Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Tom's SciCast
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62. Themes in Science: From Emergent Properties to Evolution | 15 Oct 2024 | 01:21:33 | |
This is Chapter 2 of my textbook, Biology for Health Sciences, a college freshman course for students entering nursing, nutrition, exercise science, environmental science, or other careers in the health field. Topics include; what is life, the hierarchy of life, emergent properties, ecology, and evolution | |||
| 61. A Biologists Looks at 50: Reflections from 30 years of doing science | 05 Apr 2024 | 01:02:48 | |
A look back on my life in science, birds, fish, invasive species, streams, dams, and climate change and sleeping lizards. | |||
| 52. Photosynthesis, light, the Calvin Cycle, energy, and electrons | 18 Feb 2023 | 00:44:11 | |
From the nature of light, to the light reaction and through the Calvin Cycle I explain how photosynthesis works. I cover how light energy transformed into chemical energy and follow the electrons from water to the Calvin Cycle. | |||
| 51. Biology is the Apex of Science | 19 Jan 2023 | 00:42:34 | |
After a few memes with cats sitting on biology books making references to biology being soft and textbooks calling chemistry the central science, I figured it's time to start calling biology the Apex Science, or the apex of science. Drawing from my own experience, I explain how biology is special because it incorporates almost every other field of the natural sciences, putting it at the top | |||
| 50. From AI to Giant Space Telescopes: A look back at 2022 | 20 Dec 2022 | 00:59:58 | |
These are some of the biggest discoveries, events. and breakthroughs of 2022, from huge volcanoes, long-lived bacteria, breakthroughs in cancer treatments, AI, and why the James Web Telescope is one of the most important things we have done as a society. | |||
| 49. The future of science | 06 Dec 2022 | 01:00:57 | |
How we do science is changing. I use my own experiences from graduate school to understand science and where it is going from question driven science to the importance of natural history and keeping up with Artificial Intelligence. | |||
| 48. Can we Move Beyond the Kardashev Scale? | 01 Dec 2022 | 01:03:46 | |
Can one number be used to rank a civilization's advancement? I discuss the Kardashev Scale and how we might expand upon it by looking at other measures of advancement beyond energy use. | |||
| 47. How gene regulation makes our life possible | 22 Nov 2022 | 01:10:46 | |
Do you have mutant super powers like eating ice cream without it hurting your stomach? How can diet and exercise slow down aging, or why do age in the first place? Does what happen to you affect your children? How do we make more proteins than we have protein-coding genes for? Lastly, how can two black labs have both chocolate and yellow lab puppies? We can find answers to these questions by knowing how our genes are regulated. I discuss gene regulation including operons, alternative mRNA splicing, epistasis, and epigenetics, | |||
| 46. DNA: replication, cancer, and aging. | 15 Nov 2022 | 00:51:08 | |
Why are some cancer cells immortal? What can we learn about aging from a lobster? Why does a gene from a human work in a bacteria? The answers lies in genetics. In this episode I explain how understanding the basics of DNA replication, the genetic code, and mutations improves our lives from treating cancer, slowing aging, to making medicines. | |||
| 45. The Relationships Between Sexual Reproduction and Inheritance | 10 Nov 2022 | 01:23:39 | |
Why do we reproduce sexually, why do we look similar to our parents and siblings, but are different? In this episode, I take a close look at the origins of sexual reproduction, how meiosis generates genetic diversity, and Mendel's basic principles of inheritance. One of the major themes in my classes is that biology is complicated, and that goes for genetics so I also discuss extensions to Mendelian genetics. And lastly, I explain several common misconceptions about inheritance. | |||
| 44. Is the outer solar system the best place to find life? | 08 Nov 2022 | 00:55:19 | |
Why is the outer solar system perhaps the best place to look for life? If it is, then where should we look for it? And importantly, what would it mean to find life in our solar system? | |||
| 43. Is there life on Mars? | 22 Oct 2022 | 01:09:55 | |
