Experimental

Finding Aliens on Other Planets REPLAY Episode 16 - by John...

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:33:38 -0400

Finding Aliens on Other Planets

REPLAY Episode 16 - by John Rennie (click here to directly access the MP3)

Interplanetary probes and space telescopes have been seeking evidence of life elsewhere in the universe for decades. But would we necessarily know alien life if we encountered it? The biochemistry of any organisms that evolve on inhospitable worlds might turn out to be unrecognizably different from anything ever seen on Earth.

On the other hand, discoveries involving meteorites hint that we shouldn’t be surprised if some aliens also turn out to have deep similarities to terrestrial life.

Listen to learn more….

More information about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life:

Rennie, J. “Invisible aliens: life as we don’t know it — yet.” The Savvy Scientist column (April 17, 2012). SmartPlanet.com.

National Research Council. The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (2007).

Benner, S.A.; Ricardo, A.; Carrigan, M.A. “Is there a common chemical model for life in the universe?” Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. (2004 Dec.); 8(6):672-89.

McKay, C.P; Smith, H.D. “Possibilities for methanogenic life in liquid methane on the surface of Titan.” Icarus (2005 Nov.); 178(1):274-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.05.018

John Rennie (www.johnrennie.net, @tvjrennie) is a science writer, editor and lecturer based in New York City. For 15 years he served as editor in chief of Scientific American. Currently, he writes “The Gleaming Retort” for the PLoS Blogs science blogging network and “The Savvy Scientist” column for SmartPlanet.com, among other projects. He is on the faculty of the Banff Centre Science Communications Program and of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University.

Frogs Spreading Deadly Disease! REPLAY Episode 14 - by Niki...

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:01:08 -0400

Frogs Spreading Deadly Disease!

REPLAY Episode 14 - by Niki Wilson (Click here to directly access the mp3)

(Access the Full Text transcript)

Pacific Chorus frogs may be helping to spread a deadly infectious disease responsible for the extinction of over 200 amphibian species world wide.

The disease, known as chytridiomycosis, is caused by a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd. The fungus attacks amphibian’s skin, disrupting the absorption of water and important electrolytes like sodium. The condition eventually results in heart failure.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

Niki Wilson is a multi-media science communicator living in Jasper, Alberta. Her articles have appeared in the Jasper Fitzhugh, Canmore’s Highline Magazine and The Wild Lands Advocate. She has produced podcasts for Friends in High Places, and Parks Canada, and has collaborated with the Foothills Research Institute and Parks Canada on several regional public exhibits. In 2009, Wilson was accepted into the Banff Centre Science Communications Program, and has since become an affiliate. She is a member of the Canadian Science Writer’s Association, and holds a Master of Environmental Design Degree in Environmental Science. More of her projects can be found at nikiwilson.com. Tweet with her at: twitter.com/niki_wilson

Robots on DRUGS! REPLAY Episode 13 - by Lisa Willemse (Click...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:01:19 -0400

Robots on DRUGS!

REPLAY Episode 13 - by Lisa Willemse (Click here to directly access the MP3)

It’s the perfect marriage between robotics, chemistry, statistics and biology. It’s the latest tool in the arsenal of study against disease. It’s known as high throughput screening, or HTS. Developed by the pharmaceutical industry in the late 1980s, research scientists around the globe are now using it to find new uses for old drugs and if current progress is any indication, it will be responsible for hundreds of new therapies in the near future.

See an HTS robot in action:

Lisa Willemse is a science communicator with an interest in the science found in our everyday lives. She has worked as a journalist, photographer and was once encouraged to take a job in sales (she lasted one day). She is an alumni of the Banff Science Communications Program and currently works for the Stem Cell Network in Ottawa.

Dinosaurs Having SEX! REPLAY Episode 10 - by Sarah Chow (Click...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:31:00 -0400

Dinosaurs Having SEX!

REPLAY Episode 10 - by Sarah Chow (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full transcript)

Dinosaur mating has long puzzled scientists. However with the help of dinosaur descendants like birds and crocodiles, scientists can better visualize these prehistoric beasts behind closed bushes.

Listen to the Podcast to learn more about doin’ it DINO-Style!

Check out this great link from the Smithsonian on Dinosaur Tracking

Sarah Chow is a recent graduate of the Banff Science Communication program and enjoys bringing the humour into science one podcast at a time. When not writing in her blog or frantically running around the lab doing experiments, you can find Sarah running the trails along the West Coast of British Columbia. You can visit Sarah’s blog www.sschow.com or follow her on twitter @sswchow.

Frogs that can SEE out of their BUTTS! Episode 46 - by Scott...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:14:00 -0400

Frogs that can SEE out of their BUTTS!

