Perpetual Notion Machine

Cheese curds (those chewy nuggets of milk found in the farm’s market ). Frigid winters (puffy, cozy coats worn on the lakes, fishing).Fish fry Fridays (buttery flakes of walleye served at the end of the week). The quintessential Wisconsin experience.

All year long, we fish, hoping to grab one of those flaky walleye.

On Perpetual Notion Machine, host Anita Nsubuga with guest Zachary Feiner, a fishery expert and research scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Limnology, explore fisheries & the walleye.

What is a fishery?

Where the walleye are?

How fisheries have changed over time, due to climate change?

What other fish could be thriving due to climate change?

Should we even eat walleye?

To find out where the walleye are… stay tuned!

Image courtesy of: Vesa Leppänen (VesaL) on Pixabay

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Hello Wisconsin it is 7:01pm you are listening to the Perpetual Notion Machine on WORT 89.9 FM Madison. I’m your host Emily Morris. On tonight’s episode of PNM I’m taking a little science host liberty and declaring that we have a math show. This is because I was recently reading a novel set in Madison called the Mathematician’s Shiva and it got me wanting to talk mathy things. So who do you call when you want to talk mathy things? I think you call Jordan Ellenberg, professor of mathematics at UW Madison, mathematician, and New York Times bestselling author. Professor Ellenberg’s latest book is called Shape: the Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else, and it’s now available in paperback.

Professor Ellenberg and I discuss his book — plus high dimensions, machine learning, space, math conspiracies, randomness, and his hot take on the stock market.

Photo by Dan-Cristian Pădureț on Unsplash

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Various practices of mindfulness, which emphasize paying attention to the present moment, have gained enormous popularity in efforts to reduce stress and improve mental well being. Many studies have shown that mindfulness practices can lead to changes in brain function and network dynamics. Less well-documented is the potential for mindfulness to impact brain structure.

A recent paper examines the brain following an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course, and reports that structural changes were not found. Dr. Tammi Kral joins us to discuss these findings from her research with colleagues at the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison.

 

This week’s show is also a pledge drive show – which means we get to feature some wonderful anecdotes on community radio from fellow PNM host Emily Morris!

 

 

Image: max pixel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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When we eat delicious Wisconsin cheese, what is the story our senses tell us? At the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison, dairy producers and researchers work together to create the experiences consumers look for when enjoying dairy products. Brandon Prochaska from the CDR joins PNM to discuss how research on how the way foods look, taste, and even sound, shapes quality and innovation in dairy – and how you can get involved.

 

Image: Arnold Gatilao from Oakland, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Harnessing the power of the atomic nucleus for peaceful purposes was one most of the most astonishing scientific and technological achievements of the past century. Yet, after a few decades of rapid growth in nuclear energy, reliance on this power source stalled due to safety concerns and higher costs.

As the world focuses on the need to reduce CO2 emissions, it is an appropriate time to take a fresh look at the role of nuclear power vs. wind, solar, hydro and other green technologies.

Patrick Sajbel hosts University of Wisconsin Professor emeritus Michael Corradini, a leader in nuclear engineering and engineering physics and co-author with MIT on the interdisciplinary study “The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World”.

Image credit: Copyright © 2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Cover art by Sara Ferry, Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT.

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“What is morality?” might be the biggest unanswered question facing humanity, other than what caused the Big Bang to form the universe. You might think the answer is simple: what is right versus what is wrong. But morality is more than that. It varies significantly across generations, societies, cultures, and individuals. Could a moral or immoral act be considered both objective and subjective?

Tonight, our guest on the Perpetual Notion Machine, Russ Shafer-Landau, doesn’t think so, but he views morality from a philosophical point of view. He is a professor of philosophy at UW-Madison who studies metaethics, which focuses on questions about the status, rather than the content, of morality, or the meaning of moral judgment. In a conversation with PNM’s Dennis Shaffer, he also disagrees that a person’s emotions or feelings are part of moral behavior. But he does agree that there is such a thing as moral truth, something that has unwavering certainty. One example is genocide, where all societies, cultures, and individuals agree is abhorrent. Deciding what is morally true can be a challenge. But Russ believes in a possible universal, all-encompassing, morality, where everybody benefits and the common good prevails.

