The Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus) is a master of invisible chemistry. 2026 Science Podcast of the Year winner Dr. Jeffrey Zurek joins Dr. Andy Fisher (Greifswald University) to untangle the chemical love letters hidden in spider silk.

We explore how "virtually blind" predators use smell & electrostatic charges to communicate. Discover the "stinky cheese" pheromone, why males destroy female webs during courtship, and the scandalous truth about "cheating" widows who lie about their age and fitness to attract a mate.

Topics Covered

• Podcast of the Year: Celebrating 2026 American Writing Awards win.
• Chemical Languages: How smell and taste dominate the "dark taxa."
• Explore the sausage-making of science, & how chemical ecology replaces toxic pesticides
• The "Gym Sock" Signal: Identifying butyric acid in widow webs
• Honest vs. Deceptive Signals: How starved spiders "cheat" the system
• New Anatomy: Hot-off-the-press research on how spiders smell with their legs.

Chapters

(00:00) 2026 Podcast of the Year!

(01:05) Warning: Arachnophobia

(03:30) Guest: Dr. Andy Fisher

(05:55) How Spiders "See" with 8 Eyes

(08:50) Electrostatic Communication

(12:35) Pest Management vs. Pesticides

(14:35) The Western Black Widow

(17:00) Field Work: How Not to Get Bitten

(22:30) Web Chemistry: Stinky Pheromones

(25:45) Why Males Destroy the Web

(29:50) The Metabolic Cost of Love

(33:15) Deception: The Cheating Widow

(38:10) Mass Spec: Smashing Chemical Legos

(41:40) Seasonality of Sex Signals

(44:55) Sub-Social Web Sharing

(48:20) Black Widow Science Joke

Links

Animal Metabolomics & Ecology Lab

Papers: Starving Female Spiders Pheromone Abundance Study

Web: WhimsicalWavelengths.com

Support: Pateron

Socials: Bluesky | Instagram | Facebook

Whimsical Wavelengths: Deep-dive conversations where a working scientist unpacks how we know what we know, one paper, one idea, or whimsical detour at a time. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Zurek (P.Geo).

The "motherlode" is just a model away. In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey Zurek (P.Geo) bridges between the classroom & the boardroom with colleague & data scientist Frederick Jackson from Computational Geosciences Inc. Together, they explore how machine learning (ML) & artificial intelligence are revolutionizing mineral exploration.

We dig into the expensive reality of drilling—where a single hole can cost over $100k—& how neural networks act as an "artificial geologist" to find patterns in massive "data cubes." From the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia to the surprising links between finding gold, & detecting brain tumors, this episode proves that while the intelligence might be artificial, the discovery is real.

Topics Covered

• The Business of Discovery: How science functions in the corporate world & the real-world consequences of being wrong.
• Drilling by the Numbers: Why de-risking drill holes is the primary driver for AI in mining.
• The Data Cube: Integrating geophysics, radiometrics, etc., to build "geological ChatGPT."
• Neural Networks 101: Moving beyond simple regressions to non-linear, brain-inspired algorithms.
• Prospectivity & Policy: How heat maps help inform land-use decisions .
• Bioacoustics: Whimsical detour to tracking whales for conservation using the same ML technology.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) Intro: Geology Meets Algorithms

(02:05) The High Cost of Drilling: Why We Need Models

(04:35) Frederick Jackson Spinosaurus to Data Science

(07:50) Industry vs Academia: The Cost of Being Wrong

(10:10) The SEG Paper: Gold Prospectivity in Australia

(11:50) AI Hallucinations in Geophysics Managing Risk

(15:15) Building the Data Cube: Features vs. Labels

(19:35) Garbage In, Garbage Out: AI Pitfalls

(21:20) Neural Networks: an "Artificial Geologist"

(25:10) Results: Heat Maps and 2D De-risking

(30:45) Beyond Minerals: Tracking Mosquitoes & Brain Tumors

(32:45) Bioacoustics: Citizen Science & Whales

(34:30) The infamous Science Joke

Links & Resources

• Citizen Science: Orca Sound
• Support: Pateron
• Socials: Bluesky | Instagram | Facebook

Whimsical Wavelengths: Deep-dive conversations where a working scientist unpacks how we know what we know, one paper, one idea, or whimsical detour at a time. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Zurek (P.Geo).

What if the coldest, darkest craters on the Moon are quietly storing a record of solar system history and the resources that could power future exploration?

In this episode, we dive into the science of lunar permanently shadowed regions (PSRs): craters near the Moon’s poles that sunlight hasn’t touched for potentially billions of years. Dr. Jeffrey Zurek is joined by Dr. Katlyn (Caitlin) Ahrens (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) to unpack what PSRs are, how volatile molecules migrate and freeze there, and why these ultra-cold environments are targets for future missions.

We explore how the Moon’s 1.5-degree axial tilt creates shadowed traps, what the lunar exosphere means for molecule transport, and how researchers balance “easy mode” science with high-risk, high-reward targets. It also illuminates why some of the most exciting discoveries happen in places sunlight never reaches.

Topics Covered

• PSRs & Cold Trapping: Why sunlight hasn't touched these poles for billions of years.
• Lunar Exosphere: Surface processes and molecule migration.
• Mission Logistics: The hurdles of "Pluto-cold" sample return and CLPS landers.
• Geotechnical Risks: Moon-slides, virtual lava tubes, and soil mechanics.
• STEM Outreach: The impact of FIRST Lego League.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) Intro: The Riddle of Lunar Darkness
• (01:51) The Physics of 1.5° Axial Tilt & PSRs
• (04:04) Meet Dr. Katlyn Ahrens (NASA Goddard)
• (09:33) The Lunar Exosphere vs. Atmosphere
• (15:30) Diverse Volatiles: Water, Methane, & CO2
• (22:38) Logistical Challenges: Cold Sample Return
• (26:18) Double PSRs: Craters within Craters
• (34:14) VIPER Rover & The Future of Lunar Mining
• (41:14) Flour & Dust: Lunar Soil Mechanics
• (46:40) Moonslides & Virtual Lava Tubes
• (49:50) STEM Outreach: FIRST Lego League
• (55:08) The Infamous Science Joke

Links & Resources

• Featured Paper: Diverse lunar polar permanently shadowed regions and environmental metrics for site planning decision making.
• FIRST Lego League
• Support: Pateron
• Socials: Bluesky | Instagram | Facebook

Whimsical Wavelengths: Deep-dive conversations where a working scientist unpacks how we know what we know, one paper, one idea, or whimsical detour at a time. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Zurek (P.Geo).