Science On Top 1 - We've Got Sex
I've started doing a podcast that deals with science news, facts and mythbusting with a couple of friends, Penny and Ed. (One is kind of on LJ, the other used to be but is no longer, so there's no point linking LJ handles) The idea behind this is to get science out into the open a bit, and to talk about science news that is important in terms that the general public will understand and, we hope, even find interesting.
We had our unofficial start last week, where we proceeded to bite off more than we could chew by talking about the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Halfway through we realised we'd messed up in a way so we basically cut it short and Ed posted up the intros where we talked about what inspired us to become interested in science (I have not listened to it because I hate the sound of my own voice). We also decided from this that we'd try to stick to defined, smaller topics.
This week it went off a bit smoother, and Ed posted the whole thing for download on our spiffy new website Science On Top. I welcome everyone to download it and have a listen if you're interested (again, I have not listened to it - it's probably about 40 minutes). Constructive criticism would be more than welcomed!
The topics we covered were:
The Supermoon;
The New Horizons craft passing by Uranus' orbit on its way to Pluto (and yes, Penny had a bit of a chuckle);
The MESSENGER craft finally makes it into orbit around Mercury;
The hyperactivation of sperm by progesterone, and how this may one day lead to a male contraceptive
Yuri's Night, an annual celebration of the very first manned flight into space by Yuri Gagarin in 1961;
The Miller-Urey experiments of the 50s on the origins of life (with a rant against creationists thrown in for good measure);
Large dinosaurs and their potential vaccum-cleaner attributes;
And finally,
How sex can kill
There are still a few kinks to be ironed out, and I probably talk too fast and use a bit too much jargon, and it might be a little too dumbed down in places, but it's a good start and I'm very proud of us.
I'm going to make it a habit to post the new updates on this LJ, in this format, to keep a record and to pimp it a little.
Now to go and have a Victory SleepTM
We had our unofficial start last week, where we proceeded to bite off more than we could chew by talking about the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Halfway through we realised we'd messed up in a way so we basically cut it short and Ed posted up the intros where we talked about what inspired us to become interested in science (I have not listened to it because I hate the sound of my own voice). We also decided from this that we'd try to stick to defined, smaller topics.
This week it went off a bit smoother, and Ed posted the whole thing for download on our spiffy new website Science On Top. I welcome everyone to download it and have a listen if you're interested (again, I have not listened to it - it's probably about 40 minutes). Constructive criticism would be more than welcomed!
The topics we covered were:
The Supermoon;
The New Horizons craft passing by Uranus' orbit on its way to Pluto (and yes, Penny had a bit of a chuckle);
The MESSENGER craft finally makes it into orbit around Mercury;
The hyperactivation of sperm by progesterone, and how this may one day lead to a male contraceptive
Yuri's Night, an annual celebration of the very first manned flight into space by Yuri Gagarin in 1961;
The Miller-Urey experiments of the 50s on the origins of life (with a rant against creationists thrown in for good measure);
Large dinosaurs and their potential vaccum-cleaner attributes;
And finally,
How sex can kill
There are still a few kinks to be ironed out, and I probably talk too fast and use a bit too much jargon, and it might be a little too dumbed down in places, but it's a good start and I'm very proud of us.
I'm going to make it a habit to post the new updates on this LJ, in this format, to keep a record and to pimp it a little.
Now to go and have a Victory SleepTM