Welcome to In Plain English, where we're making science approachable, open source, and jargon free! I'm your host, Jamie Moffa, and every episode I bring on an expert in a field of research, and two guests who know nothing about the subject. Together, we'll learn about exciting topics, like what dinosaurs sounded like, or whether psychedelic drugs can treat depression. And in between full length episodes, I feature bonus interviews with scientists on their own, cutting-edge research! Subscribe to learn about all this and more, "In Plain English!"
Green energy technologies like solar and wind have been improving for decades. So why aren't we closer to replacing our fossil fuels with clean energy? One major bottleneck is energy storage: being able to store energy when you make more than what you need, and discharge it when demand exceeds supply. Join expert Maria Bruce and guest Ezra House to learn about building-sized batteries and other exciting technologies that could make green energy more feasible.
Read the paper here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2025/03/11/season-4-episode-6-the-green-energy-bottleneck/
Science is under threat in the United States. Here are some ways you can help:
Contact your representatives and let them know you oppose funding cuts to basic science and health research: https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ (https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/)
Follow Stand Up for Science on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/standupforscience2025/)and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/standupforscience.bsky.social)to stay informed about upcoming protests against funding cuts to science.
Want to be a guest on In Plain English? Send us a message at the Become a Guest (https://inplainenglishpod.org/become-a-guest/) page!
In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join here (https://discord.gg/THnxP5QAeT)to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!
Remember to follow In Plain English on Facebook (https://facebook.com/plainenglishsci), Twitter (https://twitter.com/plainenglishsci), Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/plainenglishsci.bsky.social), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/plainenglishsci/)to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider becoming a Patron (https://www.patreon.com/plainenglishsci) to help support In Plain English!
And check out our Where to Listen (https://inplainenglishpod.org/where-to-listen/) page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!
Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats (https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats))
Logo credit: Biographics (Jessica Higginbotham, Tania Lintz, and Yolanda Campos Jurado)
11 Feb 2025
Unionize your University
Now more than ever, academic unions are critical for supporting workers, creating a strong and sustainable institution, and defending research from political attacks. Join Eileen Schaub, Jacob Walker, and Carla Villanueva to learn about the role of academic unions and howyoucan form or support a union at your institution.
Tell your representatives to protect research funding:https://5calls.org/ (https://5calls.org/)Join the Higher Education Labor United Webinar on federal research funding on Thursday Feb. 13th:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HagciciXTIW_BulEdrQRCA#/registration (https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HagciciXTIW_BulEdrQRCA#/registration)
Get in touch about forming a union:inplainenglishpod@gmail.com (inplainenglishpod@gmail.com)
14 Jan 2025
Modeling the Brain with Math
What does your brain have in common with water, earthquakes, and maybe even society itself? Join expert Leandro Fosque and guests Alejandro Gonzales and Peter Thatcher to learn about the theory of criticality, an idea from physics that could help explain how the brain is able to take in so much information, why we need sleep, and what goes wrong when someone has epilepsy or dementia.
Want to be a guest on In Plain English? Send us a message at the Become a Guest (https://inplainenglishpod.org/become-a-guest/) page!
In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join here (https://discord.gg/THnxP5QAeT)to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!
Remember to follow In Plain English on Facebook (https://facebook.com/plainenglishsci), Twitter (https://twitter.com/plainenglishsci), Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/plainenglishsci.bsky.social), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/plainenglishsci/)to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider becoming a Patron (https://www.patreon.com/plainenglishsci) to help support In Plain English!
And check out our Where to Listen (https://inplainenglishpod.org/where-to-listen/) page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!
Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats (https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats))
Logo credit: Biographics (Jessica Higginbotham, Tania Lintz, and Yolanda Campos Jurado)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,014
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
90
YouTube
68
Engagement
81
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