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I discuss a variety of topics in both the natural and social sciences, exploring the many fascinating insights that the scientific method yields about the world around us.
Episodes
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
1hr 5 min
An overview of climate models, beginning with a summary of the major types of models, and then a more detailed disussion of hte primitive equations and parameterised feedbacks that characterise the widely used Atmospheric General Circulation Models. We also discuss techniques for model validation and some evidence regarding the accuracy of various climate models. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 142: The Greenhouse Effect.
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The Science of Everything Podcast - YouTube
Mar 30, 2024
Mar 30, 2024
1hr 23 min
A detailed discussion of the greenhouse effect and its impact on Earth's climate. We begin with a discussion of Earth’s energy budget, the various greenhouse gases and their interactions with longwave radiation, and a summary of major sources of greenhouse gas emisions. We then examine the mechanisms of the greenhouse effect in more detail using the idealised greenhouse model and radiative transfer models. We conclude with an analysis of the sensitivity of Earth's climate to changes in greenhouse gas concentrations, and how this interacts with the atmospheric lapse rate. Recommended prelistening is Episode 141: Natural Climate Change.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
Feb 29, 2024
Feb 29, 2024
46 min
An overview of the natural mechanisms by which climate changes over time. Beginning with an introduction to the concepts of radiative forcing and climate sensitivity, we then discuss solar forcing, orbital changes, volcanic eruptions, and silicate weathering, covering how each process operates and the effects it has on Earth's climate over varying periods of time. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 140: A History of Earth's Climate.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
Jan 31, 2024
Jan 31, 2024
50 min
A journey through the history of Earth's changing climate, in which we explore how Earth's climate has fluctuated over the past billion years. After reviewing the various temperature proxies used to estimate past climactic conditions, we discuss the varying hothouse and icehouse periods of Earth's history, the onset of the Quarternay Ice Age, the current interglacial period, the anomoly of the Younger Dryas, the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Ages, and the rapid rise in temperatures during the twentieth century. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 90: Climate Systems.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
https://www.patreon.com/jamesfodor
https://www.paypal.me/ScienceofEverything
Dec 24, 2023
Dec 24, 2023
1hr 13 min
In this special collaboration with I Know Dino podcast, we discuss the history and impact of dinosaurs in popular culture and media. We cover the history of the scientific study of dinosaurs and how their presentation in media has changed over time with new discoveries, and what aspects of their behaviour and appearance tend to be presented accuracy or inaccurately. We also discuss lesser-known aspects of understanding dinosaurs, such as how changes in the atmosphere and ecosystem would affect dinosaurs of they were to be alive today.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
Oct 15, 2023
Oct 15, 2023
1hr 17 min
An introduction to cryptography, internet security, and cryptocurrency, beginning with an overview of RSA cryptography and covering the use of public and private keys and their incorporation into the Transport Layer Security protocol used for secure internet communications. We then examine the key features of cryptocurrencies, including the blockchain, proof of work consensus mechanism, the use of hash functions, and the role of crypto mining. We conclude with a discussion of some of the advantages and disadvantages of cryptocurrencies, including their anonymity, volatility, use in crime, and environmental impacts.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
Aug 31, 2023
Aug 31, 2023
59 min
A discussion of the metabolic pathways involved in breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids into simple components, extracting their energy, and building back up into more complex components needed for bodily function. We cover glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, lipolysis, beta oxidation, amino acid deamination, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis, and amino acid synthesis. Our overall focus is on the central role of acetyl-CoA and how the different metabolic pathways interact and intersect. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 18: Biochemistry Basics and Episode 75: Cellular Respiration.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
Jul 23, 2023
Jul 23, 2023
1hr 7 min
A journey through the digestive system, beginning with the mouth and progressing through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, we consider the structure and function of all key components of the gastrointestinal tract and their roles in facilitating the metabolism of our food. We also discuss the contribution of accessory organs, including the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas. We conclude by considering a few myths about digestion. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 25: Tissues, Organs and Systems.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
May 11, 2023
May 11, 2023
1hr 24 min
An introduction to the conceptual and mathematical framework of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. We begin by considering the key insight of gravity as a geometric phenomenon, and how the curvature of spacetime by matter explains the equality of inertial and gravitational mass. We then discuss the mathematics of general relativity, including geodesics, differential manifolds, covariant derivatives, the metric tensor, Christoffel symbols, the Riemann curvature tensor, the Ricci tensor, and the energy-momentum tensor. The episode concludes with a derivation and explanation of the significance of Einstein's Field Equations. Recommended pre-listening is Episodes 114 and 115: Special Relativity 1 and 2.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.
https://www.patreon.com/jamesfodor
https://www.paypal.me/ScienceofEverything
Mar 31, 2023
Mar 31, 2023
1hr 17 min
An introduction to the scientific study of emotion, including a discussion of the difficulties in defining emotions, discrete and dimensional methods of classifying emotions, the functional and representational roles of emotions, and an overview of major psychological theories of emotion, including the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories. We also examine the neurobiological basis of emotion, including the roles of the orbitofrontal cortex, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, and the amygdala. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 134: Hormones and the Endocrine System.
If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter.