SciShow Tangents

When can you start calling a rodent “giant?” When it’s twice the average size of its species? When you’re not grossed out by it? When it could be a mascot for a family fun center? We don’t really have a precise answer to that… but this week, we’re exploring the science of big ol’ rodents! Turns out, giant rodents have shaped the environment in lots of ways, from ancient megafauna stomping through South American wetlands to beavers affecting the climate. And even though they sound kind of scary, giant rats might be able to save human lives. But the real question is: what’s up with capybara anal pouches?

Sources:

[Truth or Fail]

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/02/making-teeth-tough-beavers-show-way-to-improve-our-enamel-

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-biswamoyopterus-laoensis-new-species-flying-squirrel-laos-01361.html

https://www.apopo.info/en/tuberculosis-detection/projects

http://www.treatmentactiongroup.org/tb/background

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/23/rats-who-sniff-out-tubersulosis

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140816-rats-tuberculosis-smell-disease-health-animals-world/

[Fact Off]

Hippos & biggest rodent:

Beavers & carbon emissions:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/uoh-bha082918.php

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/07/what-role-do-beavers-play-climate-change

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13280-014-0575-y

[Ask the Science Couch]

Gigantism:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-king-kong-should-have-been-blue-whale-180962603/

https://www.nature.com/articles/482008d

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120521-killer-mice-birds-gough-island-endangered-animals-science/

https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00534.x

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4358651/

[Butt One More Thing]

Capybara anal pouches:

https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1984.tb05087.x

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For our very first live show at PodCon 2, we were joined by Elah Feder, the co-host and producer of the podcast Undiscovered! Podcasting on a stage with a live audience meant we really had to bring our A-game, so we swapped stories of famous actors, politicians, and other celebrities who also dabbled in science.

Sources:

[Truth or Fail]

http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TC003EN.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-world-high-tech-141284744/

[Fact Off]

Julia Child:

https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2015-featured-story-archive/shark-repellent.html

https://appliedecology.cals.ncsu.edu/absci/wp-content/uploads/Stroud-et-al-2014.pdf

https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/4935

https://faculty.washington.edu/sisneros/Sisneros%20and%20Nelson%202001.pdf

Zeppo Marx: 

[Ask the Science Couch]

Brian May’s thesis: 

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/295744.pdf

https://www.space.com/5692-queen-guitarist-publishes-astrophysics-thesis.html

http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/cosmic_reference/zodydust.html

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1994IAUS..160..127D

[Butt One More Thing]

Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/archaeologists-tracked-lewis-and-clark-by-following-the-1727887223

https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/medrush.htm

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Do you ever just wonder, “are the bees doing okay?” They’re so important to our food industry and native ecosystems, and every couple of years it seems like something horribly bad is happening to them. So this week, we’re taking a look at the fascinating lives and deaths of bees! Can they recognize human faces or understand the concept of zero? Why are blister beetles mimicking sexy bee pheromones? And what do nightclubs and honeybee hives have in common?

Sources:

[Poem]

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120316-hot-bee-balls-hornets-insects-brains-animals-science/

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/206/2/353.full.pdf

[Truth or Fail]

[Ask the Science Couch]

CCD: 

https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder

Glyphosate:

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/17/2799

https://www.glyphosate.eu/glyphosate-mechanism-action

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10305

Native bees:

https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/

http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Xerces_policy_statement_HB_Final.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5722319/

[Butt One More Thing]

Isopentyl acetate:

https://www.extension.entm.purdue.edu/beehive/pdf/Breed_et_al.pdf

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/isoamyl_acetate#section=Top

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We’ve all heard about “The Algorithms” that affect our lives, making decisions for and about us. And artificial intelligence systems are recommending podcasts, picking out targeted ads, and playing games against humans every single day. This week, we’re going to skim the surface of AI and chat about everything from Siri to personality prediction software. How are these tools used to help the world, or are we mostly heading toward a dystopian future? What’s the Turing test and is it even a useful measure of artificial intelligence? And if a poem is written with software… is it really art? (We don’t know either.)

