SparkDialog

Last month, scientists published word that an incredible discovery was made on Venus.  They found what is called a “biomarker” in the clouds of Venus.  Now, a biomarker is not life, but a chemical that may indicate life is present. In Venus’ case, this chemical is phosphine. It’s hard to explain why phosphine would exist in the atmosphere of Venus without life being present, especially in the quantities found. This exciting discovery has renewed the conversation – what if we find life within the Universe? Or life within the solar system?

If life was found on two worlds within our solar system, it may indicate that life arises easily. This means that life could be anywhere. Or everywhere.

Today on the podcast, I talk to Dr. Niels Ligterink. Niels is an Ambizione Fellow at the Space Research and Planetary Science Division of the University of Bern, Switzerland.  He leads an international group of researchers to develop an instrument called ORIGIN – an instrument that can actually travel to different worlds and find chemicals that may indicate life exists there.

We take a tour of the solar system and ask – why are some places good to look for potential life while others, we’re pretty sure, are desolate?  Could life be on Pluto?  What does life need, and why does life start in the first place?

We talk about the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn and their underground oceans.  How do we know that these oceans exist?  Why might they be ideal places to find life?  What kind of missions are planned to these moons, and how will they detect life there?  And what do these underground oceans have in common with Earth’s own oceans?

Then we talk about Venus.  What, exactly, did scientists find within the clouds?  Does it mean there is really life on Venus?

What does all of this mean?  If we found life in the solar system on two worlds (or more) it would indicate that perhaps, life starts more easily than we previously thought.  And this could have implications across the Universe.

For patrons of the podcast, check out the photos and video of The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission that Niels provided.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can join at Patreon.com/sparkdialog.  Thank you all for your support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

Between Worlds (Instrumental) by Aussens@iter (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/tobias_weber/56664 Ft: (Smiling Cynic)

pumpkinSoup by airtone (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/56765

Mysterium by Doxent Zsigmond (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/doxent/50929 Ft: Mr_Yesterday

nightWalk by airtone (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/56520

The post Ep 90: How Can We Find Life Within the Solar System?: with guest Dr. Niels Ligterink appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

We all understand that with technology today, a certain amount of our privacy has evaporated. Our phones track our location. Stores know what we are looking at – both when we are browsing in store or on-line. But do you realize how much of our privacy is compromised? Do you realize how much various organizations know about you – and how much of this information is available to anyone who is willing to pay 99 cents?

Some of us might think this data is “anonomized”.  Does that make us safe?  Probably not.  In fact, anonymous metadata is enough to identify individuals in many cases.  There is one amusing example where, if the British Crown had access to metadata of citizens of their American colony, they might have been able to identify Paul Revere – and put an end to his midnight ride before it began.

Then there is facial recognition.  This is being used to identify protesters or on social media – and is becoming increasingly worrisome for privacy advocates.

Today I’m talking to Rob Shavell. Rob has thought a lot about privacy and how we can protect it – both in person and online. He is the co-founder of Abine, an online privacy company. I talk to Rob about what exactly happens when you make a purchase online, go shopping in a store, or give your email away to yet another website. We talk about ways to protect your personal information, as well as what kind of laws can be put in place to protect consumers.

For patrons of the podcast, one of Rob’s companies, DeleteMe, is offering a discount code for subscriptions.  DeleteMe is a way to remove your personal data from online locations that sell your personal data to third parties.  You can find this discount code on the Patreon page.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can join at Patreon.com/sparkdialog.  Thank you all for your support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

summertime instrumental 1 by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/13112

Xena’s Kiss / Medea’s Kiss by mwic (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mwic/58883

Mellow by Darkroom (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mactonite/14897 Ft: admiralbob77

Mr. Wozzie by Robbero (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Robbero/51883

The post Ep 89: Can Online Privacy Exist Today? – with guest Rob Shavell appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

People feel better when they are in nature. There’s something about putting your hands in garden dirt, taking a walk in the forest, or camping that makes people feel more at peace, more balanced, less depressed, and happier. We need nature.

