Don't know what I was thinking with that gaffe, but I swear that I do know and appreciate the difference. Silicon is a semiconductor, which makes it perfect for the uni-directional conduction of electrical signals in circuitry.
Aside from my blatant error on this week's show we also discussed the lack of black holes arising from the Large Hadron Collider. Justin pulled up a story about Neandertal tools in England. We appreciated the novelty of disco robots. The end of the world is being publicized by NASA scientist James Hansen. A caller told us all to go to an anti-aging conference in Los Angeles this weekend. Sand grains in Australia tell an ocean of a story. It seems some birds are dealing with climate change better than others. Leptin could help people keep weight off AFTER dieting. Squirrel females are having lots of sex. Baby crocodiles listen up in the egg. A crazy frog has weapons in its feet. Researchers found that half of the organic chemicals they surveyed share 143 shapes. A common drug might cure some kids of autistic-like disorder. Hungry black holes get fueled by giant collisions. Justin sends you to our forums!
I'm off to Russia for 4 weeks. Hopefully, the internet will maintain my ability to bring you the news from across the globe. Fingers crossed!
Music on today's show was thanks to My Robot Friend, William Grant Preston, and Chuck Lee Bramlet.
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And, hopefully to yours as well. If you are interested in any of the topics brought up on today's episode of TWIS, just keep reading. Justin started it all off with a discussion of life itself. Then we flew to Mars to check out some possible ice. Robots were the next topic on Kirsten's mind. Somehow this led into the health benefits of coffee. Then of course we had to talk about kidney transplants. Finally, we talked about a cell in the eye that might help you sleep at night and wake in the morning.
Dr. Michael Stebbins joined us today with all the Weird From Washington, and boy was there plenty!
Music on today's show was thanks to Prophets of the New Machine, GreyScale, Anton Barbeau, and My Robot Friend.
If you'd rather donate directly to TWIS just click the orange button to the left. There's cool TWIS schwag over there too. Just look. Go ahead. We dare you.
Tired of hearing about salmonella infected tomatoes? Well, today instead of salmonella we discussed E. coli with Carl Zimmer. His new book, Microcosm, delves into the processes that make life possible via a journey into the world of E. coli.
This week's news began with Barn swallows, painted to be exact. Then we moved on to a more cuddly species, the Cuttlefish, which appears to pay more attention than previously thought possible. Moms really need to pay attention to diet. Antarctica experiences ice quakes. Researchers think they are starting to understand the complexity of the human brain. Serotonin influences social responses. Babies aren't so good at keeping cool. And, researchers used cell phones to track a new migrating species... us!
Music on today's show was thanks to The Four Eyes, The Carquinez Straits, My Poor Kevin, and Obka.
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This week on TWIS Kirsten dishes on her work for the Science Channel, the World Science Festival, and all things New York. Justin starts the science off with gutbiotics. Then things go crazy with the dangerous link between cats and dolphins. We discuss the trouble with methane. And, monkey brains become even more interesting. We like the doulas. Mars mars turns out to be briney. A new form of paper made of nanowires makes a great sponge. And, finally, The Weird in Washington with Dr. Michael Stebbins brings you all the politics of science you can bear.
Music on today's show was thanks to My Robot Friend, William Grant Preston, Trebetheric, and Johnny Brickhouse.
If you'd rather donate directly to TWIS just click the orange button to the left. There's cool TWIS schwag over there too. Just look. Go ahead. We dare you.
This week Kirsten was gallivanting and bird-watching in sunny Fort Myers, Florida, while Justin was left behind to push the buttons in the studio. He says he has trouble with the buttons, but really he does a great job all around.
Today's stories included the mouse who knows intimately what it is to be a tiger, genetic sleuthing to find invading species, the impending Mars landing of the Phoenix, tiny layers with big impacts, why the stars just got brighter, more FoldIt, creationism in Brazil, an asteroid with earth's name on it, and The Weird from Washington with our dear friend Dr. Michael Stebbins.
Remember to find us this weekend at the BayCon 2008 science fiction conference in Santa Clara, CA.
We'll both be back in the studio next week.
Music on today's show was thanks to My Robot Friend, Trebetheric, Unbalanced Wheel, and Prophets of the New Machine. All of whom can be found on the 2008 Science Music Compilation, which will be available sometime this summer.
If you'd rather donate directly to TWIS just click the orange button to the left. There's cool TWIS schwag over there too. Just look. Go ahead. We dare you.
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