Ask a Scientist

Have you ever wanted to know more about beer? Or even what beer is? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ethan Tsai, manager of brewing operations at Cigar City Brewing, talks to us all about the science of beer and the science of things we eat and drink! He talks to us about all things beer, from how beer is made to how beer gets its flavors. But he also talks to us about other fermented foods like sour kraut and yogurt. He even talks to us about how some of the the chemical compounds that are responsible for beer going stale are also responsible for the taste of cucumbers and the smell of old people!! So go grab a cold one (beer or other beverage) and get ready to learn all about the science of things we drink and eat! 

Have you ever wanted to know what a neurotransmitter is? What about how cells inside your body "talk" to each other? In this episode, Dr. Mike Klymkowsky, professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, talks to us about all things molecular and cellular biology! He tells us all about neurotransmitters, cell communication, experimenting on frogs, and more! He also talks to us about how people learn biology and how to teach biology! 

Images of molecular machines: 

https://evolutionnews.org/2017/05/molecular-machines-reach-perfection/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_machine

Dr. Klymkowsky's lab:

http://klymkowskylab.colorado.edu/

What is climate change? How is it affecting us? How is it affecting other living things on the planet? Camille Collett, geologist and climate change expert, talks to us all about climate change and answers these questions and many, many more! 

This is an extra special episode in that we are joined by students from Mr. R's 4th grade class to ask their questions!

As an extra bonus, we are giving away a special climate change T-shirt to the first listener who can email the correct answer to Camille's question "what are the two main things that we can do about climate change to stop it and slow it down?" [email protected] 

Get in touch with Camille:

http://camille-collett.squarespace.com/ 

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/cam_collett

Climate change shirt: https://www.facebook.com/askascientistpod/photos/a.131111268420098/250924959772061/

Have you ever wondered how your brain and spinal cord form? What happens before you are born that makes your brain and spinal cord develop? In this episode, Dr. Heather Brown, from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, talks to us all about the development of the brain and spinal cord. She discovered that one gene in particular is very important for making sure the spinal cord and brain form correctly. This gene acts like  “school bus” inside of a cell and it moves around the cell to pick up and drop off proteins at different places inside the cell, similar to how a school bus picks up and drops off students at home and at school.  Without this gene, our brain and spinal cord wouldn't grow! In this episode, we will learn all about this school bus gene, how it works, and how it helps the brain and spinal cord to form correctly. So grab your backpacks, hop on your school bus, and get ready to learn all about how your brain formed! 

Have you ever wanted to know why music sometimes gives you a strong emotional reaction? Or why spoiled food tastes really bad? In this episode, Dr, Melanie Peffer, professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and author of Biology Everywhere, talks to us all about biology in the world around us! She answers questions all about how music makes us feel, why some foods taste sour, why we look like our parents, and so much more! So tune in and get ready to think of the world around you in a whole new way! 

Check out Dr. Peffer's book and follow her on social media: 

https://www.biologyeverywhere.com/

Have you ever wondered what prehistoric insects looked like? In this episode, Dr. Gussie Maccracken, National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow, tells us all about insects of the past! She answers questions about how big insects used to be (spoiler alert, they were HUGE!), what the insects ate, and how ancient insects interacted with dinosaurs! So grab your giant bug-catching nets and get ready to hear all about fossil insects! 

 Giant dragon fly fossil - http://www.geologyin.com/2018/01/the-largest-insect-ever-existed-was.html

Arthropleura - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropleura 

Follow Dr. Gussie Maccracken on Twitter https://twitter.com/Gussie_Mac?s=20

Have you ever wanted to know more about skeletons? In this episode, Dr. Jaime Ullinger, associate professor of anthropology at Quinnipiac University, talks to us about bioarcheology, the study of skeletons to learn more about humans of the past. Dr. Ullinger answers all your questions about skeletons and talks about how what you eat affects your skeleton and what we can learn about diseases in the past by looking at skeletons. She has seen thousands of skeletons throughout her career and tells us all about them in this episode! 

Do you want to know more about the current COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, retired respiratory therapist Tom Kellond talks to us all about COVID-19 and how patients with respiratory diseases like COVID-19 are treated in the hospital. He answers questions about how COVID-19 spreads,  how to protect yourself against COVID-19, and how COVID-19 patients are taken care of when they are in the hospital and in the ICU. With lot's of information and misinformation about COVID-19 going around on the news and on the internet, this episode of Ask a Scientist will give you direct answers to your questions from a respiratory health expert, Tom Kellond. 

Have you ever wanted to know more about bats? In this episode, Dana Green, from the University of Regina in Canada, talks to us all about bats! She answers your questions about how big, how small, how tall, and how fast bats are, and so much more!! She tells us all about how cool bats are! So if you've ever been afraid of bats, Dana tells us all about how awesome and not-scary bats are. Hopefully she can help you face your fears and realize that bats are amazing creatures that can't hurt you. So grab your night-vision goggles and keep an eye out for bats! 

Links to more info about different kinds of bats: 

Large flying fox bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_flying_fox

Kitti’s hog-nosed bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitti's_hog-nosed_bat

Hoary bats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoary_bat

Indiana Bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_bat

Gray bats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_bat

Pallid bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallid_bat

Short-tailed bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystacinidae

Tent-making bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent-making_bat

White nose syndrome: https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-white-nose-syndrome.htm#:~:text=White%2Dnose%20syndrome%20(WNS),likely%20exotic%2C%20introduced%20from%20Europe.

Snakes hang to get bats: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/10/kantemo-bat-cave-hanging-serpents-snakes-yucatan-mexico-video/

Flying lemur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_flying_lemur

Silver-haired bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver-haired_bat

Wrinkle-faced bat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrinkle-faced_bat

Have you ever wanted to know more about whale sharks? Are they whales or sharks? Why are they called whale sharks? In this episode, Royale Hardenstine, from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, answers these questions and more! She tells us all about her work studying whale sharks and rays in the Red Sea! She talks about how she uses special camera systems to observe these amazing creatures and how she tags whale sharks without hurting them. She even talks about her time working at a Marine Animal Hospital working with sick and inured sea turtles and seals! So grab your snorkel gear and get ready for an underwater adventure! 

Red Sea Photo ID:  https://www.instagram.com/redsea_photoid/

OSearch Satellite Tags: https://www.ocearch.org/ocearch-adds-satellite-tag-to-shark-already-equipped-with-an-acoustic-transmitter/

Whale shark: http://askascientistpod.com/episode-33-royale-hardenstine-whale-sharks-and-rays/

Mangrove wit ray: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_whipray

Blue-spotted ribbon ray: http://askascientistpod.com/episode-33-royale-hardenstine-whale-sharks-and-rays/

Manta ray: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manta_ray

Masked Puffer: http://askascientistpod.com/episode-33-royale-hardenstine-whale-sharks-and-rays/