Today on the podcast, we talk about what is actually going on in our bodies that make us feel good when we’re in nature. We talk about why we need nature, and why it’s so important to look up from our screens, to leave our high rises, and be under the sky, under the trees.

We also talk about how we are losing nature – how the outdoors is radically different than what our ancestors experienced — even what our grandparents experienced. There’s a word for this – environmental generational amnesia – and it refers to the fact that we don’t even know how much we’ve lost.

Our guest today is Dr. Peter Kahn. Peter is a professor in the Department of Psychology and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. He also directs the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems Laboratory.

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus material at Patreon.  You’ll find a personal essay Peter wrote about some of his wild experiences of youth – in nature!  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can join at Patreon.com/sparkdialog.  Thank you all for your support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

preamble by airtone (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/61579

Little Candle by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/55222 Ft: Admiral Bob

Route 17 by djolliej (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/djolliej/35850

Between Worlds (Instrumental) by Aussens@iter (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/tobias_weber/56664 Ft: (Smiling Cynic)

The post Ep 88: Why We Need Nature – with guest Dr. Peter Kahn appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

From islands in the South Pacific that are drowning under rising waters to communities like Flint, Michigan, communities of color, both in the US and around the world, are hit harder from climate change. It’s something called environmental racism.  Sadly, sometimes these communities do little to contribute to climate change.

But surprisingly, some people within these communities don’t even know the problems that exist within their own community.  For them, this is just the way it is. They don’t know it any other way.

Today, our guest is Dr. Gregory Simpson. Gregory is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church and has a doctorate in organic chemistry.  Gregory believes the key to combating environmental racism, and even climate change, boils down to education.  And right now, education leaves a lot to be desired.

Gregory co-founded Learning for Life Solutions, an organization that identifies students’ passions to help them learn.  Through education, everyone will have a voice when it comes to climate change.  And, let’s face it, climate change is such a complex problem that it’s going to take all of us to solve it.

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus material at Patreon.  You’ll find resources in how to talk to your kids about climate change, as well as how you can learn more about environmental racism.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can join at Patreon.com/sparkdialog.  Thank you all for your support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

River Flute by Kevin MacLeod

Tea Roots by Kevin MacLeod

FORGET ME OR NOT by BOCrew (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/BOCrew/32846 Ft: JAMES NICK SOLDER / THEDEEPR

I Dunno (Grapes of Wrath Mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/jlbrock44/56346 Ft: Jlang, 4nsic, grapes

The post Ep 87: Environmental Racism and Climate Change – with guest Dr. Gregory Simpson appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

The world you see is not really the world that exists. Your eyes and your brain are working together to “lie” to you all the time.  But, they don’t do this with some evil vendetta in mind.  In reality, they do it to make sense of the enormous amount of information flowing in from the world around you.  They have to make projections about what really exists.  And sometimes, they get it wrong.  Welcome to the science of subjectivity.

We can see this in all sorts of real world examples.  Trying to catch that softball? Your brain is guessing where it’s going to go before it gets there.  We also see it in optical illusions, where we are presented with proof that what our brain interprets is wrong.

Today, I’m talking to Dr. Jorge Morales.  Jorge is a Provost’s Postdoctoral Researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Chaz Firestone’s Perception and Mind Lab. Jorge studies the science of subjectivity, using philosophy, psychology and neuroscience to understand the human mind—from how we see the world to how we become conscious of it.  Do you need to be conscious to form a subjective opinion about the world?  How do you even scientifically study subjectivity in the first place, when science is objective?  We also explore optical illusions, all of the different ways our brain lies to us, and why we need subjectivity in the first place.

You can follow Jorge on Twitter @jorgemlg

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus content at Patreon.com. You’ll find some amazing optical illusions and videos that illustrate how your brain tricks you.  You’ll also find a bonus mini-episode where Jorge talks about subjectivity in animals and if animals have “beliefs” about the world around them.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can sign up at Patreon.com.  Thank you for you support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

The Long Goodbye by John Pazdan (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/flatwound/14476

ukeSounds by airtone (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/32655

Mr. Wozzie by Robbero (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Robbero/51883

The post Ep 86: The Science of Subjectivity: The World Your Brain Creates – with guest Dr. Jorge Morales appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

There’s a lot of opinions about the current Paleo diet. Some proponents say eat what our ancestors ate – meat, veggies, fruit, nuts. But what about things like lentils? Beans? Milk or wheat? Are those allowed in the Paleo diet? There are differing opinions. How do we really know what our ancestors ate?