Sources:

AI-

[Poem]

http://janusnode.com/

[Truth or Fail]

https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-ai-vs-siri-vs-bing-iq-tests-show-one-is-smartest-by-a-mile/

https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.10242

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38390798

[Fact Off]

Anti-poaching:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-ai-camera-helps-conservationists-spot-elephant-poachers-180971180/

https://www.inverse.com/article/52203-ai-camera-poacher-watch

https://www.inverse.com/article/48043-paul-allen-makes-amends-with-coral-reefs-with-artificial-intelligence-research

Eye tracking:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00105/full?utm_source=FWEB&utm_medium=NBLOG&utm_campaign=ECO_FNHUM_personality-eye-movements

[Ask the Science Couch]

Turing test:

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing-test/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20865-software-tricks-people-into-thinking-it-is-human/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/turing-test-measures-something-but-not-intelligence-180951702/

https://www.wired.com/2012/06/flawed-turing-test/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/09/scientists-disagree-over-whether-turing-test-has-been-passed

[Butt One More Thing]

Artificial anus:

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5655776

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This week, our producer Caitlin Hofmeister is joining the pod to talk about the Sun, and lending her expertise as a host of the YouTube channel SciShow Space. The Sun affects pretty much everything we do here on Earth, from our weather to our technology. So what schemes have scientists been cooking up to shield the Earth from the Sun? How have solar flares affected humans… and should we be afraid of them? And is “Guy” really a good nickname, or is this star more special than that?

Sources:

[Definition]

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~pberlind/atlas/htmls/note.html

[Truth or Fail]

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/news-blog/geoengineering-solution-no-9-the-fl-2008-09-08/

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/geoengineering-holds-promise-but-the-technology-needs-work/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/blocking-the-sun-is-no-plan-b-for-global-warming/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_sunshade

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoa-ssm110306.php

[Fact Off]

Ocean mines:

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-sun-may-have-detonated-dozens-of-us-sea-mines-uncovered-navy-documents-reveal

https://vva.vietnam.ttu.edu/repositories/2/digital_objects/83295

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018SW002024

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMUS_Mines.php#Vietnam_War_%22Destructor%22_Mines

http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-068.php#Magnetic_Mines

2012 solar storm:

[Ask the Science Couch]

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/iris/multimedia/layerzoo.html

https://www.space.com/17160-sun-atmosphere.html

https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/sun1.html

[Butt One More Thing]

https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1507&context=sttcl

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/georges-bataille-the-solar-anus

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Are you one of those people who doesn’t feel awake until you have caffeine coursing through your bloodstream? Well, you can choose to ingest some chemical stimulants, but they’re also something your body makes! Just think about the adrenaline rush before a public speech. This week, we’re going to dig into what science actually says about caffeine and dehydration. Why did some people try to ban coffee, and how dangerous was the pick-me-up given to some Antarctic explorers? And why the heck did researchers think gerbils could help with airport security?

Sources:

[Fact Off]

Gerbils:

Forced March:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2962153-8/fulltext

https://granta.com/shackletons-medical-kit/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/09/27/161881513/cocaine-for-snowblindness-what-polar-explorers-packed-for-first-aid

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279970/

[Ask the Science Couch]

Dehydration:

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/33/2/167

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12187618

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/640f/49f096f9a01e2c3ef103945a39830a12cd5c.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html?_r=2

[Butt One More Thing]

Civet poop coffee:

https://www.businessinsider.com/kopi-luwak-cat-poop-worlds-most-expensive-coffee-taste-test-2018-11

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kopi-Luwak

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At some point, we’ve all probably looked up at birds and wished we could fly. And some curious people took that wish and did science! From the biology of flying animals to machines that help humans take to the skies, this week, we’re exploring the science of flight. Why do we travel by plane instead of floating on airships? How long can some birds fly before landing? And what else do they get up to in midair… eating? ...sex? ...sleeping?

