CHAPEL HILL – Science junkies, rejoice. The popular Useful Science podcast — a division of the Useful Science organization — is upping its game now that it’s secured backing from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.

As part of the arrangement, Morehead will be providing editorial support from its base at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“This collaboration means that the Useful Science podcast can produce episodes at a faster pace,” said Cameron Spencer, the podcast’s founder and co-host, in a statement. “Most of our podcast’s contributors are scientists, which means they have busy schedules. Morehead’s help means that we can support them while continuing to create content.”

Dr. Maryse Thomas, director of Useful Science, added: “This is an ideal marriage of Useful Science’s accessible content and Morehead’s impressive resources and innovative team. This may eventually lead to different forms of content and coverage, as well as a broader audience for our podcast.”

Launched in 2015, the podcast aims to explains important concepts to a broad audience of scientists and non-scientists alike, and has received more than 1 million downloads.

Recent podcast episodes have communicated studies about the science of pets, smartphones, and pop music. Future episodes are scheduled to delve into the health and environmental implications of white versus red meat, and healthy office habits.