Tag: ecology

Transcript-TWIS.ORG May 5, 2009

Synopsis: Remote Control Brains, Making Blood Crawl, Birdsong Basics, This Week in Science History, Drink To Your Sanity, and an Interview with Dr. Leonard Mlodinow re: The Drunkard’s Walk.

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

In the wake of the H1N1 worry, the world has a new wave of statistical woe on the way. As the number of confirmed deaths continued to drop, from hundreds, to dozens down to only ten within a single week.

The latest statistical projections of the un-die-ing situation now suggest that we are trending towards a potential population explosion!

If people continue to un-die at this rate, we may soon be looking at a human transmittable in fallopian pregno-demic that could grow exponentially over the next nine months.

And while this exponential growth oddly mirrors the rate of natural human reproduction it, much like the following hour of programming, does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its Sponsors.

Listeners should be wary, as face masks will not be enough to protect you from the probability of procreation. Staying indoors with loved ones might actually contribute to the further spread of parental syndromes.

While the CDC sits idly by and does nothing to slow the rapid rate of confirmed un-deadenings, you can be comforted to know that we will be dedicating the next hour to keeping you reasonably safe by offering you something else to do, here on This Week In Science coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript-TWIS.ORG May 5, 2009”

Transcript: TWIS.ORG March 31, 2009


Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

Getting it wrong is one of the most important things you can do in the pursuit of science. The more things you get wrong, the less places truth has to hide. More than simply a process of elimination, getting it wrong can actually produce new facts.

For instance, if we go back in time to the days of early men, we can imagine an early attempt to reach the moon by throwing a rock while it is directly over head. Not only does this attempt illustrate the wrong way to reach the moon, it also produces facts about gravity, acceleration, and potentially head injuries that could be later studied.

And while throwing rocks at the moon much like the following hour of our programming does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors.

We should all feel like great Liberty to get things wrong on a daily basis. For every wrong answer is a step towards the truth. Every dumb question – one less that needed to be asked. Every failed experiment eliminates the need for it to be done that way again.

And every intuitive false belief refuted finds us a more objective understanding upon which to stand. In fact, wrong thinking makes the impossible possible.

If only by learning new ways of not going about attempting it, it could be said and therefore it’s about to be that getting things wrong is the easiest way to learn new things.

And while you ponder the possible wrong things you can think today, we will eliminate a few facts so as not to make your efforts in vain. You’re on This Week in Science, coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript: TWIS.ORG March 31, 2009”

Transcript:TWIS.ORG Sept 16, 2008


Justin: Heading through the Large Hadron Collider, the Physics world buzzes with excitement about the many potential discoveries, confirmations and unexpected revelations, the media and the general public are scrambling to learn the basics of the Physics at play.

Why – what is a Hadron? What is a Higgs? How did they accelerate one? Is it safe to do so? Are Proton beans colliding going to cause a big bang? What is a Big Bang anyway? And I heard they want to make a big black hole and it’s going to swallow the whole Earth. Is that true? Have they gone mad? Should we stop them? And where, oh where on earth is the country of CERN I keep hearing about anyway?

While the location of CERN much like the following hour of our programming, does not represent the views or opinions of the University of California, Davis KDVS or its sponsors. The real benefit of the LHC may lay as much in the minds and imaginations of the curious public as it does in the 17 miles of buried tunnel.

As fears of impending doom circulate, like rumors in a mill, the incredible need for the man on the street to know his Higgs from a Hadron Collider in the ground becomes clear. And so, too the solution to such dire need also becomes clear. For where else can the public turn to for on the fly science learning but This Week in Science, coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript:TWIS.ORG Sept 16, 2008”

Transcript:TWIS.ORG April 21, 2009

Kirsten: Hey there minions, this is Kirsten. Before we start the show I just want to let people know that this week’s show occurred during our home radio station’s fundraising drive.

KDVS is fabulous example of how great freeform community non-commercial radio can be. But it does have to pay bills just like any business and fundraising has become a major part of the station’s income.

