3 September, 2025 – Episode 1028 – Science Unplugged

September 4th, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: Government Climate Propaganda, Health Gutted, SeeMe, Less Pain With ADRIANA, It’s Not You, It’s Us, Justin Trashes a Study, Correlation? Causation on the Toilet?, Electrical Immunity?, Spleendid Healing, That Succulent Glow, and Much More Science Unplugged!

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Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Science… is not a brand.
It’s a process of discovery.
A catalog of knowledge.
A way of understanding the world
Without human bias
But a brand, it is not.

That’s why the US health and human services department
A historically science-based agency
That funds health and welfare programs, conducts medical research,
oversees food and drug safety via the Food and Drug Administration
manages health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid
And responds to public health emergencies
by taking advice from the National Institutes of Health
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Ceases to be a science-based agency when it…
Stops using science as a process of discovery,
Stops relying on a catalog of knowledge,
And only understands the world
Through the lens of human bias

Since becoming the head of the US Health and Human Services Department
Robert FK Jr…
Has never been briefed by a CDC expert… on anything
Despite altering research priorities, shutting down pandemic preparation, and replacing positions held by experts with people who are not…

Soon, the CDC itself will have a new hand-picked leader.
And the top science-driven public health organization… will be pointless.
It won’t matter
what the CDC says,
What the NIH researches,
or what the FDA sanctions.
Despite the long histories of these agencies using science to make decisions, the credibility of their science-based brand is gone.

And the same is happening at the Department of Energy…
Without science, these are meaningless organizations
Putting out unvalidated, untrustworthy, and dangerous nonsense.
Science is not a brand.
But it is what keeps the brand of health agencies credible.

And increasingly, the only place you can find a credible agency is right here on
This Week in Science
Coming up next

Interesting News of the Week!

Government Climate Propaganda
Why do you think the US DOE is so wrong about climate change?

Health Gutted
What is happening to public health in the US?

SeeMe
do not unplug me!

Less Pain With ADRIANA
Who is ADRIANA & why are we so excited about her?

It’s not you,
It’s Us

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Quick Stories with Justin!

Justin trashes a study
This time it’s a GLP-1 Study

A correlation study
That spends too much time on the toilet

Brainy Stories with Kiki!

Electrical Immunity?
What happens when macrophages are shocked?

Spleendid Healing
Is the spleen the secret to repairing heart damage?

That Succulent Glow
Want a glow-in-the-dark plant? How about a succulent?

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, how do you unplug from Science??)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

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Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year, we discussed  Space Sails & Winds, Starliners Return, Radiant Cooling, Butterfly Wings, Dog Toys, Cat Play, Shark Hunts, Viking Culture, Thar Be Gold, ShroomBots, Neo Beta Unveiled, And Much More!

This week 10 years ago TWIS, we discussed Psychology Studies Repeated, Drop CO2 Cuz It’s Hot, CO@ Gas?, Wyoming Crocs?, Seahorse Mommy-Daddy, Self-Medicating Bees, Visualizing Echolocation, Radioactive Coal Ash, Runner’s No-Fat High, Fat And Guts, Bronze Age Brass, Biological Potential, Get Some Sleep!, And Much More!

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28 August, 2025 – Episode 1027 – You Can’t Retract Good Science

August 28th, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: Interstellar Interloper, Mind’s Eye, Jumping Spiders, Pig Lungs, Covid Shots, Ape Medicine, Cane Toads, Bird Poop, Justin Trashes a Study, Phantom limb, Big Brainy Thumb, Nature Words, and Much More Good Science!

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Check out the full unedited episode of our podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Although the sun is shining
High above
There are shadows creeping
In spite of

All that we have learned from
science, literature, history, and art
Like there is a madness growing
An ignorance in the American heart

How freedoms are lost
Is how power is seized
And it’s a long road back
From enslavement to freed

So this book, that research, those ideas
Every ban comes with a hidden cost
Because knowledge is a form of freedom
And a free mind is never lost

There are brilliant people in the world
More than ever before
And one not too distant day
They will again be knocking on the American door

After the failure of the ignorant and the cruel
When the smart kids have had enough
The sun will still be shining
High above

Meanwhile, down on Earth…
It’s This Week in Science!

