High Science

Energy is one of those words that is used all the time but is rarely understood. This week High Science tackles energy, work, and power. Although these words are often used interchangeably, they have distinct physical meanings. Joining us are two new guests, Fredrick and Chenz, who have little scientific knowledge. John attempts to teach a bunch of (allegedly) stoned people about energy and hilarity ensues. Tangents range from Duck Hunt to betting on the temperature of lava as High Science probes deeper into the nature of the universe. Fredrick ends the episode with a quote that we feel gets at the heart of what we are trying to do here at High Science: "That was awesome. I feel two different ways... I feel a little stupider and a little smarter all that the same time." Send us episode requests, feedback, questions, and comments! We love getting fan mail! Twitter: @highscience2017 Email: highscience2017@gmail.com

Genetics is the study of heredity and how traits are passed from parent to offspring. From wrinkly peas to colorblindness, High Science explores genetics and explains why your friend's ear lobes are attached to his head while yours dangle free. We start with Gregor Mendel and classical genetics which explains things like eye color and ear wax wetness (seriously). We then discuss DNA, sex-linked traits, asexual vs sexual reproduction, and epigenetics. Ever wonder how flatworms reproduce? If so, this is the episode for you! Send us episode requests, feedback, questions, and comments! We love getting fan mail! Twitter: @highscience2017 Email: highscience2017@gmail.com

Education is a beautiful thing... which is why we need to hardcore fix it. High Science explores the shortcomings of our education system and possible ways to make improvements. Ideas such as gamification and constructivism are explored and our own educational experiences are hilariously recalled. Education is stuck in the outdated paradigm of retaining and regurgitating information. We must move to help people critically process information and creatively solve the problems of tomorrow. "Educations is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire." Send us episode requests, feedback, questions, and/or pictures of Kendrick Twitter: @highscience2017 Email: highscience2017@gmail.com

Your body is made up of *trillions* of little membrane-bound blobs of goop. Those goop balls work together to make the meat machine you control every single day. High Science explores the human body and how these little biological machines we call cells work together to make you you.

High Science tackles the mind-bending idea of infinity. We go back 2500 years to Zeno's paradoxes and we zoom ahead to potential future math-less alien robots. Physics needs the concept of infinity in order to work. The area of a circle formula couldn't be found without infinity. This abstract concept is critical to our understanding of the universe and ourselves. At the very least, it shows us how good we are at confusing ourselves. *High Science is temporarily moving to a biweekly schedule*

Philosophy episode! High Science has an existential meltdown as they discuss the core principles of existentialism and explore the ideas of this movement's most influential thinkers. Show Notes: Existentialism - Best viewed as a movement and not philosophical system or a set of doctrines “It is far better for a man to go wrong in freedom than to go right in chains” - Thomas H. Huxley Existential Crisis - Things that used to seem like common sense reveals itself as uncanny, up to chance, contingent, and relative Why do we live here instead of there? Why are we doing this job instead of that job? Why are we with this partner? Why are we following this set of social norms? There are more options the we ever imagined. We are freer than we thought. Deluding ourselves with what “had to be” This realization tends to induce much anxiety - hence “crisis” Tends to accompany a heightened awareness of death A sense of urgency to reexamine life but the clock is running out We have many

Did you know you can hear space-time wobble? Jay and Sam return after conducting more research and we talk about their work and all things science. Jay is doing chemistry research concerning core components of hash oils and e-liquids. Sam is doing biophysics research concerning the protein channels that bring nutrients to the lens of your eye. Some of our topics include nuclear accidents, Rick and Morty, interferometry, and protein folding video games.