For hundreds of years, we have wondered if life is on Mars. I take a close look at the evidence from nearly 50 years of orbiters, landers, rovers, and even Marian rocks found on Earth to answer this question. The evidence is compelling! | |||
| 60. The Fermi paradox, aliens, biology, evolution | 13 Mar 2024 | 00:59:37 | |
Where is every one? Why haven't we been visited by alien races, made contact with aliens, or even discovered a hint of an alien race? Ever since Fermi asked this simple question, people have been coming up with answers as to why we don't see aliens. Some solutions are scary, but I think a potential answer could be found by looking at our own solar system. | |||
| 42. What is life? | 12 Oct 2022 | 00:30:20 | |
Surprisingly, defining life is hard. Listen in as Tom Kennedy takes a broader look at what makes something living. | |||
| 41. Things you didn't know about the habitable zone | 06 Oct 2022 | 00:45:49 | |
When searching for life, look for liquid water, AKA the habitable zone. But knowing where liquid water on a planet's surface can be difficult. I explain how the characteristics of a star and its planets greatly influences the size of the habitable zone and ultimately the chances of discovering life. | |||
| 40. What Would Alien Life Look Like? | 30 Sep 2022 | 00:41:19 | |
Could alien life resemble life on Earth, or, would it completely different? Join me as I discuss the importance of convergent evolution and introduce a new concept of biological determinism to speculate about what life might look like from simple microbes to intelligent beings. | |||
| 39. What's the future of humanity? | 07 Mar 2022 | 00:39:12 | |
What does the future hold for humanity? Join me as I speculate about the prospects of our survival into the future along with the obstacles we must overcome to ensure our survival. There's a lot of fun speculation in this podcast, I'd love to hear your comments! | |||
| 38. The edge of life: Cell membranes, diffusion, and transport. | 28 Feb 2022 | 01:02:26 | |
Cellular membranes separate life from the outside world. I take a look into the world of membranes explaining how forming a barrier lets cells use their membranes to do many things from storing energy to sending signals. | |||
| 37. Where Did Life Come From? | 20 Feb 2022 | 00:54:30 | |
One of the most biggest mysteries in science is how did life get started. In the past 100 years, several important theories improved our understanding about the origins of life. But each one has its limitations that become clear based on how we define life. | |||
| 36. What is the science of biology? | 22 Jan 2022 | 00:56:52 | |
Biology is more than just memorizing the parts of cell or dissecting some poor animal in lab, it's a broad field driven by curiosity and imagination grounded in the scientific method. | |||
| 35. Did The Cenozoic Era End On September 1, 1914? | 04 Dec 2021 | 00:58:00 | |
Why do I believe the current geological era that began when the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago came to an abrupt end on September 1, 1914. I make my case that we ended one era while starting a new one where invasive species will play a large role in the future of life on Earth. I also speculate on the future of humanity as we go forward into an uncharted future. | |||
| 34. What would it mean to find alien life? Exploring life in the Universe Part 4 | 25 Nov 2021 | 00:52:41 | |
How would finding alien life, whether microbes or advanced civilizations, change how we think about ourselves in the universe? Would it matter if alien life looked like us or radically different? | |||
| 33. Are we alone in the universe? Exploring life in the universe Part 3 | 18 Nov 2021 | 00:43:17 | |
Is the universe teaming with life, or is life on the Earth unique? Join me as I discuss the possibility of life from microbes to intelligent life in the universe along with the current limits of our knowledge. | |||
| 59. Why we should colonize the solar system | 02 Mar 2024 | 00:37:01 | |
I believe humans are special and improve our chances of surviving as a species, I explain why we should colonize the solar system and beyond. | |||
| 32. Where might we find life in the solar System? Exploring life in the universe Part 2 | 09 Nov 2021 | 00:43:07 | |
Is Earth the only place in our solar system with life or is it wide spread? In this podcast, I discuss what life is, what conditions are needed for life to start, and places in the solar system where we might find life and why that would be important. | |||
