Our Moon, with Rebecca Boyle

FromStuff To Blow Your Mind

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Our Moon, with Rebecca Boyle

FromStuff To Blow Your Mind

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Length:

35 minutes

Released:

Feb 6, 2024

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, science journalist and author Rebecca Boyle discusses her new book “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Released:

Feb 6, 2024

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Deep in the back of your mind, you’ve always had the feeling that there’s something strange about reality. There is. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they examine neurological quandaries, cosmic mysteries, evolutionary marvels and our transhuman future.

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Do I live next to a Grow House?: When drug dealers want to grow marijuana without getting caught, they often set up a "grow house." These buildings look like any other building, and they often fool bystanders. Tune in and learn how to tell if your neighbors are running a grow house. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
18 min listen
Toilets in Space: Every astronaut knows that life in space requires numerous adjustments -- after all, things just aren't the same without gravity. So how exactly does a toilet work in space? Learn more about the science behind space's supertoilets in this podcast. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Are we better off in the dark?: Most city dwellers are familiar with contaminated water and smoggy air -- but have you heard of light pollution? Listen in as Allison and Robert explore the effects of light pollution -- and whether humans are better off in the dark. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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How well do you know the T. Rex?: The Tyrannosaurus rex is one of history's most well-known, feared and misunderstood dinosaurs. Children often learn that this dinosaur was a ferocious predator ... but this might not be the whole story. Listen in and learn more in this podcast. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Growing a Green Roof: Are you stuck in the city, sweltering under the summer heat and missing the trees and grass of the natural world? Then why not transform the nearest rooftop into a garden or a park? Tune in and learn more about green roofs in this podcast. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Regenerate This!: According to Richard J. Goss, "If there were no regeneration, there could be no life. If everything regenerated, then there could be no death." But how does this process work? Join Robert and Allison as they explore the science behind regeneration. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
15 min listen
Ladies' Night on Planet Earth: James Brown said that "it's a man's world," but he may have changed his tune if he'd seen the recent studies on gender and evolution. In this podcast, Julie and Robert ask what makes a person male or female -- and why the days of males may be numbered. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Weighing the Human Soul: In the early 1900s, Duncan Macdougall set out to prove the existence of the soul. By placing consumption patients on a scale as they died, he tried to find a difference between the weight of a person before and after death. Learn more in this podcast. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
14 min listen
Evolution in Action: Charles Darwin's revolutionary study of evolution isn't even two hundred years old yet. In terms of evolutionary processes, this is a miniscule amount of time. Yet is is possible to observe evolution within our lifetimes? Tune in and find out. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
18 min listen
Mining the Moon: Since helium-3 can be used to power the fusion reactors of the future, it may be one of the world's most important fuel sources. It's rare on Earth, but experts believe the moon may have an abundant supply. Tune in and learn more about moon mining. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
13 min listen
Dinner in Space!: Let's say you're an astronaut: Each day you wake up, conduct research and make adjustments to your orbit. Eventually you grab some chow -- but what kind of food do you eat, and why? Join Robert and Allison as they explore the science behind space food. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
16 min listen
An Internet that Spans the Stars: The Internet continues to spread its roots through our world, and soon it will launch cosmic seeds, spreading digital humanity into space. How will it all happen? In this episode, Julie and Robert contemplate the future of an interplanetary Internet. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Change Your Mind the Hard Way: When an iron rod shot through Phineas Gage's head, it destroyed the majority of his left frontal lobe. He survived, but his personality and behavior changed -- why? Tune in as Robert and Julie explore the relationship between the brain and the mind. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
38 min listen
In Search of Offshore Oil: In an economy driven by fossil fuels, oil exploration is big business -- but how do scientists actually find oil? In this podcast, Allison and Robert break down the techniques and technologies used to find offshore oil. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
23 min listen
