The Science Jerks: Real Science, Real Comedians, Real Funny

245: Gravity, IQ, Governance and Change

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 13:23:42 -0000

Just Chan and Dave this week, as we greet Chan's new baby, Egon, and talk about the future of the show. Please stay tuned for our new show format coming soon!

Gravity measured

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/neutron-star-collision-gravitational-waves

IQ and Anxiety

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-news-for-the-highly-intelligent/

BREATHATARIANS DO EXIST

http://www.newsweek.com/bizarre-antarctic-bacteria-live-air-alone-could-show-exactly-how-alien-life-742631

CASTLE IN THE SKY

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/the-earths-first-self-declared-space-kingdom-is-orbiting-overhead

The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997

244: Erik Barnes on A Trip To The Moon, Minority Reporting with Music and the Social Pressures of Duck Penises

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Erik Barnes (@ErikWBarnes) joins us to talk about the new political push to go to the moon, an attempt to pick out psychopaths by music tastes and how duck penises respond to a drake's position in society.

Don't Fall on the Moon

https://www.popsci.com/astronaut-hurt-moon-rescue#page-3

MINORITY REPORT IS COMING

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/26/playlist-of-the-lambs-psychopaths-prefer-rap-over-classical-music-study-shows

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/science/stanford-sexual-orientation-study.html

Duck Penis Politics

https://www.popsci.com/duck-penis-social-pressure

243: Erik Barnes on Falling Chinese Space Stations, Psychedelic Depression Treatments and Texture Camouflage

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 09:04:14 -0000

Comedian Erik Barnes (@ErikWBarnes) joins us to talk about the impending crash to Earth of a disabled Chinese Space Station, how microdosing psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms, has had positive results treating depression and anxiety, and a new type of camouflage that incorporates texture, much like the mighty octopus.

THIS IS GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TIANGONG

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/13/tiangong-1-chinese-space-station-will-crash-to-earth-within-months

Magic Mushroom Make you Magically Undepressed

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2150305-magic-mushroom-extract-changes-brains-of-people-with-depression/

STEALING CLOAKING TECHNOLOGY FROM THE KLINGO- ER, OCTOPUSES

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171012143313.htm

242: Winston Carter on Liquid Cremation, Enumerating Emotions and The Persistence of Human Evolution

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Winston Carter returns to talk about the controversial new method for cremating human remains with chemicals instead of fire, how many distinct emotions humans have and the ways in which humans are still evolving.

WRING OUT YOUR DEAD

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dissolve-the-dead-controversy-swirls-around-liquid-cremation/

WE'VE GOT EMOTION DOWN TO A SCIENCE

http://news.berkeley.edu/2017/09/06/27-emotions/

STILL EVOLVING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

http://www.popsci.com/humans-are-still-evolving#page-2

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

241: Winston Carter on Immortal Fruit Flies, Amazing/Terrifying Face Detection and Skin Cell Transmutation

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Winston Carter joins us to talk about a new technique to extend the lifespan of fruit flies, how amazingly good face detection algorithms have become and a way to turn skin cells into motor neurons.

WE'VE MADE FRUIT FLIES IMMORTAL

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-biologists-slow-aging-extend-lifespan-of-fruit-flies

BAD NEWS FOR INCOGNITO MOVIESTARS AND ANTIFA PROTESTORS

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2146703-even-a-mask-wont-hide-you-from-the-latest-face-recognition-tech/

TURNING SKIN INTO MOTOR NEURONS

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170907132836.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

240: Nate Siggard on Zika Killing Cancer, The SELF-DRIVE Act and Postpartum Depression in Men

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 03:19:47 -0000

Artist Nate Siggard (SkinMotion.com) returns to chat with us about how the Zika virus is being used to fight Cancer, what the new driverless car legislation means for the future of driving and how postpartum depression in new fathers can lower stress in mothers. Plus we talk about the biological roots of racism.

ZIKA CURES CANCER! SORT OF.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2146356-we-may-be-able-to-use-zika-virus-to-attack-brain-cancer-cells/

CONGRESS MIGHT DO SOMETHING RIGHT

https://www.wired.com/story/congress-self-driving-car-law-bill/

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN DADS CAN BE GOOD FOR MOMS

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905145535.htm

Check out the Skin Motion Augmented Reality Tattoo App for iPhone and Android in the Apple Store and on Google Play.

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

239: Nate Siggard on Neutron Star Collisions, Democratic Dogs and Heat-Resistant Streets

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 08:26:11 -0000

Artist Nate Siggard (SkinMotion.com) joins us to talk about a possible collision of neutron stars found by the LIGO gravitational wave detector, how packs of wild dogs in Africa vote by sneezing, and how the city of Los Angeles is fighting warming by making white streets.

LIGO TRACKING BIGGEST EXPLOSION EVER RECORDED

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rumors-swirl-ligo-snagged-gravitational-waves-neutron-star-collision?tgt=nr

AFRICA: BIRTHPLACE OF DEMOCRACY

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905202954.htm

L.A. APPLYING SPF 1000000

http://www.popsci.com/la-is-painting-its-streets-white-to-keep-city-cool

Check out the Skin Motion Augmented Reality Tattoo App for iPhone and Android in the Apple Store and on Google Play.

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

238: Gerard Dean Peters on Millions of Black Holes, Marathon Microbes and Mobile Jewelry

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Gerard Dean Peters returns to talk to us about the recent discovery that there's way more Black Holes than we thought, the fact that marathon runners have a special runners' biome and what's the deal with roving jewelry. Plus we look into what Neil Armstrong or Buzz would have done if they had gotten stuck on the moon.

THERE'S SO MANY BLACK HOLES

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/we-share-milky-way-100-million-black-holes

CAN BACTERIA TURN YOU INTO AN ULTRAMARATHONER?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170820075017.htm

LIVING JEWELRY IS LIKE BEING COVERED IN BUGS

https://curiosity.com/topics/project-kino-is-living-jewelry-that-moves-around-your-body-like-an-insect-curiosity?utm_source=iosapp

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

237: Gerard Dean Peters on Asteroid Fly-Bys, Super-Volcano Solutions and Language Ethics

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Gerard Dean Peters stops by to help us take a look at some near-Earth Asteroids headed our way, what we should be doing to fight super-volcanoes and why speaking in your non-native language helps you to be more logical, and less emotional.

EARTH GRAZIN'

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/212546/20170812/asteroid-expected-to-skim-past-earth-in-october.htm

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/212740/20170819/large-near-earth-asteroid-to-safely-zoom-past-the-planet-on-sept-1.htm

TAPPING SUPER-VOLCANOES

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2017/08/a-greater-threat-than-asteroids-earths-20-known-supervolcanoes-erupt-once-every-100000-years.html

FOREIGNER LANGUAGES MAKE YOU MORE LOGICAL (or MAKE THE PRESIDENT SPEAK SPANISH!)

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170817141717.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

236: Miles Roberts on The A.I. Apocalypse, Ebola Semen and Augmented Reality Ads

Thu, 17 Aug 2017 09:02:42 -0000

Miles Roberts (@milesboberts) returns to talk about what it means that two artificial intelligence robots learned their own language, why Ebola RNA is still showing up in survivors semen and how the "Third Space" of Augmented Reality is already selling adspace.