It's time to talk about some of the more exotic ideas of physics. High Science tackles dark matter, dark energy,  and antimatter. In this episode we explore the edge of our current understanding of the universe. Topics Discussed: Dark Matter How it was discovered: galaxies didn't rotate as we expected them to Fritz Zwicky: Theorized dark matter and called people spherical bastards Ideas about what dark matter could be: WIMPs - Weakly Interacting Massive Particles MACHOs - Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects Axions - Slow moving, weakly interacting particles Kaluza-Klein Particles: There's a 5th dimension curled in on itself (???) Gravitinos - Arises from super-symmetry Antimatter Fundamental particles with opposite electric charge (the anti electron is the positron) Paul Dirac theorized antimatter and it was later observed Anti-hydrogen was created! The issue with experimenting with antimatter: if it touches ordinary matter in annihilates and releases a bunch of ene

Jake the Astronomer returns to High Science to discuss the research he's conducting along with his favorite scientific concepts. Jake is studying the Alcubierre solution to Einstein's field equations in general relativity. This solution implies that we can potentially create a spacecraft that could achieve faster than light travel by contracting space-time in front of the craft and expanding space-time behind it. Jake is studying the implications of this type of travel and determining if there is an energy signature for the Alcubierre drive. If there is a signature and we find it, that means that something is achieving faster than light travel. Crazy stuff. We also spend some time discussing the big bang, microwaves, philosophy of math, and Genghis Khan.

Last week the 2017 Nobel Prizes were announced! This inspired High Science to not only discuss this year's winners but to also explore the fascinating history of the prize. A man reading his own obituary in the newspaper led directly to the establishment of the most prestigious scientific award. The stories of notable past winners are also told and their respective fields are explained. We finish off with an embarrassing story of John and James getting way too high on edibles. Topics Discussed: Mermaids: Top half or bottom half? Shout out to the first person to email us! History of Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize Nobel Prizes 2017 Physics: Awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves". Medicine / Physiology: Awarded to Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young "for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm". Chemistry: Awarded to Jacques Dubochet,

The human brain is an amazing piece of natural machinery. It is easily the most complex thing the universe has ever produced. That being said, sometimes it just doesn't work right. High Science tackles cognitive biases: the leanings, shortcomings, and pitfalls of our natural thought processes. No one is immune, but we can better deal with these issues by recognizing them in ourselves and others. Disclaimer: Due to a brief microphone malfunction and an asshole cricket, some parts of this episode have low quality audio. Difference between logical fallacies and cognitive biases Anchoring Effect Rosey Retrospection Post-Rationalization Outcome Bias Barnum Effect Backfire Effect Identifiable Victim Effect Reactance Rhyme is Reason Effect Sexual Over-perception / Under-perception Bias Dunning-Kruger Effect Experimenter / Expectation Bias Ben Franklin Effect Bias Blind Spot Availability Cascade Hostile Attribution Bias Pareidolia Illusion of Control Anthropomorphism Choice-

We can create pretty sophisticated computer models for things like weather and astrophysics. In a future with powerful quantum computers and flexible ethics, can we simulate a reality? If it's possible, has it already been done? ARE WE THE SIMULATED REALITY? The crew explores the science and philosophy behind this idea while navigating semi-relevant tangents and shenanigans. Topics Discussed: Scientifically, the answer is quick: we can't test it so we don't know right now. Simulations we have made: From the Sims to Climate Models Breaking down consciousness to binary code. How many processes do our brains carry out? Quantum Computers Can we simulate consciousness? Irrational numbers as an argument against a simulated reality Is our reality procedurally generated? If we ARE in a simulation, is there free will? Can free will and fate exist simultaneously? Would you rather live in a world ruled by fate or free will? Philosophy Vs. Science! Tangents: What if Hitler won, the 51st state an

This one got off the rails.  The subject was climate change but we start off by talking about menstruation and we end up with applying probability and statistics to determine whether or not soulmates exist. Try to keep up as the crew explores climate change and takes every tangent they could possibly take. The misleading "debate" on climate change What is climate? What's the difference between weather and climate Why the name was changed from "global warming" to "climate change" Science needs to get get better at public relations Where does the public mistrust of science come from? The difference between the "table flippers" and the "daily grinders" of science Evidence of climate change Greenhouse gasses The effects of warming the earth Caesars Becoming a global society The Kardashev Scale - What type of civilization are we? Carl Sagan and the Pale Blue Dot What was it like to be a German in WWII? What's a cuck? Podcast talk Gripe talk An intellectual evolution Do soulma

