A chill show — just music and science news. Unfortunately we were switched to webstream-only about 40 minutes in (for a lacrosse game), and neglected to record the rest of the show. Still! Here’s the science news we discussed. Enjoy:
- Pollinator drones with sticky gel (the article in Cell)
- Using 770,000 spit samples, scientists are able to map human migration in the US. The greatest divider is the Mason-Dixon line.
- Modeling the Earth’s mantle in a lab has led to predictions of a hotter earth. How do we learn how magma behaves? Make it in a lab with molten materials and “olivine” instead of water!
- New Zealand is actually part of a large (newly defined) continent, 94% of which is under water. Zealandia! (The paper in Geological Society.)
- Making the evolutionary jump to land – how did fish get aground? Through improved vision and bigger eyes, instead of developing limbs first.
- Cannibalism is perfectly natural – didn’t you hear?
- Yellow taxis are safer than blue ones! (And NHL hockey goalies switched from yellow to white pads, for maybe the same reason.)
We’ll be back on next week with another science interview — Cameron Ellis, cognitive scientist, will be on the show.
These Vibes Are Too Cosmic 