SciShow Tangents

For our very first live show at PodCon 2, we were joined by Elah Feder, the co-host and producer of the podcast Undiscovered! Podcasting on a stage with a live audience meant we really had to bring our A-game, so we swapped stories of famous actors, politicians, and other celebrities who also dabbled in science. Sources:[Truth or Fail]http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TC003EN.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-world-high-tech-141284744/[Fact Off]Julia Child:https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2015-featured-story-archive/shark-repellent.htmlhttps://appliedecology.cals.ncsu.edu/absci/wp-content/uploads/Stroud-et-al-2014.pdfhttps://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/4935https://faculty.washington.edu/sisneros/Sisneros%20and%20Nelson%202001.pdfZeppo Marx: [Ask the Science Couch]Brian May’s thesis: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/295744.pdfhttps://www.space.com/5692-queen-guitarist-publishes-astrophysics-thesis.htmlhttp://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/cosmic_reference/zodydust.htmlhttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1994IAUS..160..127D[Butt One More Thing]Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills:https://io9.gizmodo.com/archaeologists-tracked-lewis-and-clark-by-following-the-1727887223https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/medrush.htm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you ever just wonder, “are the bees doing okay?” They’re so important to our food industry and native ecosystems, and every couple of years it seems like something horribly bad is happening to them. So this week, we’re taking a look at the fascinating lives and deaths of bees! Can they recognize human faces or understand the concept of zero? Why are blister beetles mimicking sexy bee pheromones? And what do nightclubs and honeybee hives have in common? Sources:[Poem]https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120316-hot-bee-balls-hornets-insects-brains-animals-science/http://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/206/2/353.full.pdf[Truth or Fail]Handedness in beesBees understanding zeroBees recognize faces[Ask the Science Couch]CCD: https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorderGlyphosate:http://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/17/2799https://www.glyphosate.eu/glyphosate-mechanism-actionhttps://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10305Native bees:https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Xerces_policy_statement_HB_Final.pdfhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5722319/[Butt One More Thing]Isopentyl acetate:https://www.extension.entm.purdue.edu/beehive/pdf/Breed_et_al.pdfhttps://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/isoamyl_acetate#section=Top Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve all heard about “The Algorithms” that affect our lives, making decisions for and about us. And artificial intelligence systems are recommending podcasts, picking out targeted ads, and playing games against humans every single day. This week, we’re going to skim the surface of AI and chat about everything from Siri to personality prediction software. How are these tools used to help the world, or are we mostly heading toward a dystopian future? What’s the Turing test and is it even a useful measure of artificial intelligence? And if a poem is written with software… is it really art? (We don’t know either.)Sources:AI-[Poem]http://janusnode.com/[Truth or Fail]https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-ai-vs-siri-vs-bing-iq-tests-show-one-is-smartest-by-a-mile/https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.10242https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38390798[Fact Off]Anti-poaching:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-ai-camera-helps-conservationists-spot-elephant-poachers-180971180/https://www.inverse.com/article/52203-ai-camera-poacher-watchhttps://www.inverse.com/article/48043-paul-allen-makes-amends-with-coral-reefs-with-artificial-intelligence-researchEye tracking:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00105/full?utm_source=FWEB&utm_medium=NBLOG&utm_campaign=ECO_FNHUM_personality-eye-movements[Ask the Science Couch]Turing test:https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing-test/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20865-software-tricks-people-into-thinking-it-is-human/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/turing-test-measures-something-but-not-intelligence-180951702/https://www.wired.com/2012/06/flawed-turing-test/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/09/scientists-disagree-over-whether-turing-test-has-been-passed[Butt One More Thing]Artificial anus:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5655776 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, our producer Caitlin Hofmeister is joining the pod to talk about the Sun, and lending her expertise as a host of the YouTube channel SciShow Space. The Sun affects pretty much everything we do here on Earth, from our weather to our technology. So what schemes have scientists been cooking up to shield the Earth from the Sun? How have solar flares affected humans… and should we be afraid of them? And is “Guy” really a good nickname, or is this star more special than that? Sources:[Definition]https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~pberlind/atlas/htmls/note.html[Truth or Fail]https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/news-blog/geoengineering-solution-no-9-the-fl-2008-09-08/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/geoengineering-holds-promise-but-the-technology-needs-work/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/blocking-the-sun-is-no-plan-b-for-global-warming/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_sunshadehttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoa-ssm110306.php[Fact Off]Ocean mines:https://www.sciencealert.com/the-sun-may-have-detonated-dozens-of-us-sea-mines-uncovered-navy-documents-revealhttps://vva.vietnam.ttu.edu/repositories/2/digital_objects/83295https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018SW002024http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMUS_Mines.php#Vietnam_War_%22Destructor%22_Mineshttp://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-068.php#Magnetic_Mines2012 solar storm:[Ask the Science Couch]https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/iris/multimedia/layerzoo.htmlhttps://www.space.com/17160-sun-atmosphere.htmlhttps://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/sun1.html[Butt One More Thing]https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1507&context=sttclhttps://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/georges-bataille-the-solar-anus Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you one of those people who doesn’t feel awake until you have caffeine coursing through your bloodstream? Well, you can choose to ingest some chemical stimulants, but they’re also something your body makes! Just think about the adrenaline rush before a public speech. This week, we’re going to dig into what science actually says about caffeine and dehydration. Why did some people try to ban coffee, and how dangerous was the pick-me-up given to some Antarctic explorers? And why the heck did researchers think gerbils could help with airport security? Sources:[Fact Off]Gerbils:Forced March:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2962153-8/fulltexthttps://granta.com/shackletons-medical-kit/https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/09/27/161881513/cocaine-for-snowblindness-what-polar-explorers-packed-for-first-aidhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279970/[Ask the Science Couch]Dehydration:http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/33/2/167https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12187618https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/640f/49f096f9a01e2c3ef103945a39830a12cd5c.pdfhttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html?