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What is the biggest bird? Why do some species in some locations end up becoming giants? What makes islands like Madagascar so special and why are so many of the species once found there so very large in size? This week we look at island gigantism and island dwarfism across the world with a focus on the giant Elephant birds of Madagascar.
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Episode 293 - Finding a fly in you drink, plus placebos on the brain - Ignobel Prize '18 Part 215/9/2018
Can a single fly ruin a drink? How long does the fly even need to be in there to destroy the quality and taste? How does a fly even manage to ruin your sense of taste? These important questions were answered by the winners of the Ignobel Prize 2018 in Biology.
Does having a more expensive label on something make it feel 'better' to eat, drink or use? What's going on in our brain when the "Marketing Placebo" effect takes hold? If you're an expert are you more easily swayed by the placebo than a regular person? References:
It's Ignobel Prize 2018 time. As part of Improbable Research's celebration of curious and comedic science, we find out the roller coasters, and how they are just what the doctor ordered. The Ignobel Prize 2018 in Medicine went to Mitchel and Wartinger for their ground breaking work into how to use roller coasters to treat Kidney stones. We look into how roller coasters work, their impact on the body, and how it can help pass kidney stones. Plus we look at some research into how roller coaster g-force can impact your brain.
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Episode 292 - Antibiotic super weapons - hunter killer cells, dream teams and evolutionary history8/9/2018
Making new treatments often starts by finding out just what building blocks you have. But what if you could use the blocks with whole new sets? What if you could see how the blocks changed between owners? What about making your own brand new blocks? When fighting bacteria, we need every tool we can get. This week we find out about some great ways to take the fight back to bacteria in new and interesting ways from artificial cells, or new combinations of treatments, even to tracking the way bacteria changes over aeons.
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Concussions are a serious issue for everyone from the largest professional leagues to the weekend amateurs. The CDC has released some updated guidelines for assessing concussions and we dive into some new tests to help take the decision out of players hands and back it up with some sound evidence.
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