A.I. APOCALYPSE

http://www.snopes.com/facebook-ai-developed-own-language/

HELP! THERE'S EBOLA IN MY JIZZ!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170802152532.htm

AR ADS ARE EVERYWHERE!

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2142857-augmented-reality-graffiti-will-lead-to-advertising-ambush-wars/

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

235: Miles Roberts on NASA's Planetary Protection Officer, Americans Getting Slower and The Cockroaches & The Bees

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Miles Roberts (@milesboberts) joins us talk about NASA's job posting for a Planetary Protection Officer, why American runners have been getting slower and cockroaches that farm mushrooms. Plus we take a close look at sexuality in space.

PLANETARY PROTECTION OFFICER IS PROBABLY NOT THE JOB YOU THINK IT IS

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/03/541352728/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-be-nasa-s-next-planetary-protection-officer

AMERICANS ARE GETTING SLOWER (AT RUNNING)

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/07/09/536030467/why-are-american-runners-getting-slower

COCKROACH FARMERS

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170803091907.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

234: Riley Silverman on Bacteria That Make You Altruistic, How Your Health Might Affect Your Children and How to Tell if Someone is Poor

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Standup Riley Silverman (@ryesilverman) returns to help us figure out if your gut bacteria can make you a good person, if your health choices can affect your offspring and why poor people look like poor, plus we get deep into genetic engineering, CRISPR, the transporter dilemma and debate the existence of a soul!

Can your guts make you more altruistic?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-microbes-encourage-altruism/

EPIGENETICS PLAY A ROLE IN EMBRYOGENESIS

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170717100548.htm

Do I look poor to you?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170705133020.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

233: Riley Silverman on Radio Signal From The Stars, Insomnia Evolution and Those Indestructible Water Bears

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Standup Riley Silverman (@ryesilverman) joins us to talk about some weird signals from deep space, is it aliens? Plus has insomnia evolved in humans for a reason? And can anything kill Tardigrades, a.k.a. Water Bears?

ALIENS!? IT'S ALIENS, ISN'T IT?!

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/17/15982656/arecibo-observatory-ross-128-red-dwarf-radio-waves-signal

INSOMNIA IS A GOOD THING?

http://www.futurity.org/sleep-insomnia-hadza-1486762-2/

TARDIGRADES!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170714071459.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

232: Kash Abdulmalik on Bacterial Dust Storms, Punk Rock Cockatoos and Disinfecting Nanobots

Thu, 13 Jul 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Kash Abdulmalik(@KashAbdulmalik) returns to look into how dust storms can affect your allergies, biomes and general health, one of the only animals that plays the drums in the wild and the invention of a passively self-powered nanobot that can clean up stagnant water. Plus can we build a highway to the moon?

SANDSTORM BIOMES

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170627105407.htm

PUNK ROCK COCKATOOS

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-palm-cockatoos-ringo-starr.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyX8DuBKPZc

WATER NANOBOTS

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170628131355.htm

Try Ciaccio's game "Space Captain Pinball" available now in the App Store for iPhone/iPad! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-captain-pinball/id1231668629

231: Kash Abdulmalik on Geckoskin in Space, The Yellowstone Super-Volcano and How Not To Tell If Someone Is Attractive

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Kash Abdulmalik (@KashAbdulmalik) joins us to talk about how the superior gripping power of geckos is helping clean up space junk, what would happen if the Yellowstone Caldera exploded and why judging your attraction someone based on their headshots isn't very accurate. Plus we look into claims that B17 cures cancer. Is it true?

GECKOS IN SPACE

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2139071-gecko-inspired-robot-has-grippers-that-could-clean-up-space-junk/

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO/EVIDENCE OF VOLCANOS ENDING TRIASSIC

http://www.newsweek.com/yellowstone-supervolcano-earthquake-swarm-update-eruption-risk-629272

https://www.seeker.com/earth/animals/massive-volcanic-eruptions-triggered-the-dinosaur-age

YOU CAN'T TELL HOTNESS FROM PICTURES

http://www.futurity.org/tinder-dates-in-person-1466402-2/

230: Elyssa Phillips on Entangled Codes, Multi-Dimensional Brains and Electric Pee

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy writer and actor Elyssa Phillips (@elyssamp) returns to chat with us about chinese entangled particle technology, how brains are wired to store info in up to 11 different mathematical dimensions, and how a waste urine processing plant started making electricity. Plus we figure out if water is wet and what constitutes music!

THE CHINESE GO QUANTUM
https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/quantum-entanglement-transmitted-through-space
BRAINS BE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612094100.htm
LET'S ALL DRINK ELECTRIC PEE!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170615133153.htm

229: Elyssa Phillips on A City On Mars, Cybersleep and The Willpower of Kids

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy writer and actor Elyssa Phillips (@elyssamp) joins us to discuss Elon Musk's plan to start a civilization on Mars, a new way to possibly induce long-term sleep, and why some kids in Africa have more willpower than kids in the western world. Plus we take a look into nuclear power and the water in New York. MUSK ME TO MARS https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musk-publishes-plans-for-colonizing-mars THE SCIENCE OF CRYOSLEEP https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/tech/cryosleep-may-be-key-deep-space-missions-here-s-how-ncna770961 AFRICAN KIDS BETTER THAN AMERICAN KIDS https://www.sciencenews.org/article/african-farmers-kids-conquer-marshmallow-test?tgt=nr The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

228: Peter Hyoguchi on T-Rex Feathers, CRISPR Human Trials and The Hole In Mars

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Peter Hyoguchi (peterhyoguchi.com) returns to talk with us about T-Rex's newfound lack of feathers, the results of China testing gene editing on humans and a conspiracy-rich hole on Mars. Plus we figure out if it's possible to talk to squirrels. FIRST THEY HAD LIZARD SKIN, THEN CHICKEN FEATHERS, NOW FISH SCALES? http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/world-s-only-fossils-t-rex-skin-suggest-it-was-covered-scales-not-feathers THERE'S DEFINITELY A SARLACC PIT ON MARS http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mystery-pit-on-mars_us_59384375e4b0b13f2c664c83?8ie&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009 Donate to Peter's new film at: https://www.patreon.com/peterhyoguchi The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

227: Peter Hyoguchi on Ancient Human Skulls, Reading Monkey Brains and Electrically Stimulating Creativity

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Peter Hyoguchi (peterhyoguchi.com) joins us to get into the new oldest human bones ever found, a technique for reading human facial representations in the brains of monkeys and how electrical stimulation to the head might increase creativity. Plus we talk about climate science and get deep into some conspiracy theories. HUMANITY GETS OLDER - 100,000 YEARS OLDER https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/06/07/oldest-homo-sapiens-fossils-discovered-in-morocco/?utm_term=.76ae009087ed HOW ARE WE STORED IN MONKEY BRAINS https://www.newscientist.com/article/2133343-photos-of-human-faces-reassembled-from-monkeys-brain-signals/ HAVE WE REACHED PEAK ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY YET? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170607085455.htm Donate to Peter's new film at: https://www.patreon.com/peterhyoguchi The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

226: Bryan Musil on Crash-Resistant Microbes, The Odds on Future Science and Caligula's Orgy Ships!

