You're the Expert
89 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 552 ratingsThree comedians try to guess what a leading expert does all day and learn why their research is important. You're the Expert brings academia out of the Ivory Tower and into your iPhone. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
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Episodes
Ketamine and Preventing Mental Illness
December 20, 2018 15:36 - 51 minutes - 48.1 MBDr. Rebecca Brachman tells us about her groundbreaking work in the neuroscience of resilience and how certain chemical compounds may be able to help prevent illnesses like depression or PTSD. This episode features comedians Wyatt Cenac, Maeve Higgins, and Negin Farsad. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends. NOTE: This is our last episode in the season.
Jennifer Lopez and the International Space Station
December 06, 2018 09:30NASA business expert Jennifer Lopez works with the International Space Station. Comedians Jo Firestone, Bowen Yang, and Josh Sharp get to the bottom of why her work matters, what's happening in space, and who's the best J.Lo. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at National Geographic in Washington, DC. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
YTE in the Field (Part 2 of 2): Digging up Dinosaurs
November 22, 2018 09:30 - 32 minutes - 22.8 MBDiscovering new dinosaurs with Dr. Mike D'Emic in the second installment of this two-part mini-series. Chris hears from the rest of the dig team about their experience finding fossils and searching for dino bones. In this episode, we look at future paleontologists getting their first taste of what fieldwork really looks like.
YTE in the Field (Part 1 of 2): Digging up Dinosaurs
November 15, 2018 09:30 - 28 minutes - 20 MBChris discovers a new species of dinosaur with paleontologist Dr. Mike D'Emic. This is a special two part mini-series / experiment where we leave the theater and go into the field to see science as it's happening. Let us know what you think!
What You Inherit From Your Parents
November 01, 2018 08:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBDr. Bianca Jones Marlin is a Columbia neuroscientist who studies maternal bonding and how trauma in parents affects the brains of future offspring. She teaches comedians Josh Gondelman, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and Dylan Marron about what you get from your parents and why. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Volcanoes
October 18, 2018 09:00 - 49 minutes - 46.1 MBJess Phoenix studies volcanoes all over the world. She also runs a nonprofit and was a candidate for Congress. In this episode, she explains magma, lava, and all her other hot facts to panelists Aparna Nancherla, Max Silvestri, and Caitlin Durante. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Trash, Garbage, and Sanitation
September 27, 2018 09:00 - 55 minutes - 76.8 MBDr. Robin Nagle is the anthropologist-in-residence for New York City's Department of Sanitation and a professor at NYU. She walks us through the crucial and often overlooked role sanitation workers play in the city and talks trash with comedians Maeve Higgins, Gary Richardson, and Dylan Marron. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Sharks and Remoras
September 13, 2018 08:30 - 47 minutes - 66.2 MBDr. Brooke Flammang studies sharks and the fish that stick onto them. She discovered a previously undiscovered muscle in shark tails, builds autonomous underwater robots, and fires off lasers in her lab. She's incredible. Comedians Dillon Stevenson, Maeve Higgins, and Emmy Blotnick learn all about her work. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Love: Anatomy, Biology, and Evolution
August 23, 2018 08:00 - 42 minutes - 58.6 MBDr. Helen Fisher, Biological Anthropologist, is a Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute, a member of the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies at Rutgers, and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Internet dating site Match.com. Comedians Bowen Yang, Michelle Buteau, and Matt Koff learn about her research on why humans love, marry, cheat, and more. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Wearable Tech and Emotional Computing
August 09, 2018 12:02 - 50 minutes - 70.3 MBMIT's Dr. Rosalind "Roz" Picard helped invent the field of wearable computers. Now she's working on getting them to understand our emotions. Comedians Ken Reid, Josh Sharp, and Fareeha Khan learn about her research and get into their feelings in this special Cambridge Science Festival taping. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends. Made possible by generous funding from MIT's De Florez Fund for Humor.
Invasive Species
July 26, 2018 08:30 - 43 minutes - 60.3 MBLauren Nolfo-Clements studies invasive species. In particular, she's an expert on nutria, giant swamp rodents. Host Chris Duffy and comedians Josh Sharp, Ken Reid, and Caitlin Durante learn about these rodents of unusual size and the science of introduced species. Recorded live at Suffolk University's Modern Theatre as part of the Cambridge Science Festival. Made possible with generous funding from MIT's DeFlorez Fund for Humor. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Ice Squeezer
July 12, 2018 08:30 - 47 minutes - 66.4 MBDr. Christine McCarthy is an "ice squeezer" at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She studies space ice on moons and other planets and glaciers here on Earth. In this episode, she tells comedians Gary Richardson (SNL), Ashley Brooke Roberts (NatGeo), and Nadia Pinder about her research and findings. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
National Geographic Photography
June 28, 2018 08:00 - 42 minutes - 59.1 MBAnand Varma is a National Geographic Photographer and biologist who uses pioneering techniques to capture images of everything from parasites that control the mind of an insect to hummingbirds to bees licking each other. He explains his work to comedians Jo Firestone, Scott Adsit, and Kasha Patel. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at National Geographic in DC.
