Host Dave Schlom visits with French archaeologist and paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak about his multi-decadal research into Neanderthals. Author of the new book, The Naked Neanderthal: a New Understanding of The Human Creature (Pegasus Books), Slimak is one of the world's foremost experts on these enigmatic and often misrepresented beings that disappeared from Earth about 40,000 years ago.

Blue Dot: Exploring the ancient world of the Neanderthals with Ludovic Slimak

CSU Chico Professor of Physics Kendall Hall joins Host Dave Schlom once again as a special co-host. They talk to her father, Raymond, who is also a physics professor.

Best of Blue Dot: Drs. Hall joins forces to talk about "Science and Nonsense"

Host Dave Schlom looks at some interesting ways the University of California's Natural Reserves System is used for education and scientific research.

Blue Dot: Education and research at the UC Natural Reserves System and National Parks

Host Dave Schlom is joined by Rosanna Xia, environmental journalist for the Los Angeles Times to discuss her book, California Against The Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline.

Best of Blue Dot: California Against the Sea: a conversation with Rosanna Xia

In this very special episode, Host Dave Schlom visits with three researchers who were part of an incredible series of experimental communications with a humpback whale off the coast of Alaska.

Blue Dot: Whale-SETI: a communications interaction with Twain the Humpback Whale

Two scientists join host Dave Schlom to discuss the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission which launched in December of 2022.

Blue Dot: Monitoring surface water from space: Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission

SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens joins host Dave Schlom to take a deep dive into the science of meteors and meteor showers. Dr. Jenniskens is the author of the authoritative Atlas of Earth's Meteor Showers, a comprehensive and professional-level compilation of all we currently know about meteor showers and the comets they originate from.

Blue Dot: Meteor Showers 101 with Peter Jenniskens

Host Dave Schlom and Michael examine the incredible forests of the Klamaths with two Cal Poly Humboldt professors who are deeply involved in studying them, Lucy Kerhoulas and Rosemary Sherriff.

Blue Dot: A Range of Biodiversity: the Klamath Mountains Pt. 2

In the first of a special two-part series, Host Dave Schlom is joined by Michael Kauffmann, co-editor and publisher of The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History.

Blue Dot: A Range of Biodiversity: the Klamath Mountains Pt. 1

Host Dave Schlom sits down with one of his favorite people, Lassen Volcanic National Park Superintendent Jim Richardson, on the eve of his retirement from the National Park Service.

Blue Dot: Reflections on a life of service in the National Parks: a conversation with Jim Richardson

Blue Dot delves into the world of iceberg science and the latest ideas on using them as sources of freshwater for the future as Host Dave Schlom interviews Ohio State University Professor Matthew Birkhold, author of Chasing Icebergs: How Frozen Freshwater Can Save The Planet.

Best of Blue Dot: Icebergs as a resource: how floating mountains of ice can be harvested for freshwater

Host Dave Schlom is joined by Bloomberg News science reporter Loren Grush to talk about her new book, The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts.

Blue Dot: The story of America's first women astronauts with Loren Grush

Host Dave Schlom delves into the topic of California's amazingly diverse climate and weather with the authors of the new book, Fire and Rain: California's Changing Weather and Climate, Stephen LaDochy (Cal State LA) and meteorologist Michael Witiw.

Blue Dot: California's complex weather and climate

Host Dave Schlom is joined by the Executive Director of California Trout, Curtis Knight, to talk about the conservation organization and its regional restoration projects across the state.

Blue Dot: Watershed Restoration with CalTrout: a conversation with Curtis Knight

Host Dave Schlom and Pascal Lee team up once again, this time to discuss Lee winning the Carl Sagan Prize from Wonderfest in the San Francisco Bay Area for his scientific research and gift for science communication.

Blue Dot: Pascal Lee and the Carl Sagan Prize

Host Dave Schlom is joined by the creators of the YouTube channel, Salish Sea Wild.

Best of Blue Dot: Salish Sea Wild: a conversation with wildlife vet Joe Gaydos and filmmaker Bob Friel

Host Dave Schlom visits with Fraser Shilling, Director of the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis.

Blue Dot: The Science of Road Ecology

Host Dave Schlom examines the Europa Clipper mission, set for launch in the fall of 2024, to explore Jupiter's giant icy moon. Europa is an ocean world covered in a sheet of ice.

Blue Dot: Epic mission to an ocean world: Europa Clipper 

CSU Chico Professor of Physics Kendall Hall joins Host Dave Schlom once again as a special co-host as they talk to her father, also a Physics professor, Raymond.

Blue Dot: Drs. Hall joins forces to talk about "Science and Nonsense"

Host Dave Schlom profiles the mission with NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers Paige Arthur and Kaelan Oldani, then discusses the scientific investigations with Arizona State University graduate student and Psyche science team member Sam Courville. In the final segment, senior JPL engineer Abi Biswas joins Dave to talk about the cutting-edge Deep Space Optical Communications system that Psyche will be demonstrating to pave the way for high bandwidth communications on future space missions.

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