Super Awesome Science Show (SASS)

It has been a long and painful pandemic but the light at the end of the tunnel is within our sights. While there are many reasons for what will surely be a celebration, there is one one particular medical advancement that has raised all of our spirits and may represent the future for battling disease. It’s the mRNA vaccine. This week, we’re closing out our season on COVID-19 science with a guest we all need to hear. He is Pieter Cullis and he a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology  at the University of British Columbia. He is one of the founders of mRNA vaccine technology, although when he started this journey over four decades ago, there was a very different reason for the work. It’s a story you need to hear to truly get a feel for the miracle that is mRNA vaccines.  I want to thank everyone who asked a question over the course of this season. It helped to make the show interactive and also more informative. If you have any questions, you can still reach me on Twitter or by Email. Have a great summer and I look forward to better times and awesome science.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Pieter Cullis https://biochem.ubc.ca/person/pieter-cullis/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 variants. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  We’re back with Earl Brown, a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed research and published on emerging pathogens such as SARS and avian flu. He has been observing the impact of variants and is ready to answer your questions.  Next week is our season finale and it is with one of the original researchers behind the mRNA vaccine technology. He’s been doing it for over 40 years and best of all, it’s been done right here in Canada. You won’t want to miss it.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Earl Brown https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-324.html  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the course of the pandemic, our vocabulary has gained a specific word that has come to represent great concern and distress in our global community. Variant. In the context of COVID-19, it has meant a resurgence in viral infections, resistance to treatments, and the risk of an ineffective vaccine.  This week, we’re going to look at the science behind SARS-CoV-2 variants with Earl Brown. He’s a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed research and published on emerging pathogens such as SARS and avian flu. Our discussion will not only enlighten you but also reveal aspects of the nature of variants you won’t hear anywhere else.  While we try to identify all the potential questions you might have regarding wastewater testing, I’m sure you will have more. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Earl Brown https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-324.html  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and wastewater. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  We’re back with Tyson Graber, a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. He has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local government who now shares that data with the population.  Over the last few months, I have received a few questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on those living with Multiple Sclerosis. I have reached out to Farrah Mateen, an Associate Professor of Neurology and her clinical practice focuses on helping and treating MS patients. She has been learning of the impacts of the pandemic from her patients and also through her international collaborations with researchers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Tyson Graber https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysongraber/?originalSubdomain=ca City of Ottawa Wastewater Surveillance https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/reports-research-and-statistics/Wastewater_COVID-19_Surveillance.aspx Farrah Mateen https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/19421/farrah-mateen    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may seem like COVID-19 is everywhere and this week, we’re going to find out how we can take advantage of that fact. Research has shown that the virus behind the disease, SARS-CoV-2 can survive in sewage and be identified using a diagnostic test. More importantly, the results of those tests provide an early warning system to communities about the spread of the disease.  Our guest this week has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local government who now shares that data with the population. His name is Tyson Graber and he is a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute.  While we try to identify all the potential questions you might have regarding wastewater testing, I’m sure you will have more. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Tyson Graber https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysongraber/?originalSubdomain=ca City of Ottawa Wastewater Surveillance https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/reports-research-and-statistics/Wastewater_COVID-19_Surveillance.aspx  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and diagnostic tests. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  Our guest this week has been focused on why we need diagnostic tests for all to get us past this pandemic and to keep us safe and confident even long after. She is Cherie Lynn Ramirez and she is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Simmons University. She was the Deputy Director of the Global Learning Studio at the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University. Recently, she and her colleagues wrote a discussion piece on the need for universal access to diagnostic tests. You can find that paper below.  If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Cherie Lynn Ramirez https://www.simmons.edu/academics/faculty/cherie-ramirez Cherie Lynn Ramirez’s discussion on universal testing: https://www.rapidtests.org/wrong-not-to-test See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The old adage of the only thing to fear is fear itself sometimes rings true although in the case of pandemics, it has a different meaning. We should fear the pandemic but in many cases, people tend to fear and rebel against the measures to keep people safe. But there is a way to prevent this from happening in an equitable way. It’s through the use of rapid diagnostic tests. They can help to keep us aware of the location of a pandemic virus, how’s it’s spreading in the community, and how to develop targeted measures to prevent spread. Our guest this week has been focused on why we need diagnostic tests for all to get us past this pandemic and to keep us safe and confident even long after. She is Cherie Lynn Ramirez and she is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Simmons University. She was the Deputy Director of the Global Learning Studio at the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University. Recently, she and her colleagues wrote a discussion piece on the need for universal access to diagnostic tests. You can find that paper below.  We try to hit on as many points as we can based on her research but I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Cherie Lynn Ramirez https://www.simmons.edu/academics/faculty/cherie-ramirez Cherie Lynn Ramirez’s discussion on universal testing: https://www.rapidtests.org/wrong-not-to-test See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and its effects on our healthcare heroines. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today. Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians through collaborative mental health promotion strategies; health services and policy development and redesign; and knowledge translation approaches. She has also reached out to Canadians and learned about how they really feel about this pandemic. Her two papers on the subject can be found below. If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Emily Jenkins Emily Jenkins, PhD, MPH, RN | School of Nursing (ubc.ca) COVID-19 and Individual Mental Health A portrait of the early and differential mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Findings from the first wave of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey - ScienceDirect COVID-19 and Family Mental Health Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada: findings from a national cross-sectional study | BMJ Open See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pandemics usually are known for their impact on physical health in the forms of infection. But these worldwide outbreaks also affect mental health both in direct and indirect ways. We spoke about the direct manners earlier this season and this week, we’re taking a look at the indirect ways. Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians through collaborative mental health promotion strategies; health services and policy development and redesign; and knowledge translation approaches. She has also reached out to Canadians and learned about how they really feel about this pandemic. Her two papers on the subject can be found below.  We try to hit on as many points as we can based on her research but I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Emily Jenkins Emily Jenkins, PhD, MPH, RN | School of Nursing (ubc.ca) COVID-19 and Individual Mental Health A portrait of the early and differential mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Findings from the first wave of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey - ScienceDirect COVID-19 and Family Mental Health Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada: findings from a national cross-sectional study | BMJ Open See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression. This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also known as a realist applied researcher who looks to develop answers that can be implemented to improve the overall situation. In many ways, she could be considered the healthcare heroine’s heroine. While this discussion will inform, shock and maybe surprise you, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Abi Sriharan Abi Sriharan | Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (utoronto.ca) Abi Sriharan’s work on healthcare heroines and the effect of COVID-19 https://www.utoronto.ca/news/women-health-care-increased-risk-stress-burnout-and-depression-during-covid-19-u-t-study  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression. This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also known as a realist applied researcher who looks to develop answers that can be implemented to improve the overall situation. In many ways, she could be considered the healthcare heroine’s heroine. While this discussion will inform, shock and maybe surprise you, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Abi Sriharan Abi Sriharan | Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (utoronto.ca) Abi Sriharan’s work on healthcare heroines and the effect of COVID-19 https://www.utoronto.ca/news/women-health-care-increased-risk-stress-burnout-and-depression-during-covid-19-u-t-study  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SHOW NOTES – COVID-19 AND THE BRAIN - SASS CLASS It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and its effects on our brains and nervous system. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs and we got to so many during this discussion.  We again are joined by Mark MacLean. He is a resident in the department of neurosurgery at Dalhousie University. He has been focused on learning more about the ways this virus get into our brains and the possible routes for treatment and possibly prevention.   If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Mark MacLean https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Maclean  Mark MacLean’s paper on the potential role of microvascular pathology in the neurological manifestations of coronavirus infection https://fluidsbarrierscns.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12987-020-00216-1  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The brain is one of the most protected parts of the human body. Yet, viruses such as herpes, HIV and now SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, have demonstrated their ability to get into this sacred space. Because the brain controls so many of our normal bodily functions, this invasion can lead to a variety of problems, known as neurological sequelae.  This week, we’re exploring what is currently known about the effect of COVID-19 on the brain and the nervous system in general. Our guest is Mark MacLean, a resident in the department of neurosurgery at Dalhousie University. He has been focused on learning more about the ways this virus get into our brains and the possible routes for treatment and possibly prevention.  While this discussion will attempt to provide you with the latest information, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Mark MacLean https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Maclean  Mark MacLean’s paper on the potential role of microvascular pathology in the neurological manifestations of coronavirus infection https://fluidsbarrierscns.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12987-020-00216-1  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and heart health. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs and we got to so many during this discussion. We again are joined by Ian Paterson. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He’s a cardiac researcher who has been working to better understand the effects of COVID-19 at the cardiac level. His latest study is called the Multi-organ Imaging With Serial Testing In Covid-19 Infected Patients, better known as MOIST. If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Ian Paterson https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/about/people/details.html?n=Ian-Paterson MOIST Study: https://www.ualberta.ca/research/our-research/covid19-research.html?search=paterson&details=multi-organ-imaging-with-serial-testing-in-covid-19-patients BeTheCure to enroll in the study: https://bethecure.ca/find-a-study/#studies/5c26010a08393b05921bc3c765803e2b731bf9ec  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost as soon as COVID-19 appeared, one of the most troubling consequences was revealed. The virus, SARS-CoV-2 had an effect on the cardiovascular system, including the heart. Since then, researchers have tried to better understand not only the mechanisms behind this added trouble, but also the risks due to pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Our guest this week is Ian Paterson. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He’s a cardiac researcher who has been working to better understand the effects of COVID-19 at the cardiac level. His latest study is called the Multi-organ Imaging With Serial Testing In Covid-19 Infected Patients, better known as MOIST. While this discussion will offer you more than you will hear elsewhere regarding the potential heart troubles that could come from COVID-19, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Ian Paterson https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/about/people/details.html?n=Ian-Paterson MOIST Study: https://www.ualberta.ca/research/our-research/covid19-research.html?search=paterson&details=multi-organ-imaging-with-serial-testing-in-covid-19-patients BeTheCure to enroll in the study: https://bethecure.ca/find-a-study/#studies/5c26010a08393b05921bc3c765803e2b731bf9ec  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and biological sex. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although most of them centred on a few important questions. It shows that when it comes to travel, we all seem to have the same concerns and hopes for the future.  Our guest is once again Eileen Scully. She is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been researching infection, immunity, and biological sex for years particularly in terms of HIV infection. She has explored the differences in biological sex for not just COVID-19 but also HIV. But when it comes to questions, the most popular had nothing to do with either of those illnesses, which is why I rely on you to let me know what’s on your mind. So, if you didn’t hear your question or have another on this topic or any other, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Eileen Scully https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/10003614/eileen-scully Biological sex and COVID-19 Title: Considering how biological sex impacts immune responses and COVID-19 outcomes Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-0348-8 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The determination of biological sex occurs at the genetic level in which one of our 46 chromosomes can either be an X or a Y. But that one variance can lead to countless differences between the two. Now, thanks to COVID-19, we have another as it has become clear XX and XY respond to the virus differently.  Last year, Eileen Scully outlined those differences and I’ve asked her to come on the show to share them with us. She is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been researching infection, immunity, and biological sex for years particularly in terms of HIV infection. Now she’s taking us on a journey into the possible consequences of COVID-19 infection based on biological sex.  While I do what I can to get to the bottom of the differences, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS Guest: Eileen Scully https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/10003614/eileen-scully Biological sex and COVID-19 Title: Considering how biological sex impacts immune responses and COVID-19 outcomes Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-0348-8 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on travel. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although most of them centred on a few important questions. It shows that when it comes to travel, we all seem to have the same concerns and hopes for the future.  Our first guest is once again Ron St. John and he was the Director General of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Public Health Agency of Canada. He also helped develop the Global Public Health Intelligence Network which helps health professionals rapidly detect, identify, assess, prevent and mitigate threats to human health. He now works to help inform the public of threats associated with travel with his company, Sitata. Over the last few months, we have received a few questions regarding the use of ultraviolet light as a disinfectant. To help answer those questions, I’ve reached out to Rick Dayton. He’s been involved in preventing infections in hospitals for decades and has worked extensively with UV light. I’m sure you will find this discussion enlightening and dispel a few myths regarding this technique for keeping our surfaces safe.  If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Ron St. John https://www.sitata.com/en Rick Dayton https://patents.justia.com/inventor/roderick-dayton See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Billions of trips occur yearly by all sorts of vessels including cars, trains, boats, and airplanes. They help humans get from point A to point B quickly and effectively. But travel can also help turn an outbreak into a pandemic. Over the millennia, we’ve seen how human movement and migration can spread an infectious disease across the planet. We have had a few close calls and one was the SARS epidemic in 2003. After the world returned to normal, our guest worked on how to develop early warning systems to ensure no outbreak went undetected and allowed to spread across the world. His name is Ron St. John and he was the Director General of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Public Health Agency of Canada. He also helped develop the Global Public Health Intelligence Network which helps health professionals rapidly detect, identify, assess, prevent and mitigate threats to human health. He now works to help inform the public of threats associated with travel with his company, Sitata.    While this discussion will offer you more than you might have heard regarding travel and infectious diseases, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS Guest: Ron St. John https://www.sitata.com/en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2020 comes to a close we’re moving away from COVID-19 for a moment to talk with one of Canada’s greatest treasures, David Suzuki. For almost sixty years, he has been bringing science into our homes on radio and television and has inspired generations of scientists. We talk with him about his history, his motivation for being a science communicator and the lessons he has learned over the years. We also discuss his new adventure, a podcast, that will surely create an impact on anyone who listens. We’ll be taking a few weeks off but keep those questions coming on Twitter, Email and voice messages. We’ll be back soon with even more discussions on COVID-19 and answering the questions that matter to you. Happy Holidays and here’s to a better 2021! Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS Guest: David Suzuki https://davidsuzuki.org/ David Suzuki’s podcast: https://davidsuzuki.org/podcast/ David Suzuki’s 1974 paper on genetics and behaviour https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/g74-079 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on grief. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode and it seems like many of you are opening up about other areas of science with respect to this pandemic. I’ll be getting to one such question in this show. Our guest is once again, Katherine Shear. She is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She’s also the founding director of the Center for Complicated Grief. If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Katherine Shear https://socialwork.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty/full-time/m-katherine-shear/ Center for Complicated Grief https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/for-the-public/complicated-grief-public/overview/ Scientific Paper on Mass Gatherings by Yuki Furuse https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(20)30759-3/fulltext#%20 The Risk of Gatherings web app by Yuki Furuse: https://yukifuruse.shinyapps.io/covid_eventrisk_en/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are several unknowns when it comes to a pandemic but there is always one guarantee. People are going to be hurt and many are going to die. When that happens, people are going to grieve. This week, we are going to explore the science of grief with one of the world’s best experts, Katherine Shear. She is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She’s also the founding director of the Center for Complicated Grief. We’ll explore the different types of grief and also how we can cope. Moreover, we’ll find out about how the pandemic is altering the way that we find comfort and how the lack of close contact can impede our ability to cope. While this discussion will be informative, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS Guest: Katherine Shear https://socialwork.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty/full-time/m-katherine-shear/ Center for Complicated Grief https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/for-the-public/complicated-grief-public/overview/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on vaccines. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although as we saw with airborne spread, most of them centred on a similar theme or topic. Then there was one that seemed to come from everyone - will a vaccine get us back to normal? You’ll definitely want to hear the answer.   