are cannibalistic, making the entire prospect of mating dangerous, and female octopuses often die after laying one clutch of eggs. Their cannibalistic tendencies mean that octopuses don’t socialize as much as other animals.But the <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/larger-pacific-striped-octopus">larger Pacific striped octopus</a> (LPSO) is different. For one, they live together in colonies. And mating is not only a safer proposition, it involves beak-to-beak “kissing.” Plus, females can lay eggs repeatedly, even tending to embryos at various stages of development.But because these behaviors are so uncharacteristic of most octopuses, the scientific community didn’t officially recognize their existence until 2015, despite the <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/arcadio-rodaniche-larger-pacific-striped-octopus/">decades-long effort</a> of a Panamanian diver and artist named <a href="http://arcadio.rodaniche.com/">Arcadio Rodaniche</a>. When he tried to share his findings about the LPSO at a symposium and publish them in a journal, he was flatly rejected. But his persistent research and documentation of the species would <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134152&xid=17259,15700023,15700186,15700191,15700256,15700259">eventually be validated</a> when researchers were able to obtain and observe the octopuses in captivity.SciFri producer Kathleen Davis sits down with freelance science writer <a href="https://kennacastleberry.com/">Kenna Hughes-Castleberry</a> to talk about <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/arcadio-rodaniche-larger-pacific-striped-octopus/">an article she reported</a> for Science Friday about the late Rodaniche and his yearslong effort to get official scientific recognition for the LPSO.<img src="https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/octobw-PC-AR-art-page.jpg?w=265" alt="An illustraton of an ocotpus with stripes and dots all over its body." />An illustration of a larger Pacific striped octopus by Arcadio Rodaniche. Image courtesy of Denice Rodaniche.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment, along with Val Diaz. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to <a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank">universe@sciencefriday.com</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Octopus mating behaviors can be quite deadly. Many species are cannibalistic, making the entire prospect of mating dangerous, and female octopuses often die after laying one clutch of eggs. Their cannibalistic tendencies mean that octopuses don’t socialize as much as other animals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But the &lt;a href="https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/larger-pacific-striped-octopus"&gt;larger Pacific striped octopus&lt;/a&gt; (LPSO) is different. For one, they live together in colonies. And mating is not only a safer proposition, it involves beak-to-beak “kissing.” Plus, females can lay eggs repeatedly, even tending to embryos at various stages of development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But because these behaviors are so uncharacteristic of most octopuses, the scientific community didn’t officially recognize their existence until 2015, despite the &lt;a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/arcadio-rodaniche-larger-pacific-striped-octopus/"&gt;decades-long effort&lt;/a&gt; of a Panamanian diver and artist named &lt;a href="http://arcadio.rodaniche.com/"&gt;Arcadio Rodaniche&lt;/a&gt;. When he tried to share his findings about the LPSO at a symposium and publish them in a journal, he was flatly rejected. But his persistent research and documentation of the species would &lt;a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134152&amp;xid=17259,15700023,15700186,15700191,15700256,15700259"&gt;eventually be validated&lt;/a&gt; when researchers were able to obtain and observe the octopuses in captivity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SciFri producer Kathleen Davis sits down with freelance science writer &lt;a href="https://kennacastleberry.com/"&gt;Kenna Hughes-Castleberry&lt;/a&gt; to talk about &lt;a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/arcadio-rodaniche-larger-pacific-striped-octopus/"&gt;an article she reported&lt;/a&gt; for Science Friday about the late Rodaniche and his yearslong effort to get official scientific recognition for the LPSO.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/octobw-PC-AR-art-page.jpg?w=265" alt="An illustraton of an ocotpus with stripes and dots all over its body." /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;An illustration of a larger Pacific striped octopus by Arcadio Rodaniche. Image courtesy of Denice Rodaniche.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment, along with Val Diaz. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;universe@sciencefriday.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

The larger Pacific striped octopus is unusually social. But it wasn’t recognized by scientists until 2015, despite one man’s efforts.

How a diver and artist brought a mysterious octopus to light

In July, researchers discovered the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0vewjq4dxwo" target="_blank">oldest known cave art</a>. It was found in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and it shows three human-like figures and a wild pig. The painting was dated at 51,200 years old—<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/science/cave-painting-indonesia.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ek4.VZIS.URh623hupSfP&smid=url-share" target="_blank">5,000 years older</a> than any other known cave art.The finding continues a trend of researchers unearthing older and older examples of human-made art, including those found outside of Spain and Southern France, where <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Franco-Cantabrian-art" target="_blank">most cave art discoveries</a> have been made.Guest host Maggie Koerth is joined by Dr. Isobel Wisher, a postdoctoral researcher with the Evolution of Early Symbolic Behavior project at Aarhus University in Denmark, to discuss how this field of archeology has changed over the years, how new technology is making these ancient cave paintings more accessible to the public, and <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-did-our-ancestors-make-startling-art-in-dark-firelit-caves" target="_blank">what they can tell us</a> about the human experience.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to <a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank">universe@sciencefriday.com</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In July, researchers discovered the &lt;a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0vewjq4dxwo" target="_blank"&gt;oldest known cave art&lt;/a&gt;. It was found in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and it shows three human-like figures and a wild pig. The painting was dated at 51,200 years old—&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/science/cave-painting-indonesia.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ek4.VZIS.URh623hupSfP&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank"&gt;5,000 years older&lt;/a&gt; than any other known cave art.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The finding continues a trend of researchers unearthing older and older examples of human-made art, including those found outside of Spain and Southern France, where &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Franco-Cantabrian-art" target="_blank"&gt;most cave art discoveries&lt;/a&gt; have been made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guest host Maggie Koerth is joined by Dr. Isobel Wisher, a postdoctoral researcher with the Evolution of Early Symbolic Behavior project at Aarhus University in Denmark, to discuss how this field of archeology has changed over the years, how new technology is making these ancient cave paintings more accessible to the public, and &lt;a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-did-our-ancestors-make-startling-art-in-dark-firelit-caves" target="_blank"&gt;what they can tell us&lt;/a&gt; about the human experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;universe@sciencefriday.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

