A Scientist Walks Into A Bar

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 31 - How Forests Can Help Stop Climate Change Jan 06, 2020

Show notes

Conserving and restoring forests can help fight climate change in two ways: cutting down forests is the second largest source of CO2 emissions (after fossil fuels), and because healthy forests can absorb and sequester massive amounts of carbon. Listen as Laurie Wayburn from the Pacific Forest Trust talks about how saving forests is good for humans and good for the planet. A special thanks to the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts for their help with this event.

This was recorded at the talk A Path in the Woods: How Forests Can Help Stop Climate Change at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland in November 2019.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Ep. 30 - Geology and Wine Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

You need lots of things to produce a good wine, such as favorable weather and a skilled winemaker. But before anything else, you have to start with good dirt. In this episode, geologist Dr. Scott Burns describes how soil can be a big factor in wine quality. Listen as he talks lovingly about wine grown in his home region here in the Willamette Valley, but also about wine-growing regions in other areas of the world as well.

This was recorded at the talk The Mystique of Terroir: Geology and Wine at the Kiggins Theatre in April 2018.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Ep. 29 - The Human Gut Microbiome Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

What do poop transplants, human donuts, and ecosystems have in common? Listen as Dr. Andrea McBeth, co-founder and CEO of Flora Medicine, talks all about all the microbes in a healthy human gut, and also describes some creative ways to treat our guts when things go horribly wrong. Tune in for the scoop on poop.

Click here to see some images from the slide show.

This talk was recorded at the talk The Microbiome: Fecal Transplant and Microbial Ecology at the Kiggins Theatre in September 2019.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Ep. 28 - X-Rays and Plant Biology Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

Do you like to eat, drink, wear clothes, have medicines, and breathe oxygen? If so, thank plants!

Listen as Keith Duncan from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center describes how to use X-rays to study plants so we can grow more of them on less land, with less water and fewer pesticides or fertilizers.

Visit the Danforth Plant Science Center Blog to see the images and animations mentioned in the talk.

This is a recording of the talk X-Ray Imaging in Plant Biology: Seeing the Unseen held at the Alberta Rose Theatre in August 2019.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Ep. 27 - Cannabis and the Opioid Crisis Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

Neuroscientist Adie Wilson-Poe, PhD, talks about exciting research into how cannabis can be used alongside or in place of opioids to manage long-term pain and addiction. This is a recording of the talk The Role of Cannabis in the Opioid Crisis and was recorded at the Kiggins Theatre in March 2019.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.

Ep. 26 - Death and the Afterlife Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

It's October, so it's time for some spooky tales of how Science is Stranger Than Fiction: Death and the Afterlife with Dr. Leslie New from WSU Vancouver. Content warning: lots of discussion of dead bodies, murder, trepanning (pre-historic brain surgery), anatomical models, mummies, grave robbing, books made of human skin, and many of the exhibits in the Mutter Museum.

Visit our website to see some of the pictures and links to books and organizations mentioned during the talk.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.

Ep. 25 - The Lives of Bees Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Bees are dying at alarming rates, but what can we do? Dr. Thomas Seeley has some ideas. In this episode he talks about his latest book The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild and how studying wild bees could give beekeepers some insight on how to fight back against colony collapse. He spoke in Portland at the Alberta Rose Theatre while on his book tour in May 2019.

Other books by Thomas Seeley:

Following the Wild Bees: The Craft and Science of Bee Hunting

Honeybee Democracy

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.orgfor more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.

Ep. 24 - Memory and the Neuroscience of Addiction Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

Humans naturally seek out novelty and new experiences, and for some people that can lead to drug addiction. Repeated exposure to drugs can create powerful, persistent memories, and these drug-related memories can lead to addictive behavior and relapse, even after years of sobriety.

In this episode, neuroscientist Dr. Barbara Sorg talks about what happens in the brain when we have new experiences, evidence showing that drug addiction is a chronic brain disease, and how understanding the neuroscience of memories might help treat addiction. She also describes her own lab's work with using animal models of addiction to weaken memories associated with cocaine.

The talk Memory and the Neuroscience of Addiction was given at the Alberta Rose Theatre in December 2016.

Visit our website to see some of the pictures mentioned during the talk.

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.

Ep. 23 - The Nature Fix Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

Can being in nature make us better? What is forest bathing, how can recess help improve student behavior, and can five minutes outside really make a difference in your mood? Listen to science writer Florence Williams talk about her book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative and get some scientific encouragement to go outside. This talk was recorded at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland in March 2018.

Check out Florence's other podcasts too:

The 3-Day Effect, loosely based on The Nature Fix
Breasts Unbound, based on her book Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History
Episodes for the XX Factor Podcast for Outside Magazine, including the episode XX Factor: How the Sports Bra Changed History

Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.

Ep. 22 - An Animal's Guide to Dating Success Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

Have you ever wondered how animals find and impress that special someone? From crazy dances to unanticipated sex changes, animals have some unusual strategies for attracting and keeping their mates. Join Dr. Allison Coffin, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at WSU Vancouver, as she describes the unusual dating lives of birds, fish, and other animals. This was recorded at an event in November 2016.

Thank you to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use of bird song recordings, and recordists Bob McGuire, Natalia García, and Michael J. Andersen for the use of their recordings of the White-crowned Sparrow, Willow Flycatcher, and Alder Flycatcher, respectively.

Thank you also to Dr. Gail Patricelli for her use of the satin bower bird recording (and for camping out in the Australian bush for her research.)

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Want to come to an event? Visit www.ScienceOnTapORWA.org for more info.

Thanks to Graham Tully and Stephen Perry for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song Mandelbrot Set as our theme music.