Scientifically Interesting News!

Interstellar Interloper
What’s up with comet 3I/Atlas?

Mind’s Eye
Is there a risk to opening the mind’s eye?

Jumping spiders see a “sea of red”
Will this mean doom for one particular species?

Pig Lung Test
What happened when researchers transplanted a pig lung into a human?

COVID shot
Can you even get the COVID shot this year?

Ape Medicine
Why are chimpanzees putting insects in their wounds?

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Blair’s Animal Corner!

New ammo for cane toads
CRISPR to the rescue!

Duck!
Seabirds poop while flying, and they do so quite often. So is it really good luck to get plopped??

Science Stories with Justin!

Justin trashes a study
“I spent 3 1/2 hours trying to figure out how I was reading it wrong, turns out it was the study was trash!”

Brainy Stories with Kiki!

Phantom Limb Mistake
Does phantom limb syndrome arise in the brain or the periphery?

Big Brainy Thumb
What does the thumb have to do with the brain?

Nature Words
Where are they going?

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, what can you retract???)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

Support us on Patreon!

Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year, we discussed Stucktronauts, Material Questions, Frozen Remains, Genetics Grammar, Megalithic mystery solved, Culling Crocodiles, Antlions Play Opossum, Sweet Bat News, NASA DART, Pong Goo, Brain Attack!, And Much More Science to get stuck with!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed One Jab To Rule, Evolution And Vaccines, No Omega-3 Benefits, Skydiving Spiders, Pestering Guppies, Monkey Brains for Fractions, Fusion Power Headway?, Hawking Information, Kids Lunch, Mendelian MS + D, Female Viagra Approved!, And Much More!

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20 August, 2025 – Episode 1026 – What is Your Science Policy ?

August 22nd, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: Interview with Adriana Bankston, Jakalopes, Bat Hugs, Mystery Skull, Autism, Flowers for Robots, Baby Brains, Decoding Inner Speech, Space Threats, And Much More Science!

Become a Patron!

Check out the full unedited episode of our science podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

And, remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Authoritarianism… is nothing new.
It rears its ugly head every half century or so…
Manages to persist malignantly in some places
Until it can be removed from power
What follows is a slow process of reforming society
around freedoms lost, truths forbidden, and progress towards peace and prosperity

At some point, the generation that suffered, fought, and overcame
the past authoritarian movement
Dies
collective memory fades

Struggles of modern life evoke nostalgia
for an age that never existed
At first, it is a form of escapism
An indulgence in magical thinking
An over idealised past
Stripped of all its failings

Power-hungry narcissists pounce on the opportunity
Readorn themselves in the pageantry of strong men
Promising a return to the mythical old ways as a path to the future
Arrogance, ignorance, and revisionism promenading as pride

Manufactured hatred is presented as a justifiable cause
Placing the failure of the world to be perfect
Upon the weakest, the most vulnerable targets
With increasingly divisive rhetoric blaming the others
All those others… so many others that it’s hard to see
Who would even be left if every other went away

Anyone who pushes back on the propaganda,
Who challenges lies with truth
Becomes a co-conspirator
Becomes another
Journalists, teachers, historians, scientists, comedians
It doesn’t matter who you are
If you are not licking the boot, it will be at your neck
Until you fight back
And fight we will, with…
This Week in Science

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The Interview!

We want to welcome our guest, Adriana Bankston, PhD, advocate for scientific research and innovation at the federal level. You can find her on her Substack, her YouTube Channel, and on Instagram and Bluesky.

Andrea Bankston has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University, and currently works as an AAAS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY POLICY FELLOW to support federal scientific research and innovation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Adriana works at the intersection of scientific research, higher education, and STEM workforce development with a focus on science policy to advance our nation forward through evidence-based practices and inspire the next generation to get involved. SHE IS AN ADVOCATE for scientific research and innovation at the federal level. WELCOME TO TWIS, ADRIANA!

Dr. Kiki, the gang, and Adriana get a little political in this interesting interview you’ll want to listen to again and again!

