Hosts: Ed Brown, Dr. Shayne Joseph, Penny Dumsday, Lucas Randall.
[00:00:58] By looking at astronomical records from 720 BC to AD 2015, researchers have found a small inaccuracy in modern calculations of the Earth’s rotational speed. The Earth’s spin is slowing down slightly slower than we thought.
[00:11:44] A small section of a dinosaur’s tail has been found in a piece of amber for sale in a market in Myanmar. The tail is amazingly well preserved – and feathered!
[00:17:31] Nuclear fusion – as opposed to our current nuclear reactors, which use nuclear fission – is the ‘holy grail’ of physics research. It could provide near limitless energy, without toxic by-products. Now the Wendelstein 7-X project in Germany appears to be making progress, successfully trapping plasma in a magnetic cage.
[00:29:39] A small study at Johns Hopkins University could give cancer patients suffering from depression and anxiety some hope. It suggests that just a single dose of magic mushrooms can improve their mental health for months.
This episode contains traces of the Today Show talking about a Christmas tree.