The Chambered Nautilus and Memory
June 14, 2018 08:30 - 40 minutes - 56.4 MBDr. Jennifer Basil studies memory and navigation across a variety of animals. But her main study subject is the Chambered Nautilus, a beautiful and mysterious creature of the deep. Listen as comedians Jo Firestone, Zhubin Parang, and Shalewa Sharpe discover what a nautilus is, why it matters, and why it's really pretty gross to eat a lobster. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Chemicals in Our Teeth
May 31, 2018 08:30 - 36 minutes - 42.5 MBDr. Christine Austin uses teeth to study childhood development, exposure to chemicals, and stress. She teaches comedians Todd Barry, Michelle Buteau, and Negin Farsad about the secret rings hidden in our molars, why you don't want to inhale tooth dust, and how tooth analysis might hold the answers to some of our most frustratingly persistent diseases. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Sea Sponges
May 17, 2018 09:30 - 47 minutes - 54.7 MBDr. Alicia Perez-Porro is an expert on sea sponges. Are they the oldest living creatures? Are they constantly filtering our oceans? Should you use them to clean yourself in the shower? Comedians Josh Gondelman, Maeve Higgins, and Gary Richardson find out those answers and more. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Bitcoins and Cryptography
May 03, 2018 11:49 - 46 minutes - 64.6 MBDr. Tal Rabin is the head of the Cryptography Research Group at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. She's an expert on secure cryptographic algorithms. In this episode, she teaches comedians John Hodgman, Josh Sharp, and Shalewa Sharpe about how cryptography works, what a bitcoin really is, and the best recipe for tiramisu. Hosted and created by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Brown Dwarves
April 19, 2018 09:00 - 29 minutes - 41.2 MBAstrophysicist Jackie Faherty studies the celestial bodies known as Brown Dwarfs. Our panelists Aparna Nancherla, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and Zhubin Parang discover what a brown dwarf is, how clouds are being detected in space, and what Jackie wants every baby to be named. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Rats! Live at NatGeo
April 05, 2018 08:00 - 52 minutes - 72.8 MBDr. Danielle Lee got into science hoping to study something sexy, but ended up studying rats. She tells comedians Aparna Nancherla, Maeve Higgins, and Baratunde Thurston about her journey and the incredible things she's learned about rodents. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.This episode was recorded at National Geographic in DC as part of the Bentzen Ball.
The Evolution of Teeth
March 22, 2018 08:00 - 43 minutes - 50.5 MBNYU's Dr. Shara Bailey studies what human teeth can tell us about our past. How does the shape of your molar reveal your family history? And what is the tooth-based link between North America and East Asia? Shara tells comedians Jo Firestone, Charlie Hankin, and Shalewa Sharpe all that and more. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Raccoons at Just For Laughs Toronto
March 08, 2018 09:00 - 36 minutes - 51.1 MBLive from Second City in Toronto, Dr. Suzanne MacDonald tells us what it's like to be the world's leading expert on raccoon intelligence. Can you build a raccoon-proof trash can? Why does one man have fifty raccoons in his backyard? And how can they affect a gubernatorial race? This show features panelists Sasheer Zamata, Todd Barry, and Courtney Gilmour. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Recorded at the 2017 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Toronto. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Green Chemistry
February 22, 2018 09:00 - 32 minutes - 45.9 MBDr. Cora MacBeth studies green chemistry at Emory University. She teaches comedians Chuck Bryant (from Stuff You Should Know), Josh Sharp, and Shalewa Sharpe about how to manufacture chemicals without destroying the planet and why you've got brown bottles under your sink. Recorded in front of a live audience at the Atlanta Science Festival. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
The Mysteries of Fat
February 08, 2018 09:00 - 44 minutes - 61.5 MBRecorded live at the Maine Science Festival, Dr. Kristy Townsend is a neurobiologist who studies the effects of diet on the brain. She teaches Roy Wood Jr, Michelle Buteau, and Charlie Hankin about brown fat, how the brain coordinates energy balance, and why she hates cleanses. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Ghost Snakes
January 25, 2018 05:11 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBDr. Sara Ruane tells us all about the new species she discovered, the Ghost Snake, and what life is like as a snake scientist. Should you suck the venom out of a snakebite? Should you ride in a car with a herpetologist? The answer to both questions is: no. Featuring panelists Michael Showalter, Roy Wood Jr, and Sarah Kay. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Coral Reefs live at NatGeo
December 28, 2017 18:01 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBClare Fieseler is a marine ecologist and coral reef expert. She teaches comedians Aparna Nancherla, Hari Kondabolu, and Maeve Higgins what coral are and how to protect them. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at National Geographic in DC. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
The Hunt for Earth 2.0
December 14, 2017 09:00 - 39 minutes - 55 MBSara Seager is an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at MIT. She's a MacArthur genius who's trying to find and identify another Earth. Our panelists for this episode are Jo Firestone, Aparna Nancherla, and Marina Franklin. Recorded as a co-presentation of the Cambridge Science Festival and Women in Comedy Festival, with funding from MIT's de Florez Fund for Humor. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Whale Blowholes & Dugongs
November 30, 2017 12:00 - 51 minutes - 73.7 MBStudying sea cows, capturing whale blow, and analyzing giant orange poop... it's all in a day's work for marine biologist Dr. Liz Burgess. Recorded in front of a live audience at the New England Aquarium, this episode features panelists Eugene Mirman, Obehi Janice, and Ken Reid. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends. This is the first episode of our new season!
