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Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. We have a lot of it on Earth and if we can safely use hydrogen fuel then it becomes a very appealing energy source because it turns into water when it burns. Because it’s such a small molecule, storing it is tricky because any tiny cracks or gaps will cause it to escape, which is generally a bad thing. This is why Jonas Welsch, a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, is studying ultrasonic transducers and how they can be used to monitor for leaks. Katie and Vinny talk about hippos and teeny pulses of light.

The world is built around fossil fuels. Cars, shipping, air travel, it’s all powered by carbon emitting combustion engines. What if we could use something else? What if we could use chicken fat?? That’s exactly what Master’s student Zak Kaal is researching at the University of Alberta .Vinny and Katie talk about asteroids and immune systems.

Yeast is everywhere. We use it to make bread and beer but it’s a fungus with its own biology. Science is turning to yeast once again to make wonderful things for us. We can bioengineer it to turn its natural processes into building compounds that humans can use, like medicine. That’s the research being done by this episode’s guest, Asia Vighi, a PhD student in Bioengineering at McGill University. Katie and Vinny talk about heat sensing and how babies feel pain.

The human brain has receptors for cannabinoids which the body naturally produces to regulate stress. The connection between cannabis use and mental health has long been discussed but still requires much study. Lyne Baaj is a Master’s student in neuroscience at McGill University examining the effect of cannabis use on depression and anxiety. Vinny and Katie talk about early humans and treating obesity.

Kids learn about shapes from a very young age. Circles, squares, triangles are familiar territory. But when it comes to high-energy physics, the topology gets a good deal more complicated. Recent PhD grad and mathematician, Christopher Mahadeo, joins us to talk about the geometry of shapes that are used in cutting edge physics. Vinny and Katie talk about detecting radioactivity and the human genome project.

Anyone who enjoys potato chips knows how great salty foods are. We, as humans, need salt for so many of our functions including our neurons and muscle contractions so it makes sense that we find it so enjoyable. But how do our brains know when we’re getting some of that salty goodness? We talk with zoology PhD student Sasha McDowell from UBC who is studying the neurology of how fruit flies taste salt to give us insight into our own brains. Katie and Vinny talk about Venus and cork trees.