3 minute lesson: Recent Episodes
3ML
Education podcasts are great - but sometimes you just want an appetizer of knowledge. On 3 minute lesson, I attempt to communicate an interesting topic concisely and in less than 3 minutes. New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Episode 481. Investigating myself. Topic: Marfan syndrome.
What is connective tissue? How can mutations in one gene affect connective tissue? What is Marfan syndrome and what are the symptoms? Why is it often not included on commercial genetics tests?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 480. Topic: Effective population size. Theme: Population genetics.
What is the difference between total population size and effective population size? What is an example of this difference? What causes the difference? What is the effective population size of humans? Will it ever increase?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 479. Topic: Speciation. Theme: Population genetics.
Why is it difficult to assign species labels to salamanders? What does this mean for the definition of "speciation"? How do we define human species? What thresholds generally prevent species convergence?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 478. Topic: Evidence of selection. Theme: Population genetics.
What is natural selection? How can you tell from the DNA of a species when and where natural selection has occurred? What in recent human evolution has undergone natural selection?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 477. Topic: The founder effect. Theme: Population genetics.
How can reduced genetic diversity alter the frequency of traits? Can this be dangerous? What are some founder effect examples in humans? What caused them?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 476. Topic: Genetic drift. Theme: Population genetics.
How can traits change frequency in a population without natural selection? What is genetic drift? What would this look like in a population?
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Episode 475. Investigating myself. Topic: Hereditary fructose intolerance.
What is fructose? How is it metabolized in the human body? What genetic disease disrupts fructose metabolism? What are the symptoms? Do I carry this condition?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 474. Topic: Sniffer bees. Theme: Working animals.
How intelligent are bees and wasps? How good are their senses of smell? Can you train bees to detect odor? How can you tell if a bee recognizes something? How do bees compare to dogs in detecting explosives? Why aren't bees more commonly used?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 473. Topic: Mine hunting. Theme: Working animals.
What are mines? Why are they so dangerous after conflicts? How are trained rats so effective at finding buried mines? How are mined located underwater? What other purposes are there for military dolphins?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 472. Topic: Detection dogs. Theme: Working animals.
What else can dogs be employed to do? What types of drugs can they detect? What about weapons or other biological materials? Can dogs detect cancer? How about COVID-19 infections?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 471. Topic: Medical response dogs. Theme: Working animals.
What else can dogs be trained to do? How can dogs alert someone to allergens in food or medicines? Can a dog detect low blood sugar in a human? Can they detect oncoming seizures? What are the benefits and limits to medical response dogs?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 470. Topic: Guide dogs. Theme: Working animals.
How old is the use of guide dogs for the visually impaired? How is training performed today? How expensive are guide dogs? How long do they work?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 469. Investigating myself. Topic: Fanconi anemia.
What is anemia and what causes it? What is Fanconi anemia? How common is this condition and how is is treated? Can you find out if you carry this disease on a common commercial genetic test? What about the 18 other genes involved?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 468. Topic: Antimatter. Theme: Atomic physics.
Is an up quark the antiparticle of the down quark? What are antiprotons? What is antihelium? What happens when matter and antimatter meet? Where is all the antimatter anyway?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 467. Topic: Subatomic particles. Theme: Atomic physics.
What are protons, neutrons, and electrons made from? What are subatomic particles or elementary particles? How are they described? How do they form matter? How were they discovered? Do they answer all questions about the universe?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 464. Topic: Radioactive decay. Theme: Atomic physics.
What is radioactive decay? What are alpha parties, beta particles, and gamma rays? What are examples of these decay types? Which is the most dangerous?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 465. Topic: Radiocarbon dating. Theme: Atomic physics.
What are isotopes? What are the common isotopes of carbon and how do they form? How is carbon-14 used to date organic material? What are the limits to radiocarbon dating? How are billion-year-old objects dated?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 464. Topic: Discovering atoms. Theme: Atomic physics.
What are elements and how are they defined? What are atoms? How was the atom discovered? How did scientists uncover the basic structure of the atom? How were neutrons discovered?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 463. Investigating myself. Topic: Ataxia–telangiectasia.
Is all DNA damage bad? What does ATM do? What happens when both copies of ATM are mutated? What is Ataxia? What is telangiectasia? What are the symptoms and treatments for this genetic disease? Why is it not routinely screened for in commercial tests?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 462. Topic: Halloween. Theme: Holiday Origins.
What are the origins of Halloween? Is it Christian or pagan in origin? How is it celebrated around the world? How are turnips involved?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 461. Topic: White Day. Theme: Holiday Origins.
How is Valentine's Day celebrated in other countries? How is it more one-sided in Japan? What is White Day and why was it invented? Will White Day ever come to the United States?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 460. Topic: Valentine's Day. Theme: Holiday Origins.
Who was Saint Valentine? Was he just one person? How did February 14th become associated with romantic love? How is Valentine's Day celebrated around the world?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 459. Topic: Labor Day. Theme: Holiday Origins.
What were workers right like during The Industrial Revolution? How were they improved? How is this related to Labor Day? Do other countries have a Labor Day equivalent? Which countries do not?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 458. Topic: Memorial Day. Theme: Holiday Origins.
What is Memorial Day? Where does it originate culturally? When did it become an official federal holiday? What was the reasoning behind making Memorial Day a Monday?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 457. Investigating myself. Topic: Low empathy?
What is empathy? How is it related to the hormone oxytocin? Are there genetic variations related to low empathy behavior? Do I carry it? If so, which parent did I inherit it from?!
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 456. Topic: The Fed. Theme: Money and politics.
Why was the Federal Reserve System established? What roles does it play in the United States economy? How powerful is the Fed? Who runs the Fed?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 455. Topic: Russian oligarchy. Theme: Money and politics.
What is an oligarchy? How did Russian oligarchs rise out of the rubble of the Soviet Union? How can oligarchs wield power? Is this a uniquely Russian problem?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 454. Topic: Free file. Theme: Money and politics.
How have taxes evolved? How do some countries pay their taxes? How is it different in The United States? Why did some online tax filing companies come under fire in 2021? Will tax filing change in The United States?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 453. Topic: Citizens United. Theme: Money and politics.
How can corporations advertise on behalf of a political candidate? Why is this legal? How are documentary films involved? What are the consequences of saying corporations have protected political speech?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 452. Topic: The gold standard. Theme: Money and politics.
How does money work? What are the pros and cons of basing money in the value of gold or silver? Has the United States ever used the gold standard? How has it changed over time? Why was it dropped in 1971?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 451. Investigating myself. Topic: Hereditary hemochromatosis.
How much iron is in our blood? How do we get rid of iron? What genetic disorder results in a buildup of iron? Why are this disorder's symptoms and treatment options. Do I carry this disorder?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 450. Topic: Spinal fusion. Theme: Medical procedures.
Why are humans so prone to back pain? What are some common causes of age-related back pain? How can a spinal fusion alleviate pain? Is this common procedure effective?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 449. Topic: Coronary artery bypass. Theme: Medical procedures.
What arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood? How do arteries become blocked? What happens when coronary arteries are blocked? How does a coronary artery bypass work? How effective is it in the long term?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 448. Topic: Caesarean section. Theme: Medical procedures.
How old are caesarean sections? Where does this term come from? How often are they performed? Are there any downsides for babies or mothers who undergo this procedure over natural childbirth?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 447. Topic: Appendectomy. Theme: Medical procedures.
What is the appendix? How did it evolve and what is its purpose? What is appendicitis and how can it be fatal? How is appendicitis treated? Are there downsides to not having an appendix?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 446. Topic: Tonsillectomy. Theme: Medical procedures.
What are the different types of tonsil? What do tonsils do? What is the history of tonsillectomies? Why was this procedure so common for the first half of the 20th century? Why are they performed less today?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 445. Investigating myself. Topic: Glycogen storage disease.
What is glycogen? How do we make it and where do we store it? How do genetic diseases lead to issues storing glycogen? What are some examples? Do I carry any mutations leading to glycogen storage disease?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 444. Topic: The Geneva Conventions. Theme: International law.
What inspired the Red Cross and the first (of four) Geneva Convention? What about the others? How has war changed throughout the centuries? How are the Geneva Conventions upheld?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 443. Topic: International waters. Theme: International law.
Who rules the oceans? How far do the laws of a country extend offshore? Why is gambling allowed on cruises? What happens if you commit a more serious crime like murder in international waters? How does this loophole result in human rights violations?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 442. Topic: The United Nations. Theme: International law.
When and why was the UN founded? How does the UN operate today? How many countries are members? What are some UN operations? How is the UN criticized?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 441. Topic: The World Health Organization. Theme: International law.
When and why was the WHO founded? What were its most significant accomplishments? What role does it play in today's society? What was its role in the Covid-19 pandemic? Has the WHO ever been criticized?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 440. Topic: The World Trade Organization. Theme: International law.
How was the WTO founded? What are its goals today? What is an example case where the WTO might get involved? How is the WTO criticized? Has the WTO helped or harmed us?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 439. Investigating myself. Topic: Lactase persistence.
What is lactose intolerance? How can 35% of the human population digest lactose after infancy? Is this a form of natural selection? Can I digest lactose as an adult?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 438. Topic: Acquired savant syndrome. Theme: Advantages.
What is savant syndrome? Can someone have savant syndrome without being born with autism or another cognitive disability? What are some example cases? What can we learn from both traditional and acquired savant syndrome?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 437. Topic: Your name. Theme: Advantages.
What does your first and last name convey? How is it hurtful when it comes to sexism, classism, and racism? Why is it useful to have a surname closer to the beginning of the alphabet? And how do middle names matter?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 436. Topic: Early language. Theme: Advantages.
What determines adult intelligence? What factors about household income affect language development in children? Is the claim about the 30 millions word gap true? How does television and tablet use affect language development?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 435. Topic: Appearance. Theme: Advantages.
How does height and facial attractiveness affect our implicit biases? What about waist to hip ratio in females? Are our initial perceptions right? Why does evolution create these associations?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 434. Topic: Buying human growth hormone. Theme: Advantages.
What determines our height? How does human growth hormone affect the body? How is human growth hormone used to treat diseases? Can you use human growth hormone to simply grow a few inches? How much will it cost??
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 433. Investigating myself. Topic: Covid-19 and Neanderthals.
Do Neanderthals have anything to do with the current Covid-19 pandemic? It turns out genes inherited from Neanderthals influence the severity of Covid-19 symptoms. How did we figure this out? How can that be?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Methodology notes:
Zeberg H, Pääbo S. The major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neanderthals. Nature. 2020;587(7835):610-612. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2818-3
Episode 432. Topic: Virgin birth. Theme: Animal reproduction.
How can female sharks in captivity for years suddenly give birth? What is parthenogenesis and how does it work? Do other animals reproduce this way? Are human males in jeopardy from parthenogenesis?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 431. Topic: Mole salamander. Theme: Animal reproduction.
