SciShow Tangents

New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and the world's most stylish science podcast is celebrating by exploring the intersection of fashion and science! Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions!  If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Beards & miasma theoryhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/plague-know/https://mentalfloss.com/article/31056/why-did-people-wear-powdered-wigshttps://io9.gizmodo.com/the-science-behind-todays-plague-doctor-costume-1737404375Lightning rodshttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/9256546/lubbock_morning_avalanche/https://books.google.com/books?id=UEH1AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA184https://books.google.com/books?id=g6cwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA190Pictures: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rod_fashionBulletproof silkhttps://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2578879http://mentalfloss.com/article/24039/brief-history-bulletproof-vestshttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jul/29/bulletproof-silk-vest-prevent-first-world-war-royal-armouries[Fact Off]Julie and ear grassLizards and human shirts[Ask the Science Couch]Bamboohttp://www.patagonia.com/static/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-PatagoniaShared/default/dw0de5a5be/PDF-US/bamboo_rayon.pdfHemphttps://slate.com/technology/2011/04/hemp-versus-cotton-which-is-better-for-the-environment.htmlWoolhttps://www.iwto.org/news/environmental-impacts-wool-textilesLinenhttps://econation.co.nz/linen/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320307130_GOING_ECO_GOING_DUTCH_A_local_and_closed_loop_textile_production_systemMass production (dyeing, burning)https://e360.yale.edu/features/can_waterless_dyeing_processes_clean_up_clothing_industry_pollutionhttps://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/17/17852294/fashion-brands-burning-merchandise-burberry-nike-h-and-m[Butt One More Thing]Cow manure clotheshttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/poop-clothing_n_58e7d6f0e4b058f0a02efa77

Wether it's a human trying to figure out the quickest way to the airport, a salmon returning to the waters where they were born, or a dog trying to figure out the perfect place to poop, almost everyliving thing uses some sort of innate or technological navigation system every day.  Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Orientation of mental maps:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0135803Humans sensing magnetic fields:https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/can-humans-sense-the-magnetic-field--65611[Fact Off]Marine chronometerhttp://www.jgiesen.de/LunarDistance/index.htmlhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/3087198?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contentshttps://timeandnavigation.si.edu/navigating-at-sea/longitude-problemhttps://archive.org/details/principlesmrhar00unkngoog/page/n22https://www.timeandwatches.com/p/the-detent-escapement-from-marine.htmlEtak navigator[Ask the Science Couch]Sunstone/calcite:https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/11/viking-sunstone-revealedhttps://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/mysterious-sunstones-in-medieval-viking-texts-could-really-have-worked/https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.172187https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110131/full/news.2011.58.htmlImage of calcite: https://www.sciencesource.com/Doc/TR1_WATERMARKED/6/9/f/3/SS2509789.jpg?d63642476241

Almost all of human culture and economics is structured around a handful of pretty metals that we have arbitrarily assigned value to!  Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions!  If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Silver nanoparticleshttps://jnanobiotechnology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12951-017-0254-9https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/osu-elc051418.phphttps://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/07/embryo-inspired-bandage-17-times-stickier-band-aidhttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/ez-pnf021419.phpCopperhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225400/https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/copper-toxicityPlatinumhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29632935https://www.forbes.com/sites/carmendrahl/2017/04/14/why-is-platinum-in-some-chemotherapy-drugs-and-can-we-improve-them/#1a89a88417d4[Fact Off]Alchemy and phosphorus:https://phys.org/news/2019-01-phosphorus-years-discovery-vital-element.htmlhttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/02/02/465188104/phosphorus-starts-with-pee-in-this-tale-of-scientific-serendipityGold vein earthquakes: https://www.nature.com/news/earthquakes-make-gold-veins-in-an-instant-1.12615https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earthquakes-are-basically-gold-factories-4659100/[Ask the Science Couch]Nickel allergy/reactivity:https://www.nickelinstitute.org/about-nickel/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4783936/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047925/https://books.google.com/books?id=CpAM1U1efqcC&pg=PA120Gold allergy/reactivity:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11244133https://books.google.com/books?id=1mk3lFVtBSQC&pg=PA104Implant metals:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9440845[Butt One More Thing]Metals in poop:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es505329qhttps://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8803.full