An update on the show!
September 07, 2017 16:32 - 1 minute - 6.86 MBYou're the Expert is coming back! We're not dead yet. We're doing live tapings now and we'll be releasing episodes again this Fall. More details on our website at TheExpertShow.com Thanks so much for listening!
Fruit Flies
April 01, 2017 22:09 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBIn our final episode of this season, Dr. Nancy Pokrywka teaches us about her work studying fruit flies and genetics. Comedians Josh Sharp, Obehi Janice, and Gary Richardson learn about the beauty and mystery of tiny flies (and also how they like to get drunk). Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Colorful Dyes and Fluorescence
March 18, 2017 13:38 - 53 minutes - 39.7 MBDr. Luke Lavis is a chemist who creates new colors. His work on fluorescence and tagging makes scientific and medical breakthroughs possible. Also, it looks really cool. Comedians Matt Porter, Charlie Hankin, and Shalewa Sharpe learn about the mysterious world of chemical tagging and why it might save our lives. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Recorded at Wabash College. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
The Love Life of Penguins
March 04, 2017 17:05 - 50 minutes - 118 MBDr. Suzanne Macey is a conservation biologist studying the mating habits of little blue penguins to help save the species. She also gets deep into the love life of tiny turtles. Basically, if you've got a small creature that's looking for love, Suzanne studies them. Featuring comedians Jo Firestone, Shalewa Sharpe, and Evan Kaufman. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Economics and Human Behavior
February 18, 2017 12:24 - 49 minutes - 93.4 MBDr. Laura Gee is an economist at Tufts. She uses Facebook to study how social groups affect behavior. How do we get jobs? Why do we give money to charity? Dr. Gee helps comedians Eugene Mirman, Maeve Higgins, and Ken Reid find the answers. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends. Recorded live at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA.
Climate Change and Antarctic Winters
February 04, 2017 22:55 - 56 minutes - 80.6 MBOscar Schofield is a biological oceanographer who studies climate change and the warming of Antarctica. In this episode, he teaches comedians Jo Firestone, Aparna Nancherla, and Josh Sharp about how oceans are going to rise, why scientists go crazy, and the best way to deal with climate change skeptics. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Butterflies
January 21, 2017 13:00 - 51 minutes - 38.5 MBElizabeth Crone is a scientist at Tufts who studies butterflies. Comedians Ken Reid, Rachel Rosenthal, and Corey Rodrigues learn about nature's most beautiful insect and why the US military is involved. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
What Makes You Attractive?
