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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?
Interview w/ Dr. Richelle Tanner, Sleep Mutations, Fingerprint Earth, Toxoplasma Gondii Genes, Plane Noisy, Crows Like Puzzles!, Strict Fasting, Carbon Chips, How Hot Now?, Vacation Routines, And Much More…
Want to listen to a particular story from TWIS, the This Week in Science podcast? You can do that here. Just look for the time-code link in the description.
DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER!!!
It started a long, long time ago
In a galaxy much closer than you might think
The one you are on the outskirts of in fact
Was it a spark?
A muddy blob at the bottom of an ocean?
A simple interaction of the right combination of chemicals?
However it began, life has come a long way since then.
With domains and kingdoms
Phylums and classes
Families and genuses
Species of all sorts…
Life diversified in a brilliantly mind blowing explosion of possibilities
So much so, so abundantly so…
That it may be easy to forget that it is truly unique
compared to what we have so far been able to see of the rest of the universe.
And out of all those possibilities
Out of all the seemingly endless diversity of living things on earth
You happen to be one of them
A human living thing at that!
Sentient and self aware with a keen brain and modest ability to communicate
And of all the places you could have been in this amazing world
You chose to be here
And we are so happy you are because you are
In for another episode of
This week in Science.
Coming up next…
First up, an interview with Dr. Richelle Tanner!
Dr. Tanner is a climate ecophysiologist at Washington State University. She also communicates about science and climate change, and is a member of the governing council of the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation, or NNNOCI.
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This Week in What Has Science Done for me Lately?!?
“Dear Kiki, Justin and Blair!
Good science to you!
Firstly I’d like to say thank you for making my favorite podcast and source of fun facts! Since discovering TWIS some months ago I’ve been having such a great and interesting time going back through the archives of Twistory (apologies for that corniness) and having my mind blown repeatedly. I work a very menial job as a stewardess on a yacht and have felt my brain slowly turning to mush with lack of stimulation, TWIS keeps me thinking and curious and has inspired me to really try and figure out what to do with my life. I’m 23 and desperate to go to university to study a science of some sort but just can’t pick… between marine biology, astronomy and geology my mind just can’t be made.?
Anyway congratulations on getting to 13,000 subscribers on YouTube (I know this because I persuaded my friend and coworker Charlene to hit the subscribe button and had the supreme satisfaction of watching 12,999 turn to 13,000).
What has science done for me lateleeeey? Jumbo coffee queen percolators (and the process of extracting goodness from coffee beans in general) the shear efficiency of putting the grounds in the filter, some water in the tank and within minutes having 1.9 litres of energizing arabica infused hot water. It’s almost magic…it’s science and I could not work the long shifts and maintain sanity without it!
Science also gives us pure drinking water onboard, we use a reverse osmosis desalinator to turn the salt water of the ocean into clean fresh water, which we then treat with a UV filter and can drink. So no matter how long we’re at sea, we always have plenty of water to drink.
Thanks again for this kickass show! I really do love it and find you all so cool and inspiring.
Warmest regards from the Ionian islands and from your number one Zimbabwean fan!
–Sarah Forfar”
Let us know what science has done for you lately, and we will read it on the show!
Check out the BIG science news stories of the week!
Sleep Mutations
Are you an early bird? Do you only need a few hours of sleep to feel refreshed? It might be thanks to a genetic mutation.
Fingerprint Earth
An undergraduate physics student at McGill University has created an infrared “fingerprint” of Earth’s atmosphere to enable easier discovery of exoplanets with similar molecular signatures indicative of potential life.
Toxoplasma Gondii
It’s still killing sea otters, but now we know more.
And, now it’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!… with Blair!
Airports are unpleasant locales for birds, too.
Birds that live near airports appear to be going deaf, and are more likely to get in physical fights. Is that why I act so confrontational at the Cinnabon??
Crows like puzzles!
Just like I like a good brain teaser, crows seem to enjoy making and using tools to solve a problem. Do you think they would like a rubix cube if they had thumbs?
Now, let’s continue with more SCIENCE NEWS!…
Strict Fasting
Want to lose weight? A new study finds that alternate day fasting might be easier to maintain than calorie restriction, and have similar benefits.
Carbon Chips
Performing like silicon chips of the 1980’s, engineers have developed the first computer chip made from carbon nanotubes.
How hot is it?
It’s hot everywhere…
Mule deer’s vacation plans are all about routine.
Migration patterns are most influenced by the path previously traveled, which means if the landscape changes, they might have trouble finding what they need.
I'm the host of this little science show. 
