Advancements in technology now afford scientists greater opportunities to explore space. In 2006, New Horizons spacecraft was launched on a mission to take images of Pluto. Flyover images from the spacecraft reveal a new perspective on Pluto.

Muon detectors are elementary particles used by researchers to look inside ancient pyramids. Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin are using these detectors to explore the Mayan pyramids in Belize. Roy Schwitters, Professor of Science at U-T Austin, joins Hari Sreenivasan via Google Hangout.

Most people assume the water they are drinking is safe and protected by government regulations. However, one community in Central New York is learning that even the most pristine of lakes can fall prey to the effects of climate change. This segment is part of an ongoing public media reporting initiative called peril and promise, telling the human stories and solutions of climate change.

Dogs may be man’s best friends, but how much do we actually know about our beloved pets? Alexandra Horowitz, professor of cognitive science at Barnard College and author of Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how she examines our four-legged friends by studying the complexities of their noses.

Found at high elevations in a variety of aquatic habitats in the rocky mountains, the boreal toad population has decreased dramatically over the past two decades. In this segment, we join volunteer citizen scientists, Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Utah’s division of wildlife resources as they gather data at Bryants Fork, Utah, on the health of the boreal toad population.

A city-size lava tube has been discovered on the moon. This tube could provide shelter for astronauts that could potentially allow them to live on the moon. Professor in the department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue University, Jay Melosh, joins Hari Sreenivasan via google hangout to discuss the future of space exploration.

A mobile app is changing the parking game. The technology allows drivers to find and prepay for parking with ease using a scannable code.

With scientific advancements, researchers have a better understanding of the signals in our bodies that indicate the onset of diseases. Theodoros Zanos, head of the neural decoding and data analytics lab at the Center for Bioelectronic medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the future implications of this groundbreaking technology.

In Detroit, getting ready for changing weather patterns has prompted a creative new way to use the city’s vacant lots left from demolished homes. This segment is part of an ongoing public media reporting initiative called peril and promise, telling the human stories and solutions of climate change.

Since 2000, the annual international RoboFest competition in Southfield, Michigan, is a festival of autonomous robots that encourages students to have fun while learning principles of science, technology, engineering, math and computer science. With more than 20,000 students from all over the world, students design, construct, and program robots giving them hands on experience.

In San Antonio, Texas climate change has made summers hotter and thunderstorms stronger. City and cultural leaders are taking a progressive stance in addressing the issue. This segment is part of an ongoing public media reporting initiative called Peril and Promise, telling the human stories and solutions of climate change.

Dr. Robin Bell, Professor at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York City, has coordinated ten major expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland to study the melting polar ice caps. She joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss her scientific travels.

Within sight of the famous New York skyline you might see something unexpected. Whales. Howard Rosenbaum, Senior Scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society explains why whales are showing up in New York City waterways and how researchers are tracking the phenomenon in real time.

Since 1905 The Explorers Club, which promotes scientific exploration and field study, has been holding annual dinners known for serving adventurous, exotic cuisine. One of the most talked about dinners was in 1951 when the club reportedly served woolly mammoth meat from Alaska. Since that dinner, there has been much debate about the woolly mammoth main course.

A joint degree program at two Universities in North Carolina allows students to merge arts and engineering to create innovative products.

A hospital, the shopping mall, or even your house – just some of the indoor places people may soon be able to navigate with satellite maps. A company in San Antonio, Texas is working to perfect indoor navigation using the earth’s electromagnetic field.

Nematodes are microscopic worms that occupy nearly every habitat on earth. In an effort to get to know these creepy crawlers, Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia created WorMotels, to study thousands of worms at a time.

Facial recognition systems are typically used to identify or verify a person for security purposes. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington are using facial recognition technology as a diagnostic tool to determine health risks.

If you were to gaze upon a cave full of New Zealand glow worms, you may think you’re looking at a star-lit night sky. Using a small organ at the end of their bodies, these tiny gnat larvae illuminate surfaces of the caves and ravine walls they call home. In this segment, we meet biochemists on a mission to discover the molecular basis for the glow worm’s bioluminescence.

Drones are being used by everyone from television producers, to scientists, to your next door neighbor. As drone usage becomes more and more common, engineers continue to expand the impact this technology has on the global community. Serial entrepreneur and advisor to many startups and digital media teams, Brian Hecht joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the next generation of drones.