Stomachs don’t fossilize, so this actually is a pretty difficult question to answer. In order to figure it out, archaeologists and scientists have to use indirect methods, and infer our ancestors’ diets based on clues. It’s a treasure hunt involving ancient food and ancient diets. And the results could lead to understanding how our food influenced our evolution, and eventually, how we developed into the human species we are today.

Today on the podcast I welcome Dr. Briana Pobiner. Briana is a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian, and has traveled all around the world, looking for fossils and using them to deduce what did our ancestors eat.

You can follow Human Origins at the Smithsonian Institute @HumanOrigins.

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus content at Patreon.com. You’ll find photos that Briana took from the road during her archaeological digs.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can sign up at Patreon.com.  Thank you for you support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

Drops of H2O ( The

reCreation by

B34 by zikweb (c) copyright 2006 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/zikweb/8168 Ft: NoSushi

Photo from rawpixel.

The post Ep 85: How Paleolithic is the Paleo Diet? What did our Ancestors Eat Anyways? – with guest Dr. Briana Pobiner appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

To say we live in changing times is an understatement. The world right now is a pressure cooker. Already, people around the world were losing their jobs, their lives, and their ability to even venture into public places with the coronavirus outbreak. But then add to that the tragic murder of George Floyd by the police, igniting protests across the country and world.  Amid all of this, our online presence is having an affect on what is occurring, with social media playing a roll in black lives matter and COVID-19.

Today, I’m joined by Dr. Shantel Buggs, an assistant professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Florida State University.  Shantel looks at the roll of social media and online communities, especially in the context of society.  How has dating – now primarily online dating – changed when most dates now take place on a video call or with a facemask?  How are social media platforms affecting the Black Lives Matter movement, used both to coordinate protests and simultaneously being used against protesters?  How do online platforms change our friendships?  How are our online communities playing in a roll in how we define ourselves and those that we want to associate with?  And how is misinformation handled on social media?

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus content at Patreon.com. You’ll find the Pulitzer Winning photo that Shantel mentions in the podcast.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can sign up at Patreon.com.  Thank you for you support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626 Ft: J Lang, Morusque

eighteen pieces (soda) by Soda (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/soda/16738

SkyDub by Psykick (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Psykick/52937

Start To Grow (cdk Mix) by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/43815 Ft: Jeris

Transmutation by Kara Square (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/56527 Ft: Spinningmerkaba

The post Ep 84: The Coronavirus, Social Media, Online Dating and Black Lives Matter – with guest Dr. Shantel Buggs appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

With the wildfires in California, extreme insect infestations in forests, and the duration between rainstorms lengthening, the western United States is in the midst of a drought.  But this drought could be the part of something larger – a so-called “megadrought”, which the United States has not seen the likes of for four hundred years.

Megadroughts themselves are large events – ones that can last hundreds of years.  Modern American culture has never seen a megadrought.  How will this affect giant cities with millions of inhabitants – Phoenix, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, or businesses that call the west home?  How will they respond to a drought that goes on for decades?

Today I welcome Dr. Kasey Bolles on the podcast.  Kasey is an interdisciplinary climate scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Tree-Ring Lab.  She focuses on understanding how changes in water availability play out at the Earth’s surface and impact human health, culture, economy, and society.  She joins us today to explain why scientists think the western United States is on the cusp of a megadrought, how droughts have affected society in the past, and what we can do about it if the current drought continues not for years, but for decades.