[Truth or Fail]

https://www.businessinsider.com/only-one-place-was-allowed-to-take-off-after-flights-were-grounded-on-sept-11-2011-2011-9

[Fact Off]

Swifts:

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31063-6

Frigate birds:

[Ask the Science Couch]

https://www.airships.net/dirigible/

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/hybrid-airship.html

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/01/19/the-uss-akron-disaster/

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/pa4q3g/theres-a-push-to-bring-back-the-zeppelin-in-canadas-remote-north

[Butt One More Thing]

http://www.airpowerworld.info/other-military-aircraft/supermarine-stranraer.htm

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Mucus grosses people out. Whether it’s coming out of your nose or slime oozing from an animal, it’s not really a pleasant substance. But scientifically, mucus is super cool—it can be used for protection, hunting, lubrication, or plain old stickiness. Why do some cephalopods spew out specialized mucus? Does slathering snail slime on your face actually do anything to your skin? And could eating boogers be… good?

Sources:

[Truth or Fail]

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5979/704

https://www.mbari.org/mbari-researchers-discover-what-vampire-squids-eat-its-not-what-you-think/

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b94c/447075249a39cac514cbb3c6bf24c4e8306c.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052311/

[Fact Off]

Snail mucus:

Parasitic worms:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/12/02/a-new-treatment-for-bowel-problems-eating-1000-parasitic-worm-eggs/#.W-ICt3pKgW8

https://www.ecco-ibd.eu/index.php/publications/congress-abstract-s/abstracts-2015/item/p389-a-double-blind-clinical-trial-on-trichuris-suis.html

[Ask the Science Couch]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11465519

https://aem.asm.org/content/81/1/332.long

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/727897

https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-422X-3-99

[Butt One More Thing]

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2016/05/10/how-this-fish-survives-in-a-sea-cucumbers-bum/

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Some small, magical corner of your heart wants dragons to be real, right? Well... sorry. They’re not. But this week, we wanted to celebrate some science adjacent to dragons, from fruit and animals named after them to giant flying predators that probably terrified humans.

Sources:

[Truth or Fail]

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150320-meet-two-new-dragon-millipede-species-first-described-in-laos

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersCostaRicaArticles/TheFunctionalityandEvolut.html

[Fact Off]

Fire Hawks:

Haast’s Eagles:

[Ask the Science Couch]

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/04/30/how-this-beetle-creates-500-explosions-per-second-in-its-bum/

[Butt One More Thing]

https://www.wired.com/2013/12/the-secret-underwater-world-of-dragons/

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From sugary snow cones to WWII plans for an aircraft carrier made of ice and wood pulp, humans have had big dreams for frozen water. So this week, we’re exploring the science of snow and ice across the globe. Turns out, there are ancient refrigerators in the dry Iranian desert and abandoned military bases under the Greenland ice sheet. And even though Japanese snow monkeys seem all cozy and chill in their hot springs, what mischief do they get up to in their free time?

Sources:

[Truth Or Fail]

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10329-015-0492-0

https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/japans-monkeys-wash-their-potatoes-and-ride-deer-like-horses

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chilling-out-hot-springs-may-help-japans-snow-monkeys-reduce-stress-180968686/

[Fact Off]

Camp Century:

http://www.iceandclimate.nbi.ku.dk/research/drill_analysing/history_drilling/drill_bedrock/

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/mysterious-ice-buried-cold-war-military-base-may-be-unearthed-climate-change

http://www.iceandclimate.nbi.ku.dk/about_centre/history/

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Paleoclimatology_OxygenBalance

Iceboxes:

http://eartharchitecture.org/?p=570

[Ask the Science Couch]

http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/Ice-Alloys.pdf

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/description-of-the-iceberg-aircraft-carrier-and-the-bearing-of-the-mechanical-properties-of-frozen-wood-pulp-upon-some-problems-of-glacier-flow/BE12BCCE68FE5D9C307299A2F1F2DFC6

[Butt One More Thing]

https://www.livescience.com/61018-turtles-breathe-through-butt.html

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