Thu, 25 May 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy Writer Bryan Musil returns to help us figure out microbes that can travel through space as well as survive the landing, the betting odds on which technologies will happen soon and Italy's search for Caligula's missing orgy ship. Microbes are unbreakable https://www.newscientist.com/article/2131136-microbes-might-thrive-after-crash-landing-on-board-a-meteorite/?campaign_id=RSS%7CNSNS- ODDS ON BREAKTHROUGHS https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431250-500-odds-on-10-science-breakthroughs-you-can-bet-on/ The search for Caligula's orgy ships. https://www.seeker.com/culture/archaeology/mystery-of-emperor-caligulas-party-ship-to-be-revealed-after-2000-years The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

225: Bryan Musil on 4D Drug Modeling, Endangered Mexican Dolphins and Shocking Coma Patients

Thu, 18 May 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy Writer Bryan Musil joins us to talk about new ways of modeling drugs on the molecular level, why the last few dozen vaquitas (mexican porpoises) may soon be gone, and a new shock treatment that might be helping coma patients. ALGORITHMS - NO, WAIT! DRUG ALGORITHMS! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515150711.htm Mexican Dolphins are almost extinct http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/vaquita-extinct-world-rarest-animal-mexico-totoaba-swim-bladder-save-conservation-wwf-warns-a7738351.html Reviving Coma Patients. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2130795-brain-zaps-let-minimally-conscious-people-communicate-for-a-week/ The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

224: Andrew Fernandez on Robots Teaching Doctors, Poop Velocity and How To Go Back In Time

Thu, 11 May 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy writer Andrew Fernandez (@frankwarden) returns to discuss artificially intelligent robots that can help doctors on their bedside manner, brand new science on the poop rates of different mammals, and a math teacher who claimed to have figured out it how might be possible to go back in time, plus we look into where missing socks go and try to figure out the slowest thing on the planet. ROBOTS TEACH DOCTORS HOW TO BE HUMAN https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427091749.htm EVERYBODY POOPS, AND THEY DO IT AT THE SAME RATE https://phys.org/news/2017-04-physics-poowhy-elephant-amount.html http://www.popsci.com/everyone-poops TIME TRAVEL? ASK A MATHEMATICIAN https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427091717.htm The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

223: Andrew Fernandez on Traveling To The Stars, Making Bricks Out Of Mars and Making a Game Out Of Brains

Tue, 09 May 2017 09:07:14 -0000

Comedy writer Andrew Fernandez (@frankwarden) joins us and we talk about how long it would take to get to the nearest stars, how the first settlers might make bricks on Mars, and a new game that helps researchers trace neurons in the human brains. WE COULD GET TO ANOTHER STAR IN A LIFETIME or 69 IS THE BEST NUMBER FOR A SECOND REASON or *69 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2128443-quickest-we-could-visit-another-star-is-69-years-heres-how THE THIRD LITTLE PIGGY ON MARS https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/science/mars-soil-bricks.html?_r=0 LET'S PLAY A GAME FOR SCIENCE http://www.futurity.org/mozak-neuron-game-1413652-2/ The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

222: Gil Baron on The Music of Meteors, Algae Biofuels and How to Ride an Escalator

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Gil Baron (@gjbaron) returns to help us figure out why some shooting stars make a sound, how we can get fuel from algae and what's the best way to ride an escalator for the common good. MUSIC OF THE METEORS http://go.newsfusion.com/science-news/item/4853341 GAS FROM ALGAE https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170419093146.htm YOU SHOULD BE A DICK ON ESCALATORS, FOR THE GREATER GOOD https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/escalators-standing-or-walking.html?_r=0 The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

221: Gil Baron on Dark Matter Imaging, Fast Radio Bursts and Real Life Tricorders

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Comedy Producer Gil Baron (@gjbaron) joins us to discuss the first ever image of dark matter in the universe, tracking down the source of random bursts of energy from deep space and the X-prize winner for a device that can diagnose diseases in humans, plus a time-travel question sets us on a long tangent about human nature. "SEEING" DARK MATTER http://www.techtimes.com/articles/204912/20170414/astronomers-capture-first-image-of-elusive-dark-matter.htm FRBS ARE BACK! http://go.newsfusion.com/science-news/item/4854833 TRICORDERS ARE REAL! http://www.iflscience.com/technology/star-treks-tricorder-now-officially-exists-thanks-to-a-global-competition/all/ The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

220: John Wyatt on Rings Around Mars, The Randomness of Cancer and Vibrating Your Way To Health

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 05:01:00 -0000

John Wyatt (@johnwyattt) returns to help us look into a possible future ring forming around Mars, how some cancers depend more on randomness than lifestyle and why full body vibration might be as healthy as exercise. MARS MIGHT BE GETTING THAT RING http://www.futurity.org/mars-rings-1384792/ BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE ... JUST BECAUSE https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170323141403.htm WHY EXERCISE WHEN YOU CAN VIBRATE https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170315143836.htm The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

219: John Wyatt on Black Holes on the Loose, Smart Phone Fertility Tests and Google Methane Maps

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 07:01:00 -0000

John Wyatt (@johnwyattt) comes in to insult our moms and talk about how a black hole got pushed out of its Galaxy, a way to check male fertility with your phone and why Google is mapping gas leaks around the world. IT'S COMING RIGHT FOR US - BLACK HOLE EDITION http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/03/astronomers-spot-a-runaway-quasar HEY SIRI, I NEED YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOMETHING https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-home-male-fertility-test-app-takes-sperm-selfies/ GOOGLE MAPS SAVING THE WORLD FROM GAS http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2017/03/24/google-street-view-cars-methane-leaks/#.WNV93xLyut8 The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

218: Jolene Kim on Designer Yeast, Nose Evolution and The End of Moore's Law

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Jolene Kim (@jolenekim) returns to chat with us about designer organisms from yeast, how your nose shape can indicate where your ancestors lived and how we might be approaching the smallest possible memory size. PLAYING GOD WITH YEAST https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/09/synthetic-yeast-genome-nearly-complete-paving-way-for-bespoke-organisms NOSE SHAPES AROUND THE WORLD http://www.popsci.com/climate-nose-shape-evolution#page-6 HOW MANY COMPUTERS CAN YOU FIT ON THE HEAD OF A PIN? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170309120521.htm The Science Jerks (@thesciencejerks) is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms) and produced by Stephen Perlstein (@perlstein) for the Boardwalk Audio Network (@boardwalkaudio). Find us at http://sciencejerks.com and http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us at heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

217: Jolene Kim on The Trappist-1 Planets, The Longest Neuron and Sneaky Beetles

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Jolene Kim (@jolenekim) drops by to help us name the seven new Trappist-1 planets, explore consciousness after the news of a new super-long neuron just found in mouth brains, and figure out why so many beetles have evolved to look like mice. THE NEW PLANETS https://www.newscientist.com/article/2124417-trappist-1-worlds-are-close-enough-for-life-to-hop-between-them/ HOLY SHIT, THAT'S A BIG NEURON http://www.sciencealert.com/a-giant-neuron-has-been-found-wrapped-around-the-entire-circumference-of-the-brain BEETLES THAT WANT TO BE ANTS https://www.newscientist.com/article/2124050-sneaky-beetles-evolved-disguise-to-look-like-ants-then-eat-them/ Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

216: Erika Heidewald on The Arrival Movie Special!

