Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine provides an eclectic mix presented by longtime PNM’er Dennis Shaffer. He discloses some of the top science news stories of 2021, at least those considered important by the editors of the Smithsonian Magazine. Of those in the top ten, perhaps the most obvious is the rollout of the vaccines to guard against COVID-19, even though the rollout was pretty shaky, and the launch, finally, of the James Webb Space Telescope. Also, we have two short clips of past PNM shows. Since PNM celebrated 25 years on the air in October, we talk with two original PNM’ers, Kris Wedding Crowell and Kelly Loyet, that aired on a 10th anniversary show back on 2006. And we have a short clip from a show last October when PNM’er Anita Nsubuga talked with Lucas Richert about psychedelics. And there’s some Christmas music, and a couple of science-themed songs, one by The Dandy Warhols.

If you want to read more the top science stories of 2021, click on this link to the Smithsonian Magazine.

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