Can an animal evolve out the males of their species? How are some salamanders unisex? How can they maintain this form of reproduction without losing genetic diversity? Why is salamander reproduction much more flexible than human?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 430. Topic: Mystery males. Theme: Animal reproduction.
What are Osedax? Why are all specimens seemingly female? Where are all the male Osedax? How is the mystery male also present in angler fish? Why might such extreme sexual dimorphism arise in evolution?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 429. Topic: Flatworms and bedbugs. Theme: Animal reproduction.
What are three ways a flatworm can reproduce? What is traumatic insemination? Why is bedbug reproduction so dangerous? How do these methods of reproduction evolve?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 428. Topic: The octopus. Theme: Animal reproduction.
What are octopuses and why are they such fascinating creatures? How smart are they? How do they reproduce? Why is octopus reproduction a death sentence?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 427. Investigating myself. Topic: Neanderthal DNA.
Who were the Neanderthals and how or when did they evolve? How did modern humans evolve by comparison? What happened to the Neanderthals and why do most modern humans have Neanderthal ancestors? How much Neanderthal DNA do I have?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 426. Topic: Populating the Pacific. Theme: Indigenous peoples.
Who are the Austronesian people? Where and when did the Austronesian expansion begin? How was Madagascar, Hawaii, and Easter Island inhabited? How can language, archeology, and linguistics help us understand the way ancient peoples migrated?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 425. Topic: The British. Theme: Indigenous peoples.
How many species of human have inhabited the islands of Great Britain and Ireland? When did modern humans first migrate in? Did they stay for long? How did the indigenous population of Great Britain change in relatively recent history?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 424. Topic: The Clovis culture. Theme: Indigenous peoples.
How were the Americans populated? Who were the Clovis people? Are modern indigenous populations related to the Clovis culture? Why is the ownership of Clovis remains controversial?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 423. Topic: The Ainu. Theme: Indigenous peoples.
Who are the Ainu people? How are they different from the modern majority Japanese ethnic group? How did the modern Japanese ethnic group come to be? What does Ainu culture look like today? What does it mean to be indigenous?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 422. Topic: Aboriginal Tasmanians. Theme: Indigenous peoples.
How did the aboriginal population of Tasmania come to be? How long was this population isolated and when was contact reestablished? What happened to the indigenous population? Did they go extinct? What about their language and culture?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 421. Investigating myself. Topic: Fragile X syndrome.
What is Fragile X syndrome? What are the symptoms? What are the genetics behind this disorder? How do some people have a premutation for this syndrome? Do I carry the premutation?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Methodology notes: Repeats were assessed with ExpansionHunter
Episode 420. Topic: Apes and sign language. Theme: Animal communication.
Can chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos learn sign language? What are some famous cases? How is language use in non-human primates criticized? How does their language comprehension and use compare to humans?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 419. Topic: Dialects and cultures. Theme: Animal communication.
Do animals have language, dialects, and cultures? Yes they do! What are some examples of animal dialects? What are some examples of animal cultures?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 418. Topic: Prairie dog alarms. Theme: Animal communication.
What animal (besides humans) have the most complex communication system? Why might it be prairie dogs? How complex are predator alarms for prairie dogs? How do they regulate alarms based on who they want to protect?
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Episode 417. Topic: Waggle dance. Theme: Animal communication.
What is the waggle dance and how is it used in bee communication? When was it first observed? How is information conveyed? What are other theories behind the waggle dance and bee communication? Is it a learned or genetic behavior?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 416. Topic: Whale songs. Theme: Animal communication.
What species and sex of whales sing? What are the theories behind this behavior? How did reduced ocean noise from the pandemic affect whale singing?
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Episode 415. Investigating myself. Topic: Myotonic dystrophy.
What is myotonic dystrophy and what causes it? What are the two types? How does the disease progress? Am I at risk? How do genetic diseases like this arise?
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Methodology notes: Repeats were evaluated with ExpansionHunter.
Episode 414. Topic: Embryos. Theme: Legal questions.
What are the current regulations around the creation and experimentation of human embryos? How long can they last outside the human body? What if they are frozen? And who gets custody of embryos in a divorce?
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Episode 413. Topic: Embryos. Theme: Three biological parents.
We all have two biological parents right? How is it possible that some children alive today can have three biological parents? Is this a natural occurrence or does it require manipulation? Who is the third parent then?
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Episode 412. Topic: Sex selection. Theme: Embryos.
How can in vitro fertilization allow for parents to control the sex of their offspring? What methods are used? Why is this performed? Can just anyone opt for this or are there rules and laws about it?
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Episode 411. Topic: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Theme: Embryos.
How can IVF allow for embryo screening? How does this screening work? Why is preimplantation genetic testing performed and what are the outcomes? Why can it be controversial?
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Episode 410. Topic: In vitro fertilization. Theme: Embryos .
How does IVF work? How much does it cost and how many rounds are typically done? How many children are born from IVF every year? What are some IVF controversies?
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Episode 409. Investigating myself. Topic: Huntington's disease.
What is Huntington's disease and what causes it? How does the Huntington's disease mutation develop? How does the disease progress? Am I going to get it?
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Methodology notes: CAG repeats were evaluated with ExpansionHunter.
Episode 408. Topic: Electrical outlet types. Theme: Home technology.
How do electrical outlets work? Why are there so many types around the world? Why does outlet voltage vary as well? Is standardization feasible?
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Episode 407. Topic: Microwave ovens. Theme: Home technology.
When were microwave ovens invented? How do they work? Why do different foods heat unevenly? Are microwaves dangerous?
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Episode 406. Topic: Air conditioning. Theme: Home technology.
How does air conditioning work? Why is it kind of like human sweating? How has air conditioning changed human civilization?
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Episode 405. Topic: Carbon monoxide detectors. Theme: Home technology.
Why is carbon monoxide dangerous? What type of detectors are out there and how do they work? Which ones are the most popular? Make sure you have one as carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and deadly!
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Episode 404. Topic: Smoke detectors. Theme: Home technology.
How common are house fires? When were smoke detectors invented? How do smoke detectors work? How is radioactivity involved and is it safe? Are there other models that do not include radioactivity?
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Episode 403. Investigating myself. Topic: Hemophilia B.
How does hemophilia B work? How does it compare to hemophilia A? How did hemophilia B partly lead to the rise of the Soviet Union? Do I carry this disease?
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Methodology notes: The gene F9 (OMIM: 300746) was searched for ClinVar or functional mutations. Additionally, reads were visually compared against the hg38 reference using the UCSC genome browser for larger mutations.
Episode 402. Topic: Fen-phen. Theme: Medical hazards.
How has obesity influenced the diet pill industry? What is the drug Fen-phen and how does it work? When was Fen-phen released and when was it taken off the market? Why was this drug so dangerous? Did we know it was dangerous the whole time?
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Episode 401. Topic: Prions from corneas. Theme: Medical hazards.
How do cornea transplants work? Can corneas transmit diseases? What it Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and why is it so dangerous? Should you be worried about this disease if you want a corneal transplant?
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Episode 400. Topic: Breast implants and lymphoma. Theme: Medical hazards.
What is the history of breast implants? What technology is used today? What are the complications of breast implants? How is one complication lymphoma? How can lymphoma from breast implants be treated?
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Episode 398. Topic: Asbestos. Theme: Medical hazards.
What is asbestos? How and why has it been used throughout history? When did we realize asbestos was hazardous? How does it cause cancer? When was asbestos banned? Where can it be found today?
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Episode 398. Topic: Transvaginal mesh. Theme: Medical hazards.
At one point, transvaginal mesh was used in over 250,000 procedures a year! How did it go from a common medical device in 2010 to banned in 2019? Why did the ban take so long? What is wrong with the mesh? What were the legal ramifications? Will we prevent things like this from happening again?
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Episode 397. Investigating myself. Topic: Hemophilia A.
What is hemophilia and how was it understood by doctors (and religions) before genetics? What are the two main types of hemophilia? How does hemophilia A work? Do I carry this disease?
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Methodology notes: The gene F8 (OMIM: 300841 ) was searched for ClinVar or functional mutations. Additionally, reads were visually compared against the hg38 reference using the UCSC genome browser for larger mutations.
Episode 396. Topic: Health insurance mandate. Theme: Government policies.
What is the origin of health insurance? How does health care work in other countries? Why and how do some countries mandate health insurance? What is the history of health insurance mandates in the United States? What does research have to say about insurance mandate efficacy?
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Episode 395. Topic: Copyright . Theme: Government policies.
What is copyright? What invention instigated its creation? What does copyright look like today around the world? Do all countries have copyright protections? Does copyright promote more or less creative work?
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Episode 394. Topic: Sexual education. Theme: Government policies.
How did sexual education become a topic covered in school? What are the different ways it is implemented? According to 30 years of research, What method is better at preventing STDs and teen pregnancy?
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Episode 393. Topic: Citizenship. Theme: Government policies.
What it citizenship and how is it granted in different countries? Can it be bought? What is the maximum number of citizenships someone can have? What is the minimum number?
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Episode 392. Topic: Reparations. Theme: Government policies.
What are reparations and what is their legal history? How did reparations partly lead to World War II? What countries have historically paid (or are currently paying) war reparations? What other kinds of reparations exist today? What kinds have been recently proposed in the United States?
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Episode 391. Investigating myself. Topic: Phenylketonuria.
What is Phenylketonuria (PKU)? How can this genetic disease lead to brain damage and intellectual disability? How is PKU tested and treated such that brain damage never occurs? And am I a carrier of PKU?
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Episode 390. Topic: The Rosetta Stone. Theme: Archaeology.
How old are Egyptian hieroglyphs? How were they used as a writing system? How did hieroglyphic script become indecipherable over time? How are we able to read them today?!
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Episode 389. Topic: Tutankhamun’s Tomb. Theme: Archaeology.
Who was Tutankhamun? When was he the pharaoh of Egypt and how long did he rule? Why is he now so famous? What does his tomb and his DNA reveal about his life and health? Who were the other two infant mummies in his tomb? Where is his mummy today?
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Episode 388. Topic: The Terracotta Army. Theme: Archaeology.
How did some farmers uncover an untouched collection of funeral art in China? What is The Terracotta Army and why was it made? How did they go for millennia without discovery or looting? Can you visit them today?
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Episode 387. Topic: Troy. Theme: Archaeology.
What is the story of the Trojan War? Who wrote it and is it real or fictional? How did a retired businessman rediscover the location of Troy? What went wrong at the excavation of this site?
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Episode 386. Topic: Machu Picchu. Theme: Archaeology.
How was Machu Picchu discovered? What do we know about the site and its history in the Inca Empire? What was it used for? Why was it abandoned and forgotten? Did you know there are skeletal remains there?
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Episode 385. Investigating myself. Topic: Diabetes risk. How do genetics influence risk for type I and II diabetes? How can risk be quantified? What are my risk scores for these diseases? How can I use this information to prevent diabetes?