Archaeologists keep finding older and older cave art. Here’s what it could tell us about how humans evolved over time.

What newly discovered cave art tells us about human creativity

Looking into space can be pretty daunting. How do we make sense of the vast expanse above our heads, the millions of stars we might be able to see, and the billions more we can’t?Now, what about listening to space? That’s the task that Sam Harnett and Chris Hoff gave themselves, for their series <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/cybele-tamulonis/" target="_blank">“Cosmic Visions.”</a> They’re the team behind <a href="https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/" target="_blank">“The World According to Sound,”</a> a podcast that’s brought our listeners close to the sounds of science over the last few years.This new series takes listeners through the history of astronomy and the study of the cosmos, from ancient Babylon to the Hubble Telescope. Harnett and Hoff join guest host John Dankosky to talk about why different ways of knowing are helpful for scientists, how images of nebulae share a striking resemblance to photos of the American West, and what their favorite space sounds are.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to <a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank">universe@sciencefriday.com</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Looking into space can be pretty daunting. How do we make sense of the vast expanse above our heads, the millions of stars we might be able to see, and the billions more we can’t?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, what about &lt;i&gt;listening&lt;/i&gt; to space? That’s the task that Sam Harnett and Chris Hoff gave themselves, for their series &lt;a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/cybele-tamulonis/" target="_blank"&gt;“Cosmic Visions.”&lt;/a&gt; They’re the team behind &lt;a href="https://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/" target="_blank"&gt;“The World According to Sound,”&lt;/a&gt; a podcast that’s brought our listeners close to the sounds of science over the last few years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This new series takes listeners through the history of astronomy and the study of the cosmos, from ancient Babylon to the Hubble Telescope. Harnett and Hoff join guest host John Dankosky to talk about why different ways of knowing are helpful for scientists, how images of nebulae share a striking resemblance to photos of the American West, and what their favorite space sounds are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music and produced the original segment. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;universe@sciencefriday.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

A new podcast series examines sonified space data to explore pivotal moments throughout the history of astronomy.

How ancient art influenced modern astronomy

When you think about connections between science and war, the obvious links are in technology—advanced radar, spy satellites, more powerful explosives—and in medical innovations that seek to heal the wounds caused by conflict. But in a new book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18570/9780393881516" target="_blank">Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind</a>, author Annalee Newitz says that stories and narrative can be weapons too, used in battle on a psychological battlefield.Ira talks with Newitz about the history of psychological warfare, from Sun Tzu to Benjamin Franklin, and its modern American incarnation under the guidance of Paul Linebarger, who was also a science fiction author known by the pen name Cordwainer Smith. They discuss the characteristics of a psyop, how techniques of psychological warfare have been co-opted into modern politics, and whether there’s a route toward “psychological disarmament.”Read an excerpt from<a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/stories-are-weapons-book-excerpt/" target="_blank"> Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind.</a>Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. The original segment was produced by Charles Bergquist. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to <a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank">universe@sciencefriday.com</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;When you think about connections between science and war, the obvious links are in technology—advanced radar, spy satellites, more powerful explosives—and in medical innovations that seek to heal the wounds caused by conflict. But in a new book, &lt;a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18570/9780393881516" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, author Annalee Newitz says that stories and narrative can be weapons too, used in battle on a psychological battlefield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ira talks with Newitz about the history of psychological warfare, from Sun Tzu to Benjamin Franklin, and its modern American incarnation under the guidance of Paul Linebarger, who was also a science fiction author known by the pen name Cordwainer Smith. They discuss the characteristics of a psyop, how techniques of psychological warfare have been co-opted into modern politics, and whether there’s a route toward “psychological disarmament.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read an excerpt from&lt;a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/stories-are-weapons-book-excerpt/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt; Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. The original segment was produced by Charles Bergquist. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you have science-inspired art you’d like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:universe@sciencefriday.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;universe@sciencefriday.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

A new book looks at the history of psychological warfare, its connections to science fiction, and how it’s been adapted to modern politics.

How science fiction influenced American psychological warfare

Meet artists who use science to bring their creations to the next level.

Universe of Art

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