Latest Farina Podcast Episodes
The Future of Car Batteries (Featuring Jill Pestana)
Professor Dave Debates - March 28, 2020 17:25 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsElectric cars are the future, this much is clear. All manufacturers are switching focus and discontinuing production on many gas-run models. This bodes well for a future completely independent of gasoline and other fossil fuels. So how does a car battery work? What innovations can we ex...
A Chemist's Retrospective (Featuring Vittorio Farina)
Professor Dave Debates - February 14, 2020 18:12 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThis episode features none other than my father, Vittorio Farina! He is an accomplished chemist that has been a global leader in the field of process development. Essentially, he really knows how to make drugs. In this episode we dive into his history as an Italian immigrant, his educat...
Human Nature vs. Society (Featuring Arash Kolahi)
Professor Dave Debates - January 11, 2020 21:13 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsHuman nature hasn't changed much in thousands of years, but society has changed dramatically, especially over the past few centuries. Has society advanced in such a way that it enhances our happiness, or does it detract? Does it bring us together, or does it isolate us? Does it enable ...
How Do We Make Drugs? (Featuring Carolina Amador)
Professor Dave Debates - October 19, 2019 16:40 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsIn the past 100 years, our understanding of the molecular world has grown immeasurably. So much so that we can synthesize essentially any compound we desire. We take advantage of this fact to synthesize drugs for the treatment of various diseases. How does this work? How do we know what...
Do I Have an Eating Disorder? (Featuring Kati Morton)
Professor Dave Debates - September 14, 2019 17:01 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsEating is a major focal point of human existence. We all do it every day, and most of our social interactions are based around it. But many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, which can sometimes qualify as an eating disorder. What are the different types of eating disorders...
What is Autism? (Featuring Erin Nosco)
Professor Dave Debates - August 10, 2019 16:18 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsIn the vaccines episode we touched on the alleged link between vaccines and autism, so now let's look at it from the other perspective. What is autism? What is its cause? What does diagnosis and treatment look like? To help us understand this is Erin Nosco, a research coordinator at UCL...
What's on Europa? (Featuring Kevin DeBruin)
Professor Dave Debates - June 15, 2019 18:15 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsOf all the places that are candidates for extraterrestrial life that we are aware of, Europa is the best. This moon of Jupiter harbors a subsurface ocean that is likely full of minerals, and thus may contain life, perhaps even complex multicellular life! Plans are under way to send pro...
What is Consciousness? (Featuring Joel Frohlich)
Professor Dave Debates - May 11, 2019 16:01 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThere are a lot of things in this universe that we understand very well. But the thing that is understood the least might be human consciousness. Despite our intimate knowledge of brain structure and function, we still don't quite understand how the brain produces the subjective reality...
What's the Deal With Vaccines? (Featuring Kimberly Harrison)
Professor Dave Debates - April 13, 2019 17:35 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsAnti-science mentality rears its head in many sectors of daily life, but none more so than in medicine. One ramification of this is the anti-vaccine movement. Thousands of people insist that vaccines are harmful, that they are linked to autism, and are clearly to be avoided. Is there an...
Does Science Belong in Music? (Featuring Ray Hedgpeth)
Professor Dave Debates - March 09, 2019 17:27 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsA lot of educators and YouTubers try to make science-themed music. Whether for entertainment or educational purposes, is this effective? Is it good practice in some other context? Ray Hedgpeth of the nerd-rock band The Amoeba People is an expert in this subject, and I'm no slouch either...
GMO: Friend or Foe? (Featuring Ian Street)
Professor Dave Debates - February 09, 2019 17:50 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThere has been a pretty huge public backlash against genetic modification. Not just of crops, but of anything. But what is genetic modification? Is it dangerous? Is it important? What organisms have been modified so far? Let's get into this with Ian Street, a PhD biologist with a backgr...
Does Alien Life Exist? (Featuring Xinnan Du)
Professor Dave Debates - January 12, 2019 17:25 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsAre there any life forms out there, in our galaxy, or beyond? If so, are any of them intelligent and capable of communicating with us? If so, what are they like? And why haven't we heard from them? All of this is encapsulated by the field of astrobiology, and to help us navigate this sp...
Can Fusion Solve the Energy Crisis? (Featuring Peter Heuer)
Professor Dave Debates - December 15, 2018 17:57 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsWe've gotta find some new energy sources. Fossil fuels are in short supply, and they are causing devastating climate change. Renewables like wind and solar are on the rise, but what about nuclear fusion? I dunno, isn't that dangerous? What about all the disasters in the past? Well those...
Einstein vs. Bohr: Quantum Quarrels (Featuring Adam Becker)
Professor Dave Debates - November 17, 2018 16:21 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThe history of quantum physics is absolutely fascinating. In the early 20th century, brilliant minds did incredible work to bring about the greatest paradigm shift in the history of science, but they didn't always see eye to eye. Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr were colossal figures in t...
Can Art Help Teach Science? (Featuring Rachel Ignotofsky)
Professor Dave Debates - October 20, 2018 17:03 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThere are a lot of ways to teach science, but where does art fit into the mix? Can art be effective in not just inspiring people to learn science, but also in conveying scientific information? The short answer is yes, it definitely can, because that's precisely what Rachel Ignotofsky ha...
Is Hunting Ethical? (Featuring Jason Goldman)
Professor Dave Debates - September 22, 2018 20:36 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThere are various schools of thought when it comes to the treatment of animals. Some believe we shouldn't eat or kill them under any circumstance. Some believe we can eat animals, but should not mistreat them or hunt for sport. Some say screw it all, let's do what we want. How do ethics...