Extremophiles are tough little guys that not only survive but thrive in the harshest environments on Earth; unforgiving places like volcanic vents at the bottom of the sea, lakes of acid, and your bellybuttonTo learn more about extremophiles and a whole universe of other microscopic creatures, check out Journey to the Microcosmos at https://www.youtube.com/microcosmosFollow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Single-species Ecosystemhttps://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10336-gold-mine-holds-life-untouched-by-the-sun/Extremophile Cheesehttps://www.businessinsider.com/belly-button-innie-inside-cheese-bacteria-lint-fungi-2019-7Fluffy Pink Golden Fungushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-fungus-capable-collecting-gold-its-environment-180972293/[Fact Off]Berkeley pit extremophiles:https://medium.com/vision-2018/life-from-the-pit-70d3e0fbc0f6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnWZcG3Nzkhttps://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/natural-products/Scientists-mine-potential-drugs-Berkeley/97/i18PCR & Taq polymerase:https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Polymerase-Chain-Reaction-Fact-Sheethttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/probe/docs/techpcr/https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/10342020https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/yellowstone-bacteria-beer-science[Ask the Science Couch]Extremophiles:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4187170/Bacteria vs. Archaea:http://bio1520.biology.gatech.edu/biodiversity/prokaryotes-bacteria-archaea-2/https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/archaea/archaea.htmlArchaea characteristics:https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/astrobiology/environments/https://microbiologyonline.org/about-microbiology/introducing-microbes/archaeahttps://ucmp.berkeley.edu/archaea/archaeamm.html[Butt One More Thing]Pompeii worm:https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/marinesymbiosis/pompeii.htmlhttp://faculty.montgomerycollege.edu/gyouth/FP_examples/student_examples/sathya_ramachandran/pompeiiworms.html

This week, the Other Couch's high-school-level understanding of chemistry is really put to the test as we talk about acid! What is it? How does it dissolve things? It has something to do... with protons? It seems way simpler in the movies!Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Formic acid (general):https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Formic-acidFire ant antivenom:https://science.sciencemag.org/content/343/6174/1014.abstracthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/invasive-crazy-ants-are-eating-up-invasive-fire-ants-in-the-south-65189409/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-the-crazy-ants/Bone-house wasps:https://www.wired.com/2014/07/the-spider-eating-bone-house-wasp/Electricity-generating wasps:https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101221-solar-power-hornet-science-animals/[Fact Off]Internal sensor:https://www.seeker.com/when-swallowed-this-sensor-is-powered-by-stomach-acid-2248294501.htmlPregnancy gif:https://giphy.com/gifs/pregnancy-baby-fetus-WS91RYT47sA6Ihttps://imgur.com/gallery/d7n3eIHMoss bandage:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humble-moss-helped-heal-wounds-thousands-WWI-180963081/https://images.app.goo.gl/TWkw555pqQcRF4Ap8[Ask the Science Couch]Battery energy storage:https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-batteries-store-an/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IUsholjg&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtPHzzYuWy6fYEaX9mQQ8oGrLead-acid batteries:https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/lead_based_batterieshttp://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/leadacid.html

You might think you know everything there is to know about deserts: big, sandy, hot, etc. But between the alien mummies and the ice blades, we're guessing there's a lot you don't know. All that and you get to see Hank just totally embarrass himself while trying to talk about Pokemon. Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Atacama Desert:Ata:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/science/ata-mummy-alien-chile.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiny-alien-skeleton-found-chile-was-likely-result-genetic-mutations-180968576/Ice Blades: https://www.sciencealert.com/eerie-ice-spires-harbour-life-in-one-of-the-harshest-environments-on-earthMicrobes:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35051-whttps://earthsky.org/earth/mars-like-atacanda-desert-rain-brings-death[Fact Off]Thorny devil lizard:https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.170591Libyan Desert glass:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5196362.stmhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022309384901777https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/47/7/609/570318/overestimation-of-threat-from-100-mt-class?redirectedFrom=fulltexthttps://theconversation.com/how-we-solved-the-mystery-of-libyan-desert-glass-117253[Ask the Science Couch]Sand depth:https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-9213-9_325-1https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-65661-8_10https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92232/grand-erg-oriental-algeriahttps://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/sand-dunes-sandstone.htm[Butt One More Thing]Dung beetles:https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/uotw-bud101912.phphttps://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2812%2901061-5 

 When you think metamorphosis, you might think a beautiful butterfly coming out of its cocoon. However, lots of things metamorphose in much less graceful, much more sticky, gooey, unsettling, and potentially dangerous ways!Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links: [Truth or Fail]https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uoc-sbb010308.php http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4460030.stmKind of gross but very cool, highly recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCo2uCLXvhk[Fact Off]Cryptometamorphosis:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/science/snail-metamorphosis.htmlhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2018.1099#sec-3Figure from paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/cms/attachment/12748a2e-c968-4fff-912a-9f9cd2c3d514/rspb20181099f01.gifWax moths and plastic:https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/25/525447206/a-worm-may-hold-the-key-to-biodegrading-plastichttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28441558[Ask the Science Couch]Grasshoppers/locusts:http://mentalfloss.com/article/57104/whats-difference-between-grasshoppers-and-locustshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-grasshoppers-go-bibl/(includes picture) https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2009/01/serotonin-makes-locusts-swarmhttps://science.sciencemag.org/content/306/5703/1881