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Methodology notes: Variants associated with type II diabetes were assessed with a gvcf upload to Promethease.
Episode 384. Topic: Type III diabetes. Theme: Diabetes. Did you know there was a type III diabetes? How is it related to type I and II? What are its effects? Do current anti-diabetic drugs also work for it?
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Episode 383. Topic: Gestational diabetes. Theme: Diabetes. How can a form of diabetes arise suddenly in pregnancy? Is this related to type I or II diabetes? What triggers this disease? What are possible complications? How does this influence the mother and offspring after birth?
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Episode 382. Topic: Type II diabetes. Theme: Diabetes. What is type II diabetes? How is it different from type I? How does this disease develop? What are its complications? How can it be treated or even reversed?
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Episode 381. Topic: Prediabetes. Theme: Diabetes. How does type II diabetes develop? What does prediabetes mean? Can this state be reversed? How common is prediabetes around the world?
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Episode 380. Topic: Type I diabetes. Theme: Diabetes. What is type I diabetes? How is it an autoimmune disease? What is the average age of diagnosis? Why are diagnosis rates increasing?
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Episode 379. Investigating myself. Topic: Am I antisocial? How can genetics shape our behaviors and personality? How are variants in the gene MAO-A associated with aggressive behavior? Do I have the aggressive genetic association?!
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Methodology note: The SNP associated with MAO-A promoter repeat is rs909525.
Episode 378. Topic: FIRE. Theme: Retirement finance. How does one retire early? Is it difficult to save up the necessary investments for early retirement? What other ways can investment be used to lessen work later in life?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 377. Topic: Aging populations. Theme: Retirement finance. How are age ratios expected to change in the next century? Why does this matter? How can we keep social programs running with a smaller working population?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 376. Topic: Types of retirement funds in the US. Theme: Retirement finance. How can you invest for retirement? What kinds of investment accounts are out there and what are their pros and cons? How are retirement accounts different from regular investment accounts?
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Episode 375. Topic: Rise of the 401(k). Theme: Retirement finance. How old are pensions? Why are pensions uncommon today? What are the pros and cons of pensions and a 401(k) retirement investment account?
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Episode 374. Topic: Social security in the USA. Theme: Retirement finance. How was social security established? How does it work? How much can someone receive? How does it depend on retirement age?
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Episode 373. Investigating myself. Topic: CCR5. How does HIV immunity work? Do I have deletions in my CCR5 gene? How can I find this out?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Methodology notes:
I searched the hg38 BAM file at chr3:46373450-46373488 (samtools view) for the deletion of GTCAGTATCAATTCTGGAAGAATTTCCAGACA. Reads contained the full sequence. I included a search for sequences with concatenated flanking nucleotides (indicating the deletion) but did not find any. I also searched unmapped reads. This strongly indicated that I am homozygous for the intact CCR5.
Episode 372. Topic: Emerging viruses. Theme: Epidemiology. Where do new viruses come from? Did pre-agriculture humans experience viral diseases? How are viruses reemerging?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 371. Topic: Creating the flu vaccine. Theme: Epidemiology. What does it take to create the annual flu vaccine? How do scientists decide what flu virus strains to include? How are different types of flu vaccine created? Check out episode 118 for how secret chickens are involved.
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 370. Topic: R0. Theme: Epidemiology. How is virulence measured? How many people can one person with measles infect? Why do these numbers matter? What are R0 examples for other diseases?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 369. Topic: Infectious dose. Theme: Epidemiology. How many viruses or bacteria does it take to get you sick? How does this number change? What are some theorized infectious doses for common diseases? What about COVID-19?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 368. Topic: John Snow and cholera. Theme: Epidemiology. What is cholera and where did it originate? How did a physician named John Snow figure out how cholera was infecting a neighborhood? Is cholera still around today?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 367. Investigating myself. Topic: Tay-Sachs disease. What is Tay-Sachs disease? What causes it and how common is it? Why is this disease only common in certain populations? Why are affected rates declining?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 366. Investigating myself. Topic: Sickle cell anemia. How does hemoglobin work? What happens when it is mutated like in sickle cell anemia? Why can carrying the disease be dangerous? Are there benefits to being a carrier?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 365. Investigating myself. Topic: Cystic fibrosis. Why is cystic fibrosis so common in northern European populations? How does the disease arise? And am I a carrier?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Episode 364. Topic: The thylacine. Theme: Extinct animals. What ever happened to the thylacine (aka the Tasmanian tiger)? How did this animal evolve? Why was it hunted? When was it last seen?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 363. Topic: The great auk. Theme: Extinct animals. Is the great auk a type of penguin? how old is their relationship to humans? Where did they once live? Why were they hunted? When did they go extinct?
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Episode 362. Topic: The bison. Theme: Extinct animals. How did the American bison evolve? Is it actually extinct? How were they saved from sure extinction?
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Episode 361. Topic: The dodo. Theme: Extinct animals. Are extinction rates high now? What happened to the dodo bird? Were they stupid or tragic? When did they go extinct and who is to blame?
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Episode 360. Topic: The woolly mammoth. Theme: Extinct animals. How did the woolly mammoth evolve? How are they related to modern elephants? Did humans coexist with the woolly mammoth? When and why did they go extinct?
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Episode 359. Investigating myself. Topic: Lynch syndrome. What is lynch syndrome and what does it lead to? What causes it and how is it inherited? Do I have it?
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New episode every week day!
Methodology notes:
Variants in genes associated for Lynch syndrome were assessed for ClinVar status. All were benign. No other functional mutations in Lynch syndrome genes were identified.
Episode 358. Topic: Vasectomies. Theme: Birth control. How common are vasectomies? How effective are they? How do they work? Can they be reversed?
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Episode 357 Topic: Tubal ligation. Theme: Birth control. What is the most common form of birth control? Why is it tubal ligation? How does this procedure prevent pregnancy? Is it reversible?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 356. Topic: The pill. Theme: Birth control. How do female hormones control ovulation? How do hormonal contraceptives work at preventing pregnancy? What does birth control use look like today? How effective is it?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 355. Topic: Condoms. Theme: Birth control. How old are condoms? Who first described them and what was their original purpose? How did condom use increase? How effective are they?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 354. Topic: Fertility awareness. Theme: Birth control. How can someone prevent pregnancy by knowing when they ovulate? How effective is this method? What can go wrong?
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Episode 353. Topic: Sovaldi. Theme: Prescriptions. What is hepatitis? What causes it? How was the virus hepatitis C discovered and how can it damage the liver? Are there treatments or cures available?
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Episode 352. Topic: Humira. Theme: Prescriptions. What causes autoimmune disorders? How many are there? How were they original treated? How can adalimumab (Humira) treat autoimmune disorders? How much does this drug cost? Are there side effects?
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Episode 351. Topic: Zokinvy. Theme: Prescriptions. What is progeria? How common is this disorder? What is the newest treatment for this syndrome and how expensive is it?
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Episode 350. Topic: Albuterol. Theme: Prescriptions. What is asthma? How has it been treated historically? How was albuterol invented and why is it effective at relieving asthma attacks?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 349. Topic: Lipitor. Theme: Prescriptions. Why is lipitor (atorvastatin) the most prescribed drug in the United States? What does it do? Is it safe? Can you ever get off this medicine?
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Episode 348. Investigating myself. Topic: Bloom syndrome. How do some genetic diseases increase cancer risk? How is Bloom syndrome a particularly extreme example of this? How common is Bloom syndrome... and do I carry the gene for it?
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New episode every week day!
Methodology notes:
No functional or clinically relevant SNV or InDel variants were discovered in the BLM gene.
Episode 347. Topic: The Inca. Theme: Ancient civilizations. How did the Inca Empire form? What was its society like? How did the empire eventually fall?
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Episode 346. Topic: The Aztec. Theme: Ancient civilizations. How did the Aztec Empire form? What was society like? Did they engage in human sacrifice?
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Episode 345. Topic: The Marajoara. Theme: Ancient civilizations. Why is it difficult to study ancient Amazonian people? Were there ever civilizations or cities in the Amazon?
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Episode 344. Topic: The Maya. Theme: Ancient civilizations. When was the Mayan civilization? Why do we know so much about them? How did this civilization end? Who are the Mayan descendants?
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Episode 343. Topic: Norte Chico. Theme: Ancient civilizations. How old is civilization in the Americas? What is one of the oldest Andean civilizations and what do we know about these people?
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Episode 342. Investigating myself. Topic: BRCA. How can breast and/or ovarian cancer run in families? How were BRCA1 and 2 discovered and how can they lead to cancer? Do I have a mutation in BRCA1 or 2?
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Email: 3minutelesson@gmail.com
New episode every week day!
Methodology notes:
BRCA1 and 2 were queried in a genome browser. No SNV or InDel variants of pathological designation were discovered.
Episode 341. Topic: Quantum computing. Theme: Computing. How is modern computing challenged by quantum mechanics? What might the future of computing look like? How can it enhance computational ability?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 340. Topic: The cloud. Theme: Computing. What is the cloud? How has this technology evolved? How is it used today? Where is the information physically kept?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 339. Topic: Supercomputers. Theme: Computing. What is a supercomputer and how are their performances quantified? What is the current top performing supercomputer? What is the most efficient supercomputer?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 338. Topic: Programming languages. Theme: Computing. How did programming languages evolve and what are their uses? How do programming languages bridge the gap between the mechanics of computation and human language?
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Episode 337. Topic: Moore's law. Theme: Computing. What is the basic unit of computation and how has this device been getting smaller and smaller? What are the implications of the miniaturization? Will we hit a wall with size?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 336. Investigating myself. Topic: Sex check. How is human sex determined? Is it always about XX and XY? In this episode, I use my DNA to check that I am, in fact, a biological female.
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Email: 3minutelesson@gmail.com
New episode every week day!
Methodology notes:
SRY gene presence is determined by alignment. No reads aligning to any part of the SRY gene were detected in my genome. Chromosome copy number was inferred from the proportion of uniquely aligned reads normalized by chromosome size.
Episode 335. Topic: Cry it out. Theme: Parenting advice. How often do babies cry? How has parenting advice on soothing crying babies evolved? Is self soothing a real solution? What does modern research say about it?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 334. Topic: Breastfeeding and formula. Theme: Parenting advice. Why must human infants drink milk? Is breastfeeding always successful? How did women throughout history deal with breastfeeding shortcomings? Is formula good for infants?
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Episode 333. Topic: Corporal punishment. Theme: Parenting advice. What is corporal punishment? Is it legal? Why are some countries outlawing it? Are there any positive outcomes to this disciplinary method?
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Episode 332. Topic: Back to sleep. Theme: Parenting advice. What is sudden infant death syndrome? How common is it? How successful was the campaign of encouraging back sleeping in newborns in preventing this mysterious syndrome?