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 07:01:00 -0000

Erika Heidewald (@erikaheidewald) joins us to talk about the science behind the movie Arrival. We dive deep into linguistics, perception of time and reasons to live! Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

215: Hector Navarro on Shoebox Satellites Over Africa, Making Hydrogen With Mopeds and The Lost Continent of Zealandia

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry, @Hectorisfunny) returns to help us take a look at how tiny satellites are revolutionizing farm research, a Russian moped conversion that turns methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide and the new micro-continent surrounding New Zealand, plus we tackle the Yahoo Answers question, what is color? SMALL SATELLITES SPY ON AFRICA http://www.futurity.org/satellites-images-crops-africa-1361392-2/ USING SCOOTER MOTORS TO MAKE HYDROGEN https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216130410.htm THE LOST CONTINENT OF ZEALANDIA http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/_lost-continent_-hidden-underneath-new-zealand-/ Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

214: Hector Navarro on Making New Mammoths, Eating Young Meat and Reanimating Old Bacteria

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry, @Hectorisfunny) joins us to talk about the new effort to genetically engineer Mammoths from Elephants, why eating meat from young animals might be healthier and 50,000 year-old bacteria found in a cave. OLD FOOD MAKES YOU OLD https://www.newscientist.com/article/2121585-you-are-what-you-eat-old-food-shortens-lifespan-in-animals/ WOOLY MAMMOTH! OKAY, MAMMOPHANT https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/17/humanity-is-on-the-cusp-of-de-extincting-the-wooly-mammoth/ DOIN' ASTROBIOLOGY IN MEXICAN CAVES http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/ Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

213: Jake Goldman on Bigger, Better Batteries, Why Immigration Lowers Crime and Refreezing The Arctic

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Jake Goldman (The Powerpuff Girls, @thedragoeffect) returns to talk to us about bigger, better and more long-lasting batteries, the positive effect that immigration has on communities and a super-villain level plan to save the planet by cooling down the arctic. BIGGER BATTERIES https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170209163838.htm SORRY LIL DONNY, IMMIGRATION MAKES US SAFER https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170210165953.htm DID SOMEONE HIRE LEX LUTHOR TO FIX OUR CLIMATE CHANGE PROBLEM? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/12/plan-to-refreeze-arctic-before-ice-goes-for-good-climate-change Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

212: Jake Goldman on Mission to Europa, Robotic Bees and CRISPRing Dinosaurs

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Powerpuff Girls writer Jake Goldman joins us to discuss a NASA mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, robotic drones that might someday replace real bees, and how much we should resist or embrace new technologies. Plus we talk about a user question about creating dinosaurs out of chickens. SEARCHING FOR EUROPEANS IN SPACE http://www.popsci.com/nasa-europa-lander-alien-life#page-8 THE BLACK MIRROR BEE EPISODE IS COMING SOON http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-robot-bees-20170209-story.html Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

211: Nicky Urban on Heart-Hugging Robots, Optogenetic Mouse Armies and Bad Science in Wyoming

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Nicky Urban returns to talk with us about a new robotic implant for heart patients, how to turn on a mouse's killer instinct with lasers and why GOP legislators in Wyoming are trying to outlaw clean energy. DOES YOUR HEART NEED A HUG? https://www.sciencenews.org/article/heart-hugging-robot-does-twist-and-squeeze KILLER ZOMBIE MOUSE ARMY https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112130133.htm WYOMING IS TRYING TO MURDER US ALL http://www.popsci.com/wyoming-is-basically-trying-to-outlaw-clean-energy Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

210: Nicky Urban on A Cure For Old, Virgin Shark Births and An In Depth Look Into Porn Statistics

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Comedian Nicky Urban (@tweetsattoilets) joins us to take a look at a serum that might make old blood act like new again, how a shark spontaneously cloned three kids, and what porn habits of the world. STOPPING EFFECTS OF OLD BLOOD https://www.newscientist.com/article/2118105-antibody-can-protect-brains-from-the-ageing-effects-of-old-blood/ VIRGIN MARY SHARK HAS JESUS BABIES http://www.popsci.com/parthenogenesis-shark-reproduction-without-males WHACKIN' IT FOR SCIENCE! http://www.pornhub.com/insights/2016-year-in-review Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

209: Erika Curry on New Zealand's Extermination Plan, Right-Handed Cave People and The Milky Way Is Stealing Stars

Thu, 26 Jan 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Erika Curry (@gillygal) returns to help us figure out New Zealand's plan to get rid of all non-native species, evidence that shows neanderthals and early humans were also mostly right-handed and why The Milky Way galaxy is being accused of theft. NEW ZEALAND TO HOST GIANT FUR SALE https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/behind-new-zealands-wild-plan-to-purge-all-pests1/ CAVE PEOPLE WERE RIGHT-HANDED http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/why-are-most-people-right-handed-the-answer-may-be-in-the-mouths-of-our-ancestors/ THE MILKY WAY IS STEALING STARS https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170111110810.htm Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

208: Erika Curry on The Many Moons Theory, Genital Biomes and Should You Baby Talk Your Dog

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Erika Curry (@gillygal) joins us to talk about how genital biomes affect the transmission of viruses, what if the moon was made of many moons and the pros and cons of talking baby talk to your dog. VAGINA BIOME AFFECTS HIV RISK http://www.popsci.com/some-bacteria-in-vagina-can-boost-womens-hiv-risk MOON FORMATION MAY BE EVEN CRAZIER THAN WE THOUGHT http://time.com/4631391/moon-origin-formation/ WHO'S A GOOD BOY? WHO'S A GOOD BOY? WE ARE! WE ARE GOOD BOYS! https://www.newscientist.com/article/2117726-this-is-why-you-cant-help-babbling-to-your-dog-like-its-a-baby/ Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

207: John Conroy on Lava Tubes on the Moon, The High Costs of Big Brains and What's Killing Off Rudolph

Thu, 12 Jan 2017 08:01:00 -0000

John Conroy (@juanitoelgato) returns to talk to us about satellite evidence of underground caverns on the moon and a giant frozen lake on Mars, why having a big brain is a privilege that not every animal can afford and what's killing off the world's reindeer population, is it Christmas? Plus we answer a yahoo question: "Would a horse age differently on the moon?" and a Chan question: "What do horse pants look like?" LAVA TUBES ON THE MOON AND AN ICE LAKE ON MARS https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon%E2%80%99s-lava-tubes-could-be-colossal http://www.space.com/34811-mars-ice-more-water-than-lake-superior.html FOOD-DRIVEN EVOLUTION https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161221132803.htm http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/201612/t20161226_172872.shtml REINDEER ARE DOOMED THANKS TO RIGHT-WING CHRISTIANS https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/worlds-largest-reindeer-population-may-fall-victim-climate-change Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

206: John Conroy on A New Gravity, Slime Mold Memories and Predictive Text Making Us Dumber

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 08:01:00 -0000

Writer, Comedian and Playwright John Conroy (@juanitoelgato) joins us to talk about a new theory of gravity that might get rid of dark matter forever, how to teach a slime mold about the world and is predictive text a net positive or negative in helping us communicate. Plus we discuss a question from listener Ian: "Do you think that gene manipulation using CRISPR or some future technology that's even better will proceed faster at making super humans or do you think robotics and computers will win that race?" IS GRAVITY DEAD? https://www.newscientist.com/article/2116446-first-test-of-rival-to-einsteins-gravity-kills-off-dark-matter/ SLIME MOLDS IS SMART https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161221090246.htm PREDICTIVE TEXT MAKING US DUMB? https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231041-000-typecast/ Find us at thesciencejerks.com, boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks and @thesciencejerks on twitter. Email us at heyjerks@thesciencejerks.com. The Science Jerks is hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms).

