Science in Your Shopping Cart - The Podcast
Did you know that the popular Roma tomato was actually developed by ARS scientists in Beltsville, MD? Or that ARS technology has helped reduce the use of pesticides on apples and other fruits? Or that ARS researchers are turning waste after harvest into fuels and other products? Check out our new podcast series, Science in Your Shopping Cart, and learn how science touches many of the products we buy at the grocery store, from new varieties of fruits and vegetables to technological advances that make our food safer, cheaper, and tastier.
Listen to the Latest Podcast
Season 6: Aquaculture
In this edition of Science in Your Shopping Cart, we take a deep dive in to seafood production in the U.S. Learn how research facilities across the country are developing new fish farming techniques, new strains of fish, are keeping fish healthy, and creating more sustainable methods for raising finfish and shellfish.
Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 7: How Do You Fight Fish Disease?
A healthy fish is a happy fish! ARS researchers are fighting fish diseases by developing vaccines, breeding fish strains that are resistant to select diseases, and providing guidance to the industry of best practices for keeping their fish healthy.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 1: Spinach, Tomatoes and Potatoes: What Do They All Have in Common?
We know that all three are vegetables, or two vegetables and a fruit if you will, but would you be surprised to find out that ARS researchers developed its own varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, and spinach?
Take a virtual trip with us to Italy, Idaho, and California and learn about the Roma tomato, red spinach and Huckleberry Gold potato.
Listen now on: (14 min. 18 sec.) Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, mp3, and more.
Don't have time to listen to the entire podcast? Explore the individual segments below.
Season 1: Spinach, Tomatoes, & Potatoes
Episode 1: Tomatoes
Where was the Roma tomato developed? Rome? Nope, the answer may surprise you. Learn this and more interesting facts about the Roma tomato.
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Season 1: Spinach, Tomatoes, & Potatoes
Episode 2: Potatoes
"I'm your huckleberry." Learn about the origins of the Huckleberry Gold potato and other interesting facts about potatoes.
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Season 1: Spinach, Tomatoes, & Potatoes
Episode 3: Spinach
Making Popeye proud. ARS recently released the world's first true red spinach, called USDA Red. Learn about the benefits this new powerful vegetable provides to consumers.
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Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Apples are as American as apple pie. Let's look at some cool innovations and research that ARS scientists are conducting to ensure those apples in your shopping cart are fresh, tasty, cost-friendly, and high quality.
Listen now on: (14 min. 18 sec.) Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, mp3, and more.
Don't have time to listen to the entire podcast? Explore the individual segments below.
Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 1: Apple Rootstocks
Did you know that the apple you're eating right now probably came from a rootstock developed by ARS? Our scientists are breeding new rootstocks that are more resistant to pests and diseases, that bear more delicious fruit, and are more ideal for apple growers to pick and prune.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 2: Apple Sorting Machine
ARS researchers have developed an in-field apple sorting machine that not only improves apple picking efficiency, but also scans and grades apples. Think of it as a 21st century solution to apple picking and harvesting.
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Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 3: Precision Sprayer
ARS researchers have developed an in-field apple sorting machine that not only improves apple picking efficiency, but also scans and grades apples. Think of it as a 21st century solution to apple picking and harvesting.
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Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 4: Snack Break
Ready for a snack break? Then sink your teeth into this apple trivia. You'll finally be able to answer the question, "What does a 200-year old apple tree and a train have in common?"
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 5: Mysterious Disease
Apple growers have a mystery on their hands. Something is killing popular dwarf apple trees, but researchers are unsure if the cause is environmental, viral, soil-based, or something else. ARS scientists are on the case!
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Season 2: Apples: Get Crunchin'
Episode 6: Rapid Breeding
The apple industry is a highly impactful business for the U.S. Growers are always looking for new varieties that are not only tasty but more resistant to disease outbreaks and environmental stressors that can severely reduce apple production. However, developing new varieties can take decades before they appear in your grocery market. ARS researchers have developed rapid breeding techniques to drastically speed up the process, bringing those new varieties of apples to your shopping cart much sooner than before.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 3: Biomass
Learn about innovations and research that ARS scientists are conducting to turn farm waste, called biomass, into environmentally friendly products.
Listen now on: (19 min. 22 sec.) Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, mp3, and more.
Don't have time to listen to the entire podcast? Explore the individual segments below.
Season 3: Biomass
Episode 1: Pallets From Almond Shells
Learn about innovations and research that ARS scientists are conducting to turn farm waste, called biomass, into environmentally friendly products.
Did you know that ARS researchers in Albany, California, have created pallets out of biomass, specifically, discarded, low value almond and walnut shells? Listen to our podcast to learn more.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 3: Biomass
Episode 2: Polymers Out of Cotton Gin Trash
ARS is helping the environment by developing biodegradable plastics comprised of biomass, in this case cotton gin trash.
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Season 3: Biomass
Episode 3: Breaktime
Before we get to our next biomass story, let's take a break and look at other ARS discoveries that could benefit our ecosystem.
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Season 3: Biomass
Episode 4: Bioproducts From Corn Waste
Corn is used to produce many products resulting in millions of pounds of waste but even byproducts of corn can be turned into bioproducts.