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Episode 331. Investigating myself. Topic: Is it me? For the first episode of this series, I compare my whole genome sequencing to the raw data from my health and ancestry test. How do these two methods differ in assessing genetic information. Are both tests from the same individual? Do they always perfectly match?!
Twitter: @3minutelesson
Email: 3minutelesson@gmail.com
New episode every week day!
Methodology notes: Paired-end fastq reads from whole genome sequencing (performed by Nebula genomics) were aligned to hg19 with bwa mem to match the genome version of the raw array calls from the health and ancestry test. The identity of the health and ancestry test will not be revealed. Genotypes at array loci were called with bcftools mpileup. Homozygous calls were interpreted as cases where one allele has an frequency of >0.9. Heterozygous calls were verified where two alleles each show an allele frequency of >= 0.1 and <= 0.9.
Episode 330. Topic: How we differ. Theme: Genetics. How much DNA do humans have? How much does human DNA vary? Are humans a genetically diverse species ... or are we kind of inbred?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 329. Topic: Sequencing DNA. Theme: Genetics. How does classic DNA sequencing work? How is it different today?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 328. Topic: Chromosome counts. Theme: Genetics. What happens when humans have more or less than 46 chromosomes? Is it always fatal or even pathological? Why have some plants completely duplicated their genomes? Why do all great apes have one more chromosome than humans?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 327. Topic: Who is the reference human genome? Theme: Genetics. We have a reference human genome, but whose DNA is it? Who is this reference human? Who decided what the reference human would be? How have geneticists been studying how human differ from this reference?
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Episode 326. Topic: The human genome project. Theme: Genetics. How old is DNA sequencing? Why was sequencing the whole human genome so difficult? How long did it take? How much did it cost? And what does human DNA sequencing look like today?
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New episode every week day!
Introducing a new series of bonus episodes for 3 minute lesson: Investigating myself. Each week I will look into my own genome and give a genetics lesson along the way.
Do I carry any genetic diseases? Do my 23andMe results match my whole genome sequencing? Do I have the correct copy of all my chromosomes? I don't even know yet... so let's find out together!
Show notes for Investigating myself episodes will contain a brief methodology.
Twitter: @3minutelesson
Email: 3minutelesson@gmail.com
New episode every week day!
Episode 325. Topic: Human cloning. Theme: Cloning. Have humans ever been cloned? Is it legal? Is it always unethical? What would the future uses for human cloning be?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 324. Topic: Clone your dead pet. Theme: Cloning. Can a pet be commercially cloned? How much will it cost? Will the exact same animal be recreated? Are there health risks?
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New episode every week day!
Episode 323. Topic: Some frogs and Dolly. Theme: Cloning. How does mammalian cloning work? How was Dolly the sheep cloned? Is cloning easier today? Does cloning happen without health ramifications?
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Episode 322. Topic: Apples. Theme: Cloning. What happens when you plant an apple seed? How are apple cultivars generated and maintained? How does this help with disease resistance and climate tolerance? What other crops are cloned?
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Episode 321. Topic: From insulin to Covid vaccines. Theme: Cloning. What is molecular cloning? Is it complicated or commonplace? How has this technology saved millions of lives over the last several decades?
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Episode 320. Topic: Schizotypal. Theme: Personality disorders. What is schizotypal personality disorder? Why is this disorder so hard to define and diagnose? What causes this personality disorder? Is it related to schizophrenia?
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Episode 319. Topic: Avoidant. Theme: Personality disorders. What is avoidant personality disorder? Is it the same as social anxiety disorder? Why not? What causes this personality disorder and how is it treated?
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Episode 318. Topic: Dependent . Theme: Personality disorders. What is dependent personality disorder? How does it arise? Is it always about neglect? How common is it?
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Episode 317. Topic: Paranoid. Theme: Personality disorders. What is paranoid personality disorder? How does it present and how is if different from schizophrenia-related paranoid delusions? What causes it and how common is it?
Episode 316. Topic: Obsessive–compulsive. Theme: Personality disorders. What is obsessive-compulsive personality disorder? Is it the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder? Why not? What causes this personality disorder and how is it treated?
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Episode 315. Topic: Aboriginal super vision. Theme: Sensory gain. How is visual acuity genetic and related to ethnicity? Who then has the best vision on average? Why might this be?
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Episode 314. Topic: Supertasters. Theme: Sensory gain. Why are some people more acutely aware of flavors in food? Where does the term "supertaster" come from? Why do people with autism and children have an altered sense of taste?
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Episode 313. Topic: Learning braille. Theme: Sensory gain. What was the original use of braille? Why have braille literacy rates fallen? Is it hard to learn braille? How does this system work in languages without an alphabet?
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Episode 312. Topic: Absolute pitch. Theme: Sensory gain. What is absolute (perfect) pitch? How common is it and can it be learned? Is absolute pitch a genetic trait or can it be developed with early intervention?
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Episode 311. Topic: Echolocation in humans. Theme: Sensory gain. Humans are not capable of echolocation, right? Not true! Some blind people can utilize echolocation as a visual aid. Learn how this works and the limits of this unique sense.
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Episode 310. Topic: Loss of taste and smell from COVID-19. Theme: Sensory loss.
Why do people lose their sense of taste and smell after a COVID-19 infection? Does it ever come back? And if it does, do things taste and smell the same as before?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 309. Topic: Losing your balance. Theme: Sensory loss. How do we maintain balance? How can it be lost?
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Episode 308. Topic: Congenital insensitivity to pain. Theme: Sensory loss. We hate pain but we often need it to maintain our bodies. How are some people born without the ability to detect pain? Is this dangerous or secretly wonderful?
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Episode 307. Topic: Vision loss. Theme: Sensory loss. What are the leading causes of vision loss? How can it be treated or cured? Why do some cases of blindness have no clear cause?
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Episode 306. Topic: Hearing loss. Theme: Sensory loss. How has hearing evolved? How does hearing work and how can be it lost? How can hearing loss be treated or even cured?
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Episode 305. Topic: K-19. Theme: Submarines. What is the story of the nuclear disaster on the Soviet submarine K-19?
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Episode 304. Topic: USS Scorpion. Theme: Submarines. Whatever happened to to the USS Scorpion?
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Episode 303. Topic: Red herring. Theme: Submarines. How did a Soviet submarine armed with nuclear weapons end up stranded on the Swedish coast? Were the Soviet's secretly patrolling Swedish water? And how are herring involved?
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Episode 302. Topic: Nuclear triad. Theme: Submarines. What prevents nuclear war and why are submarines part of the deterrence? What countries have submarines with nuclear weapons capabilities?
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Episode 301. Topic: How submarines work. Theme: Submarines. How old is submarine combat? How do they compare to submarines today? How do submarines work and what powers them?
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Episode 300. Topic: Editing embryos. Theme: Science scandals. CRISPR-Cas9 has allowed for efficient DNA editing. Scientists edit the DNA of cells all the time including in embryos. What are the rules for editing the DNA of human embryos? And has anyone ever been born from an edited embryo?
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Episode 299. Topic: Autism and vaccines. Theme: Science scandals. Why do people think autism and vaccinations are linked? Is this science real? Who first made this claim and where are they now?
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New episode every week day! Get vaccinated.
Episode 298. Topic: The snub of Rosalind Franklin. Theme: Science scandals. What is the history of the discovery of DNA? Who really identified the structure of the molecule? Why are we only now getting around to recognizing the work of Rosalind Franklin?
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Episode 297. Topic: Data manipulation. Theme: Science scandals. Today's episode tells the story of a Cornell professor who was accused of (and eventually resigned over) falsifying data on nutrition research. What happened and how is ethics in research challenging to enforce?
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Episode 296. Topic: The tobacco research coverup. Theme: Science scandals. We now know cigarettes are incredibly dangerous and a major cause of lung cancer among many other diseases. However, this was contested by the tobacco industry for decades!
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New episode every week day!
Episode 295. Topic: 4G vs 5G. Theme: Telecommunication. What does 'G' in 5G stand for? What were the older generations of cellular service? What is different about 5G? And why is 5G first appearing in cities?
Episode 294. Topic: Cell tower politics. Theme: Telecommunication. What determines why you may or may not have cellular service in an area? How are cell towers controlled and bargained for by cellular providers?
Episode 293. Topic: Cellular phones. Theme: Telecommunication. How are cellphones like walkie talkies? How can calls be transmitted over long distances? What is a 'cell'?
Episode 292. Topic: Radio waves. Theme: Telecommunication. How do radio waves transmit information? What is AM and FM? Are radio waves dangerous?
Episode 291. Topic: History of the telephone. Theme: Telecommunication. How do telephones (land lines) work? Who invented them and why is this still controversial? How did long distance calling used to work?
Episode 290. Topic: Cancer risk. Theme: Reproduction. How does reproductive history influence cancer risk? Can pregnancy and breast feeding be preventative for some cancers? What about male reproductive history?
Episode 289. Topic: What is menopause? Theme: Reproduction. When does the female human reproductive system end? Why does it end for females but not males? What affects when menopause will begin? Do other mammals experience menopause?
Episode 288. Topic: Infertility. Theme: Reproduction.
How common is infertility? How does it happen and why is it slightly more common in females? Can infertility be cured in some?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 287. Topic: Evolution of the menstrual cycle. Theme: Reproduction. Human reproduction follows a menstrual cycle but most mammals follow an estrous cycle. What are the differences? Why might a menstrual cycle evolve?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 286. Topic: Earlier and earlier menarche. Theme: Reproduction. A woman's first period is called the menarche. How has the age of when this occurred changed throughout history? Why is it happening at younger and younger ages? And how does socioeconomic status play a role?
Episode 285. Topic: Rabies. Theme: Survival. How does the rabies virus work? Why is this infection usually fatal once symptoms appear? How have some people survived rabies nonetheless?
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Episode 284. Topic: Fish eyes and other tips. Theme: Survival. How quickly can vitamin deficiencies kill? Where can vitamin C and A be found in animals? How can you limit sun exposure? And what should you do to prevent hypothermia?
Episode 283. Topic: Not eating for a year. Theme: Survival. How long can humans go without food? How did one man survive a total fast for over a year? Can other people do this?
Episode 282. Topic: Drinking sea water. Theme: Survival. Why is drinking sea water dangerous? How can it accelerate dehydration? How can you get away with drinking some sea water? And is it safe to drink urine?
Episode 281. Topic: Drifting across the Pacific. Theme: Survival. How did José Alvarenga survive 14 months adrift at sea? How far did he travel? And how was he ultimately rescued?
Episode 280. Topic: New Years. Theme: Holiday origins. Why is New Years on January 1st? How do other cultures determine when the new year occurs? Why might a solar/lunar calendar work better for this?
Episode 279. Topic: Day of the Dead. Theme: Holiday origins. How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico? What is the history of this holiday and why is it related to the Mexican revolution?
