17 February 2020

Episode 153: “The Game Changers”

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren are joined by Dave Bonwick to discuss The Game Changers, a Netflix documentary that advocates for the healthfulness of a vegan diet.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

Links: The Game Changers (Netflix)

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Posted by on 17 February 2020 in History, Medicine, Science, Skepticism and tagged , , , , , , , .

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13 January 2020

Episode 152: SandwichCast!

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura leads Ashlyn, Lauren, and Gem in a discussion of the history and science of sandwiches, then everyone attempts (and fails!) to define what, exactly, makes something a sandwich.

On this episode: Ashlyn maintains that open-faced sandwiches do not exist, Gem argues that soup in a bread bowl is in fact a sandwich, Ashlyn and Laura dispute whether pie qualifies as a casserole or a dumpling, and Lauren opines that once a sandwich is put in the Snackmaster sandwich maker, it ceases to be a sandwich entirely.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich: Warfare on the Mediterranean in the Age of Sail: A History, 1571–1866, by David S.T. Blackmore (Google Books) | A Tour to London, Or, New Observations on England and Its Inhabitants, by Pierre Jean Grosley (Google Books) | Earl of Sandwich (Wikipedia) | John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (Wikipedia) | The Story of the Sandwich (History) | History of the Sandwich (PBS Food) | Trencher (Wikipedia) | Meze (Wikipedia) | Poker Night in Napa (Food & Wine)

Biphasic Sleep: Biphasic and polyphasic sleep (Wikipedia)

Processed Meat and Cancer: International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC (MSDS HyperGlossary) | This is the only known thing that is not a carcinogen (Business Insider) | List of IARC Group 1 Agents (Wikipedia) | Bacon, salami and sausages: how does processed meat cause cancer and how much matters? (Cancer Research UK) | Processed meat and cancer – what you need to know (Cancer Research UK) | Red meat, processed meat and cancer (Cancer Council NSW) | Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat (WHO)

The History and Science of Bread: Wheat (Wikipedia) | Bread (Wikipedia) | History of bread (Wikipedia) | Bread in culture (Wikipedia) | Bread (History Magazine) | Science of Bread: Bread Science 101 (Exploratorium) | Science of bread making (Baking Industry Research Trust) | Bread Baking Clinic: Under-Kneading & Over-Kneading (The Kitchn)

Cultural History of Sandwiches: Important Sandwiches That Changed America Forever (Thrillist) | The History of Five Uniquely American Sandwiches |(Smithsonian Magazine) | To Evade Pre-Prohibition Drinking Laws, New Yorkers Created the World’s Worst Sandwich (Gastro Obscura) | Raines Law (St. Louis Public Library) | Who Invented the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich? (National Peanut Board) | The Curious History of Vietnam’s Bánh Mì Sandwich

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Posted by on 13 January 2020 in History, Medicine and tagged , , , , , .

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16 December 2019

Episode 151: July at Christmas

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem escape winter briefly to talk about summery things: sunscreen, butterflies, the summer solstice, and whether drinking hot tea can really cool you down.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

Note: Additional music this episode by Tim Minchin and Rajaton.

Christmas in July: Christmas in July (Wikipedia)

Sunscreen: Ask the Expert: Does a High SPF Protect My Skin Better? (The Skin Cancer Foundation) | Vitamin D Fact Sheet (MS Society) | UV Radiation (The Skin Cancer Foundation) | The science of sunscreen (Harvard Health) | Safety of Oxybenzone: Putting Numbers Into Perspective (JAMA Dermatology) | Five Common Sunscreen Myths You Need To Stop Believing (Forbes)

Butterflies: Butterfly (Wikipedia) | Mud-puddling (Wikipedia) | Butterflies remember a mountain that hasn’t existed for millennia (Gizmodo) | What happens in a chrysalis? (WSU Ask Dr. Universe)

Summer Soltice Festivals: Indigenous Day Live | National Indigenous Peoples Day (Wikipedia) | Dragon Boat Festival (Wikipedia) | Willkakuti (Wikipedia) | Willkakuti Winter Solstice (Aymara New Year) | Tirgan (Wikipedia) | Day of Private Reflection (Wikipedia)

Thermoregulation: Thermoregulation in humans (Wikipedia) | Waste heat (Wikipedia) | Thermoregulation (Healthline)

Pseudoscientific Articles on Temperature and Food: 7 Food And Drinks Scientifically Proven To Warm You Up (Tastemade) | Foods That Produce Heat In The Body (NDTV) | 8 Foods That Help Cool You Down (HuffPost)

Scientific Articles on Temperature and Food: A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down (Smithsonian) | What are the effects of alcohol on the brain? (Scientific American) | Ayurveda (Wikipedia) | Ginger (WebMD) | Going nuts for coconut oil (Dietitian at Home)

Dwarf Mistletoe: Thermogenesis-triggered seed dispersal in dwarf mistletoe (Nature Communications)

What Are You Enjoying?: All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely | Amazon Warehouse Reports Show Worker Injuries (The Atlantic) | The Bell Curve (Shaun) | Overcooked (Nintendo Switch)

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Posted by on 16 December 2019 in History, Medicine, Science and tagged , , , , , , , .

