More than Abstract

Someone recently won an art competition by submitting an imagine generated by an AI. This caused some mild controversy, but here we look at how this AI works at the most basic level. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

The tides come in and out, but the physics of tidal forces are so much more fascinating that just that. We explore what tidal forces can really do this week going from the earth-moon system to forming planetary rings and finally stars being ripped apart by black holes. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Have you wondered how to make a processor? Or why there are really only two cpu brands when it's such a lucrative business? That's what we talk about this week. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Ice ages are a very common thing on geological timescales, but the behavior of these ice ages changed 1 million years ago. That's a bit of a mystery and we discuss the background behind this unsolved riddle this week. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

There are many methods to reducing our carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. One of these is using carbon credits to offset emissions from companies, but this week we talk about how the best intentions can go wrong with poor implementation. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Is it actually possible to control the weather to some degree? That's what they claimed was possible at the Beijing Olympics and we talk about the science behind how this is possible. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Terraforming mars has been a topic on science fiction for decades, but it is actually possible. There are still many problems associated with it and one of the biggest issues of transforming the Martian atmosphere is heavily based in physics. I don't hear this mentioned very much, but that's what we talk about this week. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

How was it that earliest civilizations suddenly disappeared. During the bronze age, there were complicated interconnected societies most of which collapsed over the course of a few centuries. We talk about some of the leading theories that lead to this collapse. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

How do we tell when an asteroid is going to hit the earth. It's a difficult task with very few prediction. We talk about all the problems with trying to identify an asteroid. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

How is it that a new currency can be made out of thin air and used to purchase good. We talk about how to make a currency called sandwich coins and a bit about the system that lends money through banks. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

We've heard from scientists that CO2 is a greenhouse gas that is causing average global temperatures to rise, but that's it. Few people know why that is the case and even fewer know the physics behind this phenomenon, which is surprisingly simple. Here we go through why climate change is just logical physics. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

How are old satellites decommissioned. We spoke about this in one of our previous episodes, but didn't go into detail. This episode, we talk about how massive achievements like the Hubble Space Telescope will be decomissioned. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Just like fusion, hydrogen fuel cells have been touted as being the fuel of the future, but as the years go on that promise never becomes a reality. This week we talk about what fuel cells are and some of the challenges that face the technology along with some of its benefits over conventional electric or gas vehicles. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Perhaps the most consistent question asked about scientific research is why does this matter. It is something each researcher struggles with everyday. That question is important, but it needs to be put into a larger context before its importance can be realized. That's what we talk about this week using two historical examples and relating it to the launch of JWST. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

How were we able to observe a black hole 50 million light years away so clearly. It is a massive undertaking that we talk about this week including why it is such a big deal to the scientific community. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

The existence of market bubbles are not unique to our modern world. They've existed in the past and possibly the first market bubble involved the sale of Tulips. How exactly did the situation lead to a bubble that eventually popped and is it any different from the bubbles we are aware of today? Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Outro by Eric Pierce

Have you ever wondered what it is about a viral infection that makes you feel so terrible? When you're told about some infection, it's usually only the beginning part, where the virus infects a cell, but nothing after that. Nothing about how the body responds specifically. That's the topic of this weeks episode of More than Abstract, join Pranjal and Eric as they tackle this problem. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Why is lead bad for us. We all know that it is, but nobody has ever said why though. That's what Pranjal and Eric try to tackle in this weeks episode, why does our body need metals to begin with and why certain heavy metals are toxic to us, instead of simply leaving our system entirely. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

You might have heard some people being concerned over the availability of potable water in countries half way around the world. But a possible water crisis can occur anywhere in the coming decades. That's what Pranjal and Eric talk about today, what is this water problem, whether we should be worried and who to blame. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

We've talked about what happens to the earth when "The sun gets angry", but if you are in a part of the world that is not very geologically active, one of the overlooked natural disasters are volcanic eruptions. Pranjal and Nat talk about what a volcanic winter would look like taking the example of the "year without summer" and following reports from that time. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

While location tracking has gotten more controversial in recent years, it's undoubtedly an integral part of our everyday lives. I personally couldn't find my way to the bathroom without GPS and its inception is the topic of this weeks episode. Join Pranjal and Eric as they figure out how GPS works. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