December 17, 2016 22:39 - 1 hour - 87.4 MBDr. Carlota Batres studies the science of attraction. What makes you find some people sexy and others gross? Comedians Jo Firestone, Roy Wood Jr, and Hari Kondabolu get to the bottom of our evolutionary desires and find out why this research matters. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Bird Brains and Parrot Talk
November 26, 2016 14:20 - 48 minutes - 92.5 MBDr. Irene Pepperberg knows more about bird brains than just about anyone in the world. Her groundbreaking work with Alex, an African Gray Parrot who talked back and answered questions about abstract concepts, changed the way we think about consciousness. Comedians Ken Reid, Obehi Janice, and Julia Claire learned more. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Astrophysics and Predicting the Future
November 12, 2016 11:00 - 48 minutes - 92 MBHarvard astrophysicist Alyssa Goodman studies the birth of stars and the many ways humans have tried to predict the future. Comedians Maeve Higgins, Ken Reid, and Steve Macone learn the secrets of the universe and why everyone is so afraid of stars. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Making Decisions
October 29, 2016 15:01 - 46 minutes - 35 MBDr. Anne Churchland studies how your brain makes decisions. Comedians Jo Firestone, Zhubin Parang, and Roy Wood, Jr. learn how to make good choices and all about neuroscience. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Rights of the Dead
July 22, 2016 12:45 - 48 minutes - 92.3 MBRay Madoff (BC Law) is a lawyer who specializes in the rights of the dead. What happens to your body? Who gets your stuff? Can the government clone you? Can dogs inherit money? Ray's the person to ask. She teaches SNL's Sasheer Zamata, Ken Reid, and Obehi Janice about her work as a lawyer for the dead. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Primate Cognition
July 08, 2016 21:32 - 48 minutes - 92.6 MBDr. Alexandra Rosati is a Harvard scientist who studies primate cognition. How do chimps and bonobos understand the world? And what does that tell us about humans? Comedians Sasheer Zamata, Ken Reid, and Obehi Janice learn about everything from chimpanzee pool parties to why it's not a good idea to bring a monkey in your race car. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Pet Psychiatry
June 23, 2016 18:02 - 48 minutes - 46.9 MBDr. Nicholas Dodman is the head of Tufts' Animal Behavior Clinic. He's the author of "The Dog Who Loved Too Much" and "The Cat Who Cried For Help." Panelists Eugene Mirman, Ken Reid, and Obehi Janice learn about Nick's research. Also, we talk about how to sedate a polar bear. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
The Biggest Dinosaur Ever
June 03, 2016 19:43 - 48 minutes - 47.5 MBDreadnoughtus is the biggest dinosaur ever found. Dr. Ken Lacovara (Rowan University) is the paleontologist who discovered it. He tells comedians Aparna Nancherla, Hari Kondabolu, and Maeve Higgins all about tiny headed dinos, breaking rocks, and how he once intimidated Harrison Ford. Recorded at the Franklin Institute as part of the 2016 Philadelphia Science Festival. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Robot Geckos
May 20, 2016 13:17 - 48 minutes - 47.4 MBDr. Tonia Hsieh (Temple University) is a biomechanist who discovered how geckos are able to stick to walls. She's using her findings to build better robots. Recorded live at the Philadelphia Science Festival, this episode features comedians Aparna Nancherla, Maeve Higgins, and Hari Kondabolu. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Bacterial Batteries and Viral Solar Cells
May 06, 2016 20:06 - 48 minutes - 88.1 MBDr. Angela Belcher is an MIT professor and a MacArthur genius. She teaches comedians Aparna Nancherla, Josh Sharp, and Bobby Smithney about how she uses viruses and bacteria to build next generation batteries, solar cells, and much more. She is literally a genius. Recorded at the 2016 Cambridge Science Festival with funding from MIT's de Florez Fund for Humor. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Medicinal Chemistry at the Atlanta Science Festival
April 23, 2016 02:53 - 47 minutes - 87.7 MBDr. Stefan France is a chemist at Georgia Tech working on synthesizing new molecules for medicine. He teaches comedians Josh Sharp, Amber Nash, and Shalewa Sharpe about the life of a chemist and why both chocolate and wine might be good for you. Recorded at the 2016 Atlanta Science Festival. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Killer Snails
April 08, 2016 13:48 - 46 minutes - 85.9 MBDr. Mande Holford studies venomous sea snails, the "assassins of the sea." Her research holds clues to treating Alzheimer's, solving opioid addiction, and much more. Panelists Tracy Clayton (Another Round), Zhubin Parang (head writer for The Daily Show), and author Maeve Higgins learn about the mysterious world of these underwater killers. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Neanderthal-Human Interbreeding
March 18, 2016 14:17 - 42 minutes - 78.2 MBDid you know that you're about 2% Neanderthal? Bridget Alex is a Harvard anthropologist and evolutionary biologist studying how/when our ancestors met and bred with Neanderthals. She teaches comedians Sam Ike, Kenice Mobley, and Steve Macone about the mysteries of evolution and a caveman's love life. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Bees
March 04, 2016 14:31 - 49 minutes - 90.7 MBDr. Noah Wilson-Rich is the chief scientific officer at the Best Bees Company. Comedians Bobby Smithney, Julia Claire, and Gary Petersen learn about Noah's research and dive into the secret lives of bees, what it's like to be stung 500 times, and why it's good to be the queen. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
The Science of Nightmares
February 19, 2016 16:07 - 47 minutes - 87.8 MBDr. Gary Fireman is the chair of Suffolk University's Psychology Department. He's an expert on nightmares and disturbed dreaming. Comedians Maeve Higgins, Charlie Hankin, and Matt Porter find out where nightmares come from, what they mean, and how they compare to an acid trip. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Airport Biology at SF Sketchfest
February 08, 2016 02:50 - 48 minutes - 88.6 MBNatalie Reeder is the official wildlife biologist at San Francisco International Airport. Natalie helps comedians Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, and James Adomian understand how to keep birds away from engines, when snakes actually do get out on planes, and why SFO is full of frogs. Recorded in front of a live audience at SF Sketchfest 2016. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.