Science! With Friends

Dr. Lexi Walls is a biochemist, not a prophet—though, admittedly, it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference.Six years ago, when Lexi started researching coronaviruses, they were an understudied and poorly understood class of viruses. When Lexi wrote about the “tremendous pandemic potential of coronaviruses” in December 2019, no one realized that the seeds of the COVID-19 pandemic had already been sown. When Lexi completed her doctoral dissertation that same month on the structure of coronavirus spike proteins, she couldn’t have imagined how large those spike proteins soon would loom in our public consciousness, and in our efforts to develop effective vaccines against COVID-19.In this episode, Lexi joins Jocelyn and Bradley to share the surreal experience of doing “basic” research that turned out to have swift, profound, and far-reaching applications. She explains how the use of cryo-electron microscopy enabled her to characterize the structure of coronavirus spike proteins in great detail, and why this is so important for understanding how these viruses infect cells, how our immune system recognizes and responds to them, and how the emergence of variants could affect the course of the pandemic. She also explains the differences between mRNA vaccines and vector vaccines, as well as how these compare to more traditional types of vaccines. Finally, Lexi shares exciting news about a COVID vaccine she and her colleagues have developed using synthetic protein nanocages (!), and the friends discuss the future of pan-virus vaccines that might make us better prepared for the next pandemic.Follow Lexi on Twitter @coronalexington, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below!https://www.grad.uw.edu/lexi-walls/https://scienceinseattle.com/2020/03/18/dr-lexi-walls-talks-coronaviruses-and-cryo-em/https://youtu.be/e1YEyPX-PqwThe Veesler Lab:https://faculty.washington.edu/dveesler/https://twitter.com/veeslerlabDesigned Protein Nanoparticle Vaccine:https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31450-1Further Reading:“Multitude of coronavirus variants found in the US — but the threat is unclear” (Ewen Callaway, Nature): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00564-4“What Do Vaccine Efficacy Numbers Actually Mean?” (Carl Zimmer and Keith Collins, The New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/03/science/vaccine-efficacy-coronavirus.html“Here’s Why Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine Only Requires One Dose” (Emily Mullin, Medium): https://coronavirus.medium.com/how-does-johnson-johnsons-vaccine-work-a17524d85edd“Variant-proof vaccines — invest now for the next pandemic” (Dennis R. Burton and Eric J. Topol, Nature): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00340-4“Self-assembly: From Nanowaffles to Nanostructures!”: https://funsizephysics.com/from-nanowaffles-to-nanostructures/ “Forming Nanostructures: Froot Loops, Legos, and Self-assembly”: https://funsizephysics.com/froot-loops-legos-self-assembly/Related episodes:What’s so “basic” about basic research? (Discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/12-discussion-whats-so-basic-about-basic-research/id1471423633?i=1000448570255Everyone Has Herpes (Lisa Poppe): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-lisa-poppe-everyone-has-herpes/id1471423633?i=1000446370166Pandemic: A Letter from the Past (Gregg Mitman): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40-gregg-mitman-pandemic-a-letter-from-the-past/id1471423633?i=1000470227078Beyond Bat Soup (Dorothy Tovar): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/44-dorothy-tovar-beyond-bat-soup/id1471423633?i=1000473039535Hindsight --> Insight --> Foresight (Nidhi Gupta): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/74-nidhi-gupta-hindsight-insight-foresight/id1471423633?i=1000505283002Big Little Life (Hannah Gavin): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/78-hannah-gavin-big-little-life/id1471423633?i=1000510524624Go Small or Go Home! (Axel Enders): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/16-axel-enders-go-small-or-go-home/id1471423633?i=1000452081082

Life: our planet is teeming with it. The staggering diversity of the biological world is visible everywhere, from tiny insects to sprawling trees, from orchids and corgis to mold and lemurs and banana slugs and oyster mushrooms and . . . you get the idea. But even the boundless wonder of the macroscopic world may pale in comparison to all the life we cannot see. Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by Dr. Hannah Gavin, a veritable Willy Wonka of microbes, who introduces us to a vast, complex world of dazzling drama invisible to the naked eye but present all around us—and even within us. Hannah shares how being “professionally curious” led her to research questions at the intersection of microbiology, ecology, and human health. She discusses the far-reaching potential of the gut microbiome to impact our physiology; what differentiates “beneficial” bacteria from pathogens; and how microbes can perform valuable environmental services like digesting plastic. Along the way, she explains the differences between viruses and bacteria and bacteriophages (oh my!), and how viruses challenge our understanding of life itself. The friends also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has opened new spaces for dialogue between scientists and non-scientists, creating opportunities for us to learn together about the sometimes terrifying, sometimes beautiful, always awe-inspiring power of the microbiological world.Follow Hannah on Twitter @micro_cultured, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below!Harvard’s Microbial Sciences Initiative: https://msi.harvard.edu/SEA-PHAGES program: https://seaphages.org/“World of Viruses” exhibit (Harvard Museums of Science and Culture): https://hmsc.harvard.edu/world-viruses“A Fascinating World of Viruses” (Hannah on the HMSC Connects! podcast):https://hmscconnects.podbean.com/e/a-fascinating-world-of-viruses-with-microbiologist-hannah-gavin/“The Deadliest Being on Planet Earth – The Bacteriophage” (Kurzgesagt): https://youtu.be/YI3tsmFsrOgRelated episodes:Turkey, Stuffing, and Other Gastronomic Experiments (Soon Kiat Lau): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/24-soon-kiat-lau-turkey-stuffing-other-gastronomic/id1471423633?i=1000458033346 Our Soils, Ourselves (Yamina Pressler): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/39-yamina-pressler-our-soils-ourselves/id1471423633?i=1000469510259Everyone Has Herpes (Lisa Poppe): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-lisa-poppe-everyone-has-herpes/id1471423633?i=1000446370166

We’re counting down to Darwin Day, and you’re all invited to the par-TAY! This week, Jocelyn and Bradley celebrate the origin of Origin of Species author Charles Darwin with evolutionary geneticist and frequent (fruit) flier Dr. Kristi Montooth. Kristi regales us with tales of her work with model organism extraordinaire Drosophila, explaining why it’s hard to get some flies drunk, and why they owe their survival and ubiquity to the properties of their magical membranes. She also discusses the pivotal role the humble fruit fly played in the so-called “modern synthesis” of evolution and genetics that has yielded one of the most powerful and comprehensive explanatory frameworks in the history of science. More broadly, Kristi explains how the synthesis of many different types and sources of information is a hallmark of her work, and the friends discuss the chaotic, beautiful, joyously fractalesque nature of the living world and our attempts to understand it. Follow Kristi on Twitter @narhol, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below!https://biosci.unl.edu/kristi-montoothhttp://montoothlab.unl.edu/https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/study-refutes-how-fruit-flies-developed-alcohol-tolerance/“RIPping and RAPping at Berkeley” (David M. Rand, Genetics): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1205242/pdf/ge13241223.pdfxkcd, “DNA”: https://xkcd.com/1605/“What If (Almost) Every Gene Affects (Almost) Everything?” (Ed Yong, The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/its-like-all-connected-man/530532/Personalized Genetics Education Project: http://pged.org/Lords of the Fly: Drosophila Genetics and the Experimental Life (Robert Kohler): https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Fly-Drosophila-Genetics-Experimental/dp/B00DT68BQ2Related episodes:"I have a theory"... do you, though‪? (Discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-discussion-i-have-a-theory-do-you-though/id1471423633?i=1000465426271That is How an Evolutionary Biologist D‪o (Matt Wilkins): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-matt-wilkins-that-is-how-an-evolutionary-biologist-do/id1471423633?i=1000464730144Sweet Dreams Are Made of Bee‪s (Anna Tatarko): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/76-anna-tatarko-sweet-dreams-are-made-of-bees/id1471423633?i=1000506815152Birds Spark Hop‪e (Scott V. Edwards): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/75-scott-v-edwards-birds-spark-hope/id1471423633?i=1000505997761Wild Lif‪e (Carin Bondar): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/71-carin-bondar-wild-life/id1471423633?i=1000501865084Sex is Always Weirder Than We Can Imagin‪e (Maurine Neiman): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/67-maurine-neiman-sex-is-always-weirder-than-we-can-imagine/id1471423633?i=1000497201747

Fruit flies in straightjackets. Bees at slumber parties. Climate change in Game of Thrones. Everybody’s looking for something, and this episode has something for everyone! A plant ecologist turned pollinator physiologist, Anna Tatarko tells Jocelyn and Bradley about the exciting methods she is using to study bee brains, and how this work is helping scientists to understand how bees smell, sleep, learn, dance, and possibly dream. In particular, she shares her research on how some pesticides interfere with bees’ olfactory processing, explaining how she hopes to extend her work to focus on the impact bees’ gut microbiomes may have on the health of bee populations. Whether you want to know what you can do to help preserve and protect pollinator populations or are just wondering what bees dream about, you’ll be buzzing about this episode.Learn more about Anna’s amazing work at http://www.annatatarko.com/ and at the links below!The Leonard Lab at University of Nevada, Reno: http://www.anneleonard.com/“Bees aren't getting enough sleep, thanks to some common pesticides”: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/europe/bee-sleep-pesticide-intl-scli-gbr-scn/index.html“Bees learn while they sleep, and that means they might dream”: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160621-do-bees-dream“Bees understand the concept of zero” (Science): https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/bees-understand-concept-zero“Fungus provides powerful medicine in fighting honey bee viruses”: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181004100044.htm“A Mushroom Extract Might Save Bees From a Killer Virus”: https://www.wired.com/story/a-mushroom-extract-might-save-bees-from-a-killer-virus/Nerd Nite: https://www.wired.com/story/a-mushroom-extract-might-save-bees-from-a-killer-virus/Nerd Nite Lincoln: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nerdnitelincoln/Nerd Nite Reno: https://www.instagram.com/nerdnitereno/?hl=enNebraska native plants: https://plantnebraska.org/plants/resources.htmlRelated episodes:Bee Meets Girl (Bridget Gross): https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/18-bridget-gross-bee-meets-girl/id1471423633?i=1000453740563Birds Spark Hope (Scott V. Edwards): https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/75-scott-v-edwards-birds-spark-hope/id1471423633?i=1000505997761That is How an Evolutionary Biologist Do (Matt Wilkins): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-matt-wilkins-that-is-how-an-evolutionary-biologist-do/id1471423633?i=1000464730144

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -Emily Dickinson was clearly onto something when she penned these famous lines. Across countless generations, birds have captivated our imaginations with their incredible beauty, their staggering diversity, and their unique talents. For Dr. Scott Edwards, birds are fascinating organisms with a rich and complex evolutionary history, but they are also harbingers of hope at a moment when we sorely need it.Scott joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss his work as an ornithologist, evolutionary biologist, and curator at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. He explains how he uses a variety of techniques—even applying cutting-edge genomic analysis to specimens collected during the Lewis & Clark expedition!—to trace the evolution of new traits in birds. In addition, he shares stories of his cross-country bike trip inspired by #BlackBirdersWeek, and the friends discuss how the “tree of life” is not only a powerful metaphor for understanding evolutionary relationships but also for thinking about diversity, unity, the history of life and humanity’s place in it. Follow Scott on Twitter at @ScottVEdwards1, and learn more about his amazing work at the links below!https://edwards.oeb.harvard.edu/people/scott-v-edwardshttps://www.iamascientist.info/scott-edwardshttps://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/scott-edwardsScott’s bike journey across America:https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-harvard-ornithology-professor-biking-across-countryhttps://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/8/21/scott-edwards-bike-trip/#BlackBirdersWeek: https://www.audubon.org/news/black-birders-week-promotes-diversity-and-takes-racism-outdoorshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/black-birders-call-out-racism-say-nature-should-be-for-everyone/https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2020/06/i-cant-even-enjoy-blackbirdersweek-organizer-shares-her-struggles-black-scientistSystemic Racism in Higher Education (Science letter): https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6510/1440.2Harvard Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology: https://oeb.harvard.edu/Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology: https://mcz.harvard.edu/Where Song Began: Australia’s Birds and How They Changed the World: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Song-Began-Australias-Changed/dp/0300221665Related episodes:That is How an Evolutionary Biologist Do (Matt Wilkins): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-matt-wilkins-that-is-how-an-evolutionary-biologist-do/id1471423633?i=1000464730144The Lizarding World of Afro Herper (Earyn McGee): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/38-earyn-mcgee-the-lizarding-world-of-afro-herper/id1471423633?i=1000468800901