Episode 278. Topic: Thanksgiving. Theme: Holiday origins. What is the story of thanksgiving? How accurate is the modern story? How was the date set?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 277. Topic: Christmas. Theme: Holiday origins. What is the story of Christmas? Why might the date no be accurate? When was it first celebrated and how has Christmas culture changed over time?
Episode 276. Topic: Passover. Theme: Holiday origins. What is the story of Passover? How is the date decided? And why is leavened bread off limits?
Episode 275. Topic: Tea and corn. Theme: Spying. Why does industrial espionage occur? What is its history with the British and tea? And why did the US catch people smuggling corn out of the country?
Episode 274. Topic: Aldrich Ames. Theme: Spying. How did one CIA agent get millions of dollars from the Soviet Union? How did the CIA catch on to this mole in their department? How was he caught and what were the consequences?
Episode 273. Topic: Operation Ivy Bells. Theme: Spying. How did the United States wire tap the Soviet Union? How did the Soviets find out?
Episode 272. Topic: The Rosenbergs. Theme: Spying. How did the Soviet Union develop atomic weapons so quickly? How were the Rosenberg couple implicated in atomic espionage? And were they really innocent?
Episode 271. Topic: Enigma machine. Theme: Spying.
What is the enigma machine and why is this type of encryption so hard to break? What eventually solved it and how did it influence the second world war?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 270. Topic: Infanticide. Theme: Cannibalism. What species of animals eat their own offspring? Is this horribly cruel or potentially advantageous? And how do sharks learn to hunt by consuming their siblings in utero?
Episode 269. Topic: Spiders. Theme: Cannibalism. How did the widow spider get its name? Why do spiders engage in cannibalism especially during mating? Do other insects do this?
Episode 268. Topic: The legality of cannibalism. Theme: Cannibalism. Is cannibalism legal? Is killing someone in a survival situation to cannibalize them legal? It depends on the judge!
Episode 267. Topic: Kuru. Theme: Cannibalism. Why is cannibalism potentially dangerous? How has it led to incurable neurodegenerative diseases? Why does cooking not seem to help?
Episode 266. Topic: Mad cow disease. Theme: Cannibalism. How did mad cow disease develop? How did it infect humans? Why is cannibalism involved? Are humans and cows still at risk?
Episode 265. Topic: What is a sport? Theme: Sports. Defining the term "sport" is a challenging task. Where does the work "sport" come from? How is it defined now and why is it sometimes controversial?
Episode 264. Topic: Eating disorders in sports. Theme: Sports. Some sports have very high rates of eating disorders. Why do some athletes want to lose or gain weight? What sports are infamously affected? How can rule changes alleviate this problem?
Episode 263. Topic: Paying college athletes. Theme: Sports. You may have heard about the controversy on whether to pay college athletes. What are the merits of this argument? What are the arguments against it?
Episode 261. Topic: The legality of fantasy sports. Theme: Sports. What are fantasy sports and where do they originate? Is it legal? What about online versions?
Episode 261. Topic: Football vs football. Theme: Sports. Why do we call football (soccer) and football (American football) by the same name? How is their history somewhat intertwined? And is 'soccer' really an American word?
Episode 260. Topic: Taxation and hyperinflation. Theme: Taxes. Why are taxes necessary if governments can just print money? What is the risk of deficit spending?
Episode 259. Topic: The origin of US income tax. Theme: Taxes. The United States did not always have income tax. Today income taxes are moderately high and not going anywhere anytime soon. Where did income tax come from and why will it stick around?
Episode 258. Topic: Capital gains tax rates. Theme: Taxes. Profit from investment is typically taxed at a much lower rate than employment income. Why is that?
Episode 257. Topic: Progressive vs regressive tax. Theme: Taxes. How do taxes disproportionately affect the poor? How can flat taxes be unfair? How can progressive taxes be unfair to the wealthy?
Episode 256. Topic: Marginal vs flat tax. Theme: Taxes. How do taxes work on income? What are the benefits and what are the limitations? Do all countries tax income the same?
Episode 255. Topic: Human tetrachromats. Theme: Eyes. Why might some females see more colors than the standard human? Is this even real? And why is it only females?
Episode 254. Topic: Colorblindness. Theme: Eyes. Why do some people have difficulty differentiation red and green? Why is this more common among males? What other kinds of colorblindness exist? How does colorblindness work?
Episode 253. Topic: Vision impairment and correction. Theme: Eyes. Why for so many people is vision out of focus? Why does this happen and what are the methods to correct or cure vision impairment?
Episode 252. Topic: How we see. Theme: Eyes. How do eyes work? What are the steps required for light to turn into an image in our brains?
Episode 251. Topic: The evolution of eyes. Theme: Eyes. Eyes seem so complex so how could evolution ever create them? Let us investigate how eyes evolved and how diverse they are among animals today.
Episode 250. Topic: Fake teeth then and now. Theme: Teeth. When were dentures developed? Did George Washington really have wooden teeth? And why are celebrity teeth today so impossibly straight and white?
Episode 249. Topic: The history of tooth decay. Theme: Teeth. Why do non-human animals so rarely get cavities? When and why did tooth decay become more common in humans?
Episode 248. Topic: Cavities. Theme: Teeth. What are cavities and what causes them? How common are they and what increases risk for developing them?
Episode 247. Topic: Baby teeth. Theme: Teeth. Why do humans have two sets of teeth? Do all mammals have two sets of teeth? How do different cultures deal with the loss of baby teeth?
Episode 246. Topic: Evolution and wisdom teeth. Theme: Teeth. Why do human mouths rarely fit wisdom teeth? Why can other animals fit all their teeth? And why do some people not have wisdom teeth?
Episode 245. Topic: Our Neanderthal ancestors. Theme: Ancestry. Learn about how Neanderthals interbred with modern humans tens of thousands of years ago and how their DNA remains inside our genomes.
Episode 244. Topic: How related are strangers? Theme: Ancestry. If you took two people at random, how far back would you expect to find their shared relative? And why do we befriend people slightly more related to ourselves?
Episode 243. Topic: Y Adam and Mitochondrial Eve. Theme: Ancestry. All humans share at least one male and female ancestor. By analyzing mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA, we can determine how far back these individuals lived. They were certainly not alive at the same time!
Episode 242. Topic: Mitochondrial and Y ancestry. Theme: Ancestry. How is the DNA from the Y chromosome and within the mitochondria used to determine ancestry going back tens or hundreds of thousands of years?
Episode 241. Topic: How ancestry tests work. Theme: Ancestry. How can spit-in-a-tube genetics test tell you where you recent ancestors lived? How accurate are these tests and why do results sometimes change?
Episode 240. Topic: Bush v. Gore. Theme: US Supreme Court cases. How did George W. Bush win the presidential election in the year 2000? And why is this case still so controversial?
Episode 239. Topic: Roe v. Wade. Theme: US Supreme Court cases. What is the background and legal case that make abortion legal in the United States?
Episode 238. Topic: Miranda v. Arizona. Theme: US Supreme Court cases. Why is it that when you are arrested in America, you hear the common script that begins, "You have the right to remain silent..."?
Episode 237. Topic: Gibbons v. Ogden. Theme: US Supreme Court cases. How do two steamboats decide that Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce? And how does interstate commerce help Congress intervene with seemingly unrelated concepts?
Episode 236. Topic: Marbury v Madison. Theme: US Supreme Court cases. Why is the US supreme court allowed to interpret the constitution and declare laws unconstitutional? How can a decision that states the supreme court does not have a certain power actually make it more powerful?
Episode 235. Topic: Life from space hypothesis. Theme: Impact events. Could life have arisen elsewhere in the universe and arrived on earth via an asteroid or meteorite? What is the evidence for this theory?
Episode 234. Topic: Deflecting incoming asteroids. Theme: Impact events. In a hypothetical situation where a massive extinction-level asteroid is approaching Earth, how might it be stopped? What are the practical methods and what are some interesting alternatives?
Episode 233. Topic: Searching for incoming asteroids. Theme: Impact events. Asteroids hit earth frequently but are we prepared to spot and stop those large enough to cause mass devastation or extinction? The answer might... upset you.
Episode 232. Topic: Impact structures. Theme: Impact events. How has Earth been shaped by asteroid impacts? What is the biggest crater we know of? Can an asteroid leave a crater if it breaks apart before impact?
Episode 231. Topic: Finding the Chicxulub crater. Theme: Impact events. We now accept that an asteroid resulted in the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But how do we know it hit the Yucatan Peninsula?
Episode 230. Topic: Frederick Douglass. Theme: African American History. Who was Frederick Douglass and how did he rise to fame despite being born into slavery?
Episode 229. Topic: The great migration. Theme: African American History. Beginning around the first world war, millions of black Americans fled the south. Why did they leave and where did they go? How long did this migration last?
Episode 228. Topic: Henrietta Lacks. Theme: African American History. What are HeLa cells and how have they contributed to major scientific discoveries? Who are these cells from and why was their acquisition unethical?
Episode 227. Topic: History of the NAACP. Theme: African American History. When and why was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People established? What are some of their historical achievements? What are they up to today?
Episode 226. Topic: Ida B. Wells. Theme: African American History. Who was Ida B. Wells? What drove her to journalistic fame and how did she contribute to society?
Episode 225. Topic: Hibernation. Theme: Sleep. What is hibernation and is it related to sleep? What makes a true hibernator? Could humans ever hibernate?
Episode 224. Topic: Sleep paralysis. Theme: Sleep. Have you ever found yourself awake yet paralyzed in bed? Maybe you feel terrified or see demons or ghosts? This may be sleep paralysis! What is it and what helps alleviate it?
Episode 223. Topic: How sleep changes with age. Theme: Sleep. Why do teenagers go to bed later and wake up later? Why is this more intense in teenage boys? Why do elder adults wake up so early and was does grandpa take so many naps?
Episode 222. Topic: Fatal familial insomnia. Theme: Sleep. How can a genetic disease cause incurable and fatal insomnia? How does this disease work and are you likely to get it?
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Episode 221. Topic: Sleep deprivation. Theme: Sleep. What happens when you go without sleep in the short term and the long term? What are the records for longest time without sleep and why is it so dangerous?
Episode 220. Topic: Trading stocks. Theme: Artificial intelligence. How does AI run the modern stock market? How pervasive is this technology? How good is this technology relative to human traders? Why does AI fall short?
Episode 219. Topic: Chess. Theme: Artificial intelligence. How does computer chess work? Are computer chess programs better than humans? How do computer chess programs compete and which is the best right now?
Episode 218. Topic: Neural networks. Theme: Artificial intelligence. How has the human brain inspired computational approaches to machine learning? How, generally, do neural networks work and how are they used?
Episode 217. Topic: Supervised learning. Theme: Artificial intelligence. How does a machine learn to do a task? One of the simpler algorithms is supervised learning. How does it work and when is it implemented?
Episode 216. Topic: The Turing test. Theme: Artificial intelligence. Who was Alan Turing? How did he help develop the theory of artificial intelligence? How could you tell if true human-level artificial intelligence is reached?
