The Lab With Brad Brad Barton
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- Science
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Two brothers, talking science and telling bad jokes. Barely scripted, sometimes accurate, almost funny, Thursdays at 8PM pacific.
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Ep 408: Nothing to sneeze at
Nothing to sneeze at
If you don’t use gold silver or coins, what does one use for money?
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Here are several links with information, and differing notions, on the sale of Manhattan Island.
Keep the Change: The Beads that Bought Manhattan
Was Manhattan really sold for $24 worth of beads and trinkets?
The Beads That Did Not Buy Manhattan Island
Here’s more about the use of cacao beans as money.
The Maya civilization used chocolate as money
Chocolate Currency?
And here’s a little something about black pepper, and how it was used as money.
Black Pepper -
Ep 407: Why money?
Why money?
We take a look at economic activity by nonhumans, and the Incas, with a large empire that never used money.
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Here are some links about gift giving in the animal kingdom.
Do Animals Give Gifts?
Why Dolphins Bring Humans “Gifts” From the Sea at Australian Café
Gift giving crows
And here’s more info about the Incas, and the large empire they controlled that never used money.
Inka Economy
Economy of the Inca Empire -
Ep 406: On silly names and loud voices
On silly names and loud voices
Let’s take a closer look at the sperm whale, with an unfortunate name and the loudest voice in nature.
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Here are links to videos and articles about shattering glass with the human voice.
Can You Shatter Glass With Your Voice?
Jaime Vendera-Glass Shattering MythBuster
MythBusters Episode 31: Breaking Glass
Busting Myths About Sound
And some links to videos and articles about sperm whales and their very loud voices.
Feeling the Force of Sperm Whales Ultrasound
Is it true that sperm whales stun giant squid with sonar?
Sperm Whales Clicking You Inside Out -
Ep 405: On dragons, fire, and breathing
On dragons, fire, and breathing
For our last question on DND and fantasy fiction, could any animal ever be able to actually breathe fire?
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Special thanks to:
Girls Who Don’t DND
Here’s the website for the Fuel Girls.
Fuel Girls - Fire & Pyro Performances
Here are a couple of things on the jellyfish sting, and the exploding cells behind it.
Jellyfish Sting Mechanism Unveiled; Could Help Design Future Delivery Devices
How does a jellyfish sting?
And here’s one or two things on the bombardier beetle.
The Bombardier Beetle And Its Crazy Chemical Cannon
Bombardier Beetles Squirt Boiling Anal Chemicals to Make Frogs Vomit -
Ep 404: Ouch!
Ouch!
13 types of damage in dungeons and dragons, let’s see how many of them we can find amongst actual living creatures.
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Special thanks to:
Girls Who Don’t DND.
Here’s a bit on chicken hypnosis.
Can You Hypnotize a Chicken?
Here’s an article about the firefly that tricks and eats other fireflies.
Firefly “femmes fatales” acquire defensive steroids (lucibufagins) from their firefly?prey
Here’s a silly bit on cats and cucumbers.
Why Are Cats Scared of Cucumbers
Here are a couple of articles about the Rio Tinto, a brightly colored acidic river.
Eukaryotic Organisms in Extreme Acidic Environments, the Río Tinto Case
Why the Red River-The Río Tinto in Spain fascinates scientists?
Here’s a video about several acid shooting animals.
These Invertebrates Shoot Acid
Here’s an article about Japanese honey bees, and how they use heat to defend their hive.
Key genes enable Japanese honey bees to roast hornets
Here’s something on how animals use electricity.
The shocking ways wild animals use electricity
Here’s a video and an article about the sperm whale and it’s oh so very loud voice.
Feeling the Force of Sperm Whales Ultrasound
Is it true that sperm whales stun giant squid with sonar?
And here’s something on the pistol Shrimp.
Pistol Shrimp sonic weapon -
Ep 403: To see in the dark
To see in the dark
In fantasy novels and roll playing games, some characters can see in the dark. What about in real life?
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Special thanks to:
Girls Who Don’t DND
Here are some articles on human echolocation.
Echolocation: How It Works and How to Learn It
Human click-based echolocation: Effects of blindness and age, and real-life implications in a 10-week training program
Here are some articles about the blind cave fish.
Blind Cave Fish
Sensory Adaptation for a Cavefish
Here are some sites about the star-nosed mole.
Inside the Bizarre Life of the Star-Nosed Mole, World's Fastest Eater
Learn to smell underwater with the star-nosed mole
Here’s an article about active electrical sensing in some weakly electric fish.
Active electrolocation of objects in weakly electric fish
And a bit about the lovely and talented platypus.
Platypus Electroreception: Revealing the Hidden Powers