045: A World War Against Science Has Begun

The war against science just got very real. But please don't despair. We now have a common mission and our goal is crystal clear. To be sure, this a major setback to science and portends some dark days ahead, but we will overcome this if we re-double our efforts to communicate science through this and every other available medium. We pledge to always be your podcast and your voice.

What The Hell Was That?

Have a listen to this week's WTHWT!

Blue Streak Science News Roundup

These are summaries of our discussions on the podcast. For the full conversation please listen to this episode of the Blue Streak Science Podcast.

Researchers Clear "Patient Zero" From AIDS Origin Story
The man known as "patient zero" and long thought by many to have set in motion the HIV/AIDS epidemic in North America very likely had little to do with the spread of the virus, according to a new study published the journal Nature.

This study goes further and gives us a clearer picture on how HIV emerged in the United States and Canada.

Why Weather is Unlikely to Significantly Affect This Year's Election
From the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang comes an article titled “Why weather is unlikely to significantly affect this year’s election”.

We are recording this episode on Tuesday, 8 November, Election Day in the United States. Yes, we're nervous.

Male Contraceptive Pill Works, But Side Effects Halt Trial
A recent study on male birth control has made headlines, especially in social media, and for good reason.

The success rate for the contraceptive is 96%.

Unfortunately, the trial was cut short even though most of the participants were willing to go on with it.

World's Largest Marine Reserve Hailed As Diplomatic Breakthrough
Last week we got news that the largest marine reserve in the world, protecting much of Antarctica’s Ross Sea, has been created through an agreement signed by 24 nations and the European Union.

This is the first time in history that countries have come together for this type of agreement.

The Ross Sea is a deep Antarctic bay encompassing 1.55 million square kilometers and has been designated as a protected zone from commercial fishing and mineral exploitation.

This international agreement is scheduled to take effect in December of 2017.

Wildlife in Decline: Earth's Vertebrates Fall 58% In Past Four Decades
Worldwide populations of fish, amphibians, mammals, and birds have plunged by 58% percent since 1970 as human activities overwhelm the environment, according to a World Wildlife Fund conservation group.

The index is predicted to continue falling to 67 percent by 2020 if current trends hold.

Bacteria Can't Get a Grip on Self-healing Slippery Surface
In a report published in the journal Biomaterials, a team of scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University have demonstrated that an innovative, ultra-low adhesive coating prevented bacteria from attaching to surfaces treated with it, reducing bacterial adhesion by more than 98 percent in laboratory tests.

Game Segment

Today we played "What's My Phobia" and "False Positive".

Shout-outs and Acknowledgments

Blue Streak Science Cafe'
Join us Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7:00AM (Pacific).

This episode of Blue Streak Science Podcast comes to you from Santa Rosa, California; Cambridge, England; Sydney, Australia; and Marrakesh, Morocco.