NightOwl

How do they detect planets orbiting far-away stars? Is that even a real thing? Yes it is true, and there are two main methods for finding them: doppler shift and periodic changes in light intensity. To date, thousands of extrasolar planets have been detected. But what does this mean for the possibility of life in outer space? Actually, very little, for most stars are inhospitable to life in general. Joe and Rob wrap up with a discussion on theology and how a Christian can make sense of the new discoveries.

Whether you know it or not, the relationship between electricity and magnetism rules your world. Were it not for this discovery, almost nothing in our modern world would function. Cell phones, radios, electric power stations, even your car…they all depend on the fact that moving magnetic fields induce current in a wire and changing current creates a changing magnetic field.

Joseph asks the age old tech question, ‘Are our smartphones bad for our health?’ Rob answers this and the guys also discuss modern communication methods, how GPS works, where pocketable computers fit into their lives, and what they think is a ‘healthy’ relationship with technology. They end up having a wide-ranging conversation that ties together cell phones, 5G, GPS, and microwave ovens, and believe it or not, it all makes sense.

It’s that time of year for the annual Ig Nobel Awards to be awarded to those scientists who publish the worst, oddest, most irreproducible, or downright weird research. Joe and Rob have a hard time with this one, but only because they could not stop laughing at the squeaking alligators, narcissist unibrow quotients, and knives made from…wait, what?

In the inaugural annual *Nobel Prize Review* episode, Rob and Joseph discuss the 2020 winners in all categories: peace, literature, economics, physiology and medicine, chemistry, and physics.

Rob follows up thoughts about the origin of life, and tells us all about the new research/model that tried and failed to simulate the origin of life. And to top it off, many want to know when scientists will solve the problem of death so we can all live forever. So, will they???

Usually, scientists like to tell us how life started on planet Earth and how it might exist elsewhere in the universe. But do they tell you something they know from scientific observation or from shots in the dark? Joseph and Rob discuss the difficulty figuring out life’s beginning, and in the grand scheme of things how terribly unlikely it is to find life anywhere.

Rob and Joseph discuss Rob’s latest research about the coronavirus. Then for our main discussion, they explore what appears to be practically impossible for ancient inventors and craftsmen to achieve.

Joseph and Rob catch up. They touch on work and their history with computers. Then for a side topic, they highlight some interesting discoveries about planet Venus. For the main discussion, Rob explores the strange science behind rotting vegetation, animals, and humans.

Neanderthals were supposed to be primitive, half-human cavemen, but modern paleontology is shattering that illusion. We know they were intelligent and industrious, eating a wide variety of foods and travelling long distances across the barren wasteland called Eurasia during the Ice Age period. Joe and Rob marvel at what is only now coming to light in relation to these enigmatic ancestors of ours.