Ask a Scientist

Have you ever wanted to know more about dinosaurs? In this episode, Hillary Cepress-McLean, Fossil Lab Manager at the Perot Museum, talks to us about all things dinosaurs! She will answer your questions about the most crazy-looking dinosaurs, the smallest dinosaurs, the largest dinosaurs, and what it's like to put dinosaur skeletons back together at a museum! 

Here are some links to more information about some of the dinosaurs that Hillary mentions in this episode: 

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

https://www.britannica.com/animal/therizinosaur

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

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

Have you ever wanted to know more about Alzheimer's disease? In this episode, Dr. Chris Link, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, talks to us about his research working to understand brain diseases like Alzheimer's. He answers questions about developments that have been made in the field of Alzheimer's research and discusses how worms and mice are used to better understand Alzheimer's. 

Have you ever wanted to know more about spiders? In this episode Dr. Paula Cushing, curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, talks to us all about spiders and their kin. What kinds of spiders do we find in our homes? Are any of them venomous? How big do spiders get? And what is the spider's place in the ecosystem? Dr. Cushing will answer all these questions and more! Get ready to learn about the 8-legged fuzzy friends we sometimes find in our houses! 

Have you ever wanted to learn more about beavers? In this episode, Dr. Emily Fairfax, Assistant Professor at California State University Channel Islands, talks to us about beavers and how they interact with the ecosystem around them. How do they create and protect wetlands? How long does it take them to chew through a tree? And why were beavers ever thrown from airplanes in boxes attached to parachutes??  

She made a short (45 second) stop motion video using felt and a toy beaver that shows how beavers change the land - you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/IAM94B73bzE

Have you ever wanted to know more about Mars? In this episode, Dr. Tanya Harrison, the Manager of Science Programs at Planet Labs, talks to us about everything Mars, from the rocks at the surface of Mars to Mars rovers. She'll even talk about Marsquakes! Get ready to blast off to Mars! 

Have you ever wanted to know more about bees? Or how humans are affecting bees and their habitats? In this episode, Dr. Adrian Carper, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, will talk to us about bees, honey, pollination, and what we can do to help prevent bee extinction. And he will even tell us all about the murder hornets and what it means that they have been spotted in North America! 

Have you ever wanted to know more about ice cores? Or about what the climate was like in the past? In this episode Almost-Dr. Abby Hughes, who is finishing her PhD at the University of Colorado, talks to us about 100,000 year old ice, Greenland, climates of the past and how the climate is changing today.  Grab your jackets because she's going to tell us about some cold temperatures! 

Have you ever wanted to know more about volcanoes or the damage a volcanic eruption can cause? In this episode, (almost) Dr. Sophia Tsang, who just finished her PhD at the University of Auckland, will talk to us about volcanic eruptions, volcanic hazards, and how she studies volcanoes by making lava in the laboratory! 

Have you ever wanted to know more about the human brain? What about how exercise can help improve brain function? In this episode, Dr. Diane Ehlers, Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will talk to us about different types of exercise, brain function, and how exercise can help improve brain function in older adults and people with cancer. 

Have you ever wanted to know more about chemistry or the science behind the magic of the Harry Potter world? In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Lai, chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, will talk to us about what it's like to be a chemist and about how she uses Harry Potter to teach people about chemistry. What Harry Potter potions can chemists really make? Are invisibility cloaks real? Dr. Lai will answer these questions and more in this episode!