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18 November 2019

Episode 150: The Anthropocene Extinction

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Lauren, Ashlyn, and Laura discuss the ongoing Holocene Extinction through the lens of four extinct species, and conservation through the lens of four endangered species.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

Note: The term “American Incognitum” was applied to early finds of both fossilized mammoth and mastodon bones, as no distinction was made between these animals at the time of these excavations.

The Holocene Extinction: Holocene extinction (Wikipedia) | World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice | Plant extinction ‘bad news for all species’ (BBC News)

The Mammoth and the Great Chain of Being: Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America, by Jon Mooallem | Woolly mammoth (Wikipedia) | Mastodon (Wikipedia) | Great chain of being (Wikipedia)

Thylacine: Thylacine (Wikipedia) | The Thylacine (The Australian Museum) | The shared evolution of the Tasmanian tiger and the wolf (Phys.org) | Tasmanian tiger sightings raise questions about extinct Australian predator (CNN) | Tasmanian tiger doomed long before humans came along (Phys.org) | 14 Creatures Scientists Thought Were Extinct, But Aren’t (The Travel)

Newfoundland Wolf: Assessment and Status Report on the Caribou (Environment Canada) | Newfoundland Wolf (Wolves of the World) | A Brief History of the Extinct NL Wolf, and Recent Wolf Captures in NL (The Overcast)

Northern White Rhino: Northern white rhinoceros (Wikipedia)

Rafflesia: Rafflesia (Wikipedia)

Steelhead Trout: Steelhead numbers at yet another all-time low (Kamloops This Week) | DFO buried scientists’ concerns about endangered steelhead, B.C. deputy minister says (Vancouver Sun) | Federal-provincial steelhead recovery plan mired in dysfunction (Vancouver Sun) | Decisions not to add the Steelhead Trout populations to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (Environment Canada) | Fraser River (Wikipedia) | Republic of Archaeology | Column: Thompson River steelhead swimming toward extinction (Penticton Western News)

Pangolin: What is a pangolin? (World Wildlife FUnd) | Poaching is pushing the shy, scaly pangolin to extinction (National Geographic) | Pangolin scale medicines no longer covered by Chinese insurance (National Geographic)

Conservation-reliant Species: Conservation-reliant species (Wikipedia) | Conservation-Reliant Species (BioScience) | Conservation-Reliant Species: Toward a Biology-Based Definition (BioScience) | The question of delisting conservation-reliant species (Conservation Corridor) | The Dilemma of Conservation Reliance: When a Species Needs Help Indefinitely (All About Birds) | 10 endangered species saved from extinction by zoos (Taronga Conservation Society Australia) | About the Species at Risk Act (Environment Canada) | 20,000 Species Are Near Extinction: Is it Time to Rethink How We Decide What to Save? (National Geographic)

What Have You Been Enjoying?: The Last Movie Podcast | TANIS | The Black Tapes Podcast | The Horror of Dolores Roach | The Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy | The Double Shift Podcast | Stealing from Wizards: Volume 1: Pickpocketing, by R.A. Consell | Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America, by Jon Mooallem | Wild Ones Live (99% Invisible) | Last Chance to See, by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine | Outer Wilds

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Posted by on 18 November 2019 in History, Science and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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21 October 2019

Episode 149: Paranormal Challenges

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn is joined by Gem, Laura, and Lauren to discuss skeptical paranormal challenges. After Ashlyn’s overview, Lauren introduces Abraham Kovoor’s challenge, Laura talks about Joseph Dunninger, and Gem covers Sanal Edamaruku’s Great Tantra Challenge.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

Paranormal Challenges: George Valiantine (Wikipedia) | One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge (Wikipedia) | Paranormal proof: Australian Skeptics’ $100,000 prize still unclaimed 37 years on (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | Independent Investigations Group (Wikipedia) | The Independent Investigations Group | List of prizes for evidence of the paranormal (Wikipedia)

Abraham Kovoor’s Challenge: Abraham Kovoor’s challenge (Wikipedia) | Indian Rationalist Association (Wikipedia) | A. T. Kovoor (Wikipedia) | Dr Abraham T. Kovoor, the Rationalist of Indian Subcontinent (University of Giessen) | Sri Lanka Living Wage Family (Trading Economics) | Basava Premanand (Wikipedia)

Joseph Dunninger: Joseph Dunninger (Wikipedia) | The Night Joseph Dunninger Spooked a Spiritualist with a $21,000 Check (Weird Historian) | Joseph Dunninger | LIFE Magazine, 1944-03-13 (Google Books) | Dunninger Dies; Magician Was 82 (New York Times) | Joseph Dunninger (Cometa Magico)

Sanal Edamaruku and the Great Tantra Challenge: Sanal Edamaruku (Wikipedia) | The Great Tantra Challenge (Wikipedia) | India TV’s Great Tantra Challenge (NPR) | The night a guru tried to kill me on TV (The Guardian) | Blasphemy, Free Speech, and Rationalism: An Interview with Sanal Edamaruku (The Humanist) | The Indian miracle-buster stuck in Finland (BBC News)

What Have You Been Enjoying?: The Reconciliation Manifesto, by Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson | The Anthropocene Reviewed (WNYC Studios) | Ur-Fascism, by Umberto Eco | The War on Everyone, by Robert Evans | Gastropod: Food with a Side of Science & History

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Posted by on 21 October 2019 in History, Religion, Science, Skepticism and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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