Episode 215. Topic: Adaptation to wildfires. Theme: Fires. How do plants and animals adapt to the natural occurrence of wild fires? Why are wild fires necessary for some plants and animals to reproduce and thrive?
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Episode 214. Topic: Indigenous fire management. Theme: Fires. How did native people utilize fire to shape their environments? How did they manage wild fires? How can these practices help modern fire management?
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Episode 213. Topic: Nero and The Great Fire of Rome. Theme: Fires. What was the Great Fire of Rome and did Nero really play the fiddle during it? Why are the historical accounts debated? And did this ultimately take down Emperor Nero?
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Episode 212. Topic: The Great Chicago Fire. Theme: Fires. A huge fire broke out in 1871 in Chicago which destroyed a large part of the city. What caused this fire? Was it a cow?
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Episode 211. Topic: The Great Fire of London. Theme: Fires. In 1666, London experienced a massive fire. How did it start and how much of the city did it destroy? How and when did it end? Did anyone get in trouble?
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Episode 210. Topic: Tumbleweeds. Theme: Invasive species. Tumbleweeds and their symbolism are common in America. Did you know most tumbleweeds in America are actually an invasive bush species? Where did they come from and why are they dangerous?
Episode 209. Topic: Kudzu. Theme: Invasive species. Kudzu is everywhere in America, growing on whatever it can. Where does Kudzu come from and why was it so successful as an invasive species? How are we fighting back?
Episode 208. Topic: The red imported fire ant. Theme: Invasive species. The red fire ant has taken over the southern United States. Where did this ant come from and why were these ants so successful? How far has this invasive species spread?
Episode 207. Topic: The lionfish. Theme: Invasive species. How did the lionfish get into Caribbean waters? How do they affect reef biodiversity? Can we eat them to get rid of them?
Episode 206. Topic: Too many mussels. Theme: Invasive species. Zebra mussels have invaded waters around the world with devastating consequences. Where did these mussels come from and how can they be defeated?
Episode 205. Topic: Is porn bad for you? Theme: Addiction. Is porn addictive? Does watching porn negatively affect someone's relationship to sex? What does lifting bans on pornographic content do to a society?
Episode 204. Topic: Cocaine and the US war on drugs. Theme: Addiction. How has cocaine legality evolved in the US and how have drug type disparities led to unequal incarceration of African Americans?
Episode 203. Topic: Treatments for opiate addiction. Theme: Addiction. How can someone overcome opiate addiction even with severe physical withdrawals? How do they work and how well are they adhered to?
Episode 202. Topic: Alcohol dependence. Theme: Addiction. How does frequent alcohol consumption change brain chemistry? Why does this make stopping outright dangerous?
Episode 201. Topic: Opium wars. Theme: Addiction. Why did the British try to get opium into China and why were there two wars fought over this?
Episode 200. Topic: Wagyu beef. Theme: Cooking. What is Wagyu (Kobe) beef and why do so few cattle qualify for this title? Why is this beef so expensive and is it really worth the price?
Episode 199. Topic: New world, new foods. Theme: Cooking. What foods were introduced after contact between the eastern world and the Americas? How have these foods been rebranded?
Episode 198. Topic: Truffles. Theme: Cooking. What are truffles and why are they so popular and expensive?
Episode 197. Topic: Cooking away nutrients? Theme: Cooking. Does cooking vegetables remove vitamins? Does it depend on how you cook? Here we look at one paper investigating this question.
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Episode 196. Topic: Fermentation. Theme: Cooking. What is fermentation and how is it used to create energy from humans to bacteria? How is it used and cooking and what are some common fermented foods?
Episode 195. Topic: The Navajo language. Theme: Indigenous Americans. Why did the Navajo language decline in the last two centuries? How has it been revitalized? Why is the grammar of Navajo unique and how has it been used as a code language in war?
Episode 194. Topic: Immune system genetics. Theme: Indigenous Americans. How have centuries of disease shaped native populations? How do the immune systems of indigenous peoples today compare to those before contact?
Episode 193. Topic: Blood quantum. Theme: Indigenous Americans. What is blood quantum and why does it play a role in tribal membership? How can this rule prevent children of tribal members from joining?
Episode 192. Topic: US reservations. Theme: Indigenous Americans. What are reservations? When and why were reservations created? How does US law apply in these zones?
Episode 191. Topic: Beringia. Theme: Indigenous Americans. How did native populations enter the Americas? Why do we think humans were in the Americas long before that? What is Beringia and who are the descendants of the peoples that lived there?
Episode 190. Topic: Vitiligo. Theme: Skin. What is vitiligo and what causes it? How is it treated?
Episode 189. Topic: Albinism. Theme: Skin. What is albinism and how common it is in human populations? Non-human populations? Why does having albinism put you at risk in some countries?
Episode 188. Topic: Evolution of human skin color. Theme: Skin. How has human skin color evolved over millions of years and then again in just the last 100,000? What does skin color tell us about our ancestors and UV?
Episode 187. Topic: Tanning and skin cancer. Theme: Skin. How does tanning increase one's risk for skin cancer? How has this knowledge affected the skin tanning industry?
Episode 186. Topic: Hormones and acne. Theme: Skin. How does acne happen and how do hormones affect it? Is it all about hormones all the time or is there more going on?
Episode 185. Topic: The debt vs the deficit. Theme: Debt. How can a country run a deficit and how can a whole country be in debt? Who do countries like the US owe money to?
Episode 184 Topic: Credit scores. Theme: Debt. What is a credit score? How can it help you? How can it hurt you? Why should you learn yours?
Episode 183. Topic: Credit card debt spiral. Theme: Debt. How does credit card debt work and why can it get so out of hand?
Episode 182. Topic: Student loan insanity. Theme: Debt. Why have student loans ballooned in the last two decades? Who is to blame?
Episode 181. Topic: The mortgage. Theme: Debt. How do mortgages work? How do second mortgages work? How has mortgage availability shaped suburbanization?
Episode 180. Topic: Sex ratios. Theme: Pregnancy. Why are more boys born than girls despite the fact that males are more likely to not survive a full term pregnancy?
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Episode 179. Topic: Blood type incompatibility. Theme: Pregnancy. What happens if a pregnant female has a different blood type than her fetus? Why can this be dangerous?
Episode 178. Topic: Healing wounds. Theme: Pregnancy. Did you know that when a female is pregnant, stem cells from the fetus circulate in the mother's blood long after birth and go on to help her heal wounds? Learn more about this crazy topic!
Episode 177. Topic: Anti-antibodies. Theme: Pregnancy. Pregnant women create a special type of antibody that has proved useful for treating certain autoimmune diseases. How does that work?
Episode 176. Topic: Types of twins. Theme: Pregnancy. You may have heard of identical and fraternal twins but have you heard on conjoined twins? How about half sibling twins? Half identical twins?
Episode 175. Topic: Gasoline vs electric. Theme: Cars. In the early era of car use, electric was dominant. Why and when did gasoline take over? Why only now has electric come back into popularity?
Episode 174. Topic: The crash test dummy problem. Theme: Cars. Crash test dummies help improve car safety. However, why was a female crash test dummy only recently invented and why is is still not "female"?
Episode 173. Topic: What are emission standards? Theme: Cars. What does it mean to regulate car emissions? Does this help climate change? How can trade agreements help reduce emissions?
Episode 172. Topic: The fight for seat belts. Theme: Cars. When were seat belts invented and when were they finally in cars and actually mandated? Do seat belts make drivers safe or do they make us more confident?
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Episode 171. Topic: The first cars. Theme: Cars. When were cars invented? What did early versions of cars use as fuel? When did they become popular?
Episode 170. Topic: Babies and classical music. Theme: Music. What is the logic behind the parenting advice to have babies listen to classical music? Is this true and what is the science behind this claim?
Episode 169. Topic: People who do not like music. Theme: Music. Why are some people indifferent to music? How many are like this? What is the psychology behind this?
Episode 168. Topic: Why Mozart was great. Theme: Music. Who was Mozart and why has his music stood the test of time?
Episode 167. Topic: Stradivarius. Theme: Music. What is a Stradivarius stringed instrument and why are they so expensive? Are they truly better in the eyes of science?
Episode 166. Topic: Why Pomp and Circumstance. Theme: Music. Why is the song Pomp and Circumstance played at every US graduation? Do other countries have their own graduation song?
Episode 165. Topic: Koalas and chlamydia. Theme: STDs. Chlamydia infections in some wild koala populations can be as high as 100%. Should you be worried about catching chlamydia from just touching a koala?
Episode 164. Topic: How HPV causes cancer. Theme: STDs. HPV is the most common STD and can cause cancer in both men and women. How does that work and can you protect yourself?
Episode 163. Topic: Why we cannot cure herpes. Theme: STDs. Herpes is one of the most common viral STDs. If you catch it, you will have it for life as it is incurable. We can immunize and cure other viruses so why not herpes?
Episode 162. Topic: Where did HIV come from? Theme: STDs. HIV, unlike other STDs or diseases, has only plagued mankind for a few decades. So where did this virus come from?
Episode 161. Topic: Syphilis brain. Theme: STDs. Syphilis progresses in three stages that can span decades of a person's life. In tertiary syphilis, the infection can reach the brain. What happens next?
Episode 160. Topic: The Vasa. Theme: Shipwrecks. The famous Swedish Vasa shipwreck was recovered and is on display in Stockholm, Sweden. What happened and why did the ship go down on its maiden voyage?
Episode 159. Topic: Simultaneous castaways. Theme: Shipwrecks. The story of the time two ships wrecked on Auckland Island yet neither knew the other existed. Why was one more successful than the other?
Episode 158. Topic: Stranded in the Arctic. Theme: Shipwrecks. Why did the USS Jeanette sail through The Bering Strait hoping to sail directly to the north pole? What went wrong?
Episode 157. Topic: Stranded in the Antarctic. Theme: Shipwrecks. This is the amazing story of Earnest Shackleton's march over Antarctica when his ship sank.
Episode 156. Topic: Franklin’s expedition. Theme: Shipwrecks. The story of the long lost expedition that disappeared while attempting to discover the northwest passage. What happened to the crew?
Episode 155. Topic: The banana republic. Theme: Dictatorship. What does the term "banana republic" mean? Where does it come from and does it actually involve bananas?
Episode 154. Topic: The Venezuela crisis. Theme: Dictatorship. What is causing the current political instability in Venezuela? Why is the current leader contested? Is it really all about socialism or something else?
Episode 153. Topic: Do not kill the sparrows. Theme: Dictatorship. What caused the great Chinese famine that lasted from 1959 to 1961? And why did China have to import sparrows from the USSR to stop it?
Episode 152. Topic: Gaddafi and Switzerland. Theme: Dictatorship. Why did Gaddagi, the former leader of Libya, want to break up and destroy Switzerland?
