Latest Episodes
Breaking Bad Science Podcast
Breaking Bad Science Podcast
Episode 48: Virtual and Augmented Reality
If you listen to David Icke, the whole world is a simulation controlled by the lizard people using the moon..you know...the moon matrix. But can we create a whole new virtual world? Could we remake our world virtually? What is VR? What is AR? Training, gaming, and just making the world more convenient; how far has this technology come and what is the future?
Episode 47: Nature is Freaky
Is war an exclusively human practice? How about sexual behavior and pair-bonding among members of the same sex? Is the heat of the surface of the sun just an everyday experience for some in nature? Is one-punch man alive and well in the animal kingdom? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss. Emu wars, chimpanzees, and the terrifying creatures of the deep and talk about what makes nature so much stranger than even the fiction we imagine.
Episode 46: Medical Technology and the Future
In the past, we discussed the idea of reversing the aging process. The concept that in the future we might be able to end a human's tendency to die simply because we survived for too many years. What about the issues that arise simply from trying to live. What if our organs fail or get damaged, or what if we lose large sections of bone? From 3D printing to organ-on-a-chip, what does the future look like when we consider where medicine is going?
Episode 45: Shanti’s Weight Loss Breakdown
Every week we look at a new scientific concept and delve into the science behind it. How do we go about that? What does it take to look at information that someone presents and evaluate its quality? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we dive into Shanti’s fitness background and evaluate the work of Dr. Mike Israetel who influenced our co-host in his training days.
Episode 44: Clean Energy
We all understand what it means to be dirty, more importantly we understand how something becomes clean. But what about energy? How do we clean energy? What is clean energy? Is it achievable? Do we even have any energy that can be considered clean? What is lithium mining? Why does it come up in this discussion. What does the word fossil fuel even mean?
Episode 43: The Psychology of Cults
In the late 1980's a former NFL defensive end stabbed 2 men with zero provocation, and if you ask him it was done at the urging of his leader to which he was devout. In the mid to late 2010's the hit show Smallville took on an entirely different meaning when the world realized a star actress was recruiting other women to be branded and exploited. In both cases we can't help but ask ourselves, how does this happen? How does a human being find themselves in a situation where these things happen? In a word, cults, but it's so much more than that. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we dig into manipulation, fear, blackmail, and the disturbing minds of what passes for a "leader" in this world's cults.
Episode 42: Starlink and Elon Musk
In the 80's a hero known as Al Gore produced one of the greatest inventions of all time..the internet. Ok well maybe that's just a comment quoted out of context that comedians at the time found hilarious and some of us still do. Today, though, Elon Musk is doing something with the internet early users like myself would never have thought possible. What is Starlink and what is the point? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss the introduction of Starlink, what makes it so impressive, and what it may mean for our future.
Episode 41: Stem Cells
Stem cells are a mysterious cellular construct with some pretty unique properties. Properties which have led to intense discussions about life, aging, cancer, the nature of disease itself, and even religion. But what are they? Why was the discovery of these cells so important? Why are they so controversial and how has that controversy affected research in the last few decades? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss stem cells, the confusion surrounding them, and why the controversy is not only important but necessary in this episode of Breaking Bad Science.
Episode 40: Cryptocurrency
Trying to draw a similarity between a hitman, miners, and paying $590 million for 2 pizzas sounds like some sort of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon weirdness, but it turns out it's not really that hard. The cornerstone here, the Kevin Bacon if you will, is Bitcoin, which is....Currency, but not, you know, kind of like when we went from having gold, furs, salt, and goods to trade to using coins and paper. Except in this case with no tangibility. So what is it? Why does it exist and how is it being used? Most importantly, how is it shaping our future?
Episode 39: Artificial Sweeteners
There's no doubt at this point that eating foods high in sugar can lead to diabetes and heart conditions. Because of this, the market for sugar substitutes has been a highly valuable industry. Honestly though, are these substitutes healthy? Are we consuming something worse in an effort simply to keep us from becoming overweight or developing these or other diseases or are these concerns mere hokum and Tom foolery? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as they discuss not just the health benefits and risks of artificial sweeteners, but also, hokum and Tom foolery.
Episode 38: Evolution and Synthetic Biology
If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys? This is the most common question associated with misunderstandings in the concepts of evolution. So what is evolution? What are the misunderstandings surrounding the subject? How does the whole monkey thing work? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as they talk again with synthetic biologist Dr. Sonya Iverson about the misconceptions and mysteries surrounding evolution.
Episode 37: Climate Change, Global Warming, and Judith Curry
The world is on fire. It's a natural cycle. Global warming. Climate Change. What does any of this mean? Why are people worried? Should people be worried? Is it a global threat? A hoax? Who is Judith Curry? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as they try to weed out what information is really out there and what science is saying right now about global climate change and why or if it should matter.
Episode 36 – Hypnosis: Science or Sci-Fi?
This week we're talking about something that's roots go back so far that an entire dungeons and dragons class is based on it. For those of you who don't get the reference, we’re talking Old Norse ancient. The concept became so popular that comic book characters are literally named after the man who westernized the principle. Yet it's so misunderstood that every cop drama has a case involving it, comedies mock it's possibilities, and we place its effects in league with illusionists and magicians. Somehow, though, it may be used in clinical practices as well. So what is it? In a word.. Hypnosis, but what does that word truly mean and is it really possible? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we welcome our first M.D. to the podcast, Dr. Brian Wasicek and discuss this fascinating topic.
