Breaking Bad Science

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The practice of chiropractics is widely popular, especially in the United States. A practice that evolved in parallel with what's known as osteopathic medicine. The question at this point, is how many of us have ever even heard the second term. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss what the similarities are and how they differ? Most importantly, we'll talk about whether either of them stack up from a scientific perspective as far as efficacy is concerned? 

References

1. Ernst, E.; Chiropractic: A Critical Evaluation. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 15-Feb-2008. 35:5 (544 - 562). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2007.07.004
2.  Michas, F.; Number of Chiropractic Licenses in the U.S. 1996 - 2020. Statista.com. 25-Aug-2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/450353/number-of-chiropractic-licenses-in-the-us/
3. Baer, H.; The Drive for Legitimation by Osteopathy and Chiropractic in Australia: Between Heterodoxy and Orthodoxy. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. 01-Apr-2006. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1533210106292467
4. Baer, H.; Divergence and Convergence in Two Systems of Manual Medicine: Osteopathy and Chiropractic in the United States. Medical Anthropology Quarterly. Jun-1987. 1:2 (176 - 193). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/maq.1987.1.2.02a00030
5. American Chiropractic Association. What Research Shows About Chiropractic. ACA. https://www.acatoday.org/research/what-research-shows/

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In medieval times witchcraft was a dark, mysterious, and even dangerous practice. So much so, that it became the focus of the witch trials. But what's considered witchcraft? Everyone's seen some movie or TV show where the witch is boiling something in their cauldron or casting spells, but what about dowsing? Ever seen one walk around with a Y shaped stick or a couple of rods held out in front of them? No? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss what dowsing is and how we realize maybe we never stopped doing it.

References

1. Ebersole, R.; He Trains Cops in “Witching” to Help Find Corpses. Experts Are Alarmed. MotherJones. 17-Mar-2022. https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2022/03/national-forensic-academy-police-training-dowsing-witching-arpad-vass/
2. McCarney, R., et. al.; Can Homeopaths Detect Homeopathic Medicines by Dowsing? A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Apr-2022. 95:4 (189 - 191). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.95.4.189
3. Harvalik, Z.; Anatomical Localization of Human Detection of Weak Electromagnetic Radiation: Experiments with Dowsers. Physiological Chemistry and Physics. 1978. 19:6 (525 - 534). 
4. Henry, V.; The Modern Dowser. Nature. 27-Feb-1937. 139: 352. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/139352c0
5. Weaver, M.; UK Water Firms Admit Using Divining Rods to Find Leaks and Pipes. The Guardian. 21-Nov-2017. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/nov/21/uk-water-firms-admit-using-divining-rods-to-find-leaks-and-pipes

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Will Smith was in a movie about it. The Thundamentals and several others have written songs about it, but what is the “Hypothesis concerning soul substance together with experimental evidence of the existence of such substance?” More importantly, why does it make some people believe in the importance of the specific value, 21 grams? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss the paper that led to the infamous belief that the soul weighs 21 grams.

References

1. MacDougall, D.; Hypothesis Concerning Soul Substance Together with Experimental Evidence of the Existence of Such Substance. American Society of Psychical Research. 1901. 1:5 (237 - 275).  https://diogenesii.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/duncan_macdougall_1907_-_21pp.pdf
2. Hollander, L.; Unexplained Weight Gain Transients at the Moment of Death. Journal of Scientific Exploration. 2001. 15:4 (495 - 500). https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.567.4701&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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If you listen to the show regularly, you know we just love space. In this episode, join hosts Shanti and Danny for something that is 1 part updating everyone on the world's most innovative telescope and 1 part just geeking out over how cool space is. 

References

1. NASA; NASA’s Webb Reaches Alignment Milestone, Optics Working Successfully. NASA.gov. 16-Mar-2022. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-webb-reaches-alignment-milestone-optics-working-successfully
2. IndiaToday; James Webb Telescope Packs 1000 Ancient Galaxies Into One Picture. IndiaToday. 17-Mar-2022. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/james-webb-telescope-picture-photobomb-galaxy-nasa-esa-1926325-2022-03-17
3. Amos, J.; James Webb ‘Fully Focused’ Telescope Beats Expectations. BBC News. 16-Mar-2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60771210

Explore Light, this is the link mentioned in the episode for the imaging differences. 

https://www.nasa.gov/content/explore-light

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Way back in episode 35 we discussed how educating the entire populace of a country is still sort of a new concept. The importance of an entirely educated population is a belief system barely around 100 years old now. With that always comes a clear division in understanding of how and what is best. Because of this we have public schools, private schools, boarding schools, and charter schools. But what is a charter school? How does it differ from any of these other categories that it seems like we're all well acquainted with and is it better?

References

1. Digest of Education Statistics. Public and Private Elementary and SEcondary Teachers, Enrollment, Pupil/Teacher Ratios, and New Teacher Hires: Selected Years, Fall 1955 Through Fall 2029. National Center for Education Statistics. 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_208.20.asp
2. Logan, J., Burdick-Will, J.; School Segregation, Charter Schools, and Access to Quality Education. Journal of Urban Affairs. Aug-2016. 38:3 (323 - 343). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/juaf.12246
3. Hojo, M.; Association Between Student-Teacher Ratio and Teachers’ Working Hours and Workload Stress: Evidence from a Nationwide Survey in Japan. BMC Public Health. 7-Sep-2021. 21:1 (1635). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11677-w
4. National Conference of State Legislatures. Education Research. National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/charter-schools-research-and-report.aspx#:~:text=The%20most%20rigorous%20studies%20conducted,charter%20schools%20in%20different%20states.
5. Hirsh, K.; Class Size and Charter Schools. Chalkbeat New York. 24-Feb-2009. https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2009/2/24/21098084/class-size-and-charter-schools

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It feels like only a couple days ago the Breaking Bad Science team set about trying to figure out what Bitcoin even really was. So how then are we already faced with some new currency. Is that the right term? Maybe collectible would be better? Whatever it is, the acronym N.F.T. is at the very least a massive buzz word. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss what they are. How long have they been around and if fungible has anything to do with the item's ability to provide entertainment.