Evolutionary Hangover: Evolutionary Hangover: Vestigial traits are common in animals across the globe, but why? In this episode, Julie and Robert take a look at the genetic leftovers that lost their usefulness during evolution. Tune in to learn more about evolution, atavism and by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
33 min listen
How Fighting Asteroids Works: Asteroid impacts are inevitable. As they hurtle toward Earth, experts race against the clock to build an effective asteroid deterrent. Will they succeed in time? Learn more about asteroid fighters -- and their plans to save the world -- in this episode. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
18 min listen
Flat Stanley Across the 11th Dimension: The world famous globetrotter Flat Stanley is used to encourage literacy in children. Since Flat Stanley is two-dimensional, he's a perfect jumping-off point for Robert and Allison's exploration of string theory and our multidimensional universe. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
21 min listen
Underground Robotic Highways: As cars become increasingly sophisticated, more and more experts are contemplating the possibility of self-driving vehicles on automated highways. But how close are we to actually achieving this futuristic dream? The answer might surprise you. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
29 min listen
The Kardashev Scale: When Nicolai Kardashev began searching the universe for intelligent life, he built an energy-based scale to measure the progress of any given civilization. Tune in to discover how this scale works -- and why humanity's place on the scale may surprise you. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
21 min listen
Running with Parasites: Are you a fan of running outside without shoes? Many people enjoy walking barefoot, especially in warmer weather. Yet there's a dark side to the joy of a shoe-free life: parasites. Listen in and learn more about parasites in this episode. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
16 min listen
The Quest for Cyberimmortality: Is it possible that human evolution is on the verge of transcending its organic roots? And, if it is possible, how could it actually occur? Join Robert and Julie as they explore the mind-blowing concept of cyberimmortality. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
33 min listen
Probing Questions About Alien Abduction: Why are so many people convinced that they were abducted by aliens? In this episode, Julie and Robert explore the history of alleged abductions, along with the scientific explanations for the experiences of the witnesses. Tune in to learn more. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
36 min listen
Book Sniffers and You: You can learn a lot from a book's smell. For example, the books of heavy smokers tend to smell of smoke. When you smell a book, you're encountering more than 200 individual components combining to produce an olfactory fingerprint. Tune in to learn more. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
12 min listen
Eat Popcorn. Eat Popcorn. Eat Popcorn.: Subliminal messaging dates back to 1957, when James Vicary slipped images of popcorn and soda into films at a New Jersey theater. It spooks some consumers, but does it actually work? Tune in to learn more about the science behind subliminal messaging. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
33 min listen
Man Vs. Flu: Influenza is a virus that causes the flu, and it shares a long, lethal history with the human race. In this episode, Robert and Allison explore what's made the flu such a successful disease, and what you can do to avoid an infection. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
29 min listen
Junkies of the Animal Kingdom: Human beings aren't the only organisms with a predilection for mind-altering substances. In fact, the natural world is filled with bingers and boozers. Listen in and learn more about junkie animals. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
42 min listen
Welcome to the Memory Palace: Stroll into the memory palace, an imagined location that just might expand your brain power. In this podcast, Robert and Julie discuss the Method of Loci, a mnemonic device that allows mental athletes to perform astounding acts of recall. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
28 min listen
Noise Pollution: Pipe Down, People!: Like any other form of pollution, loud noises can seriously affect your health over time -- and that's just the beginning. As Robert and Allison break down the science behind noise, they also explain how noise pollution affects the natural world. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
29 min listen
Why Your Brain Likes Conspiracy: The human brain strives to organize and classify sensory information. But what happens when new information conflicts with pre-existing data? Tune in as Julie and guest host Ben explore the fascinating phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
33 min listen
The Killing Joke: Modern minds likely turn to Monty Python when the notion of lethal comedy arises, but accounts of death by laughter date back to ancient times. Can a joke really kill a person? In this episode, Robert and Julie explore the dark side of laughter. by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
38 min listen

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Our Moon, with Rebecca Boyle

Our Moon, with Rebecca Boyle

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Stuff To Blow Your Mind

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