Episode 35: The Science of Learning
To early humans, hitting a rock with another rock and seeing what happened constituted learning. Well that, or even hitting another human with a rock to see what happened was learning. Eventually, the Greeks learned the importance of teaching as a tool for the advancement of society. Then it became a tool for the advancement of the rich. Throughout this entire time, though, learning looked nothing like it does today. When did what we know as learning truly start, why is it done the way it is, and is it the best system possible plus what is pedagogy? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we explore what learning really means, how it was developed, and what it means to accumulate knowledge in the 21st century.
Episode 34: Digital Eye Strain and Blue Light Glasses
I imagine I'm not the only one whose parents told them not to sit so close to the TV because, “it will rot your brain," or some semblance of that statement. Looking back, though, where would they even get that information from? TV technology changed so rapidly throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000's I don't see how any scientific evidence could even have existed; let alone long term studies on development. Years later I’ve come to recognize the idea that not everything we tend to believe is backed up by science. So what about this one? Are screens bad? Do they rot your brain or hurt your eyes? More importantly can the all powerful BLUE LIGHT GLASSES! actually help? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss how damaging this technology can be and the legitimacy of blue light blocking glasses.
Episode 33: The Scientific Method – Is It Working?
The Scientific Method as we understand it today, wasn't developed until well into the 19th century. If you've been listening to the podcast long, you know that witch hunting and spectral evidence are clear indications of that, but somewhat surprisingly, the idea behind the scientific method was described as early as the 4th century BCE. Because of this, Aristotle is considered the inventor of this methodology. So what exactly is it and how do we even know it's working?
Episode 32: COVID Vaccine – The Verdict
So many of our discussions to date have revolved around the Pandemic, and it makes sense. This has been the most relevant subject since the start of this podcast. Conversations laced with misinformation, conspiracy theorists pushing their agendas and using the virus as a stepping stool. It's truly been what we started this podcast for. With that being said, let's take one more look at the virus, the pandemic, and the vaccine. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we talk one more time with Dr. Bryan Simons about the COVID-19 Vaccine and look into the future of how its development may change the scientific community forever.
Episode 31: Social Behavior – Policy in a Pandemic
We've talked about the science behind behavioral analysis when we talked about the show Criminal Minds. We've talked about how things are worded and how they're done influencing how we react when we discussed the Science of Influence, but how does all this affect us when it comes to policy making? How does it come into play in say, a pandemic? Have these concepts been used in our society as a whole? Would you be surprised when a podcast like this says absolutely? Would you be surprised if I told you a whole subcommittee was in place for exactly this purpose? What if I said....maybe it's not such a bad thing? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we talk with Jonathan Moses, host of “A Better Question” and discuss the Science of Social Behavior and its role in the Pandemic.
Episode 30: The Science of Solving Crimes
The past must have been so weird. A comedian once made the observation that a killer's blood at a crime scene used to be something that required a mop, not an evidence bag. How did people even solve crimes in the past? How do they do it now? Why were there monkeys involved? What on earth does it even mean to consider something forensic science? We’re serious about the monkeys. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we talk about some of the science behind solving crimes, some of its earliest forms and how some of the most advanced techniques are being used today. Additionally, there are some big announcements this week with the launching of the website, patreon, and public facebook group. We look forward to hearing from you all and working to better the podcast in the future.
Episode 29: COVID Vaccine Update Phase III Trials
Every day is a new headline. Vaccine effective. When will we be over COVID. Exploding whale, ok, that last one isn't related. As far as the vaccine. We've talked about it previously, but today we're talking not just about the prospect of a COVID vaccine. We're talking about those that have developed phase 3 data. In this corner, Pfizer. In this corner, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Johnson and Johnson. How does it look? How interesting is it really? Is there a chance we may really see a light at the end of the tunnel? Should we be concerned? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we talk with Dr. Bryan Simons and break down the most recent information about these vaccine trials and where we stand right now.
Episode 28: Logical Minds and the Utah Monolith
How many times have we heard Dr. Spock say, “It’s only logical?” Well, is it always only logical? Throughout this podcast we’ve discussed all sorts of scientific information, but what do we do when the information we have isn’t scientific. How does a logical mind deal with illogical information. Fortunately, this is 2020 and illogical information is rampant. In the recent news, we chose The Utah Monolith. Join hosts Shanti and Danny for a light-hearted episode where we discuss how we look at something so bizarre in the news and come to a conclusion that makes sense. Even when that means questioning what seems obvious.
Episode 27: Rocket Science…How Hard Can it Be?
We've all heard it...It's not Rocket Science, or it's not Brain surgery, or my personal favorite it's not Rocket Surgery. Well in this week’s episode, it is Rocket Science and if we're lucky maybe some rocket surgery. But what even is rocket science? Why is it the bar we use for difficulty? The one and only Jordan Slavish joins us to talk about this fascinating topic. He's an educator, rocket enthusiest, and future Discovery Channel star. Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss this complex topic and breakdown what makes it so unique, and don’t forget to check out “Rocket Around The Christmas Tree” Dec 3rd at 10 p.m. EST.
Episode 26: Game Theory
Prisoner's dilemma, tragedy of the commons, rock paper scissors, and I'm not making this up, the goat game. All of these can be influenced by game theory. What is game theory? How has it been incredibly influential throughout the 20th century without most of us even realizing what it is? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as they discuss Game Theory, what it is, and the method some people employ to stay out of jail.
Episode 25: Herd Immunity and COVID-19
After some harrowing technical difficulties causing significant delays in the release of this week’s episode, we’re back! This week we’re talking about how one might go about creating herd immunity? As well as what it even is? How do we plan to achieve it in the concept of coronavirus? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as we discuss what science means when they say herd immunity and why it’s so important in this current atmosphere.
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