Our guest is again Peter Hotez, who is the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the co-Director for the Center for Vaccine Development at the Texas Children’s Hospital.  If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guest: Peter Hotez https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/peter-hotez-23229   Books by Peter Hotez https://www.amazon.com/Books-Peter-Hotez/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3APeter+Hotez   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no doubt vaccines have changed our world for the better. We’ve been able to save countless lives from several infectious diseases and managed to eradicate one of the deadliest, smallpox, off the planet. Now people are calling for a vaccine to fight COVID-19 to ensure it is controlled, eliminated and eventually eradicated. For this episode, we reached out to Peter Hotez. He’s spent decades developing vaccines and has been a leader in the COVID vaccine movement. He’s the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the co-Director for the Center for Vaccine Development at the Texas Children’s Hospital.  While this discussion will be enlightening, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: Peter Hotez https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/peter-hotez-23229   Books by Peter Hotez https://www.amazon.com/Books-Peter-Hotez/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3APeter+Hotez   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on panic.. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received several questions, many of which were asked more than once. And then there was one that it seems everyone wanted to ask.  Our guest is again Mark Honigsbaum at the City University of London, author of the book, “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris.”    If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: Mark Honigsbaum https://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/mark-honigsbaum  “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris” https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-pandemic-century/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When infections strike, it’s normal for people to be concerned. Depending on the extent of spread within a community, that concern can deepen leading to individual panic and mass hysteria. Whie this is rare for most outbreaks, it is almost guaranteed when large scale epidemics and pandemics occur.  This week, we’re going to explore the science behind the panic with Mark Honigsbaum, a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the City University of London. Last year, he wrote “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris” and it offers a fascinating glimpse into how pandemics affect us.  While we do tackle a number of topics, when it comes to the way society reacts to a contagion, there are always questions  If you have any questions, reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: Mark Honigsbaum https://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/mark-honigsbaum  “The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris” https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-pandemic-century/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class, mask edition. Once again, I was thrilled to see so many questions and want to thank everyone who reached out to me on Twitter, by Email, and also at speakpipe.com. This is definitely a controversial topic and I’m glad we’ll be able to discuss this topic further. I have M. Taher Saif with me to help answer those questions. He’s the he Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor at the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois who studied the effectiveness of homemade masks. We had quite a few questions this week and I hope we can continue this trend. I’d also love to put you on the show. Send me a voice message at https://speakpipe.com/SASS  and tell me what is on your mind. Especially if you didn’t hear your question on this episode.  I do hope you enjoy this new style of The Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class and ask that you take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we are a two-time Canadian Podcast Award winner. Keeping the awesome momentum going is more important than ever as we need to work together to fight off this pandemic. In the meantime, stay calm, stay safe, stay informed, and as always, make sure to show ‘em some SASS. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: M. Taher Saif https://mechanical.illinois.edu/directory/profile/saif See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When dealing with a respiratory virus like the common cold, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, a mask is without a doubt one of the best ways to protect yourself. But, masks are not perfect. You need to be sure you have enough of them for one. And then you have to make sure they work to protect you. After all, why wear something that is just going to let the droplets in.  We’re going to explore how masks work and why homemade masks may be better for you than those medical ones you see in healthcare facilities..  Our guest is M. Taher Saif and he is the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor at the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. He’s studied the effectiveness of masks and is here to explain the science behind masks.  I’ll try to hit as many topics as possible but am sure you will have more questions. To ask our guest or maybe me, just reach out on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: M. Taher Saif https://mechanical.illinois.edu/directory/profile/saif Study: Performance of fabrics for home-made masks against the spread of COVID-19 through droplets: A quantitative mechanistic study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352431620301802 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class, airborne spread edition. I have to admit, I was taken aback by the questions and want to thank everyone who reached out to me on Twitter, by Email, and also at speakpipe.com. I know this subject is both scary and surprising and appreciate that we need answers. It’s why I have Steven Rogak with me to answer those questions. He’s a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia and a world expert on the morphology, transport properties and dynamics of aerosol nanoparticles, which happen to include viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Most of the questions happen to fall into one of a few categories so for this class, I’ve taken the most popular and am asking them. In the future, we’ll be playing some of your voice messages at speakpipe.com/SASS so be sure to reach out to me and tell me what is on your mind. Especially if you didn’t hear your question on this episode.  I do hope you enjoy this new style of The Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class and ask that you take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we are a two-time Canadian Podcast Award winner. Keeping the awesome momentum going is more important than ever as we need to work together to fight off this pandemic. In the meantime, stay calm, stay safe, stay informed, and as always, make sure to show ‘em some SASS. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS    Guest: Steven Rogak https://mech.ubc.ca/steven-rogak/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are back for Season 2 of the Super Awesome Science Show! It’s been a year unlike any other thanks to, COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) and the virus that causes this illness, SARS-CoV-2. We’ve received numerous questions over the course of the year and want to answer as many of them as possible. And this week, we’re going into one of the most confusing and hotly debated topics of this pandemic: how does the virus spread in the air? Our guest for the entire show is Steven Rogak. He is a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia. He is a world-leading expert on the morphology, transport properties and dynamics of aerosol nanoparticles, which happen to include viruses like SARS-CoV-2. If there is anyone who can guide us through the strange world of airborne spread, it’s him and trust me, you are in for a treat. This year, giving you the chance to ask questions. Reach out to me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS    Guest: Steven Rogak https://mech.ubc.ca/steven-rogak/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on the second wave.. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me on Twitter, by Email, and also at speakpipe.com. I know this subject is not only present in our minds but also under much debate. It’s why I have Patrick Saunders-Hastings with me to answer those questions. He is an epidemiologist and risk scientist who teaches at Carleton University. He has expertise in global health, infectious disease epidemiology and emergency preparedness and his research interests include pandemic influenza preparedness This year, we’re giving you the chance to ask questions. Reach out to me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: Patrick Saunders-Hastings https://carleton.ca/healthsciences/people/patrick-saunders-hastings/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are back for Season 2 of the Super Awesome Science Show! It’s been a year unlike any other thanks to, COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) and the virus that causes this illness, SARS-CoV-2. We’ve received numerous questions over the course of the year and want to answer as many of them as possible. And this week, we’re going into one of the most troubling issues facing us at this very moment: the second wave. It has been looming ever since the pandemic began but despite the focus on it over the last months, it still remains to many a mystery.  Our guest has been looking at pandemics of the past and why these second waves happen. He’s Patrick Saunders-Hastings and he is an epidemiologist and risk scientist who teaches at Carleton University. He has expertise in global health, infectious disease epidemiology and emergency preparedness and his research interests include pandemic influenza preparedness This year, we’re giving you the chance to ask questions. Reach out to me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Voice Message: https://speakpipe.com/SASS  Guest: Patrick Saunders-Hastings https://carleton.ca/healthsciences/people/patrick-saunders-hastings/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After an awesome first season, we took a well-deserved break. In that time, the world has changed and as much as we want to talk about the science of love, food, and even UFOs, we cannot ignore the massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  So that’s what we’ll focus at the start of our second season… We’re going to deal with  topics that are in the news but maybe need more explanation like what does it really mean that the virus is airborne spread,  what is the second wave and we’ll even look at the science of grieg.  We’re also going to answer your questions by dedicating SASS Class  episodes to doing just that… so please get your questions into me via twitter @JATetro A new season of  the Super Awesome Science Show starts September 28th so head over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your streaming audio and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.  It’s almost time to get started…let’s show them some SASS! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re joined by scientist and host of the Super Awesome Science Show Jason Tetro to talk about what we know about how the coronavirus spreads and how to properly practice social distancing. As we’re at the point now where health officials are saying the only way to slow the spread of COVID-19 is through social distancing. But the thing is, in order for us to have any kind of impact and get back to our normal lives, experts are stressing that we have to do it properly. 

