Latest Practical science Podcast Episodes
74: The Science of Christmas
Equinox - December 10, 2021 20:33 - 48 minutesRob and Joseph wax eloquent and speculative on various aspects of the Christmas story. Have you ever wondered who the Magi were, where they came from, and what was the nature of that star that they saw? Fear no, they go there. What about the genetics of Jesus? Yeah, they speculate about that also...
73: 2021 IgNobel Prizes
Equinox - November 24, 2021 20:49 - 55 minutesRob and Joseph are back with a fun discussion about the all-new rocket technology, and present their take of the 2021 IgNobel prizes! Enjoy!
72: A Hot Cup of Joe
Equinox - November 10, 2021 21:25 - 57 minutesRob and Joseph have been enjoying hot coffee and tea lately and it got Rob thinking about the science of caffeine and flavorings. They discuss what makes a lethal dosage of substances, whether stimulants like caffeine are bad for people, and much more!
71: 2021 Nobel Prizes
Equinox - October 29, 2021 18:35 - 43 minutesDr. C. and Joseph Darnell explore the 2021 Nobel Prizes—who won what and why? Afterward, they discuss some of the coolest technologies “of the future” that you’ve never heard of, including robotic bees and 100% recyclable wind turbines! All this and more in this week’s episode of Equinox!
70: What’s a Computer? Part 2
Equinox - October 13, 2021 14:49 - 47 minutesRob continues to review the origins of modern computers and together Joseph and Rob are just astonished how far technology has come in the last 50 years. Dr. Carter admits it’s really hard to understand computer sciences and think like an engineer.
69: What’s a Computer? Part I
Equinox - September 29, 2021 17:03 - 50 minutesJoseph and Rob discuss what insects they’ve seen over the seasons of 2021, give a little update about their bees’ behavior, and in their fascinating main topic, they discuss the origins of the modern computer! Rob takes us back a few centuries to start with the fundamental innovations that allude...
68: Pants on Fire
Equinox - September 23, 2021 00:33 - 47 minutesFrench inventor made a trap to catch hornets to save his bees! Someone discovered that dogs have a heat sense detector! Social scientists inadvertently lied in a study about honesty! For the main discussion, Dr. Carter tells us about Ernst Haeckel’s diabolical fraud.
67: The Dark Side
Equinox - September 11, 2021 21:21 - 47 minutesJoe and Rob talk about things that should never have been, scientific experiments and ideas that were evil or just egregiously wrong. They use four examples: The Tuskegee long-term syphilis experiments, lobotomy, electroshock therapy, and Nazi science (and how much of US technology is based upon ...
66: ‘Apollo 11’ Film Review
Equinox - September 03, 2021 20:46 - 46 minutesIt’s one small step for podcasting and one giant leap for today’s Equinox podcast! Rob is crafting a chain mail shirt with his daughter, Rob is fascinated by a nuclear fusion milestone… But enough of that! Rob and Joseph review the 2019 Apollo 11 film and discuss the historical mission to the moon.
65: Biblical Genetics
Equinox - August 20, 2021 18:35 - 50 minutesRob and Joe talk about Rob’s Biblical Genetics project, how it is faring, the struggles he has had getting a new show off the ground, what he would do differently, and what successes he has had along the way.
64: Climate Changes
Equinox - August 13, 2021 18:53 - 1 hourDr Rob Carter shares a great number of reasons that Earth’s climate changes continually, leaving us to wonder which issues are genuine concerns and which would even lead to improvements in conditions. Learn about ice ages, global flooding, terraforming, sea levels, renewable energy, global warmin...
63: To Terraform Or Not to Terraform … Pt. 2
Equinox - July 23, 2021 13:59 - 52 minutesDr. C. and Joseph Darnell discuss the billionaires racing to outer space, Rob yearns to hitch a ride to the moon, they discuss the complexities of good science critical debates, and in main discussion, Rob continues the idea of terraforming planets Venus, Mars, and moons beyond.
62: To Terraform or Not to Terraform ... Pt. 1
Equinox - July 16, 2021 17:03 - 47 minutesFor the first time since before quarantines began in 2020, Rob and Joseph are back in the studio for today’s episode! They discuss un-recycled plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, Soylent ‘complete nutritious meal replacement’(!), and in their main topic, what it would take to terraform the moon a...
61: Submarine Tech
Equinox - July 10, 2021 18:21 - 1 hourDr. Rob Carter and Joseph Darnell discuss summer life, the great book ‘1493’ that Rob’s reading, and for their main topic, all-things submarines! Their history, innovation, influence, and stories are fascinating!
60: Dr. C’s Guide to Distant Starlight and Deep Time
Equinox - July 01, 2021 01:49 - 57 minutesOn today’s episode of Equinox, Rob is excited that Joseph got DNA tests (on sale for Prime Day). In the main discussion, Dr. C. explores the issue of deep time and distant starlight travel—how it works, what we know, what astronomers speculate … It’s fascinating, as Rob likes to say!