What the hell just happened? What does it all mean? And where do we go from here?If 2020 left you with a few lingering questions, you are not alone. Fortunately, London-based physician and filmmaker Dr. Nidhi Gupta is here to put it all in perspective. Nidhi tells Bradley and Jocelyn about her work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, and she describes her own battle with the virus. She shares her journey from medicine into filmmaking, including the genesis and goals of her current documentary film project, Start. Stop. Repeat, in which she explores the causes, effects, and possible legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic. The friends discuss the “trust gap” science and scientists face at this critical inflection point in our history; whether film is a medium uniquely suited for scientists to connect with a broad audience; and whether and how COVID-19 might ultimately be galvanized as a force for positive social change.(NOTE: This episode was recorded in December 2020, prior to the latest surge and new COVID mutations were discovered in the United Kingdom.) Follow Nidhi on Twitter at @busydoctor, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below!Start. Stop. Repeat. https://greenlit.fund/project/start-stop-repeat“Redbridge doctor creates trailblazing documentary inspired by her experience of Covid-19”: https://www.westessexlife.co.uk/people/stop-start-repeat-documentary-on-covid-19-1-6896877Other podcasts featuring Nidhi:Drunk Women Solving Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/97-dr-nidhi-gupta-the-unfit-husband/id1425174819?i=1000483419641The Other 50%: http://theotherfiftypercent.com/blog/ep-204nidhiguptaFemme Regard: https://www.radio.com/podcasts/femme-regard-podcast-29226/busy-doctor-bringing-the-documentary-realness-with-nidhi-gupta-315111874Spanish flu: A warning from history: https://youtu.be/3x1aLAw_xkY#hellomynameis campaign: https://www.hellomynameis.org.uk/Related episodes:Pandemic: A Letter from the Past (Gregg Mitman): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40-gregg-mitman-pandemic-a-letter-from-the-past/id1471423633?i=1000470227078The Deep Compassion of Mathematics (Discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/41-discussion-the-deep-compassion-of-mathematics/id1471423633?i=1000470889290We Are All Chimeras (Sam Illingworth): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/53-sam-illingworth-we-are-all-chimeras/id1471423633?i=1000484115050

C’mon, it’s lovely weather for a podcast together with you! In our fa-la-la-last episode of 2020, Jocelyn and Bradley are celebrating Sir Isaac Newton’s 378th birthday with some Newtonmas caroling and a rousing discussion of physicists’ favorite fetish . . . We are referring, of course, to unification. The hosts consider whether the desire for a singular “theory of everything” can be traced back to Newton’s work, which was the first to bring the terrestrial and celestial realms under the same set of physical laws. They discuss the ironic fact that gravity—the original unifying force in the cosmos—is now the major obstacle to achieving a single, unified theory in physics. Finally, they consider possible motivations behind the quest for unification, and they debate whether a single, overarching theory is possible or even desirable. But just because our theories aren’t unified doesn’t mean we can’t be! Snuggle up together like birds of a feather (virtually, of course) and enjoy this holiday musical extravaganza we made just for you, friends. Bang! Math professors prove TV show theory about the number 73: https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/05/bang-math-professors-prove-tv-show-theory-about-the-number-73Lisa Randall “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs”: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Dinosaurs-Astounding-Interconnectedness-ebook/dp/B00T3CU1ZK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W10RU4YD4CAE&dchild=1&keywords=dark+matter+and+the+dinosaurs&qid=1608215352&s=digital-text&sprefix=Dark+Matter+and+th%2Cdigital-text%2C266&sr=1-1The Singular Universe and the Reality of Time: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O0RKDBA/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4Sean Carroll’s From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time https://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Here-Quest-Ultimate-Theory-ebook/dp/B002VXTAZ0/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3DVSU0TWOQ645&dchild=1&keywords=from+here+to+eternity&qid=1608213402&s=digital-text&sprefix=from+here+to+et%2Cdigital-text%2C262&sr=1-5Katie Mack’s “The end of everything”: https://www.amazon.com/End-Everything-Astrophysically-Speaking-ebook/dp/B07Z41TTNK/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Katie+Mack&qid=1608215393&s=digital-text&sr=1-2Origins of Monotheism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/monotheism/Religion population per country: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/religion-by-countryhttps://www.worldreligiondatabase.org/Videos:BigThink, Michio Kaku: The Theory of Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hOGfwt0ERkFermilab, GUTs and TOES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LGBo7dLgYkSteve Weinberg - Toward the Unification of Physics | Interactive 2013 | SXSW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSEXA5JueRUSupersymmetry & Grand Unification: Lecture 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6srShxBCrkRelated episodes:Here We Come A-Physicsing (Newtonmas 2019): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/27-discussion-here-we-come-a-physicsing/id1471423633?i=1000459976398Universal Beats (Stephon Alexander): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/72-stephon-alexander-universal-beats/id1471423633?i=1000502625366The scientific method: Is it a thing? (Discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-discussion-the-scientific-method-is-it-a-thing/id1471423633?i=1000485209730The DartmouthThe DartmouthBang! Math professors prove TV show theory about the number 73A proof co-authored by Dartmouth mathematics professor emeritus Carl Pomerance and Morningside College mathematics professor Chris Spicer appeared on an episode of the television series, “The Big Bang Theory” on April 18. The proof, which was featured on a whiteboard in the background of the show, reveals the uniqueness of the number 73. (31 kB)https://snworksceo.imgix.net/drt/a9191fcf-358f-4cde-a66d-8c33a7d8984e.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=800Apple PodcastsApple Podcasts‎Science! With Friends: #27 | Discussion | Here We Come A-Physicsing! on Apple Podcasts‎Show Science! With Friends, Ep #27 | Discussion | Here We Come A-Physicsing! - Dec 18, 2019 (130 kB)https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts113/v4/21/ee/4d/21ee4d5a-167d-6447-4a5f-5926735e659a/mza_2779981594897721493.jpg/1200x630wp.pngApple PodcastsApple Podcasts‎Science! With Friends: #72 | Stephon Alexander | Universal Beats on Apple Podcasts‎Show Science! With Friends, Ep #72 | Stephon Alexander | Universal Beats - Dec 16, 2020 (130 kB)https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts113/v4/21/ee/4d/21ee4d5a-167d-6447-4a5f-5926735e659a/mza_2779981594897721493.jpg/1200x630wp.pngApple PodcastsApple Podcasts‎Science! With Friends: #54 | Discussion | The scientific method: Is it a thing? on Apple Podcasts‎Show Science! With Friends, Ep #54 | Discussion | The scientific method: Is it a thing? - Jul 16, 2020 (130 kB)

When Dr. Stephon Alexander listens to the music of the cosmos, he hears structure, but also flexibility. He hears familiar cadences and novel riffs. He hears strings vibrating in ten-dimensional spacetime and resonating loops of quantum gravity. He hears Einstein’s musical mind and Coltrane’s cosmic sensibility. He hears the jazz of physics. And so will you. In this episode, Stephon tells Jocelyn and Bradley how a journey wending through the dusty halls of old jazz clubs and the chalky floors of physics offices ultimately led him from Trinidad to the Bronx to Brown University. He shares how his experience as a jazz saxophonist has shaped his approach to physics, and how incorporating more elements from the improvisational, inclusive culture of jazz will benefit the future of physics. Along the way, he explains how he is working to integrate general relativity with quantum mechanics by uncovering the quantum nature of gravity, and the friends speculate that the answer may ultimately shed light on the origins of consciousness itself. Follow Stephon on Twitter @stephstem, and learn more about his amazing work at the links below! Secret Lives of Scientists on NOVA: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/stephon-alexander-theoretical-physicist/ Big Think:“Sources of Inspiration”: https://bigthink.com/videos/sources-of-inspiration “Beyond Einstein”: https://bigthink.com/videos/beyond-einstein The Jazz of Physics: https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Physics-Between-Structure-Universe/dp/0465034993 https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/06/11/481664722/scientist-stephon-alexander-infinite-possibilities-unite-jazz-and-physics TEDx Talk San Diego: https://youtu.be/v9_ZzY99-6U “Black Academics Have a Responsibility to the Next Generation” (New York Times editorial) : https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/04/do-black-intellectuals-need-to-talk-about-race/black-academics-have-a-responsibility-to-the-next-generation Brown University: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/salexan4 https://www.stephonalexanderlab.com/ Check out some of Stephon’s technical papers: Brane Gases: https://journals.aps.org/prd/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevD.62.103509 Noncommutative inflation: https://journals.aps.org/prd/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevD.67.081301 Gravitational waves: https://journals.aps.org/prd/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevD.67.081301 Chern–Simons modified general relativity: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037015730900177X Super strings and baryon asymmetry: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2006/06/018/meta Horava-Lifshitz theory: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1206.6296.pdf A Wrinkle in Time (2018) film trailer: https://youtu.be/UhZ56rcWwRQ John Coltrane music: Giant steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy_fxxj1mMY Cosmic music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC4tmbWzevg Related episodes: Quantum Whaaaat? (Part 1): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/30-discussion-quantum-whaaaat-part-1/id1471423633?i=1000464036509 Quantum Whatnot (Part 2): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/31-discussion-quantum-whatnot-part-2/id1471423633?i=1000464036508 The Musical Shape of Science (Tim Blais): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/61-tim-blais-the-musical-shape-of-science/id1471423633?i=1000492250770

This episode is gonna get twisted, y’all.Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by science sensation Dr. Carin Bondar, Biologist with a Twist, who regales us with weird, wonderful, twisted tales of the natural world! From the many talents of animal genitalia to the biological superpowers that make moms uniquely equipped to rule the world, Carin considers what humans can learn about ourselves by looking at the social lives of animals. The friends also discuss how anti-anthropomorphism—the assumption that nonhuman animals do not think and feel as humans do—is as baseless and potentially dangerous as viewing other animals through an excessively anthropomorphic lens. And Carin shares some of the surprising twists that made her journey from art into science so unique and rewarding, and how she has used social media to pioneer a whole new form of science communication.Follow Carin on Twitter and Instagram @carinbondar, and learn more about her amazing work at https://carinbondar.com/ and at the links below!Books:Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Sex-Science-Behind-Kingdom/dp/1681775107/Wild Moms: Motherhood in the Animal Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Moms-Motherhood-Animal-Kingdom/dp/1681776650/The Nature of Sex: The Ins and Outs of Mating in the Animal Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Sex-Mating-Animal-Kingdom/dp/1780229119/The Nature of Human Nature: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Human-Dr-Carin-Bondar/dp/0557457939/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/DrBondarCarin’s TED talks:“The birds and the bees are just the beginning”: https://youtu.be/N39x_WTPix0“Motherhood in the Wild: Lessons on Evolution”: https://youtu.be/8VkNW5hQ8u0Carin’s science song parodies:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr1tglWEJeA&list=PLMemAikxmpoYLQlULj3_pNiy5nMs_OuRQ“Evo Devo” (“Despacito” parody by A Cappella Science): https://youtu.be/ydqReeTV_vkOutrageous Acts of Science: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2857312/Related episodes:Sex is Always Weirder Than We Can Imagine (Maurine Neiman): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/67-maurine-neiman-sex-is-always-weirder-than-we-can-imagine/id1471423633?i=1000497201747The Musical Shape of Science (Tim Blais): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/61-tim-blais-the-musical-shape-of-science/id1471423633?i=1000492250770This Episode is a Venn Diagram (discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/45-discussion-this-episode-is-a-venn-diagram/id1471423633?i=1000473780846