This week, we’re going to explore the problems associated with lead exposure and lead poisoning that you may not have heard in the news. We’ll learn about how it impacts intelligence and also may affect the mental health not of just the exposed, but also their children. And in our SASS Class, we’re going to find out why it is so difficult to remove lead from our modern world and how you may still be able to stay safe Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: - Gina Muckle  - Sidney Kennedy  - Adrienne Katner

It’s something that we all encounter. No matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to think straight. Our thoughts get jumbled and before we know it, we’re lost. We tend to call it being scatterbrained and for the most part, that’s considered a bad thing. On this week’s show, we’re going to look at the science behind this apparent flaw in our mental machinery and why it may be good for us when it comes to learning and understanding. Our guest for the entire show is Henning Beck, a neuroscientist, science slammer, consultant, and the author of the new book, Scatterbrain. We first explore why this problem occurs in the first place. It turns out that our brains can only do so much especially when it is learning and committing thoughts to memory. It’s impossible to collect a large number of individual pieces and so our brains tend to forget almost as fast as we learn. But as Beck explains, there is a better approach in the form of understanding. Putting items into context can help us develop links and that improves both memory and our actions in the future. We next discuss the issue of distractions. In our modern world, we are surrounded by them and this can quickly take us off any mental path. Beck reveals the reasons behind our inability to stay focused due to boredom, fear, and the ever present reality of fake news. We also find out whether isolation is the best option to ensure mental success.   In our SASS Class, Beck offers us ideas on how we can improve our brain function through a variety of different tactics he discusses in his book. We learn about curiosity, creativity, framing, and focusing mechanisms such as meditation and mindfulness. Some work, others don’t but in the end, Beck reveals that information for the brain is like food for our stomach. As long as we take the time to learn and digest the information, we can achieve great things.   If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  We have just completed our first year and we look forward to bringing you even more awesome science in the year ahead. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Henning Beck Web: https://www.henning-beck.com/english/ Twitter: @HenningBeck1

We tend to go overboard on spending. If we are not careful, our celebrations of December can become a January curse that may last for the rest of the year. This week, we’re going to explore our tendency to spend money and how we can keep ourselves from falling into debt. Our guest for the entire show is Gail Vaz Oxlade, who is one of Canada’s best financial experts. She’s been an author, radio host, and the star of internationally acclaimed television programs such as Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess. If anyone can help us to understand how to ensure our bank accounts are as happy as we are during the Holidays, it’s her. We first start off by learning about her background and how she became Canada’s super nanny for money. We then learn about the science behind the tendency to go into debt. It’s a combination of psychological as well as societal factors. She also reveals some of the warning signs that can signal trouble is on the way including the one item most of us have in our wallets or purses that can make shopping easier and far more dangerous:  the credit card.    With the science set, we venture into the problems associated with shopping during the Holidays. Since we are hardwired to believe we can spend throughout the season, we need to be aware of the dangers that could lead us into debt. Gail shares with us her tips on how to enjoy yourself while making sure you don’t go overboard with the purchases. More importantly, she makes it clear that we need to focus not just on the joy of making a purchase, but also the pain of losing our money in the process. In our SASS Class, we discuss Gail’s newest venture in helping us to be financially smart. It’s a new master class she is providing on Twitter. Her hope is to convey the necessary steps and then let us optimize it to find a personal fit that will last. Because as she makes clear, it’s not hard to be economically secure, but you need to be committed to it. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Gail Vaz Oxlade Twitter: @GailVazOxlade

As we get ready for the holidays we thought we would share with you this episode about the smells of the Holiday Season in case you missed it in the hustle and bustle of the most wonderful time of the year. On this week’s episode of the Super Awesome Science Show, we stick our noses into the science of smelling, scientifically known as olfaction, and find out how certain scents can draw out attention, bring back memories, and even affect our buying behaviour. We first talk with Dr. Leslie Cameron at Carthage College. She’s been studying how we detect and recognize odours throughout life and how we can equate some aromas with the festive season. Next we hear from renowned smellosopher, Dr. Ann-Sophie Barwich at Indiana University Bloomington. She’s examining how certain odours can be autobiographical in nature leading us to open up memories of times of past Holidays and other moment long gone by. In our SASS Class, we speak with Dr. Jenny Lin at California State University Monterey Bay. She’s researching how the sense of smell affects our brains through what is known as event-related potential. As she tells us, the right combination of odours may prompt us to stick around in a store and inevitably buy more.  If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and please tell a friend about the show. Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Dr. Leslie Cameron, Carthage College Website: https://www.carthage.edu/live/profiles/261-leslie-cameron Dr. Ann-Sophie Barwich, Indiana University Bloomington Twitter: @smellosopher Website: http://www.smellosophy.com/ Dr. Jenny Lin, California State University Monterey Bay Website: https://csumb.edu/directory/people/jenny-lin

This week we're introducing you to a new podcast called Issue Zero to answer the questions what makes Aliens and the Xenomorph, so terrifying? and could a scenario like Alien happen here on earth? Taking you on this voyage of discover is your host, not in a parasitic way, Fred Kennedy, and he'll share with you the backstory on the Alien film franchise…and more specifically, its star player…the Xenomorph. He's joined by Johnnie Christmas, who just adapted the original William Gibson screenplay for Alien 3 into a comic for Darkhorse…and is a guy who’s knee deep in the ORIGINAL source material to find our what makes these creatures so terrifying. To answer whether humanity could survive a xenomorph invasion he looks to an actual scientist, Dan Riskin, former host of Daily Planet and a Canadian evolutionary biologist, television personality and producer.  Spoiler alert! both guests will not let you sleep at night. Host: Fred Kennedy Twitter @Fearless_Fred Facebook @fearlessfredontheradio Guests: Johnnie Christmas - @j_xmas Dan Riskin - @riskindan

This week, we’re going to look at one of the most revolutionary ideas to improve our planet. It’s called the zero emission vehicle – better known as ZEV – and it may be able to reduce our contribution to air pollution and possibly climate change. Most people may know the name Tesla, which is one of the first truly zero emission vehicles on the market. It runs on batteries like many others that are in the pipeline. But there are other types that exist including an engine that runs on hydrogen. Our first guest takes us on a guided tour of the hydrogen engine and why it may represent the real future of ZEVs. His name is Xianguo Li and he is a Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Professor at the University of Waterloo. While ZEVs may seem like an excellent purchase, the reality is that there isn’t much of a demand for them. However, when people are asked about their perception of these vehicles, they are quite high. This is known as latent demand and our next guest reveals to us how we may be able to turn that interest into actual sales. She is Zoe Long and she is the Research Manager for the Sustainable Transport Action Research Team at Simon Fraser University. In our SASS Class, we learn about how governments and people who like ZEVs can improve sales. Our guest teacher is Scott Hardman and he is a professional researcher in the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center, in the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California Davis. We learn about the different types of government incentives that exist and which country happens to have the greatest success in getting people to adopt ZEVs. We also find out that governments can only do so much and that word of mouth may still be the best way to increase purchases. If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: XianGuo Li Web: https://uwaterloo.ca/mechanical-mechatronics-engineering/profile/x6li Zoe Long Web: https://sustainabletransport.ca/our-team/ Scott Hardman Web: https://its.ucdavis.edu/people/scott-hardman/ Twitter: @scottiehardman

