Episodes
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) explores the new lab-grown mammoth meat, the "vagina on a microchip" being used to study the human biome, some resilient little flying robots, a vaccine for honeybees, and new evidence for what we already knew: the ultra-rich are cognitively less intelligent than the general population. Plus in Space Madness, how do you weigh a Galaxy Cluster? A.I. found a way, and didja know the JW Telescope posted a detailed pic of Uranus?
Published 09/26/23
In this Episode Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into new advancements in Nuclear Fusion. The Artemis Mission including the Orion Spacecraft which just circumnavigated the moon, a Zombie Ant Fungus-eating Fungus, the USDA passes Lab-Grown Chicken meat, a Brain Computer Interface for coma victims, some Big Bustards that self medicate, a fake Black Hole and a Real One, and finally in Common Nonsense: Is the new Lensa AI Portrait app a good thing or a bad thing? or another thing entirely?
Published 01/04/23
The DART Mission Scores, Betelgeuse Burps, The Megalodon Murders, Bumblebee Fish, ECASH and Con-Trails!
Published 11/04/22
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks at the science news of the month including the possible first measurement of Hawking Radiation, a titanium ball-drop on Venus, a hot new male contraception idea and the arrival of the Bat Falcon. Plus a Science AF short on the re-instatement of wolves to the endangered species list after a disastrous massacre/hunting season in Wisconsin. Then a Deep-Dive into the latest International Space-Station Drama. Is Russia planning to tank it before NASA gets a chance...
Published 03/20/22
Dr Ciaccio returns with a look at the news, including the Moon Hut, Ingenuity Helicopter grounded and a Goldfish-Driven Car. Short looks into the James Webb Space Telescope, possible evidence of Life On Mars, the probable cause of Multiple Sclerosis, and the Dolphin Clitorus. A Deep Dive into a way to reduce cow burps, and which animals fart. And finally in Common Nonsense, why the Tomato really is a Vegetable. No, really! Yes, it is! No, you shut up!
Published 02/08/22
Fake Dr Ciaccio looks into the new classification of human species known as the Dragon Man, a new age study is bad news for the prehistoric Coelacanth fish, and in common nonsense: does Vitamin C do anything for us? Plus are those mushrooms on Mars?
Published 06/30/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) talks about new info on the social lives of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, they might have had more friends than we thought, plus reportedly they were slow AF. Also, alarmist headlines aside, robots that custom make smaller robots are all the rage. In Color news there's a new whitest white and it's not a GOP fundraiser, it's a paint that reflects some huge percentage of light. In Muon news two particle accelerators, CERN in Switzerland and Fermilab in Illinois, are racing to...
Published 04/28/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into new evidence from New Zealand about the last time the Earth's magnetic poles flipped around 42,000 years ago. Also a promising new technology can etch holograms onto foods, Slugs shed their heads (rather bodies) to get a fresh start and how diamonds made from the carbon in the atmosphere could be a climate boon. Finally we take a look and listen at the new data coming back from Mars.
Published 03/19/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into a US military test of a pizza-box sized solar panel designed to beam microwave energy back to Earth. Plus scientists built a Black Hole in a lab (kinda) to test if Hawking Radiation is real. An AI built by Uber aced Pitfall and other 80s Arcade Games. And in Common Nonsense we take a look at why "the chicken and egg" paradox has not been a paradox or a problem for a very long time.
Published 03/07/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into new science breakthroughs including the discovery of a newly discovered recombinant coronavirus strain that has pieces of two different strains. Plus the unearthing of a 5000 year old Egyptian Brewery that could get feed 9000 people a day. A new study in which researchers have communicated with lucid dreamers in real time, and another unexpected discovery of life in an extremely uncomfortable place (Antarctica).
Published 02/22/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks at a new form of levitation that uses carbon nanotubes to harness light energy to float on a little puff of excited air. Also, what's causing cacao trees to produce fewer seeds, threatening our supplies of delicious chocolate and cocoa? In some good environmental news, The Great Green Wall of Africa just got a big boost. And in Space Madness, NASA's Perseverance Rover is mere days from a dramatic and dangerous unassisted landing on Mars.
Published 02/15/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into the newest vaccine news, how the phases of the moon affect our sleep, the bee extinction and what we can do about it, windows made of wood, and why A.I. Art is only getting better.