205: The Science Jerks Holiday Special with Nicole Villela

Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Nicole Villela (@itchybrained) from the TBToonz podcast joins us to talk about what we want for the holidays and what we could possibly look forward to in the darkly impending new year. Listen to her podcast at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tbtoonz/id1167309760?mt=2 Cute Animals: http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-identified-that-mysterious-metallic-sound-coming-from-the-mariana-trench http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/new-species-mekong-snakes-bats/ Holiday gift Ideas: Augmented Reality https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231044-600-augmented-reality-set-to-overtake-vr-as-new-apps-go-live New Year: Expect to be driven by a computer in 2017 http://www.popsci.com/ubers-self-driving-car-fleet-will-hit-road-this-summer Visit us at boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks and sciencejerks.com. Follow Dave Ciaccio at @daveciaccio and Robert Chan at @999rpms.

204: Stacy Rumaker on Parkinson's Cures in Your Guts, Diabetes Treatments From Platypus Butts and Is The Planet Just Doomed Now?

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Stacy Rumaker (@StacyRumaker, The Night Cap With Stacy Rumaker, The Dick and The Dame) returns to chat with us about how Parkinson's Disease might originate from unhappy gut bacteria, why a hormone in Platypuses and Echidna might help Diabetes, and what happens now that the US government is getting into the climate change denial business. GUT BUGS CAUSE PARKINSONS https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231024-100-parkinsons-disease-may-start-in-the-gut-and-travel-to-the-brain/ PLATYPI V DIABETES https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161129114432.htm GOVERNMENT SCIENCE DEPT RETWEETS BREITBART ... FFFFUUUUUU http://www.popsci.com/house-committee-on-science-just-tweeted-science-article-from-breitbart Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

203: Stacy Rumaker on Memory Implants, Baleen Whale Evolution and Tornado Multiplicity

Thu, 08 Dec 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Stacy Rumaker (@StacyRumaker, The Night Cap With Stacy Rumaker, The Dick and The Dame) joins us to discuss The Black Mirror episode that is memory implant research, how baleen whales lost their teeth and why tornados are multiplying. MEMORY IMPLANTS, WHAT COULD GO WRONG? https://www.wired.com/2016/12/neuroscientist-whos-building-better-memory-humans/ BALEEN WHALES REALLY USED TO SUCK https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161130131131.htm TORNADOES ARE MULTIPLYING AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY http://www.popsci.com/tornado-outbreaks-in-united-states-are-on-rise Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

202: Josh Simpson on How Life Finds a Way, Pluto's Big Heart and Why Bragging is a Bad Plan

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Josh Simpson (@MrJoshSimpson) from The Meat Improv podcast on @BoardwalkAudio returns to chat with us about new evidence that life might have sprung up many times on Earth, why Pluto is lopsided, and why being humble is a better life strategy than bragging. LIFE FINDS A WAY https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130870-200-life-evolves-so-easily-that-it-started-not-once-but-many-times/ PLUTO IS WAY MORE INTERESTING THAN WE GIVE IT CREDIT FOR https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161116140553.htm BRAGGING SUCKS http://www.futurity.org/bragging-truth-morals-1264572-2/

201: Josh Simpson on Human Gene Editing, Flying Cars For Real and How To Nudge An Asteroid

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Josh Simpson (@MrJoshSimpson) from The Meat Improv podcast on @BoardwalkAudio joins us to discuss the pros and cons of the Chinese government's plan to test CRISPR gene editing techniques on humans with cancer, how a new autonomous drove might actually be the flying car we've always wanted, and the first planned tests of possible asteroid deflection systems. Plus Sara Clarke (instagram:@sarasmirks) brings us a new Who Am I?-style quiz. Hosted by Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) and Robert Chan (@999rpms). Stories Covered: THE CHINESE START HUMAN TRIALS WITH CRISPR http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/15/health/china-human-gene-testing-crispr-cas9/?sr=fbCNN111716china-human-gene-testing-crispr-cas90801AMVODtopVideo&linkId=31250598 Autonomous Flying car is real! http://www.popsci.com/robot-flying-taxi-cormorant-takes-its-first-autonomous-flight REAL LIFE ARMAGEDDON http://www.space.com/34723-nasa-esa-asteroid-deflection-mission-aida.html Find us at thesciencejerks.com and boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks. Email us heyjerks@sciencejerks.com. Subscribe for free on Stitcher or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/science-jerks-real-science/id578684997?mt=2

200: Live at The Pack Theater in Hollywood!

Thu, 17 Nov 2016 10:17:00 -0000

Recorded at The Pack Theater in Hollywood in front of a live audience, it's our 200th Episode Spectacular! We took a look back over the first 199 episodes with some of our favorite past guests, culminating in the ultimate Quiz Showdown! In this episode we talk to Jacob Harper (@JacobRayHarper), from episodes 7 and 8, about mannequins spying on us. Joey Clift (You Should Love Wrestling Podcast, @yslw), from episodes 58 and 59, about birds with stressed out gonads. Keith Saltojanes (@KeithSaltojanes), from episodes 111 and 112, about using stem cells to live forever. JPL Scientist Josh Willis (@ClimateElvis), from episodes 118 and 119, about the Philae lander and Rosetta comet orbiter. Nuclear Physicist Kevin Peter Hickerson (@KPHickerson), from episodes 135, 136, 168 and 170, about mysterious gas plumes on Mars. And Markeia McCarty (@MarkeiaMccarty) from episode 175 about centaurs, asteroids and holiday science. Plus Jesse's Fact Corner with Jesse Klein (@JessKlein1) and Quiz Maestro Sara Clarke (@sara_clarke) dishes out a quiz for the ultimate prize of Science Jerks Champion!

199: Asterios Kokkinos and Just The Quiz!

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Asterios Kokkinos is still here and we were having so much fun riffing on the quiz that we decided to just make it Episode 199. It's all quiz! We talk about Saturn's Rings, what hip bones are connected to, and the offspring of Lions and Tigers! Plus we pitch a New Girl spec script! Join us next week for the 200th Episode, recorded live at The Pack Theater in Hollywood! Follow Asterios on Twitter @asterios and buy his hilarious book, "Toys '4' Cheap" at Devastator Press http://devastatorpress.com/toys4cheap or search for it on Amazon! Follow The Science Jerks: @thesciencejerks, facebook.com/sciencejerks and youtube.com/user/TheScienceJerks. Our website is sciencejerks.com, and you can email us at HeyJerks@sciencejerks.com. Follow Dave Ciaccio @daveciaccio and Robert Chan @999rpms, and Quiz Maestro Sara is @sara_clarke.

