Beaker Bros

The ability to mass-produce books through Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press is attributed to sparking the beginnings of the Scientific Enlightenment. In honour of UNESCO’s World Book Day, Sohnia and Jaanuni decided to dedicate this episode to the scientific and societal importance of the printing press. They end off by chatting about how science communication and misinformation have changed throughout millennia.

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On April 22nd every year, all around the world, people celebrate Earth Day in combatting and raising awareness about climate change and global warming. In this week’s episode, Sohnia and Jaanuni discuss how Earth Day came to be and how human-induced climate change has contributed to biodiversity loss. Join us this week as we celebrate Queen Earth also known as Earth Day!

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April 2021 is quite the month for amateur astronomers! On this episode of Beaker Bros, Sohnia and Jaanuni distinguish some basic terminology, while Milky the doggo pops in for a brief visit. They end off by discussing how and when you can observe the upcoming Lyrid meteor shower.

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Science has historically been misused to justify racism and social inequality. In acknowledgement of this, Sohnia and Jaanuni decided to explore one of the most notorious abuses of scientific knowledge in recent history - the Eugenics Movement.

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Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger defined "burnout" as the loss of motivation and a growing sense of emotional depletion. All around the world, individuals experience burnout. In this week's episode, Jaanuni and Sohnia discuss why it is important to acknowledge and recognize when you are feeling burnout and how burnout can be experienced by students. As well, they discuss what individuals can do to help overcome this feeling.

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On Tuesday March 16, 2021, an individual decided to committed murder against 8 innocent people, 6 of which are members of the Asian community. What happened in Atlanta is not an isolated incident, but a horrific example of a large rising tide of anti-Asian racism. In light of this, we wanted to dedicate this episode to our Asian pals and highlight the injustice in their community.

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Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has a right to health. However, health disparities brought forth by socioeconomic status and structural racism impedes upon this right. In this podcast, Sohnia and Jaanuni discuss how disparities in health occurring globally and in our own backyards perpetuates health inequity.

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Biological sex and socially-constructed gender are intrinsic to our identity. Yet, there are instances where science and society inaccurately represent the two. In this week's episode, Sohnia and Jaanuni discuss why inaccurately distinguishing between sex and gender impedes health science research. They also discuss when it is appropriate to report sex versus gender (and vice versa) and their thoughts on "gender reveal parties."

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The COVID-19 vaccine is considered one of the biggest scientific achievements of the 21st century. This week, Sohnia and Jaanuni chat about the fascinating history and science of vaccines. They also dive into Jaanuni’s experience receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and how immunological research is changing the way we live our lives.

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Unless you're pursuing a career in science, odds are you probably don't regularly read scientific literature. As a result, the general public's main source of scientific content is often through the media. This week, Sohnia and Jaanuni explore the role of social media in science education, and whether industries, celebrities, companies, brands, and trends should play in disseminating science. 

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