24 March, 2021 – Episode 817 – Let’s Talk Science!

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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

Water Worries, Union Economics, Predator Poop, Brain Tumor Vaccine?, Not So Mysterious Human, Anti-Vax Vaccination , Wafting Bee Wings, Bonobo Baby, Brain Pathogens, Bronze Age Grub Hub, Big Brains, Removing False Memories, And Much More…

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Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!
America is getting back to normal…
Nowhere is that more clear than with the recent mass shooting in Colorado.

Since there are tens of millions more guns than people in the United States
I thought we might start the show with a few fun gun facts…
1 – there are around 70 millions more guns than people in the United States.
About ? of Americans own a gun,
which means gun owning Americans are really into owning guns…
In 2018, 73% of homicides were committed with firearms according to the FBI,
And 600,000 violent crimes were committed with a gun.
While the majority of Americans support stricter gun laws according to the pew research folks in 2019 at 60%,
That number is even higher in women who, fun fact…
are three times more likely to be murdered with a gun by an intimate partner than a perfect stranger.
As also reflected in a 2019 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that
showed states with the highest gun ownership had 64.6 percent increased incidence rate
of domestic firearm homicide when compared to states with the least.

And…
gun control laws reduce deaths
Yes…
yes they do…
If you don’t agree with that, it’s not because we have differing opinions,
It’s because you are wrong, and you have not actually taken the time to look into it.
I won’t go through every state
But I will take you to Guns & Ammo’s 2020 Best States for gun ownership:
Guns & Ammo’s annual ranking of gun-friendly states.
Top five gun friendly states?
Arizona, Idaho, Alaska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Who have a combined average per 100,000 residents of 17.2 deaths by firearm in 2019 according to the CDC
Worst gun friendly states?
New york, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and California.
They have a combined average per 100,000 of 4.6 deaths by firearm
So, your chances of death by firearm are nearly 4 times higher in gun friendly states…
According to Guns & Ammo who remind us that guns don’t kill people,
It’s the bullets that do that.
But, what good is one without the other?
Texas and Florida didn’t make the top gun-friendly list,
maybe that’s why they have 12.7 deaths per capita.
Still, that’s more than 4 times the rate of the least friendly state of New York at 3.9.
At the end of the day,
The gun conversation won’t go away, and shows like this that are nothing about guns
Will be forced to talk about it until meaningful reforms are put in place.
And then we can once again focus on more important things like
This Week in Science
Coming Up Next…

Let’s start with the science news

Water Worries
The ocean is stabilizing, but what does this mean to ocean life?

Are unions bad for economic growth?
No, but hear the story.

Corals depend on the poop of their predators
How’s that for a twist??

Brain Tumor Vaccine?
First results are looking good.

The mystery archaic human was no mystery once
DNA tells the story once again.

Anti-Vax Vaccination
Communicate to people who are highly connected to reduce anti-vax sentiment and reduce the years of life that will be lost to COVID-19.

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It’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!

Honeybees know how to waft
Bees send pheromones from the queen down through the colony by wafting with their wings! Don’t tell your older brother, we don’t want him to get any ideas…

Bonobo adoption – it’s a thing!
In this later installment of, “bonobos are the best ape” we learn that females will adopt completely unrelated babies from another troop, with seemingly no genetic or social connection. Just because they are alone and need a parent.

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What does Justin have to say about science this week?

Maybe it’s not the toxoplasma gondii?
Could be another pathogen that causes schizophrenia?

Bronze age grub hub
Processed food was delivered to a Bronze Age copper mine.

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Let’s finish strong with science from Dr. Kiki!

Big Brains
Who dis? Humans!!!

Removing False Memories
It can be done… with a little urging.

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It’s Women’s History Month! Check out this predictions episode of TWIS with Kelly Weinersmith, or this one with Melanie Mitchell.

Then there was also this one from 2010 after Dr. Kiki attended SXSW in Austin, TX & Justin learned something new.

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I'm the host of this little science show.