What's wrong with organic? It sounds natural and healthy. GMOs sound artificial and scary. This week, the crew explores GMOs and breaks down the science behind this controversial topic. Genetics is taught, studies are cited, and off topic bullsh*t is discussed as the feel-good organic industry is destroyed with science and critical thinking. What is a GMO? (Genetically Modified Organism) A crash course in genetics What is a gene? How do genes get passed from parent to offspring? Mendelian Genetics Artificial Selection The scientific consensus on GMOs Arguments for and against GMOs Naturalistic Fallacy Farmer Profit and Yields Mono-cultures Nutritional Comparison Golden Rice CRISPR Cas9: Precision Gene Editing How we can use CRISPR to wipe out malaria Get good googling skillz Why we shouldn't label GMOs High Fructose Corn Syrup Vs. "Natural" Sugar Lab rats, "rat park", and addiction Instant vs delayed gratification Politics Tobacco, vaping, and nicotine

Vaccines could be scary. Autism could be scary. Do vaccines cause autism? Are they worth the risk? The crew tackles the myths surrounding vaccines and shares the tools you can use to answer this question yourself. The science behind vaccines and autism is explored as they apply scientific principles to analyze this modern controversy. Topics Discussed: What are vaccines? The very first vaccine - Smallpox in 1796 What are diseases? How does your immune system work? Vaccines today The backfire effect What is autism? The autism spectrum Temple Grandin - The World Needs All Kinds of Minds Our current understanding of potential some causes of autism Andrew Wakefield's infamous paper linking vaccines and autism The myths surrounding vaccines The naturalistic fallacy A tangent on vitamins The body autonomy argument regarding vaccines Herd immunity

The crew enters Kat's realm of speech and language science. Language is broken down to the point where the hosts all end up just making noises and trying to figure out what the hell is actually going on. The discussion of speech and language is embedded in developmental psychology. From fetuses to adults, the crew discusses how we develop and perceive speech and language. It is difficult to talk about these topics without also discussing how speech and language critically determine our identity as a species. Topics Discussed: The sounds of language The five components of language Phonology – sounds and sound systems – how can we combine certain sounds? It's okay for "ks" to be at the end of a word “breaks”, not at the beginning Morphology – how to we combine units of meaning – conjugation Semantics – meaning, lexicon Syntax – how we combine words You can put the same words in a different order to create different meanings Pragmatics – rules for the social use of language, communicat

Why do things move as they do? Are there fundamental rules of motion? Why is math so weird? Why was Newton such a bad-ass? The crew tackles a diverse set of topics while analyzing motion and freaking out about math. Topics Discussed: What is a force? Our ideas forces before Sir Isaac Newton Newton and his three laws of motion The issue with teaching the laws of motion Fundamental forces of nature Gravity Electromagnetism Strong Nuclear Force Weak Nuclear Force A Grand Unified Theory of Forces? The multiverse? Is math invented or discovered? Can math exist without the universe? The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physical reality Why math is beautiful

In our quest to determine how the universe works, we take some time to explore a fundamental concept: motion. Things move through our universe and we can accurately describe and predict this motion using math! In this episode we discuss how things move (kinematics) in preparation for a future episode where we talk about why things move (dynamics). What is motion? Frames of reference Words to describe motion: position, velocity, and acceleration One-dimensional motion Two-dimensional motion: Throwing a ball in a gravitational field Determinism in classical physics Terminal velocity Rotational motion Math: The language of physics The goal of physics

What does it mean to be conscious? What does it mean to BE? The crew explores the nature of consciousness, the self, and the experience we are all constantly having. The limited science behind consciousness is discussed along with some philosophy of being. To put it another way, a few sentient biological blobs ponder what it means to be awake. Topics Discussed: How can we define consciousness? Thomas Nagel's thought experiment The only thing Descartes was certain about The emergence of consciousness. Where did it come from? Artificial Intelligence and the Turing Test Glasgow Coma Scale Spirituality and the illusion of self The corpus callosum and duel brain patients Jill Bolte Taylor and her "stroke" of insight Altered states of consciousness End of episode banter and theory of mind

What is length? What is time? Who decided the length of a second? The crew explores the fundamentals of physics and learns how we have come to define our units of measurement. Topics Discussed: What is physics? Physical quantities Galileo: The father of modern science How do we communicate measurements? History of the meter What is time? What is a second Mass vs. weight How we define a kilogram Composite units Radioactive dating How do we measure extreme lengths, masses, and times?