198: Asterios Kokkinos on The European Space Agency's Bombing of Mars, Planet Nine From Outer Space and The Plight of The Titicaca Scrotum Frog

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 19:01:00 -0000

Comedian and Author Asterios Kokkinos (Toys '4' Cheap, Devastator Press) catches up with us since the last time he was on the show during Episodes 23 and 24 over 3 years ago, and this time we get really tangential talking about how the European Space Agency (ESA) tried to land a rover on Mars, but ended up with a very expensive bomb, more about this theoretical 9th planet on the outskirts of our solar system and why the scrotum frog of Lake Titicaca is dying out in huge numbers. Follow Asterios on Twitter @asterios and buy his hilarious book, "Toys '4' Cheap" at Devastator Press http://devastatorpress.com/toys4cheap or search for it on Amazon! Topics covered in this Episode: ESA, You Maniacs! You Blew It Up! http://www.popsci.com/nasa-found-pieces-europes-mars-lander Planet 9 From Outer Space! http://www.space.com/34455-planet-nine-discovery-coming-soon.html The Titicaca Scrotum Frog Population is Shrinking! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/titicaca-water-frog-10000-dead_us_58071686e4b0180a36e76ccf?section=us_science

197: Mark David Christenson on Alcohol From Thin Air, Brave New Alloys and The Ecological Benefits of Whale Poop

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian and Improvisor Mark David Christenson joins us to discuss how to make Ethyl Alcohol from water and air, how brand new metal alloys are revolutionizing metallurgy and how whale poop and increased whale populations help fight air pollution and create a healthier ocean. Find Dave on twitter @hobbit138 and his podcast "I Will Watch Anything Once" at @IWWAO And look for his podcast on Boardwalk Audio at http://boardwalkaudio.com/iwillwatchanythingonce Today's stories: Alcohol from thin air! http://www.popsci.com/grain-alcohol-created-from-carbon-dioxide-and-water Crazy new alloys! https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23230950-500-a-mixedup-recipe-is-redefining-metals-into-impossible-alloys/ Whale shit to the rescue! https://www.newscientist.com/article/2109365-whales-dung-is-the-real-reason-we-need-to-stop-hunting-them/

196: Mark David Christenson on Making Babies from Skin Cells, The Non-Death of the Great Barrier Reef and How Placebos Work Even If You Know!

Thu, 20 Oct 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Dave Christenson joins us to figure out how they can turn skin cells into egg cells and then into babies, how the reports of the Great Barrier Reef's demise has been greatly exaggerated, and why the placebo effect works, even if you know it's the placebo effect working! Find Dave on twitter @hobbit138 and his podcast @IWWAO And look for his podcast on Boardwalk Audio at http://boardwalkaudio.com/iwillwatchanythingonce Today's stories: The Great Barrier Reef lives! http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/585333/scitech/science/dying-but-not-dead-the-great-barrier-reef-can-still-be-saved MAKING BABIES FROM SKIN! http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/17/13306972/mouse-eggs-skin-stem-cells-infertility-research PLACEBOS EVEN WORK WHEN WE KNOW! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161014214919.htm

195: Chris Bonno on Organic Nano-Wires, Metallic Hydrogen and How Deja Vu Works

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Chris Bonno (Electric Bonnoland) returns to discuss tiny organic wires made by bacteria, the search for metal made from Hydrogen and new research into how the brain registers the feeling of Deja Vu! BIOWIRES! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160816182622.htm The rarest precious metal, one that doesn't exist yet https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pressure-make-metallic-hydrogen DEJA VU EXPLAINED https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130873-000-mystery-of-d-vu-explained-its-how-we-check-our-memories/ Chris can be found at: http://twitter.com/bonnoman And check out his web series "Electric Bonnoland" at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ElectricBonnoLand Be sure to check out our new home on the Boardwalk Audio network! http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks

194: Chris Bonno on Trans-Neptunian Objects, Mapping Poverty From Space and 3-D Printing Ovaries

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Chris Bonno (Electric Bonnoland) joins us to talk about a mysterious asteroid past Neptune, how satellites can be used to study impoverished lands and a new technique for creating working artificial ovaries! Mysterious Object Beyond Neptune! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/niku-neptune-mystery-object_us_57ad5651e4b007c36e4e1a27?ir=Science&utm_hp_ref=science Satellites Uncover Poverty! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37122748 3-D printing Ovaries! http://www.popsci.com/restoring-fertility-with-3d-printers Chris can be found at: http://twitter.com/bonnoman And check out his web series "Electric Bonnoland" at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ElectricBonnoLand Be sure to check out our new home on the Boardwalk Audio network! http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks

193: Stephen Perlstein on Training Brains to Hate, How to Create Superbugs and the Science of Star Trek

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Stephen Perlstein (Boardwalk Audio, You Should Love Wrestling) helps The Science Jerks figure out how to train a brain to hate (or like) a stranger, a nightmare device that creates drug-resistant bacteria and which Star Trek technologies are real now! Training Brains! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160908150857.htm Breeding Superbugs! https://www.sciencenews.org/article/scientists-watch-bacteria-evolve-antibiotic-resistance Star Trek Science! http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/how-many-of-the-technologies-depicted-in-star-trek-are-now-scientifically-possible/all/ Stephen can be found at: http://twitter.com/perlstein And check out his podcast "You Should Love Wrestling" at: https://twitter.com/YSLWPodcast https://www.facebook.com/YouShouldLoveWrestling https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-should-love-wrestling/id1099658251 Be sure to check out our new home on the Boardwalk Audio network! http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks

192: Stephen Perlstein on The Great Wall of Africa, Computers with Opinions and Giraffe Speciation

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Stephen Perlstein (Boardwalk Audio, You Should Love Wrestling) joins The Science Jerks to talk about a wall of trees being built across Africa to hold back the Sahara desert, why computers might soon be try to argue with you and how one giraffe turned into four! Green Wall of Africa! https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130902-500-a-wall-of-trees-across-the-sahara-is-cool-but-we-dont-need-it Arguing with Machines! https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130900-700-rage-against-the-machine-why-computers-need-to-argue-with-us Giraffe Speciation! http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dna-reveals-giraffes-are-4-species-not-1 Stephen can be found at: http://twitter.com/perlstein And check out his podcast "You Should Love Wrestling" at: https://twitter.com/YSLWPodcast https://www.facebook.com/YouShouldLoveWrestling https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-should-love-wrestling/id1099658251 Be sure to check out our new home on the Boardwalk Audio network! http://boardwalkaudio.com/sciencejerks

191: Brett Maline on Eternal Sunshine in Real Life, Teaching Analogies to Computers and Cats Understanding Physics

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 21:18:00 -0000

Brett Maline returns to help us tackle a real-life treatment for painful memories, how teaching computers to understand analogies might be the key to AI, and do cats understand physics? Not really. No.

190: Brett Maline on The Biology of Racism, Computers Watching TV and Does College Give You Cancer

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 07:00:00 -0000

Brett Maline joins us to discuss invasive species and the biological roots of racism and xenophobia, how computers can learn about humans from TV, and a study that suggests educated people get more cancer.

