Sound Science

With a universe as endless as the one we live in, have you ever wondered why humanity hasn't encountered intelligent life? This podcast aims to explain a theory about why encounter has yet to occur.

We speculate the basis of what science suggests intelligent life might look like, what contacting another civilization would entail, and how this obsession with first contact with life in the cosmos has influenced mainstream media.

When we hear the word chemical many people automatically think of a bad or dangerous substance. Something that you definitely don't want to eat or drink and maybe even something that could be dangerous to touch or smell. This idea seems to be particularly popular in our current society, with many foods and cosmetics labeled as chemical-free.

But what if we told you that you are made of chemicals? That everyone and everything around you is made of chemicals. This podcast will explore some of the misconceptions surrounding chemicals and give you a better understanding of what the word really does mean.

Space is often described as the final frontier, but it could also be considered the first frontier. It took billions of years for the Universe to form into the environment that it is today. In our more local environment, the solar system within which we live has been developing for approximately 4.6 billion years. Tune in to our podcast to learn about how our solar system, our sun, and our planet first began and developed into the place that we call home!

It is a confusing and daunting task to try and understand climate change and, arguably more importantly, how do we as individuals contribute to climate change? In this episode we will discuss the consequences that a reoccurring and everyday decision has on climate change and how relatively simple changes can help reduce our environmental impact. Today, Sound Science discusses how your diet affects the environment.

Humans have been going to space since 1961, but unfortunately, we haven't been taking care of the trash. Immense amounts of space junk have accumulated around Earth, discarded by rocket launches and even by explosions of satellites.  This junk is a potential risk every time new vessels enter space and jeopardizes the future of humanity in space. Tune in as the PSI team discusses the amount of space junk that surrounds us, the ramifications of what it means, and how we might solve the problem!

Fentanyl is a powerful, synthetic opiate that is 80-100 times more powerful than morphine. Across Canada and the world, rates of fentanyl overdose have skyrocketed in recent years and it has risen to the forefront of the larger opioid epidemic. What makes fentanyl so much worse than other opiates like OxyContin and why is it so addictive? Tune in as the PSI team discusses how fentanyl works, why it causes so many overdoses, and where it fits in the larger opiate epidemic.

For a long time, concussions were considered insignificant injuries that people quickly recover from. However, we now know that concussions are significant injuries that can have long-lasting effects. Modern testing has documented their impact on cognitive function for months to years after injury, and repeated concussions have been linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Much of the problem stems from the fact that the symptoms of these "invisible" injuries are not always easily and immediately recognized. Tune in as the PSI team describes how concussions occur, their impact, and the links between concussions and degenerative diseases.