311 - Tiny lightning bolts and igNobel Prizes

On today’s episode: The age of a planet’s star might affect whether we ever find signs of life. Babies have a way to keep the best neurons going strong. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESThe hunt for extraterrestrial life is fundamentally flawed. But there's a fix. | Live ScienceThe Effects of M Star Age Dependent Ultraviolet Emission on Detecting and Interpreting Exoplanet Biosignatures | arXivThe brain liquidates billions of mutant neurons around the time we’re born | Nature CREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCradyTHEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: The hell chicken had a surprisingly peaceful diet. A nobel prize was awarded for making a telescope out of ice! All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESMeet the 'hell chicken,' a feisty little dinosaur who feasted on fruit | CBC Radiohttps://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/niche/Popular information: Physics Prize 2026 | NobelPrize.orgA telescope for the universe: Nobel winner in physics 2026, explained | The Daily StarCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCradyTHEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: It’s Nobel Prize time! Let’s tackle the physiology and medicine award. We talk hormone replacement therapy for perimenopause. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESNobel Prize in Physiology & MedicinePopular information: Medicine Prize 2026 | NobelPrize.orgNobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity | WUNC/NPRMore women are taking testosterone to treat menopause symptoms. Does science support that? | CBC NewsHot flashes, night sweats, insomnia – OB-GYNS set new rules for menopause treatment CREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCradyTHEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: What is El Nino, and how will it affect us? A new battery that you can eat! All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCEShttps://www.sciencenews.org/article/swiftiephylus-bug-named-taylor-swiftThis year's El Niño just broke a record months before it's expected to peakWhat is El Niño (ENSO) | YouTubeWhat are El Niño and La Niña? | NOAAWhat we talk about when we talk about the jet stream and El Niño | NOAAScientists made a paper battery you can swallow to power internal medical devices | Live ScienceCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCradyTHEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode:T. Rex is warm-blooded, and I’m gonna answer some listener questions. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESScientists finally figured out the temperature of T. rex's blood ‪— and it was as hot as ours | Live ScienceCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: AI has generated an important mathematical proof, and it’s causing turbulence in the math community. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESOpenAI breakthrough triggers ‘existential crisis’ in math | Science | AAAS CREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: Raindrops hold little lightning bolts that are damaging your car. The Ig Nobel prizes have been awarded for 2026. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESRaindrops are tiny lightning bolts, and they’re corroding cars, study finds | Ars TechnicaPast Ig Winners – Improbable Research CREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode:The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has launched! Carbon dioxide is making our carrots less nutritious. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESNASA’s Roman Mission Gears Up for a Torrent of Future Data'The apple you eat isn't the apple your granddaughter will eat': What's on the menu in a warming world? | Live ScienceCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: Life’s Last Universal Common Ancestor might not have been fully alive. Scientists wiped the memory of a bunch of lab mice… and they weren’t even EVIL scientists! All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESLife’s ‘last universal common ancestor’ may predate life itself | Scientific AmericanPutting mice into hibernation causes a major loss of synapses | Ars TechnicaMemories stick around even after half the synapses are gone | Ars TechnicaWhat Happens to Memories When Half the Brain's Synapses Disappear? | Technology NetworksCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode: Personlized cancer vaccines are coming! This worm can eat plastic! All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESBobby was on Daily Tech News ShowModerna Press ReleaseNew Cancer Vaccine Could Change America in 7 Surprising Ways | NewsweekModerna, Merck breakthrough could usher in wave of cancer vaccines | CNNModerna, Merck unveil mRNA-based cancer vaccine that cuts spread | Al-JazeeraNature’s original bioplastic is food for animalsCREDITS:Writing - Bobby Frankenberger & Maura ArmstrongBooking - September McCrady THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allenhttps://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOULhttp://andrewallenmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.