59: The Black Death
Equinox - June 25, 2021 19:48 - 46 minutesRob and Joseph discuss a ‘revolutionary’ camera lens, South African worker bee clones, a giant arc stretching 3.3 billions lightyears across the cosmos, and for the main discussion, Black Death. 💀
58: Lazers & Lightsabers (Pew Pew!)
Equinox - June 17, 2021 20:14 - 1 hourJoe and Rob discuss one the most important, yet most enigmatic, inventions of all time, the laser! Many mysteries, and many laughs, later, they figure it out. Tune in for the discussion.
57: It’s About Time!
Equinox - June 09, 2021 20:03 - 57 minutesJoe and Rob spend time talking about time, what it is, how we measure it, how the ways we measure it have changed over the centuries, and some of the amazing things we have invented to tell time more accurately.
56: The Jet Engine
Equinox - June 05, 2021 16:14 - 57 minutesJoseph is switching to ‘vacation mode’ and Dr. Carter shares stories about his fun adventures in Florida. In an interesting story of science news this week, researchers think they can accurately say that the Milky Way galaxy wobbles! In listener questions: what is acid rain? For the main topic, R...
55: Taking Flight
Equinox - May 27, 2021 19:30 - 58 minutesDr. C and Joseph D are thrilled to explore the origins of engine-powered flight! They catch up on work, Rob’s recent air travel, and jet lag. Then for the main topic, they start way back at the beginning of human flight using gliders and hot air balloons and talk all the way up to jet engine plan...
54: What is Radiation?
Equinox - May 19, 2021 16:00 - 1 hourBack this with awesome discussion about beekeeping (what else?!), the most-insanely valuable rare earth elements, and for the main topic: radiation. Picking up where Rob left us wondering about ‘what is radiation’ last time while exploring the periodic table, he explains what it is, isn’t, and ho...
53: The Periodic Table
Equinox - May 07, 2021 21:07 - 51 minutesThis week, Rob tells us all about transparent wood, gets excited about SpaceX rocket landing, Joseph announces Equinox Plus(!), and for the main topic, the guys explore the periodic table. Rob does a wonderful job of making sense of some of the most frustrating parts of chemistry class for us.
52: Black Holes
Equinox - April 30, 2021 15:39 - 1 hourIn this great episode, Dr. Carter explains how black holes really work—a far cry from how they’ve been portrayed in science fiction films that are the basis for everything Joseph thought he knew about them. Also the guys discuss the latest experiments in beekeeping.
51: Worldwide Weather Patterns
Equinox - April 23, 2021 17:44 - 1 hourThis week, Rob and Joseph shoot the breeze! Rob explains Hadley cells to us, contrasts land and water weather patterns, answers the questions ‘what will the weather be like tomorrow and in six months’, and explains so much more. And at the end of this episode the guys geek out about their new bee...
50: Flat Earth (April Fools!)
Equinox - April 07, 2021 16:55 - 1 hourRob and Joseph talk about 3D printing beehive accessories, beekeeping (as we are prone to do!), Georgia’s Savage Race, and for the main topic, the flat earth conspiracy. Ooooh boy!
49: Things in Sci-Fi That Bug Us
Equinox - March 27, 2021 16:00 - 1 hourRob and Joe dive deep into the little things that bug them the most in the Sci-fi genre, and, of course, they also talk about bees. A story or two about whales learning how to avoid whaling ships and gorillas being taught to fear death make for a well-rounded episode, if they do say so themselves.
48: Pollen, the Yellowing
Equinox - March 18, 2021 16:00 - 48 minutesPollen, that scourge of Spring and Fall! What is it, exactly? What does it do? Why do they cause allergies and how do scientists identify plants based on their pollen?
47: Bee Biology
Equinox - March 12, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourJoe and Rob wax eloquent about our little wax making friends, the honeybee. Rob talks about his tricked-out hive in which he has installed some electronics. They then go on an excursion into the world of Arduino before getting to the meat of the discussion: the biology inside the hive. From bee g...
46: The ‘Eyes’ Have It
Equinox - February 26, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourJoseph and Dr. Carter discusses the Odyssey successfully landing on Mars, Rob’s submitted COVID-19 paper, and how eyes work—everything from biochemistry to optics to geometry to image processing to the eyes of big cats and giant squid! We’d love to have you join us for another quest on Equinox!
46: The ‘Eyes’ have It
Equinox - February 26, 2021 15:40 - 1 hourJoseph and Dr. Carter discusses the Odyssey successfully landing on Mars, Rob’s submitted COVID-19 paper, and how eyes work—everything from biochemistry to optics to geometry to image processing to the eyes of big cats and giant squid! We’d love to have you join us for another quest on Equinox!
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