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Ask Science

How do astronomers photograph a black hole? How often do planes get hit by lightning? What does the EPA actually do? Science is all around us and transforming our world at a rapid pace. Extragalactic astrophysicist Sabrina Stierwalt is here to guide you through it. She'll help you make sense of the everyday and the once-in-a-lifetime. Rights of Albert Einstein are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

November 1, 2022 22 mins

The viruses keep coming, the climate is warming, and the Earth is rewilding. Our human family has no playbook to address the mayhem unfolding around us. If there is a change to reckon with, argues the renowned economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin, it’s that we are beginning to realize that the human race never had dominion over the Earth and that nature is far more formidable than we thought, while our species seems much smal...

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Witty, entertaining, and illuminating, Spare Parts shows us that the history - and future - of transplant surgery is tied up with questions about not only who we are, but also what we are, and what we might become.

Enjoy an excerpt of this surprising history audiobook from Paul Craddock.

Purchase Spare Parts at Amazon, Audible, Bookshop.org, or your favorite bookstore.

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April 8, 2022 16 mins

Hello, Ask Science listeners! This week, we're sharing the first episode of Curious State, a brand new podcast from Quick and Dirty Tips.

Could we have domesticated a T-Rex? Is the mafia really that violent? Haven't all the possible songs been written by now? Unexpected gems of knowledge are hidden all around us. Let’s dig them up, one offbeat question at a time.

A few of the curiosities you’ll uncover in this episode:

  • The 3 quest...
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November 8, 2021 14 mins
Episode 5 of 5 of our miniseries from author Henry Gee, based on his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

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November 2, 2021 13 mins
Episode 4 of 5 of our miniseries from author Henry Gee, based on his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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October 26, 2021 14 mins
Episode 3 of 5 of our miniseries from author Henry Gee, based on his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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October 19, 2021 11 mins
Episode 2 of 5 of our miniseries from author Henry Gee, based on his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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October 12, 2021 16 mins
Episode 1 of 5 of our miniseries from author Henry Gee, based on his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Today, we're sharing a special excerpt from Test Gods, an audiobook from our friends at Macmillan Audio. Test Gods tells the remarkable story of the test pilots, engineers, and visionaries behind Virgin Galactic’s campaign to build a space tourism company. It's an epic story about bravery and the fulfillment of our dreams. If you like what you hear, get your copy of Test Gods here or wherever books or audiobooks are sold. https://a...

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The Arecibo Telescope, featured in movies like "Contact" and "Goldeneye," collapsed in early December 2020 after 57 years of observing the universe. Here's what the telescope accomplished, and why its loss is a devastating blow to science.

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December 7, 2020 5 mins
Are we really at our smartest in our 20s? What about the wisdom and experience that come with age? At what age do we strike the right balance between cognitive ability and expertise?

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What is CBD oil? What does science have to say about the extract's proposed health benefits?

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You've isolated at home for months because of the pandemic, so why are you suddenly sick? Here are a few scientific reasons why you can get sick even on lockdown.

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Is there a way to predetermine your baby's biological sex and conceive a girl or a boy? Here's what science has to say about things like genetics, timing, diet, and even adrenaline.

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Light is the fastest moving thing we know of, but just how fast is it? Has science attempted to break the light speed record? And does the universe have a speed limit?

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Go to the supplement aisle of almost any store in the US and you'll find melatonin, a synthetic hormone, marketed as an effective natural sleep aid, even for children! But is melatonin actually safe to use? Studies say ...

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Not even light can escape a black hole's gravitational pull, so how do we actually know they exist? And what's the deal with the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way?

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Spiders, snakes, heights, political corruption—we're afraid of a lot of things. But what's the difference between a fear and a phobia? And can either literally scare you to death?

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Why do some fish thrive in salt water and others in fresh? And what happens if you, say, drop a saltwater shark into a fresh water swimming pool? Here's the science!

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We experience extreme hot and cold temperatures on Earth, but they're nothing compared to the temperature extremes we've created in labs, not to mention the Universe at large. Do these hot and cold extremes have a limit?

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