| 31. How life is connected to the universe: Exploring life in the universe Part 1 | 04 Nov 2021 | 00:24:07 | |
We are star dust. But what exactly does that mean? Learn how life is connected to the universe going back to the Big Bang. | |||
| 30. How Science Works: What we learned from studying exercise and weight loss | 06 Oct 2021 | 00:45:40 | |
Have you ever wondered why you didn't lose weight when you started a new exercise program? Learn how science has led to major changes in how we understand the role of exercise on weight loss and our health. | |||
| 29. Trophic Cascades and Ripple Effects in Ecosystems | 26 Jul 2021 | 00:26:10 | |
How did the introduction of a lake trout in Yellowstone reduce elk populations? How did the re-introduction of wolves in Yellowstone improve stream quality and songbird populations. I take a closer look at how how the loss or addition of a single species can ripple across the landscape. | |||
| 28. A closer look at evolution by natural selection | 19 Jun 2021 | 01:11:05 | |
Why do some animals remain unchanged for hundreds of millions of years or why do some evolve quickly with beautiful feathers or intricate songs. Listen in as I cover the different types of selection causing the diversity we see today including directional, stabilizing, disruptive, balancing, and sexual selection. | |||
| 27. Some things you didn't know about roots and leaves | 03 Jun 2021 | 00:36:26 | |
Some roots don't grow in soil and some leaves eat insects. Discover the amazing things that roots, shoots, and leaves can do. Plants are cool! | |||
| 26. Plants, the unsung hero of our world | 18 May 2021 | 00:34:16 | |
Plants have had an enormous influence on the evolution of life on Earth. Learn how plants altered ancient climates, triggered the evolution of reptiles and mammals (amniotes), provide us with important medicines, and just make us feel better. | |||
| 25. Why I don't fear GMOs, but embrace them. | 04 May 2021 | 01:01:12 | |
Despite the fact that GMOs are helping us solve problems in agriculture, medicine, and stopping the spread of diseases, there's a lot of negative propaganda against GMOs, I explain why they are safe and part of the solution to our problems. | |||
| 24. Energy, Enzymes, Metabolism, and the Meaning of Life | 06 Apr 2021 | 00:50:20 | |
What do energy, enzymes, and metabolism mean for life? I take a look at the relationships between energy and life, and the importance of enzymes for our metabolism. Specific topics include a description of what it means to be living, I define energy and how it's governed by the laws of thermodynamics, the different types of energy and relate how life gets energy from chemical reactions and the need role of enzymes in our metabolism. I end with a discussion on the latest findings of quantum biology and how that may challenge our notions of how enzymes work | |||
| 23. The cell cycle from interphase to the mitotic phase. | 22 Oct 2020 | 00:44:03 | |
The cell cycle is more than just memorizing the position of chromosomes on a slide, it can help us understand growth and development, lead to treatments for cancer, or repair damaged organs and limbs. I go over the major steps of the cell cycle including interphase and the mitotic phase. Education level - high school to non-majors | |||
| 58. The Silurian Hypothesis, evolution, civilizations, aliens, and the legacy of humanity. | 26 Nov 2023 | 00:45:51 | |
I explore how the Silurian Hypothesis provides insight into what it takes for a planet to host or evolve a civilization, how we might detect them, and the legacy of humans on Earth. | |||
| 22. Why Life Needs Energy | 08 Oct 2020 | 00:58:26 | |
Star Wars, Zombies, Rhime of the Ancient Mariner, and Mullet (the fish, not the haircut) come together to help explain the role of energy, membranes, diffusion, transport, and chemical reactions to make something living. | |||
| 21. Eating pizza, aging, and the importance of our cellular organelles | 23 Sep 2020 | 00:25:14 | |
What does eating a pizza and aging have to do with our organelles? This episode explores how organelles of the endomembrane system work together to make proteins in our saliva that help us digest our food. Also, learn how we may eventually slow down our aging by studying lysosomes and mitochondria. | |||
| 20. The Chemistry of Life | 16 Sep 2020 | 00:57:20 | |