If science is a kind of dance between humans and the universe, perhaps nowhere is the choreography more intricate and complex than when consciousness contemplates itself in the form of the human brain. Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by Grace Huckins—neuroscientist, philosopher, visionary—who invites us on a tour of the cosmos within. Grace discusses her Ph.D. research using fMRI and machine learning to develop a more dynamic understanding of the biological processes underlying mental illness, sharing how her approach uses brain scans to construct brain stories. The friends discuss the perils and pitfalls of research that seeks to locate sex and gender in the brain, arguing that a more fluid and nuanced understanding of socially constructed categories like gender, as well as diagnostic categories, will produce a more robust science of the human brain. Grace also reflects on her work with WIRED magazine as part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Mass Media Fellowship program, sharing insights about how science communication improves both science and society. Follow Grace on Twitter @grace_huckins, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below!Grace on WIRED: https://www.aaas.org/programs/mass-media-fellowship/grace-huckinshttps://www.wired.com/author/grace-huckins/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship program: https://www.aaas.org/programs/mass-media-fellowshipRebecca M. Jordan-Young, Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Storm-Flaws-Science-Differences/dp/0674063511 Jocelyn’s review of Brain Storm: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43831457 Neurasthenia:https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/death-of-neurasthenia-and-its-psychological-reincarnation/CBF3F9183ED6368E940BB0F0AB327482Elaine Showalter, The Female Malady: https://www.amazon.com/Female-Malady-1890-1980-Showalter-1987-09-01/dp/B01FELG7JM/Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdfRelated episodes:Fumbling Towards Empathy (John Kiat): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/56-john-kiat-fumbling-towards-empathy/id1471423633?i=1000486521259 A Neuromance of Many Dimensions (Melinda Smith): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/59-melinda-smith-a-neuromance-of-many-dimensions/id1471423633?i=1000489903116Science is for Everyone (discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/35-discussion-science-is-for-everyone/id1471423633?i=1000466778549What is reality, really? (discussion): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/7-discussion-what-is-reality-really/id1471423633?i=1000445792520

Flag on the play . . . This episode has been called for excessive celebration and unnecessary radness!!! Football: it’s as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. Physics: it’s as much a part of football as touchdowns, tackles, and tailgating. Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by football physics maestro Dr. Timothy Gay, who coaches us on the physics behind “Deflategate” and solves the gyroscope problem of the perfect spiral pass. He also explains how electrons are and are not like footballs, and how his research into their interactions with matter could yield critical insights about the origins of life on earth. Along the way, Tim shares stories from a life of fateful encounters with everyone from Bill Belichik to old Nazi rocket scientists to the drummer of Motley Crüe. Learn more about Tim’s amazing work at http://physics.unl.edu/~tgay/ and at the links below! Football Physics: The Science of the Game: https://www.amazon.com/Football-Physics-Science-Timothy-Gay-ebook/dp/B004GHOISI Huskervision playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE039D7520F3FC856 Throwing a perfect spiral: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/tipping-point-after-20-years-gay-solves-conundrum-of-football-physics/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-does-a-patrick-mahomes-football-pass-look-so-beautiful-these-physicists-believe-they-have-the-answer-11602253787 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/science/football-pass-physics.html https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1119/10.0001388?journalCode=ajp Electrons and chiral molecules: https://phys.org/news/2014-09-dna-right-handed-helix.html https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/physicists-get-surprising-results-from-electron-molecule-collisions/ Tommy Lee Goes To College: https://www.aps.org/publications/capitolhillquarterly/200604/reality-show.cfm https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432677/fullcredits Related episodes: Beauty, Symmetry, and Funsize Physics (Shireen Adenwalla): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/28-shireen-adenwalla-beauty-symmetry-and-funsize-physics/id1471423633?i=1000461961912 How to Get Away With Meowder (Greg Gbur): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/34-greg-gbur-how-to-get-away-with-meowder/id1471423633?i=1000466086468

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensBacteria in blenders and bird poop confusionDoggies that drool when a little bell ringsThese are a few of our favorite things . . . More specifically, these are a few of Jocelyn and Bradley’s all-time favorite experiments in the history of science! This week, the hosts consider the role of experiment in the scientific process and the qualities that make an experiment especially significant or compelling. They highlight several “classic” experiments in physics, cosmology, genetics, molecular biology, and psychology, and they discuss how these experiments tested the limits of human ingenuity to crystallize key concepts and chart new directions for scientific research. Move over, Oprah—we’re releasing the first-ever list of our favorite things!Related episodes:The scientific method: Is it a thing? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-discussion-the-scientific-method-is-it-a-thing/id1471423633?i=1000485209730Research all the things! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/62-discussion-research-all-the-things/id1471423633?i=1000493142965Quantum whaaaat? (Part 1): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/30-discussion-quantum-whaaaat-part-1/id1471423633?i=1000464036509Quantum whatnot (Part 2): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/31-discussion-quantum-whatnot-part-2/id1471423633?i=1000464036508Further Reading:Cavendish experiment (1797-98):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavendish_experimenthttps://youtu.be/2PdiUoKa9Nw* https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/cavendish-experiment* Historical note: This resource—and Jocelyn during the episode—describes the source of light in the Cavendish experiment as a “laser beam.” Astute listeners will note that the laser (as in Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) was not built until 1960, so what Cavendish used in his original apparatus was a light source, but not a laser. Double-slit experiment (1801-03):For electrons: https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1119/1.2757621For large molecules: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/CP/c3cp51500a#!divAbstracthttps://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-the-new-double-slit-experiment-actually-show/Visual Tutorial: https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/interference/doubleslit/Class from Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/light-waves/interference-of-light-waves/v/youngs-double-split-part-1DIY: https://www.pasco.com/products/lab-apparatus/light-and-optics/diffraction/os-8531Mendel’s pea plants (1860s):https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-classical-genetics/hs-introduction-to-heredity/a/mendel-and-his-peashttps://youtu.be/Mehz7tCxjSEPavlov and classical conditioning (1897):https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.htmlhttps://sites.psu.edu/intropsychf19grp7/2019/11/16/classical-conditioning-in-the-classroom/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2755398/https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/learning-slug/a/classical-and-operant-conditioning-articlehttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-003-1601-0https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IH-5kY65FncC&oi=fnd&pg=PA107&dq=operant+conditioning+and+drug+addiction&ots=YtLNLzHgwr&sig=CTFxywXx8VqVXq2OUH98u1oektM#v=onepage&q=operant%20conditioning%20and%20drug%20addiction&f=falseRutherford gold foil experiment (1908-1915):https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1908/rutherford/biographical/http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/history/gold.htmlHershey-Chase experiments (early 1950s):https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/hershey-chase-experiments-1952-alfred-hershey-and-martha-chasehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershey%E2%80%93Chase_experiment#/media/File:Hershey_Chase_experiment.png Cosmic Microwave Background (1965):https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-scientists-confirmed-big-bang-theory-owe-it-all-to-a-pigeon-trap-180949741/https://www.space.com/25945-cosmic-microwave-background-discovery-50th-anniversary.htmlhttp://redshift.vif.com/JournalFiles/Pre2001/V02NO3PDF/V02N3ASS.PDFhttps://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.16.405https://science.sciencemag.org/content/156/3778/1100.abstract

The living world is infinitely more complex than the categories we create to contain and constrain it. This week, we turn to an ancient reservoir of biological wisdom to illuminate life’s wondrous complexity. We are referring, of course, to the humble snail. In this episode, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by Dr. Maurine Neiman, an evolutionary biologist who was once branded a “snail pornographer” by conservative media outlets. Maurine explains that, far from being a trivial or esoteric topic, the sex lives of snails—or, sometimes, lack thereof—offer crucial insights into one of the biggest open questions in evolutionary biology, namely, why sexual reproduction evolved in the first place. Maurine explains how snail species vary widely in their reproductive strategies, from hermaphroditic garden snails to the freshwater snails she studies in her own research, which have both sexually reproducing and asexually reproducing lineages. By comparing the fates and fortunes of these lineages in various environments, Maurine’s research sheds light on the costs and benefits of different reproductive strategies. The friends also discuss how studying the evolutionary origins of sexual difference can impact how we think about maleness and femaleness, challenging our conventional assumptions about (binary) sex in both science and society. Follow Maurine on Twitter at @mneiman, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below! http://bioweb.biology.uiowa.edu/neiman/index.php https://clas.uiowa.edu/gwss/people/maurine-neiman Iowa City Darwin Day: https://iowacitydarwinday.org/ “Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Snail Sex”: https://www.kqed.org/science/1446777/everything-you-never-wanted-to-know-about-snail-sex Matt Ridley, The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Queen-Evolution-Human-Nature/dp/0060556579 The Lively Lab @ Indiana: https://lively.lab.indiana.edu/index.html Robert J. Richards, The Romantic Conception of Life: Science and Philosophy in the Age of Goethe: https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Conception-Life-Philosophy-Foundations/dp/0226712117 Andrew Cunningham & Nicholas Jardine, eds., Romanticism and the Sciences: https://www.amazon.com/Romanticism-Sciences-Andrew-Cunningham/dp/0521356857 Andrea Gambarotto, “Lorenz Oken (1779–1851): Naturphilosophie and the reform of natural history”: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-for-the-history-of-science/article/lorenz-oken-17791851-naturphilosophie-and-the-reform-of-natural-history/AA5EBBBE4ED2FDBBA7E23C4466D854C7

Vampires! Werewolves! Zombies! Calculus exams! What makes something "monstrous"? Why do monsters inspire such fear and fascination? And what “monsters” has science inadvertently created throughout history? In this Halloween-themed episode, Bradley and Jocelyn explore the monsters of nature and the nature of monsters. From Frankenstein to Dracula, they discuss how monster lore often represents perceived "violations" of the natural order, and how newly discovered phenomena and technologies continually challenge our assumptions about that order. They also consider "Jekyll and Hyde" moments in the history of modern science, discussing topics from mustard gas to DDT, nuclear energy, and gene editing technologies. They also share their thoughts on the ultimate monster of nature. So what is it? Tune in to find out! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!Further reading:Wonders and the Order of Nature: https://www.amazon.com/Wonders-Nature-1150-1750-Lorraine-Daston/dp/0942299914The Science of Monsters: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Monsters-Origins-Creatures-Love/dp/145166799XMaster Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Mind-Laureate-Launched-Chemical/dp/0060562722 Great Radiolab episode about his story: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/bad-show DDT:https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0174.html Lead piping: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509614/ https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water History of the Atomic Bomb: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/us-wwii/a/the-manhattan-project-and-the-atomic-bomb Chernobyl:https://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/chernobyl/WHO%20Report%20on%20Chernobyl%20Health%20Effects%20July%2006.pdf HBO show here: https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx CRISPR & Designer babies: https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/11/25/138962/exclusive-chinese-scientists-are-creating-crispr-babies/ https://www.nature.com/news/crispr-fixes-disease-gene-in-viable-human-embryos-1.22382 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168365917308453 http://www.ask-force.org/web/Genomics/Jasanoff-CRISPR-Democracy-Gene-Editing-2015.pdf Cheryl Wheeler, "Just Like God": http://cherylwheeler.com/songs/jlgn.html

