Behind the Data

If you've ever thought your data was hard to get, wait until you hear about shark data. We are joined by shark scientist Jaida Elcock to discuss how she gets data about sharks, why it's so difficult -- and why it's so important that we do so despite the challenges. Whether you're naturally interested in sharks, care about our planet and oceans, or just want to hear a really brilliant person talk about some truly fascinating datasets and the amazing feats she undertakes to collect them -- then you're going to love this conversation.Join us as we discuss what we know about sharks, and more importantly, frighteningly, and excitingly: the many things we still don't know. Plus: the importance of high-quality snorkel fins, how to get involved in science, and why curiosity and creativity continue to be a scientist's -- and everyone's -- best friend.Follow Jaida on all the things!Instagram: @sofishtication_Threads: @sofishtication_Bluesky: @sofishtication.bsky.socialX: @soFISHticationYouTube: @soFISHtication_Follow Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), get involved, and support if you can at https://www.misselasmo.org/ and @miss_elasmo on Instagram.Here are some cool shark videos, per Jaida's search recommendations at the end of the show! I picked these particular videos, but you really can't go wrong watching most videos that show up when you search the below terms.Basking shark breachingThresher shark tail whipGoblin shark biteFollow Andrea at @jonesrooy on Instagram and at https://www.jonesrooy.com/.

When we think about advances in medicine, most of us probably first picture lab coats and fancy equipment -- but as our guest, biologist Jaap de Roode, author of the extraordinary new book Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves shares, sometimes big discoveries (in medicine and beyond!) can come from looking for data in surprising new places.Join us for a fascinating conversation about how animals in the wild use medicine, such as plants in their environments, why this is so important to understand, and how we can all make more discoveries by starting from a place of wonder, curiosity, and open-mindedness. Plus: extremely fun animal facts!!Follow Jaap at @jaapderoode on Instagram, and be sure to buy his book, Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves !Host Andrea Jones-Rooy is @jonesrooy on Instagram and at www.jonesrooy.com.

Is there life in our galaxy? How would we know if we spotted it? Dr. Moiya McTier, astrophysicist and folklorist, joins us to talk about her Ph.D. research on exactly that, plus the many surprising ways we get data about our universe (plus some existential pondering, of course)! Warning: we will be talking about the vastness of space and it's *no joke*!If you're overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend, be sure to check out Moiya's fantastic podcast Pale Blue Pod! I'm also a guest on an episode this week hooray :).Follow Moiya!@GoAstroMo on all the things!Moiyamctier.comHer book is The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our GalaxyHer podcast rules: https://palebluepod.com/Links & references in the episode:Foundational archao-astronomer Owen GingerichCultural astronomer Jarita HolbrookLIGO chirp sounds & informationNASA datasetsNASA's exoplanet archiveOur music is from Music Radio Creative and we are proudly part of the Daily Tech News Show ecosystem! Find me at @jonesrooy and jonesrooy.com.Chapters00:00 Exploring Life in the Milky Way04:09 Astrophysics vs. Astronomy: Understanding the Differences10:30 Data Collection in Astrophysics16:42 The Breakthrough of Gravitational Waves21:13 The Sound of Space: Gravitational Waves and Data Representation22:19 Multi-Messenger Astronomy: A New Era of Discovery24:48 The Cosmic Gold Rush: Understanding Element Formation26:21 Data Overload: The Stress of Astronomical Discoveries28:50 Big Data in Astronomy: The Challenge of Analysis31:12 AI in Astronomy: The Future of Data Processing33:33 Bias in Data: The Challenges of Observational Astronomy36:14 Null Results: The Importance of Scientific Rigor38:37 The Search for Life: Habitable Zones in the Milky Way40:54 Existential Reflections: Finding Meaning in the Vastness of Space42:05 Exploring Space Data: Resources for the CuriousKeywordsMilky Way, life, astrophysics, astronomy, gravitational waves, data collection, science communication, cultural astronomy, world building, aliens, gravitational waves, multi-messenger astronomy, data analysis, AI in astronomy, bias in data, habitable zones, cosmic discoveries, Milky Way, space exploration, scientific rigor