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Blair’s Animal Corner!

Who saw the jackalope headlines??
It’s really not a big deal, we promise.

Who wants a bat hug??
I do I do! …but you can hold the dead mouse.

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Science News With Justin!

Mystery Greek Hominin Skull
Mystery hominin skull gets an intriguing new date range

Epilepsy Drugs
Reversing autism symptoms with epilepsy drugs

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Some Science stories with Kiki!

Flowers For Robots
Are we redesigning nature for robot nurture?

Baby Brains
Do microbes manipulate baby brains?

Decoding Inner Speech
Can your internal thoughts be decoded now?

Who Knew?
Space threats are being oversold?!?

Support us on Patreon!

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This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, what is your science policy?)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

Support us on Patreon!

Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year We discussed Not So Wow, Global Humidification, Dodo’s, Electron Excitement, Food Delivery, Humpback Whales, Spiders, Mammoths, Better Brain Movies, Building Memories, Photonic Consciousness, And Much More Science to Know!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed The Drinkable Book, DNA Data Storage, Lice Resistance, Ancient Bone Tales, Brainy Mice, Glowing Lizards!, Sperm For Life!, Gut Bacterial Blindness?, Glass Paint, Sweetgrass Solution, New Alcoholism Drugs, One Scan Rules, Freshening Football Helmets, Wiki Science Trolls, Meteoric Life, And Much More! Take a blast into the past with TWIS!

If You love TWIS, and all the science news we pronounce each week, please consider making a donation to the This Week in Science podcast.

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6 August, 2025 – Episode 1025 – Prompting You to Think Scientifically

August 8th, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: Funding State, mRNA HIV vaccine, Radioactive rhino horn, Wasting Source, Editing Diabetes, Roaches, Cockatoos, GLP1, Snails, Roach Bots, Political Sway, and Much More to Prompt You to Think Scientifically!

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Check out the full unedited episode of our podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

We are on our own.
22 projects to develop vaccines using mRNA technology…
Have been halted by the Department of Health and Human Services
In order to start investing in better solutions…

And while that may seem like an insane move
In light of the recent success of mRNA vaccines,
not just in COVID but also in successful HIV vaccine trials…
Behind the scenes, it’s probably much worse

R Francis Kennedy Jr.’s decision to cut $500 million in vaccine research follows other actions such as
firing the panel that makes vaccine recommendations,
and refusing to endorse vaccinations even as a measles outbreak killed children…

He said a “universal vaccine” that mimics “natural immunity” is the administration’s focus.
Quotey voice – “It could be effective — we believe it’s going to be effective — against not only coronaviruses, but also flu,” said,
and then went into an in-depth explanation of the biomolecular pathways and mechanisms discovered through years of iterative research that led to…
Just kidding, it’s going to be woo woo concept driven snake oil…

And that’s just it.

The largest, most advanced human health agency on the planet
Has stopped using science.

No appeals, no recourse, no second opinions.
We are on our own. But we are not alone. And we need to start acting like it.
Here on, This Week in Science!

Scientifically Interesting News!

Funding State
Some recent political and legal wins suggest a reason for optimism regarding funding for science in America

mRNA HIV vaccine
Scripps Research Institute designed an mRNA-encoded HIV vaccine

Radioactive rhino horn
Scientific innovation offers a new weapon against rhino poaching

Wasting Source
Have we figured out the cause of Sea-star wasting disease?

Editing away type-1 diabetes
First gene-edited islet transplant in a human passes functional trial

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Blair’s Animal Corner!

Pregnant roaches need sleep
Like us, pregnant roaches need more sleep

Cockatoo dance party
Cockatoos perform 30 distinct dance moves and may combine them in unique ways

Science Stories with Justin!

GLP-1 drug candidates
Study identifies millions of GLP-1 drug candidates in children…

Regenerating snail eyes
This snail’s eyes grow back: Could they help humans do the same?

Science stories with Kiki!

Roach Bots
Why do we need hybrid insect robots?

Political Sway
Do you trust the chatbots too much?

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, When is a Power Grid a Metaphor???)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

Support us on Patreon!

Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year we scientifically discussed an Interview W/Dr. Emily Fischer, Cats, Dogs, COVID and Flu Nasal Vaccines, Concrete, Greenland, Thick Leaves, Sea Lions, Racing Horses, Starliner, Early Evolution, Rock Art, Brains, Earbud Fatigue, And Much More Science!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we scientifically discussed Homo Harems, Horse Heads, Tiny Brains, Top Cock Crows, Panda Onions!, Zombie Spider Slaves, Kiss Or No?, Blood Snow Leopards, Mole Cancer Fighters, Facebook Botany, And Much More!

If You love TWIS, and all the science news we pronounce each week, please consider making a donation to the This Week in Science podcast.

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30 July, 2025 – Episode 1024 – This is the Science You Can Trust

July 31st, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week:  Atomic Slits, Vaccines Work, Wifi Fingerprint, Ancient Teeth, Deep Life, Fat for Tumors, Immunity in your head, Cultural Function, Brain Generics, and Much More Science you can trust!

Become a Patron!

Check out the full unedited episode of our podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

In a world where creating confusion is an art form, facts are treated like fickle things
Where algorithms shape opinions faster than a research rat can catch a cold
Where science can be drowned out by airwaves of propaganda
There remains a beacon… not necessarily of hope,
But a flickering in the darkness all the same
A signal cutting through the static,
A conversation carried on by giants
A method slinking past the madness
The scientific method.
Each week, we gather here to celebrate the victories of science
wrestle with its puzzling defeats
and share the wonders that each reveals.
The science we discuss is real, reviewed, and recent
So recent, in fact, that we named the show…
This Week in Science!

Quick Science News!

Atomic Slits
How does the double-slit experiment hold up in 2025, the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology?

How well the COVID-19 vaccine really worked
Was COVID-19 vaccination worth it?

WiFi Fingerprint
Will WiFi be catching criminals soon?

Ancient Chinese teeth
Unearthed teeth reveal human diversity in China during the Middle Pleistocene.

Deep Life
Who can live at the bottom of the Marianas Trench?

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Stories you can Trust with Justin!

Animal fat or plant fat. 
Which do tumors prefer?

Immunity 
Might be in your head

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Stories to Know with Kiki!

Cultural Function
What is executive function? Are we even measuring the basic functions of the human brain?

Brain Generics
What does the future of brain interfaces look like? Pretty generic, according to a recent report.

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, When is a Power Grid a Metaphor???)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

Support us on Patreon!

Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year we discussed The Nose Knows, COVID-19 in Wildlife, Flying Hippos, Warp Drive, CBG, Toxo for Good, Komodo Dragons, Snakes, Doctors, Firearms, No Buy AI, Agents of Fear, Attractive Odors, And Much More!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed Space Update Madness, EmDrive Maybe? Auroras In Space, Synchronizing Pendulums, Supersymmetry, Powerful Laser, Why Be Viking?, AI Warfare, Compulsory College, Scientist Makers, And Much More!

If you love TWIS, and all the science news we present each week, please consider making a donation to the This Week in Science podcast.

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23 July, 2025 – Episode 1023 – Guided by Science

July 25th, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: Interview W/Matthew Facciani, Australia, Stonehenge, Blood Pressure, Moth Dreams, Friendly Brains, Replication Win, Undoing Strokes, Meaning & Memory, And Much More Science!

Become a Patron!

Check out the full unedited episode of our science podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

And, remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Science tends to be irreverent of pre-existing beliefs.

Overturning the earth-centric universe with one that centers around the sun upset thousands of years of well-reasoned observations and many mythical contemplations later discoveries. 

So that the sun itself is moving along a rural stretch of a spiral arm amidst billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy and a universe brimming frothing even, with trillions of galaxies firmly upending any concept of humanity being at or even near the center of anything.

Archaeological anthropology has also gained an especially irreverent reputation, as there is scarcely an origin story of any culture on the planet that has not been amended or completely refuted by its findings. 