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Season 4: Berries
Love eating berries? Berries are healthy and nutritional powerhouses that taste delicious whether fresh, frozen, dried, or processed. Did you know there is a very good chance that some of the berries you eat can be traced back to varieties developed by ARS scientists?
In this five part podcast series, "Berries", we'll explore four types of berries, "blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries" and ARS's role in developing new varieties.
Listen now on: (23min. 43sec.) Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Don't have time to listen to the entire podcast? Explore the individual segments below.
Season 4: Berries
Episode 1: Blueberries
Learn how a USDA breeding program was responsible for the development of the blueberry growing industry in the southeastern United States and how ARS scientists have developed and are continuing to work with farmers to create new cultivars of blueberries that we all get to enjoy.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 4: Berries
Episode 2: Blackberries and Raspberries
ARS scientists created a thornless blackberry plant along with many new varieties of blackberries for the agricultural industry and a trellis system designed to protect and help pickers harvest blackberries. ARS scientists are also working with the individually quick-frozen industry to pack the great taste of raspberries into your cool treats.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 4: Berries
Episode 3: Break Time
Thinking about growing berries at home? Check out the podcast to learn what types of nutritious, sweet-tasting berries you can plant in your own backyard.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 4: Berries
Episode 4: Strawberries
Check out the 'Keepsake' strawberry which resulted from research efforts to develop strawberries with improved shelf life and learn how new strawberry cultivars are created.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 5: Wonder Plants
In this season of Science in Your Shopping Cart we take a tour of some superhuman plants that we use in our everyday lives to help feed and protect us. Listen to all 7 episodes back-to-back.
Listen now on: (43min. 37sec.) Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Don't have time to listen to the entire podcast? Explore the individual segments below.
Season 5: Wonder Plants
Episode 1: U.S. National Arboretum
Check out some of these amazing wonder plants at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC.
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Episode 2: One Time Use Containers
Plastic containers are everywhere. Products like toothpaste, shampoo, condiments, carryout containers, and even water nearly always come in packaging that we use once then throw away and can last hundreds of years in a landfill. ARS scientists are turning plant fibers in to single-use containers to one day replace non-biodegradable plastic containers.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Episode 3: Taking the Guayule Plant for a Test Drive
Rubber is a substance usually made from petroleum or from the Asian rubber tree plant. But rubber can also be produced from a plant called guayule. Learn about this amazing desert loving plant and how it's used in a 100% guayule tire!
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Part 4: Super Cotton
ARS scientists are turning nano fibers from cotton plants into mask filters, wound dressings, and other medical applications.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Part 5: DYK Insect Repellants
Did you know that some wonderplants can be used to control and even kill annoying flies and mosquitoes?
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Part 6: From Shells to Cells
ARS scientists are coming up with new ways to produce clean energy by developing a large filter-type application out of discarded almond shells that could capture and then store hydrogen, as well as other components for energy purposes.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 5: Wonder Plants
Episode 7: Soybeans
This week we learn about another amazing Wonder Plant, soybeans! Did you know that soy has a wide array of uses, including non-food uses? Discover some of the newest uses of this amazing Wonder Plant.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 6: Aquaculture
In this edition of Science in Your Shopping Cart, we take a deep dive in to seafood production in the U.S. Learn how research facilities across the country are developing new fish farming techniques, new strains of fish, are keeping fish healthy, and creating more sustainable methods for raising finfish and shellfish.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 1: Bringing Seafood Closer to Home
Aquaculture, commonly known as fish farming, is a global multi-billion dollar industry, and is one of the fastest growing forms of food production. Unfortunately, most fish farming occurs overseas. ARS is helping the U.S. aquaculture industry provide more locally sourced seafood, including oysters, trout, salmon, catfish, and new varieties. In fact, you may soon be able to purchase seafood that was farm raised in your own city or town.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 2: The Fastest Growing Fish You’ve Ever Seen
Fish farmers are using natural contained aquifers to grow fish to market size at an incredible fast rate. That’s because aquifers can provide optimal conditions for fish rearing. Unfortunately, you can’t scale-up aquifers. ARS researchers are working with fish farmers to develop and implement best management practices to increase fish yields, health, and size of fish reared in aquifers.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 3: Farm Fishing Indoors
When you grow anything indoors, you can control a lot of the conditions, including temperature, irrigation, insect and disease resistance, and water quality and consumption. ARS researchers are using indoor recirculating systems to improve the health and yields of rainbow trout while maintaining great taste and market size.
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Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 4: Taking on Atlantic Salmon’s Biggest Foe
Sea lice is a huge problem in the seafood business. Not only does sea lice cause physical harm, but it can also stress the fish out, which can then affect their growth rate and ability to fight off other diseases. I mean, how would you like a blood sucker attached to your skin all the time? There currently are no vaccines or effective treatments for sea lice. However, ARS researchers are working to develop an Atlantic salmon strain that is resistant to sea lice.
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Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 5: Aquaculture Trivia
Test your knowledge of aquaculture and learn some interesting facts.
Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Season 6: Aquaculture
Episode 6: Water Conservation in Indoor Systems
Take a tour of an indoor recirculating system in Shepherdstown, West Virginia and learn how ARS researchers are using less fresh water while keeping optimal performance for fish rearing.
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To learn even more, check out our "Science in Your Shopping Cart" factsheets to discover more ARS research sitting in your shopping cart!