Sci-why

Sci-why

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Sci-why episodes

  • #21 Why HIV could be cured

    HIV caused panic in the 80s, but nowadays one can have a perfectly normal life with HIV, enjoy safe sex, and have healthy children. But lately a new treatment has revealed that HIV can be erased from the body. Listen to this episode to learn how it is possible! -- Sources: About HIV. CDC (2021) / Kumar Gupta et al. (2020): Evidence for HIV-1 cure[...]: a case report. The Lancet / Michelle Roberts (2020): Second patient cured of HIV, say doctors. BBC / HIV: First woman in world believed to be cured of virus. BBC (2022)

    27 min
  • #20 Why pregnancy will not be necessary
    Pregnancy is not a piece of cake. It can be hard and full of complications, and your baby can face a tough time, too, when you least expect it. So many things can go wrong that science has to do something about it. On this episode we discuss the future of pregnancy and a new technology to help premature babies to survive. -- Sources: Jenny Kleeman (2020): ‘Parents can look at their foetus in real time’: are artificial wombs the future? The Guardian / Is this the future of human birth? BBC (2022)
    38 min
  • #19 Why rocket science is not rocket science
    Rocket science and brain surgery are among the most difficult professions, so people working in them must be super intelligent, or are they? Find out why you (yeah, you!) could be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon if you wanted to! -- Sources: Inga Usher et al. (2021): “It’s not rocket science” and “It’s not brain surgery”—“It’s a walk in the park”: prospective comparative study.” British Medical Journal / Giovanni Sala, Alexander P. Burgoyne, et al.(2017):"Checking the “Academic Selection” argument. Chess players outperform non-chess players in cognitive skills related to intelligence: A meta-analysis." Intelligence.
    26 min
  • #18 Why fire burns
    FIRE! The cornerstone of civilization and most attractive natural phenomenon, but what is it? What is it made of and how does it work? Today we explain why fire is like that and few bonus features that make it even cooler. -- Sources: K. Schmidt-Rohr (2015): "Why Combustions Are Always Exothermic, Yielding About 418 kJ per Mole of O2." Journal of Chemical Education. / Anne Marie Helmenstine (2018): "What is the State of Matter of Fire or Flame? Is it a Liquid, Solid, or Gas?" Tought Co. / Esther Inglis-Arkell (2011): "How does fire behave in zero gravity?" Gizmodo.
    30 min
  • #17 Why there are no aliens
    Do you believe in aliens? With the universe being so vast, it makes sense that somewhere another advanced civilization is developing, but where are they? And why we have not heard from them yet? We answer these questions and more in this week´s episode. -- Sources: Charles Krauthammer (2011): Are We Alone in the Universe? The Washington Post / Kristen A. Hite; John L. Seitz (2020): Global Issues : an introduction. Wiley-Blackwell. / Tim Urban (2014): The Fermi Paradox. Huffington Post / Chris Impe (2011): The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe. Cambridge University Press. / Stephen Webb (2002): If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life. Copernicus Books.
    34 min
  • #16 Why number 7 is yellow
    What if you could see music, taste colours, or feel the touch of a perfume? This is possible through a neurological condition called "synesthesia." In this episode we talk about how it works, what triggers it, and why it happens. -- Sources: Cytowic RE (2002). Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press / Rich AN, Mattingley JB (2002): Anomalous perception in synaesthesia: a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience / Galton F (1880): Visualized Numerals. Nature / Mroczko-Wąsowicz A, Nikolić D (2014): Semantic mechanisms may be responsible for developing synesthesia. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience / Nikolić, D. (2009): Is synaesthesia actually ideaesthesia? An inquiry into the nature of the phenomenon. Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Synaesthesia, Science & Art.
    29 min
  • #15 Why octopuses are so amazing
    They look like rubber aliens and most people are scared of them, but octopuses are among the friendliest and most harmless of creatures. In this episode we discuss some incredible facts about them, like their disguise skills or their astonishing intelligence. -- Sources: Rachel Nuwer  (2013): Ten curious facts about octopuses. Smithsonian Magazine / Katherine Harmon (2013): Even Severed Octopus Arms Have Smart Moves. Scientific American / Olivia Judson (2017): What the Octopus Knows. The Atlantic / Octopus With a Big Dilemma. Octolab TV
    31 min
  • #13 Why beauty makes us happy

    Humans feel the need to surround themselves with beautiful things, art, and decorative elements. But why and how can science explain it? Join us in this episode to find the answer! -- Sources: Grazyna Jasienska (2006): Symmetrical women have higher potential fertility. Evolution and Human Behavior / Roni Dengler (2018): This city fights crime with gardening. Science / Leslie Snapper (2015): Your kid could not have done that. Cognition / AJ Machin (2007): Why are some handaxes symmetrical? Journal of Archeological Science. / Richie Khandelwal (2005): Patterns in nature. / Bryan Lawson (2003): The Architectural Healthcare Environment and its Effects on Patient Health Outcomes.

    33 min
  • #12 Why the universe has 10 dimensions
    Reality has much more than what we can perceive, and some very clever people think that our universe holds more dimensions than we can measure yet. Join us today to learn how the mysterious 10 dimensions are hiding in plain sight. -- Sources: Rob Bryanton (2006): Imagining the Tenth Dimension / Matt Williams (2014): A Universe of 10 Dimensions. Universe Today / Visualize the 4th, 5th & 6th dimension (2018). Polygyan.
    46 min

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Science has answers to all the whys, sometimes it´s just hard to find them. Or find someone who will explain them to you. Fear not! Raul is the smart one, Agata a bit less, but together they will make…