Episode 9: Getting Meta with Materials

cloakspace_rays

Now you see it, now you don’t – episode 9 of Yet Another Science Show is finally here! Special guest, Harvard PhD Student Phil Munoz, sits down at Jesse’s table with Orad, Jes and Nina to talk meta-atoms, metamaterials and invisibility cloaks. Don’t miss out!

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Episode 8: Making Sense of Smell

Armin Kübelbeck, CC-BY-SA, Wikimedia CommonsSmell is a powerful thing.  In fact, some say it’s the most powerful of our senses. But it’s not a well-understood sense by any means.  Every now and again, a new study appears with a new set of categories or a new angle, but for now, the definitive answer on how smell really works remains elusive. A recent study set the number of odour categories at 10, but the YASSers think that something about it just smells off. Take a listen to find out why.

After a brief hiatus, the guys are back! Orad and Jesse introduce their new co-host Nina Pariser and discuss smell. Plus, our first legit voicemail!

 

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Episode 6: Material Toughness

Professor Steve Yalisove

Professor Steve Yalisove of the University of Michigan

Do you know what the difference is between a material’s strength and its toughness? If you’re like most of us, you don’t. But that difference plays a big part in why springs don’t snap under pressure and why only certain materials can be used for the frames in buildings and bridges.

Listen in and get the scoop on material toughness and strength as we host our first interviewee, Professor Steve Yalisove of the University of Michigan’s Material Science and Engineering department, where he teaches an introductory material science course. Continue reading

Episode 4: Speciation: Mini Elephants, Giant Rats and the Cycle of Cichlids

African Cichlid

An African Cichlid. Source: Flickr user orlyscis

Deep in Africa’s Rift Valley lakes, a story of extinction and evolution is unfolding at an incredible rate, while elsewhere, islands have their own stories of divergent evolution writ large in their fossils. Speciation is an unending process that has shaped our planet’s history in many ways, and continues to do so today.

In this episode, Jesse and Orad tackle the topic of speciation — from its different types to its more extreme cases — along with special guest (and regular behind-the-scenes team member) Aimee Gillespie!

Next episode

Our next show will be about the history of lighting and how the simple light bulb has changed over the years. Post questions below or contact us here!

Note: due to scheduling conflicts with our guest, we will not be able to discuss the planned topic (material toughness) quite yet, but stay tuned! Continue reading