Sunday, March 27, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday March 28, 2016 - Skeptic Check: How Low Can You Go?












Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: How Low Can You Go?

Baby, it’s cold outside… but you still might want to be there.  Some people claim that chilly temperatures are good for your health, and proponents of cryotherapy suggest you have a blast – of sub-zero air – to stave off wrinkles and perhaps halt aging altogether.

Meanwhile the field of cryonics offers the ultimate benefit by suggesting that you put future plans – and your body – on ice when you die.  That way you might be revived when the technology to do so is developed.

So, will a chill wind blow you some good?  Possibly, as scientists are discovering that the body can endure colder temperatures than previously thought.  We examine the science of extreme cold and claims of its salubrious benefits.

It’s our monthly look at critical thinking, Skeptic Check … but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:
Download podcast at:http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-how-low-can-you-go

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Coronal Canyon Spews Solar Wind Toward Earth

 
Source - Space Weather News for March 25, 2016:http://spaceweather.com

HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE:  A canyon-shaped hole in the sun's atmosphere has opened up and it is spewing solar wind toward Earth. Estimated time of arrival: March 27-28.  Arctic sky watchers should be alert for a springtime display of auroras.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

NEW RADAR IMAGES OF EARTH-BUZZING COMET:  Earlier this week, comet fragment P/2016 BA14 made an unusually-close approach to Earth. Using a radar in the Mojave Desert, NASA researchers pinged the comet as it passed by, revealing an icy nucleus that looks like a brick--or a pear--depending on your point of view. See for yourself  on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday March 21, 2016 - Gene-y in a Bottle












Big Picture Science - Gene-y in a Bottle

You can’t pick your parents.  But soon you may be able to change the DNA they gave you.  CRISPR technology is poised to take DNA editing to new levels of precision and speed.  Imagine deleting genes from your body that you don’t like and inserting the ones you want.  The swap might not even require a fancy lab.  Biohackers are already tinkering with genes in their homes.

Find out how CRISPR technology might change everything when the genetic lottery is no longer destiny.

Plus, a cardiologist identifies the troublesome genes that once gave us evolutionary advantages but today are fueling obesity, depression and other modern illness.

Guests:

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/Gene-y_in_a_Bottle

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

ScienceCasts: Amazing Moons


Source - http://science.nasa.gov/

When the Space Age began, explorers were eager to visit the planets of the solar system. As the years have passed, however, astronomers have realized that the moons of the solar system may be even more interesting.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Green Comet Approaches Earth


Source - Space Weather News for March 17, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

GREEN COMET APPROACHES EARTH: There's no danger of a collision.  However, a small green comet named "252P/LINEAR" is about to make one of the closest approaches to Earth of any comet in modern times, sailing just 5.4 million km from our planet on March 21st.  Moreover, the comet appears to have company: A possible fragment of 252P/LINEAR will fly by just one day later. A weak meteor shower could follow the double flyby near the end of March. 

Visit Spaceweather.com for more information.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday March 14, 2016 - Who’s Controlling Whom?












Big Picture Science - Who’s Controlling Whom?

ENCORE: A single ant isn’t very brainy. But a group of ants can do remarkable things. Biological swarm behavior is one model for the next generation of tiny robots. Of course, biology can get hijacked: a fungus can seize control of an ant’s brain, for example. So will humans always remain the boss of super-smart, swarming machines?

We discuss the biology of zombie ants and how to build robots that self-assemble and work together. Also, how to guarantee the moral behavior of future ‘bots.

And, do you crave cupcakes? Research suggests that gut bacteria control what we eat and how we feel.

Guests:
  • David Hughes – Biologist, entomologist, Penn State University
  • Mike Rubenstein – Roboticist, Self-Organizing Systems Research Group, Harvard University
  • Wendell Wallach – Bioethicist, chair, Technology and Ethics Study Group, Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics
  • Athena Aktipis – Cooperation theorist, Arizona State University and director of Human and Social Evolution, Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California, San Francisco

This encore podcast was first released on October 13, 2014

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Who_s_Controlling_Whom_

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Unexpected Geomagnetic Storm on March 11th


Source - Space Weather News for March 11, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

UNEXPECTED GEOMAGNETIC STORM:  Earlier today, the outskirts of a CME previously expected to miss Earth instead hit. The impact sparked a G2-class geomagnetic storm and bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. At the time this alert is being written, the storm is still in progress. Visit Spaceweather.com for updates.

AVIATION RADIATION EXPERIMENT: En route to observe the March 9th total eclipse in Indonesia, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus conducted an unusual experiment in aviation radiation. Their plane flew a great circle around the Pacific Ocean, skirting the Arctic Circle and crossing the equator in a relatively short period of time. This allowed them to take a snapshot of onboard cosmic radiation doses over a wide range of latitude. Visit Spaceweather.com for results.

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Crazy-good Pictures of Today's Solar Eclipse


Source - Space Weather News for March 9, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN:  This morning, the new Moon blocked out the sun, producing a magnificent total eclipse over Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean. Today's edition of Spaceweather.com highlights the view from some unique vantage points--including the window of an Alaskan Airlines flight that diverted into the path of totality.  Also notable are satellite movies of the Moon's cool shadow sweeping across the Pacific.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage.

Sunday, March 06, 2016

Geomagnetic Storm on March 6, 2016


Space Weather News for March 6, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

POLAR GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Today, March 6th, Earth is entering a stream of solar wind, and the encounter has sparked a G1-class geomagnetic storm.  Inside the stream, magnetic fields have a negative polarity--a condition which favors auroras.  High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for Northern Lights.  Visit Spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

AVIATION RADIATION EXPERIMENT: This weekend, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus are flying to Indonesia to observe the March 9th total eclipse.  En route, they are conducting an experiment in aviation radiation. Their flight skirts the Arctic Circle and crosses the equator, allowing them to make cosmic ray measurements over a wide range of latitudes in a relatively short amount of time. Stay tuned to Spaceweather.com to learn the results.

Big Picture Science for Monday March 07, 2016 - Land on the Run














Big Picture Science - Land on the Run

ENCORE: Hang on to your globe. One day it’ll be a collector’s item. The arrangement of continents you see today is not what it once was, nor what it will be tomorrow. Thank plate tectonics.

Now evidence suggests that the crowding together of all major land masses into one supercontinent – Pangaea, as it’s called – is a phenomenon that’s happened over and over during Earth’s history. And it will happen again. Meet our future supercontinent home, Amasia, and learn what it will look like.

Meanwhile, as California waits for the Big One, geologists discover that major earthquakes come in clusters. Also, our planet is not the only solar system body with tectonic activity. Icy Europa is a mover and shaker too.

And why is land in the western part of the U.S. literally rising up? Mystery solved!

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on September 29, 2014

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Land_on_the_Run

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.