Explain This

How come salamanders can regenerate limbs while we can't? Can we use stem cells to regrow organs for transplanting? What is an iPSC and why is it a total gamechanger? When is a human being considered first "alive"?

All of this and more in this hot, fresh episode exploring the fascinating world of stem cells and their potential applications! Listen to the end of the episode for a special announcement.

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

How does a computer use a bunch of 0s and 1s to show you cat memes? What do 19th-century weaving looms have to do with the "bugs" in modern software? And how do I know what specs to look for if I want a smooth-running computer or phone?

This week, we're opening up the magic box on your desk to explain how computers actually work.

Transistor diagram (source: ExplainThatStuff)

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Why shouldn't you eat brains? How are cannibalism and mad cow disease linked? Can Jin say "transmissible spongiform encephalopathy" three times as fast?

Let's learn about one of the most terrifying, unstoppable infectious diseases we know about: prions.

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you really know all of your Facebook friends? How many people can you know personally? Why does city life feel so isolating? 

Join Jin as he unpicks Dunbar's Number, the "Monkeysphere," and its fascinating implications for our social lives!

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Why are some babies born through surgery instead of by natural delivery? Is a Caesarean section better for the mum and baby? What is the dark history behind the C-section?

Let's explore the miraculous and icky world of how we come into the world!

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

How does our economy work? What does it mean to seize the means of production? How is late stage capitalism ruining my life? And why did so many people lose their jobs in 2008?

Jin takes you down the windy rabbit hole of the most prevalent economic system in the world, the history behind how it came about, and whether it's good or evil (or both).

CAPITALISM · Céline Tshika
Ken Liu - The Perfect Match
IMDB - The Big Short

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Did you know.... that many of your fun facts are just plain wrong? Come join us for a spirited session of "well, actually"s and learn about factoids: facts that aren't, in fact, facts!

Thorn
Kurzgesagt - We Fell For The Oldest Lie On The Internet
Jin's blog - Jineral Knowledge

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

How do you know which Chinese Zodiac animal's year is when? Why is there no Year of the Cat or Year of the Capybara? What's the sexagenary cycle?

Let's learn about the Asian counterpart to the Western Zodiac, how it's related to the calendar, and the cute origin story of why the zodiac animals are in the order that they are!

Photo of the twelve animals in anthropomorphised statue form at the National Folk Museum in Seoul, Korea
Order of zodiac animals, along with the Twelve Earthly Branches
Chart to correlate your birth year to your zodiac animal
Ten Heavenly Stems
Twelve Earthly Branches
Sexagenary cycle

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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Why does cancer happen? How come chemotherapy kills cancer but not us? What does my doctor mean when he says I have a "lesion"?
We learn all about the emperor of maladies in today's episode, what makes it terrifying, and some of the exciting new ways science has figured out how to fight against it.
(Apologies for the shoddy audio quality - I've rearranged my office and my setup is still being optimised! Will try to fix some of the mic booming issues as well...)
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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

What's the best anti-aging cream available? Which is better - physical or chemical sunscreen? Can you get sunburnt through a glass window? What does SPF even mean?
Get ready for the coming summer by Slip Slop Slapping some knowledge about how sunscreen works and why you should use it!
Electromagnetic radiation spectrum
Diagram of UV absorption in sunscreen molecules
More detailed explanation of how sunscreen works - Lab Muffin
Example of photoaging on a truck driver's face
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Opening music: "Groundwork" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0