189: Jonathan Grant on Optigenetics, Minimum Income Economics and Zombie Genes

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Jonathan Grant returns to discuss light-activated brain cells, the theory that everyone should be guaranteed a minimum income and zombie genes that turn off after death. Jonathan can be found at: https://twitter.com/JackBennyHill The Science of Social Democracy! https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030791-100-what-happens-if-we-pay-everyone-just-to-live/ Zombie Genes! https://www.newscientist.com/article/2094644-hundreds-of-genes-seen-sparking-to-life-two-days-after-death/ Optigenetics! https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030791-200-fixed-by-light-flick-a-switch-to-banish-pain-and-blindness/

188: Jonathan Grant on Self-Driving Car Ethics, Human Gene-Editing Trials and Kangaroo Birth Control

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Jonathan Grant joins us to discuss whether your self-driving car should kill you, if we should test CRISPR on humans and keeping down the Roo population. Jonathan can be found at: https://twitter.com/JackBennyHill Kangaroo Contraception https://www.newscientist.com/article/2094401-cont-roo-ception-hormone-implants-bring-kangaroos-under-control/ Human CRISPR trials are coming https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/21/a-federal-safety-board-just-okd-the-first-crispr-trial-to-genetically-alter-humans/?ncid=mobilenavtrend Should your self-driving car be allowed to kill you? https://www.newscientist.com/article/2094964-save-the-driver-or-pedestrian-such-robot-car-dilemmas-are-folly/

187: Sam Brown on The First Drone Delivery, Gene Time Bombs and AI Screenwriters

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Sam Brown (The Whitest Kids U'Know, Teenage Trouble) returns to talk to us about an aerial drone delivery test in Nevada, the pros and cons of using designer genes to control insect populations and the future of Artificial Art. Sam Brown can be found at: http://twitter.com/SamBrown42069 http://www.ifc.com/shows/wkuk http://packtheater.com/teams/teenage-trouble The first A.I. screenplay, starring Thomas Middleditch! http://io9.gizmodo.com/watch-this-fascinatingly-incoherent-short-film-written-1781610303 The first Drone delivery http://www.popsci.com/first-urban-drone-delivery-successful Drone medical delivery http://www.popsci.com/drone-company-will-demonstrate-ship-to-shore-delivery-medical-supplies CRISPR-ing mosquitos http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/science/national-academies-sciences-gene-drive-technology.html

186: Sam Brown on Clean Power Plants, Inflatable Space Stations and Female Orgasms

Mon, 04 Jul 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Sam Brown (The Whitest Kids U'Know, Teenage Trouble) joins us to discuss a better way to scrub power plant emissions, the new inflatable segment of the International Space Station and the chemistry of the female ejaculate. Sam Brown can be found at: http://twitter.com/SamBrown42069/ http://www.ifc.com/shows/wkuk/ http://packtheater.com/teams/teenage-trouble/ Scrubbing Geothermal Emissions http://www.wired.com/2016/06/iceland-pumped-co2-underground/ Inflatable ISS http://www.popsci.com/nasa-will-inflate-beam-habitat-on-space-station-this-thursday Female Orgasm Science https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26772-female-ejaculation-comes-in-two-forms-scientists-find/

185: Morris Black on Dark Photons, The Aging Gene and Robot Farmers

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Morris Black returns to help us figure out a possible 5th force of physics, what makes sea urchins die without getting old and robots everywhere. Teaching robots how to thin out the herd. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2089321-robot-ranchers-monitor-animals-on-giant-australian-farms Sea Urchins don't age, they just fade away. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160525132556.htm Dark photons and a new force, is it THE FORCE? http://www.popsci.com/could-nature-be-hiding-fifth-fundamental-force

184: Morris Black on The Mission to Alpha Centauri, Portable Microwaves and Neanderthal Technology

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Morris Black joins us to discuss a proposed mission to the nearest star system, an on-the-go microwave and a discovery of a neanderthal building site. Microwaves go portable. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2089181-next-gen-microwave-ovens-are-small-enough-to-sling-on-your-back A trip to the stars! https://www.newscientist.com/article/2084029-billionaire-pledges-100m-to-send-spaceships-to-alpha-centauri/ Are there aliens next door? https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030740-200-there-might-be-a-planet-better-than-earth-right-next-door/ Neanderthal tech or ritual site of some sort. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/26/479505786/mysterious-cave-rings-show-neanderthals-liked-to-build

183: Nick Gligor on Magic Mushroom Therapy, Fruit Fly Sleep Neurons and Robo-Bees

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Nick Gligor returns to chat with us about Psilocybin trials for depression, a neuron to control sleep and the probability that tiny robotic insects are everywhere. Robo-Bees! http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/428/ Insect Bots get a new landing pad. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/insect-sized-bot-first-both-fly-land Fruit Fly neurons control sleep. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160519130131.htm Eat your shrooms, young man, your mental health depends on it! http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/magic-mushroom-drug-lifts-depression-in-human-trial1/

182: Nick Gligor on Reanimating the Dead, Gigantopithecus and Wooden Windows

Tue, 31 May 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Nick Gligor joins us to talk about new methods to try to revive braindead patients, the discovery of an ancient giant ape and how to make glass from wood. See-through wood http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/science/see-through-wood.html Bring out your dead! http://www.iflscience.com/brain/biotech-company-use-stem-cells-reactivate-brains-dead Dragon Teeth and Gigantopithecus https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030742-800-gigantopithecus-the-story-of-the-greatest-of-the-great-apes/

181: Graham Beckett on The Psycho Gene, The Fight Against Aging and The Drake Equation

Wed, 25 May 2016 22:00:00 -0000

Graham Beckett returns to discuss a gene that might be causing people to flip out, some controversial new anti-aging techniques and what the Drake Equation can tell us about aliens.

180: Graham Beckett on Unreal Reality, New Moon and Packing For Mars

Sun, 15 May 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Graham Beckett joins us to discuss dwarf planet Makimaki's moon, Elon Musk's 2018 plans for Mars, and why some scientists believe nothing is as it seems.

179: Neal Dandade on Brain Fevers, The Blackest Black and Climate Change Economics

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Neal Dandade returns to chat with us about how a swollen brain might cause depression, the new material that's the blackest substance on the planet and how climate change is causing worldwide strife.

178: Neal Dandade on Episode 178: One Fish/Two Fish, Meat Computers and The End of an Epoch

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 07:01:00 -0000

Actor Neal Dandade joins us to talk about a species of fish splitting into two, computers made of meat and why we might be at the beginning of a new era.

177: Gina Napolitan on The Go Singularity, C-Section Biome Transfer and Birds With Brains

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Gina Napolitan talks to us about an AI that can beat Go masters, transferring vaginal fluids to newborn babies and ravens' theory of mind.

176: Gina Napolitan on Planet X, Gravitational Waves and Super Bowl Pestilence

Wed, 17 Feb 2016 08:01:00 -0000

Filmmaker Gina Napolitan joins us to talk about the Sun's new son, the detection of gravitational waves and how the Super Bowl causes flu deaths.

175: Year End Science and Cocktails with Markeia McCarty

Wed, 30 Dec 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Improvisor Kia McCarty joins us over bourbon and cider to reminisce about the holidays and take a look back in a year-end science quiz with Quiz Maestro Sara Clarke!

174: Fizaa Dosani on Weed Breathalyzers, Sun Super-Flares and The Funniness of Words

Wed, 23 Dec 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Comedian Fizaa Dosani sticks around to help us learn about new breathalyzers that can detect weed, how the sun might knock us out with a super-flare and what made-up words are funnier than what other made-up words.