_r=2[Butt One More Thing]Civet poop coffee:https://www.businessinsider.com/kopi-luwak-cat-poop-worlds-most-expensive-coffee-taste-test-2018-11https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kopi-Luwak Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At some point, we’ve all probably looked up at birds and wished we could fly. And some curious people took that wish and did science! From the biology of flying animals to machines that help humans take to the skies, this week, we’re exploring the science of flight. Why do we travel by plane instead of floating on airships? How long can some birds fly before landing? And what else do they get up to in midair… eating? ...sex? ...sleeping? [Truth or Fail]https://www.businessinsider.com/only-one-place-was-allowed-to-take-off-after-flights-were-grounded-on-sept-11-2011-2011-9[Fact Off]Swifts:https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31063-6Frigate birds:[Ask the Science Couch]https://www.airships.net/dirigible/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/hybrid-airship.htmlhttps://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/01/19/the-uss-akron-disaster/https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/pa4q3g/theres-a-push-to-bring-back-the-zeppelin-in-canadas-remote-north[Butt One More Thing]http://www.airpowerworld.info/other-military-aircraft/supermarine-stranraer.htm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mucus grosses people out. Whether it’s coming out of your nose or slime oozing from an animal, it’s not really a pleasant substance. But scientifically, mucus is super cool—it can be used for protection, hunting, lubrication, or plain old stickiness. Why do some cephalopods spew out specialized mucus? Does slathering snail slime on your face actually do anything to your skin? And could eating boogers be… good? Sources:[Truth or Fail]http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5979/704https://www.mbari.org/mbari-researchers-discover-what-vampire-squids-eat-its-not-what-you-think/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b94c/447075249a39cac514cbb3c6bf24c4e8306c.pdfhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052311/[Fact Off]Snail mucus:Parasitic worms:http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/12/02/a-new-treatment-for-bowel-problems-eating-1000-parasitic-worm-eggs/#.W-ICt3pKgW8https://www.ecco-ibd.eu/index.php/publications/congress-abstract-s/abstracts-2015/item/p389-a-double-blind-clinical-trial-on-trichuris-suis.html[Ask the Science Couch]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11465519https://aem.asm.org/content/81/1/332.longhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/727897https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-422X-3-99[Butt One More Thing]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2016/05/10/how-this-fish-survives-in-a-sea-cucumbers-bum/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some small, magical corner of your heart wants dragons to be real, right? Well... sorry. They’re not. But this week, we wanted to celebrate some science adjacent to dragons, from fruit and animals named after them to giant flying predators that probably terrified humans.Sources:[Truth or Fail]http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150320-meet-two-new-dragon-millipede-species-first-described-in-laoshttp://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersCostaRicaArticles/TheFunctionalityandEvolut.html[Fact Off]Fire Hawks:Haast’s Eagles:[Ask the Science Couch]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/04/30/how-this-beetle-creates-500-explosions-per-second-in-its-bum/[Butt One More Thing]https://www.wired.com/2013/12/the-secret-underwater-world-of-dragons/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From sugary snow cones to WWII plans for an aircraft carrier made of ice and wood pulp, humans have had big dreams for frozen water. So this week, we’re exploring the science of snow and ice across the globe. Turns out, there are ancient refrigerators in the dry Iranian desert and abandoned military bases under the Greenland ice sheet. And even though Japanese snow monkeys seem all cozy and chill in their hot springs, what mischief do they get up to in their free time? Sources:[Truth Or Fail]https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10329-015-0492-0https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/japans-monkeys-wash-their-potatoes-and-ride-deer-like-horseshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chilling-out-hot-springs-may-help-japans-snow-monkeys-reduce-stress-180968686/[Fact Off]Camp Century:http://www.iceandclimate.nbi.ku.dk/research/drill_analysing/history_drilling/drill_bedrock/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/mysterious-ice-buried-cold-war-military-base-may-be-unearthed-climate-changehttp://www.iceandclimate.nbi.ku.dk/about_centre/history/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Paleoclimatology_OxygenBalanceIceboxes:http://eartharchitecture.org/?p=570[Ask the Science Couch]http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/Ice-Alloys.pdfhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/description-of-the-iceberg-aircraft-carrier-and-the-bearing-of-the-mechanical-properties-of-frozen-wood-pulp-upon-some-problems-of-glacier-flow/BE12BCCE68FE5D9C307299A2F1F2DFC6[Butt One More Thing]https://www.livescience.com/61018-turtles-breathe-through-butt.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new year means New Year’s resolutions! Lots of people are probably getting their fitness on, whether it’s by joining a gym or putting on yoga YouTube videos. So this week, we’re stretching our muscles to explore the science of exercise!Sources:[Truth or Fail]Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1498/Increased blood volume:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17630597/New brain cells:https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/nwsu-eib111217.php[Fact Off]Thinking about muscles: https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00386.2014https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-grow-stronger-without-lifting-weights/Animals on wheels: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1786/20140210.fullhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4760155/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/09/14/409409.full.pdf[Ask the Science Couch]Flexibility:http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.htmlhttp://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_3.htmlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273886/[Butt One More Thing]Space underwear: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-underwear-idUSTRE52M6ER20090323 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.