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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?
Conserve Or Use?, A Second Pill, Catnip Deterrent, Sponge Earth, Shortest Story Ever, Volcanic Effects, Interview with Ms. Adventure Volcano Jess Phoenix, Slug Heads, Frog Lungs, Solitary Science, Helpful Traits, Psychedelic Placebos, And Much More…
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Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!
The planet on which you are standing is likely nothing like what you imagine it to be.
You might have a picture of the ground beneath as being made up of dirt and rocks,
and the occasional blind mole rat kingdom or dinosaur graveyard.
And, if you dig a little, you would have that belief somewhat confirmed.
Dig a little deeper, and you would begin to discover that what you thought of as the earth…
Is but a porous floating crust of firm detritus upon a thick layer of slushy silicate…
A thin film of cooled minerals on a molten substrate.
Descend deep into the earth, and you will find temperatures and pressures
thousands to millions of times what we experience on the surface;
Rewriting everything you think you know about the normal states of matter on earth.
There is a lot more to the earth than what we can see or touch.
It has a diameter of around 8000 miles
Making it somewhere in the 4000 mile range from surface to core.
Yet the deepest hole we’ve ever drilled is a measly 7 and a half miles deep.
It took over 20 years to get that deep, and fun fact,
they were still bringing up plankton fossils half way down,
which either means that the surface of the earth goes through some pretty extreme changes over time,
or burrowing plankton have been mining the planet of all its precious resources
leaving the earth a porous hollow shell about to implode like a Florida sink hole.
And, while it might sometimes surprise us that our planetary arrangement isn’t entirely stable…
It is likewise amazing how stable it can be.
Even more amazing that it’s been around long enough for somebody to invent
This Week in Science,
Coming Up Next…
Let’s start with the science news
Conserve Or Use?
Looking at 62 sites worldwide, researchers publishing in Nature Sustainability find that conserving and restoring nature is often more valuable than converting it for human use.
A second pill
Triptonide, the compound for men.
Catnip – it’s not just for cats!
It’s also for your skin on a hot summer night. Cats love it, mosquitoes hate it!
Sponge Earth
In its early years, Earth might have been covered by enough water to submerge Mt. Everest. If that is so, where did all the water go?
Shortest story ever
We need to do something about health care costs.
Volcanic Effects
As Iceland prepares for a potential volcanic eruption, Mt. Etna rumbles, and Hawaii grows, researchers are looking at the effects that major eruptions have on climate.
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And, now for our Interview!
Volcano Jess Phoenix is a geologist specializing in volcanoes and natural hazards. She is an elected Fellow in The Explorers Club. Jess has performed research around the world, and has worked on projects funded by the United States Geological Survey, National Geographic, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the National Science Foundation, and more. We had her on the show several years ago to talk about the environmental science nonprofit that she co-founded, Blueprint Earth. And, now, she’s written a book…
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It’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!
Slugs chop off heads, then regrow bodies
Yup, that’s it, that’s the story.
Noise canceling lungs, anyone?
Frogs hear lovers call despite the rainforest being insanely loud. In this case, it’s thanks to their specialized lungs!
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What science news did Justin bring this week?
Department of Medieval Torture
Inmates with mental health issues more likely to be put into solitary confinement.
People before nation makes for better neighbors
Nationalistic tendencies don’t lead to helpfulness.
Let’s finish TWIS strong with science from Dr. Kiki!
Psychedelic Placebos
A new study finds no difference in effect between microdosing psychedelics and placebo. But, both led to greater reported well-being.
This Week in Science Questions!
Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions! We will do our best to have answers!
Leave us a message on our Facebook page, OR email Dr. Kiki!
Oh, hey!
Pi Day, Daylight Savings, & Save a spider day all fall on Sunday the 14th. Please, send us pictures of celebrating all three at the same time.
Want to see what we were talking about at this time last year? Check out this episode of TWIS from 2020 for our COVID quiz and conversations about what makes a pandemic, along with a little pillow talk/
You might also enjoy this episode from 2010! We were talking about magnetic field wanderings a decade ago.
I'm the host of this little science show. 