173: Fizaa Dosani on Cloned Chinese Cattle, Fat Sperm and Gene Editing on Humans

Wed, 16 Dec 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Comedian Fizaa Dosani drops by to talk to us about China's plan to clone a million cows, how fat men have fat genes and the first CRISPR gene-editing trials on humans.

172: Brian James O'Connell on How Mars Died, 3D Printed Organs and Glass Made of Aluminum

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Brian James O'Connell returns to discuss the conditions that might have made Mars unlivable, new advances in 3D printed organs and transparent glass made from aluminum.

171: Brian James O'Connell on Space-Time in Our Brains, An Ancient Superbug Potion and Religious Kids Are Dicks

Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:01:00 -0000

170: The Martian Movie Spoiler Episode with Kevin Peter Hickerson

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Comedian/Physicist Kevin Peter Hickerson talks to us about the science behind the movie The Martian, and tells us about his conversation with the author Andy Weir.

169: Bad Science Shorts: Cats Are Lions with Sara Clarke

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 08:01:00 -0000

In this short we take a look at the widely shared article claiming that Cats and Lions are the basically the same thing, and therefore Your Cat Wants To Kill You.

168: Nobel Prize Special with Kevin Peter Hickerson

Wed, 11 Nov 2015 08:01:00 -0000

Comedian/Physicist Kevin Peter Hickerson returns to discuss the winners of the 2015 Nobel prizes for science, one of which went to his academic advisor's advisor!

167: Bad Science Shorts: The Pyramids with Sara Clarke

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 08:01:00 -0000

In this short we correct our own mis-statement that Jewish slaves built the Egyptian pyramids, then we mock Ben Carson for his own crazy pyramid theories.

166: Chad Damiani on The Waters Of Mars, Self-Destructing Drones and Crime Dramas Teaching Sex

Sun, 01 Nov 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Chad Damiani returns to discuss the discovery of liquid water on Mars, DARPA's ICARUS self-destructing drone program and how crime drama viewers view sex crimes.

165: Chad Damiani on The Sixth-Plus Sense, Quadriplegic Reversal and D.C. Runs On Shit

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:00:00 -0000

Screenwriter Chad Damiani helps us figure out how we may soon have 6 or more senses, how a new surgery has partially restored movement to the paralysed and why Washington D.C. is now literally powered by shit.

164: Carl Tart on Black Holes, Computerized Scientists and Facebook's M

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Carl Tart returns to talk to us about Stephen Hawking's new theory of how black holes conserve information, computer scientists who are building computerized scientists and Facebook's new personal assistant to rival Siri, M.

163: Carl Tart on Post-Body Humans, Nanofish and Moon Volcanoes

Mon, 05 Oct 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Carl Tart helps us figure out what's going to happen when humans evolve past our physical bodies, what it would be like to be swarming with nanofish and how volcanic lava got on the moon.

162: Nikki DiGaetano on Chess Computers Get Worse, Worm Brains Get Changed and Spiders Give Oral

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Nikki DiGaetano walks to us about the repercussions of chess-playing computers going neural, chemically changing the brains of worms and then refuses to discuss wolf spiders with us, especially the fact that males give oral to avoid being eaten.

161:Nikki DiGaetano on The New Human, Moonquakes and The Science of Sleeping In

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Comedian Nikki DiGaetano tells us about her 10,000 Hrs project to support women in comedy, then we take a look at look at the newly discovered human Homo Naledi, what makes the moon quake and why getting up early may be hurting our next generation.

160: Brett Weiner on Tiny Robot Eyes, Zombie Spiders and Emotional MRIs

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Director Brett Weiner returns to help us figure out the benefits of teeny-tiny eyes for robot drones, a wasp that can make a zombie out of a spider and how to see emotions in the brain.

159: Brett Weiner on Space Lettuce, Ghost Women on Mars and Comet Farts

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Director Brett Weiner joins us to talk about the first lettuce grown and eaten in space, why rocks on Mars look like things and what happens when a comet passes gas.

158: Katherine Alyse on Self-Evolving Software, Wonkavators and Mimicking Pupils

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Katherine Alyse returns to helps us assess the risks of software that can evolve, elevators that can go in any direction and how your brain reads other people's pupils. Plus Quiz Maestro Sara Clarke helps us through the quiz!

157: Katherine Alyse on How Sarcasm Makes You Smarter, Wood Lice Have Personalities and Hover Boards Are Here!

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Katherine Alyse, creator, writer and star of the web series The Fat One, joins us to discuss how speaking sarcastically can actually make you smarter, why wood lice seem to have distinct personalities and Lexus made a hover board just for funsies.

156: Taylor Orci and Jared Nigro on Robot Self-Awareness, Hacking Into Cars and The Space X-Plosion

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Taylor Orci and Jared Nigro, from Comedy Central's Broken People, return to talk about robots with a sense of self, how hackers might be inside your car as we speak and what happened with the recent Space-X rocket explosion.

155: Taylor Orci and Jared Nigro on Pictionary Robots, Adaptable Fish and The Pluto Flyby

Sun, 09 Aug 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Creators of Comedy Central web series Broken People, Taylor Orci and Jared Nigro, join us to look into robots that are better than humans at identifying hand-drawn images, fish that are adapting to climate change and the recent images from Pluto.

154: Dinoflagellate Eyes, Lazy Ants and Emotional Stocks with Susan Sassi

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Susan Sassi returns to chat with us about single-celled organisms with eyes, ants that don't seem to do anything and how the hormones of traders effect stock markets.

153: The Internet Deep Dreams, Monkeys Domesticate Wolves, and Money Gets Local with Susan Sassi

Sat, 25 Jul 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Writer/Actor Susan Sassi joins us to promote her indiegogo, Cathy in Real Life, and we talk about Google's #DeepDream, monkeys and wolves becoming friends and how to keep money near your home.

152: #7DayShow with Rob O'Connor and Keith Saltojanes

Thu, 23 Jul 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Former guests Keith and Rob return to talk about their upcoming Guiness world record attempt at the longest improv show ever performed, a 7 day straight set that never stops, Aug 2-9 at IO West in Hollywood, also we talk a little about science.

151: Water-Powered Computers, Reading Minds and Jurassic Park is Real Again with Michael Hughes

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Writer/Director Mike Hughes returns to help us take a look at computers that use water in place of electricity, a new technique for pinpointing where the brain stores individual concepts, and newly discovered dinosaur red-blood cells!

150: The DARPA Robotics Challenge, Injecting Brain Memory and Celebrity Avatars with Michael Hughes

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Producer of Top Story Weekly, Mike Hughes, muses on the advancement of human-like robots, why you might inject a metal mesh into your brain and how to make any celebrity do an impression of any other celebrity!

149: Lab-Grown Rat Limbs, Bitter-Tasting Cats and a New Human Body Part with John McNamee

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Nerdist Comics Instructor Jon McNamee gets chill with us and raps about lab-grown rat arms, newly discovered cat taste buds, and a new human body part that connects the immune system directly to the brain.

148: Chimp Chefs, Pluto's Moons and Suicidal Sex with John McNamee

Sun, 21 Jun 2015 07:01:00 -0000

Writer and Comic Artist Jon McNamee joins us to talk about how chimps cook dinner, what's going on with Pluto's moons and marsupials that have sex until they disintegrate.