Cancer continues to be one of our greatest health concerns. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, nearly 1 in 2 Canadians will develop one form of cancer in their lifetimes. But treatments are getting better and more lives are being saved thanks to new treatments. On this week’s show, we’re going to take a closer look at three new strategies that may soon lead to cures and also vaccines. Our first guest is one of Canada’s premier cancer researchers, John Bell at the Ottawa Hopsital Research Institute. He has been working on ways to combat cancer for decades and his work is showing promise in clinical trials. But rather than chemotherapy or radiation, his approach is to use viruses and our own immune system. We first talk about the use of viruses to destroy cancer. Viruses are known to kill human cells and Bell has been programming certain types to target cancer cells while leaving our healthy cells alone. We explore how this is performed in the lab and how the process works in the human body. We also explore how viruses may one day be used as a vaccine to alert the immune system that something has gone wrong. We then discuss how cancer the immune system can also be used to improve the fight against cancer. Usually, cancers can avoid being detected by our immunity and grow without any worry for attack. Bell had found ways to develop immune cells that specifically look for tumours and kill them. They are known as Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells, or CAR-T cells. This approach has been effective at tackling leukemia and research is showing we may be able to battle other cancers as well. As for making a vaccine, Bell suggests that we may be able to use these CAR-T cells as a means to train the immune system to identify cancers when they start and destroy them before they can cause harm. In our SASS Class, we look at an upcoming treatment that unfortunately is surrounded by hype. The use of stem cells. Our guest teacher is Riam Shamaa, who has been studying the effect of stem cells on various diseases including cancer. We explore how stem cells can be used to fight the disease and also why we are not yet at a stage when people should put their trust in this approach. It may be useful in the future but for the moment, you shouldn’t believe the hype. If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: John Bell Web: http://www.ohri.ca/profile/jbell   Riam Shammaa Web: www.Intellistemtech.com

We all have our mother tongue but over forty percent of the world’s population also can speak a second language. Bilingualism is a natural part of many people’s lives and research has tried to explore what this does to the brain and what the benefits happen to be for our lives. On this week’s show, we’re going to learn why having that second language can be good for your life and also your health.   Our first guest has been studying bilingualism for decades and is here to help us understand how it helps our lives. She is Judith Kroll and she is a Distinguished Professor of Language Science at the University of California, Irvine. Before we get into what bilingualism gives us, we learn about the process of learning a second language and why it is beneficial to learn earlier than later. We also explore the concept of codeswitching which allows a person to immediately change languages even in the middle of a sentence. We also explore how being immersed in a multilingual environment can be good for both your learned language as well as your mother tongue.   We then move on to the benefits that come with knowing more than one language. While this certainly allows us to travel and possibly increase our job potential in many sectors, some of the best benefits come in the way of improved health. We hear about how one the effects of our greatest concerns with aging, cognitive decline, can be helped by knowing that second language. The research reveals a that while our brains age, we may still be able to hold on to our abilities.   In our SASS Class, we take a different approach to knowing a second language. While we may tend to think of French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, and others as that bilingual choice, there are large segments of the population who focus on speaking fictional languages such as Klingon and Sindarin. Our guest teacher is David Peterson and he is the creator of two languages, Dothraki and High Valyrian from Game of Thrones. We learn about his experience becoming a language creator and how these dialects are formed. We also learn that these languages are just as useful to have as any other…as long as you are in a population hat speaks it.  If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com  Guests: Judith Kroll Web: https://bilingualismmindbrain.com/lab-members/judith-f-kroll/  David Peterson Web: http://www.artoflanguageinvention.com/  Twitter: @Dedalvs 

We all experience fear but few of us understand it. It  usually happens when we feel unsafe or threatened. It is both instinctual and learned. And for some, it can take over their lives while for others, it can be a source for excitement. On this week’s show, we’re going to take a closer look at fear and why it's such a strange and fascinating aspect of our existence. Our first guests are studying how fear exists in the brain and how it impacts our lives, They're Jacob Raber and Sydney Weber Boutros. He’s a professor of behavioural neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University and she is earning her doctorate in this field. They are taking the lead on a worldwide project known as Neuroqualia, which seeks to understand how our emotions affect us. We learn of the nature of fear from a biological perspective and the process of experiencing fear is far more complicated than you might think. It’s not simply a matter of being scared, it’s how we interpret the situation and respond based on our pasts. We explore the concept of fear memory and one of the most troubling consequences, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. We also find out how we may be able to extinguish certain fears by keeping our bodies and our minds in a safe place. Our next guest explores one of the side effects of fear – seeing things that don’t exist, scientifically called false agency detection. His name is Adam Tratner and he is a doctoral student at Oakland University. His research focuses on finding out what situations can lead to this phenomenon and whether it is fear rather than belief that causes us to experience the supernatural and paranormal.     In our SASS Class, we take a different look at fear – as entertainment. Our guest teacher is Glenn Sparks and he is a Professor of Communication at Purdue University. He’s explored why some people tend to love horror films and other fear-inducing violence and mayhem. We discuss what gives people that urge to venture into a theatre and get scared out of their minds. The answer happens to be less about the fear and more about the joy that comes with being safe.    Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Jacob Raber Web: https://www.ohsu.edu/people/jacob-raber/831E0CC1C990434DA01DB6D91753AD75 Sydney Weber Boutros Web: https://www.ohsu.edu/school-of-medicine/behavioral-neuroscience/sydney-weber-boutros Twitter: @SydWeberBoutros Adam Tratner Web: https://adamtratner.com/ Glenn Sparks Web: https://cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/glenn-sparks.html Twitter: @purduespar

