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What is in the This Week in Science Podcast?
This Week: Immune Therapy, Post-natal Depression, Birds of Instagram, Paleo Poop, Slowest Earthquake, Fossil Turducken, Headless Worms, COVID Update, Why We Yawn, Smelly Mice, Giant Lizards, Human Origins, Magneto-Sharks, Brain Bonding, And Much More…
Check out the full episode of our science podcast on YouTube. You can do that here.
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Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer!!!
The best part of being a human is having a human brain
One that is good at understanding how things work.
Yes, there are many other aspects of being human that are full of merit,
and note worthy of praise.
Art and science, agriculture and cooking, architecture and engineering, woodworking and ceramics, medicine and midwifery, pantomime and puppeteering…
All the things we are proud of as humans originate from the seemingly basic ability we have to understand how things work… thanks to our big human brains.
Being a human with the ability to learn and understand how things work
is such a magnificent super power
that it is constantly amazing us with new wonders of invention and ingenuity.
We have such capacity to think and to do…
to learn and to create…
to imagine and to build…
With a brain like that…
That there is nothing humans can’t do.
There is of course that other rest of our brain.
The ape brain let’s call it…
And while it has it’s uses,
understanding how things work is not high on its list of things it cares about,
Which is why most politicians are successful,
why many television shows get watched,
and how economic systems work…
But, with so much attention being paid to entertaining the ape brain,
you might think the amazing human brain would get bored…
And, you would be right!
Because you have an amazing human brain that knows how things work!
Which is why we offer you this mostly ape-brain-free episode of
This Week in Science,
Coming Up Next…
Let’s start with some quick science news
Immune Therapy
Gene therapy for kids is 95% successful in latest trial for ADA-SCID, or “bubble baby” disease.
New mothers post-natal depression in lockdown
It hasn’t been good.
The most Instagrammed bird on the internet
Blair would be proud.
Paleo Poop
Really old poop is different from modern poop.
slowest… earthquake… ever…
If it wasn’t really shaking, was it really quaking?
Fossil Turducken
A crustacean being eaten by a squid that was being eaten by a shark. It happened.
Who needs a head??
Not flatworms, that’s who!
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Are you ready for a COVID Update?
Younger Vaccinations
The CDC has approved use of the Pfizer vaccine in youth as young as 12 as of today.
Viral Integration
Evidence that SARS-CoV2 integrates into human DNA using LINE1 retrotransposon mechanisms was published this week, but no one knows what it really means.
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It’s time for Blair’s Animal Corner!
WHY Do We Yawn??? It’s a question you’ve probably considred recently.
The longer the yawn, the bigger the brain.
It turns out, bigger brains need more cooling action as provided by yawns. So, when I’m listening to you talk, and have to yawn… maybe my yawning is actually a compliment?
For mice, a little smell goes a long way.
Mice can tell a lot about where they live with a little bit of smell for just a moment. Who says I can’t tell if you’re trustworthy with my nose??
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What does Justin have to say about science this week?
Peak giant lizards
Giants like the mosasaur are no more.
Where did humans come from?
No one really knows!
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Let’s finish strong with science from Dr. Kiki!
Magneto-Sharks
Why, yes, sharks DO use magnetic fields to navigate.
Brain Bonding
Mice were made to bond with others at the push of a button.
This Week in Science Questions!
Why do we yawn? Did you miss Blair’s answer up above?
Do you have other questions that you want us to answer? Send us your questions! We will do our best to have answers!
Leave us a message on our Facebook page, OR email Dr. Kiki!
Check out this episode of TWIS from last May when our COVID update was pondering the future of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine & anti-vax messages! Have they both followed predicted trajectories?
Then there was also this one from 2011 – that featured flaming water caused by frakking, flying robo-birds, and thoughts on $1000 genomes. How far has the tech come in the past decade?
I'm the host of this little science show. 
