17 October, 2018 – Episode 692 – This Week in Science (TWIS) Podcast

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My Two Dads, Life Questions, Nervous Stem Cells, Goo For Growth, Blind As A Bat?, Tornado Hurricane, Nicotine Noodles, Dead Rats, Preserve Life Now, Snow Song, And Much More…

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DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER!!!
Regardless of how many people have stated it in the past…
Ignorance is not bliss.
Yes there are things you cannot un-hear
Things you cannot un-see
And yes the world is full of totally regrettable and completely forgettable information…
It may even be safe to say that on any given day
There are more events worth forgetting than remembering.
However…
By having a mind nimble enough to sift through the noisy informational wreckage of a sentient society
Separating the factual from the fictional,
the cement-able concepts from the dreadfully disposable…
Seeking out sources that are soundly scientific
And deep-sixing suspiciously un-skeptical concepts
Are not acts of ignorance…
But acts of reason and rational thought.
These are the actions of an advanced mind.
An advancing intellect.
And there is no more certain sign that you’ve got such a mindful intellect than the act of listening to
This Week In Science…
Coming up next!

My Two Dads
An effort to create embryos from stem cells taken from two male mice was unsuccessful, but teaches us much.

Life Questions
New physical evidence suggests claims of early life from rocks in Greenland might be faulty.

What makes stem cells so nervous?
The nervous system!!!

Goo For Growth
Salivary excretions from carrion beetles restructure the microbial community in decaying corpses, and support growth of beetle young.

Blind As A Bat?
Surprise! Bats have generally good vision, but cave-roosting and echo-location definitely led to tradeoffs in detecting UV light.

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This Week in What Has Science Done for me Lately?!?
“This will be my second “”What has science done for me, lately? contribution.”

I was inspired by your trio of unanimous dishwasher machine adoration in a podcast earlier this year.

I am on the opposite end of the curve from you in that I grew up in a house with a dishwashing machine that I abhorred to such extent that I have not sought to use one as an adult. I wash my dishes by hand and, I feel, I’m extremely water and energy efficient.

I have recently moved to the dry continent of Australia from the verdant Willamette Valley where one had but to lean out one’s door to collect water. Here, where water is scarce, I am abundantly grateful for my science dabblings. I use two buckets for dish washing: one full of water and soaking dishes, the other is rinse water. Easy, water efficient, and, here’s the sciencey part, perfect for watering the garden.

Why? Because I am a kitchen witch and my lotions and potions are all made from mostly food. I make my own cleaning materials, balms, and toothpastes from kitchen cupboard items, so everything in my world is biodegradable, plant and animal friendly, and safe to consume in case one has wee kidlings or pets. I take my two big buckets of food debris and soap water from the sink and use them to feed my herbs and vegetables with zero concern about chemicals that kill. I just made two batches of lye soap, and some jars of beeswax salve to gift for holidays. I even make my own enzyme counter cleaner from citrus peels. I’m so happy that science allows me to take happy, healthy, mostly edible components and, through judicious application of heat and chemical reactions, create safe products that sprang from and are happily returned to our precious Earth.

Thank you, Science!
–MiLady Carol”

Tornado troubles
They are moving East!

Hurricane humblers
Maybe off-shore wind turbines can lessen hurricane effects on land.

Nicotine Nursery
Nicotine leads to behavioral and genetic effects generations down the line.

If You Can’t Quit
There is a solution on the horizon – Enzymes nix nicotine addiction.

Dead Rats
Researchers looked at dead rat remains to understand the differences between country and city rats of long ago.

Preserve Life Now
It will take millions of years for mammals to recover diversity losses that are currently occuring thanks to human actions.

Snow Song
The snowy layer covering the Ross Ice shelf in Antarctica influences the internal vibrations of the shelf, which sound ominous when sped up for us to hear.

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I'm the host of this little science show.