Professor Dave Debates

This episode features none other than my father, Vittorio Farina! He is an accomplished chemist that has been a global leader in the field of process development. Essentially, he really knows how to make drugs. In this episode we dive into his history as an Italian immigrant, his education, early employment, accomplishments and goals, and thoughts on the current status of the pharmaceutical industry. Whether you are intere...

Human nature hasn't changed much in thousands of years, but society has changed dramatically, especially over the past few centuries. Has society advanced in such a way that it enhances our happiness, or does it detract? Does it bring us together, or does it isolate us? Does it enable us to actualize our potential or does it hinder and stifle our personal and spiritual growth? Of course the answer is somewhere in between,...

In the past 100 years, our understanding of the molecular world has grown immeasurably. So much so that we can synthesize essentially any compound we desire. We take advantage of this fact to synthesize drugs for the treatment of various diseases. How does this work? How do we know what molecule to make? What do these do in the body? How exactly do we make them, especially on an industrial scale? Let's chat with chemist tu...

Eating is a major focal point of human existence. We all do it every day, and most of our social interactions are based around it. But many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, which can sometimes qualify as an eating disorder. What are the different types of eating disorders? How does someone know if they have one, and what should be done about it? How do we treat eating disorders? Helping us with this is licen...

In the vaccines episode we touched on the alleged link between vaccines and autism, so now let's look at it from the other perspective. What is autism? What is its cause? What does diagnosis and treatment look like? To help us understand this is Erin Nosco, a research coordinator at UCLA that is involved with autism research. After we get through the basics, we will revisit the alleged link with vaccines and examine a diff...

Of all the places that are candidates for extraterrestrial life that we are aware of, Europa is the best. This moon of Jupiter harbors a subsurface ocean that is likely full of minerals, and thus may contain life, perhaps even complex multicellular life! Plans are under way to send probes Europa Clipper and Europa Lander to go gather data and get a closer look, so we may have more information very soon! On the show to tel...

There are a lot of things in this universe that we understand very well. But the thing that is understood the least might be human consciousness. Despite our intimate knowledge of brain structure and function, we still don't quite understand how the brain produces the subjective reality that we label consciousness. Well neuroscientist Joel Frohlich specifically studies consciousness, and he is here to tell us all about exa...

Anti-science mentality rears its head in many sectors of daily life, but none more so than in medicine. One ramification of this is the anti-vaccine movement. Thousands of people insist that vaccines are harmful, that they are linked to autism, and are clearly to be avoided. Is there any validity to this? Where did this sentiment originate? To help us talk through this is Kimberly Harrison. With multiple degrees in biology...

A lot of educators and YouTubers try to make science-themed music. Whether for entertainment or educational purposes, is this effective? Is it good practice in some other context? Ray Hedgpeth of the nerd-rock band The Amoeba People is an expert in this subject, and I'm no slouch either, being a lifelong musician. Fair warning, there is a lot of nerdy music talk in this one, but also a lot about our personal musical histor...

There has been a pretty huge public backlash against genetic modification. Not just of crops, but of anything. But what is genetic modification? Is it dangerous? Is it important? What organisms have been modified so far? Let's get into this with Ian Street, a PhD biologist with a background in plant development. He knows his stuff, and after this episode you will too!

Guest: Ian Street (@IHStreet)
Ian's Blog: https://thequ...

Are there any life forms out there, in our galaxy, or beyond? If so, are any of them intelligent and capable of communicating with us? If so, what are they like? And why haven't we heard from them? All of this is encapsulated by the field of astrobiology, and to help us navigate this speculative terrain is postdoctoral researcher and NASA program manager in the department of physics and astronomy at UC Riverside. We will t...

We've gotta find some new energy sources. Fossil fuels are in short supply, and they are causing devastating climate change. Renewables like wind and solar are on the rise, but what about nuclear fusion? I dunno, isn't that dangerous? What about all the disasters in the past? Well those were fission plants. What's the difference? What is fusion? How does it work? Are we close to mastering it? All these questions will be an...

The history of quantum physics is absolutely fascinating. In the early 20th century, brilliant minds did incredible work to bring about the greatest paradigm shift in the history of science, but they didn't always see eye to eye. Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr were colossal figures in this movement, and they had a number of amicable disagreements about quantum mechanics and what it said about reality. What were these debat...

There are a lot of ways to teach science, but where does art fit into the mix? Can art be effective in not just inspiring people to learn science, but also in conveying scientific information? The short answer is yes, it definitely can, because that's precisely what Rachel Ignotofsky has done. Rachel is a New York Times best selling author and illustrator, and her books "Women in Science" and "The Wondrous W...

There are various schools of thought when it comes to the treatment of animals. Some believe we shouldn't eat or kill them under any circumstance. Some believe we can eat animals, but should not mistreat them or hunt for sport. Some say screw it all, let's do what we want. How do ethics come into play? Is there any moral high ground when it comes to hunting? Let's hear what wildlife reporter and hunter Jason Goldman has to...

These are tumultuous times! The country is divided, and no one has any idea what's going to happen next. It's not just about the presidency, there's too much money in politics, and a new crisis every week, it seems. In this episode we will ask one simple question: are things getting better, or are they getting worse? Listen in on my discussion with Jack Michelle and Brandon Burkhart so we can get to the bottom of this!

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Humans know way too much science! At least in the sense that the public has great difficulty keeping up, and no one in the world can ever hope to know it all. But it's important to have a populace with modest science literacy, so how can we get them this information? What should scientists be doing to communicate their science, so that it's not all left to the Professor Daves of the world? Find out here, with our expert gu...

Whether you live in Southern California like me, or somewhere else, you may be aware of all the fires we keep getting down here. What's the deal with those, and what can we do to prevent them? Are prescribed burns a good idea? In other words, should we deliberately start fires? Let's talk about this with wildfire expert Chris Giesige! There's a lot to learn regarding the history of wildfires, and steps we need to take in t...

Much misunderstanding surrounds mental illness in our society! What does it mean to be mentally ill? Are we all on some kind of spectrum? How do we diagnose and treat mental illness? There is so much to talk about, and talk we shall. Cara Santa Maria is a tremendously experienced science communicator, but she also has a masters degree in neuroscience, and is working on a PhD in psychology, so she has a lot to say on this s...