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Sibling duo attempt to explain and discuss some fun science; banter and hilarity ensue.
Episodes
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Have you ever wondered what Aboriginal Australian culture looked like thousands of years ago? Thanks to the end of the last ice age and rising sea levels, so much of what was once dry land is now underwater. But that doesn’t stop archaeologists from discovering and learning from artefacts found under the sea! This episode, Kate and Matt are joined by archaeologist Patrick Morrison to chat about an ancient aboriginal archaeological site discovered at Murujuga, Western Australia, as part of the ARC Deep History of Sea Country project. Patrick tells us all about how researchers go about finding these underwater archaeological sites, and the amazing stories they can tell us about the past. We also tackle a listener question about bruises: why do they change colour?
If you loved what Patrick had to say you can find him on twitter (https://twitter.com/padmorrison) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iampatricksego/). As always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
References:
Saturday Sep 05, 2020
Saturday Sep 05, 2020
Come on a journey with us… into the immunoverse! Inside our immune system we have a whole host of characters: from assassins to superheroes, hipsters to butlers. Kate and Matt are joined once more by singing scientist Catriona Nguyen-Robertson. Cat is an immunologist who tells us about some of the cool immune cells she studies, and the role they play in our internal immunoverse.
Kate also answers a listener question about snakes… do they have necks?!
If you loved what Catriona had to say you can find her on twitter (https://twitter.com/CatrionaNR), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nyuroscientist/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NtXSj9jH06SHNmsKhyfuQ). As always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
Listener question references:
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
What does your brain look like… on music? Have you ever wondered why music makes you feel the way it does, or what exactly is going on in your brain when you hear a bangin tune that you vibe with? How about playing music… what does that do? And are there differences between the brains of musicians and non-musicians? To answer all of these questions and more, Kate and Matt are joined by James aka singer/songwriter known as Catseye Parish. This episode’s listener question is about dogs… can they see in the dark?
If you want to find more of those smooth Catseye Parish tunes, you can find them on insta (https://www.instagram.com/catseyeparish/), facebook (https://www.facebook.com/catseyeparish), youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5d0wuX1Sfrue-oXoFa7m7A) or spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tKQ0ggFdSybTYqcu0zubX?si=SFJyvvV4RMCsgni0OCds6Q).
As always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
References:
Saturday Aug 08, 2020
Saturday Aug 08, 2020
Everyone knows that plants belong at the bottom of the food chain… but what about when they don’t? This episode, Matt and Kate talk all about carnivorous plants. That’s right… plants that eat animal flesh to get the juicy nutrients that they need to survive. We all know about the venus fly trap, but HOW does it work? And what about some of the other 600+ species of carnivorous plant? How do they attack, kill, and digest their prey? And also… why? This week’s listener question is about weighted blankets and how they might affect your dreams.
Episode References:
You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
The Hubble Space Telescope has contributed to some of the most exciting science from the last 30 years, but technology has evolved. Now, we have Hubble 2: The Hubbling… more officially known as the James Webb Space Telescope. Friend of the show and return guest Benji Metha chats to Kate and Matt about this exciting telescope, all the amazing things it will be able to do, and all the trials and tribulations it has faced during development.
The picture of we discuss can be found at https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2015/3-scientistspl.jpg, and if you were wondering how one fits a 20m wide space telescope inside a 5m wide rocket check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpVz3UrSsE4.
This episode’s listener question then tackles the question of the common cold… does it actually have anything to do with temperature?
If you loved what Benji has to say you can find him on Instagram, and you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
Additional References:
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Exercise: one of the four acceptable reasons to leave the house during COVID-19 lockdowns. We know exercise is good for us, but what is actually happening inside the body? Specifically, what impact is it having on our immune system? Joined by immunologist Catriona Nguyen-Robertson, Kate and Matt chat about exercise, and what working out might do to immune function.
They also chat muscle memory; do our muscles actually remember their past strength, or is it all in our brains?
If you loved what Catriona has to say you can find her on twitter (https://twitter.com/CatrionaNR), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nyuroscientist/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NtXSj9jH06SHNmsKhyfuQ). As always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
References:
Saturday Jun 27, 2020
Saturday Jun 27, 2020
Boomerangs have been around for tens of thousands of years… but how exactly do they work? What is it about the simple but clever design that keeps them flying through the air… and why on earth do they come back to you!? This episode, Kate and Matt chat about some of the physics behind these incredible tools, and how that very same physics applies to much more modern pieces of technology like aeroplanes, helicopters, and motorbikes.
This episode’s listener question is all about hiccups. What are they? How does science suggest we get rid of them?
Helpful Videos (to give you visuals!) plus Episode Sources:
You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to curiosityrat@gmail.com
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Despite what we announced last episode, we will not be dropping a new episode this weekend. The reason is simple: our voices are just not the ones that need to be heard most right now. So, we’re going dark for episode 11. Instead, we will be posting some resources to our social media pages which you can look to if you want to understand more about the black lives matter movement. It's important that we take this time to shut up. #blacklivesmatter
Saturday May 30, 2020
Saturday May 30, 2020
Welcome to the third and final instalment of our Pint of Science special episodes! If you don’t know what Pint of Science is, you can find out more via their website: https://pintofscience.com.au/
This week, we have our very own resident scientist Kate talk to us about the area of research they’re most passionate about and actually involved in: addiction neuroscience. What happens in the brain when we do something rewarding? How do drugs of abuse hijack this system, ultimately leading to substance use disorders? And what kind of research is being done to unravel the biology behind this illness?
You can find Kate’s personal twitter (https://twitter.com/HuckstepKate)
If you want to know more about Pint of Science you can also find them on twitter (https://twitter.com/pintofscienceAU). And as always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email us at curiosityrat@gmail.com
Saturday May 23, 2020
Saturday May 23, 2020
Welcome to the second of our special episodes brought to you in conjunction with Pint of Science! If you don’t know what Pint of Science is, you can find out more via their website: https://pintofscience.com.au/
What makes someone who they are? Is it their genes? Is it their lifestyle? Is it all of the above… and how on earth does someone research this!? This episode we are joined by Luke Whiley, who chats to us all about the different things that make up somebody’s “phenotype” and how scientists are able to research this. We talk about illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, and what scientists know about both risk factors *and* protective factors from neurodegenerative illnesses.
If you loved what Luke had to say, you can find him on twitter (https://twitter.com/_lukewhiley). If you want to know more about Pint of Science you can also find them on twitter (https://twitter.com/pintofscienceAU). And as always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email us at curiosityrat@gmail.com