Life's Little Mysteries - TopPodcast.com

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9: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - March 6th Mar 06, 2020

Show notes

Mindy and Jeanna introduce the second 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 6th 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

8: Mysterious Dinosaurs Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

Are Birds Dinosaurs? What were the world's biggest and smallest dinosaurs? and Is It Possible to Clone a Dinosaur? All these prehistoric 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: Are Birds Dinosaurs?

Ancestors of modern birds were theropod dinosaurs
The earliest birds are reported to share much in common with their theropod relatives, including feathers and egg-laying

Interview with Dr. Holly Woodward on her article: 6-Foot-Tall T. Rex Skeletons Not a New Pygmy Species, Just Teenagers.
Mystery #2: What were the world's biggest and smallest dinosaurs?

Weight estimates of The Argentinosaurus - a type of titanosaur - range from 77 tons (70 metric tons) up to 110 tons (100 metric tons)
The Micropachycephalosaurus, a thick-headed plant-eater, measured 2 feet (70 cm) in length

Guest editor report with Live Science’s associate editor, Laura Geggel: Reaper of death,' newfound cousin of T. rex, discovered in Canada
Mystery #3: Is It Possible to Clone a Dinosaur?

Another long-gone animal that some scientists have thought about “bringing back” through cloning is the woolly mammoth
Conservationists argue that resources should be spent on currently threatened or endangered animals

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

7: Coronavirus: A Life's Little Mysteries Special Report - February 28th Feb 28, 2020

Show notes

Your questions answered..
Mindy and Jeanna interrupt our usual schedule to bring you a special report 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 February 27 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.
Nicoletta will host our next coronavirus Q&A on March 2 at 12pm ET.
Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

6: Mysteries of Eating and Drinking Feb 24, 2020

Show notes

Is it safe to drink blood? What would happen if you ate an entire Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chili Pepper? And why do delicious french fries taste so bad when they’re cold? All these food and drink 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 Do French Fries Taste So Bad When They're Cold?
Interview with Denise Tieman of the Plant Innovation Center at University of Florida in Gainesville, discusses her research aimed at creating a more flavorful tomato. Mystery #2: What If You Eat an Entire Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chili Pepper?

Chili peppers have their very own rating scale: the Scoville scale, which indicates amount of capsaicin is present..and how hot they are!
A Ghost pepper is among hottest and has 1 million Scoville units!

Guest editor report with Live Science senior writer, Rachel Rettner: How a Piece of Popcorn Stuck in a Man's Teeth Led to Open-Heart Surgery
Mystery #3: Is It Safe to Drink Blood?

Blood drinking or eating congealed blood, usually combined with meat, is common in cultures around the world
Drinking cattle blood is part of the traditional Maasai diet in Kenya and Tanzania

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

5: Mysterious Volcanoes Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

How do scientists know when a volcano is about to erupt? What would happen if Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupted? And what would happen if every volcano on earth erupted at once? All these 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 Know a Volcano Is About to Erupt?

Warning signs can begin weeks or months before an eruption
Some of the many signs a volcanologist will look for include seismographic detection of earthquakes and tremors and analyzing cracking patterns in the ground in close proximity to the volcano

Guest editor report with space.com reporter Chelsea Gohd:An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Then, a volcano helped life flourish.
Mystery #2: What Would Happen If Yellowstone's Supervolcano Erupted?

Yellowstone National Park is made up of three overlapping calderas
Calderas are bowl-shaped craters that were formed after three giant eruptions occured 2.1 million, 1.3 million and 640,000 years ago.

Interview with volcanologist Dr. Jessica Ball, you can find out more about her work on her blog, Magma Cum Laude, and by following her on Twitter,
Mystery #3: What If Every Volcano on Earth Erupted at Once?

Worldwide 1,500 potentially active volcanoes, around 500 of which have erupted during recorded human history.
That number excluded the amount of volcanoes on the seafloor.

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

4: Mysterious Dogs Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

How did dogs get to be dogs? What do our four legged friends dream about? And - most importantly - are dogs really smiling at us when we think they are? All these 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 Did Dogs Get to Be Dogs?

Dogs diverged from wolves — Canis lupus — at least 20,000 and perhaps as long as 40,000 years ago
A 14,700-year-old jawbone is the oldest undisputed fossil from a domesticated dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Mystery #2: What Do Dogs Dream About?

In 1977, scientists studied 6 pointer dogs, studied electrical brain activity for 24 hours: They spent 44% of time awake; 21% drowsy; 12% in REM sleep; and 23% in the deepest stage of non-REM sleep (slow-wave sleep).
For whatever reason, the size of the dog may determine the size of the dream. Smaller dogs have more frequent but shorter dream periods; large dogs have less frequent but longer dreams.

Guest editor report with Rafi Letzer:Tibetan Mastiffs Bred with Mountain Wolves to Survive at Super-High Altitudes Mystery #3: Are Dogs Really Smiling at Us?

We have a special bond with our dogs and when humans and dogs stare into each other's eyes, both experience a rise in levels of oxytocin
Very few other animals in the world actually make eye contact with humans

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

3: Mysterious Cats Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

Why do cats like boxes? Why do they wiggle their butts before they pounce and does cat nip really make cats high? All these 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 Do Cats Like Boxes?

A 2014 study in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science with shelter cats with and without hiding boxes to see if boxes could reduce stress
When cats are just lying around not expending energy, their ideal temperature is 86 to 100 degrees F (30 to 38 degrees C), according to a study published in 2016 in the Scientific World Journal

Mystery #2: Why Do Cats Wiggle Their Butts Before They Pounce?
Guest editor report with Laura Gegel: Inside Ancient Egyptian Cat Mummy, Archaeologists Find the Remains of 3 Cats Mystery #3: Does Catnip Really Make Cats 'High'?

Its scientific name is Nepeta cataria. And it belongs to the mint family Lamiaceae
Most cats — or maybe even all — are affected by catnip to some degree

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

2: Mysterious Oceans Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Why is the sea salty? Could Earth’s oceans ever boil away? And just how much whale pee is in the ocean? All these 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 the Ocean salty?

Oceans on the young Earth were probably only slightly salty, but over time the mineral deposits became more concentrated, causing varying degrees of saltiness.
Osmoconformers - animal's "environment" on the inside matches its environment on the outside. Osmoregulators - have body structures that filter or secrete excess salt.

Mystery #2: Could Earth’s oceans ever boil away?

It’s an almost unimaginable amount of water: The US Geological Survey estimated more than 300 million cubic miles of it.

Guest editor report: Underwater Volcano Creates Bubbles More Than a Quarter-Mile Across.
Mystery #3: How much of the ocean is whale pee… and worse!

A study published in 2003 found some numbers: the sei whale expels 166 gallons (627 litres) of urine a day.
The fin whale expels 257 gallons (974 litres) a day!

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

1: Introducing... Life's Little Mysteries Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Join Mindy Weisberger and Jeanna Bryner as they guide you on an exciting voyage of discovery and downright weirdness in a quest to solve… Life’s Little Mysteries.
Have you ever wondered why the sea is salty, why we hiccup, or even why cats wiggle their butts before they pounce? Then this is the science podcast for you.
Subscribe now and don't forget to join in the conversation by asking your own questions about this mysterious world we live in on our forums at forums.livescience.com.
Visit our main site at www.livescience.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/LiveScience
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Music by Chad Crouch - AlgorithmsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Apollo 11: That's One Small Step for (a) Man by NASA is licensed under a Creative Commons License
Apollo 13: Houston, We've Had a Problem by NASA is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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