Grab hold, friends, and follow us into the Chamber of Science! Behold the power of the Natural Philosopher’s Stone . . . peer into the Erlenmeyer Flask of Fire . . . join the Order of the Elements . . . and meet the Professor of Aksarben*!Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by the Headmistress of Harry Potter Science, Dr. Rebecca Lai! Rebecca describes how she combines her love of chemistry with her love of fantasy literature to ignite a spectacular reaction in the hearts and minds of Harry Potter enthusiasts of all ages. She explains how real invisible ink works, and how the properties of light refraction could someday be used to create a real-life invisibility cloak; she describes the amazing applications of gold in both the Muggle world—including Rebecca’s own research—and the wizarding world; and she tells us where to find some real “fantastic beasts.” She also shares how Harry Potter has led her outside of her own field of expertise into a variety of interdisciplinary topics, and how this same emphasis on connection and creativity inspires her work on biosensors. Along the way, the friends discuss their favorite Harry Potter characters, houses, and charms, and Rebecca shares her hopes for the future . . . including a collaboration with J.K. Rowling herself!So, is it science, or is it magic? YES!*You might be from Nebraska if . . . you got that last reference.Learn more about Rebecca’s amazing work at http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/ and at the links below!UPCOMING LIVESTREAM EVENT! A Muggle’s Guide to Harry Potter’s Chemistry: https://www.slsc.org/event/first-friday-harry-potter-2020/More Harry Potter:http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/harry-potter-book-series-outreach-activities/https://cen.acs.org/education/outreach/Chemists-recreate-Hogwarts-magic-mere/97/i41https://www.informalscience.org/news-views/harry-potter-x-science-pop-culture-strategy-science-engagementSciPop Talks!: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Among Us: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=4289685Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Among Us II: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=4770815 Elements in the Harry Potter World: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=7195843Biosensors: http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/biosensors/More podcasts ft. Rebecca:Potterology (Ologies podcast with Alie Ward!): https://www.alieward.com/ologies/potterologyAsk a Scientist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-rebecca-lai/id1500764341?i=1000470730721Faculty 101: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/lai-shares-magic-of-chemistry-in-faculty-101-podcast/

People will see the flower and say, “Here is the silver of our mother’s hair upon the ground and the rose from the wings of the spirit bird. Our mother’s tears of bitterness have given us food.” * Before the dig could begin en masse, a single bitterroot was dug and blessed. . . . ‘The first one that usually gets dug out of the ground, we talk to that bitterroot just like it's a human being because it's our first visitor and we thank that bitterroot for being here again for us," said Charlie Quequesah. [And] thus continued the connection between nature and generations of Indian people.† Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by ethnobotanist and Salish scientist Rose Bear Don’t Walk, who shares her journey from growing up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana to earning a political science degree at Yale, and then returning to Montana to study environmental science. Through these diverse experiences, Rose has nurtured a passion for social and environmental justice. She has also realized that, for many indigenous communities, recovering traditional ecological knowledge of plants is a key element in preserving culture and improving health. Rose discusses how her Bitterroot Salish and Crow heritage inform her scientific identity and practices, and she describes her current project to promote food sovereignty among her own Salish people by supporting healthy, culturally-relevant food practices in her community. The friends also discuss the ancient and powerful idea of food as medicine—for the mind, body, and spirit. *The Gift of the Bitterroot, as told by Johnny Arlee: https://www.lessonsofourland.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Gift-of-the-Bitterroot.pdf †“Salish, Pend d'Oreille tribal members gather bitterroots to honor family, tradition”: https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/lake_county/salish-pend-doreille-tribal-members-gather-bitterroots-to-honor-family-tradition/article_abbf108a-714c-11e0-a345-001cc4c002e0.html Follow Rose on Twitter at @rosedontwalk, and learn more about her amazing work at the links below! https://500womenscientists.org/updates/2020/8/1/an-ethnobotanist-the-plants-of-her-people https://www.umt.edu/news/2020/01/011320know.php https://missoulian.com/news/local/university-of-montana-grad-wins-fellowship-for-the-future/article_5175cb31-f333-5a7b-be9d-4338f3c9c499.html Summit on Culturally Competent Conversations for Equity and Belongingness: https://youtu.be/-twfH3_XfE8 Stories for Action podcast: https://youtu.be/P27Gm8KY5Ec Recovering our Roots: The Importance of Salish Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Food Systems to Community Wellbeing on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11494/ Rose powwow dancing! https://youtu.be/gjLMDl_FzHw SciShow: https://www.youtube.com/user/scishow

Move over, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – Coralie Adam: Asteroid Wrangler is in the house! Coralie joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss her exciting work with the OSIRIS-REx mission and its upcoming touchdown on the asteroid Bennu. She shares the challenges of controlling the spacecraft and collecting samples on an object 207 million miles away from Earth (talk about working remotely, amirite?!), and how this mission is historic in more ways than one: making history as the first U.S. spacecraft to collect a sample from an asteroid, with the potential to illuminate the early history of the solar system and the origins of life on Earth. Coralie also describes her journey from young space enthusiast and aspiring archeologist to a real live “space archeologist” of sorts, explaining how she has forged a career that bridges engineering and science. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn to pronounce fun words like “stereophotoclinometry”!Follow the mission on Twitter at @OSIRISREx, and learn more about Coralie’s amazing work at the links below!https://www.linkedin.com/in/coraliejackman/https://www.wired.com/story/the-remarkable-stuff-scientists-get-done-as-they-work-from-home/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6712127544151408640/KinetX: https://www.kinetx.com/OSIRIS REx:https://www.asteroidmission.org/https://www.asteroidmission.org/team/team-list/https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13724https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/osiris-rex-begins-its-countdown-to-taghttps://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/osiris-rex-observes-an-asteroid-in-actionhttps://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/osiris-rex-produces-nightingale-mosaichttps://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/second-rehearsal-puts-osiris-rex-on-path-to-sample-collection

“Do your research.” Sound advice, but what does it really mean? “Trust, but verify.” So whom can we trust? And how do we verify? In an age of contested truths and “alternative facts,” the value of scientific research is both more critical and more in question than at any time in recent memory. Everyone—scientists included—must rely on knowledge produced and documented by others. Yet there are crucial differences between the kind of research we conduct as private individuals and the kind of research scientists conduct as a community, and these differences have major implications for how we evaluate competing knowledge claims to become informed citizens. In this episode, Jocelyn and Bradley discuss the multiple meanings of “research”; how the collaborative, systematic, and ongoing nature of scientific research yields reliable knowledge; and why the popular perception that experts are always “changing their minds” is actually a strength and not a weakness of the research process. “Truth, Lies, and ‘Alternative Facts’: Navigating the Strange, Sticky Politics of Expertise” (Jocelyn’s SciComm talk): https://youtu.be/ZetbNSMSIRY Related episodes: “What’s so ‘basic’ about basic research?”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/12-discussion-whats-so-basic-about-basic-research/id1471423633?i=1000448570255 “Science is for Everyone”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/35-discussion-science-is-for-everyone/id1471423633?i=1000466778549 “The scientific method: Is it a thing?”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-discussion-the-scientific-method-is-it-a-thing/id1471423633?i=1000485209730

If Bill Nye, Weird Al, Pentatonix, and Igor Stravinsky had a CRISPR baby . . . What’s that, now? That’s not how CRISPR works? I should have paid more attention in A Capella Science class? Well, anyway . . .It’s Jocelyn’s birthday episode, and we’re celebrating with her dream guest: musical scientist, scientific musician, and edutainer extraordinaire Tim Blais, creator of A Capella Science! In this rocking, rolling, rollicking discussion, Tim riffs on his early influences, from Bill Nye to Disney’s Fantasia; his journey to musical science stardom; the qualities of a “good” science parody video; the most fun and challenging aspects of bringing a song idea to fruition; and how the goals of his channel have evolved since his early viral videos. The friends also discuss the parallels between science and art, and how “iterated creativity” is a key to success in both. Follow Tim on Twitter @acapellascience, and learn more about his amazing work at https://www.acapellascience.com/ and at the links below!“The Surface of Light” (episode intro): https://youtu.be/2INJiNpZFBIYouTube channels:A Capella Science: https://www.youtube.com/user/acapellascienceA Capella Science 2: https://www.youtube.com/user/acapellascience2ACS Live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKmwh393RQvWB_KCu1xe29gTim Blais: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimblaisMusic/videosTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/acapellasciencePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/acapellascience“How To Make Good Science Art”: https://youtu.be/G94yp-a8XG8Thread on science lyricism: https://twitter.com/acapellascience/status/1307888111079378945Also mentioned in this episode:“Bohemian Rhapsody,” The Muppets edition: https://youtu.be/tgbNymZ7vqY “The Bizarre Behavior of Rotating Bodies, Explained” (Veritasium video): https://youtu.be/1VPfZ_XzisUFunsize Physics: https://funsizephysics.com

Weed. Reefer. Pot. Grass.Hemp. Marijuana. Cannabis.THC. CBD. WTF?!?The cannabis industry is the fastest-growing job sector in the country, and the only thing more multifaceted than this ancient and powerful plant may be the myths and misconceptions that grow up around it. Fortunately, Dr. Andrea Holmes is here to cut through the chaos and lend scientific clarity to this incredibly important topic!In this episode, Andrea tells Jocelyn and Bradley how she went from a rebellious youth to a student who struggled with chemistry and eventually to a Ph.D. organic chemist. She explains how this training—and a lifelong aversion to boredom—has been her ticket to a stimulating, wide-ranging research career. Most recently, Andrea has brought her interdisciplinary vision and entrepreneurial spirit to the cannabis industry, founding the Cannabis Studies Program at Doane University. She shares her enthusiasm for the incredibly complex and diverse world of cannabinoids—i.e., chemical constituents of the cannabis plant with a host of useful properties and applications. Andrea also shares her bold vision for a future of medicine in which scientific and “alternative” approaches are not opposed to one another, and instead, science embraces and helps to elucidate a more holistic understanding of human health and wellness.Learn more about Andrea’s amazing work at https://www.doane.edu/andrea-holmes and the links below!Biofilms: https://www.doane.edu/sites/default/files/media/Images/Academic%20Departments/Sciences/--Chemistry/2018%20CURB%20Biofilm%20brochure.pdfNanoprinted sensors:https://futurumcareers.com/find-identify-act-andrea-holmesDoane University Cannabis Studies Program: https://www.doane.edu/academics/division/cannabis-studiesPrecision Plant Molecules: https://precisionplantmolecules.com/https://futurumcareers.com/find-identify-act-andrea-holmes

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: A scientist, a writer, a musician, and an artist walked into a podcast. Her friends waved and said, “Hi, Mel!”This week, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by multitalented, multidimensional neuroscientist and human (or is she . . . ?) Dr. Melinda Smith. Mel shares how she fell in love with the brain, what motivated her to transition from research to a full-time career in science communication, and how her knowledge of neuroscience gives her unique insight into how best to discuss complex scientific concepts effectively with diverse audiences. She emphasizes the crucial role of empathy in science communication—indeed, all communication—and explains why fiction is an especially valuable means both to cultivate empathy and to convey scientific content in a meaningful way. The friends also discuss Mel’s own impressive body of fiction writing and the themes of intelligence, “artificial” and otherwise, it explores. Follow Melinda on Twitter @ScienceGeekMel, and learn more about her amazing work at https://www.sciencegeekmel.com/ and at the links below:Melinda’s writing on Medium: https://medium.com/@melinda.science.writerMelinda’s SciComm talk: https://youtu.be/maX5Rx7gGuQ“Words Matter: Jargon Alienates Readers”: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00580-w“Elon Musk is one step closer to connecting a computer to your brain”: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/8/28/21404802/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-machine-interface-research