American Politics: Getting Better or Worse? (Featuring Jack Michelle and Brandon Burkhart)
Professor Dave Debates - August 18, 2018 17:19 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThese are tumultuous times! The country is divided, and no one has any idea what's going to happen next. It's not just about the presidency, there's too much money in politics, and a new crisis every week, it seems. In this episode we will ask one simple question: are things getting bet...
How Should We Communicate Science? (Featuring Sarah Mojarad)
Professor Dave Debates - July 16, 2018 15:32 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsHumans know way too much science! At least in the sense that the public has great difficulty keeping up, and no one in the world can ever hope to know it all. But it's important to have a populace with modest science literacy, so how can we get them this information? What should scienti...
Should We Start Fires? (Featuring Chris Giesige and Alan Peterson)
Professor Dave Debates - June 15, 2018 19:48 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsWhether you live in Southern California like me, or somewhere else, you may be aware of all the fires we keep getting down here. What's the deal with those, and what can we do to prevent them? Are prescribed burns a good idea? In other words, should we deliberately start fires? Let's ta...
Are We All Mentally Ill? (Featuring Cara Santa Maria and Jon Gabrus)
Professor Dave Debates - May 16, 2018 16:45 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsMuch misunderstanding surrounds mental illness in our society! What does it mean to be mentally ill? Are we all on some kind of spectrum? How do we diagnose and treat mental illness? There is so much to talk about, and talk we shall. Cara Santa Maria is a tremendously experienced scienc...
Is the Earth Flat? (Featuring Billy Hubbard and David Huntsberger)
Professor Dave Debates - April 17, 2018 18:02 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsYou've seen it in your Facebook feed. People all around the globe believe there is no globe, but rather that our world is flat like a pancake! NASA is lying, the government is lying, airline pilots and stewardesses, they're all in it, and we're the chumps. To be fair, can you prove that...
Is Big Pharma Evil? (Featuring David Leibly and Mat Edgar)
Professor Dave Debates - March 12, 2018 20:33 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsA large sector of society is absolutely convinced that the pharmaceutical industry, and by extension all of Western medicine, is evil, bogus, and out to get us. Is this completely true? Is this completely false? Is the truth somewhere in between? Let's get into this topic with David Lei...
Sexual Consent: Absolutism vs. Relativism (Featuring Wry and Erica Rhodes)
Professor Dave Debates - February 07, 2018 17:04 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThe topic of male predatory behavior has been in the news for many months now, with more and more cases of women speaking out against their aggressors. Many of these cases are pretty cut and dry, but some of them have a bit more nuance to them, which bring up an important dialogue regar...
Climate Change: How Do We Know? (Featuring Brandon MacDonald and Byron Bowers)
Professor Dave Debates - January 10, 2018 02:13 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThe scientific community is pretty unanimous in its agreement that climate change is happening, and that it is caused by human activity. But how do they know? What is the science exactly? What kind of data tells us what we know? If you had to follow something blindly, science would be i...
Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics (Featuring Michael Enciso and Julian Michael)
Professor Dave Debates - November 28, 2017 21:57 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsQuantum mechanics is quite odd, and difficult to interpret! So difficult in fact, that physicists do not agree about what this area implies about the nature of reality. There are a number of camps: Copenhagen Interpretation, Many-Worlds Interpretation, Objective Reduction, and many more...
Will Artificial Intelligence Destroy Humanity? (Featuring Ryan Ross and David Huntsberger)
Professor Dave Debates - October 24, 2017 17:27 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsWe all know that artificial intelligence is on the rise, but will this be the ultimate demise of mankind? Will AI liberate us from drudgery and help us manifest utopia, or will they try to destroy us Terminator/Matrix style? Let's get to the bottom of this! Guest: Ryan Ross Moderator:...
GLA 50 | Step Two Mix
Mark Farina Podcast - November 13, 2015 18:56 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsFeatures music from Gil Aguilar, Rich Martinez, Greenbay Jackers, Arturo Garces, Tommy Largo, Craig Hamilton, Soul of Hex, […]
GLA 49 | Without Music
Mark Farina Podcast - January 05, 2015 19:20 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsFeatures music from Bruno Browning, Gil Aguilar, Mennie, Homero Espinosa, Mr. V. David Harness, Hardkiss, Flapjackers, Joss Moog, Maggs Burchez, KtKt, Akio Imai, Nick Jagger, Kid Enigma, Coeo, Demuir, Chesus, Earl Jeffers, Petrus, Angelo Ferreri, Stanger Danger, Hober Mallow, Housego
GLA 48 | Sultans of Swing
Mark Farina Podcast - November 05, 2014 13:16 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsFeatures music from Ritmo Du Bela, Kid Enigma, Demuir, Meems Giano, J Fader, Filta Freqz, Johnny Fiasco, Chanson E, UC Beatz, Mikki Funk, Seka, Oliver $, Jesse Rose, Housego, J Paul Ghetto, Lupe Fuentes, Level Groove, Deep Djoe, Pedro, Art of Tones, Sebo K, Efdemin, Black Amex
GLA 47 | Play Somethin’
Mark Farina Podcast - August 11, 2014 18:24 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsFeatures music from Demuir, Ryan Truman, Rob Swinga, South of Roosevelt, Poncho Warwick, Joeski, DJ Spen, Mikey V, Rudy Vega, DJ Mes, J Fader, Sista Stroke, Ignacio Robles, B. Jink, Hapkido, Bart Ricardo Freaky Beahviour, Nathural Rhythm, Detroit Swindle, Crackazat