In lakes that lie beneath Antarctic ice are methane-eating microbes that have never seen the light of day.

Click above to listen to part 5 of On Thin Ice, featuring John Priscu, Polar biologist, Montana State University

On Thin Ice:
Part 1: Peter Wadhams / Sea Ice
Part 2: Eric Rignot / Larsen C
Part 3: Peter Wadhams / Permafrost
Part 4: Åsmund Asdal / Doomsday Vault
Part 5: John Priscu / Microbes Unleashed

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

Latest episodes