13 July, 2022 – Episode 883 – JWSTOMG!

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This Week: JWST, Gamer brains, Bee Waggle Dances, The anti-science brain, Sarlacc, Ancient Europeans, Foxes, Lice, Dinosaurs, Webbs, And Much More…

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NASA

One of my all-time favorite government organizations.

If you tuned in live as I did to see the first color images from the Webb telescope you were treated to a 45-minute countdown clock. Followed by, what I can only remember as three hours of stilted preamble conversations punctuated by poor performances of public speaking mostly by NASA administrators.

A brief mission recap to finally, a color-enhanced infrared image and somebody saying wow a few times followed by an awkward silence before saying wow again the images were absolutely amazing to see!

A planetary nebula and a dying star bubbling and foaming, with jets of material. A captured slice of the cosmos in mind-blowing resolution!

I loved seeing these images, once I awoke from my nap.

There is a lot of pride at NASA for pulling it off but it felt like the lead-up presentation was designed as a sleep aid and I suppose for a scientific government agency doing public media events isn’t supposed to be your strongest point.

But it could be, it should be, it really really needs to be because the mission was an awesome undertaking and the results are amazing.

But next time NASA, if you are doing it in-house, open with astrophysicist Amber Straughn her five minutes were the best. Or get somebody like a Neil Degrass Tyson

My point is NASA administrators are not inspiring sure, they speak the words, like cliff note versions of a Carl Sagan poetic monolog but without the naturally enthusiastic cadence you are administrators, you don’t go into space, you don’t design vehicles, you don’t program software, and you should not be the face of space exploration speaking of people better suited to jobs other than public speaking.

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Some quick science news!

JWST Pretty pictures
The best is yet to come!

Gamer brains are better
Now you can justify playing more!

Using bee waggle dances to give robots a language
Do we want to make it easier for them to communicate? Well too bad…

The anti-science brain
Antiscience views are threatening humanity

Is that a sarlacc or an underground pitcher plant??
The pitcher plant, of course.

Dating Ancient Europeans
More specifically the dating of a tooth

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It’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!

Foxes eat dog poop
And it’s an important part of a balanced breakfast!

Lice evolved with us since the time of dinosaurs
But that doesn’t make me want to welcome them onto my skull anymore…

New small armed Dino on the scene
But there can be only one T. rex!

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What science news does Justin have?

Webbs other superpower
Exo-planets

Don’t look up
Seriously, don’t

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Take a blast to the past…

What were we pronouncing at this time last year? This time last year We discussed Light-Bending Holes, Friend Zone Potential, Conservation Thru Games, Fossilized Ripples, Robot Farms, iAge Immune Clock, Panda Teeth, Busting Bird Traffickers, Changing Language, Multi-Sex Species, Brain Plasticity & Psilocybin, Microbial Moods, And Much More!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed World Gone Viral, California Happy Cows, New Plutonian Moon, Seducing Fireflies, Arsenic Life Update, Breast Size Determination, Brains, TWIWRD, And Much More! Take a blast to the past with TWIS!

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