Behind the Data

De: Andrea Jones-Rooy
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  • Resumen

  • Data is all around us, but we spend very little time talking about where it comes from. Each week data scientist Andrea Jones-Rooy, Ph.D. brings you a story about one of the many types of datasets powering our lives. From political polls to measures of democracy, from tracking happiness to powering generative AI, join us on a journey to understand where these datasets that shape our lives actually come from, how to interpret them, and how we can use them to better understand our world.

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    Copyright Andrea Jones-Rooy
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Ciencia Ciencias Sociales
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Episodios
  • Searching for life in the Milky Way

    Searching for life in the Milky Way
    Apr 15 2025
    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 rigorBehind the Data is a podcast that uncovers the hidden stories within the data shaping our world. From political polls to global happiness trackers, we dive into the datasets that influence the decisions we make—while showing you why data isn’t just numbers, but a way to understand the world. Whether you're a data newbie or a seasoned pro, each episode makes complex data approachable, revealing surprising insights and the human side of every dataset. Come for the discoveries, stay for the stories.We are proud to be part of the Daily Tech News Show network of podcasts.Subscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    44 m
  • Creating a bot based on a real person

    Creating a bot based on a real person
    Apr 8 2025

    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.


    Chapters


    00:00 The Evolution of AI: A Personal Journey

    01:49 Understanding LLMs: Are They Thinking?

    04:35 The Fear of AI: Balancing Optimism and Caution

    06:57 Explaining LLMs to Newcomers

    09:37 Learning and The Integration of the Senses

    12:24 DOGE's Approach to AI in Government

    15:22 The Need for Better AI Implementation in Government

    17:47 Could This Actually Work?

    20:16 A Problem with Using AI on Data from Humans

    21:47 Contextualizing Project Failures

    22:33 Applying AI to Investing

    23:45 Building an AI Investor

    27:36 The Science of Long-Term Investing

    28:40 Simulating Expertise: The Damodaran Bot

    32:33 The Art of Questioning in AI

    36:07 Expectations and Realities of AI Development

    40:10 Be the AI Change You Wish to See in the World

    Behind the Data is a podcast that uncovers the hidden stories within the data shaping our world. From political polls to global happiness trackers, we dive into the datasets that influence the decisions we make—while showing you why data isn’t just numbers, but a way to understand the world. Whether you're a data newbie or a seasoned pro, each episode makes complex data approachable, revealing surprising insights and the human side of every dataset. Come for the discoveries, stay for the stories.


    We are proud to be part of the Daily Tech News Show network of podcasts.


    Subscribe and leave a review!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    48 m
  • The power of turning political attitudes into numbers

    The power of turning political attitudes into numbers
    Mar 25 2025
    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!Behind the Data is a podcast that uncovers the hidden stories within the data shaping our world. From political polls to global happiness trackers, we dive into the datasets that influence the decisions we make—while showing you why data isn’t just numbers, but a way to understand the world. Whether you're a data newbie or a seasoned pro, each episode makes complex data approachable, revealing surprising insights and the human side of every dataset. Come for the discoveries, stay for the stories.We are proud to be part of the Daily Tech News Show network of podcasts.Subscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    31 m
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