Life's Little Mysteries - TopPodcast.com

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20: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - April 10th Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the seventh in a series of special reports from Life's Little Mysteries with Live Science health reporter Nicoletta Lanese, who is at the forefront of Live Science’s coronavirus coverage.
This episode was recorded on April 9th and features Nicoletta's weekly coronavirus update and Q&A on Facebook Live. New updates are livestreamed on Facebook every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
You can find all the Live Science coverage of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our website, at livescience.com/topics/coronavirus.
If you have questions about coronavirus or COVID-19, you can post them on our Live Science forums and on Facebook.
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

18: Mysterious Animal Superpowers Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

How do animals breathe underwater? How long do Tardigrades live - and what's the biggest animal that a snake can swallow? All these animal superpower related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy. Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode. Mystery #1: How Do Animals Breathe Underwater?

The world's water dwellers have evolved several methods for accessing oxygen in water
Jellyfish absorb the oxygen in water directly through their skin

Interview with Nick Caruso of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, co author of the spectacularly gross book Believe It Or Snot: The Definitive Field Guide to Earth's Slimy Creatures Mystery #2: How Long Do Tardigrades Live?

Tardigrades are microscopic organisms that are impossibly cute!
They are the toughest, most indestructible creatures on Earth

NEWS UPDATE with Live Science reporter, Nicoletta Lanese on Game Over: These Monkeys Just Crushed Humans on a Computer Game
Mystery #3: What's The Biggest Animal That a Snake Can Swallow?

A common belief is that snakes are able to unhinge or dislocate their jaws
In 2018, a Burmese python in Florida that weighed about 32 lbs. (14 kg) swallowed a young white-tailed deer weighing 35 lbs.

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

17: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - April 3rd Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the sixth in a series of special reports from Life's Little Mysteries with Live Science health reporter Nicoletta Lanese, who is at the forefront of Live Science’s coronavirus coverage.
This episode was recorded on April 2nd and features Nicoletta's weekly coronavirus update and Q&A on Facebook Live. New updates are livestreamed on Facebook every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
You can find all the Live Science coverage of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our website, at livescience.com/topics/coronavirus.
If you have questions about coronavirus or COVID-19, you can post them on our Live Science forums and on Facebook.
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

16: Mysterious Aliens Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

How do Scientists search for extraterrestrial life? If we discover aliens, what's our protocol for making contact? And if we do find them..will ET look like us? All these extraterrestrial related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy. Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.
Mystery #1: How Do Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life?

Astronomers use sophisticated equipment to listen farther and peer deeper into the universe than ever before
For an alien-seeking scientist, "life" means any living form including microbes on distant exoplanet

Mystery #2: If We Discover Aliens, What's Our Protocol for Making Contact?

Life could theoretically exist on Mars, or on Europa, a moon of Jupiter,
The first reported flying saucer sighting was in 1947,

Interview with Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer and Institute Fellow with the SETI Institute on the story: Is It Time To Rethink How We Search for Alien Life? NEWS UPDATE with Live Science reporter Stephanie Pappas: Could E.T. Have Bugged a Space Rock to Listen In on Earthlings?
Mystery #3: Will ET Look Like Us?

Depictions of Aliens in popular culture have often been very humanlike in their appearance
In England references to little green men or children dates back to the 12th century green children of Woolpit.

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com. SponsorsThe Great Courses Plus Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

15: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - March 27th Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the fifth in a series of special reports from Life's Little Mysteries with Live Science health reporter Nicoletta Lanese, who is at the forefront of Live Science’s coronavirus coverage
This episode was recorded on March 26th and features Nicoletta's weekly coronavirus update and Q&A on Facebook Live. New updates are livestreamed on Facebook every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
You can find all the Live Science coverage of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our website, at livescience.com/topics/coronavirus
If you have questions about coronavirus or COVID-19, you can post them on our Live Science forums and on Facebook
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

14: Mysterious Moon Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

Why is it so hard to land on the moon? How much trash is on the moon? And how many humans could the world support? All these moon related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy. Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.
Mystery #1: Why Is It So Hard to Land on the Moon?