References

1. Conti, R., Schmidt, J.; What is an NFT? Non-Fungible Tokens Explained. Forbes Advisor. 15-Feb-2022. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/nft-non-fungible-token/
2. BBC News; Elvis’s Pink Cadillac Auctioned. 13-Sep-2006. BBC News.com. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/5343214.stm
3. Dash, A.; NFTs Weren’t Supposed to End Like This. The Atlantic. 02-Apr-2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/nfts-werent-supposed-end-like/618488/
4. Brandon, R.; $1.7 Million in NFTs Stolen in Apparent Phishing Attack on OpenSea Users. 20-Feb-2022. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/20/22943228/opensea-phishing-hack-smart-contract-bug-stolen-nft

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When my wife was first pregnant with our son, we were desperate to try to figure out the sex. We discovered that people had some of the most interesting theories about what factors would influence this result in the end. Right down to how the deed was done. The reality is, in the simplest form that the male sperm decides the gender and that is produced at a 1:1 ratio. But if that's where the story ends shouldn't birth rates be 50:50 as well?  Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss the idea that maybe they're not? If there is something else going on, what the actual rates are and why might this actually make sense? 

References

1. Statista. Resident Population of the United States by Sex and Age as of July 1, 2020. Statista.com. July-2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/241488/population-of-the-us-by-sex-and-age/
2. Orzack, S., et. al.; The Human Sex Ratio from Conception to Birth. PNAS. 21-Apr-2015. 112:16 (E2102 - E2111). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1416546112
3. Spears, K., et. al.; Gender, Famine, and the Female Mortality Advantage. World Peace Foundation and Tufts University. Dec-2021. https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/files/2021/12/Genderfamine-and-mortality-2021120634.pdf
4. Song, S.; Does Famine Influence Sex Ratio at Birth? Evidence from the 1959 - 1961 Great Leap Forward Famine in China. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences. 22-Jul-2012. 279: 1739 (2883 - 2890). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0320
5. Knox, R.; Examining Environmental Factors in Sex Ratio. NPR. 18-Jul-2005. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4758495

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In the immaculate words of the great Serj Tankian, “Eating, it seems, is a pass-time activity.” And he's not wrong. When I'm bored or down, eating has been a great way to get through those moments. As one might guess, that's not healthy. This is why we humans develop things like diets, eating disorders, and the unfortunate term hangry. But lately it seems like everyone is mentioning something else: intermittent fasting. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss if it’s just eating, then not eating for a long time, then eating again? What it is. How it works, or if it even does work. 

References

1. Cabo, R., et. al.; Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 12-Feb-2020. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmra1905136
2. Gunnars, K.; 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting. Healthline.com. 13-May-2021. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#TOC_TITLE_HDR_10
3. Baik, S., et. al.; Intermittent Fasting Increases Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis. Brain and Behavior. 05-Dec-2019. 10:1. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1444
4. Longo, V., Mattson, M.; Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications. Cell Metabolism. 16-Jan-2014. 19:2 (181 - 192). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.008
5. Antoni, R., et. al.; Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 16-Jan-2017. 76:3 (361 - 368). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665116002986

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Between 1961 and 1968 one man led JFK's dream to put a man on the moon. That was when James Webb retired. A year later, that mission would finally be accomplished. Though he would be far from the only person responsible for that incredible accomplishment, it would be him that NASA would honor on Dec 25th 2021. So why does James Webb matter now 52 years later, and what is Legrange Point 2? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss if this is really important or if it’s just an updated version of some patented hand gesture?

References

1. Wall, M.; The Alignment of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Has Begun. Space.com. 03-Feb-2022. https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-alignment-begins
2. Howell, E.; NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: The Ultimate Guide. Space.com. 25-Dec-2021. https://www.space.com/21925-james-webb-space-telescope-jwst.html#google_vignette
3. Tillman, N.; What is the Eagle Nebula. Space.com. 18-Apr-2019. https://www.space.com/16396-eagle-nebula-m16-hubble-images-pillars-of-creation.html
4. Hammel, H. Why Will it Take Six Months to See JWST’s First Science Images?. Planetary.org. 22-Dec-2021. https://www.planetary.org/articles/jwst-first-images

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Oh she's hot but a psycho, a little bit psycho. Well, is she Ava Max? Is she a psycho? In the late 90's and early 2000's it became commonplace to refer to people as psycho or a complete psychopath. Here in the early 20's it's become more hip to refer to these same people as sociopaths. Is this just us, as humans, discovering new words or are we really surrounded by that many psychopaths and sociopaths? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss what these terms actually mean, and commiserate with Dr. Brian Wasicek our resident psychiatrist on the very idea of psychopathy, not to be confused with cyclopothy. 

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). APA. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

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