She’s a molecular biologist who has studied worms and their proteins. She’s a hip-hop artist dropping lyrical science bombs rhyming “electrophoresis” with “Reese’s pieces.” She’s a badass woman who pursues her passion for science while remaining her unapologetic self. She is, in a word, a science maven.In this episode, Raven the Science Maven joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss her journey from college dropout to STEM Ph.D. and H.B.I.C. of her own science education empire. She shares her research on identity negotiation and “code-switching” by Black women in the STEM workforce, as well as the highs and lows of her own experiences as a Black woman in science. Raven tells us how she is using music to create more culturally relevant science education programs, and the friends discuss the importance of building a more expansive and inclusive sense of what it means, and what it can mean, to be scientist—i.e., a human who does science.Follow Raven on Twitter @ravenscimaven, and learn more about her amazing work at https://www.scimaven.com/ and at the links below:“Big Ole Geeks”: https://youtu.be/g7zN5bAqhtU“H.B.I.C.”: https://youtu.be/pb9mfCiH4js“Wipe It Down”: https://youtu.be/OvMrNfK9fF4YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRkU0Z4V6UjDKnbc5brl8ARaven’s #BlackinSTEM story: https://www.motherjones.com/anti-racism-police-protest/2020/06/blackintheivory-racism-academia-science-stemSTEMbassy: https://www.stembassy.org/Buy The Protocol: https://www.scimaven.com/store/the-protocol-epSupport Raven on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/raventhesciencemavenA brief history of Wormageddon:https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/scientists-are-genuinely-losing-their-sht-arguing-over-which-is-the-most-overrated-animal/https://www.thedailybeast.com/worm-joke-causes-science-twitter-flame-war-over-accusations-of-sexism-and-racism#MedBikini controversy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-doctors-are-posing-in-swimwear-on-social-media/

What if there were a way for science—the most comprehensive and powerful system we have for making sense of the world—to explain the innermost stirrings of your heart? To teach you how and why you believe what you do, and how to communicate these values more effectively to others? What if science could show us how to build a better, stronger society? Two words, friends: Social sciences. In this sequel to “The scientific method: Is it a thing?”, Jocelyn and Bradley explore the reasons why the social sciences are sometimes marginalized by and within the broader scientific community. They discuss what it means to have a “testable hypothesis,” and how the ideology of reductionism hinders our scientific understanding of complex phenomena. The hosts also point out the questionable, unscientific(!) assumptions that underlie the effort to separate humans from nature, and the human sciences from the so-called natural sciences. Ultimately, this episode showcases the power and promise of the social sciences, arguing that when we view them as separate from and less than “real” science, we do so to the detriment of ALL science. Science is for Everyone (Episode #35): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/35-discussion-science-is-for-everyone/id1471423633?i=1000466778549 The scientific method: Is it a thing? (Episode #54): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-discussion-the-scientific-method-is-it-a-thing/id1471423633?i=1000485209730 Case control and cohort studies: https://www.students4bestevidence.net/blog/2017/12/06/case-control-and-cohort-studies-overview/ xkcd, “Purity”: https://xkcd.com/435/ xkcd, “Science”: https://xkcd.com/54/ “What Isaac Asimov Taught Us About Predicting the Future”: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/books/review/isaac-asimov-psychohistory.html Particles for Justice letter: https://www.particlesforjustice.org/letter “Plandemic and the Seven Traits of Conspiratorial Thinking”: https://youtu.be/Rban0JGEimE Science Communication journal: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/scx

What the world needs now is . . . How would you complete the sentence? At a moment in our history so rife with fear, conflict, and suffering, “empathy” might be a leading candidate. But what is empathy, exactly? Is it an innate human experience, or a skill that can learned? And how can science shed light on such an abstract and elusive concept? Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by cognitive psychologist Dr. John Kiat, who describes his research into social cognition and shares his perspective on the role of empathy in navigating our current contentious social and political climate, from wearing masks to confronting systemic racism. The friends also discuss the value of the social sciences more generally, and how neuroscience trumped physics in John’s quest to answer the ultimate questions of our existence, which has shaped his science journey. You can learn more about John’s amazing work at https://www.johnkiat.com/ and at the links below: “What’s in a name? Monikers alter empathy in the brain”: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/whats-in-a-name-monikers-alter-empathy-in-the-brain/ “Study shows how brain anticipates social exclusion”: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/study-shows-how-brain-anticipates-social-exclusion/ UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain: https://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/ Susan Lanzoni, “A Short History of Empathy”: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/a-short-history-of-empathy/409912/ Scott Barry Kaufman, “What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One?”: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/what-would-happen-if-everyone-truly-believed-everything-is-one/ Paul Bloom, Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion: https://www.amazon.com/Against-Empathy-Case-Rational-Compassion/dp/0062339338 Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X Robert Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Ulcers-Third/dp/0805073698

Think you learned everything you need to know about cell division in middle school? Dr. Beata Mierzwa is here to show you how wonderfully, sublimely, beautifully wrong you are! She joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss her work as a molecular biologist, a science artist, and a AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. She explains how her scientific research is setting the stage for the development of new, specialized cancer therapies, and how she is using the beautiful images produced in her research to design spectacular scientific fashions! The friends discuss how art not only serves as a uniquely powerful means to communicate complex science to diverse audiences, but also helps scientists themselves see and think about their science in new ways. And Beata shares her advice for anyone who might feel “torn between a desire to understand the wonders of life through science or to create beauty with art.” You can find Beata on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @beatascienceart, and you can learn more about her amazing work at https://beatascienceart.com/ and at the links below: Art the Science blog: https://artthescience.com/blog/2020/04/03/creators-beata-mierzwa/ “Bridging the Divide Between Science and Art,” Journal of Cell Biology: https://rupress.org/jcb/article/217/12/4051/120307/Beata-Mierzwa-Bridging-the-divide-between-science Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeataScienceArt DIY DNA jewelry: https://youtu.be/iiTeVtCneXY https://beatascienceart.com/DNA-jewelry/ Ludwig Cancer Research: https://www.ludwigcancerresearch.org/ The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthencollection.org/beata https://www.ifthenshecan.org/

In this corner, we have Bradley “Falsify This” Nordell, arguing that science owes its spectacular success to a coherent and unique scientific method . . . [crowd roars] . . . And in this corner, we have Jocelyn “More is More” Bosley, arguing that a plurality of methods makes science stronger, more powerful, and more inclusive! [crowd goes wild] It’s time for a knock-down-drag-out-no-holds-barred-MMA-style brain brawl* to decide the fate of that most cherished of scientific ideals: the scientific method. Do all scientists really follow the same method? Is there more than one way to be “scientific”? If the scientific method is an oversimplification, does it do more harm or good? And in a time when the power and promise of scientific processes are too often contentious and misunderstood, how can we differentiate good science, bad science, pseudoscience, and non-science? In this week’s episode, the hosts take on all these questions and more. *By which, of course, we mean a thoroughly convivial and lighthearted discussion. To learn more, see:https://medium.com/science-coffee/what-is-science-the-scientific-method-in-your-cup-9ae4301acc93A few books on the philosophy of science:Theory & Reality: https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Reality-Introduction-Philosophy-Foundations/dp/0226300633/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=theory+and+reality&qid=1594921702&sr=8-1What is this thing called science? https://www.amazon.com/What-This-Thing-Called-Science/dp/162466038X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=what+is+this+thing+called+science&qid=1594921736&sr=8-1Philosophy of Science: a very short introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Science-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/0198745583/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=philosophy+of+science&qid=1594921760&sr=8-3Scientific Method in Practice: https://books.google.com/books?id=iVkugqNG9dAC

. . . Blindly, we turn oureyes to the sky,searching for breadcrumbsbetween the pathways,oblivious to knowledgethat has always been with us:the map of our universeembraced within a single cell.—Sam Illingworth, “Moulded Galaxies” Once upon a time, there was a young lad who wanted to be a scientist. Or a thespian. Or a science communicator. Or a poet. And then one day he realized that he could be all of those things. In fact, he realized he already was all of those things. He was a chimera. And so are you. In this week’s episode, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by the wondrous, chimerical Dr. Sam Illingworth: scientist, poet, and science communication researcher. Sam shares the fascinating and provocative results of his research into how poetry can promote engagement and effective dialogue between scientists and non-scientists, and how he is putting this knowledge into practice through his peer-reviewed science poetry journal Consilience. He also talks about his latest book, A Sonnet to Science, and what we can learn from prominent figures in the history of science who also wrote poetry. Ultimately, the friends agree that (contrary to Poe’s “Sonnet—To Science,” for which Sam’s book is named) scientific inquiry ramifies rather than detracts from the wonder, awe, and mystery of the natural world. You can find more information about Sam Illingworth here:•Website: https://www.samillingworth.com/•Consilience Website: https://www.consilience-journal.com/•Effective Science Communication: https://iopscience.iop.org/book/978-0-7503-1170-0•Sonnet to Science: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1526127989/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_10?smid=A24GZIC7EIOZVT&psc=1•Effective Science Communication: https://store.ioppublishing.org/page/detail/Effective-Science-Communication-Second-Edition/?k=9780750325189 •Sonnet to Science: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526127983/ •Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/samillingworth•Manchester Game Studies Network: https://www.manchestergamestudies.org/•EO Wilson Consilience: https://www.amazon.com/Consilience-Knowledge-Edward-Osborne-Wilson/dp/067976867X•Carbon City Zero https://www.wearepossible.org/carbon-city-zero

Happy birthday to us!!! We’re commemorating one fabulous year of science and friendship, and who better to help us celebrate than ICONIC science podcaster Alie Ward?!? In this episode, our favorite podcastologist shares highlights and insights from her wide-ranging adventures in science communication. Alie explains how her interests in science and in filmmaking converged; how she connects with ologists of all kinds by helping them to identify what gives them “glitter in their stomachs”; and how entertainment media can play an important role in helping to democratize access to science. The friends also discuss the power of not being afraid to embarrass oneself, and the value of “scicommedy” as a strategy for sharing science. It's PARTY TIME!!! You can find Alie on Twitter @alieward. You can also learn more about her amazing work on her website at https://www.alieward.com/ and at the links below. Ologies:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ologies/id1278815517https://twitter.com/Ologies Did I Mention Invention?https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL15GihUisSLQDWzesFDPVz8WQ-JXOZIxF Innovation Nation: https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/innovation-nation/ Netflix’s Brainchild: https://www.netflix.com/title/80215086 Nerd Brigade: http://nerdbrigade.la/