Published 02/02/21
Host Dr Dave Ciaccio (not a doctor) looks into the current Covid numbers, including the apparent end of the upward surge! Plus in BiOMG we look at Gynandromorphs, the first preserved dinosaur butthole (cloaca, to be precise) and ancient terrifying Sand Worms. Plus in Climate Countdown, we look at Mushrooms that scrub the air and eat plastic. And Eye On Science takes a look at Loneliness and Boredom. Finally, in Common Nonsense, Dave takes aim at the fallacy that "Screen Time" is bad for you.
Published 01/24/21
Dr Dave Ciaccio (not a doctor) talks about the new Biden Covid plan, advances in quantum teleportation and how innumeracy is driving misguided wars against the helpers.
Published 01/18/21
Dr Ciaccio (not a doctor) takes a look at the new coronavirus vaccine, a supposed age-reversing drug, a Japanese mining mission to an asteroid, a Chinese mining mission to the moon and the sudden collapse of the iconic Space Telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, featured in movies such as Goldeneye and Contact.
Published 12/12/20
Comedy writer Jerry Hernandez (@jerryismeh, The Happy Sappy Grown-Up Hour, LatinX Comedy Pachanga) joins host @daveciaccio to chat about science, including a Coronavirus update, helicopters on Mars, GMO Mosquitoes, Jurassic Park and the promising science of microdosing Ketamine, LSD, Magic Mushrooms (psilocybin), Peyote, Ayahuasca and more.
Published 08/30/20
Host Dave Ciaccio (@daveciaccio) reports from isolation on all the science he could learn about viruses after weeks of isolation. Including pandemics from history, comparisons with other viruses, cleaning tips, symptoms to watch for and all the we know so far about the novel Coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, and the disease, Covid-19, plus predictions about how long we're going to be doing this and what might be the new normal.
Published 04/03/20
Comedian Winston Carter (@winstonious, Drac and The Swamp Rats, The Winston Carter Murder Follies) joins host @daveciaccio to discuss everything that flies.... Jet Engines, Rockets, Flying Cars, Experimental Aircraft and lots of stories of air travel. Listen at scienceafpod.com, follow @scienceafpod on Twitter and Subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher.
Published 03/13/20
Stand-up Gary Petersen (@comedygaryp) joins host @daveciaccio to talk about pig hearts in baboons, lab-grown lungs in pigs, a frog that can regrow limbs and the Italian scientist who is planning to do a head (ok, body) transplant in China. Listen at scienceafpod.com, follow @scienceafpod on Twitter and Subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher.
Published 03/05/20
Comedian Katie Dahlson (@dahlsonator) joins host @daveciaccio to talk about political activism, socialism, democracy, liberalism, conservatism, communism, and all the other isms. Why is economics so hard to quantify? Why do people believe in weird things like the laffer curve and trickle-down economics? And why FDR-style liberalism is more centrist than the right-leaning media would leave you to believe. We also just go on a lot of sparsely-researched, random political tangents.
Published 02/27/20
The Comedy Bureau's (thecomedybureau.com) Jake Kroeger (@ mfjakekroeger, insta: @notthesupermarket) joins host @daveciaccio to talk about mining asteroids, Armageddon situations, Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), interstellar travel, the multi-verse, Quantum Mechanics and the theory of everything!
Published 02/20/20
Mike Upchurch (Mr. Show, The Chris Rock Show) returns to chat with @daveciaccio about types of comedy, the targets of satire, the changing tastes of society and the science of comedy writing.
Published 02/13/20
Journalist and comedy writer Mike Roe (@mikeroe, @LAist, KPCC) comes in to chat about the future of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. We talk about robots that can swim like jellyfish and fly like pigeons, and AIs that excel at poker, tactical MMORPG video games and even visual art. Will androids be commonplace? Will AIs pass the Turing Test? Will we ever get flying cars? Listen for the definitive answers! Follow @daveciaccio and @scienceafpod, visit us at scienceafpod.com, and please...
Published 02/06/20
Climate Scientist Josh Willis joins Ciaccio to talk about his work on the Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) project for NASA out of JPL. We talk about the climate prognosis plus active solutions to clean the air and the oceans and how to better educate people about science. Plus science news including the wuhan coronavirus, robots made out of frog cells, the mathematical best way to grind espresso, and what a mummy sounds like. Follow @daveciaccio and @scienceafpod, visit us at scienceafpod.com,...
Published 01/30/20