Episode 46 - by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Scientists at Tufts University graft an eye onto the tail of a tadpole and discover that without any direct connection to the brain, the tadpoles can still see!

No ifs, ands or BUTTS about it, this is an amazing finding that has tremendous impact on research into replacing sensory organs in humans.

Listen to the podcast for more on this amazing study!

For more info:

Tadpoles see with extra eyes - from The Scientist

Blackiston, D. J. and M. Levin. 2013. Ectopic eyes outside the head in Xenopus tadpoles provide sensory data for light-mediated learning. Journal of Experimental Biology. 216, 1031-1040. doi: 10.1242/jeb.074963

Beazley, L D. 1975. Developent of intertectal neuronal connections in Xenopus, the effects of contralateral transposition of the eye and eye removal. Exp Brain research 23 505-518

Scott Unger is the producer / director of Experimental. He’s also a career science communicator with a background in Microbiology, and spent seven years working in a series of laboratories before moving into science writing. Scott is an alumni of the Banff Science Communications Program. Learn more about Scott from his LinkedIn résumé.

Video Gamers Playing for Science! Episode 45 - by Stefanie Vogt...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:01:30 -0400

Video Gamers Playing for Science!

Episode 45 - by Stefanie Vogt (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Far from being a waste of time, computer games have become a cutting-edge scientific tool. Scientists have enlisted the help of gamers to solve problems ranging from figuring out protein structures to identifying whale calls.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

For more information on the Science Gaming phenomena:

“Playing Scientist” by Dan Cossins. (2013) The Scientist 27(1):42-44.

Predicting protein structures with a multiplayer online game by Cooper et al. (2010) Nature 466:756-760.

Foldit website

Phylo website

Whale FM website

Stefanie Vogt is a PhD student studying microbiology at the University of Alberta and an alumna of the 2012 Banff Science Communications Program. She has shared her love of science with thousands of kids by organizing science competitions, science activities in rural Alberta, and a science-themed Harry Potter Day. Follow her on Twitter: @StefanieVogt.

Making Sense of our NINE Senses REPLAY Episode 9 - by Scott...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:01:20 -0400

Making Sense of our NINE Senses

REPLAY Episode 9 - by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

You’re familiar with the first five: Taste, Touch, Hearing, Smell and Sight - but what you might not realize is we possess FOUR MORE senses (and I’m not talking about the supernatural kind!)

More on our other four senses

About Equilibrioception on Science Daily

The Sixth Sense and Beyond - about Thermoception and the other senses

About Nociception on Serendip Exchange

About Body Awareness, Kinesthetic Sense and Proprioception

Battling Obesity: It’s Time to Fight Fat with Fat Episode...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:31:00 -0400

Battling Obesity: It’s Time to Fight Fat with Fat

Episode 44 by Lisa Willemse (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Brown fat may become the newest weapon in the war against obesity. Unlike white fat, which stores excess energy, brown fat is highly metabolic, meaning it burns energy and therefore helps to regulate weight. New research has found that the same stem cells that produce muscle also produce brown fat and that a particular switch (namely a gene regulator known as microRNA-133) is responsible for telling the stem cells which type of cell to become.

Listen to the podcast to learn what happened when the researchers flipped the switch to produce more brown fat and what that might mean for human health.

For more information:

H. Yin et al. (2013). MicroRNA-133 Controls Brown Adipose Determination in Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells by Targeting Prdm16. Cell Metabolism17(2): 210-224.

Gaining ground on losing pounds: How a little more fat might help combat the obesity crisis by Holly Wobma on Signals Blog

Trigger Turns Muscle Stem Cells Into Brown Fat: Discovery Identifies Potential Obesity Treatment on Science Daily

Medical Isotopes Without the Nuclear Reactor Episode 43 by Mark...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:01:24 -0400

Medical Isotopes Without the Nuclear Reactor

Episode 43 by Mark A. Ferguson (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Traditionally, nuclear reactors - and the one at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in particular - have been used to create medical isotopes. But when the National Reseearch Universal Reactor nuclear reactor at in Chalk River was closed in 2007, it caused a worldwide shortage in these important compounds used in the diagnostic imaging of nearly 6000 patients a day around the world.

Creating a new source of isotopes required a new way of doing things - and that’s where synchrotrons and particle accelerators came to the rescue.

Listen to learn more…

Mark A. Ferguson is a science journalist and communications professional currently working at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron in sunny Saskatoon, SK. He is an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan, the University of King’s College, and the Banff Science Communications Program.

Follow him on Twitter @markaferg

Beer Science! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Episode 42 by Ben...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:01:00 -0400

Beer Science! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Episode 42 by Ben Paylor (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

With St. Patty’s Day just around the corner, thoughts of beer are on the minds of many. But have you ever wondered about the science behind the bubbly beverage that dates back to ancient Egypt?