Don't fear the chemistry! Life is the result of chemical reactions. While many of us fear chemistry, a little chemistry knowledge can go a long way into understanding how we work and understanding some of the basics behind nutrition. In this podcast, I introduce the most important types of molecules used for life without getting too technical. | |||
| 19. Life's connection to the universe | 03 Sep 2020 | 00:27:23 | |
Astronomy and Biology in a single podcast! In this episode, I talk about how stellar processes made life possible. | |||
| 18. Life is the result of emergent properties | 28 Aug 2020 | 00:25:32 | |
There's a hierarchy to the universe from the simplest atoms to the most complex ecosystems. At each level of complexity new properties arise and most importantly, life arises as an emergent property at the level of cells. | |||
| 17. How to Learn | 20 Aug 2020 | 00:23:58 | |
Are you an expert or a novice learner? Do you know the difference between understanding and memorization? Instead of a fun science topic, today, I'm talking about learning and different ways we learn. Many of us have been in school for years and never thought much about how we learn, what it means to learn, or the best ways to learn. | |||
| 16. Should we intentionally cause the extinction of mosquitoes? | 26 Jul 2020 | 00:34:23 | |
What if I told you we could get rid of the most dangerous animal on the planet? I make the case of why we should intentionally cause the extinction of a few disease carrying mosquitoes even though we are in the 6th mass extinction. | |||
| 15. Vertebrates are bigger, faster, and smarter; thank our circulatory system | 19 Jul 2020 | 00:20:41 | |
Find out how the closed circulatory system and changes to the vertebrate heart helped them become the largest, fastest, most active, and among the most successful animals on the planet. | |||
| 14. How we know we are causing the 6th mass extinction | 19 Jul 2020 | 00:57:53 | |
Sometimes, I get riled up and strongly disagree with other scientists, including some paleontologists who don't think we are currently in the 6th mass extinction. Sadly, the latest evidence clearly shows we are losing species like when the dinosaurs went extinct. I make my case for the dire threats to modern diversity. Warning: this is a hard podcast to listen to. | |||
| 13. Four evolutionary innovations that changed the world | 26 Jun 2020 | 00:27:49 | |
How did we get to our modern world teaming with plant and animal life? It was a long road taking billions of years and four key innovations along the way that paved the way for plants and animals. | |||
| 57. Life, aliens, opinions, and other things I've been thinking about lately | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:40:26 | |
After 6 months, I'm back! I talk about how some of my views have changed to become more nuanced and how my own biases shape the way I think about astrobiology. | |||
| 12. Plants have senses too! | 19 Jun 2020 | 00:38:02 | |
Did you know plants can sense and respond to their environment! Far more than just passive observers, plants use many senses from detecting light, to water in their roots, and they even known when their leaves are being eaten. Follow along as I dive into how plants respond to their environment. | |||
| 11. What is a species? | 18 Jun 2020 | 00:31:35 | |
Although species are fundamental to evolution, it has proven difficult to develop a single definition we can use on millions of organisms including plants, animals, their fossils, or even asexually reproducing organisms. I discuss three different species concepts, why they work, and their limitations. Along the way, I talk about dancing male jumping spiders, lung-less salamanders, Dark-eyed Juncos. | |||
| 10. From the sea to dry land: How photosynthesis changed the world | 07 Jun 2020 | 00:30:46 | |
Find out why photosynthesis is one of the most important evolutionary innovations in the history of the planet. Learn how plants evolved to live in dry environments despite the fact that photosynthesis evolved over 3 billion years ago in a marine environment and has changed very litle. | |||
| 9. Why we care about plants | 02 Jun 2020 | 00:34:16 | |
Sometimes, teaching lessons on plants is a "hard sell" for many students. So, I made this podcast explaining why plants are important for evolution, for ecosystems, for society, and even for own happiness. If it weren't for plants, the world would be really different! | |||