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus content at Patreon.com.  You’ll find a mini podcast episode where Kasey explains how tree rings can tell us more about Native American culture and history and amazing historical images of the Dust Bowl.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can sign up at Patreon.com.  Thank you for you support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

The Sky of our Ancestors by Kevin MacLeod

Ave Marimba by Kevin MacLeod

The Long Goodbye by John Pazdan (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/flatwound/14476

Longing for Tumbleweeds by Admiral Bob (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/33347 Ft: snowflake

Amazing Plan by Kevin MacLeod

ＭＩＬＬＥＮＮＩＡＬＳ by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/57150

The post Ep 83: The West: On the Cusp of a MegaDrought – with guest Dr. Kasey Bolles appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

When did language originate?  It’s a tricky question to answer.  We can’t go back in time.  We can’t even look at “fossilized brains” to see how they worked.  So how can we understand the origins of language?

Scientists have a few ways to do this.  One way is to scan the brains of living animals – humans, chimpanzees, apes, and monkeys.  They can see how these brains work, how they are different than ours, and how they are the same.  Using this, they can infer some of our own evolutionary history.

Many people previously thought the origins of language went back about five million years.  But now, a team of scientists are suggesting that pre-language ability actually went back much, much farther.

Today on the podcast we are joined by Dr. Chris Petkov and Dr. Ben Wilson.  Chris is a Professor of Comparative Neuropsychology and Newcastle University Medical School.  Ben is a comparative neurosciencist studying how the brain evolved to support language.  Previously he worked at Newcastle University, and is about to move to Emory University.   We discuss how far back they can trace the origin of language, how they do it, and why language is so special to us humans after all.

You can follow Chris @cipetkov.

For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus content at Patreon.com.  You’ll find images of brain scans, one of Ben and Chris’ monkey friends from their lab, and a mini-episode where Chris talks about what music and language have in common.  If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can sign up at Patreon.com.  Thank you for you support!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

Language of My Reality by Tomas PhUsIoN (c) copyright 2005 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/phusion/860

Depart (cdk mix) by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/50347 Ft: Tekno Eddy

SkyDub by Psykick (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Psykick/52937

Start To Grow (cdk Mix) by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/43815 Ft: Jeris

The post Ep 82 : The Origins of Language May Go Much Farther Back Than We Thought – with guests Dr. Chris Petkov and Dr. Ben Wilson appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.

If the COVID-19 pandemic had hit even ten years ago, we would be in a very different situation than today. We wouldn’t be able to video conference over Zoom.  We wouldn’t have Facebook Portals to feel like we’re in the room with one another.  Technology that sometimes seems to drive us apart (what’s so social about social media?) is allowing us to connect in new ways, so that we can be socially close while still being physically isolated, and allowing us to stay connected during COVID-19.

Today, I welcome Eric Elnes on the podcast.  Eric was diagnosed with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, and it’s partially due to him that we now understand that some people’s symptoms can be minor – so minor that they may not even know they have it.  Yet, they can still be virus-carriers.  Eric is a Senior Minister of Countryside Community Church, and a partner in the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha.  He had to figure out how to remain connected during COVID-19 with his congregation even though they could no longer physically come to church.  He talks about his quarantine and how technology plays a role in keeping us connected while we can’t be physically close.

If you are interested, also check out Eric’s own podcast, the Converging Paths Podcast, and his video program Darkwood Brew.

For patrons of the podcast, check out all of the great bonus material that Eric provided.  You’ll find information on his special COVID-19 series from his own podcast, free subscriptions to his multi-part video series, his interview with CNN, and his “music video” of “Pandemic Quarantine Blues” that he recorded while in quarantine.  You can find all of this at on the Patreon page.  If you’re not a patron and want to sign up, you can also do so there as well.  Thanks to all of you that support the podcast!

Some of the background music you heard are clips from:

The Long Goodbye by John Pazdan (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/flatwound/14476

Quiet Rain by onlymeith (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/onlymeith/33867 Ft: Gurdonark

Route 17 by djolliej (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/djolliej/35850

ＭＩＬＬＥＮＮＩＡＬＳ by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/57150

The post Ep 81: Staying Connected During COVID-19 (with Technology!) – with guest Eric Elnes appeared first on Elizabeth Fernandez.