Episode 151. Topic: Caesar and the origin of dictatorship. Theme: Dictatorship. Where does the word and idea of dictatorship come from? Was dictator always a negative word?
Episode 150. Topic: Histrionic. Theme: Personality disorders. What is histrionic personality disorder and how is it related to antisocial personality disorder?
Episode 149. Topic: Borderline. Theme: Personality disorders. What is borderline personality disorder? Why is this disorder so dangerous? Is it the same thing as bipolar disorder?
Episode 148. Topic: Schizoid. Theme: Personality disorders. What is schizoid personality disorder and why are affected individuals so hard to study?
Episode 147. Topic: Antisocial. Theme: Narcissistic. What is narcissistic personality disorder? What does someone with this disorder act like? And why is it so hard to treat?
Episode 146. Topic: Antisocial. Theme: Personality disorders. What is antisocial personality disorder? Are there any links to genetics or environment? Are there treatments available?
Episode 145. Topic: Artificial intelligence authorship. Theme: Literature. AI can write articles and even summarize the works of other humans. How close is AI to writing the next hit novel?
Episode 144. Topic: Academic papers. Theme: Literature. How does science get published and why can it take many months?
Episode 143. Topic: Banned books. Theme: Literature. Why have books been banned throughout history? What are some examples? Is it still happening today?
Episode 142. Topic: The most read secular books. Theme: Literature. What is the most read (non-religious) book of all time? Why is this a difficult question to answer?
Episode 141. Topic: The first author. Theme: Literature. Who was the first known author and what did they write about? And what defines literature and authorship?
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Episode 140. Topic: Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease. Theme: Cancer. Is it possible to catch someone else's cancer? It is for Tasmanian devils and the consequences may drive this species to extinction.
Episode 139. Topic: The deadliest cancers. Theme: Cancer. What type of cancer is the deadliest? Which kills the most and which has the highest mortality rate? Are they different?
Episode 138. Topic: Cures. Theme: Cancer. We often dream that in the future all cancer will be curable. But, what is the reality of cancer cures? Are there cancers that are already curable?
Episode 137. Topic: Chemotherapy. Theme: Cancer. How exactly does chemotherapy work to stop cancer growth?
Episode 136. Topic: Cancer Stages. Theme: Cancer. What does it mean to have stage 2 cancer? How many stages are there and what do they tell us?
Episode 135. Topic: Bat bombs. Theme: War. In World War II, the United States attempted to develop incendiaries delivered by bats. What was the reason and results of this military program?
Episode 134. Topic: How nuclear fusion bombs work. Theme: War. How do modern hydrogen bombs work and how does it differ from the original fission weapons?
Episode 133. Topic: How nuclear fission bombs work. Theme: War. How did the original nuclear weapons work? How are they different from modern day ones?
Episode 132. Topic: Invading on ice. Theme: War. In 1658, Sweden invaded Denmark. It was also the coldest winter in recorded history.
Episode 131. Topic: Why Sparta was so militaristic. Theme: War. Sparta, the city state in ancient Greece, was known for their extreme militaristic culture. Why was their society like that and how long did it last?
Episode 130. Topic: Pigeons. Theme: Navigation. Some of the best navigators in the world are pigeons. Why is this? How have pigeons played a major role in warfare? What else are pigeons used for?
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Episode 129. Topic: How sailing works. Theme: Navigation. How can someone sail a boat into the wind? You might be surprised to learn what sails a boat can fly a plane!
Episode 128. Topic: Global positioning system. Theme: Navigation. How does GPS work? How many satellites are required and why is special relativity involved?
Episode 127. Topic: The longitude problem. Theme: Navigation. Longitude is how far east and west of the prime meridian you are. Why for so long was this coordinate so difficult to correctly calculate?
Episode 126. Topic: Celestial navigation. Theme: Navigation. How can you know where you are on the globe using the position of the sun or stars?
Episode 125. Topic: Weather and war. Theme: Weather. Has the weather ever affected the outcome of a war? A battle? Has it potentially changed history?
Episode 124. Topic: The Everest climbing window. Theme: Weather. Why do people only climb Mt. Everest in the same annual two week period? Do people ever climb off season?
Episode 123. Topic: Getting struck by lightning. Theme: Weather. What does it mean to get struck by lightning? Is it fatal? How common is it and who has been struck the most?
Episode 122. Topic: Is weather getting worse? Theme: Weather. Have you felt that extreme weather has been increasing over the last 20 years? Is this empirically true for all weather?
Episode 121. Topic: How hurricanes are tracked. Theme: Weather. How do we know where hurricanes are headed many days or even a week in advance? How has this technology evolved and how accurate is it?
Episode 120. Topic: Covid vaccines. Theme: Vaccines. What is the current state of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development?
Episode 119. Topic: Why some vaccines cannot be created. Theme: Vaccines. Why do some diseases like the common cold, malaria, and HIV lack vaccines?
Episode 118. Topic: Secret government chickens. Theme: Vaccines. How is the flu vaccine created and why does it require an arsenal of secret chickens funded by the government?
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Episode 117. Topic: The types of vaccines. Theme: Vaccines. What are the different classes of vaccine and why might one be used over another? What are the pros and cons? What type of vaccine could a coronavirus vaccine be?
Episode 116. Topic: How vaccines work. Theme: Vaccines. What is the mechanism behind how a vaccine provides immunity to humans?
Episode 115. Topic: Why the best are the best. Theme: Fitness. We take a look at three athletes who are the best at sprinting, marathons, and swimming. Why are these individuals the best physiologically?
Episode 114. Topic: How body building works. Theme: Fitness. How do individuals create the physique found in body building? Is this practice safe?
Episode 113. Topic: Running and human evolution. Theme: Fitness. Is it true humans are designed to run marathons? What are the theories behind human running evolution and do they support extreme distance running today?
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Episode 112. Topic: The psychology of an exercise high. Theme: Fitness. What is an exercise or runners high? What causes it? Are there negatives to this feeling?
Episode 111. Topic: How do humans compare? Theme: Fitness. How athletic are humans compared to other animals? Is there anything humans excel at?
Episode 110. Topic: How does a show get to Broadway? Theme: Art. Broadway is a high budget high production theater venue in New York City. How do shows manage to snag a theater and become a Broadway show?
Episode 109. Topic: The history of theater. Theme: Art. Theater is common form of entertainment all around the world but where does this practice originate? Do we know about ancient plays? How does culture shape or even prevent theater?
Episode 108. Topic: Traditional animation. Theme: Art. How are animated movies made when every frame must be drawn by hand? And how has technology changed this process?
Episode 107. Topic: Why is the Mona Lisa famous? Theme: Art. The Mona Lisa is the most widely recognized piece of art on earth. But why is that? How did theft catapult this painting to a household name?
Episode 106. Topic: How tattoos work. Theme: Art. How can tattoo ink stay in human skin for so long? How widespread is this tradition? How does tattoo removal work?
Episode 105. Topic: Ocean acidification. Theme: Climate change. The ocean is becoming more acidic. What does this mean and how does it affect the ocean? Does it affect humans too?
Episode 104. Topic: Hairspray and the ozone. Theme: Climate change. How did hairspray contribute to the hole in the ozone? And have the regulations on hairspray helped repair the ozone? Why do we need the ozone anyway?!
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Episode 103. Topic: The runaway greenhouse effect Theme: Climate change. How did a runaway greenhouse effect change the atmosphere of Venus? And could the same thing happen on Earth?
Episode 102. Topic: What is an ice age? Theme: Climate change. Did you know we are in an ice age right now? What does that mean and then what was the period of glacial coverage 40,000 years ago?
Episode 101. Topic: The Permian–Triassic extinction event. Theme: Climate change. What was the biggest extinction event in history? What caused it and how does it compare to more recent extinction events?
Episode 100. Topic: Lead. Theme: Poisons. How does lead poisoning work and how has regulations on lead in paint and gasoline potentially improved society?
Episode 99. Topic: Carbon monoxide. Theme: Poisons. Why is carbon monoxide dangerous and what does exposure look like?
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Episode 98. Topic: Botox. Theme: Poisons. How does botox work? Where does this toxin come from and why is it a poison?
Episode 97. Topic: Mercury. Theme: Poisons. What does Mercury poisoning look like and how has it affected society?
Episode 96. Topic: Vitamin A. Theme: Poisons. How is vitamin A toxic in large quantities and when might you be exposed to that much?
Episode 95. Topic: The limits of distillation. Theme: Net neutrality. What is net neutrality and why has it become so popular over the last few years? What are the pros and cons of this philosophy?
Episode 94. Topic: Cookies and why we accept them. Theme: The internet. Why do websites ask us to accept cookies? What are cookies and why are they one the rise?
Episode 93. Topic: Y2K. Theme: The internet. Why were we so worried New Year's Eve 1999? Did anything bad actually happen?
Episode 92. Topic: The dot com bubble. Theme: The internet. What caused the dot come bubble and what popped it?
Episode 91. Topic: The history of the internet. Theme: The internet. Who invented the internet? Who was responsible and when did it become accessible? What about the world wide web and search engines?
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Episode 90. Topic: Do soda taxes work? Theme: Beverages. What are soda taxes and do they cut down sugar consumption in consumers?
Episode 89. Topic: The history of coffee. Theme: Beverages. Where did coffee come from and how did it grow to such popularity?
Episode 88. Topic: The pseudoscience of juice cleanses. Theme: Beverages. What is a juice cleanse and what is actually being cleansed? Is this real or a gimmick?
Episode 87. Topic: Milk marketing. Theme: Beverages. Why do humans drink milk as adults and how has it been shaped by marketing tactics?
Episode 86. Topic: The limits of distillation. Theme: Beverages. How does distillation work and how close can you get to 100% pure alcohol?
Episode 85. Topic: Cryptocurrency. Theme: Finance. Cryptocurrency has become very popular over the last decade but what maintains the value of a digital currency? And how can digital currency spike in value?
Episode 84. Topic: What are recessions? Theme: Finance. We enter and exit recessions all the time but what are recessions and what causes them?
Episode 83. Topic: Picking stocks vs index funds. Theme: Finance. What are the benefits of choosing investment in individually picked stocks or in an index fund? What even is a index fund?
Episode 82. Topic: What are stocks? Theme: Finance. What are these things called stocks and where do they originate? What does it mean to buy or sell them?
Episode 81. Topic: The history of money. Theme: Finance. Where does the concept of money and currency come from? How was it used historically and how is it used now?
Episode 80. Topic: The Olmec. Theme: Ancient civilizations. What was the first civilization in the Americas and what unique discoveries did this mysterious culture make?
Episode 79. Topic: China. Theme: Ancient civilizations.
How did the ancient Chinese civilization form and how has it evolved to modern day?
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Episode 78. Topic: The Indus Valley. Theme: Ancient civilizations. This recently uncovered ancient civilization in modern day Pakistan is still largely a mystery. What was the Indus River Valley civilization and why do we know so little about them?