Scientific irreverence also applies to the field itself. When new evidence emerges to question long-accepted interpretations, including those once presented as prevailing frameworks, science updates its knowledge, overturns those well-reasoned, well-founded assumptions. 

Real knowledge is never gained by being right about anything. It’s earned through methodical seeking of truth, wherever it may lead. And seeking that truth is likely what led you here to another episode of This Week in Science!

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The Interview!

We want to welcome our guest, Matthew Facciani, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Author of “Misguided”. You can find him on Psychology Today, his podcast & newsletter, and on Threads and Bluesky.

Matthew Facciani  is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering Department. He is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in neuroscience and psychology and holds a PhD in sociology. His research focuses on media literacy, misinformation, social networks, political polarization, identities, and artificial intelligence. He is also a science communicator, has written for various media outlets, spoken at national conferences, and hosts Misguided: The Podcast, where he explores how social and psychological forces shape the way we process and consume information. His new book, Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do About It, was recently published by Columbia University Press. WELCOME TO THE SHOW, MATTHEW!

Dr. Kiki, Justin, and Matthew explore the implications of misinformation in this interesting interview you’ll want to listen to again and again!

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Science News With Justin!

Australia
Genetic evidence casts doubt on early colonization timelines in Australia

Stonehenge
All of the stones at Stonehenge were brought by humans

BP meds
I take my BP meds at night, so I can, so I can…

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Some Science stories with Kiki!

Plant Screams & Moth Dreams
Where do moths like to lay their eggs?

Friendly Brains
Why do friends seem to become more & more alike the longer they are friends?

Replication Win
Which field of research is mostly reproducible?

Undo Button For Strokes
Is it possible that researchers have discovered a way to undo stroke damage?

Meaning & Memory
How do our brains pick which memories to remember?

Support us on Patreon!

DON’T FORGET TO GET FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, what are some science tropes?)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

Support us on Patreon!

Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year We discussed Dark Oxygen, Breaking Heat Records, Tractor Beam?, Ancient Argentinian People, Static Butterflies, Avian Flu, Regeneration Genes, Common Gestures, Cuttlefish Falsehoods, Waste Management, And Much More!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed New Horizons w/ Emily Lakdawalla, Listening For Aliens, Solar Heartbeat, Old Americans, Aged Damselfly Doings, Spotted! Black Leopard, Print Your Horn, Undersea Farmers, Space Skin, Space Foam, Boa Deaths, Losers Harass Ladies, And Much More! Take a blast into the past with TWIS!

If You love TWIS, and all the science news we pronounce each week, please consider making a donation to the This Week in Science podcast.

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09 July, 2025 – Episode 1022 – What WILL We Never Know?

July 11th, 2025
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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week:  A Different Science Fair, Cucumbers, Zoonotic Time Travel, Tortoises, Crabs, Chimps, New Brain Cells, Dance Brains, and Much More Science to Know!

Become a Patron!

Check out the full unedited episode of our podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Like the pains of an aged tennis player,
So go these days of our lives.
It hurts to get up in the morning, and
There might be grunting & groaning.
But, you know that to keep moving
is to stay alive…
So, get up, get moving,
and get ready for
This Week in Science.

Quick Science News!

A Different Science Fair
Why were scientists presenting “Things we’ll never know” on Capitol Hill this past week?

Holy exploding cucumbers, Batman!
Did you know that plants can explode to disperse seeds?

Zoonotic Time Travelers
When did humanity really start being impacted by zoonotic pathogens?

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Blair’s Animal Corner!

Tortoises can Feel!
Once again, we need to have the conversation that reptiles have feelings, too…

Sensitive crabs feel things out
Hermit crabs get it – being sensitive is a sign of strength! In a matter speaking…

Chimpanzee Creativity
Whut.

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Science Stories to Know with Kiki!

New Brain Cells
Is the debate over? Do adult humans continue to produce new brain cells throughout life?

Synchronized Dance Brains
Do people at a live performance experience brain synchronization?

This Week in Science Questions!

