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Schizo Dollas, Climate Info, Analyzing Ice, Eat Green Drive Whatever, Internal Primal Ooze, No Water There, Sexy Fish Differences, Evolution wins!, Microbe Guts, Wide Face Race, No Moyle Briss, Saharabahamas, Lionfish Lessons, And Much More…
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That last hundred years of human history have been the most human
filled hundred years of earths history…
More humans are sharing the planet at this moment than have
ever shared the planet before…
And so… now that we are here, in this, the most successful
evolutionary population explosion in human history… what shall we do with our
great numbers?
Shall we look to the
past and seek to better the accomplishments of our ancestors?
We could build a bigger pyramid… this time locating it somewhere
where tourists would feel safe traveling to…
Shall we look to the now and see what good we could do to immediately
impact our daily lives?
We could tackle the issues of today… only with so many of
us, it’s often hard to agree in common upon just what those are… though there
are plenty to choose from
Or shall we look to the future… and imagine the great
accomplishments we could set in motion today that would truly change the
destiny of all mankind for ever more?
We could set in motion the makings of a magnificent moon
colony, or pave the way to an energy independent tomorrow by investing in
alternative energies…
And while it is most likely that most humans sharing the
world today wouldn’t select any of these options… It has always been a small
percentage of the population with the vision and dedication to bring about
great things that improve the world and make the future a better place…
And that small percentage of people have never been so great
in numbers as they are today here on…
This week in science… coming up next
Show Schizophrenia The Money
Just as researchers publish 108 gene variants related to schizophrenia, the Broad Institute is promised $650 million to study the molecular underpinnings of psychiatric disorders and focus on treatment development.
Information Isn’t The Problem
Turns out people on both sides of the climate change issue know about the same amount of information about climate science. So, it isn’t the science that is the problem.
How Much Ice?
Software for the analysis of sea ice data was discovered to have overestimated the expansion of sea ice in Antarctica due to errors introduced during a software update.
Climate Change: It’s your steak’s fault
A new study suggests red meat consumption has a far greater impact on the environment and climate change than the emissions from cars. It’s time to change your meat-eating ways, America!!
The origin of all life alive and well today?
Ancient chemistry exists in the mitochondria of modern cells.
Planets, planets everywhere…
but not a drop to drink. Researchers found much less water on ‘Hot-Jupiter’ exoplanets than expected.
Fish show internal differences among the sexes
No, not there. That’s normal. But scientists have found differences in organs other than the gonads between males and females in some fish.
You win again, evolution!
Yet another case of convergent evolution has been found in the case of orb-weaver spiders (an old favorite). It turns out orb-weaving has come about more than once – I guess that means it is a strategy for success!
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Microbial Detox
Desert rats have gut microbes that enable them to eat Creosote bush leaves, which are toxic to other animals.
Making Ulcers
H. pylori homes in on microscopic injuries in your stomach, exacerbating the wounds and causing ulcers.
Carbs And Cancer
It looks like the Western high-carb diet is responsible for supporting gut microbes that cause colon cancer.
Saharabahamas…
Sand in the Bahamas came from the Saharan desert.
Wide faces get ahead
Men with wider faces were better at negotiating, unless they teamed up.
The story you wish you hadn’t heard
A Jewish circumcision ritual is linked to Herpes in babies.
Bomb sniffing lasers…
Lasers are good.
Lionfish Lessons
Proper scientific citation is not followed by the media.
Cutting Out HIV
Using the CRISPR/CAS system, scientists are working at cutting HIV out of cells.
Mean Meerkat Mothers
They kill babies.
Covetous Canines
Yes, your dog gets jealous.
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I'm the host of this little science show. 
Ugh. Is there a download that doesn’t feature Justin’s audio? He sounds like a game show host and is constantly derailing the flow of conversation.
I didn’t hear that right, did I? Were we saying that men have an extra rib? Maybe I was missing some context that was flying over my head.
Listen longer and hear Kiki make the correction! Way to go Kiki!
Climate change is such an emotional subject to people–I think it is good that we can see that frustration here and that it gets addressed directly as an issue that frequently stands in the way of reason. It is this same zeal in scientisits that can scare the “other side” away. Nobody wants to get singled out as a bad example, because we all do the best with what we have–some people just don’t have the benefit of an expansive scientific mindest. As quantum physics advances, many of those who sought stability in a “concrete maths” definition of reality are observing for themselves the malleability of reality’s fabric. Ultimately people will make thier own ideological life choices, we need an assurance of our own uniquenes; something that makes us feel GOOD about our identity. Some people find that in religion, some in science, some in the quiet game of chess…and the more that seed of individuality is percieved to be under attack, the more it is defended. It doen’t matter who is rationally right when an argument becomes a matter of personal honor. At this point it is simply no longer a proper argument, and to move forward from this in any topic domain, due respect has to be given to the other party.
Great information this week–I have been enjoying your podcast! Helping the world to wonder at itself with respect lowers the boundaries between ideologies. You make a big difference with pure enthusiasm and data. My inner primordium salutes you!
Thank you for listening! And, for your thoughtful, insightful comment.
Sorry, what you hear is what you get. Are Justin’s levels coming across more loudly than the others? That might be something we can work on at the time of recording.