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b"We have a new podcast! It\\u2019s called\\xa0Universe Of Art, and it\\u2019s all about artists who use science to bring their creations to the next level. Listen on\\xa0Apple Podcasts,\\xa0Spotify, or\\xa0wherever you get your podcasts.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nA Possible Breakthrough Superconductor Has Scientists Split\\nRecently, a superconducting material went viral in the scientific community. Researchers in South Korea say they\\u2019ve discovered a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor. If it works, it would create electricity under normal, everyday conditions.\\nBut some scientists are hesitant to applaud this purported breakthrough. This field has a long history of supposed breakthroughs, many of which turn out to be not so superconducting after all.\\nIn other science news, NASA has detected a \\u2018heartbeat\\u2019 from the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which lost contact last month. This may allow scientists to reestablish contact with the spacecraft before its expected October 15 date.\\nJoining Ira to talk about these stories and more is Sophie Bushwick, technology editor for Scientific American, based in New York, New York.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nHow Oppenheimer\\u2019s Bombs Compare To Today\\u2019s Nukes\\nOn the day the film Oppenheimer came out, Science Friday discussed the history of the Manhattan Project, including the legacy of the Trinity Test, where the world\\u2019s very first nuclear weapon was detonated in the desert of New Mexico. We also heard from a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing and a New Mexican downwinder.\\nBut our listeners responded with even more questions that we couldn\\u2019t get to\\u2014including this, from Randy in Orlando, who wrote, \\u201cI\\u2019ve heard Neil deGrasse Tyson say the new bombs aren\\u2019t that dirty?\\u201d\\nRandy\\u2019s referring to the astrophysicist\\u2019s interview last November, in which he said: \\u201cModern nukes don\\u2019t have the radiation problem \\u2026 it\\u2019s a different kind of weapon than Hiroshima and Nagasaki.\\u201d We wanted an answer to this question\\u2014and others\\u2014about current nuclear weapons technology, an issue that Russia\\u2019s implied threats of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine also raise.\\nIra talks with Dr. Zia Mian, a physicist and co-director of Princeton\\u2019s Program on Science and Global Security, about how nuclear weapons technology has evolved over the last 80 years, how many there are, and the new threats they pose.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nFrom Splenda to Aspartame: Are the Artificial Sweeteners We Use Hurting Us?\\nThe World Health Organization recently classified aspartame as a \\u201cpossible carcinogen.\\u201d While the designation may seem scary, it simply indicates that the agency cannot rule out that the substance causes cancer. There is not enough evidence to suggest that aspartame, found in many sugar-free beverages, is linked to cancer.\\nIra breaks down the science behind that decision, what we know about the health effects of artificial sweeteners, and takes listener calls with guests Marji McCullough, senior scientific director of epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society and Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nTo stay updated on all-things-science,\\xa0sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.\\nTranscripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on\\xa0sciencefriday.com."