In early April, Russ appeared in a talk about this very subject on the Crossroads of Ideas lecture series presented by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Here’s a link to Crossroads of Ideas: What is Morality, where you can view a video of the talk.

Providing more information on such a complicated topic like morality has been difficult, but here is one from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Image courtesy: Aprilia Muktirina via Wikiversity

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The bride walks down the aisle with the Canon in D, softly echoing her steps. The almost crescendo as Queen sings “Galileo” in Bohemian Rhapsody. The animated crescondos and vistas of Fantasia.

What do Canon in D, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Fantasia have in common? Classical music – musicians and composers! Today, we explore classical music, what is considered classical music, how it is changing, and how it has evolved.

On Perpetual Notion Machine, host Anita Nsubuga explores the science in the art with San Diego State University, associate professor of Music Theory, Andrew Aziz. We learn what classical music is as well as the science behind the instruments. We also discuss the growing movement of diversity and inclusion in the arts.

Stay Tuned!

 

Image courtesy of: Ri Butov (Ri_Ya) on Pixabay

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The coronavirus is a highly contagious and deadly disease that turned into a pandemic for us humans. Now, a highly contagious and deadly avian flu virus is devastating the chickens on poultry farms, and even infecting wild birds, such as Bald eagles. Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine welcomes Adel Talaat to talk about this avian flu outbreak. Adel is a microbiologist in pathobiological sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UW-Madison.

Of the highest pathogenic versions of avian flu, H5 and H7 seem to be the most deadly. This current flu outbreak seems to be a variant of H5N1, which is a strain that has been around since the early 2000’s. Like most flu viruses, and COVID-19, this avian flu infects the bird’s respiratory system. Since they don’t have the capacity to expel mucus, the birds often die within a day or two.

Adel says that humans can be infected by any type of avian flu, but so far, no one in the U.S. has been infected with this pathogenic strain. In cases of infection in the past, the symptoms in people have been mild. But Adel mentions that a coronavirus version of avian flu does exist, but has not mutated into a lethal variant.

Adel has been working on a vaccine for this avian flu variant. They are ready to start testing on infected and uninfected chickens, but they have to go through government channels different than the FDA for human vaccine trials and general distribution. It’s gonna take time.

For more information, check out the CDC Bird Flu website with links to resources, and for Wisconsin check out the DATCP Avian Influenza website.

Image Courtesy: Zoe Schaeffer via Unsplash

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A pristine Wisconsin lake can provide a reference to change in our ecosystems and an opportunity to reflect on ourselves. Author and naturalist John Bates returns to the Perpetual Notion Machine with host Patrick Sajbel to talk about our undeveloped lakes.

Bates shares his insights from a multi-year paddling journey to over a hundred wild lakes, leading up to his latest book “Wisconsin’s Wild Lakes, A Guide to the Last Undeveloped Natural Lakes”. He has spent over 30 years in study of the ecosystems of Northern Wisconsin, served on the Board of the Nature Conservancy, and worked & studied alongside organizations such as the Wisconsin DNR, US Forest Service and UW Center for Limnology.

This year’s UW-Madison Science Expeditions will held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 8, 9, and 10. All around campus, there will be events of all kinds from tours, to presentations, to exhibits, to hands-on exploration stations, and almost everything will be in-person. So, tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine welcomes Tom Zinnen as our guest to give a rundown on a few of the goings-on. Tom is an outreach assistant and biotechnology extension specialist at the Biotechnology Center.

One of the highlights this year is the annual Wonders of Physics show, created and performed by Clint Sprott. Saturday and Sunday will have two shows each day, at 1 pm and 4 pm. But events are being held in a variety of science fields, at the Primate Center, the Limnology Lab, the Geology Museum, the Washburn Observatory, and the School of Pharmacy. And there are hands-on exploration stations at Picnic Point, Health Sciences Learning Center, the Arboretum, and the Discovery Building. Plus, there are virtual events to see, including a couple via YouTube.

Tom says that these science expeditions are really an Open House on campus to let the general public know the value of science research to the community and society in general.

For more information about all the events and a map to all the locations, click this link to UW Science Expeditions.

Image Courtesy: Liz Jesse

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