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

For more information:

Ambler Lawsuit About Watered-Down Budweiser Goes National

Discovery of beer gene could improve ‘foam character’

Beer’s bitter compounds could help brew new medicines

Ben Paylor is a PhD candidate studying cardiac stem cell biology at the University of British Columbia, a 2011 alumni of the Banff Science Communication program, and a 2012 Action Canada fellow. He strongly believes in the humorous aspects of life and insists they can be found almost everywhere. Follow him on twitter: @benpaylor, his blog or on LinkedIn.

Dancing Birds - Starling Murmurations are an Aerial...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:01:00 -0500

Dancing Birds - Starling Murmurations are an Aerial Ballet

REPLAY Episode 8 - by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3)

The amazing choreography of thousands and thousands of starlings flying in formation is spectacular to behold. But even more amazing is how science is trying to explain how these aerial displays are possible.

Check out this video of a Starling Murmuration:

And here’s super cooled water rapidly crystalizing:

Lab Notes 2 - Six Awesome Science Stories You Gotta Hear Episode...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:01:00 -0500

Lab Notes 2 - Six Awesome Science Stories You Gotta Hear

Episode 41 by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

In this edition of Lab Notes, six wonderful science stories for you: A real, working tractor beam, a dark energy telescope, SUPER-Rat, an Orbital satellite refueling station, two comets to watch out for and a building being 3D printed!

Listen to the Podcast to learn more!

Check out the sources:

1. SUPER-RAT! Night-vision rat becomes first animal with sixth sense

2. Dark Energy Telescope: Canadian scientists try to shed light on dark energy.

3. Real Life Tractor Beam: Researchers build a working tractor beam, on a very small scale.

4. Satellite Gas Station: Satellite refueling testbed completes demo in orbit

5. Comet Watch 2013: Year of the Comets: 2 Dazzling Comets Heading Our Way

6. 3D Printer … of Buildings: The World’s First 3D-Printed Building Will Arrive In 2014 (And It Looks Awesome)

Raising the dead – one protein at a time Episode 40 by Stefanie...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:01:00 -0500

Raising the dead – one protein at a time

Episode 40 by Stefanie Vogt (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Although Ice Age animals like Neanderthals and woolly mammoths are long extinct, their DNA lingers on. Scientists are now using DNA sequences from these creatures to recreate their proteins, shedding new light on the inner functioning of their bodies.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

Sources and further reading:

K.L. Campbell and M. Hofreiter. (2012) New life for ancient DNA. Scientific American August 2012: 46-51.

C. Lalueza-Fox et al. (2007) A melanocortin 1 receptor allele suggests varying pigmentation among Neanderthals. Science 318:1453-1455.

K.L. Campbell et al. (2010) Substitutions in woolly mammoth hemoglobin confer biochemical properties adaptive for cold tolerance. Nature Genetics 42:536-540.

Will we ever clone a mammoth? By Ed Yong

The New Tornado Alley Episode 39 by Mark A. Ferguson (Click here...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:01:00 -0500

The New Tornado Alley

Episode 39 by Mark A. Ferguson (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

The number of tornado sightings on the Canadian prairies in 2012 was the highest it has ever been. For Storm Chasers, this has become a neat opportunity to explore the new Tornado Alley on the Canadian Prairies. But the implications of this drastically changing hydrology go far beyond tornadoes, and some experts are worried the climate is spiraling out of control.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

Follow him on Twitter @markaferg

Black Hole Powered Spacecraft Episode 38 by Scott Unger (Click...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:01:00 -0500

Black Hole Powered Spacecraft

Episode 38 by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

It might be a better, more easily maintained power source than the science fiction go-to of antimatter for powering warp drives… and scientists at Kansas State University have theorized how mankind could make a black hole. And as we go forward searching for extraterrestrials, perhaps we’ll find them because of the black holes in their spaceships.

Listen to the Podcast to learn more…

Check out my sources:

Black Hole Driven Starships Might Ply the Galaxy

Are Black Hole Starships Possible?

Get Your Light Right: Set Your Internal Clock to Avoid Health...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:01:00 -0500

Get Your Light Right: Set Your Internal Clock to Avoid Health Hazards

Episode 37 by Niki Wilson (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

For most of our evolution as a species, humans wandered the earth in sync with the light/dark cycles created by the sun and the moon. This relationship has shaped the formation of our body chemistry and physical make up. Our bodies adjust to daily and seasonal changes in light through physiological adaptations. Awareness of light (and dark) and the time of day when we are exposed to light (and specific wavelengths of light) can have a dramatic effect on our well being and directly impact our internal clock.

Listen to the Podcast to learn more…

For more information:

Holzman, David. C. What’s in a Color? The Unique Human Health Effects of Blue Light. Environ Health Perspect. 2010. January; 118(1): A22–A27.