Recent moon missions by Israel and India were unsuccessful and their landers crashed during entry
During Apollo missions, human eyes and reflexes helped make for successful landings

Interview with Ariel Deutsch, a Phd candidate at Brown University in Rhode Island and a NASA graduate fellow
Mystery #2: How Many Humans Could the Moon Support?

The moon is our closest celestial body
Temperatures swing from super hot 273 F (134 C) to bone-chilling

NEWS UPDATE with Mike Wall, senior writer for Space.com: Chinese moon rover peers beneath surface of mysterious lunar far side
Mystery #3: How Much Trash Is on the Moon?

Humans first started sending spacecraft to the moon in the 1960s
The are reported to be every day items such as pairs of boots and - specifically - 2 golf balls on the moon

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com.
Sponsors:
The Great Courses Plus
Blinkist Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

13: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - March 20th Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the fourth in a series of special reports from Life's Little Mysteries with Live Science health reporter Nicoletta Lanese, who is at the forefront of Live Science’s coronavirus coverage.
This episode was recorded on March 19th and features Nicoletta's weekly coronavirus update and Q&A on Facebook Live.

You can find all the Live Science coverage of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our website, at livescience.com/topics/coronavirus.
If you have questions about coronavirus or COVID-19, you can post them on our Live Science forums and on Facebook.
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

12: Mysteries of Poop Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Why does coffee make you poop? Why do some animals eat their own poop? And just how much do you poop in your lifetime? All these poop related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy. Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.
Mystery #1: Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?

Research from the 1990s found that when some people drink coffee they experience a response in the gastrointestinal system just minutes later

Interview with Metin Eren, assistant professor at Kent State University in Ohio, and co-director of the University's Eren Laboratory of Experimental Archaeology:What a Waste! Frozen Poop Knives Are Crappy Cutters
Mystery #2: Why Do Some Animals Eat Their Own Poop?

This is called coprophagia and common in the animal kingdom
For many animals it helps them digest more nutrients

NEWS UPDATE with Live Science staff writer Yasemin Saplakoglu: New coronavirus may spread through poop
Mystery #3: How Much Do You Poop in Your Lifetime?

The number can vary due to age, dietary habits, exercise and other factors
On average both men and women move their bowels about once a day and produce about 14 to 17 ounces of feces

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com. Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

11: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - March 13th Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the third in a series of special reports from Life's Little Mysteries with Live Science health reporter Nicoletta Lanese, who is at the forefront of Live Science’s coronavirus coverage.
This episode was recorded on March 13th and features Nicoletta's weekly coronavirus update and Q&A on Facebook Live.

You can find all the Live Science coverage of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our website, at livescience.com/topics/coronavirus.
If you have questions about coronavirus or COVID-19, you can post them on our Live Science forums and on Facebook.
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

10: Mysterious Flat-Earthers Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

How do we know that the Earth is round? What would happen if the Earth was really flat - and why don’t we fall off the planet? All these Earth, Space and conspiracy theory related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy. Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.
Mystery #1: How do we know the Earth is round?

Scientists have been explaining how we know the Earth is round for more than 2,000 years
Who can forget the iconic "Blue marble" Earth photo taken December 7, 1972, from a distance of over 18,000 miles from the surface by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft traveling to the Moon

Interview with Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Associate Professor in Social and Organizational Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam on the psychology behind why people believe in conspiracy theories.
Mystery #2: How do Flat-Earthers explain lunar eclipses, equinoxes and why we don't fall off the planet?

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth's shadow blocks the sun's light, which otherwise reflects off the moon.
While Flat Earthers believe our planet is flat, they agree that the sun and moon are spherical

NEWS UPDATE with Brandon Specktor, Senior Writer at Live Science on the sad news that ‘Mad’ Mike Hughes Dies In Rocket Crash
Mystery #3: What If the Earth Was Flat?

There would be no atmosphere, because gravity is what keeps the Earth in place
There would also be no Moon because it is linked to Earth by gravity

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com. Sponsors The Great Courses Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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