Black Lives Matter. Say Her Name. Defend DACA. Love is Love. How can science help us understand these calls for social justice, and what does it tell us about the movements behind the hashtags? This week, sociologist and Science Slam champion Alice MillerMacPhee talks with Jocelyn and Bradley about her research on the dynamics of social movements, sharing insights into this unique moment in the Movement for Black Lives, immigrant rights movement, and LGBTQ+ rights movement, among others. Alice helps us understand what systemic racism means and how it works, as well as how intersecting inequalities marginalize some identities and experiences more than others. The friends also discuss the sometimes-contested status of the social sciences within the scientific community, and the value of social science research to illuminate the process of science itself. Finally, Alice reflects on how her scholarship and her activism draw inspiration from one another, as she and her merry band of “unruly sociologists” aim to put their knowledge into action. You can follow Alice on Twitter @alicemilmac and learn more about her amazing work at the links below! Alice’s Science Slam presentations:Power to the People! Or, One Researcher’s Path to Science (2016): https://youtu.be/k1ZC_ZhpSOkA Scientist on Activist Terms (2018): https://youtu.be/pywzTp83IzQThere’s a Method for That (2019): https://youtu.be/KDIPvKKWkiw Colleen Ray’s Science Slam, Slamming the Stigma: https://youtu.be/nfKUbiXIsBw More about Science Slams: https://mrsec.unl.edu/science-slamhttps://youtu.be/5xJ8hYxeYUU Unruly Sociologists on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unrulysoc “It Really is Different This Time” (Politico): https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/04/protest-different-299050 Joe Pinsker, “America is Already Different Than It Was Two Weeks Ago” (The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/06/george-floyd-protests-already-changed/613000/ Dr. Keisha Blain: http://keishablain.com/ Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom: https://tressiemc.com/ “Ibram Kendi, one of the nation’s leading scholars of racism, says education and love are not the answer” (The Undefeated): https://theundefeated.com/features/ibram-kendi-leading-scholar-of-racism-says-education-and-love-are-not-the-answer/ Dr. Brittney Cooper: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/294191/brittney-cooper Brittney Cooper, “Why Are Black Women and Girls Still an Afterthought in Our Outrage Over Police Violence?” (Time): https://time.com/5847970/police-brutality-black-women-girls/ The #SayHerName campaign: https://aapf.org/sayhername Jocelyn Bosley, “From Monkey Facts to Human Ideologies: Theorizing Female Orgasm in Human and Nonhuman Primates, 1967–1983” (Signs): https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/648515

We’re marking our 50th episode with a visit from the extraordinary Dr. Katherine (Katie) Mack— known to her more than 350,000 Twitter followers as AstroKatie— who joins Jocelyn and Bradley for a fascinating and surprisingly jovial discussion of the end of the universe. In the words of Randall Munroe, Katie combines “deep thinking about physics and big-picture awe in the style of Carl Sagan,” outlining the possible fates of our cosmos, from Big Crunch to Big Rip to Big Bounce. She explains how “cosmic eschatologists” like her are evaluating the evidence for these competing scenarios, and what dark energy has to do with it. The friends also discuss how cosmological theories inflect the narratives from which humans create meaning, and why we are so emotionally invested in how the universe ends. Finally, Katie shares highlights of her science journey and some crucial insights about science communication. It’s the end of the universe as we know it, and we feel fine! You can find Katie on Twitter @AstroKatie. You can also learn more about her amazing work on her website at http://www.astrokatie.com/ and at the links below. Pre-order The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking): http://www.astrokatie.com/book 2018 UNL Science Slam keynote address: https://youtu.be/twws01vxYZw “Disorientation” by Katie Mack: https://youtu.be/2wT1-bRj9wI A Conversation with Katie Mack (The Perimeter Institute): https://youtu.be/q4a1bzrR65Q North Carolina State Leadership in Public Science Cluster: https://facultyclusters.ncsu.edu/clusters/leadership-in-public-science/

If you’ve ever wondered if Beyoncé has a scientific counterpart, wonder no more: it’s Attabey Rodríguez Benítez, a.k.a. Science Bey! Attabey is a chemical biologist and bilingual science communicator with a passion for understanding Nature’s power and sharing it with others. She explains how her research is helping us learn about the many tricks enzymes can do, as well as teaching them novel tricks that can be used in disease therapies. She also shares her journey as a first-generation college student, telling us how her work as a scientific illustrator is harnessing the power of images to communicate science more effectively, especially across linguistic barriers. The friends also discuss Attabey’s AAAS Mass Media Fellowship with Science Friday, and how her work with the Women in Red WikiProject is helping to increase awareness of Latinas in STEM. You can find Attabey on Twitter and Instagram @ScienceBey. You can also learn more about her amazing work on her website at https://science-bey.com/ and at the links below. https://linkedin.com/in/attabeyhttps://www.chembio.umich.edu/https://www.lsi.umich.edu/profiles/alison-narayan-phdhttps://www.lsi.umich.edu/profiles/janet-smith-phdhttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_63IT70AAAAJ&hl=en Attabey’s Ultimate Guide for Figure-Making:https://science-bey.com/science-illustration-eng Yale Ciencia Academy Fellows:https://www.cienciapr.org/en/blogs/yale-ciencia-academy/meet-2020-yale-ciencia-academy-fellows AAAS Mass Media Fellows:https://www.aaas.org/programs/mass-media-fellowship/2020-mass-media-fellows Science Friday:https://www.sciencefriday.com/ Women in Red WikiProject:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red Adriana Ocampo:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriana_Ocampo

In the final installment of May’s “scientists who sci-fi” series, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, who takes us along on her journey from high-school dropout to condensed matter physics Ph.D., nanotechnology researcher, and NASCAR physicist. Diandra tells us how she made the decision to step away from academia to become a full-time writer of genre-bending scientific nonfiction and fiction works, and how her “speculative fiction” approach explores the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of scientific advances that are already underway or are likely to come to fruition in the near future. The friends also discuss how an engagement with storytelling can help scientists to become not only better communicators but also better thinkers. You can find Diandra on Twitter @drdiandra. You can also learn more about her amazing work on her website at https://www.drdiandra.com/ and at the links below. The Physics of NASCAR: https://www.amazon.com/Physics-Nascar-Science-Behind-Speed/dp/0452290228https://www.vox.com/2016/2/19/11065240/daytona-500-2016-nascar-200-mph-physics-drafting-strategy https://youtu.be/bbMCypdr-I4 Science Saturday: She's Got a Ticket to Ride (Jennifer Ouellette & Diandra Leslie-Pelecky):https://youtu.be/cZmf5nS_xrw “Physics is a Survival Skill”: https://youtu.be/rxKLAh977HY Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology: https://www.amazon.com/Biomedical-Applications-Nanotechnology-Vinod-Labhasetwar/dp/0471722421 Further reading: “Narrative Style Influences Citation Frequency in Climate Change Science,” PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167983 Digital Storytelling Lab@ Columbia: http://www.digitalstorytellinglab.com/The Story Grid: https://storygrid.com/books/“A biomimetic eye with a hemispherical perovskite nanowire array retina,” Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2285-xNanodiamonds & nanoparticles for cancer treatment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5253274/https://phys.org/news/2015-01-nanodiamonds-chemoresistant-cancer-stem-cells.htmlThe End of October: https://www.amazon.com/End-October-novel-Lawrence-Wright/dp/0525658653

Have you heard the one about the astrophysicist who's afraid of the dark? Trust us, friends, you haven't heard anything yet! This week, Jocelyn and Bradley hit the hyperdrive with Dr. Kaitlin Rasmussen (a.k.a. C.M. Fields): astrophysicist, Animal Crossing enthusiast, and writer of horror and science fiction. Kaitlin shares her research into the secrets of ancient stars, her work as a science fiction consultant, and the most significant influences on her science and her stories. In addition, the friends discuss the complexity of space travel, the importance of LQBTQ+ representation in science fiction, and what makes something truly scary.Find more Information on Kaitlin Rasmussen at:Website: http://sites.nd.edu/kaitlin-c-rasmussen/Twitter: https://twitter.com/C_M_Fields and https://twitter.com/toomanyspectraArt: https://www.redbubble.com/people/toomanyspectra/shopConsulting: https://moralesmanuscripts.com/Story Links:Even the machines are eaten in the end (forthcoming from Selene Quarterly Magazine)Nothing in the Dark (forthcoming from Decoded Pride Month Anthology)The Quiet City: https://www.prismaticamagazine.com/issue-9Every Star is Mad: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087L8RGWVHang Up: https://gumroad.com/swamphousepress#kZnHZA Brief History of Us: http://bewilderingstories.com/issue818/history_us.htmlThe Accelerated: https://www.vulturebonesmag.com/05_09_theaccelerated_cmfields...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you are a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

Bradley and Jocelyn jettison to the future with scientist and science fiction author J. Dianne Dotson. Here the friends discuss her early career in life sciences. They then teleport to her current career as a science writer and author, discussing her series science fiction novels called The Questrison Saga®. They talk about not only alien planets, spaceports, and future technology but also that which connects us to being human, even non-human creatures, like family, love, space fashion, and, most importantly, space food!!! Dotson tells them about her childhood dreaming up characters, the importance of Science and Art, and the beauty of having her characters seem so real. And together, Dianne and the friends dream big, journeying as true Questri among the many possibilities of space and imagination alike.You can find more information about J. Dianne Dotson atMain Website: https://jdiannedotson.comScience Articles: https://jdiannedotson.com/science-writing-articles/Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdiannedotsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdiannedotson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdB5U4h2_xpbRWbNdm_M7OQYou can find her books and other writings at:The Questrison Saga®-Book1: Heliopause https://www.amazon.com/Heliopause-Questrison-Saga-Book-One/dp/0999408208/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3C06X2N1KG7LN&dchild=1&keywords=j.+dianne+dotson&qid=1589388822&sprefix=J.+Diann%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-7-Book 2: Ephemeris https://www.amazon.com/Ephemeris-Questrison-Saga-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B07Q3SYXNG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3C06X2N1KG7LN&dchild=1&keywords=j.+dianne+dotson&qid=1589388822&sprefix=J.+Diann%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-3-Book 3: Accretion https://www.amazon.com/Accretion-Questrison-Saga-Book-Three/dp/0999408267/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C06X2N1KG7LN&dchild=1&keywords=j.+dianne+dotson&qid=1589388797&sprefix=J.+Diann%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1Press and Short Fiction and Non-Fiction: https://jdiannedotson.com/press.

Jocelyn and Bradley are in their happy place this week, at the intersection of science, art, and storytelling! In this episode, the hosts discuss the powerful and pervasive notion of “the two cultures”—sciences on the one hand and humanities on the other—and consider why it is so difficult and so important to move beyond this deeply entrenched dichotomy. They also discuss parallels between the writing process and the process of scientific discovery, why creativity and emotion are crucial elements of science, and how the arts and humanities help to cultivate habits of mind that are essential for success in STEM fields. Finally, the hosts introduce May’s month-long series featuring “scientists who sci-fi,” discussing the role science fiction has to play in both predicting and influencing the science of the future. Further reading: On C.P. Snow’s “Two Cultures”: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-update-on-cp-snows-two-cultures/ Science fiction “predictions” that came true:https://www.sciencealert.com/these-15-wild-sci-fi-predictions-about-future-tech-actually-came-truehttps://www.msn.com/en-za/news/techandscience/26-outrageous-sci-fi-predictions-that-actually-came-true/ss-BBWDI7z The Science of Interstellar: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Interstellar-Kip-Thorne/dp/0393351378Brad’s TEDx Talk, “The Science of Tomorrow”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T2j6qzA99M Jocelyn’s Nepris session, “Science Stories - Why Scientists Need History, Art, Literature, Music, & More!”: https://ifthenshecan.nepris.com/Video/ifthen-women-stem-science-stories---why-scientists-need-history-art-literature-music-more-71333 Consilience Journal https://www.consilience-journal.com/The Runaway Species: https://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Species-human-creativity-remakes/dp/1936787520The Universe in Verse: https://www.brainpickings.org/the-universe-in-verse/ More on Science Fiction future's: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08674-8For more podcasts on the power of science fiction in science, art, and society, please listen to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders Podcast "Our Opinions are Correct: https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/

