Have you ever wondered what it is about a viral infection that makes you feel so terrible? When you’re told about some infection, it’s usually only the beginning part, where the virus infects a cell, but nothing after that. Nothing about how the body responds specifically. That’s the topic of this weeks episode of More than Abstract, join Pranjal and Eric as they tackle this problem.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Why is lead bad for us. We all know that it is, but nobody has ever said why though. That’s what Pranjal and Eric try to tackle in this weeks episode, why does our body need metals to begin with and why certain heavy metals are toxic to us, instead of simply leaving our system entirely.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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You might have heard some people being concerned over the availability of potable water in countries half way around the world. But a possible water crisis can occur anywhere in the coming decades. That’s what Pranjal and Eric talk about today, what is this water problem, whether we should be worried and who to blame.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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We’ve talked about what happens to the earth when “The sun gets angry”, but if you are in a part of the world that is not very geologically active, one of the overlooked natural disasters are volcanic eruptions. Pranjal and Nat talk about what a volcanic winter would look like taking the example of the “year without summer” and following reports from that time.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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While location tracking has gotten more controversial in recent years, it’s undoubtedly an integral part of our everyday lives. I personally couldn’t find my way to the bathroom without GPS and its inception is the topic of this weeks episode. Join Pranjal and Eric as they figure out how GPS works.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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We’ve heard dark matter in sci-fi or news stories, it’s one of the big mysteries in astronomy, but how can we know something’s out there, but not know enough about it to have a decent explanation. That’s what Pranjal and Zechariah talk about on this weeks episode. What do we know about dark matter and why do we think there’s something out there.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Have you ever seen that sticker on your gas pump that says you’re using unleaded gasoline and wondered who in their right mind would be dumb enough to put lead in their gas? So have I and that’s what Pranjal and Eric talk about on this weeks episode. Why did people think it was a good idea to throw lead in gas and why did they keep doing it?
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Its been 10 years since the events at Fukushima Daiichi took place and caused another nuclear panic. But how bad was this all in the end? At the time, there were horrifying possibilities thrown around where radiation could leak for years to come into the oceans and the atmosphere, but today Fukushima isn’t given any thought. That’s what we talk Pranjal and Nat talk about in this weeks episode, what happened, how bad was it and should we actually be worried.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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How did we used to find our way around without google maps. We’ve grown so dependent on our devices that living without it would be a real shock, even though we used to use paper maps till not too long ago. This week, Pranjal and Eric talk about how the earliest maps were made accurate and usable from some of the most brilliant minds at the time like Leonardo Da Vinci or Cassini.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Why are there constantly once in a century hurricanes multiple times a year. You might have heard it’s due to climate change, but that doesn’t really answer the question of why they keep coming. This week, Pranjal and Zechariah talk about how a hurricane forms to answer this question.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Why is this currency manipulation a problem. The situation isn’t obvious and there’s a lot of nuance that goes along with it. This week, Pranjal and Nat talk about the background of this problem and how it might affect you.
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Intro/Outro be Eric Pierce
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Have you ever wondered how humans first left Africa? Looking at a map, it seems impossible that hunter gatherers that need to migrate with their food source decided to go through one of the most vast deserts on the planet toward Europe and Asia. That is the topic of this weeks episode, where Pranjal and Eric talk about how the Sahara used to be more hospitable till not too long ago.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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How do we keep our data safe from anyone with an antenna. After all, our sensitive information is sent through radio waves that go everywhere and we have all heard of instances when sensitive information has been hacked. So how can we let ourselves be so vulnerable. That’s the topic of this weeks episode, where Pranjal and Zechariah talk about how messages were encrypted from antiquity to world war 2.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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The sun is amazing, after all it give life to everything on earth. But it also has a more dangerous side, especially when it is most active. There are multiple side effects to this activity, one of the most notable is coronal mass ejections, which is what caused the 1859 Carrington Event. That is the topic this week, Pranjal and Eric talk about what happened and why.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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Why is there a distinction between sub and supersonic speeds. What really makes things moving quickly enough so special. In this episode, Pranjal and Zechariah talk about the physics behind the effects of moving at this speed and subsequently why we can’t fly at supersonic speeds on commercial airplane, specifically why the Concorde no longer flies.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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How important is gravity for humans. We have adapted to this way of life for millions of years, but what if we take the one constant through our evolution away. Pranjal and Eric talk about what happens to people once you get into low earth orbit and beyond.
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Intro/Outro by Eric Pierce
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