Synthetic biology was once considered little more than science fiction. But with the rise of genetic engineering and the ability to make living cells in the lab, there is a real potential for this technology to change our lives for the better. Not surprisingly, this has led to much debate about whether we should use it or not. On this week’s show, we discover how “synbio” can help to improve our food security.   Our first guest is Lenore Newman and she is the Canada Research Chair in Food Security and Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley. She has been exploring the continual decline in our food supply and has authored the book, Lost Feast: Culinary Extinction and the Future of Food. We first discuss the problems with our current food supply and the issues that need to be addressed. While we may believe climate change is the most important factor, Newman reveals many issues that can lead to a dwindling food supply. We next focus on the use of synthetic biology to help resolve some of these troubles. But rather than explore the use of genetically modified organisms, Newman explains that synthetic biology is better used to develop alternatives to our natural sources. From enzymes in milk needed to make cheese to meat alternatives, we learn about how synthetic biology isn’t just the future, it’s also happening right now. In our SASS Class, we learn about how synthetic biology is being used to transform food security in the developing world. Our guest teacher is Sabrina Marecos and she is a research associate at the National University of Asuncion in Paraguay. We hear how the technology is helping to transform the food economy and how one particular plant considered to be a staple in the natural health community is being helped by synbio. If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Lenore Newman Web: https://www.ufv.ca/geography/faculty-and-staff/faculty-members/newman-lenore.htm Lost Feast: Culinary Extinction and the Future of Food - https://ecwpress.com/products/lost-feast Twitter: @DrLenoreNewman Sabrina Marecos Web: https://www.sabrinamarecos.com/  

Food security is a major concern as our populations increases and our food supply dwindles. Although efforts around the world are focused on trying to sustain our ability to eat, efforts in Africa tend to go unnoticed. This week, we’re going to look at the work being done in various regions across the continent and more importantly, how they are being led by women. Our first guest is Esther Ngumbi, who is originally from Eastern Kenya and is now a professor at the University of Illinois School of Integrative Biology. She focuses on drought and insects and is trying to develop ways to help crops stay viable in harsh conditions. Using a combination of genetics and microbes, she hopes to ensure that the farms where she was raised continue to offer significant yields to keep the population fed. We next travel to the Ivory Coast to talk with Virginie Mfegue, who is a Program Manager at the World Cocoa Foundation. We have heard in the past that our chocolate supply may end up disappearing in the coming decades thanks to several cocoa plant diseases. We hear about the efforts she is leading to tackle these problems and to ensure that we will be able to enjoy this guilty pleasure long into the future. Our third guest is Ruramiso Mashumba and she is the first ever woman Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Farmer’s Union Youth. Zimbabwe is an agricultural nation although it is underproducing. We learn of the work that is being done to improve farm yields and also to empower those who are most involved – women – in ensuring that the country will continue to be a significant contributor to our food supply. In our SASS Class, we look at the influence women are having on men to help ensure everyone gets involved in sustainable agriculture. Our guest teacher is Pacifique Nshimiyimana and he is the co-owner of Real Green Gold Limited, which works with banana famers to increase their market share in the industry. He explains how women inspired him to switch his focus from purely economic advancement to one that helps everyone through a better food supply.   If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!   Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com  Guests: Esther Ngumbi Web: https://sib.illinois.edu/profile/enn  Twitter: @EstherNgumbi Virginie Mfegue Web: https://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/experts/virginie-crescence-mfegue/  Ruramiso Mashumba Web: https://globalfarmernetwork.org/author/rmashumba/  Twitter: @RuramisoM Pacifique Nshimiyimana Web: https://www.facebook.com/realgreengold/ 

In a 24/7 news environment, stories sometimes get the facts wrong. But normally, these lapses are not intentional. But recently, there has been an explosion in false, inaccurate, and harmful stories that are made with the sole purpose of convincing the public that a different reality exists. It’s known as fake news and on this week’s show, we’re going to explore its nature, how to diagnose it, and also how not to be fooled by it.      Our first guest is Amber Day, a professor at Bryant University. She reveals that fake news has a base in satire and parody although it has devolved into something more troubling. We learn about how the goals have evolved from bringing humour to bringing trust. What makes fake news so difficult is that many of the tactics used mimic tried and true modes of satire and parody such that we may be unable to judge between what is and what is not real. Because fake news is hard to identify, our next guest has developed software that can detect different types of fake news. Her name is Victoria Rubin and she is an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario. She has developed the LiT.RL news verification browser that can identify fake news and highlights it so you are informed before you click. We discuss how this browser was developed and how accurate it is compared to the human eye. In our SASS Class, we learn about one of the main reasons people fall for fake news. Our guest teacher is Gordon Pennycook and he an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He has tried to understand why people tend to believe these falsified stories and has come up with a rather unexpected result. While partisan beliefs do play a role, the most important factor is one we can all appreciate. It’s laziness. If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Amber Day Web: https://departments.bryant.edu/english-and-cultural-studies/faculty/day-amber Victoria Rubin Web: https://victoriarubin.fims.uwo.ca/ Twitter: @vVctoriaRubin LiT.RL Browser: https://victoriarubin.fims.uwo.ca/2018/12/19/release-for-the-lit-rl-news-verification-browser-detecting-clickbait-satire-and-falsified-news/ Gordon Pennycook Web: https://www.uregina.ca/arts/psychology/faculty-staff/faculty/pennycook%20gordon.html Twitter: @GordPennycook

We tend to believe that morality is knowing the difference between right and wrong. But it's so much more. It's the basis for how we live, because each of us has a unique sense of morality. This week, we look at how morality is developed in children and how we can ensure they become moral adults. Our guest for the entire episode is Melanie Killen. She's a professor of human development and quantitative methodology and the associate director for the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland. She's been studying morality for decades and has shared her knowledge in academic papers, books, and even network television. But what's the origin of morality? There’s no set age but it is thought to have a few phases. One happens to be the terrible twos. While we may think children are simply acting out to get attention, we find out that they are attempting to develop their own sense of self along with their morality. We also explore another notable phase, the teenage rebel. This time is necessary for a child to develop their own independence and start the path to adulthood. We then explore the process of developing morality in children. We know authority is an important part of this growing process. However, our interactions with our peers drives how those lessons are absorbed and eventually used in our own sense of morality. From bargaining and compromise to threats and bribes, children identify what they believe is not just right and wrong, but also fair and just. Depending on how these interactions occur, morality may become inclusive or exclusive, leading to prejudice and discrimination later in life.   In our SASS Class, we learn how to help develop good morality in children through Killen’s project known as Developing Inclusive Youth. It’s a program that allows children to witness various social inequalities and then provides them the opportunity to talk about their viewpoints based on personal experience. The goal is to give children a chance to develop morality as a part of society and the results have shown to be quite positive. Contact: Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Melanie Killen Web: www.killenlab.umd.edu

