http://www.twis.org The kickass science and technology radio show that delivers an irreverent look at the week in science and technology. Wed, 16 May 2012 01:09:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The kickass weekly science and technology radio show presenting a humorous and irreverent look at the week in science and tech. Each show TWIS discusses the latest in cutting edge science news on topics such as genetic engineering, cybernetics, space exploration, neuro science, and a show favorite Countdown to World Robot Domination. The show is hosted by Dr. Kirsten Sanford, a PhD in neuroscience, and Justin, a wisecracking professional car salesman and armchair physicist. Consistently voted one of the top science radio shows on the web - check it out and hear a science news program like no other. Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media kirsten@thisweekinscience.com kirsten@thisweekinscience.com (Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media) Kirsten Sanford 2010. The kickass science and technology radio show that delivers an irreverent look at the week in science and technology. astronomy, biology, education, evolution, genetics, physics, science, space http://www.twis.org/audio/TWIS_podcast_logo.jpg http://www.twis.org http://www.twis.org/2012/05/15/1158/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/15/1158/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 01:06:26 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1158 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/15/1158/feed/ 0 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Supernovas Differentiate, Indoor Sex Work, Pond Skaters And Warehouse Pirate Bugs, Mistakes Were Made, Kids Health, Scanning Brains, Mayan Calendar Find, The Vagina Microbiomes, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Supernovas Differentiate, Indoor Sex Work, Pond Skaters And Warehouse Pirate Bugs, Mistakes Were Made, Kids Health, Scanning Brains, Mayan Calendar Find, The Vagin... Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:14:33 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/11/1155/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/11/1155/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:54 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1155 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/11/1155/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/10/1152/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/10/1152/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1152 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/10/1152/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/09/1149/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/09/1149/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 20:00:16 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1149 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/09/1149/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1146/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1146/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 22:06:53 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1146 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1146/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1144/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1144/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 21:04:11 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1144 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/08/1144/feed/ 0 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Clathrate Carbon Prison, Insect Glands, Pigeon Compass, The Staring Point, Stem Cell Suicide, Shelterin The Telomeres, Sedimentary Time travel, Art Faces, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Clathrate Carbon Prison, Insect Glands, Pigeon Compass, The Staring Point, Stem Cell Suicide, Shelterin The Telomeres, Sedimentary Time travel, Art Faces, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! The following hour of programming was conceived in the big bang It has been under construction since before the pyramids were built Contains information that pre-dates the sun and yet will consist solely of things revealed in the past week If this makes your head spin, don't panic, this is perfectly normal for a creature that lives on a planet that is spinning in a solar system that is spinning in a galaxy spinning spinning in our atoms too atoms spinning since before the first day began spinning now and into the future and beyond that too and all of it spinning around a single solitary hour of programming in attempt to give the cosmic flow of time and space some form of manageable conceptual context This Week in Science… coming up next Clathrates for sequestration (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/05/sequestration-meets-extraction-us-swaps-carbon-dioxide-for-methane-under-the-sea.ars) Clathrates, solid structures that form around methane pockets, could be a new source of energy. We could even sequester CO2 inside once the methane is removed. Sounds like a win-win! Insect Glands (http://phys.org/news/2012-05-insect-glands-illuminate-human-fertilization.html) Glands found in insects recently gave scientists clues to the functions of glands in mammals, even us humans. The gene responsible for infertility due to lack of gland expression in fruit flies is so similar to the same gene that causes infertility in mice when absent, that inserting the mouse gene into the fly genome made the flies fertile again. Despite millions of years of evolution, our building blocks are shockingly interchangeable! Blair's Animal Corner: Pigeons and their homing abilities - take two. (http://io9.com/5905043/pigeons-have-a-magnetic-gps-in-their-brain) After the recent debunkery of the conventional understanding of pigeons' homing abilities, scientists have been itching to find out the real "GPS" found inside a bird. New research shows that certain neurons in pigeons' brains respond to changes in their surrounding magnetic field that could help them sense their heading and location. Will this theory hold, or will pigeons and their homing abilities be a mystery to us forever? The Staring Point (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/04/whatcha-lookin-at-the-attention-of-crowds-shows-no-tipping-points.ars) What'chu lookin' at? Scientists thought that there was a tipping point for staring: a threshold at which enough people staring at something would lead nearly everyone else to follow suit. New research suggests there isn't a tipping point at all. Apparently the pack mentality does not apply to ogling... Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Stem Cell Suicide (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uonc-scp050112.php) Embryonic stem cells will commit suicide if they become damaged and are a danger to the developing embryo. A protein called Bax will be called into action if the stem cell becomes damaged, and the cell will be destroyed in less than 5 hours. Shelterin and telomere protection (http://the-scientist.com/2012/05/03/six-threats-to-chromosomes-2/) Telomeres, the ends of your chromosomes, are what keep us from aging and dying, so they're kind of important. Shelterin is a cap on our telomeres that protects us from telomere degradation; scientists recently did some research on these important chromosome protectors. When the cap is removed, the DNA has six different repair mechanisms that can place the precious genes in jeopardy. Understanding these threats will help us to prevent them. Clear Lake's Sediments: Among the World's Oldest. Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:15:31 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/03/1137/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/03/1137/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 20:00:42 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1137 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/03/1137/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Dr. Kirsten Sanford,Justin Jackson,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Supernovas Spawn Life, Unexpected Reservoir, Meerkat Losers Win, Bee Like Brains, The G-Spot, Treating Autism, Mad Cow Cure, World Robot Domination, Belief Vs. Analytics, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Supernovas Spawn Life, Unexpected Reservoir, Meerkat Losers Win, Bee Like Brains, The G-Spot, Treating Autism, Mad Cow Cure, World Robot Domination, Belief Vs. Ana... Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:09:24 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1140/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1140/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 00:40:27 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1140 Scott Sigler, our favorite sci-fi horror author! Topics include: a cure for cancer, a fetus for a brain, booze for creatives, birds flying around, NOCTURNAL, unsolved science mystery of Pine Mouth, a planetary paternity test, a drive to Taco Bell, and more...]]> http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1140/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1134/ http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1134/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 23:39:36 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1134 http://www.twis.org/2012/05/01/1134/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Evolving XNA, Moving A Hand, Blair's Animal Corner, No Bird Magnets, Cooler Heads Prevail, Predicting Your Future, Livers Need Love, DIY Drugstores, Remembering Lines, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Evolving XNA, Moving A Hand, Blair's Animal Corner, No Bird Magnets, Cooler Heads Prevail, Predicting Your Future, Livers Need Love, DIY Drugstores, Remembering Lines, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! The end of the world is coming. Yes, the world we are living on, the planet called earth is going to be destroyed by our sun… The same sun that nurtures sprouting plant life, that warms cheeks on beaches, that fuels our planets climate and atmosphere through passive radiation… is going to burn us to a cinder. It has been predicted by scientific methods, peer reviewed and rigorously verified by leading members of the scientific community… The end of the world is coming, for sure! And while it’s not going to happen for a few billion years, and you and I and everyone we know and everyone who has yet to be born will have met more intimately tangible ends long before it happens… Knowing that this world is not a permanent fixture in the universe can give us some perspective into our own mortality. If we consider how wonderful a planet it is, how lucky we are to have lived here, or to have lived at all… What a strange set of circumstances lead to this moment of here and now, getting to play our parts in the history of the universe as living, breathing, thinking beings of mind and body… The greatest witnesses to the existence of the universe that, as far as we can tell so far, have ever existed on any rock around any star anywhere across time and space. The moment in which you can do is always now, and what better use of your now than using that amazing brain of yours to tune into another episode of… This Week in Science… coming up next Evolving XNA (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120419-xna-synthetic-dna-evolution-genetics-life-science/) - Synthetics: not just your mom's jumpsuit from the 70's: UK's Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology has successfully created synthetic DNA, called XNA. They even managed to make a polymerase that can make XNA from DNA, and visa versa. This XNA can even evolve. Are synthetic organisms next to come out of the lab? A New Brain Machine (http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57416514-76/brain-machine-interface-helps-move-paralyzed-hand/) Northwestern University has developed a "brain machine" that can move muscles without use of the spinal cord. By mimicking the electrical pulses sent out from the brain to muscles in monkeys, they successfully moved a paralyzed hand. This could be monumental for people with spinal cord injuries, or, a tool for world domination... Blair's Animal Corner The Rock Hyrax (http://io9.com/5903138/these-tiny-mammals-sing-songs-that-hint-at-complex-language-skills) may have more complex language skills (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17729868) than we had previously thought. It turns out that this animal resembling a rodent, but most closely related to elephants, has syntax when it sings. That is, the notes of a hyrax call have an intentional order, and this order varies from one region to another, like dialects. Can other species of mammals communicate in ways that we just haven't noticed? Probably. No magnetic neurons in birds (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/04/12/those-magnetic-neurons-birds-use-to-steer-theyre-not-neurons-and-arent-for-steering/ ) Conventional wisdom has told us that metallic cells in birds' beaks help them to navigate by the use of magnetic fields. However, recent research of pigeon beaks found macrophages instead, which would never have been able to send information to the brain to aid in navigation. That means that the avian sense of direction is once again, a mystery. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Cool it, now! (http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/09/2144438/induced-hypothermia-can-limit.html) Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:12:26 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/18/1132/ http://www.twis.org/2012/04/18/1132/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:46:24 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1132 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/18/1132/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Fit Frogs, A Gene For Niceness, The Neurotic IQ, Animal Sex, Patented Plants, Tracking Toxo, Social Immunity, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Fit Frogs, A Gene For Niceness, The Neurotic IQ, Animal Sex, Patented Plants, Tracking Toxo, Social Immunity, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! From the unknown precursor of the big bang to the eventual demise of the universe From the first moments of evolution to the latest version of the smart phone. From dust into stars to super nova radiation From that babies first breath to your last dying day… …when you’re on earth you’re on earth all the way. And while you’re here, why not stop a moment to appreciate the finer things that life has to offer. Savor a fine wine, the subtle scent of dew, the view of nature un-interrupted, or the touch and feel of a lovers hand set to the sound of rushing water… And once your basic senses have been thoroughly indulged in endorphin hijacking activities, lets move on to something really interesting… the world beyond your senses… the world as it can only be conceived by the sentient intellect the world of truth the world of mind the world… of science And while the alluring endorphin siren songs of earthly delight can only be ignored for so long, let us take this next hour to focus on what else the universe can have in store for us on… This Week in Science… Coming up next. Fit Frogs (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120412182332.htm) More physically fit frogs can change their DNA faster than less active amphibians. Free radicals created from activity could contribute to DNA alterations over time. Scientists measured oxygen intake in frogs when encouraged to exercise, and then sequenced frog "family trees." The faster-changing genomes correlated consistently with the more energetic individuals. Is DNA like a muscle that needs exercise? Why am I so nice, you ask? (http://io9.com/5900882/niceness-goes-all-the-way-down-to-the-dna-level) Why, it's in my genes! University of Buffalo and UC Irvine have found genes responsible for "niceness." If a person was fearful or distrustful of the world around us, subjects with this receptor gene would still exhibit generous behavior to their fellow man. Without the gene, they would be much less likely to help others in need. Those that had an optimistic view of the world were unaffected by the gene, indicating perhaps that if you believe the world is a kind place, most of the time you will be kind back. Tracking Toxo (http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2012/04/nih-study-supports-screening-pregnant-women-for-toxoplasmosis/) A new blood test has been developed that can distinguish specific strains of Toxoplasma gondii from one-another. This means that pregnant woman can screen for this parasite and even treat the infection in infants. This is great news, because this infection can cause both physical and mental defects in children that are unfortunately often permanent. It's steamy in the corner this week... (http://io9.com/5900094/these-newts-have-the-worlds-sexiest-kidneys) Newts have sexy kidneys! Male red-spotted newts sport thick, oozing kidneys during mating season, and the lady newts love it. The reason is still unclear, but it would appear that the liquid coming out of the kidneys mixes with the liquid of the spermatophore and gives the swimmers a leg-up. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Does worrying make you smarter? (http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/04/13/are-worrying-and-intelligence-linked/37322.html) In general, higher IQ's were associated with lower degrees of worry, but generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or extreme worry, was associated with higher IQ. So, a little worry hurts your intelligence, but high anxiety makes you smarter... Wait, I'm worried I don't worry enough... Or too much... Oh no... Am I getting dumber?... Or smarter?... "Don't take away my seeds, Monsanto, I swear I'll be good!" Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:12:36 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/17/1130/ http://www.twis.org/2012/04/17/1130/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:27:40 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1130 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/17/1130/feed/ 6 Chris Mooney,Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Feathered Dinos, Red Wine Diet, Female Objects, Seas A-risin, Sweet Whale Barf, Blair's Animal Corner, Interview With Chris Mooney Re: The Republican Brain, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Feathered Dinos, Red Wine Diet, Female Objects, Seas A-risin, Sweet Whale Barf, Blair's Animal Corner, Interview With Chris Mooney Re: The Republican Brain, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! Everything you are about to hear is supposed to be true. The facts have not been changed to protect the innocent minded. Nor have they been, twisted, snipped, clipped, or spun into spider silk to suit a particular political or ideological perspective. While this may be unusual, uncomfortable or even awkward for audiences unaccustomed to unfiltered media, others may find it refreshing, insightful, informative and even fun. In some cases, listeners have reported feelings of liberated euphoria and a rapid self realization allowing them to see the forest for the trees and on occasion, run for them… In the rarest of instances, complete and total transformative cosmic thinking occurred, allowing the occasional listener to formulate reliably accurate mental models of modern quantum motion… …a phenomenon which has been long associated with making pants-optional life choices. So whether you’re about to be weirded out, turned on or freaked up… you have only yourself and the universe to blame, you have been warned… This week in Science Coming up next. A big feathered dinosaur (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/04/04/yutyrannus-a-giant-tyrannosaur-with-feathers/) Paleontologists have recently found a tyrannosaurus-like dinosaur covered in feathers, called Yutyrannus huali. These dinos are the largest feathered animal in history, to our knowledge, and is about 40 times as large as the previous record-holder. Sweet Whale Barf (http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/fashion-beauty/Thar+spews+Synthetic+whale+vomit+could+shake+perfume+industry/6418447/story.html) Don't want real whale vomit in your perfume? That's ok, the University of British Columbia has identified a gene in balsam fir trees that could be used to make synthetic ambergris. Red Wine Diet??? (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitnessNews/red-wine-ingredient-resveratrol-mimics-calorie-restriction-obese/story?id=14852698#.T35dxO0m9SU) Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, mimics the metabolic effects of dieting in a study of obese men. Blair's Animal Corner (http://www.news.pitt.edu/Pesticides_MOrph) RoundUp: Tough on weeds, tougher on amphibians. It turns out that this popular herbicide causes morphological changes in growing vertebrates. What does that mean for us humans? Quantifying Deglaciation (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7391/full/nature10902.html) The last deglaciation, "Meltwater Pulse 1A," caused a sea-level rise of 12-20 meters. What does that mean for our current sea-level, as our planet's polar ice melts? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Interview with Chris Mooney The Republican Brain (http://republicanbrain.com/): The Science of Why They Deny Science and Reality is the latest release (April, 2012) from author Chris Mooney who penned the 2005 New York Times bestseller The Republican War on Science. He also hosts of the Point of Inquiry podcast and writes the "Intersection" blog for Science Progress. In the past he has written for Mother Jones, American Prospect, Harper’s, Washington Post, USA Today, and Slate among other publications. Why do Republicans view science as a liberal endeavor? Science has become tied to politics, whether it makes sense to be or not. Money, votes, and lobbyists all have an opinion on scientific issues, even though none of those entities carry science degrees. In brain scan studies, conservatives had more gray matter in the amygdala (fear center of the brain). In Psychological studies, conservatives also fixated on unpleasant images, and liberals were more likely to focus on pleasant ones. Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:15:31 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1126/ http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1126/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:43:27 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1126 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1126/feed/ 1 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1123/ http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1123/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:02:51 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1123 http://www.twis.org/2012/04/04/1123/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,Scott Sigler,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Cancer Cures For Mice, Fetus Brains, Booze It Up, Fly Little Birds!, Unsolved Science Mystery, Titanium Moon, Driving Blind, Guest Host Scott Sigler, Author of Nocturnal, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Cancer Cures For Mice, Fetus Brains, Booze It Up, Fly Little Birds!, Unsolved Science Mystery, Titanium Moon, Driving Blind, Guest Host Scott Sigler, Author of Nocturnal, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages… Don’t be bashful, don’t be shy, there’s no need to walk on by… No matter what you are doing at the moment, you will regret not joining us in the big tent and witnessing the wonders of the world in which you live… From the trivial side show tid bit to the paradigm shifting high-wire act of freak show physics… There are things you will see and hear in here that have never been seen or heard before beyond the mystical laboratory research walls… You’ll hold your breath in captive silence as Kirsten casually catapults herself high above the center stage, tantalizing us with tales upon the scientific trapeze Thrill in delight as the dazzling damsel Blair braves daunting beasts of nature in her corner of the stage… Look on with astonishing envy as twit techs push buttons of flashing lights while juggling live feeds, un-level audio and multiple camera angles… And there will be a clown or two thrown in for yuks and such So step right up, come on over, come on in… The big show is about to begin. Here on this week in science… Coming up next. Cancer cured! In mice... again. (http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/03/one-drug-to-shrink-all-tumors.html?ref=hp) Is there a single drug cure-all for cancer? Perhaps. Scientists have made a drug that inhibits CD47, a protein found in cancer cells. Mice using this drug remained cancer-free for months after treatment. But, the big question is, will it be as effective in humans? Fetus Brains (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-genes-proteins-important-embryos-adult.html) Genes and proteins that promote growth and development in embryos have been found in adult brains. A study of roundworms reveals that these proteins stay dormant and are reactivated when alterations in signal pathways and receptors are needed. This study could lead to treatment of mental illnesses if we can learn how turn these proteins on and off ourselves. Want to be creative? Science says: "Booze it up!" (http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338406/title/Vodka_delivers_shot_of_creativity) Getting a buzz from booze may boost creativity. Men who drank themselves tipsy solved more problems demanding verbal resourcefulness in less time than sober guys did. Can birds outfly global warming? (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-bird-ranges-shift-north-fast.html) Birds' ranges have shifted in direct relation to changing temperatures, but it has taken them quite a while to relocate, over three decades, in fact. If birds, who can maneuver from one habitat to another so easily, are having trouble moving in relation to climate change, what chance do less-mobile species have? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520258068) by David Montgomery Let's talk a bit about Scott's book... (http://scottsigler.com/ ) Nocturnal - Scott describes his "tribute to 80's cop movies" as "Lethal Weapon meets Hellboy."It's a fun mix of action, science, horror, mystery, and science-fiction - check it out! Unsolved Science Mysteries (http://www.sciencecodex.com/new_study_of_pine_nuts_leaves_mystery_of_pine_mouth_unsolved-87836) - Pine Mouth (http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm247099.htm) A syndrome called "Pine Mouth" occurs one to two days after eating pine nuts and causes a bitter metallic taste in your mouth for a few days up to two weeks, but what causes it? Researchers have found that only a specific species, Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:19:53 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/28/1116/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/28/1116/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:00:58 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1116 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/28/1116/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1112/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1112/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:19:03 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1112 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1112/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1111/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1111/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:59:00 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1111 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/27/1111/feed/ 0 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Looking At Mercury, Making Memory, Just Replace X With Bear, Jumping Plankton, Vaccinating Men, How Biologists Kill, TWIWRD!, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Looking At Mercury, Making Memory, Just Replace X With Bear, Jumping Plankton, Vaccinating Men, How Biologists Kill, TWIWRD!, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! The following hour of programming may not be suitable for audiences of all ideologies. If you are allergic to critical thinking If you have false beliefs that cannot be refuted by facts If you think global warming, dinosaurs, evolution, carbon dating, physics, math and big science-y jargon words are all make-ity-up ways for people in lab coats to cash in on free government grants… Then this program may not be for you… although for your own sake, you should probably tune in more often and pay closer attention than anyone else… While on occasion even the most scientific hipster may break out in mental heebeejeebee’s The less science minded listener will still find plenty of mental candy to nibble on in each and every episode of This week in science… Coming up next. Looking at Mercury (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/dynamic-mercury-geology) "Even weirder than we thought." The pock-marked surface of Mercury would not appear to have very much going on underneath it. However, this planet is like an onion - many layers... Mercury might not be too hot (http://news.discovery.com/space/mercury-not-too-hot-for-water-ice-at-its-poles-120322.html) for polar ice. Let me say that again, polar ice on Mercury... Whose memory is it anyway? (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-wrests-partial-memory.html) Scientists at the Scripps Institute have successfully harnessed neurons in mouse brains. This could lead to control over people's memories. Black Bear - the new X-Man (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-black-wound-capabilities-hibernation.html): Bears heal themselves, kill infections, eliminate scarring, and even grow new hair follicles while they hibernate. If scientists can figure how, it could lead to huge advances in the medical field. Now, if they could just give one an adamantium skeleton... Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520258068) by David Montgomery Flying Plankton, Batman! (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/03/20/flying-plankton-take-to-the-air-to-flee-from-fish/ ) Copepods "catch some air" to escape predatory fish. Anomalocera ornata both in the wild and in a lab can kick back with their legs and pull their antennae back, pulling them straight out of the water for a distance a few times their body length. Radical! Vaccinating Men (http://www.bu.edu/news/2012/03/13/study-finds-providers’-attitude-toward-vaccinating-young-males-against-hpv-may-challenge-implementation-of-new-recommendations/) A study of health care providers in the Boston area proved that most would suggest male vaccination for HPV, but only 3% of them offered it. Will men be willing to get a vaccine for something that effects their sexual partners, but not themselves? How biologist kill (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17386764) A herpetologist was devastated to find a species of Newt he had previously discovered being sold in marketplaces as pets. Would it be right to withhold information from the public about new species in order to protect them? World Robot Domination!!! (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-jellyfish-latest-ocean-powered-robot-video.html) The immortal robojelly? American researchers have created a "robojelly." It mimics the movement of a jellyfish in water, and runs off of chemical reactions on its surface. It could potentially never run out of energy, as long as it stays in water. If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:06:07 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/21/1104/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/21/1104/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:29:45 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1104 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/21/1104/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS TWIS Gets Bony: Microraptor Feathers, New Humans, And Cloning The Mammoth; An Interview With Dr. Valerie Weiss About 'Losing Control', And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) TWIS Gets Bony: Microraptor Feathers, New Humans, And Cloning The Mammoth; An Interview With Dr. Valerie Weiss About 'Losing Control', And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! There is a question that has persisted since the beginning of mankind’s ascendance to planetary dominance of the earth… Where did we come from? Were we forged from earth itself, a mix of existing chemicals that came together in just the right way? Did we drop not so gently from the sky as hitchhikers on a comet, or were we placed here by the whim of some bored but somewhat benevolent deity? As we have peered back into the mists of time we clever humans have found many clever ways to extract answers we never could have guessed at the start… The path of our past can be traced back in an almost unbroken thread all the way to the beginnings of life on earth… which still leaves some questions ultimately unanswered. And looking back we discover not only our own history, but now we are finding more and more evidence that we humans weren’t the only form of humanity that has been on this journey… we can say with unflinching certainty that there were other species of humans who shared all but a brief moment of our history, and have some histories all their own. Of all the creatures that have lived and passed into extinction, there are perhaps none more fascinating, none more revealing of our place upon the earth than those of other humans, the many evolutionary cousins who looked like us, mastered tools, and fire and crossed seas like us… who had traditional burials, language, art, and must have cared for their young much like we do today… and they very nearly made it to the modern age with us… yet for unknown reasons, they vanished from the earth… or did they? Looking for hidden human histories and other tales of wonder all ahead on This week in science… Coming up next. Feathers were for sexy (http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/03/08/dinosaur_feathers_mates/) Microraptor, a four-winged, pigeon-sized feathered dinosaur from about 120 million years ago, most likely had iridescent black/purple feathers. The tail and leg feathers were probably for attracting a mate, and not for flight. In fact, scientists believe they didn't fly at all. Crowded Planet (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/red-deer-cave-people-human-species-chinese-fossils-suggest-article-1.1040183?localLinksEnabled=false) A new species of prehistoric humans has been discovered in East Asia, that most likely lived alongside modern humans. They have been named "red deer cave people," after their apparent favor for venison. To clone the mammoth (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/03/cloning-and-resurrecting-the-mammoth-not-so-fast.ars), or not to clone the mammoth (http://io9.com/5892894/why-is-a-scientific-fraud-helping-spearhead-the-mission-to-clone-a-woolly-mammoth/ )... Russian scientists and a South Korean biotech company have officially teamed up to clone a mammoth by 2017. The processes and personnel involved in the project do not leave many scientists optimistic about the task at hand. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520258068) by David Montgomery We Interviewed Dr. Valerie Weiss about her film 'Losing control' Dr. Valerie Weiss quit her time in a laboratory to become a film director. Her new film, "Losing Control," debuts around the country starting March 23rd. The film is about a female scientist and her troubles separating the scientific method in a lab from the unscientific method of love. If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:11:22 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/14/1099/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/14/1099/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:00:27 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1099 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/14/1099/feed/ 1 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Dark Matter Conundrums, Peeking At Antimatter, Gorilla Genes, Leopard Poop Tales, Bad Bird Behavior, Eradicating HIV, Fossil Worms, Computer Lie Detectors, Spider Strings, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Dark Matter Conundrums, Peeking At Antimatter, Gorilla Genes, Leopard Poop Tales, Bad Bird Behavior, Eradicating HIV, Fossil Worms, Computer Lie Detectors, Spider Strings, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! This week in science… Coming up next. Dark matter conundrums (http://www.sfsu.edu/news/2012/spring/36.html) San Francisco State researchers have observed galaxies moving through one-another. Dark matter concentrates in the center of these galaxies, but no one is clear as to how it got there... Taking a look at antimatter (http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/03/07/measure-antiatom/) - The ALPHA collaboration at CERN (http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2012/PR06.12E.html) has successfully trapped antimatter, which means they can now experiment with it. Does antihydrogen act the same as hydrogen? Gorilla Genes: (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-gorilla-genome-sequenced.html) The last genus of great apes has finally been decoded. While we share a higher percentage of DNA with chimpanzees, some of our genes are more similar to gorillas than chimps. When you can't catch an animal, just look at its poop! (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032104) Through DNA coding of Snow Leopard feces, we can clearly identify what they are eating. This could help with future conservation efforts. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'A Planet of Viruses' (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo11461703.html) by Carl Zimmer Bad bird behavior (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/03/07/3447555.htm) Coracias garrulous, a.k.a. the Eurasian roller, has a very unusual defense strategy. Babies will vomit on themselves to scare away predators. If the parents smelled vomit when they returned to the nest, they acted more cautious as they approached. Eradicating HIV (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-drug-purge-hidden-hiv-virus.html) Hidden HIV was successfully eradicated at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill using a drug usually implemented to treat lymphoma. This could potentially remove HIV completely from a patient - a cure, at last? Fossil worms (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/03/06/3446639.htm) We came from worms! Scientists have found a worm fossil that is the first with a notochord and myomeres - the most primitive chordate. This worm gave way to all vertebrates, and therefore, humans. Computerized Lie Detectors (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=automated-lie-detection) Can computers tell if you're lying? Through tracing eye movements, a new software can detect who is telling the truth with over 80% accuracy. Will society break down without liars? Spider strings (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17232058) A Japanese researcher twisted thousands of strands of golden orb weaver spider silk to make violin strings. If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:06:24 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1101/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1101/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:53:45 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1101 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1101/feed/ 1 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1097/ http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1097/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:25:02 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1097 http://www.twis.org/2012/03/13/1097/feed/ 1 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,This Week in Science,TWIS Elsevier Jumps, Antimatter Hunt, Neander Pirates, Asteroid Itokawa Update!, New Improved Marijuana, TWIWRD, Hunting Ancient Ohio'ns, An Interview W/ Carl Zimmer About Viruses, And Much More! (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Elsevier Jumps, Antimatter Hunt, Neander Pirates, Asteroid Itokawa Update!, New Improved Marijuana, TWIWRD, Hunting Ancient Ohio'ns, An Interview W/ Carl Zimmer About Viruses, And Much More! Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! The greatest moments in scientific history occurred first in the mind of a child. It is in the moment of recognition… A thrilling excitement of the mind while viewing something you know to be truly new… A hypothesis followed that works itself out on paper, and again in the lab, or in the stars… An observation that unlocks the inner workings of a world who’s locks have been picked at for generations… It is our never ending novelty of new-ness, and the exhilaration of discovery that keeps the human mind searching for more knowledge… It is a natural curiosity of the human spirit that we are born with… As infants immersed in a continual state of fearless exploration … Of constant discovery and expanding recognition. So much information is acquired seemingly effortlessly in such a short period of time, and again and again as we race towards adulthood… that it is impossible to separate our humanity from the pursuit of knowledge… The nature of our vitality is so rooted in our infant curiosity… that without it… if we lose the desire to know more… we fail to measure up to courage of a child. And brave children are we all Here on this week in science Coming up next Following the news... Elsevier abandons (http://the-scientist.com/2012/02/28/elsevier-abandons-anti-open-access-bill) RWA: Elsevier no longer supports the Research Works Act, which reverts the requirement that research funded by public funds be freely available to the public. This is a big win for open science! Search for Missing Antimatter (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17200308): Where is all the antimatter? There should be matching numbers of matter and antimatter particles, but there appears to be an asymmetry. New research has suggested that antimatter decays faster than matter, causing the imbalance that allows our universe to exist. Neander Pirates! (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-evidence-neanderthals-boats-modern-humans.html) Neanderthals may have sailed the salty seas 50,000 years before modern man. Neanderthal tools have been found in conspicuous locations that could most likely only be reached by boat. Asteroid Itokawa Update (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/hints-of-a-violent-solar-system-from-asteroid-itokawa.ars ) - This asteroid's size gives it a small gravitational pull, which allowed scientists to pull samples from it but orbiting equipment around it. It turns out Itokawa has seen a lot of action - they found fracture points, melted areas, and puncture sites. This asteroid is quite the battle-worn soldier! New, Improved Weed! (http://www.livescience.com/18762-marijuana-impairs-memory.html) Can we make marijuana more memory-friendly? It turns out that weed's medicinal property is unrelated to its memory-deficient property, and that it might be possible to develop pot that works medicinally without memory-loss side-effects. This Week in World Robot Domination! Pop-up Robots (http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news-events/press-releases/pop-up-flying-robots) Are On the Way! Inspired by pop-up children's books, engineers at Harvard have created rapid-fabrication processes for microbots and other electromechanical devices. Hunting the Ancient Ohioans (http://cmnh.org/site/AboutUs/PressRoom/2012/mar12redmond.aspx) Scientists have found the earliest evidence of prehistoric hunting in Ohio. Ancient Ohio'ns could have hunted giant sloths, indicated by slash marks on sloth bones around 13,000 years old. Did people cause the extinction of Ice Age animals like the giant sloth or mammoth? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:26:56 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/29/1093/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/29/1093/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:31:50 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1093 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/29/1093/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/28/1091/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/28/1091/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:26:29 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1091 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/28/1091/feed/ 4 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Not So FTL, Scientist Comes Clean, Exercise Is good, Moon Volcanoes And Stretch Marks, Super-Earth Sauna, Mars Quakes, Old Earth, Storms Get Upgraded, Alex Lives, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Not So FTL, Scientist Comes Clean, Exercise Is good, Moon Volcanoes And Stretch Marks, Super-Earth Sauna, Mars Quakes, Old Earth, Storms Get Upgraded, Alex Lives, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! The following hour of programming is brought to you by Scientists everywhere who’s motto is... Science! It’s what we do… And by the fine folks who formulated your education who if they had a motto my go something like Teaching you… is what we do. And by the Universe… who’s motto we are still attempting to figure out even though it is written everywhere we look… And by the collective consciences of carefully acquired knowledge over the ages, which would like to remind you that what you know… is all in your head. Special contributions to todays show were provided by you the listening audience… Without you, there would be no justifiable way for me to talk in this announcer voice… Many more than mentioned had measurable impact on what lays ahead, but there’s no time to mention them now… This week in science… Coming up next. Following the news... Maybe not so FTL (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/faster-than-light-neutrino-result-apparently-a-mistake-due-to-loose-cable.ars): It turns out that the "faster than light" neutrinos were not quite as speedy as previously recorded. A loose cable may have effected the atomic clock used to measure the neutrinos' speed. However, there is still a chance that the results were accurate, so further experimentation, as always, will help tell the tale. The source of the "leaked" documents from the Heartland Institute (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2012/02/22/dot-earth-more-a-climate-campaigner-who-his-judgment-blinded-he-says-tricked-heartland-institute/) has been revealed. Peter Gleick, a hydrologist and climate analyst, has come forward, and most certainly sacrificed his career, in order to expose the Heartland Institute's plan to inject climate change skepticism into our schools' curricula. C. albicans, a fungus, has figured out how to hitch a ride (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-potentially-deadly-fungus-body-defenses.html)with host immune signaling molecules, so that it can navigate through and tolerate and active immune system. It can even "eavesdrop" on communication within the host's immune system, so it knows when and where to settle. Exercise and the brain (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/how-exercise-fuels-the-brain/): A new study out of Japan showed that exercise lowered stores of glycogen in the brain in rats. However, when they exercised on a regular basis for four weeks, food right after exercise went straight to their head. Brain carbo-loading... does regular exercise followed by a carb-rich snack improve your mental capacity? Exercise and burnout (http://scienceblog.com/52328/burning-calories-at-the-gym-avoids-burnout-at-work/): New research from the Tel Aviv University indicates that a regular exercise regimen improves mental health and prevents "burnout" at work. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'A Planet of Viruses' (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo11461703.html) by Carl Zimmer The same region of the brain that responds to textures when we physically touch things fires when we hear a metaphor (http://news.emory.edu/stories/2012/02/metaphor_brain_imaging/) that involves a textural description. Cool! Did I just do it? Getting Moon-y: Lunar vulcanism (http://www.esrf.eu/news/general/lunar-volcanism/index_html/): There are moonquakes, but why no mooncanoes? Researchers used moon rocks from the Apollo 17 landing to create synthetic moon rocks, and exposed them to tremendous temperature and pressure, as well as x-ray beams. On Earth, magma is lighter than the dense surface, Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:23:52 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1088/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1088/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:33:59 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1088 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1088/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1086/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1086/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:22:16 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1086 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/21/1086/feed/ 1 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub Climate Hubbubbery, Scientists Boycotting Publishers, Shiny Ocean Thermometer, Dancing Bees, Exploding Manure Pits, Dustball Bombs, Nano Trouble, Sloshed Fruit Flies, Fruit Fly Slushies, Pool Life, Plants Get Around, Space Janitors, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Climate Hubbubbery, Scientists Boycotting Publishers, Shiny Ocean Thermometer, Dancing Bees, Exploding Manure Pits, Dustball Bombs, Nano Trouble, Sloshed Fruit Flies, Fruit Fly Slushies, Pool Life, Plants Get Around, Space Janitors, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! What we know of the world has changed very little over the ages… Before we ventured into the sciences as species, we humans were as sure of the world we live in as we are today. We knew that the sun goes up, the sun goes down, tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication… and for hundreds of thousands of years human knowledge about such things changed very little from this… We knew that the sun was warm, the night was dark, and in the night the stars moved across that night sky with deliberate ease… We knew the seasons, the phases of the moon, the migration of animals and the how to make tools from bone, from stone and how some stones when struck together could create sparks sufficient to make fire… We survived this way, grew in numbers and traveled far with a thorough enough understanding of our environment to do so… At some point in history a word was uttered that had no previous definition… The word, most likely first spoken by a child, caused brows to furrow and heads to be scratched… Those who repeated the word were sometimes though mad for doing so… for it was a word so powerful, that it challenged beliefs held for millennia, altered the behavior of entire societies and ultimately became the one word responsible for all science and therefore modern society Of all the words the world has whispered, which word did all of this? “Why” was the word that brought wisdom to the world… And we have asked why so many times over the course of our history that we now have answers to the questions that once went un-asked by our ancient ancestors… and answers to questions they never could have imagined existed. But we are not done yet, in fact we’ve just begun… more words to the why’s ahead on This week in science… Coming up next Climate hubbubbery (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/leaked-docs-heartland-institute-think-tank-pays-climate-contrarians-very-well.ars) Documents from the Heartland Institute were leaked this week that indicated funding from private companies masked under a foundation name. This means that climate research from this Institute may be biased by the funders' agenda. Freedom of information (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/leaked-docs-heartland-institute-think-tank-pays-climate-contrarians-very-well.ars) http://thecostofknowledge.com/ (http://thecostofknowledge.com/) The list of Scientists boycotting Elsevier has grown to over 6,000, and new legislation allowing public access to scientific documents should be coming soon! Shiny ocean thermometer (http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-mother-pearl-tale-ocean-temperature.html) By studying the structure of nacre, or mother of pearl, we can tell what temperature and ocean depth at which it was formed, dating back up to 450 million years. This means we can begin to collect ancient ocean temperatures, from looking at mollusks. Bees dance like their lives depend on it! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16981702) Asian Honeybees shake their abdomens to tell bee-eating hornets that they've been spotted and should "bug off." Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'A Planet of Viruses' (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo11461703.html) by Carl Zimmer Things go boom (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/02/14/the-mystery-of-the-exploding-manure-pits/) Did you know that pig manure pits occasionally explode? Well, it might be a microbe's fault. Even dust can be explosive. Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:08:28 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1082/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1082/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:36:58 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1082 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1082/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1079/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1079/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:14:45 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1079 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1079/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1076/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1076/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:51:52 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1076 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/14/1076/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub Hitting Vostok, End Of The Ice, Hard Wired Addiction, White Zebra Stripes, A Science Boycott, This Week in Corals, Public Political Opinion, Faster, Better, Cheaper Solar, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Hitting Vostok, End Of The Ice, Hard Wired Addiction, White Zebra Stripes, A Science Boycott, This Week in Corals, Public Political Opinion, Faster, Better, Cheaper Solar, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! We live in the present day which by all historical accountings is the most modern, futuristic, technologically advanced, scientifically savvy day ever to dawn on civilization… we also have the best smart phones. And how have we gotten here? Through many yesterdays of dedicated scientists, letting their curiosity lead them beyond what was known already, and into the unknown frontier. By relying on nothing but the evidence produced in experimentation to light their way, to serve as proof of reality, these early pioneers of the present day took bold steps into the unknown, and collectively returned with the modern age. While most of the bounty of science has been embraced with open arms, it’s the oddest collection of studies being held at arm’s length. Evolution Stem Cells Global Warming And while the dumbfounding deniers, the detrimental detractors and the dodgy deteriorators of discussion can use every modern device to spread their messages of misinformation… Taking full advantage of the scientific bounty by way of satellites, radio, television, and the internet… There is one thing that they do not use make their points. They do not use science. they no doubt use cell phones, use plastics, have taken medicine and use electric lights at night... But they do not use science to support their arguments… because that science does not exist. What does exist is on This Week in Science Coming up next Vostok has been hit! (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2012/02/06/bbc-etc-the-race-to-the-bottom-or-lake-vostok-is-not-the-only-game-way-way-down-south-berserk-press-gets-the-story/) Lake Vostok, a giant lake deep below 13,000 ft of ice caps in Antarctica, has been encapsulated for 20,000,000 years. Is there unknown life down there? Russians have been drilling during Antarctic summers for years and finally reached the lake this week. We are all tingling with anticipation to find out which organisms are hiding in this treasure trove! Could it be... Hitler? This week in the end of the ice caps (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10784514) We have lost enough ice to cover the entire US in .5m of water since 2003, or enough to raise ocean levels about .5in. The ice is actually melting a little slower than previously expected, but one would venture to say, it's still not a good thing. Addiction, disease of the brain (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16854593) People may be "hard wired" for addiction: Addicts and their siblings share abnormalities in their fronto-striatal systems. Will this open up new treatment options for drug addicts? Why do zebras have stripes? (http://io9.com/5883219/did-zebras-evolve-stripes-to-avoid-horseflies) It might not just be for camouflage... It turns out that zebras' stripes don't just confuse potential predators - they may also stave off blood-sucking insects! Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'A Planet of Viruses' (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo11461703.html) by Carl Zimmer Science boycott! (http://www.nature.com/news/elsevier-boycott-gathers-pace-1.10010) Approximately 4800 scientists and mathematicians (and counting... gaining around 200 signatures a day) are boycotting the publisher Elsevier. Elsevier has been known to publish scientific research without citing their funding sources, who could indicate bias - these funders are often large pharmaceuticals. Coral news! Escape of the corals... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16843053) Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:13:32 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/13/1069/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/13/1069/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:50:05 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1069 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/13/1069/feed/ 8 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/07/1067/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/07/1067/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:47:57 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1067 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/07/1067/feed/ 2 Carl Zimmer,Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Meat Eating, Facebook Psych, This Week In Castration, Yawns Of Love, Interview w/ Shawn Lawrence Otto Re: Fool Me Twice, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Meat Eating, Facebook Psych, This Week In Castration, Yawns Of Love, Interview w/ Shawn Lawrence Otto Re: Fool Me Twice, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! Like our primitive ancestors of the past, mankind is still hunter gatherer Our past prey was meant to be eaten, to be used as clothing to provide warmth and protection, and along the way we would gather material that could be fashioned into tools for hunting still more prey which we would pursue no matter where the journey took us. In the pursuit of knowledge mankind has traversed many hostile territories, fashioned many tools, and has gathered enough information from our surroundings to protect us from environmental threats both seen and unseen. We have hunted our prey across all landscapes of the earth, under the oceans, in the air and beyond the limit of our atmosphere. We have chased our prey to the moon, to mars, across the milky way, to the most distant galaxy beyond right up the first moments of the big bang We have hunted in the microbial, molecular, atomic and quantum worlds as well. And each week we return to the cave of humanity with a bounty of new beasts to feast upon Here on this week in science, coming up next. What meat do you eat? (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/organic-meat-superbugs/) Well, it doesn't matter. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been found on a frighteningly-high percent of both organic, antibiotic-free meat, and the conventional meat found in stores. We're still not sure where this contamination is taking pace, either. It could be at any point in the line of processing, from the field, to the packaging plant. Facebook Psych (http://techland.time.com/2012/02/02/your-negative-status-updates-rub-people-the-wrong-way-apparently/) Your Facebook friends will like you more if your profile is positive, whereas all of your negative updates tend to rub people the wrong way. Not surprisingly, people don't go on Facebook to get depressed... They say it's voluntary (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16816344)... Male orb-weavers will castrate themselves during mating. Believe it or not, this has several advantages: 1) the male spider is not cannibalized by the female, 2) the male organ serves as plug to block other males from mating with the female, and 3) the organ continues to deliver sperm after copulation has been terminated, increasing the likelihood of passing on DNA. Yawning??? (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-yawn-says-about-relationship) A Yawn really means "I love you." The contagion of yawns between yourself and the people around you indicates emotional closeness between the parties. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'A Planet of Viruses' (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo11461703.html) by Carl Zimmer Interview with Shawn Otto (http://shawnotto.com/), author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. From the Minion Mailbag: "First, I want to say how much I enjoy the TWIS episodes that you and Justin put together... When I heard you begin to describe the "Serial Killer Math" story, I couldn't help but cringe. While the article *sounds* interesting, it's really a terrible conglomeration of bad statistics, crackpot neuroscience, and general silliness on the part of the authors. Dr. Cosma Shalizi, a statistics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has a very readable (and scathing) explanation of Simkin and Roychowdury's error on his blog: http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/weblog/857.html (http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/weblog/857.html ) The short version is that the data is much better fit by a log-normal distribution than a power-law distribution. Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:07:14 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/01/1064/ http://www.twis.org/2012/02/01/1064/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:03:06 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1064 http://www.twis.org/2012/02/01/1064/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub Jumping Neutrons, Trojan Tactics, Avian Illusions, Splitting Bonobos, Atomic X-ray Lasers, Lingering Lineages, Money For Values, Group Think, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Jumping Neutrons, Trojan Tactics, Avian Illusions, Splitting Bonobos, Atomic X-ray Lasers, Lingering Lineages, Money For Values, Group Think, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!! A hundred years ago we thought the universe was a really big place. But we were wrong. As it turns out, what we thought was the universe was but a single galaxy called the Milky Way. Since then we’ve discovered billions upon billions of galaxies And now we know with certainty that the universe is really, really, really, a whole lot bigger than anything we could have previously conceived of and even now that we know the scope of the scale of the thing… it still boggles our ability to comprehend. Seventy sextillion stars in the known universe at present, and by some estimates even this number falls far short of the full accounting… The basis of human comprehension in earth bound terms, is hard wired to conceive of scale in terms of comparisons… a dolphin is big when compared to a mouse, a planet is big when compared to a computer, our solar system is quite massive when compared to a grain of sand… And 70 sextillion solar systems in the known universe makes our solar system but one grain of sand compared to all the grains of sand from all the beaches on planet earth… Or ten trillion stars for every human being alive today. 700 billion stars for every human that has ever lived in the history of the planet. And while the day to day push and pull of our earthly days plays out under but one sun, we can see far beyond our own terms of existence now… and in doing so have unlocked a point of perspective in our thinking is truly beyond compare… The star stuff that we are made of is everywhere, and everywhere is big, even when it’s all in your head here on…This week in science… coming up next... Do neutrons (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27517/) trip the light fantastic? Neutrons might jump between universes. There are ways that we could actually test whether these neutrons take alternate universe vacations, which would potentially indicate existence of other universes. Far out, dude... Trojan viruses (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123712.htm) Trojan horse tactics have been discovered in viruses against bacteria. Viruses trick bacteria with what looks like a gift, but is actually a copy of their own genes to duplicate. They are then destroyed after the job is done. Harsh, but effective - not unusual for a virus. Dating trickery (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/01/bowerbirds-woo-mates-with-a-lot-of-effort-and-a-little-illusion.ars) Great bower birds from Australia have a very specific way of organizing their trinkets within the avenue of their bower. It appears that they orient the stones from smallest to largest, to create an optical illusion. There is an almost perfect correlation between mating success and the smoothness of the gradient of the orientation of the stones. Are the girls getting confused, impressed, or hypnotized by this parlor trick? Bonobo (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tame-theory-did-bonobos) tame thyself What led to the split between bonobos and their close cousin (and ours), chimpanzees? The differences between the two species are paralleled by the differences between domestic and wild animals. A new theory states that an environmental divide could have caused a large variance in environmental pressures which in turn resulted in different social behaviors that affected mating choices. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'Fool Me Twice' (http://shawnotto.com/foolmetwice/) by Shawn Lawrence Otto. I've got... an atomic x-ray gun (https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2012/Jan/NR-12-01-05.html )... In 1967, Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:13:29 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/25/1059/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/25/1059/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:08:20 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1059 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/25/1059/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/24/1046/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/24/1046/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:46:30 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1046 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/24/1046/feed/ 6 Dr. Kiki,Eugenie Scott,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,NCSE,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science Serial Killer Math, Permafrost Problems, Happy Meals?, Snake Senses, Creepy Cold Fingers, Interview W/ Eugenie Scott From NCSE, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Serial Killer Math, Permafrost Problems, Happy Meals?, Snake Senses, Creepy Cold Fingers, Interview W/ Eugenie Scott From NCSE, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer. Disclaimer!!! This week in science… coming up next... The math of a serial killer (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27497/) UCLA scientists have analyzed the behavior of a serial killer in the Ukraine - they believe that a pattern in neuron firing influenced the timing of his murders. When new serial killers are discovered, can we predict when they will murder again? Permafrost Problems (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-permafrost-loss-worse-climate-peril.html) Carbon Dioxide and Methane were found trapped in permafrost - as the polar ice caps melt, more greenhouse gasses will be released into the atmosphere. happy meals Blair's Animal House Two stories this week about animals! Energy Conservation tactics within extreme feeding adaptations in: Snakes (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16580969) Snakes can sense their prey's heartbeat, so they can acquire their food with as little strength and time of constriction as possible. And Aye-Ayes (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16577537) Aye-Ayes can restrict blood flow to those creepy extra-long middle fingers when not in use, so as to reduce heat loss through the large surface area of the digit. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'Fool Me Twice' (http://shawnotto.com/foolmetwice/) by Shawn Lawrence Otto. Interview with Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education (www.ncse.com) - NCSE tackles Climate Change (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/01/science-education-group-decides-its-time-to-tackle-climate-change.ars) - NCSE is known for its defense of evolution-inclusive science curricula, but recently announced that they are expanding their assistance to cover climate change. NCSE hired some climate scientists to help them in their quest to spread "good science," and they hope to bring scientific literacy to youth in the US. Unfortunately, there are people who would like to push forward bills that would prohibit or inhibit the instruction of climate change in schools. Science alone cannot stop climate change, so we need more people to believe and understand the issue in order for them to help initiate change. Best of luck to NCSE! If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:05:31 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/19/1042/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/19/1042/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:07:50 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1042 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/19/1042/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub TDR TB!, Frying E. Coli, Food In Science, Extreme Caffeine, Extinct Tortoises Exist, Protein Resurrection, Lots Of Stars, Cheap DNA Sequencing, Andromeda Up Close, Guns And A-holes, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) TDR TB!, Frying E. Coli, Food In Science, Extreme Caffeine, Extinct Tortoises Exist, Protein Resurrection, Lots Of Stars, Cheap DNA Sequencing, Andromeda Up Close, Guns And A-holes, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer. Disclaimer!!! The world as we know it is not the world as it is but the world as we have learned it This learning of the world which we people engage in comes in several basic forms which can then be sub-categorize-able and infinitely cross referenced throughout a lifetime Pulling from memory, from experience, from structured study, from second hand here-say, and from circumspect suspicion of nostalgic superstitious notions… we form knowledge of the world. Making how we learn as important as what we learn… Over many tens of thousands of years we humans have been learning and this has led to many interesting conclusions, almost all of which had to be proven wrong in order for the right answers to be found… And finding the right answers became the passion and purpose of generations of scientists, working out the facts, trimming off the false… Until we reached the modern age of knowing the world! A world that still has as much room for exploration as there are minds ready to explore it… And if this wasn’t enough, we have discovered that for every one of the 70 sextillion stars in the newly known universe, there are several more worlds in orbit around them… It seems the work of knowing about a world… has just begun Just like this week in science… coming up next TDR TB! (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/invincible-tb-india) WHO found drug resistant TB last spring. Predicted 2 million cases of MDR (first-choice drug resistant) and XDR (resistant to three first-line drugs) by 2012. Instead, we've now found TDR TB... that is to say, totally drug resistant TB. Frying E. coli (http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120112/Low-voltage-alternating-current-can-effectively-eradicate-E-coli-on-beef.aspx ) "A short burst of low voltage" could kill even large amounts of e. coli in meat that has been contaminated. The method promises a way to sterilize beef without harsh chemicals. Could this be used for other hazardous bacterium in other food products? Food in Science... Cheese (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/01/10/captive-cheese-fungus-gobbles-up-spills-forming-a-living-self-cleaning-surface/) The fungus on cheeses with thick rinds could be isolated to coat household surfaces to keep it clean. Cheese-counter, anyone? Salmon (http://www.gizmag.com/salmon-dna-data-storage-device/21027/) Isolated DNA from Salmon could be used as "memory/data storage." What other examples of food being used in science do you know about? Let us know! Email me at kirsten@thisweekinscience.com or post a comment on our website. Extreme caffeine (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lifestyle/Wellness/Coffee-drinkers-less-likely-to-have-Type-2-diabetes/Article1-796123.aspx) A new study shows that people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day have a 50% less chance of developing Type II Diabetes. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Are you reading along with the TWIS Bookclub? This month, check out 'Fool Me Twice' (http://shawnotto.com/foolmetwice/) by Shawn Lawrence Otto. Finding extinct tortoises (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/01/09/genetic-footprints-of-extinct-giant-tortoises-offer-hope-for-resurrection) A thought-to-be-extinct lineage of Galapagos Tortoise has been found again! That-is, one-fifth of all Galapagos tortoises sampled had DNA from this lineage. In fact, the DNA from many of the tortoises indicated they were first-generation hybrids, so these tortoises should still be around (even though we can't find them), as they live around 150 years! And, ancient molecules Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:10:44 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/11/1039/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/11/1039/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:02:36 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1039 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/11/1039/feed/ 6 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub Happy New Science Year!!! Celebrity Science Stumbles, TWIS Recaps 2011 Predictions, Predicts 2012, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Happy New Science Year!!! Celebrity Science Stumbles, TWIS Recaps 2011 Predictions, Predicts 2012, And Much More... Disclaimer, Disclaimer. Disclaimer!!! Swaddled in election year politics, Nursing on the bosom of post war recovery The newborn year has arrived And the future looks bright by the light of those eyes… Even with a diaper full of debt The new year offers new opportunities to engage in humanity's most sacred of duties. To learn… to teach what we have learned… and to pursue new knowledge For just like a newborn baby, knowledge is a living thing. And just like human reproduction, knowledge must constantly be reproduced in order to survive. It must be communicated in order continue, encouraged in order to grow, and performed in order thrive. When we do this, the knowledge of one becomes the knowledge of the many. There is then no greater principal we can aspire to than this. To produce more than we consume. It is a method and model of intellectual sustainability that we seek to engage in each week here on This week in science… coming up next. Some celebrity science stumbles (http://www.senseaboutscience.org/news.php/225/celebrities-and-science-2011) We also recapped our 2011 predictions (http://www.twis.org/2011/01/12/804/)... just how well did we do??? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! We predict the science for 2012! Let us know what you think below... If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:03:57 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/06/1033/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/06/1033/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:51:49 +0000 Richard Baker http://www.twis.org/?p=1033 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/06/1033/feed/ 0 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/01/1027/ http://www.twis.org/2012/01/01/1027/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:00:50 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1027 http://www.twis.org/2012/01/01/1027/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Merry TWISmas And A Happy New Year! TWIS Recaps The Top 11 Science Stories Of 2011... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Merry TWISmas And A Happy New Year! TWIS Recaps The Top 11 Science Stories Of 2011... Disclaimer, Disclaimer. Disclaimer!!! On this week's show: we have 11 stories. The science stories that we feel are the cream of the crop from the past year... the TWIS Top 11. Number 11: - Quantum teleportation (http://scienceblog.com/44589/quantum-teleporter-breakthrough/) - entanglement (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-vibration-entangled-diamonds.html) - light (http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110603/full/news.2011.346.html) from nothing Number 10: - The fight against aging (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/07/27/memory-improves-when-neurons-fire-in-youthful-surroundings/), or The year of the vampire (http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2011/august/aging-brain.html) Number 9: The fight against diseases!!! - HIV antiretroviral (http://the-scientist.com/2011/12/23/hiv-study-named-years-best/) treatment - Malaria vaccine (http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/health/trial-malaria-vaccine-africa/index.html) - MIT universal (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/antiviral-0810.html) virus cure - avian flu fiasco - Black death bacteria identified Number 8: - Fracking Number 7: Taking a new look - The Big Splat - Dark (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/05/more-hints-of-dark-matter/) matter (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/08/the-now-you-see-it-now-you-dont-nature-of-dark-matter.ars) - New standard (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27195/) candle - hayabusa Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Number 6: - robots replacing us (Watson (http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2011/02/creators-watson-has-no-speed-advantage-as-it-crushes-humans-in-jeopardy.ars), lab AI (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/02/15/3139520.htm), hypothesis generator) - or, the robots will be us - - carbon nanotubes (http://scienceblog.com/44614/researchers-create-functioning-synapse-using-carbon-nanotubes/) make synapse… bionics… Number 5: - Humans did it - - microbiome Number 4: The Earth... - Arctic sea ice loss - Extreme weather Number 3: - LHC finds a particle … and the search for the Higgs - Trapping antimatter Number 2: - Potentially FTL neutrinos Number 1: Planets - Kepler and Earthlike (potentially habitable) planets - Mercury Messenger - New Dawn If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:10:52 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/27/1025/ http://www.twis.org/2011/12/27/1025/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:29:50 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1025 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/27/1025/feed/ 9 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Merry TWISmas!!!, LHC Finds Chi, Fluoride Fighters, Neti Dangers, Maggot Medicine FTW!, Buffed Mole Rats, Techie Devices, Universal Validation, RNA Magic, Floating Drugs, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Merry TWISmas!!!, LHC Finds Chi, Fluoride Fighters, Neti Dangers, Maggot Medicine FTW!, Buffed Mole Rats, Techie Devices, Universal Validation, RNA Magic, Floating Drugs, And Much More... Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer! 'Twas the night before Twismas, when all thro' the house, Many studies were stirring, even one on a mouse; The stories were stacked by the webcam with care, In hopes that their moment soon would be there; The minions were nestled all snug in their beds, While science-y visions danc'd in their heads, And Kirsten with her baby, and I with my pabst, Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap- When out on the internet arose such a clatter, I sprang from my slumber to see what was the matter. Away to my windows I flew like a kite, Clicked open the browsers, and signed into my skype. The tweeters were a twitter, the inbox was full Facebook was liking it, Google was too According to NASA, something new had appeared A satellite tracking of a sleigh and rein-deer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I thought for a moment it must be a trick. For much faster than photons this UFO came, And whistled, and shouted, and call'd out by name: "Now! Copernicus, now! Newton, now! Einstein, and Bohr, "On! Darwin, on! Huxley, on! Watson and Crick; I read he exclaimed this, then I got a text Happy Twis mas to all from this week in science… coming up next LHC finds Chi particle (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-12/22/lhcs-first-new-particle) fluoride resistant (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-scientists-bacteria-toxic-flouride.html ) bacteria Why Neti Pots Are Bad (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/2011/12/21/the-return-of-the-brain-eating-amoeba-neti-pot-edition/) For Your Brain Medical maggots (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-french-maggots-wounds-faster-surgery.html) Naked mole rats feel no pain when exposed to acid (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/acid-inhibits-naked-mole-rat-acid-sensors-instead-of-activating-them.ars) Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Techie devices (http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2011-12-22/researchers_develop_optical_device_for_on-chip_communication.html) Validating the universe (http://www.interactions.org/cms/?pid=1031333) RNA (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-cad-type-tools-rna.html) to DNA Drugs (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/19/cocaine-concentrations-in-the-air-above-italian-cities-correlate-with-drug-use/) In the Air (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/illegal-drugs-air-quality/) Hormones make women more sensitive (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/12/15/ncbi-rofl-the-cutest-little-baby-face-a-hormonal-link-to-sensitivity-to-cuteness-in-infant-faces/) to cute babies If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:05:11 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/23/1022/ http://www.twis.org/2011/12/23/1022/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:30:45 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1022 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/23/1022/feed/ 4 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Hiding Higgs, Fracking Up The Water, Science 8-Ball, PTSD Shot, Spider Science, Chest Waxers Beware, Ant Warfare, Sheep Politics, Tetrapod Trickiness, A Mini Stirling, And Much More… (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Hiding Higgs, Fracking Up The Water, Science 8-Ball, PTSD Shot, Spider Science, Chest Waxers Beware, Ant Warfare, Sheep Politics, Tetrapod Trickiness, A Mini Stirling, And Much More… Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer Look! at the world we live in Consider the history of human advancement across the ages, Tremendous progress over thousands of years, against great odds and overwhelming opposition Progress which pales in comparison to the drastic changes over the last hundred years, over the last ten years, or sometimes the great changes can even take place between episodes of this show…. Ask yourself, In a world like this, with people like us, is anything impossible? Nothing can be unachievable by a people who have achieved such greatness over and over again. Yes there are politics, yes there is a recession, yes mans inhumanity to man continues… Times are tough, but they’ve been tougher. The road ahead looks rough, but it’s looked rougher And with our look back in time, We can see what mysterious force of in history unlocked in the modern age that put such distance between the promise of the present and the struggles of the past… We can see it then and watch it now, as it continues to shape the future civilization here on… This week in science… coming up next Still no Higgs (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/possible-higgs-boson-signals-but-we-wont-know-for-sure-until-next-year.ars)... Fracking water (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/how-the-epa-linked-fracking-to-contaminated-well-water.ars) Fracking wells (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/science/some-blame-hydraulic-fracturing-for-earthquake-epidemic.html?_r=1&ref=science) New research tool to accelerate correlative (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/hu-tdp121611.php) data studies A PTSD (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-12/can-single-injection-cure-symptoms-post-traumatic-stress-disorder) shot??? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Spider (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/15/study-each-hair-on-a-spiders-body-is-an-ear/ ) science (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/12/14/little-spiders-have-huge-brains-that-spill-into-their-legs/) Democracy for the Sheeple (http://www.mpg.de/4726963/crowd_followers_democracy ), by the Sheeple Protect against bedbugs (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/12/14/ncbi-rofl-chest-waxers-beware-body-hair-protects-against-bedbugs/)... grow hair! Chemical (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/15/look-no-hands-ants-kill-termites-with-airborne-chemical-weapons/) warfare in Antville! Tracks of tetrapods (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/devonian-era-lungfish-may-have-faked-us-out-left-tetrapod-like-tracks.ars) Shrinking the Stirling (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/scientists-shrink-a-stirling-heat-engine-to-single-microscopic-particle.ars ) engine If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:00:33 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/21/1020/ http://www.twis.org/2011/12/21/1020/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:20:51 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1020 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/21/1020/feed/ 4 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Arsenic Bacteria Genome, Cheap Solar, Touchy Feely Chimps And Rats, Bad Science, Thank You Video Games, Mammoth Cloning, Inheriting Worms, Old Marbles, Vaccines, Vitamins, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Arsenic Bacteria Genome, Cheap Solar, Touchy Feely Chimps And Rats, Bad Science, Thank You Video Games, Mammoth Cloning, Inheriting Worms, Old Marbles, Vaccines, Vitamins, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer Science rewards the scientist with great personal satisfaction. The labor of learning is a labor of love, and those that make further discovery find the greatest satisfaction in what was already a rewarding endeavor. When first announced, new discovery can be met with tremendous resistance from the general public. Fear of the unknown presuming unknown danger, or fear of real danger, ignoring potential benefits. This has happened often enough throughout history that we can wonder how many times fire must have been discovered by some happy inventor… Only to have it stamped out by the feet of fearful cavemen thinking some evil spirit had been released But as time passes the unknown becomes the ordinary. Eventually they accept fire as fire, and move on to worshiping the shadows at the back of the cave wall Those who benefit from the warmth and light of scientific labor know little of the long hours of work, or the great joy and triumph of discovery and so …value it as ordinary As though all the scientific discovery of the past centuries was inevitable, as if knowledge simply leaks out into the world through an eventual randomness of time. But it simply is not so. It requires the dedication and knowledge of scientists across the globe to make progress happen. Without this hard work we couldn’t even have something as simple as… This Week in Science… Coming up next. Arsenic Bacteria (http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/12/genome-of-controversial-arsenic.html) genome (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2011/12/02/happy-birthday-arseniclife/)? Solar power (http://www.queensu.ca/news/articles/solar-power-much-cheaper-produce-most-analysts-realize-study-finds) is cheaper than you think Chimpanzee synesthete (http://www.nature.com/news/the-chimpanzee-who-sees-sounds-1.9541) Empathic (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/rats-show-empathy-will-come-to-the-aid-of-other-rats.ars) rats? The worst (http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/why-arent-we-smarter-already-evolutionary-limits-on-cognition.html) science paper of the year... Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Video games (http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/18763/avatars-develop-real-world-skills.aspx) make kids smarter Cloning (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-12/scientists-world-were-going-finally-clone-woolly-mammoth-weve-been-talking-about) a mammoth (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/12/07/clone-a-mammoth-um-no-not-at-all-likely/)? Worm inheritance (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/07/worms-can-pass-a-trait-down-for-100-generations-without-using-dna/) Vitamin D and MS (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16086004) A vaccine (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16011748) for Ebola A sleeping (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/05/a-sleeping-pill-awakens-some-minimally-conscious-patients/) pill for waking? If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:12:57 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/09/1013/ http://www.twis.org/2011/12/09/1013/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:00:57 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1013 http://www.twis.org/2011/12/09/1013/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Flu In The Lab, Red Matter, Flavor Networks, Making The Earth Move, TWIThe End Of The World, Worms In Space!!!, Oak Ridge Shorties, Sex On The Brain, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Flu In The Lab, Red Matter, Flavor Networks, Making The Earth Move, TWIThe End Of The World, Worms In Space!!!, Oak Ridge Shorties, Sex On The Brain, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! The modern age has been brought to you by knowledge … We didn’t invent this modern age, and we don’t own the knowledge that made it possible. We owe our place in this world to the knowledge that has been lent to us over many millennia… It is on loan to us from the past, and we must repay it with interest. Interest in physics… interest in biology… Interest in human health… Interest in engineering… art and design Interest in literature… philosophy and democracy Interest in math, language, and cosmology We must take serious interest in our own education, as a sacred duty to the past and future generations of this earth. We are uniquely situated in the present day, as were past generations in their present days past… For like them, we too are at the pinnacle of all human history… They took that opportunity to push us forward into the modern age. To unlock the secrets of the atomic building blocks, to cure diseases and improve our standard of living, to launch us into orbit, take us to the moon, explore the solar system and universe beyond They invented the automobile, the satellite, the space shuttle and the hubble telescope. They invented the telephone, the radio, the television, the computer and microwave oven. They cured polio, chicken pox, small pox, measles, mumps, diphtheria and typhoid fever… We have their hard work to thank for where we are today, not our own. And in the interest of honoring the great minds that moved us forward and the tradition of hard work and dedication to the future we offer you… This Week in Science… Coming up next. Flu (http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/nov1711board.html) in the lab (http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/11/scientists-brace-for-media-storm.html?rss=1). Want more on this story? Check out TWiV (http://www.twiv.tv/2011/11/27/twiv-159-flu-gets-the-redd-light/)! Newly discovered red matter (http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2011/pr201133.html) Flavor Networks - http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27372/ Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! The ability to make the earth move (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142245.htm)... with proper lubrication End of the world... Corals (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128132700.htm) and pH Climate (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/11/study-of-the-last-glacial-maximum-suggests-lower-climate-sensitivity.ars) sensitivity (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/11/28/battling-blogs-and-sedate-news-reports-on-new-study-of-climate-sensitivity-or-how-hots-it-probly-gonna-get) Climate perception (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/11/us-public-accepts-climate-consensus-they-just-dont-know-what-it-is.ars) Water, food (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/11/29/wires-un-agency-says-exhausted-lands-water-shortages-threaten-global-food-supply) Durban (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/11/29/lots-of-ink-not-so-much-news-uns-climate-talks-on-in-durban-so-africa-where-to-next) Worms (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15897803)... in space!!! 4 or 5 great short stories out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory Cleavage Wars (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/314880) Naked Brains (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/the-psychology-of-nakedness/) Sex with Neanderthals (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111125-neanderthals-sex-humans-dna-science-extinct/) If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:13:45 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/30/1008/ http://www.twis.org/2011/11/30/1008/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:00:28 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1008 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/30/1008/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Prostate Pill Problems, A Faster Internet, From Whence Came The Gamburtsevs, Dropping The Climate To Sell, Alien Rats, Burning Then Dying, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Prostate Pill Problems, A Faster Internet, From Whence Came The Gamburtsevs, Dropping The Climate To Sell, Alien Rats, Burning Then Dying, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! The universe as we know it now Is not the universe as we once believed it to be It’s bigger… smaller… and much more complex than any of the great cosmic ponderers of the past could possibly have imagined Now, as always, we stand on the brink of history, at the pinnacle of scientific and technological capability… What we will learn in the next wave of scientific discoveries will cover more ground, uncover more mysteries and produce a more detailed picture of the universe than the one we now see… Along the way to this greater discovering, we will encounter strange new possibilities, unintuitive potential universes in a multiverse of time and space probabilities that force us to conceive of our reality as only one amongst many others… as though our entire universe is but a single page of a reference book upon a library shelf surrounded by volume upon volume of cosmic narratives… And then again… if the past has taught us one thing about the universe it is that it has always been strange… Just when you’re sure of one you’ll find it’s gone and made a change… In attempt to keep you in tune with at least one version of reality we bring you This week in science… coming up next Is the pill causing increases in prostate (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15720478) cancer? A faster internet (http://science.energy.gov/news/in-focus/2011/11-15-11/) on the way! Gamburtsev origins (http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/researchers-unravel-origins-antarcticas-ice-covered-mountains) news... not once, but twice! A Frozen Planet treading on thin ice (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8889541/BBC-drops-Frozen-Planets-climate-change-episode-to-sell-show-better-abroad.html)? Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Alien (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15738837) rats... First comes the burning (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/11/the-great-dying-first-it-warmed-then-it-burned.ars), then the dying... And, the pain (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/11/16/coral-snake-venom-pain/). The Leonids (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15775514) are here! If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:11:15 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/25/1004/ http://www.twis.org/2011/11/25/1004/#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:44:59 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1004 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/25/1004/feed/ 0 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Of Monkeys And Men, Mighty Mice, Guts And Brains, Toxo Chem Lab, Predicting Risk, Attention And Vision, Magnetic Moon, You In A Dish, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Of Monkeys And Men, Mighty Mice, Guts And Brains, Toxo Chem Lab, Predicting Risk, Attention And Vision, Magnetic Moon, You In A Dish, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! The lunatics are running the asylum… And while we all may have been assuming the asylum staff would be able to get things back under control, it is quite clear now that the gig of being an asylum staffer was not a career choice, and hardly worth returning to under adverse conditions… that or they have been eaten by the inmates… In any case… The way in which the governments of the world have set their priorities seem to indicate that they have no idea how civilization got where it is today… It was science! Not investment banks that discovered how to harness electricity, how to light our homes, power a motor, and how to build the first computers It was science! Not service providers that unlocked the secrets of gravity, of rocketry, of physics that launched the satellites into space It was science! Not massive media conglomerates that invented radio, television, analog and digital recordings… It is science! That saves us from illness before we get sick and rescues us again when we do… Not health insurance companies or pharmaceutical companies… It is science that has lead the way over and over again throughout human history and it is science in which we must trust to lead us through the current problems we face… But you won’t hear talk like that anywhere other than… This week in science!… coming up next Egalitarian monkeys (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/11/08/3358110.htm) in Brazil... selective advantage for first human colonists (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103143237.htm)... Creating Mighty (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8881342/Scientists-tweak-gene-to-create-mighty-mouse.html) mouse... Does our large brain stem from our guts (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/11/10/3360267.htm)? Toxo (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/2635/brain_parasite_directly_alters_brain_chemistry) alters brain chemistry... Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Computer predicts breast cancer (http://www.nature.com/news/the-computer-will-see-you-now-1.9324) risk... Looking versus seeing (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/11/11/3362282.htm)... Moon's magnetized rocks (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/11/10/3360649.htm)... Pituitary gland (http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/11/pituitary_gland_in_a_dish_make.html) in a dish... If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:10:04 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/09/1002/ http://www.twis.org/2011/11/09/1002/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:37:29 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=1002 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/09/1002/feed/ 5 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Long Live The Mice!, Oh The Climate Is A'Changing, Changing The Rules, Putting Off Inevitability, Memory Doors, Astronaut Eyes, Bacterial Swap Meet, Bacteria Vamps, And Much More… (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Long Live The Mice!, Oh The Climate Is A'Changing, Changing The Rules, Putting Off Inevitability, Memory Doors, Astronaut Eyes, Bacterial Swap Meet, Bacteria Vamps, And Much More… Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! Mice (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/cellular-senescence) living healthier! Justin rants on Chlymatia (http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/11/osu-global-warming-prompts-tree.html), Science (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/w-thc110311.php), and Skeptics who used to be Skeptics (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/opinion/dr-mullers-findings-on-global-warming.html)... One more reason (http://news.discovery.com/tech/one-step-closer-to-borg-111102.html ) to stop climate change. Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Electromagnetism (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/11/02/3353491.htm ) found to vary. Be wary. Higgs (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57317697/higgs-boson-hunt-on-hold-until-2012/) hiding for another year... The brain's rich club (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21117-the-rich-club-that-rules-your-brain.html). Doorway to your memory (http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-walking-through-doorway-increases.html ) Astronaut (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nasa-sponsored-study-describes-how-space-flight-impacts-astronauts-eyes-and-vision-2011-11-03) Eyes... Humans… bacterial trading (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/10/31/our-bodies-are-a-global-marketplace-where-bacteria-trade-genes/) cards Vampire (http://www.livescience.com/16822-vampire-bacteria-genome.html) bacteria If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:16:10 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/01/998/ http://www.twis.org/2011/11/01/998/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:05:31 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=998 http://www.twis.org/2011/11/01/998/feed/ 1 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/26/995/ http://www.twis.org/2011/10/26/995/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:15:13 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=995 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/26/995/feed/ 8 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS A Malaria Vaccine, Gypsy King Ancestors, A Near Miss?, Carbonated Rivers, Not So Faster Than Light?, High On Depression, Math Anxiety, No TV For Baby, New Planets, An Artistic Challenge, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) A Malaria Vaccine, Gypsy King Ancestors, A Near Miss?, Carbonated Rivers, Not So Faster Than Light?, High On Depression, Math Anxiety, No TV For Baby, New Planets, An Artistic Challenge, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! In the following hour you will hear stories that are neither true nor false Neither fact nor fiction Neither six of this nor half dozen of the other Neither concrete, nor abstract nor a hazy concoction of the two as agreed upon by anonymous vote… What you will hear instead is the absolute best guess of what reality has taken place in the past, and what realities we are likely to undergo in the future… This system of gathering from past observations to predict the future