The Conduct Science Podcast

This Week in Science

This week on the Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they take a look at a very productive week of science that has been overshadowed by other news. We all know about THE slap... but while the media focused on this other news was pushed to the wayside that has revolutionary implications for the future of science and technology! The boys break this down for you this week. Over 2 billion genetically modified mosquitoes are poised for release in the USA but what are the effects and is the science safe? Zombie insects, zombie humans, and zombie dinosaurs?! A brain implant has allowed a man with locked-in syndrome to speak for the first time in years! Finally, microplastics have been found in the human blood stream for the first time... what is next? Music: MOKKA Music on YouTube

Solar Flares

This week on the Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they jet off to the Sun to see if it's still wearing flares from the 90's! As is tradition the boys get immediately side-tracked and talk about the amazing 90's fashion that we all love and miss and talk about current AI technology developments that could change the world! When back on track though they turn their attention to our closest star and endeavour to explain what solar flares are, why they happen, how they are classified, and the effects they have on the solar system. From streams of plasma larger than 10 Earth's to ionised particles in the plasma stream it's all here! The boys also discuss solar wind and how the Earth protects us from this danger and even turns it into beautiful Aurora's. Lastly... can we harness solar wind for energy? Music: MOKKA music on YouTube

The Microfiber Innovation Challenge

Today the boys welcome BACK to the show: our first ever returning guests Dr. Barbara Martinez from Conservation XLabs and Krystle Moody-Wood from Materevolve. These two amazing guests have come back on the show to give us an update and ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS of the $525,000 prize pool for the Microfiber Innovation Challenge. If you did not catch the first time these guys spoke then do not worry the boys inquire into the work of Barbara and Krystle and how the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have influenced sustainability in the textile world. Then the all-important announcement is made with a refresher on what the competition is about and why it is important. To end the show Barbara and Krystle explain to the boys about the future of sustainable fashion and textiles and what that could look like. Maybe the boys will host a runway show to present all the future fashion ;) Music: Mokka Music on YouTube

Proteins

This week on The Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they dive into the body to explore proteins! Just as you might imagine though they get lost on the way talking about dreams, chocolate, and other things just to spice things up. While on topic though the boys explore what protein is and why we should eat it and what cellular proteins are inside the body! Mitch breaks down the different types of amino acids and their functions within proteins and the body while tom breaks down protein function and folding... which is wild. Mitch takes us on the GAIN TRAIN telling us exactly what happens when you lift weights and finally the boys end the show talking about the interesting but very scary: Prion diseases. Music: MOKKA Music on YouTube

The Dark Web

Bring your torches as this week the boys explore The Dark Web! Continuing from last week’s talks of cyberwar the boys venture back into the dark of the internet to find out exactly what it is used for and how they do it. We have some really exciting interviews coming up so be sure to listen to our announcements at the beginning of our shows to make sure you do not miss them! Tom asks Mitch to explain to him what Phishing and Malware are so he can understand and then they talk about the best ways to protect yourself online (shock horror: not by buying overpriced software protection programs). Mitch takes a deep dive into Ransomware, something often hosted on the Dark Web and then he takes us into the unknown explaining what the Deep Web is and how it differs to the dark web. The surface internet (what we can access) counts for a small fraction of the entire internet... so what's going on in the places we can't normally access? Music: MOKKA on YouTube

Cyberwar

This week on The Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they wander down the rabbit hole of cyber warfare. With the current events of the world the boys take this opportunity to explain how cyber war affects countries and how it has changed. Mitch is our resident expert this week while Tom asks the questions. The boys cover cyber-attacks, cryptocurrency, cyber security, how COVID affected cyber security, and the current attacks that Anonymous and other hacktivist groups are claiming to have made in support of Ukraine. The CSP stands with Ukraine and in support of its people, united along with the rest of the world <3 Music: MOKKA YouTube

Turning DNA into Music w/ Andrea Desiderato

Today, Mitch and Tom are so excited to welcome to the show Andrea Desiderato!!!! An Italian born marine biologist who is here to explain what he does and why he does it! This is an episode you don't want to miss that escalates from the normal conversation around Andrea's background to lasers, gold plated amphipods, and turning DNA into music. Andrea specialises in studying amphipods, but what even are they? Why is that work important? And how do you tell the 10,000+ species apart? That's where the gold and lasers come in ;) Andrea teaches the boys about biofouling and how it has dramatically impacted the world we live in before ending the show talking about “DNA della Musica” (the music of DNA). The brainchild of Andrea that is seeing him collaborate with scientists over the world to turn DNA into music. So how do they do that and what are they hoping to achieve by doing so? Check out our web page or socials for more links and information! Music: MOKKA Music on YouTube

AI Applications

This week on The Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they explore the current applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Just like the recent episodes this is as tangent heavy as they come so expect the topic of current science news and AI to be interrupted by Google Stadia and Amazon Prime rants and for the first time ever Mitch's tech support segment. When on topic though the boys talk about lasers and new stars in the science of the week before moving on to some disturbing facts about AI and how it affects your life without you even realising. Tom breaks down what he thinks AI is and Mitch is there to clarify his mistakes for your sake! Mitch then dives into how AI is currently used in science while Tom explains how AI could be and is used for conservation efforts. Mitch then rounds out the show with new technology used to translate sign language in real time! Music: MOKKA Music on YouTube

Nuclear Fusion

This week on The Conduct Science Podcast, join Tom and Mitch as they struggle to stay on the topic of nuclear fusion! The boys start the show by having an in-depth discussion about whether the Frankenstein Monster is a zombie... what even is a zombie anyway and are resuscitated people zombies? Let us know what you think on our socials! When the boys eventually get back on track, they discuss nuclear fusion! What is it, how does it work, and what is the current state of nuclear fusion technology? Mitch then explores the ITER project a collaboration of 35 nations to bring the world full scale nuclear fusion beginning in 2025. As always join the conversation on our socials! Music: MOKKA music

Ice Ice Baby

This week on The Conduct Science Podcast, join Mitch and Tom as they take a winding road to eventually speak about ICE! CONTENT WARNING: This episode starts with a discussion around the topic of euthanasia (timestamp = 03:30-19:30), feel free to skip to the end of this section if you do not wish to hear about this. The boys tangent right out of the gate this time speaking about euthanasia and the ethical dilemma that the world faces when choosing whether to allow people to follow this path or not. Eventually the boys pull themselves back on track where they talk about the medicine using chimpanzees and boomerang physics. Moving onto the topic of Ice 30 minutes into the show find all of your ice facts! Turns out water and its solid state is actually quite strange when compared to other substances. Tom talks about glaciers and Mitch informs us on ice coring. Music: MOKKA Music.