Mushrooms can be a welcome addition to any dish. They offer an earthy flavour as well as a meaty texture to tickle our palates. But while mushrooms are great in cuisine, they also have other uses outside of the kitchen. On this week’s show, we explore some of the scientific uses of these edible fungi and how they may be able improve our lives. For centuries, mushrooms have been regarded as medicines in several cultures. Our first guest is working to merge the modern with the ancient. His name is Chow Lee and he is a professor at the University of Northern British Columbia. He is trying to find chemicals in mushroom varieties that may help to treat a disease that has spanned the ages, cancer. We learn more about his work and also his belief that we can learn from traditional medicine to develop modern day cures.    Apart from being used for cures, some mushrooms are known for their ability to cause hallucinations. These “magic mushrooms” are known to contain a chemical known as psilocybin. There’s been an interest in this chemical for use in mental health as it seems to be helping people who suffer from migrains, anxiety and depression. Our next guest has been looking at the function of this chemical in nature and how it has spread across the mushroom landscape. Her name is Hannah Reynolds and she is an assistant professor at Western Connecticut State University. She has found that this chemical may be harnessed for mass production so that we can test it for its medicinal value.  In our SASS Class, we look at how mushrooms can help us live better. Our guest teacher is Robert Beelman, who is the Director of the Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods For Health at Penn State University. He’ll take us through some of the chemicals that can sustain our health and introduce us to one called ergothioneine that might eventually be used to give us a chance to live longer.  If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Chow Lee Web: https://www.unbc.ca/chow-lee Hannah Reynolds Web: http://wcsu.edu/biology/surf/faculty-mentors/reynolds/ Twitter: @hreynolds_fungi Robert Beelman Web: https://foodscience.psu.edu/directory/rbb6

Have you ever seen strange lights in the sky? How about odd shaped vessels floating around in the air. If you have and cannot explain its nature, you have seen an unidentified flying object, better known as a UFO. On this week’s show, we’re going to venture into the world that’s working to figure out what these mysterious craft happen to be. It’s known as Ufology.     Out guest for the entire episode is Ryan Sprague. He’s one of the prominent members of this community and has shared his views in a variety of ways from written articles, interviews with news outlets, his podcast, Somewhere in the Skies, and his latest project, the television program, Roswell: Mysteries Decoded, which appeared on CW’s streaming network, CW Seed. We first learn about the nature of ufology including most importantly, what it’s not. While there are several stereotypes, the true goal of ufology is to find answers to questions we simply do not yet know about the crafts themselves, whether alien or human made. We hear about the work that is being performed and some of the advancements in the field that have opened the door to even greater interest. We continue the discussion to explore how ufology is performed and shared with the community. As one of the most prolific members of the community, we learn about his passion for discovery and how he tries to ensure his work is both accurate and also compelling. We hear about the detractors, for which there are many, and about the scientific staple, the conference. In our SASS Class, we explore the phenomenon known as Alienstock. First conceived as an invasion of the infamous Area 51, where apparently extraterrestrial life and technology are housed, it has become an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in UFOs and of course aliens to find a like-minded community.  If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Ryan Sprague Web: https://www.somewhereintheskies.com/about.html Twitter: @ryansprague51

On this week’s show, we’re going to take a serious look at bullying and how we may be able to prevent it. We first talk with Melissa Holt, who is an associate professor in counseling psychology at the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development at Boston University. She has been studying bullying for close to two decades and has revealed that it is far more complex than we might believe. We hear about what fosters bullying and victimization and how a bully-victim relationship can become part of society. We continue our discussion to explore the effects of bullying on the victim and learn that the effects can be long lasting and may hinder a person’s success as they age. We also touch on the topic of suicide and hear that the victim may indeed idealize this route but in many cases, so might the bully who may have been a victim of some other type of maltreatment.   In our SASS Class, we look at how bullying can be prevented with Lisa Wexler, a professor of social work at Michigan University. She has developed social interventions such as toolkit to be able to help at-risk children find positivity in their lives at all ages of development. As we hear her work has not only proven to help individual children, it has also shown to benefit entire communities.    If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Melissa Holt Web: https://www.bu.edu/wheelock/profile/melissa-k-holt/ Lisa Wexler Web: https://ssw.umich.edu/faculty/profiles/clinical-and-research/lwexler   For more information on bullying: Bullying Canada: https://bullyingcanada.ca Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVnet): https://www.prevnet.ca Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.ca/

Education is traditionally thought to be comprised of the three Rs – reading, writing, and arithmetic. But research has revealed that students can become better if they are able to see problems and questions in a particular social context. This is known as relevance. On this week’s show, we’re going to explore how relevance can be used to keep students creative and positive.    Our first guest is Heidi Bertels at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York. She has explored how to develop relevant responses using a technique known as framing in which context is put into the problem. She explains how framing can be used in the classroom to entice creativity and takes us through one of her studies to provide an example of how this can be done using either opportunity or prosocial approaches. When we hear about the results, we realize the importance of framing to come up with relevant answers. We also learn that framing can lead to a trade off such that the answers will have a different effect on the situation, the environment, and in this case, the community. In our SASS Class, we change the focus of relevance from the subject matter to the student. We talk with Michael Rousell, an associate professor of education at Southern Oregon University. He has developed a way to improve the perception of a student’s own relevance to the classroom and the world through the use of surprise. We explore the neuroscience of this emotion and how it can lead to better self-esteem and ultimately, better grades.   If you enjoy The Super Awesome Science Show, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts and be sure to tell a friend about the show. Thanks to you, we won the Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Science and Medicine Series. Let’s keep the awesome momentum going together!  Twitter: @JATetro Email: thegermguy@gmail.com Guests: Heidi Bertels Web: https://www.csi.cuny.edu/campus-directory/heidi-bertels Twitter: @heidibertels Michael Rousell Web: http://michaelrousell.com/about Twitter: @rousellm