23 March, 2016 – Episode 559 – This Week in Science Podcast (TWIS)

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Blowing In The Wind, Hansens’s Paper Published, First Light, Toxo Rage?, Invasive Costs, Panda Ears, Stand Up!, Dwarf Space, Bacterial Communities, Make Hearts, Wolfy Hyenas?, And Much More!

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Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer!
What you are about to here is unlike anything else you have ever heard…
We are certain of this for the very inescapable reason that nothing you are about to hear was known before…
This is not a recap, a redux, or reinterpretation of an old formulaic plot line,
archaic theme or out of print fiction magazine…
No…
What you are about to hear is all new…
So new, that much of it is happening now…
So current are the stories…
That there is a chance of getting swept up by them…
So intimately and indispensably involved with our daily lives are the tales to be told,
That there may be tears of fond farewell when it’s over…
But it’s never over…
at least not now it isn’t…
in fact it hasn’t even begun…
Because if it had begun it would make absolutely no sense for me to say
This Week In Science…
Coming Up Next.

Blowing In The Wind
The next 100 years might see a reduced Atlantic dust stream from the Saharan desert as global temperatures climb, and tropical circulation decreases. A recent study looks at the mechanisms for how Sarahan dust gets into the atmosphere in the first place, and at how it has changed over the past century, in order to make predictions about the future.

Hansens’ Paper Published
We reported on it earlier this year, but the paper has finally passed peer review, and predicts much higher sea level rise than the IPCC report mainly due to stratification of cold and warm waters due to ice melt.

First Light
The Kepler space telescope has detected the “shock breakout” of a supernova. This is the first time that we have seen the instant of ignition for the massive stellar explosion.

A parasite that needs no introduction… at it again
This time Toxoplasma gondii is possibly linked to rage.

What is the true cost of an invasive species?
It could be far more than we ever imagined…

Panda ears are much more sensitive than we thought
Their hearing is so good, they hear sounds in the ultrasonic range. The problem is, that means human activity could be disturbing their ability to communicate and breed.

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Stand up or die!
(sitting can kill you)

Ceres Spotlight
A volcanic-looking dome rises from Occator Crater, and indicates recent geologic activity. Also, more in-depth analyses suggest water ice just below the surface and mainly near the poles.

Pluvian Lakes
Frozen lakes of nitrogen on Pluto. Looks like it!

It Takes a village… of bacteria…
Paradigm shift: ‘We need to study lumps of bacteria’

Bacteria In Space
One species of bacteria from Earth grew 60% better on the ISS than every other species.

Heart Repair
A new method looks promising for repairing damaged hearts.

Rats make people depressed
More than crime does.

Rough times make unlikely friends
Wolves and hyenas are traveling together through Israel’s Negev desert, looking for food, alive or dead.

Chemistry Printer!
Print anything on demand? It sure sounds like the beginning of the future.

Cannibalism Killed ‘Em?
A model suggests that Neandertals aided their own demise because they cannibalized themselves to death.

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I'm the host of this little science show.