KDVS has been home to TWIS for ten years. And both TWIS and KDVS have matured quite a bit in that time. I hope that you will consider donating to the place that has supported and continues to support a unique brand of science reporting.

And even if you don’t care for supporting a radio station you barely know, consider supporting the show. Regardless, thank you for being a part of our exploration of science and journey of discovery. With that note, on with the show!
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Transcript:TWIS.org Sept 4, 2007

Justin: Good morning Kirsten.

Kirsten: Good morning Justin.

Justin: I can’t hear any…

Kirsten: Hold on.

Justin: Where is the – ouch!

Kirsten: I got it.

Justin: What’s going on around here? What’s happening?
Continue reading “Transcript:TWIS.org Sept 4, 2007”

Transcript:TWIS.org Oct 16, 2007

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer! The following hour of programming is intentionally grounded in reality. If you are tuning in hopes of escaping reality, you have tuned in to the wrong frequency, downloaded the wrong podcast, or worse, you are actually a host of this show.

While many fear to seek truth, let alone face it, the next hour of time spent here is dedicated to exploring and dissecting that, which is truth from that, which is not, peeling away layers of presumption, intuition and supernatural inklings until the onion of the unknown is no more.

If you feel yourself tearing up now, it is an intellectual anticipation of This Week in Science, coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript:TWIS.org Oct 16, 2007”

Transcript:TWIS.org July 22, 2008

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

The following hour of programming may contain language that is too formidable for some of its hosts to pronounce correctly. The contents may also delve into the subjects that listeners find objectionable over, at least, sciencey or unnervingly odd.

Such oddities may have a tendency to do loopy loops in the mind causing unmitigated loss of concentration and could lead to non-secretive learning of nagging trivia that offers little opportunity to be used in the context of light conversation.

And while nagging oddities like the following hour of programming do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California, Davis, KDVS or its sponsors, listeners should listen assured that no matter how firmly the odd bit of sciencey trivia gets stuck in your head, the architects of the show have found a unique method for removing them by dislodging them with an even odder bit of knowledge in the following week.

Thus, the habit forming formula for the show’s success is assured with it’s only antidote being more This Week In Science, coming up next. Continue reading “Transcript:TWIS.org July 22, 2008”

Transcript: TWIS.org Dec 04, 2008

Justin: Hey! Good morning Kirsten:.

Kirsten:: That was an interesting one Justin, good morning.

Justin: I’ve got a cold. Something and I could…

Kirsten:: You do?

Justin: Yes, which is a perfect opportunity for me to do an entire show as Krusty the clown.

Kirsten:: Oh, I think we can do without Krusty the Clown this morning.

Justin: No?

Kirsten:: Krusty’s one of – I don’t know. I have a soft spot in my heart for Krusty but, he’s a little bit annoying. There’s obnoxiousness going on.

Justin: I’ve heard that now.

Kirsten:: I’ve heard that before.

Welcome to This Week in Science. It’s a bit after 8:30 in the morning on Tuesday, December 4th. It’s Kirsten: and Justin here and we are going to be with you for the next hour talking all about science news. What else is new in it? Continue reading “Transcript: TWIS.org Dec 04, 2008”

Transcipt: TWIS.org Mar 18, 2008 Part 1

Justin: Disclaimer. Disclaimer. Disclaimer.

Now is not the moment to panic. Yes, there’s a war waging in the far off land. Yes, the economy tethering on the brink of an untold turmoil. Yes, the waging and the tether are taking native focus off the impending collapse of our fluctuating climate.

Yes, the content of the following hour of programming does not necessarily represent the views of University of California Davis, yes, the same goes for KDVS and its sponsors.

Yes, This Week in Science is in potential danger of becoming an evening commute, rather than morning drive time broadcast, but for Douglas Adam’s sake people, don’t panic.

The fact that we live at the bottom of the deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet, going around the nuclear fire ball 90 million miles away, and think these to be normal and not worth panicking about is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.

And should allow some level of comfort that things really are much stranger than This Week in Science, coming up next.

(Music Playing) Continue reading “Transcipt: TWIS.org Mar 18, 2008 Part 1”