Episode 77. Topic: Egypt. Theme: Ancient civilizations. How did the ancient Egyptian civilization begin and how long did it last?
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Episode 76. Topic: Mesopotamia. Theme: Ancient civilizations. What was the first human civilization and what happened to them?
Episode 75. Topic: Polydactyly and syndactyly. Theme: Rare traits. Polydactyly and syndactyly are having extra digits or webbed digits, respectively. Why does this happen and why might this be important for evolution?
Episode 74. Topic: HIV immunity. Theme: Rare traits. Some people are immune to HIV. How can this be possible?
Episode 73. Topic: Fast twitch muscles. Theme: Rare traits. Genetics tests can tell you if your muscles are fast or slow twitch. What does this mean and does this affect your athleticism?
Episode 72. Topic: Red hair. Theme: Rare traits. Some people are "red heads." How does this trait manifest and what are some unusual side effects?
Episode 71. Topic: The low cholesterol mutation. Theme: Rare traits. Most people have high cholesterol, but there is a mutation that can cause some people to have extremely low cholesterol. How does this work? Is it bad to have very low cholesterol?
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Episode 70. Topic: The space race. Theme: Competition. Learn about the US-USSR space race. What were the achievements, who won, and why??
Episode 69. Topic: The Nobel Prize. Theme: Competition. What is the history of the famous Nobel Prize? How does one win it and what is the reward?
Episode 68. Topic: The Ironman triathlon. Theme: Competition. What is the history and current reality of the insane Ironman triathlon?
Episode 67. Topic: Lumberjack competitions. Theme: Competition. An introduction to lumberjack competitions. Where do they come for and what events are there?
Episode 66. Topic: Spelling bees and dictionary contests. Theme: Competition. Why does English have spelling bees? And how can language become a contest in other languages?
Episode 65. Topic: Interesting milestones. Theme: Infancy. We all know the famous milestones -- sitting up, walking, and talking. But what other milestones do children reach that you may not even notice?
Episode 64. Topic: Babies do feel pain. Right? Theme: Infancy. We now accept that babies are capable of experiencing pain. You might be surprised to learn this is only recently accepted.
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Episode 63. Topic: The most popular birthday. Theme: Infancy. Why are babies on average more likely to be born in certain months? Why are specific days much lower?
Episode 62. Topic: Sounds we stop hearing. Theme: Infancy. At some point, our minds become fine tuned to the language we hear. That means infants lose the ability to hear every sound any language can make.
Episode 61. Topic: Are babies conscious? Theme: Infancy. Do we consider babies to be conscious?? The answer might surprise you.
Episode 60. Topic: Epinephrine. Theme: Allergies. How can epinephrine aid an allergic reaction and why is the drug so expensive?
Episode 59. Topic: An allergy to the sun. Theme: Allergies. Can you have an allergic reaction to sun exposure? What is actually happening here?
Episode 58. Topic: How Israel beat peanut allergies. Theme: Allergies. Why are peanut allergy rates lower in Israel?
Episode 57. Topic: Birth month and allergy development. Theme: Allergies. Why are individuals born in certain months more likely to develop food and seasonal allergies?
Episode 56. Topic: The hygiene hypothesis. Theme: Allergies. Why might our exposure to disease influence the development of allergies? How could this influence autoimmune disorders?
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Episode 55. Topic: Esperanto. Theme: Language. Can you create a language that is easy to learn? This is exactly what the popular international language "Esperanto" is!
Episode 54. Topic: The hardest language to learn. Theme: Language. When learning a new language, how much time will it take to become proficient? This is, of course, relative to your own native language.
Episode 53. Topic: Writing speed. Theme: Language. What language is fastest to write by hand? What about typing?
Episode 52. Topic: Language revival. Theme: Language. When a language goes extinct or nearly extinct, can it return?
Episode 51. Topic: Mutual intelligibility. Theme: Language. Why can someone who only speaks Italian and someone who only speaks Spanish understand each other? Can other languages do this?
Episode 50. Topic: Weaponized smallpox. Theme: Smallpox. How close did we come to bio-warfare using smallpox? Could it have worked and could it still be a threat today?
Episode 49. Topic: The smallpox cold war. Theme: Smallpox. Smallpox is kept in labs by at least two countries. Both refuse to destroy their stocks. Why?
Episode 48. Topic: | The last actual case of smallpox. Theme: Smallpox. Learn about how a laboratory mistake almost reintroduced smallpox back into the world and cost one woman her life.
Episode 47. Topic: The eradication of smallpox. Theme: Smallpox. Smallpox no longer exists. How did we get rid of it?
Episode 46. Topic: How old is smallpox? Theme: Smallpox. Where did this disease come from and how far back in history do we think smallpox existed? Did it infect anyone famous?
Episode 45. Topic: Affirmative action. Theme: College. What is the history of affirmative action and what does it look like today?
Episode 44. Topic: The Ivy League. Theme: College. What are the Ivy League schools and where does this term and reputation originate?
Episode 43. Topic: RateMyProfessor. Theme: College. How has this website that rates college professors influenced college education? Are there issues and biases with this public forum?
Episode 41. Topic: Dorm diseases. Theme: College. Living in close proximity can produce an optimal environment for diseases to spread.
Episode 41. Topic: The economics of expensive textbooks. Theme: College. Why are college textbooks so expensive? Why has their price outpaced inflation?
Episode 40. Topic: Pseudoephedrine. Theme: Over the counter medicine. What is pseudoephedrine and how does it work to relieve congestion? How is it abused and how does it compare to other amphetamines?
Episode 39. Topic: Robotripping. Theme: Over the counter medicine. What does cough syrup abuse look like? How dangerous and popular is it?
Episode 38. Topic: The morning-after pill. Theme: Over the counter medicine. How does plan B work and how effective is it?
Episode 37. Topic: How painkillers work. Theme: Over the counter medicine. Ever wonder how ibuprofen or acetaminophen work to stop pain? The answer is not as clear as you'd think.
Episode 36. Topic: Alka-Seltzer. Theme: Over the counter medicine. Learn about the story of Alka-Seltzer development and how the same marketing tricks still seems to work.
Episode 35. Topic: Hand wash vs dishwasher. Theme: Hygiene. We go after the age old debate on which is better -- washing dishes by hand or using the dish washing machine?
Episode 34. Topic: Are toilet wipes better? Theme: Hygiene. We've all seen the ads telling us to wipe our bits with wet wipes for a more sanitary finish. But is it actually more sanitary or just a marketing ploy?
Episode 33. Topic: The skin microbiome. Theme: Hygiene. What is the skin microbiome and how is it unique? What affects it and can you get rid of it?
Episode 32. Topic: Washing your hands. Theme: Hygiene. We've all been told to wash our hands for 20 seconds (especially given the pandemic). But why 20 seconds and what does hand washing actually do to viruses and bacteria?
Episode 31. Topic: The history of toothpaste. Theme: Hygiene. The history of toothpaste. How old is toothpaste and what did it look like before we understood the causes of tooth decay?
Episode 30. Topic: Dropping out. Theme: Education. What are the causes and consequences of dropping out of school around the world? And are there really benefits of being a college dropout?
Episode 29. Topic: Does a second language help? Theme: Education.
Growing up, is there an advantage or disadvantage to bilingualism? And does that change in adulthood?
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Episode 28. Topic: Cram schools. Theme: Education. What are cram schools and why are they so popular particularly among Asian countries?
Episode 27. Topic: Intelligence Quotient. Theme: Education. Was does IQ mean, where does it originate, and what are the limits of this "intelligence" scale?
Episode 26. Topic: Summer vacation. Theme: Education. How did summer vacation become a world-shared policy? Hint: It has nothing to do with farmers.
Episode 25. Topic: The Rockefeller Christmas tree. Theme: Trees. What is the history and logistics of the giant Rockefeller Tree in New York City?
Episode 24. Topic: The love of palm trees. Theme: Trees. Why do people love palm trees so much and why are they in Los Angeles?
Episode 23. Topic: The sequoia. Theme: Trees.
Learn about the tallest tree species in the world. Where can they be found? How big are they? How does water manage to get to the top? Why are they endangered? Why is their genome different from other trees?
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Episode 22. Topic: Ancient bristlecone pines. Theme: Trees. These pines are the longest living sexually reproducing organisms. How do they do it?
Episode 21. Topic: Ginkgo, the lone survivor. Theme: Trees. Why is the Ginkgo tree so lonely? And is it secretly nuclear bomb resistant?
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Episode 20. Topic: Solar flares. Theme: The solar system. What are solar flares? What do they do and are they dangerous?
Episode 19. Topic: Space probes heading out. Theme: The solar system. There are space probes that have left the solar system! What does this mean and where are they going?
Episode 18. Topic: The dwarf planet Eris. Theme: The solar system. Did you know there are other dwarf planets besides Pluto?
Episode 17. Topic: Finding Neptune. Theme: The solar system. How and who discovered Neptune -- and why did they know where to look?
Episode 16. Topic: Landing probes on Venus. Theme: The solar system. Why is landing on the surface of Venus so difficult and why have we stopped trying?
Episode 15. Topic: Abandoned boa constrictors. Theme: Pets. Boa constrictors are not native to Florida -- yet they can be found in abundance in the everglades. Why is that?
Episode 14. Topic: Teacup pig scams. Theme: Pets. Is there really such a thing as a tiny pig that can fit inside a teacup? Or is it just a baby that will grow into an 300 pound pig?
Episode 12. Topic: Exotic pets in the 1960s. Theme: Pets. A time where walking your cheetah was fashionable and pet turtles were highly exotic!
Episode 11. Topic: Fox domestication. Theme: Pets. We all know that dogs are domesticated wolves. But did you know there are active efforts to domesticate foxes?
Episode 10. Topic: Belgian blue. Theme: Modified food. What is the Belgian blue cow and why is it so muscular?
Episode 9. Topic: Golden rice. Theme: Modified food. What is golden rice and why did it flop?
Episode 8. Topic: Acorns, the lost almonds. Theme: Modified food. Why were acorns never fully domesticated?
Episode 7. Topic: Banana swap. Theme: Modified food. Why did the whole world change to a new variety of banana? Will we have to do it again?
Episode 6. Topic: Seedless watermelon. Theme: Modified food. How do you create and maintain a seedless watermelon?
Episode 5. Topic: Conscription. Theme: Government policies. What are global policies for compulsory military service?
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 4. Topic: Age for alcohol consumption. Theme: Government policies. When can you buy or drink alcohol around the world?
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Episode 3. Topic: Passport power. Theme: Government policies. What does it mean when a passport is powerful? What countries have the most and least powerful passport?
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Episode 2. Topic: What you cannot name your child. Theme: Government policies. Laws regarding what parents can and cannot name their child around the world.
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New episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Find us everywhere podcasts are found.
Episode 1. Topic: Daylight Savings. Theme: Government policies. What is the history of daylight savings and what does it look like in the modern era?
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