> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ktna.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 6 Minute Science: Archive EP 1-43 - URL: https://ktna.org/6-minute-science-archive-ep-1-43-2/ - Published: 2026-07-29T20:05:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-29T20:05:52.000Z - Description: The complete archive of 6 Minute Science is now available, featuring episode 1 through 43 in one place. You can also access the show in the local programs catalog page. - Author: Jenny Willoughby - Tags: 6 Minute Science, Programs *Six Minute Science*, produced and hosted by KTNA’s Jenny Willoughby, promises to be a weekly cram session of everything weird and wonderful about science. We’ll learn about fire, mushrooms, octopuses, and much more this season. Tuesdays at 12:30pm after the midday news and on Saturdays after *Ag Matters* at about 6:25pm on KTNA. --- **Episode 1: Morels and Fire** SMS Ep 1 Morels and Fire 0:00 /344.867098 1× --- **Episode 2: Octopuses and Antarctica** SMS Ep 2 Octopuses and Antarctica 0:00 /350.590476 1× --- **Episode 3: Redwoods and Fire** SMS Ep 3 Redwoods and Fire 1 0:00 /338.939955 1× --- **Episode 4: Microplastics** SMS Ep 4 Microplastics 0:00 /335.239274 1× --- **Episode 5: Garbage Patch** SMS Ep 5 Garbage Patch 0:00 /336.10068 1× --- **Episode 6: Snakeworms** SMS Ep 6 Snakeworms 0:00 /345.743039 1× --- **Episode 7: Magma** SMS Ep 7 Magma 0:00 /322.163379 1× --- **Episode 8: Ice Fog** SMS Ep 8 Ice Fog 0:00 /341.7161 1× --- **Episode 9: No Summer** SMS Ep 9 No Summer 0:00 /333.130476 1× --- **Episode 10: Arctic-breeding Shorebirds** 70189 SMS Ep 10 Arctic breeding Shorebirds 0:00 /342.759184 1× --- **Episode 11: Iron Lead and Glacial Dust** What’s so important about the iron and lead scientists have found in the glacial dust? Airplanes and food webs and melting glaciers, oh my! SMS Ep 11 Iron Lead and Glacial Dust 1 0:00 /335.929002 1× --- **Episode 12: Caterpillar Mimicry** Why caterpillars in Alaska look like snakes, which aren’t found in Alaska. And how climate change is impacting butterflies. SMS Ep 12 Caterpillar Mimicry 0:00 /350.907755 1× --- **Episode 13: Tidepools** What a tidepool is, who lives there, and how they might be changing. SMS Ep 13 Tidepools 0:00 /334.738481 1× --- **Episode 14: Aurora** What the Aurora Borealis is, how it happens, how it gets its color, and if it makes a sound. SMS Ep 14 Aurora 0:00 /353.782041 1× --- **Episode 15: Canada Lynx** Canada lynx, what makes them able to live in Alaska, and new research on their travel patterns SMS Ep15 Canada Lynx 0:00 /346.050113 1× --- **Episode 16: Microplastics on Denali** Two University of Alaska Fairbanks students collected samples for microplastics on their way to the summit of Denali. So far, their research shows microplastics are even on North America’s highest peak. SMS Ep 16 Microplastics 0:00 /328.702971 1× --- **Episode 17: Cogeneration** Cogeneration is a newer way to recognize efficiencies and resilience in energy generation and usage. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport will build one of these facilities in the very near future. SMS Ep 17 Cogeneration 0:00 /334.774014 1× --- **Episode 18: Wildfire Seasons** Wildfire is pushed by different factors depending on when they happen during the season. And trends are showing the fire season is getting longer. SMS Ep 18 Wildfire Seasons 0:00 /353.259932 1× --- **Episode 19: Barnacles** Barnacles are one of those weird critters that have a two-part life cycle, but also seem to be more resilient in warming water. Recent research shows they take advantage of any bare spots on rocks left by things that can’t hang in the rising water temps. SMS Ep 19 Barnacles 0:00 /353.886938 1× --- **Episode 20: Wildfire Air Quality** Wildfire smoke is a concern for air quality, but new research shows that intense wildfires generate more particulate matter higher in the atmosphere rather than on the ground. SMS Ep 20 Wildfire AQ 0:00 /350.336042 1× --- **Episode 21: Fossils and Sediment** Dinosaur tracks abound in the Yukon Delta, but recently they also found some very large bird tracks, indicating some interesting things about the life that the Delta has supported over millions of years. SMS Ep 21 Fossils and Sediment 0:00 /338.372521 1× --- **Episode 22: Bar-tailed Godwits** Bar-tailed godwits travel about 20,000 miles each year reaching three different continents, with a summer stopover in Alaska to fatten up and raise babies. And a bar-tailed godwit holds