USDA Agricultural Research Service
106 episodes listed below
Everyday science from field to shopping cart.
Science In Your Shopping Cart follows Agricultural Research Service work from orchards and vineyards to labs, greenhouses, and library exhibits. The series explains how plant diseases, precision tools, food waste, nutrition, and pest control shape everyday eating and farming.
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Science In Your Shopping Cart treats agricultural research as something already sitting on the counter, in the yard, or in the grocery bag. The series comes from the world of USDA Agricultural Research Service work, but its best moments are grounded in ordinary questions. Why do flies and mosquitoes hate certain plant oils? How can an apple sprayer know where the leaves are? What happens to the mountains of grape waste left after white wine production? The show answers through short, concrete science stories. It visits orchards facing rapid apple decline, where dwarf trees can look healthy one season and die the next. It explains stripe rust in wheat as a fungal threat that can spread by wind and confuse farmers because it resembles other diseases. It also keeps a practical eye on tools. Laser scanning, LiDAR, touchscreens, Internet of Things sensors, AI models, cell phones, and predictive weather data all appear as working farm technology rather than futuristic decoration. Food and health stay close by. Wendy explains tournament-day nutrition in terms of digestion time, hydration, carbohydrates, protein, and snacks that help young athletes recover. Wine grape pumice becomes interesting not because it sounds novel, but because it holds fiber and bioactives that might otherwise be discarded. The environmental episodes have the same matter-of-fact rhythm. Almond shells can be turned into biochar and activated carbon for trapping hydrogen or methane. Honeysuckle, cedarwood oil, pineapple weed, purple cuphea, xylitol, and erythritol become part of the search for pest-control options. The show suits listeners who like applied science with visible stakes: growers trying to save crops, researchers testing methods, and consumers wondering how agriculture reaches everyday life. It is plainspoken, occasionally tour-like, and dense with examples. The result is a science program less interested in spectacle than in the practical chain from research bench to field, food, and home.
Made for: For listeners who like practical science, agriculture, food systems, plant health, and environmental technology explained without academic fog. It especially suits curious consumers, growers, educators, and families who want research tied to real-world problems.
What sets it apart: The show’s edge is its direct access to Agricultural Research Service projects and the people testing them. Instead of broad science headlines, it follows specific tools, crops, pests, diseases, and food materials through the research process.
Learn how science impacts your everyday life and how the USDA Agricultural Research Service is working to develop ways to enhance our lives and protect our planet.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Practical sports nutrition guidance that is easy to put to work on busy training days.
This segment treats sports nutrition as a timing problem as much as a food choice. It moves through what to eat before activity, which foods can sit heavy, when a snack makes sense, and how to refuel after a hard day.
A vineyard tour that makes grape science feel immediate.
This episode treats wine grapes as a series of scientific choices, not just a beverage story. It moves from a Maryland vineyard to the wider questions growers face around water, soil, elevation, grape varieties, and weather.
Steven Novella and a rotating panel dissect weekly science news and debunk pseudoscience claims.
This episode explores natural insect repellents developed by ARS researchers, including purple cuphea, honeysuckle, and cedarwood oil, to combat pests like mosquitoes and flies.
This episode discusses the development and benefits of a laser-guided precision sprayer by ARS researchers, which reduces pesticide use by scanning tree structures to apply targeted amounts.
This episode explores how researchers are turning wine waste, particularly from white grapes like Chardonnay, into healthy food products due to its high nutritional value and fiber content.
This episode features an interview with registered dietitian Wendy Shaw discussing the importance of nutrition for athletes and how dietitians at USDA help communicate research to the public.
This episode introduces a season exploring cereal crops like corn, wheat, and rice, discussing their nutritional importance, agricultural challenges, and global significance.
Science in Your Shopping Cart: Cheers To Wine Grapes follows Todd Silver through Maryland, California, and the wider U.S.
Science in Your Shopping Cart: Season 11: Wholesome, Nutritious Grains examines wheat, corn, ancient grains, rice, and oats through interviews with agricultural researchers.
This episode explores how honeybees and other pollinators are essential to food production and face various environmental challenges, highlighting their importance to agriculture and human life.
This episode explores how scientists are using advanced breeding techniques like artificial insemination to develop honeybees that are more resistant to diseases, pests, and climate challenges.
This episode discusses the detection and impact of the non-native northern giant hornet in the United States, highlighting its threat to honeybees and pollination efforts.
Science in Your Shopping Cart examines USDA food research through chocolate, beer hops, peaches, margarines, wraps, and almonds.
Science in Your Shopping Cart: Wearable Science connects ARS textile research with COVID-19 masks, wool garments, cotton clothing, and military uniforms.