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Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year we discussed Bat Hearts, Baby Brain, Bone Building, Absorbant solids, Flu Boobs, Black Holes, Big Bad Bacteria, Prime Editing, Ancient Theaters, Plauge Problems, Big Brains, Reprogramming for Good, And Much More Science!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed In Pluto’s Shadow, Go FermiLab!, Dolphin Brains, Mammoth Matters, Quick Squirrels, Squirrel Disease, Sailing Spiders!, Mongoose Breeding Update, Aging And Immunity, Wherefore AR, Revealing Black Holes, World Robot Domination, Lady Domination, And Much More!

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2 July, 2025 – Episode 2021 – Does This Show Need a Science Title?

July 5th, 2025
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This Week in Science podcast TWIS logo orange square

What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?

This Week: LLM-assisted writing, Exercise Pills, Long Lived Mice, Scotland’s Birds, Orcas’ Pets, Fish Schools, High Elevation Scents, Climate Change, Triglycerides, Spatial Cognition, and Much More Science!

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Check out the full unedited episode of our podcast on YouTube or Twitch.

Remember that you can find TWIS in all the podcast directories. If you are looking for science podcasts on Spotify, we are there! Science podcasts on Google? We are there! Are you looking for science podcasts on iTunes or science podcasts on Apple? We are there, too! Just look for This Week in Science!

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!

Just because you didn’t hear about it…
Does not mean it didn’t happen.

Just because you don’t know about it…
Does not mean it doesn’t exist.

Fingers in your ears, shouting
La la la la
Does not remove that which you do not want to hear
From being said

The sheer volume of things happening we do not know about
Could fill the world we live in every day, with most of what is in it

The things we do know about are usually the important bits

So the recent effort to remove global warming science reports
from government websites
Including NASA and
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Will not change reality.
It may not even impact public opinion or awareness

What it does show will come as no surprise to anyone
the US government currently has it’s head
completely up it’s ass

So… what do we do about it?
We continue to bring the science news
The good news, the bad news,
the “I didn’t even know that was a thing” news

Because that’s all we can do in this moment here on
This Week in Science

Quick Science News!

Bad Science Writing
How much is AI these days?

Exercise Pill
Gets closer to being a thing

Helping out Birds
By feeding predators…?

Stir It Right!
Just like 007, chemistry has specifications. This one is stir, don’t shake.

Living Longer
Without being a dwarf

Orcas
Feeding their pet humans

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Blair’s Animal Corner!

Time to go Back to School
And by that i mean, ichthyologists, go back to school because fish schools aren’t the way we thought…. oh nevermind….

Is it just me, or are we too high to smell?
Mammal olfactory faculties are reduced at high elevations. what does that mean for changing ecologies?

Science Stories with Justin!

Cancer 
Has some nerve

Neuroscientists 
Have no idea where memory is stored

The end of Global Warming 
(reporting)

Science stories with Kiki!

Your Fat Brain
Does the brain really use fat for energy? Seems like it might.

Chickadee Space
Just how did the little parids evolve such incredible spatial memories?

This Week in Science Questions!

Do you have questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions (Like, When is a Power Grid a Metaphor???)! We will do our best to have answers!

Remember, everyone, we need you to write in with your questions!

Leave us a message on our Facebook page, email Dr. Kiki, or find us on Mastodon Social if you can!

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Support is the secret to more science with TWIS!

WANT TO HELP TWIS? LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW FOR TWIS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM TODAY!

Take a blast into the past…

What were we discussing at this time last year? This time last year we discussed Dead Humans, Fungal Future, Ant News, 12,000-year-old Comet Dust, Little Bird Big Memory, Dead Mammoths, Chimp Pharmacist, Lemur Divas, Bat Lab, Sleep Apnea, Brain Bath, Algorithmic Accusations, Robot Faces, And Much More Science!

This week 10 years ago TWIS we discussed Add A Second, Cometary Sinkholes, Another Blowup, Neander-Human Hybrid!, Another DNA Base?, Tropical Wyoming?, Pew Pew Pew, Fruit Fly Sex, Invertebrate Self-Love?, The Sex Difference, Epigenetic Brain, Cats!, Babblers, And Much More!

If You love TWIS, and all the science news we pronounce each week, please consider making a donation to the This Week in Science podcast.

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