We've heard dark matter in sci-fi or news stories, it's one of the big mysteries in astronomy, but how can we know something's out there, but not know enough about it to have a decent explanation. That's what Pranjal and Zechariah talk about on this weeks episode. What do we know about dark matter and why do we think there's something out there. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Have you ever seen that sticker on your gas pump that says you're using unleaded gasoline and wondered who in their right mind would be dumb enough to put lead in their gas? So have I and that's what Pranjal and Eric talk about on this weeks episode. Why did people think it was a good idea to throw lead in gas and why did they keep doing it? Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Its been 10 years since the events at Fukushima Daiichi took place and caused another nuclear panic. But how bad was this all in the end? At the time, there were horrifying possibilities thrown around where radiation could leak for years to come into the oceans and the atmosphere, but today Fukushima isn't given any thought. That's what we talk Pranjal and Nat talk about in this weeks episode, what happened, how bad was it and should we actually be worried. Follow us on twitter @moreastract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

How did we used to find our way around without google maps. We've grown so dependent on our devices that living without it would be a real shock, even though we used to use paper maps till not too long ago. This week, Pranjal and Eric talk about how the earliest maps were made accurate and usable from some of the most brilliant minds at the time like Leonardo Da Vinci or Cassini. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Why are there constantly once in a century hurricanes multiple times a year. You might have heard it's due to climate change, but that doesn't really answer the question of why they keep coming. This week, Pranjal and Zechariah talk about how a hurricane forms to answer this question. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Why is this currency manipulation a problem. The situation isn't obvious and there's a lot of nuance that goes along with it. This week, Pranjal and Nat talk about the background of this problem and how it might affect you. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro be Eric Pierce

Have you ever wondered how humans first left Africa? Looking at a map, it seems impossible that hunter gatherers that need to migrate with their food source decided to go through one of the most vast deserts on the planet toward Europe and Asia. That is the topic of this weeks episode, where Pranjal and Eric talk about how the Sahara used to be more hospitable till not too long ago. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

How do we keep our data safe from anyone with an antenna. After all, our sensitive information is sent through radio waves that go everywhere and we have all heard of instances when sensitive information has been hacked. So how can we let ourselves be so vulnerable. That's the topic of this weeks episode, where Pranjal and Zechariah talk about how messages were encrypted from antiquity to world war 2. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

The sun is amazing, after all it give life to everything on earth. But it also has a more dangerous side, especially when it is most active. There are multiple side effects to this activity, one of the most notable is coronal mass ejections, which is what caused the 1859 Carrington Event. That is the topic this week, Pranjal and Eric talk about what happened and why. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract for supplemental content Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Why is there a distinction between sub and supersonic speeds. What really makes things moving quickly enough so special. In this episode, Pranjal and Zechariah talk about the physics behind the effects of moving at this speed and subsequently why we can't fly at supersonic speeds on commercial airplane, specifically why the Concorde no longer flies. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract for supplemental content Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

How important is gravity for humans. We have adapted to this way of life for millions of years, but what if we take the one constant through our evolution away. Pranjal and Eric talk about what happens to people once you get into low earth orbit and beyond. Follow us on Twitter @moreabstract for supplementary material Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

How are whales communicating to each other in the ocean and aliens connected to one another? There is a link between the two and it is the SOFAR channel. Pranjal and Zechariah will talk about how it's possible to connect these two seemingly separate topics in a short continuous story. Follow us on twitter @moreabstract for supplementary material Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Most of us have seen vestiges of the early universe and never knew. Pranjal and Eric talk about the Cosmic Microwave Background, from the early days of its inception, leading to its discovery and how we can see it with our very eyes Follow us on Twitter @moreabstract for supplementary material Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

How did we get rid of smallpox. Obviously, it doesn't scar us with its presence today, but what events and inventions lead to this monumental achievement and how did some of the hindrances like vaccine hesitancy and poor infrastructure make the process more difficult? This week Pranjal and Eric talk about how we went from dreading the day we might get the pox to barely giving it a second thought. Follow us on Twitter @moreabstract for supplementary material Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Xray machines don't just grow on trees, they had to have come from somewhere. Pranjal and Eric talk about the origins of xrays and the people that played a part in its invention. If you liked this podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving a review. If you want to see some supplementary material, you can follow us on twitter @moreabstract Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the radiation that hits the earth from the sun. Some of it reaches us on the surface, but not all. When the earliest spacecraft were launched, they found a peculiar phenomenon in low earth orbit and conspiracy theorists have found ways to misuse it. Join Pranjal and Eric as they explore what is going on hundreds of miles about the surface and if the conspiracy theorists were right. Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce