US scientists

On the SETI Live podcast, SETI Institute executive Bill Diamond speaks with Dr. Lori Marino, recipient of the 2026 Drake Award, about animal intelligence and brain evolution. Marino, a specialist in whale and dolphin cognition, argues that studying non-human minds on Earth can shape how scientists think about intelligence elsewhere in the universe. The conversation covers dolphin and whale brains, what intelligence means beyond humans, and the search for extraterrestrial minds.

The US National Science Foundation is funding a research collaboration led by the University of California, Berkeley to sequence the genomes of Antarctic organisms. The project aims to document the genetic diversity of life in Antarctica, which could help scientists understand how polar species adapt to extreme environments and respond to climate change.

A Tamil-language science discussion is drawing big attention to the story of a woman whose condition reportedly puzzled US scientists, with medical reports said to challenge established scientific explanation. The item claims her case raised questions science cannot easily answer, sparking curiosity among viewers about what her diagnosis revealed and why doctors could not explain it.

Scientists are monitoring a slow-moving, planetary-scale Kelvin wave heading toward California. The oceanic phenomenon, which travels along the equator and can carry warm water eastward, is drawing concern over potential effects on coastal conditions and weather patterns. Observers are watching closely as the wave approaches the US West Coast, with experts weighing what its arrival could mean for the region.

Researchers from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are studying fossil corals in the Cook Islands to reconstruct how global sea levels changed in past warm periods. By dating ancient coral reefs, scientists hope to better predict how quickly ice sheets could melt and seas could rise as the climate warms, informing coastal planning worldwide.