Paper Boys

What does a phytoplankton virus have to do with the annual snowfall at a ski resort? It turns out they're more related than you think! James brings in two papers on cloud seeding that explore the ways scientists have been changing the weather since the 1940s. Read the paper here.

How many different people could you recognize if you passed them on the street? As it turns out, this is a question science had never answered until now. Charlie brings in a paper with ingenious methods that open up a whole new world of questioning in facial recognition science. Read the paper here.

Did you know mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on Earth? (Neither did we!) With gene editing, it may be possible to eradicate these bugs that transmit diseases to humans...but is it a good idea to kill an entire species? In this episode, James dives into the science of how researchers aim to do this (and whether they should). Read the paper and news articles here.

From Carl Sagan to Elon Musk, people have discussed making Mars more like Earth through terraforming. But are we sure that Mars even has the ingredients we need to transform it? Charlie brings in a paper that may answer the most important questions for Mars colonists. Check out the paper and other useful links here.

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When you wish upon a star, you'd be freaked out if you heard it falling. Witnesses reporting to hear the sound of meteors have been called crazy for centuries, but James brings in new research that may prove the crazies right after all. Read the papers here.

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Everyone knows about magnetic fields, but very few people know what they really are and what they're capable of. Charlie brings in a paper from an experiment that broke a magnetic field world record...and blew itself up in the process. Read the paper here. Also watch the explosion video and read the Newsweek article.

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US embassy workers abroad have been reporting strange sicknesses and hearing imaginary sounds, and news reports say that microwave weapons may be to blame. Listen as James uncovers the mind-blowing science behind these alleged devices stretching back to human experimentation in the 1960s. Read the original papers here (PDF) and here, with modern reports here and here.

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Next time you meet a goat, make sure you put your best face on...but be careful which side you're standing on. Find out why when Charlie unravels a new paper that changes the way we look at goats. Read the paper here.

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Nobody likes pollution, but did you know it could actually harm your brain? James looks at a study on pollution in Chinese cities that will make you want to move to the suburbs. Read the paper here, and supplementary papers here and here (PDF).

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Want to know what a plasma wave from outer space sounds like? Well, it's kind of like whistling (or aliens, according to Nikola Tesla). Charlie brings in new research from NASA that you have to hear to believe. Read the paper here.

Also, huge thanks to Dammit Eugene for the Paper Boys theme song! Check out his other work here.

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