Another Tabby’s Star theory, why we still believe the myth of menstrual synchrony, and artificial intelligence studying science papers.
SoT 341: The 2019 Ig Nobel Prizes
- October 9, 2019
- Tagged as: anatomy, bacteria, biology, chemistry, cockroaches, diaper, economics, engineering, faeces, happiness, Ig Nobel, itching, magnetic fields, medical education, medicine, money, nappy, natural language processing, nutrition, peace, physics, pizza, poop, psychology, replication, reproducability, saliva, scratch, scrotum, wombats
The Ig Nobel Prizes honour achievements that first make us laugh, then make us think. We take a look at this year’s winners: from the benefits of pizza to the temperature of French postal packages!
T-Rex kept a cool head, first AI developed human vaccine, and painstakingly mapping a mouse brain.
Did junk food cause blindness? Is climate change making spiders more aggressive? What’s filling a Hawaiian volcano crater? And could glowing life be easier to find?
Important but tiny and overlooked fish, rapidly spinning black holes, ancient human migration, and the benefits of not staring at your phone.
SoT 337: Fear-Relevant Non-Slimy Small Animals
- July 31, 2019
- Tagged as: animals, askap, astronomy, cancer, common cold, disgust, Fast Radio Bursts, fear, genetic disease, medicine, psychology, virus
How zebrafish helped treat a genetic disease, a common cold virus could treat bladder cancer, the origins of a fast radio burst, and the creepy crawlies we find fearful and disgusting.
SoT 336: Text Neck
- July 17, 2019
- Tagged as: black holes, cosmology, dogs, evolution, media, mobile phones, science reporting
Those puppy-dog eyes evolved specially for you, the widely accepted theory of supermassive black hole formation could be wrong, and you’re not growing horns because of your phone.
SoT 335: Parmesan Not Brie
- July 4, 2019
- Tagged as: agriculture, cancer, evolution, gravity, moon, radiology, wine
An ancient grape variety still used to make wine, an unexplained large mass found in the moon, and faster, improved PET scanners.
SoT 333: Altered State Of Consciousness
- June 9, 2019
- Tagged as: archaeology, artificial intelligence, bonobos, cancer, climate change, drugs, lung cancer, machine learning, mating, trees
Bonobo mothers watch their sons mating, AI detects lung cancer, trees trying to keep up with carbon dioxide levels and the drug-laced contents of an ancient Shaman’s pouch.
Trip report from Lake Mungo, ancient Denisovans spread widely, an accidental super material, genetically modified phage therapy and trees use the Wood Wide Web!
Podcast Reviews
- Great Show
September 6, 2012 by Volk613 from AustraliaAlways informative, often entertaining. Great selection of regulars with a variety of interests and expertise. Also great guests with and Australian focus.
- Great science roundup
July 23, 2012 by SB AUST. from AustraliaNice to hear science news from an Aussie perspective and with a good dose of humour. Great work!
- Fun and smartJune 17, 2012 by wertys from Australia
I have enjoyed this podcast b/c it is very funny banter about science stories but there is also a serious edge to the analysis. It's proof that you can be amusing and entertaining as well as giving the science content its due. Highly recommended weekly listening.