Plants and animals get all the glory, but fungi are out there every day, breaking down leaf litter, making our bread nice and fluffy, and fermenting alcohols. They deserve a little thanks, so we did a whole episode about them!Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Fungal Pesticides:https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/12/522068205/fungal-pesticides-offer-a-growing-alternative-to-traditional-chemicalshttps://agrochemicals.iupac.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=3&sobi2Id=31https://phys.org/news/2019-02-virus-infested-fungus-chemical-pesticides.htmlTinder Fungi:https://www.uab.cat/web/newsroom/news-detail-1345668003610.html?noticiaid=1345754508535Egyptian Medicine:https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/nyregion/secrets-of-the-mummys-medicine-chest.html[Fact Off]Whiskey mold:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18065010https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315285/https://www.wired.com/2011/05/ff-angelsshare/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/78dyqb/kentuckys-whiskey-fungus-problem-is-out-of-controlPlastic-digesting fungus:https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/fungi-research-lifts-lid-shy-organisms-break-down-plastichttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202047https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117300295http://blog.worldagroforestry.org/index.php/2017/09/12/scientists-find-fungus-appetite-plastic-rubbish-dump/[Ask the Science Couch]“Zombie” ants:https://www.pnas.org/content/114/47/12590https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0187170https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204140/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/[Butt One More Thing]Zygomycota:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0003237https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8OAmcUnm4g

From 1961 to 1972, thousands of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, seamstresses, pilots, and even a child or two worked on the Apollo Program, collaborating to bring humanity to the moon. Today, Tangents celebrates this unparalleled work of collective science and engineering!  Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Golf Club:https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/objects-of-intrigue-alan-shepards-golf-clubhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/08/16/why-was-alan-shepard-allowed-to-bring-golf-clubs-to-the-moon/#1d7fe6b67f86Family Photo:https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-16-hidden-family-portrait-on-the-moon-2015-10Ashes: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/eugene-shoemaker-buried-moon-celestis-nasahttps://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/news82.html[Fact Off]Greg Force: Boy Hero: https://www.honeysucklecreek.net/other_stations/guam/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/20/apollo11.irpt/index.htmlSpacesuit seamstresses: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/neil-armstrongs-spacesuit-was-made-by-a-bra-manufacturer-3652414/http://mentalfloss.com/article/82726/how-playtex-helped-win-space-racehttps://www.racked.com/2018/9/5/17771270/spacesuit-girdles-playtex-seamstresses-nasahttps://gizmodo.com/how-to-sew-a-spacesuit-5788241[Ask the Science Couch]Michael Collins lonely: https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-164_Collins_statement.htmlhttps://www.space.com/16971-michael-collins-apollo-11.htmlhttps://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/overview/[Butt One More Thing]Moon poop bacteria:https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/22/18236125/apollo-moon-poop-mars-science

Living things are so full of complicated systems of cells and DNA, that things are bound to go wrong. And sometimes when things go wrong, cancer is the result. Today on Tangents we talk about the causes, health impacts, and potential cures (both real and fake) of cancer. Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:[Truth or Fail]Norman Bakerhttps://historycollection.co/norman-baker-man-claimed-cure-cancer/Cow Warhttps://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=3298&context=iowastate_veterinarianAnimal Testes Transplanthttps://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4x3p73/early-body-hacking-when-men-got-goat-testicle-grafts-to-boost-their-sex-driveThe Philosophy of Success Bookhttps://archive.org/details/Law_Of_Success_in_16_Lessons[Fact Off]Turtle fossil bone cancer:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/02/ridiculously-rare-cancer-found-fossil-leg-turtle-triassic-paleontology/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2723578Parasite-human cancer transmission:https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p1104-parasite-tumors.htmlhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tapeworm-spreads-deadly-cancer-to-human/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325110313.htm[Ask the Science Couch]General:https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancerhttps://www.popsci.com/transmissible-cancers-animals/Tasmanian devil:https://www.tcg.vet.cam.ac.uk/about/DFTDhttps://www.nature.com/articles/onc2009350https://elifesciences.org/articles/35314Clams:https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)00243-3https://www.nature.com/articles/nature18599[Butt One More Thing]Farts & cancer:https://time.com/2976464/scientists-say-smelling-farts-might-prevent-cancer/https://pubs.rsc.org/En/content/articlelanding/2014/md/c3md00323j#!divAbstract