Vasant Dhar has been working on AI since way before it was cool (and before most people thought it was possible). I've admired his work for a long time and since I started this show have wanted to have him on as a guest to talk about the strengths and limitations of LLMs. A few days ago, he published an article in The Hill about how DOGE is using AI wrong, and I knew I had to talk to him immediately.We discuss, indeed, what DOGE is doing wrong, as well as the broader lessons we all can learn from this example about what makes a good vs. not-so-good use case for LLMs. We also talk about his recent and completely earth-shattering Severance-esque research where he and a colleague create a bot with the goal of simulating the valuation reasoning of investing legend Aswath Damodaran. Naturally, throughout the conversation, I pepper him with questions about how scared or optimistic we should be about all of this, as well as how AI can somehow be both incredible and limited at the same time.Follow Vasant!Vasant's (excellent!) Brave New World podcast: http://bravenewpodcast.com/Vasant's substack: https://vasantdhar.substack.com/Vasant's article: "DOGE is using AI the wrong way."Vasant's recent paper: "DBOT: Artificial intelligence for systematic long-term investing"I'm @jonesrooy on Instagram and at jonesrooy.com.And, because I'm trying to make friends with AI, below is a chapter summary! Woo hoo.Chapters00:00 The Evolution of AI: A Personal Journey01:49 Understanding LLMs: Are They Thinking?04:35 The Fear of AI: Balancing Optimism and Caution06:57 Explaining LLMs to Newcomers09:37 Learning and The Integration of the Senses12:24 DOGE's Approach to AI in Government15:22 The Need for Better AI Implementation in Government17:47 Could This Actually Work?20:16 A Problem with Using AI on Data from Humans21:47 Contextualizing Project Failures22:33 Applying AI to Investing23:45 Building an AI Investor27:36 The Science of Long-Term Investing28:40 Simulating Expertise: The Damodaran Bot32:33 The Art of Questioning in AI36:07 Expectations and Realities of AI Development40:10 Be the AI Change You Wish to See in the World

We take it as a given that Americans are politically polarized, but how do we actually know if empirically this is the case? We talk with Prof. Patrick Egan (NYU) about how we can quantify something as abstract as a political attitude, why doing so helps us understand polarization, and how all of this helps reveal opportunities where we can make progress on areas where we're most divided -- such as climate change.Explore Pat's research and writing: https://wp.nyu.edu/egan/.Papers and resources mentioned in the episode:An example of Pat's work on issue ownership is here.The data Pat mentioned on Americans' political attitudes since 1948 is from the American National Election Studies (ANES), which you can explore for free here.An example of measuring leaders' ideologies based on their roll call votes is here.An example of measuring ideology based on campaign contributions is here.Learn more about Hanna Pitkin's concept of representation in her 1972 book The Concept of Representation (helpful summary here).Pat's 2024 climate change paper (with Megan Mullin) is US partisan polarization on climate change: Can stalemate give way to opportunity? (appeared in PS: Political Science and Politics 57(1): pp. 30-35).BTW: the adage that states that headlines that pose a question tend to have the answer "no" is Betteridge's law of headlines and it's very fun.Follow Andrea at @jonesrooy on Instagram and/or learn more at jonesrooy.com. Be sure to check out our partner show The Daily Tech News Show!

ALS is a fatal motor neuron disease that has no cure and is estimated to affect hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Why is a cure, or even a meaningful treatment, so elusive? We talk with data engineer, scientist, and rare disease advocate Danielle Boyce at ALS TDI about her work helping us all better understand this terrible illness. While the topic is grim, Danielle provides a lot of hope -- as well as inspiration to all of us to get involved in solving problems through data.Follow Danielle and her amazing data & statistics tips on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/data-danielle/.Find out more about ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI): https://www.als.net/ (and donate if you like!).Two other resources Danielle mentioned to get involved: https://ohdsi.org/ and https://www.geoals.org/.Follow Brooke Eby on the various social medias: @limpbroozkit.Check out my father Robert Rooy's film about our friend John Godinet: https://www.lovingjohnmovie.com/ and watch the trailer here!Follow me at @jonesrooy and https://www.jonesrooy.com/. Behind the Data is proud to be part of the Daily Tech News Show ecosystem. Special thanks to Tom Merritt and our producer Roger Chang!

Oceans of numbers come pouring out at us each day about the big tech companies -- whether it's spending on AI, iPhone sales, Tesla stocks ... or, lawsuits against SpaceX by Cards Against Humanity? -- senior tech correspondent Rani Molla is on the case. We talk with her about how to make sense of all the numbers coming our way, the power of zooming out and getting the (literal and figurative!) big picture, and why her comparative literature degree has been a surprisingly huge asset in her numbers-centric work. Also, we find out about what the heck Elon is up to (at least with respect to some of his goings-on!).Rani's articles that use satellite images:"Before and after: Aerial photos show what being Elon Musk's neighbor can do to your land," Sherwood News"Tesla's massive pileup: Tesla's unsold inventory is creating stockpiles you can see from space," Sherwood NewsResources mentioned:Tesla's Form 10-K for 2024Flourish data visualization platformRead more of Rani's great work on Sherwood News here and follow her on Bluesky here!Read more about Andrea here and on Instagram. And check out our partner show, the Daily Tech News Show!

Welcome to Season 2 of Behind the Data! We're going to explore brand new topics through the powerful lens of data, find common ground on some issues that are really dividing us, and even gaze into the night sky and the deep seas -- join us for an adventure, and then some, and walk away with a brand new way of looking at the world through the shared language of data. This season you can expect episodes on misinformation, political attitudes, happiness, ALS, tech, and more.Behind the Data is hosted by Andrea Jones-Rooy, Roger Chang is our producer, and we are proudly part of the Daily Tech News Show network!