NightOwl

Joseph and Rob really get into some difficult subjects on this episode as they discuss how scientists pursue their work and whether or not the COVID-19 virus was engineered in a laboratory.

Other than the pandemic, many interesting science discoveries, innovations, and flukes occurred in 2020. Rob and Joseph discuss exo planets, new molecules, CRISPR cures… and (maybe) the most wonderful scientific discovery in Dr. Carter’s lifetime???

 What holds the universe together? What would happen if you toggle those things just a little? This is the essence of the Fine Tuning argument. There are many fundamental constants in the universe upon which life is utterly dependent. In fact, more than just life; the universe itself is irrevocably dependent on some very precise numbers, or it cannot exist.

Rob and Joseph return from beyond the solar system to talk about their GPS travels on planet Earth, then take a journey through our solar system to discuss the mysteries of the Sun, Moon, planets, and more.

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???