In the last two months, COVID-19 has drawn the public’s attention to zoonotic diseases in unprecedented—and often profoundly misleading—ways. The Chinese origins of SARS-CoV-2 have (re)awakened powerful cultural stereotypes that are now routinely invoked to explain the virus’s transmission to humans. In reality, the lives of bats, viruses, and humans are intertwined in far more complex and profound ways, as bat virologist Dorothy Tovar explains in this week’s episode. Dorothy tells Jocelyn and Bradley why bats’ unique immune systems make them ideal reservoirs for viruses, and why bat behavior and viral evolution combine to create a perfect storm for novel viruses to emerge. She discusses her research at the intersection of immunology and ecology and how she is working to understand the environmental factors that underlie zoonotic disease dynamics. The friends also discuss Dorothy’s science journey, and how a fateful parasitic encounter during a childhood visit to Haiti sparked a lifelong passion for science and public health. You can find Dorothy on Instagram and Linktree @iamdorothytovar, and you can learn more about her amazing work at the links below!https://woods.stanford.edu/people/dorothy-tovarhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/factors-allow-viruses-infect-humans-coronavirus/GoldieBlox Q&A for kids: https://youtu.be/2xsOerD5cd0Reddit Q&A: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/ezstsw/science_discussion_series_the_novel_coronavirus/ Association of Science & Technology Centers Q&A: https://www.astc.org/astc-dimensions/qa-with-dorothy-tovar/Stanford Black Bioscience Organization: https://sbbo.sites.stanford.edu/ The IF/THEN initiative:https://www.ifthenshecan.org/ https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan More on bats, viruses, and humans:“How China’s ‘Bat Woman’ Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus,” Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1“The Origins of SARS-CoV-2,” Benhur Lee Lab at Mount Sinai School of Medicine:Part 1: https://leelabvirus.host/covid19/origins-part1 Part 2: https://leelabvirus.host/covid19/origins-part2 Part 3: https://leelabvirus.host/covid19/origins-part3 “The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for a Vaccine?”, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/16/opinion/coronavirus-mutations-vaccine-covid.html ...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you are a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

It’s Earth Day, friends, and we’re celebrating with two of our planet’s best friends, climatologist Dr. Natalie Umphlett and climate change ecologist Dr. Ramesh Laungani! This scientific super-couple talks with Jocelyn and Bradley about the challenges and rewards of communicating with the public about climate change. Natalie shares her work in making climate data more available and relatable through the Climate4Cities project, and Ramesh tells us how his first ecology class transformed his perspective on science and how he is working to do the same for his students. The friends also discuss how we can shift the discourse around climate change to engage in more productive ways, humanizing the numbers and balancing global perspective with local solutions. You can learn more about Ramesh, Natalie, and their incredible work at the links below! Ramesh Laungani (@DrRamBio): https://www.doane.edu/ramesh-launganiNatalie Umphlett: https://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/who/people/faculty-member.asp?pid=927High Plains Regional Climate Center: https://hprcc.unl.edu/Climate4Cities: https://hprcc.unl.edu/climate4cities/index.phpNebraska School of Natural Resources: http://snr.unl.edu/ 1000 STEM Women (@1000STEMWomen): https://1000stemwomen.wixsite.com/homeWarm Regards podcast (@OurWarmRegards): https://warmregardspodcast.com/...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you are a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

If a bat handed you a margarita, would you take it? How about $3.7 billion?Controlling agricultural pests and promoting the health of agave plants—used to make tequila—are just a couple of the superheroic services bats provide our ecosystems and economies. In this high-flying episode, bat conservationist Kristen Lear introduces Jocelyn and Bradley to the magnificent variety and diverse talents of bat species, busting a few myths along the way. Kristen explains that she has long been drawn to bats as “underdogs,” and she tells us how she has traveled the globe and climbed an actual, literal mountain of bat guano to study them. She also shares her current project integrating ecology with social sciences research to develop bat-friendly agave management strategies in Mexico. Finally, the friends discuss how our land use patterns have altered bats’ habitats in ways that exacerbate the threat of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, and how we can mitigate the threat to protect the health of bat and human populations moving forward.You can find Kristen on Twitter @BatsForLife, Instagram @batsforlife_kristen, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/ratsandcanoes. You can also learn more about her amazing work on her website at https://kristenlear.wixsite.com/batconservation/ and at the links below.National Geographic Explorer: https://youtu.be/3qn4EAU4wsU Mission Unstoppable: https://youtu.be/o0qlgNKKwnQ Skype a Scientist: https://youtu.be/yMXo7FFgwF0 Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants: https://youtu.be/hp1DeznlG7Y Sustainability Spotlight: https://youtu.be/oTx8ciBXn8I Looking for the Mexican Long-nosed Bat: https://vimeo.com/228372359 “Economic Importance of Bats in Agriculture,” Science (2011): https://science.sciencemag.org/content/332/6025/41.fullBat-inspired drones:https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/engineers-build-robot-drone-mimics-bat-flight-53794 https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/01/pentagon-seeks-laser-powered-bat-drones/144964/ https://phys.org/news/2019-02-flight-smarter-nimbler-drones.html Medical advancements inspired by bats:Echolocating cane for the blind: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/bioinspired-assistive-devices/ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239181 Stroke medication: https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/draculin-stroke-drug-from-vampire-bats-moves-closer-to-circulation Bat tongue-inspired surgical robots: https://news.mongabay.com/2013/05/bats-tongue-could-inspire-miniature-surgical-robot-design/ Bat Conservation International: http://www.batcon.org/ Bat Conservation International's Agave Restoration Initiative for endangered Mexican long-nosed bats: http://www.batcon.org/our-work/initiatives/agave-restoration Citizen science projects:SciStarter: https://scistarter.org/finder?phrase=bats Wildlife Acoustics: https://youtu.be/CDm3_Ax_DC8 Project Noah North American Bat Tracker: https://www.projectnoah.org/missions/18306114 Flowers for Bats Campaign: https://fws.usanpn.org/Campaigns/flowersforbats The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthenshecan.org/ https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you are a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

Math is having a moment. Never before, perhaps, has a graph loomed so large in our cultural consciousness, as we embrace the public health imperative to “flatten the curve.” Whether you’re a numbers whiz or think you would rather die of COVID-19 than revisit your high school math class, Jocelyn and Bradley will show you that the soul of mathematics is compassion. Fundamentally, math is not about numbers, but about relationships. Math is a tool for empathy, teaching us how our actions affect one another and enabling us to make informed decisions to take better care of each other. Math connects us, and at the same time, it helps us understand how we are connected. In this episode, the hosts discuss the unique status of mathematical knowledge as a means of thinking, interpreting, predicting, and intervening. In particular, they consider what we might call the numeracy gap—disparities in mathematical understanding—and how this gap has fueled conflicting interpretations of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. From risk calculations to exponential growth functions, math is the mental apparatus that allows us to project from what we are observing to what we will observe in the future, from our individual realities to our collective reality. When are you ever going to use algebra? Right now, friends. Right now. For further information: Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 “Hold the Line,” by Yale epidemiologist Jonathan Smith: https://elemental.medium.com/hold-the-line-17231c48ff17Exponential growth:Coronavirus vs. every 2000s epidemic (Cary Huang): https://youtu.be/n4no04822NQExponential growth and epidemics (3Blue1Brown): https://youtu.be/Kas0tIxDvrgSimulating an epidemic (3Blue1Brown): https://youtu.be/gxAaO2rsdIs Interactive graphs: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-trump-response.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/ The story behind ‘flatten the curve,’ the defining chart of the coronavirus: https://www.fastcompany.com/90476143/the-story-behind-flatten-the-curve-the-defining-chart-of-the-coronavirus Modeling the pandemic: https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/modelers-struggle-to-predict-the-future-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-67261https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-are-sick-lost-february/608521/Further Reading:The Great Influenza, John M. Barry: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-History/dp/0143036491Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences, John Allen Paulos: https://www.amazon.com/Innumeracy-Mathematical-Illiteracy-Its-Consequences-ebook/A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper, John Allen Paulos: https://www.amazon.com/Mathematician-Reads-Newspaper-Allen-Paulos-ebook/How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg: https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Be-Wrong-Mathematical/...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

. . . And although each of usone day runs short on the future, for allthere’s the present we stand in, shiftingour pains from one leg to the other,and, always behind us, the past, havingmade it through everything, its handson our shoulders, urging us on. —Ted Kooser, 13th U.S. Poet Laureate As we all speculate about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic and wonder what the world will look like in its wake, the past holds important clues and context to help us make sense of what we are experiencing. Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by medical and environmental historian Dr. Gregg Mitman, who offers a historical perspective on the current crisis. Gregg shares his knowledge and insights about past disease outbreaks, including the 1918 flu pandemic and the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic in Liberia. The friends discuss the moral, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of disease, including how our land-use patterns increase the risk of zoonotic diseases; the persistent tendency of disease outbreaks to spawn conspiracy theories, xenophobia, and eugenic rhetoric; and how epidemics expose and exacerbate existing inequities in society. Gregg also shares his hope that, both locally and globally, we can create new communities and infrastructures of care that will enable us to navigate the current pandemic, while also shaping a more sustainable and just world as we move forward from it. You can find Gregg on Twitter @greggmitman, and you can learn more about his amazing work at https://gmitman.com/ and at the links below: https://ls.wisc.edu/news/lessons-from-past-epidemicshttps://history.wisc.edu/people/mitman-gregg/ Watch In the Shadow of Ebola: http://intheshadowofebola.com/film A Liberian Journey: http://liberianhistory.org/ Further reading:Disease outbreaks and xenophobia: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/us/disease-outbreaks-xenophobia-history/index.htmlInterview with Peter Daszak: https://slate.com/technology/2020/03/coronavirus-covid19-pandemic-cause-prediction-prevention.htmlFrancesca Melandri’s “letter from the future”: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/a-letter-to-the-uk-from-italy-this-is-what-we-know-about-your-future...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell), Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

“If we want to stop treating soils like dirt, we first need to develop the eyes to see them.” In this episode, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by soil whisperer and IF/THEN Ambassador Dr. Yamina Pressler, who introduces us to the “underground rainbow” beneath our feet and the complex and wondrous ecosystems that work and play there. Besides the many critical services soils perform in sustaining life on Earth, Yamina helps us to appreciate their stunning beauty and diversity. She shares her research on how fire and drought affect the soil, as well as her passions for writing, painting, and running. The friends discuss the joys and rewards of being “and” people, and Yamina tells us about some of the creative ways she has found to combine her many interests while raising awareness about soil and how we can all help to preserve it. You can find Yamina on Twitter @yaminapressler, and you can learn more about her amazing work at https://yaminapressler.com/ and at the links below: Writing: https://medium.com/@yaminapresslerArt: https://yaminapressler.com/artistFor the Love of Soil: https://www.fortheloveofsoil.org/Educational Resources: https://www.fortheloveofsoil.org/educateWill Run For Soil: https://www.willrunforsoil.com/ The IF/THEN initiative:https://www.ifthenshecan.org/https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan Subpar Parks: https://subparparks.com/...Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

How does a gecko know there’s an earthquake? Van der Waals start shaking! This week, Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, herpetologist, and lizard lassoer Earyn McGee, who shares stories of some of her favorite lizards and the tricks they can do—including how Van der Waals forces help geckos climb walls. Earyn explains how radioisotopes in lizard toe clippings (!) are helping her learn more about their diet and the effects of climate change on desert ecosystems. She shares her challenges, struggles, and triumphs as a woman of color in spaces dominated by white men. The friends also discuss Earyn’s efforts to share her knowledge and love of lizards through her wildly popular Twitter game #FindThatLizard, and the wily lizard fugitive who inspired it. You can find Earyn on Twitter @Afro_Herper, and you can learn more about her amazing work at the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earyn-mcgee-08494973https://www.patreon.com/FindThatLizardhttps://www.alieward.com/ologies/saurology The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthenshecan.org/https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan Subpar Parks: https://subparparks.com/Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