Lam RW, Levitt AJ, Levitan RD et al. The Can-SAD study: a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of light therapy and fluoxetine in patients with winter seasonal affective disorder. 2006. Am J Psychiatry, 163, 805-812.

Reeves, Gloria M. MD et al. Improvement in Depression Scores After 1 Hour of Light Therapy Treatment in Patients With Seasonal Affective Disorder. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease: January 2012 - Volume 200 - Issue 1 - p 51.

Partonen, T. (ed) and S.R. Pandi-perumal (ed). Seasonal Affective Disorder: Practice and Research. Second Edition. 2010. Oxford University Press. 352 pp.

Niki Wilson is a science writer living in Jasper. She hails from an environmental science and biology background, but traded the field for the computer screen. She writes a regular column, On Science, for the Jasper Fitzhugh, and podcasts for Parks Canada and Experimental. She has freelanced for the Canadian Science Media Center, and is an affiliate of the Banff Centre Science Communications Program. See more of her writing at www.nikiwilson.com.

Does this building make me look green? Episode 36 by Lisa...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:01:33 -0500

Does this building make me look green?

Episode 36 by Lisa Willemse (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

Find something warm to hold on to before you listen to this.

If you’re scratching your head in confusion, research has an answer. Embodied cognition is the term generally used to describe the impact your immediate environment has on your choices and perceptions, from how you perceive strangers and events to where you decide to throw your trash. Integrated into design, it might even help us adopt better behaviours.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

For more information:

Williams LE and Bargh JA (2008) Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal WarmthScience 322(5901):606-7.

Wu DW, DiGiacomo A, and Kingstone A. (2013) A Sustainable Building Promotes Pro-Environmental Behavior: An Observational Study on Food Disposal. PLoS One 8(1): e53856.

Eskine KJ, Kacinik NA, and Webster GD. (2012) The bitter truth about morality: virtue, not vice, makes a bland beverage taste nice. PLoS One 7 (7): e41159.

Skydiving Ants REPLAY Episode 7 - by Lesley Evans Ogden (Click...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:01:29 -0500

Skydiving Ants

REPLAY Episode 7 - by Lesley Evans Ogden (Click here to directly access the MP3)

Ants have recently been added to the list of organisms known to be able to steer while skydiving, without using wings, webs, or parachutes. They just use their limbs and body to direct their fall. Find out how ants fall from the tree tops with style.

More information about Directed Aerial Descent in insects:

Click here to see videos of skydiving ants.

Yanoviak, S.P., Y. Munk, and R. Dudley. 2011. Evolution and Ecology of Directed Aerial Descent in Arboreal Ants. Integr. Comp. Biol. pp 1-13 doi: 10.1093/icb/icr006

Yanoviak, S.P., M. Kaspari, and R. Dudley. 2009. Gliding hexapods and the origins of insect aerial behavior. Biol. Lett. 5:510–2.

Yanoviak, S.P., Y. Munk, M. Kaspari, and R. Dudley. 2010. Aerial manoeuverability in wingless gliding ants (Cephalotes atra- tus). Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. 277:2199–204.

Dr. Steven Yanoviak’s research focuses on tropical arthropods, including gliding ants.

Lesley Evans Ogden, PhD is a freelance science journalist based in Vancouver, BC. Trained as a wildlife ecologist researching the ecology and conservation of migratory birds, she now writes about animal behaviour, ecology, wildlife conservation, green innovation, sustainability, health and fitness. Lesley is an alumna of the 2011 Banff Science Communications Program. More of her writing can be found at lesleyevansogden.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ljevanso.

A Particle Accelerator for Peace in the Middle East Episode 35...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:01:00 -0500

A Particle Accelerator for Peace in the Middle East

Episode 35 by Mark A. Ferguson (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

In one of the world’s most volatile regions, an ambitious science project - a particle accelerator synchrotron - could help bring diplomacy, even peace, to the Middle East.

Listen to the Podcast to learn more…

Check these links out for more info:

The Sesame website

BBC: Inside the world’s most ‘impossible’ science project

Follow him on Twitter @markaferg

The Science of Santa Episode 34 by Stefanie Vogt (Click here to...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:48:00 -0500

The Science of Santa

Episode 34 by Stefanie Vogt (Click here to directly access the MP3)

(Access the full text transcript)

How does Santa Claus deliver presents to children around the world in a single night? With the help of science, of course! Einstein’s theory of relativity, nanotechnology, and interdimensional wormholes could be the keys to a happy Christmas morning.

Listen to the podcast to learn more…

Check out these neat Santa websites:

The NORAD Santa Tracker

Google’s Santa Tracker (including the Android app)

Santa’s Twitter account

Dr. Larry Silverberg’s Santa webpage