is called science And while nothing in science is ever as certain as the whimsical beliefs of mankind… Certainly it has its place as a backup plan for when our ideal world fails to materialize… Though occasionally our whimsical nature is rewarded as we see when we faithfully tune into another episode and find… This Week in Science… coming up next A Malaria Vaccine (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/10/19/experimental-malaria-vaccine-protects-nearly-half-of-children/) On Course to Eradication (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/10/18/malaria-deaths-fell-20-percent-during-last-decade-who-says-world-on-course-to-eradicate-in-the-next/) Gypsy (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2011/111019.htm) King Ancestors A Kraken of a comet (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/17/did-a-fragmenting-comet-nearly-hit-the-earth-in-1883-color-me-very-skeptical/) Carbonated (http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=121994) Rivers Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Maybe Not So Super (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/10/17/superluminal-neutrinos-relativity-theory-rescued-by-relativity-theory/)... Luminal (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/10/19/zippy-neutrinos-yet-another-challenge-no-cerenkov-radiation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zippy-neutrinos-yet-another-challenge-no-cerenkov-radiation) High Praise (http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/emo-11-5-1096.pdf) for Depression Turn Off Your TV - http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/10/its-official-to-protect-babys-brain-turn-off-the-tv.ars New (http://ksjtracker.mit.edu/2011/10/20/time-naturenews-new-scientist-etc-star-swaddled-in-smashed-comets-dust-and-vapor-rain-forecast-for-alien-planet/) Planets (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/20/the-first-direct-image-of-a-baby-planet-being-born-maybebut-probably/) And, Greedy, Party Crashing (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/10/stars-that-shouldnt-be-there-form-by-sucking-not-smashing.ars) Stars An Artistic (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/89/8942sci2.html) Challenge If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:22:03 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/19/993/ http://www.twis.org/2011/10/19/993/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:33:15 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=993 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/19/993/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS A Kraken Tale, Toothy Pterosaurs, Coloring Fossil Moths, Digital Dinos, Black Death Sequenced, Marriage Madness, The Hard Lives of Stars, We Got Muscles, No More Vitamins, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) A Kraken Tale, Toothy Pterosaurs, Coloring Fossil Moths, Digital Dinos, Black Death Sequenced, Marriage Madness, The Hard Lives of Stars, We Got Muscles, No More Vitamins, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! Without a pre amble the post amble can seem pointless And when things seem pointless the problems that face us become too daunting to deal with Things too daunting are ignored or resigned to as inevitable When things are ignored, they are not taught, no teachers, no students, no new thoughts and with no new thoughts, no new solutions are possible… and so the problems continue In science, there is nothing so daunting as having no teachers, no students, and no new thoughts For the problems facing us are not nearly so great as the opportunities for greatness that are going unanswered… Without the questioning minds, there are no questions asked, and no answers found… even though solutions are still required We people are capable of far greater feats of solution finding than we have performed so far And as proof of this, we offer you This week in science… coming up next A Kraken (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/10/the-giant-prehistoric-squid-that-ate-common-sense.ars) of a Tale (http://io9.com/5848192/giant-prehistoric-krakens-may-have-sculpted-self+portraits-using-ichthyosaur-bones) Toothy Pterosaur (http://www.livescience.com/16542-giant-toothed-pterosaur.html) Black holes destroy (http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=34906&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=srs.gs-twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_content=api) stars There's a bounty of failed (http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/main/media-releases/astronomers-find-bounty-of-failed-stars) stars out there Materialism and Marriage (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/byu-cbm101111.php) Black death (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/10/12/scientists-sequence-the-full-black-death-genome-and-find-the-mother-of-all-plagues/) sequenced And, fossil (http://www.insidescience.org/research/fossil-moths-reveal-their-true-colors) moths show some color Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Muscles of the future (http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2011/10/13/ubc-researchers-invent-tiny-artificial-muscles-with-the-strength-flexibility-of-elephant-trunk/ ) Don't take your vitamins (http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsid.1657/news_detail.asp) The LHSee (http://www.stfc.ac.uk/News+and+Events/37666.aspx) Stopping inflammation (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/inflammation-1009.html) If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:05:59 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/12/990/ http://www.twis.org/2011/10/12/990/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:45:03 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=990 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/12/990/feed/ 3 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS,TWIS Bookclub Ignobel Awards, Crab Nebula Calling, LUCO, Icarus Plans, Fins To Feet, Cometary Origins, Pee To Fuel, Happy Hate, Placebo Receptor, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Ignobel Awards, Crab Nebula Calling, LUCO, Icarus Plans, Fins To Feet, Cometary Origins, Pee To Fuel, Happy Hate, Placebo Receptor, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! There are more wrong answers to questions than there are correct ones. On the surface this may seem obvious, but if you drill down a bit you soon discover that it is not only obvious, but also plain to see… That the wrong information is prevalent in absolutely every human endeavor for the unknown itself begins as everything everywhere and only ends in an infinite number of best guesses. It is utterly unavoidable that we must constantly make decisions based on incorrect data derived from poorly constructed questions under less than ideal experimental conditions with insufficient history of past results upon which to base future predictions… And yet… our margin of error ridden decision making has allowed us humans to survive, to multiply and to produce magnificent achievements of the mind, terrific triumphs of technology and irrefutable rationalizations of the physical realities of time and space… And while some will tell you that the old solutions are still the best solutions to our way forward… Others, unsatisfied with simply having it right some of the time, continue to pursue more perfect solutions. Are occupying themselves with the possibilities that were either overlooked or entirely unforeseen… and are challenging the best answers of the past in order to find better ones for the future. For no matter how much ground has been gained from the unknown in the many millennia of human knowledge we must not rest upon the laurels of giants… And remind ourselves that the pioneering spirit of mankind still has an unexplored frontier ahead… For there are still more wrong answers to questions than there are correct ones. Although there is one thing we do know with great certainty… that it is time for This week in science… coming up next Ignobel (http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2011) Awards!!! Crab Nebula (http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22719.aspx) News First common (http://io9.com/5847099/) organelle Flying Closer to the Sun (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15146082) Fins to legs (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/10/05/3332050.htm) Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Water from Comets (http://news.discovery.com/space/comet-hartley-water-111005.html)? Bacteria turns urine (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/10/03/3330834.htm) into rocket fuel Happy people (http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/~feng/papers/mp_11_jf.pdf) more likely to hate Some placebos (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/cannabinoids-placebos-pain/) act via cannabinoid receptors Hey ladies! Make-up (http://the-scientist.com/2011/10/05/makeup-enhances-likability/) makes people like you better. Brain variation (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/10/05/3332673.htm) determines memory accuracy. If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:08:40 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/05/988/ http://www.twis.org/2011/10/05/988/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:57:15 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=988 http://www.twis.org/2011/10/05/988/feed/ 2 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS A New Standard, Hallucinating Personality, Synthetic Brains, Anabolic Mustard, Icebergs Kill Invertebrates, 5 Giants, Justin Gets Embarrassed, The Dead Sea Lives, And Much More... (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) A New Standard, Hallucinating Personality, Synthetic Brains, Anabolic Mustard, Icebergs Kill Invertebrates, 5 Giants, Justin Gets Embarrassed, The Dead Sea Lives, And Much More... Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! New Standard (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27195/) Candle Gravity Clusters (http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/09/galaxy-clusters-validate-einstei.html) for Einstein Fermilab (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-09/fermilab-physicists-will-help-check-revolutionary-faster-light-claim) checking CERN Magic Mushrooms (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/jhmi-sdo092811.php) Change You Synthetic (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-09/israeli-researchers-build-rat-cyborg-packing-digitally-derived-cerebellum) cerebellum Spatial competition in the brain (http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/09/beam-me-up-ratty.html) Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! Natural steroids (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/foas-lwe092911.php) you can buy in your grocery store A home remedy for spinal injuries (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/uok-cus092811.php) Red Wine (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/foas-rwi092911.php) Cures Icebergs (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/09/liberated-icebergs-messing-with-antarctic-biodiversity.ars) and biodiversity A 5th Gas Giant (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-09/lost-planet)? The number one reason people should never trust (http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/28/easily-embarrassed/) Justin New bacterial (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-09/weird-new-forms-bacterial-life-found-dead-sea) life Darker (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27202/) than black If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:07:12 http://www.twis.org/2011/09/27/985/ http://www.twis.org/2011/09/27/985/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:28:14 +0000 Kirsten Sanford http://www.twis.org/?p=985 http://www.twis.org/2011/09/27/985/feed/ 5 Dr. Kiki,Justin Jackson,Kirsten Sanford,news,podcast,radio,science,Stewart Brand,talk,technology,This Week in Science,TWIS Faster Than Light?, Smarty Party, Seagull Poo, Parasite Hacker, What You Eat, DNA Triple Threat, TWIWRD, Nervous Genes, Gaming For Science, And Much More… (http://www.twis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TWIS_podcast_logo-e1277863172926.jpg) Faster Than Light?, Smarty Party, Seagull Poo, Parasite Hacker, What You Eat, DNA Triple Threat, TWIWRD, Nervous Genes, Gaming For Science, And Much More… Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer! If you have not yet heard the news, this announcement may be reaching you too late… While it is likely too late for you to do anything about it, the news is so shocking, so un-paralleled in it awe inducing implications… as to have rendered those with advanced knowledge vaguely helpless and little more than mild panic has occurred in the meantime… The story is that the speed of light might have been broken in a laboratory… and with it, a major pillar of science has cracked and all of physics is now in jeopardy of collapsing around us… While this is a preliminary observation and has yet to be properly vetted, Already we see the effects of this unprecedented paradigm shifting event as NASA satellites, uncertain about the validity of special relativity, have begun plummeting from their orbits in despair… And thought the end of the world as we know it may be at hand… fear not brave minions! For the world as we did not know it is under foot… And in the final analysis, the brave new world we are walking into May not be that much different than… This Week in Science… Coming up next Faster (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44629271/ns/technology_and_science-science/) than light (http://motls.blogspot.com/2011/09/italian-out-of-tune-superluminal.html)? Justin's pro-gifted minds rant Society would benefit from increasing the number of individuals who make path breaking, field-altering discoveries Birds (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/seagulls-resistant-poop/) and Bacteria Toxo un-veiled (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept11/Toxoplasma.html) Get a free audiobook at Audible.com (http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twis)! The history (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/hms-dk091611.php) of (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept11/SiepelMigration.html) mankind ( http://news.ku.dk/all_news/2011/2011.9/aboriginals-get-new-history/) Rice (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-09/we-incorporate-genetic-information-food-we-eat-says-new-study) is in you! TWIWRD - Fingerprints (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27176/) for robots New genes for nerve repair ( http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/uoc--usd092111.php) Gaming (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/19/140606555/gamers-solve-stubborn-viral-mystery-the-shape-of-a-key-enzyme) for Science (http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/zoran/NSMBfoldit-2011.pdf) If you love TWIS, please support us by donating below: Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media no 1:06:10