14 August, 2019 – Episode 734 – What’s that Noise?

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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

Free Will Falters?, First Cells Collaborated, Underwater Neanderthals, Monkey Worry Molecule, Big Frog Nests, Picking Baby Sex, Justin’s Airship Future, Supernova Dust, Plastic Snow, Black Hole Rising, Daddy Longlegs Venom, Feeling Foreshocks, And Much More…

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DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER!!!

Every once in a while it is worth taking a step back from everything going on around you

Everything going on at work

Everything going on in your home life / social life

Everything going on in the news around the country and around the world

Set it all aside for a moment, it’ll be there when you are done here…

Take this moment.

And ask yourself a question…

If I could learn something new, what would I most like to learn about…

And whatever comes to mind, whatever peaks your interest,

Whatever subject occurs to you that you do not know as much as you would like to

Do some digging, some reading, googling, youtubing or do some testing, some experiments…

Feed that curiosity with a bit of research…

The mindset of inquiry isn’t limited to a lab bench or a massive data set

It is something you can take with you anywhere you go

And if you follow where it leads you might just find yourself

Listening to another episode of…

This Week in Science,

Coming up next…

First up, the BIG science news stories of the week!

Free Will Falters?
University of Utah researchers studying the genetics of behavior in mice are using machine learning to find definitive links between genes, actions, and aging.

First Cells Collaborated
Fatty acid membranes are normally disrupted by salts. But, UW researchers discovered that fatty acids are stabilized by amino acids enabling them to form layers of membranes even in the presence of salts that would have made up the early oceans. Could this have been the chemistry that led to early life?

Underwater Neanderthals
Perhaps Neanderthals dove for fish or bivalves.

What makes a monkey worry?
Molecules, that’s what…

And, now it’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!… with Blair!

Largest frog also most nurturing?
The reason for the Goliath frog’s size might just be so they could male a perfect home for their tadpoles! Awww. AHHH!

If you could pick your offspring’s sex, would you?
More importantly, SHOULD YOU???

Support us on Patreon!

This Week in What Has Science Done for me Lately?!?

“I’ve struggled with getting pregnant for almost two years, so I often find myself feeling frustrated with my body and cursing human biology and the seemingly haphazard way that many lucky couples are able to conceive. But recently I’ve started fertility treatment and learning about all of the incredible medical advancements and options for couples like us has been pretty awesome. It feels super encouraging knowing that some really smart people are working hard to develop methods to help me (and tons of other women) start a family. Science gives me hope.
-Kristen”

Let us know what science has done for you lately, and we will read it on the show!

Now, let’s continue with more SCIENCE NEWS!…

Nevermind about flying cars…
It’s time to reignite the future with airships.

Supernova Dust
We could talk about how human-caused climate change is speeding up the melting of West Antarctica, but instead let’s talk about dust particles from a supernova that were found there.

Plastic snow
It’s falling.

Black Hole Rising
Our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole was recently seen to brighten significantly before dimming over a very short period of time, leading astronomers to wonder what could have caused such an event.

Who’s your daddy longlegs??
They’re not so dangerous after all!

Feeling Foreshocks
More earthquakes is actually good news for geo-scientists. A new analysis of Southern California earthquake data finds that nearly 72% of big quakes are preceded by many foreshocks. The data couldn’t identify a prediction template, and 20% of quakes occurred without any apparent foreshocks. But, this analysis potential puts us on a path to finding eventual prediction patterns.

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