the record for the longest non-stop flight known to science. SMS Ep 22 Bar tailed Godwits 0:00 /347.110794 1× --- **Episode 23: Atmospheric Energy** Non-visible atmospheric energy may not be as pretty as the Aurora, but it can have a big impact on everything from telecommunications to carbon dioxide. SMS Ep 23 Atmospheric Energy 0:00 /345.948167 1× --- **Episode 24: Invasive Species Risks** Invasive species can become problematic for our ecosystems and even us, but there are a few things we can all do to reduce their spread. SMS Ep 24 Invasive Species Risk 0:00 /342.026825 1× --- **Episode 25: Volcanos and Earthquakes** Alaska has a lot of volcanoes and earthquakes-more than any other state. And they are linked, but do earthquakes actually trigger volcanic activity? SMS Ep 25 Volcanoes and Earthquakes 0:00 /335.603021 1× --- **Episode 26: Earth MRI in the Kuskokwim** Through the Earth MRI program, scientists collect data about where mineral resources are located and what those minerals might be and the Kuskokwim data will be collected with aeromagnetic surveys. SMS Ep 26 Earth MRI 0:00 /338.610454 1× --- **Episode 27:** Pesticides in the Environment Some persistent pesticides are especially helpful with managing invasive plants that have long-lived seeds. Knowing which one will be the best for certain applications is key. SMS Ep 27 Pesticides in the Environment 0:00 /345.591451 1× --- **Episode 28:** Pollinators and Plant Preference New research is showing that invasive plants just aren’t attractive to many pollinators the way that native plants are SMS Ep 28 Pollinators and Plant Preference 0:00 /355.358958 1× --- **Episode 29:** Phytoremediation Get into the nuts and bolts of phytoremediation, or using plants to clean up contaminated sites. SMS Ep 29 Phytoremediation 0:00 /358.390635 1× --- **Episode 30:** Stream Scour Learn about what scour is, how it affects bridge piers, and all the equipment used to measure it. SMS Ep 30 Stream Scour 0:00 /358.716 1× --- **Episode 31:** Mount Churchill Learn about the history of Mt. Churchill and what its past eruptions can tell us about how a new activity could impact us if it erupts. SMS Ep 31 Mt Churchill Volcano 0:00 /344.359728 1× --- **Episode 32:** Microbes in Winter What a microbe is and what it does, even in winter, and how they help with the carbon dioxide battle. SMS Ep 32 Microbes in Winter 0:00 /333.926646 1× --- **Episode 33:** Ants ANTS! It’s all about how they live, how they fit into the ecosystem, and why it’s so hard to identify them. SMS Ep 33 Ants 0:00 /355.968345 1× --- **Episode 34:** Black Brants Black brants, which are a special kind of geese, their migration patterns and habitats. SMS Ep 34 Black Brants 0:00 /357.032479 1× --- **Episode 35:** Glacier Trash (Poop) Revisited Glacier trash, how it travels in the glacier, and what it could mean for water quality. SMS Ep 35 Glacier Poop Revisited 0:00 /354.90288 1× --- **Episode 36:** Remote sensing for bark beetle infestation. Tracking spruce tree deaths using multiple remote sensing methods. SMS Ep 36 Remote Sensing for Bark Beetle Infestations 0:00 /354.973313 1× --- **Episode 37**: Songbirds at the Alaska Songbird Institute This episode is about the data collection efforts at the Alaska Songbird Institute. SMS Ep 37 Alaska Songbird Institute 0:00 /353.479208 1× --- **Episode 38**: Beavers and Poplars This episode is about beavers moving north and what impacts they may have on tundra poplar groves. SMS Ep 38 Beavers and Poplars 0:00 /357.274558 1× --- **Episode 39**: Microbes in Permafrost This week’s episode is about microbes in melting permafrost. SMS Ep 39 Microbes in Permafrost 0:00 /356.310938 1× --- **Episode 40**: Mendenhall Glacier This episode is about the Mendenhall Glacier, its retreat, and its flooding. SMS Ep 40 Mendenhall Glacier 0:00 /355.851688 1× --- **Episode 41**: Tularemia This episode is about Tularemia, what it is, and how it can affect wildlife, humans, and our pets. SMS Ep 41 Tularemia 0:00 /339.5975 1× --- **Episode 42**: ACORN This episode gives an update on ACORN – Alaska’s Continuously Operating Reference Network. The State’s ACORN system has expanded westward, and brings a lot more capabilities that will help keep data collection efforts on a consistent system and help with planning and development too. SMS Ep 42 ACORN 0:00 /342.830204 1× --- **Episode 43**: Ice Pillars This week’s episode is about ice pillars, how they form, and where to see them. SMS Ep 43 Ice Pillars 1 0:00 /355.233813 1× ---