"I wanted to be a priest. They said, 'Girls don't do that.' I wanted to be captain of the national cricket team. They said, 'Girls don't do that.' I wanted to be a scientist. They said, 'Girls don't do that,' and I said, ‘I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR NEGATIVITY.’” Friends, meet Dr. Ritu Raman: engineer, innovator, AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, force of nature! In this enlightening, joyful, and inspiring episode, Ritu shares with Jocelyn and Bradley how her experiences growing up a child of engineers in India, Kenya, and the U.S. shaped her desire to use science to solve problems. She tells us about her first research experience chaperoning rat frat parties, which led her to think about how living tissue could be used to develop a new kind of robot that can adapt and change in response to its environment. From her research on bio-bots to translational medicine, Ritu is pioneering a new approach to “building with biology.” You can find Ritu on Twitter @DrRituRaman, and you can learn more about her amazing work at the links below: https://rituraman.com/publicity/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubu-kMnODNI&list=PLl7sKEovQyENcvIW6Wkd3YhAUYjaLcKhNhttps://events.technologyreview.com/video/watch/ritu-raman-inventors-tr35-2019/ The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthenshecan.org/https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan Parry Gripp’s “Neon Pegasus”: https://youtu.be/EiO9_PJ0h8QContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

It’s a subject so complex, so challenging, so utterly intractable that it makes many physicists cower in fear. Yet it’s also ubiquitous: it explains why aircraft stay aloft and how tadpoles breathe, and you experience it every time you brush your teeth or put ketchup on your fries. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the phenomena of fluid dynamics. Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by the indomitable Dr. Nicole Sharp: aerospace engineer, fluid dynamicist, superstar science communicator, and AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Nicole tells us about her science journey, from her earliest childhood memories to her discovery of fluid dynamics, and how her passion for sharing “the physics of all that flows” led her to create the website FYFD. Trust us, friends: by the end of this episode, you too will be saying, “F*** yeah, fluid dynamics!” You can find Nicole on Twitter @fyfluiddynamics, and you can learn more about her work at the links below: FYFD: https://fyfluiddynamics.com/ Star-nosed mole:https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/eb2-tbf041217.phphttps://what-if.xkcd.com/4/ Bird flight:https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/bird-flight/ Oobleck demonstrations:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleCJJAKkgwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zoTKXXNQIU Six selfish reasons to communicate science: https://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/why-communicate-science Science and writing:https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/brandontaylor/i-dont-miss-being-a-scientist-except-when-i-do?utm_source=pocket-newtab The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthenshecan.org/https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCanContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

What’s the big deal about diversity in science? Why is it so important to encourage and empower women and underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM careers? In this week’s episode, Jocelyn and Bradley argue that diversity is not just a buzzword, but a scientific imperative if we are to produce knowledge that is accurate, comprehensive, robust, and beneficial to society. In particular, the hosts discuss conceptions of “objectivity” in science and the philosophy of science; the importance of social and cultural factors in structuring scientific inquiry; and the role of metaphor in facilitating scientific discoveries. Jocelyn also shares her work as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador, and she explains how the program is working to inspire the next generation of STEM pioneers. The IF/THEN initiative: https://www.ifthenshecan.org/https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-epistemologyEvolutionary Epistemology: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-evolutionary/ Objectivity by Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison: https://www.amazon.com/Objectivity-Zone-Books-Lorraine-Daston/dp/189095179X The science and math of crocheting:https://news.yale.edu/2017/11/13/mathematician-share-how-crochet-helped-her-understand-complex-geometry https://www.ttbook.org/interview/crocheting-unknowable-geometry-spacetime Harvard GenderSci lab:https://www.genderscilab.org/ On the “gender-equity paradox”:https://slate.com/technology/2020/02/women-stem-innate-disinterest-debunked.html https://www.genderscilab.org/blog/gender-equality-paradox-monkey-business-or-how-to-tell-spurious-causal-stories-about-nation-level-achievement-by-women-in-stemMiddle-school girls in STEM: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/opinion/stem-girls-math-practice.htmlContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.

Look out, T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and cheezburger.com! This week, we take another important step toward a Grand Unified Theory of Cats, as Jocelyn and Bradley are joined by Greg Gbur, author of the book Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics. Greg sheds light on the long, rich history of cats and their pet scientists, explaining why the “cat-turning problem” has captured the imaginations of physicists, physiologists, and engineers for well over a century. Greg also shares his research on optics and the future of invisibility cloaks (!!!), and how history and pulp fiction can provide unexpected sources of inspiration for scientific work. Finally, the friends discuss the value of Twitter for building a broader, more inclusive scientific community. You can find Greg on Twitter @drskyskull, and you can learn more about his work at the links below: Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Felines-Fundamental-Physics-Gregory/dp/0300231296 Skulls in the Stars (Greg’s blog): https://skullsinthestars.com/ UNCC faculty page: https://pages.uncc.edu/greg-gbur/ Can Twitter Save Science? https://danco.substack.com/p/can-twitter-save-science Greg’s Twitter recommendations:Sophia Gad-Nasr @AstropartigirlSarafina Nance @starstrickenSFRose DF @_Astro_Nerd_Raychelle Burks @DrRubidiumJess Wade @jesswadeSarah McAnulty @SarahMackAttackLisa Buckley @LisavipesLisa @PhysicistLisaContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl

It’s Charles Darwin’s birthday, and the topic of this week’s episode is a natural selection to commemorate the occasion! As part of our recurring series featuring some of the most misunderstood words in science, we’re taking a closer look at that thorny word—“theory”—which is sometimes invoked to undermine the value and validity of Darwin’s pathbreaking work. Jocelyn and Bradley consider how the scientific meaning of the word “theory” differs from its common usage, showing how the progress of science relies on a robust feedback mechanism among facts, theories, and hypotheses. They also discuss how and why our contemporary cultural dialogue on scientific topics benefits from understanding the history of science—and, more specifically, the role celebrated individuals like Darwin do and do not play in that history. Ultimately, the hosts set the record straight on what it really means to say, “Evolution is a theory, not a fact.” Links: Darwin’s Darkest Hour (NOVA): https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/darwins-darkest-hour.html Janet Browne’s Darwin biographyv. 1, Voyaging: https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Darwin-Biography-Vol-Voyaging/dp/0691026068v. 2, The Power of Place: https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Darwin-Biography-Power-Place/dp/0691114390 The Onion on “Intelligent Falling”: https://www.theonion.com/evangelical-scientists-refute-gravity-with-new-intellig-1819567984Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl

Which is scariest: barn swallows, wolf spiders, or middle-schoolers? If you’re Dr. Matt Wilkins, the answer is “none of the above,” because nothing is scary when you’ve braved the amorous wilds of Romanian hostels and run afoul of Russian military personnel while conducting fieldwork in Siberia. During this week’s episode, Matt shares these stories—complete with bird calls, Russian accents, and the musical stylings of the “veloci-rapper”— and so much more. He tells Jocelyn and Bradley how a longtime fascination with linguistics gave rise to his interest in animal communication systems, which in turn fueled his interest in science communication and his Galactic Polymath ambitions. The friends also discuss key challenges facing science communicators, including common misconceptions about evolution and how Matt addresses these, and Matt’s advice for scicomm-curious researchers. You can find Matt on Twitter @mattwilkinsbio, and learn more about his research and outreach projects at http://www.mattwilkinsbio.com/. Additional links: SciComm 2020: http://www.scicommcon.org/ Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/cso/ More Recycling Won’t Solve Plastic Pollution:https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/more-recycling-wont-solve-plastic-pollution/ “Pygids” video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=IVrJCkWRXOc&feature=emb_logo Humor as a Learning Tool (SciComm 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6RgmDcP42M Numbat Media: A case study in the challenges of starting an outreach project (SciComm 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5S0tpPlFag How Much Science is There? (infographic by Randall Munroe): https://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/scicomm/infographic.jpgContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl

In the gripping conclusion to their voyage of quantum discovery, Jocelyn and Bradley move beyond the weird and wild consequences of quantum mechanics to take on the biggest question of all: What does it all mean?The hosts discuss how different approaches to resolving the “measurement problem” have led to different interpretations of quantum mechanics. In the process, they explore the difference between epistemology (what we know and how we know it) and ontology (the stuff the makes up reality), and how the most popular interpretations of quantum mechanics deal with this distinction. More generally, they discuss why some theories require interpretations in the first place, and if and how we can determine which interpretation of quantum mechanics is correct.Links:The Schrodinger Equation: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/schr.htmlThe Measurement Problem: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Oxford_History_of_Twentieth_Century.html?id=WGvbAApi2roC&pg=PA22#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355219813000397?via%3DihubCopenhagen Interpretation: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/The Many Worlds Interpretation: Hugh Everett’s original thesis: https://archive.org/details/TheTheoryOfTheUniversalWaveFunction/mode/2uphttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/somethingdeeplyhidden/Pilot-Wave Model or Bohmian Mechanics:https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.85.166https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlXdsyctD50GRW or Objective Collapse Theory: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-collapse/Quantum Bayesianism or QBism:https://www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-bayesianism-explained-by-its-founder-20150604/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/quantum-bayesian/Quantum Darwinism: https://arxiv.org/abs/0903.5082https://journals.aps.org/rmp/abstract/10.1103/RevModPhys.75.715https://www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-darwinism-an-idea-to-explain-objective-reality-passes-first-tests-20190722/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zMdaBgt6gContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl

Can quantum mechanics cure my eczema? Will it let me time travel to fix a mistake I made in the past? Does it explain why my remote control keeps disappearing, or what happens to the other socks in the dryer? What does “quantum” even mean, anyway?In the first episode of a two-part series, Jocelyn and Bradley take on another of the most misunderstood words in science. This time, they’re traveling deep into the mysterious and ineffable realm of atoms and subatomic particles to cut through the technical jargon and hype surrounding the word “quantum.” The hosts explain the basic tenets of quantum mechanics, showing how the existence of discrete or quantized energy levels yields non-intuitive results like entanglement, non-locality, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, and superposition. Based on this foundation, they also discuss what “quantum” definitely does not mean, from quantum medicine and healing crystals to mysticism and more. References:EPR Paper: https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.47.777Crash Course on Quantum Mechanics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kb1VT0J3DEQuantum Entanglement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvK-od647cNature article on quantum entanglement: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00120-6?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=aad996b639-briefing-dy-20200117&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-aad996b639-43388869Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl

Lightsaber fights, surfing electrons, and X-ray lasers (Xasers?): this episode has them all! Led by Dr. Matthias Fuchs, Jocelyn and Bradley enter the ultrasmall, ultrafast world of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, where light illuminates matter and our understanding of it. Matthias describes how he was drawn to physics for its predictive power, and he explains how he is using femtosecond pulses of mind-bogglingly powerful lasers to create movies of atomic behavior. The friends also discuss the power of “that’s funny . . .” moments in science and Matthias highlights some of the most exciting such moments so far in his career. Links:https://unlcms.unl.edu/physics-astronomy/fuchs-group/researchhttps://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/unltoday/article/fuchs-leads-first-team-to-observe-x-ray-phenomenon/Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jbFzKOQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=aoContact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!• Gmail: sciwithfriends@gmail.com• Twitter @SciWithFriends• Facebook: Science With FriendsScience! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) and Produced by the Basement Creators Network. You can find them at https://www.basementcreators.network/Sound Editing by Vince Ruhl