Aired 8 months ago 32:05

23 - Pregnancy

Pregnancy is, biologically speaking, extremely weird! A pregnant animal’s body goes through so many hormonal and physical changes to make sure a zygote has everything it needs to grow. This week, we’re talking about a few of those things, like why pregnant people get nauseated and other animals might not. So is pseudopregnancy a real thing, or are pandas just tricking zookeepers to get extra treats? Why is there a patent for a birthing machine that looks like a horrible carnival ride? And what the heck is a stone baby?   Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out themes for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions!   And if you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:   [Truth or Fail]   https://patents.google.com/patent/US3216423A/en https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/failbetter/apparatusfacilitatingbirthchildcentrifugalforce/   [Fact Off]   Panda pseudopregnancy: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/panda-yuan-yuan-fakes-pregnancy_n_55b99debe4b095423d0dddfe http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2015-07-28/210632155850.shtml https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-23626756 https://rep.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/rep/138/6/979.xml https://www.livescience.com/6304-perplexing-panda-pseudo-pregnancy-pondered.html   Lithopedion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3979976/ https://alumni.amc.edu/pages/archives/archives---the-stone-baby https://utmb.influuent.utsystem.edu/en/publications/lithopedion-stone-baby https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/calcium-beyond-the-bones https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4750627/   [Ask the Science Couch]   Morning sickness: http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2000/05/morning-sickness-protects-mothers-and-their-unborn https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676933/ https://www.jstor.org/stable/2664252?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents https://www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/resources/literature-review/symptoms-of-nvp-in-animals/ https://www.livescience.com/32301-do-pregnant-animals-get-morning-sickness.html   [Butt One More Thing]   Meconium: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/112/2901/150.long https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18281199

Aired 11 months ago 34:34

12 - Flight

At some point, we’ve all probably looked up at birds and wished we could fly. And some curious people took that wish and did science! From the biology of flying animals to machines that help humans take to the skies, this week, we’re exploring the science of flight. Why do we travel by plane instead of floating on airships? How long can some birds fly before landing? And what else do they get up to in midair… eating? ...sex? ...sleeping?   If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:   [Truth or Fail]   https://newspaperarchive.com/englewood-sun-sep-14-2001-p-9/ https://www.businessinsider.com/only-one-place-was-allowed-to-take-off-after-flights-were-grounded-on-sept-11-2011-2011-9 https://press.discovery.com/asia-pacific/apl/programs/im-alive/ http://www.umich.edu/~elements/fogler&gurmen/html/web_mod/cobra/avenom.htm   [Fact Off]   Swifts: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31063-6 https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/27/499635084/this-bird-can-remain-airborne-for-10-months-straight   Frigate birds: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12468 https://www.audubon.org/news/scientists-finally-have-evidence-frigatebirds-sleep-while-flying https://phys.org/news/2016-08-birds-engage-flight-remarkably-small.html   [Ask the Science Couch]   Blimps & zeppelins: https://www.airships.net/dirigible/ https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/hybrid-airship.html https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/01/19/the-uss-akron-disaster/ https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/pa4q3g/theres-a-push-to-bring-back-the-zeppelin-in-canadas-remote-north   [Butt One More Thing]   Supermarine Stranraer: http://www.airpowerworld.info/other-military-aircraft/supermarine-stranraer.htm

Aired 1 year ago 66:41

Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone Ep 17: Vote With Your Feet

On our Election Special, we explore who’s running - both for office and on the streets. First, we talk to Coach C.J. Foster to determine if Paula has what it takes to run a marathon. And then we run to the polls with USC’s Professor of Public Policy, Dr. Nicolas Duquette, who helps clear up all the mysteries on our ballots. Plus, Paula reports on her fantastic performance on Jimmy Pardo’s “Never Not Funny” podcast, and why she will probably never be invited back. House band: Jory Herman, double bass Guests C.J. Foster Marathon Coach for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training Website: TeamInTraining.org Dr. Nicolas Duquette Professor, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California Twitter: @NicDuquette Website: NicolasDuquette.com/ Jory Herman Double bass, Los Angeles Philharmonic