Episode Details

Today you’ll learn about controversial research by NASA suggesting that extinction-level asteroids may have hit Earth more often than we thought, how scientists are working to create electricity out of thin air, and the effects of using exclusively male mice in scientific research.  

Species-Ending Asteroids     

• “Species-Ending Asteroids Hit Earth More Often Than We Realized, NASA Research Suggests.” by Sarah Wells. 2023.
  • https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kxpag/species-ending-asteroids-hit-earth-more-often-that-we-realized-nasa-research-suggests
• “REASSESSING THE PAST MILLION YEARS OF NEO IMPACT CRATERING ON EARTH VIA HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL TOPOGRAPHY.” by J.B. Garvin, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2608.pdf
• “Dr. James B Garvin.” Bio. n.d.
  • https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/james.b.garvin

Air Into Electricity  

• “Newly discovered enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy” by Monash University
  • https://phys.org/news/2023-03-newly-enzyme-air-electricity-source.html
• “Structural basis for bacterial energy extraction from atmospheric hydrogen” by Rhys Grinter et al.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05781-7
• “The enzyme that could help make energy dreams come true” by Rhys Grinter, Ashleigh Kropp, and Chris Greening
  • https://lens.monash.edu/@medicine-health/2023/03/09/1385541/the-enzyme-that-could-help-make-energy-dreams-come-true

Female Mice

• “The Case for Female Mice in Neuroscience Research.” by Catherine Caruso. 2023
  • https://hms.harvard.edu/news/case-female-mice-neuroscience-research
• “Considering sex as a biological variable will require a global shift in science culture.” by Rebecca M. Shansky & Anne Z. Murphy. 2021.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00806-8
• “Sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research.” by Annaliese K. Beery & Irving Zucker. 2011.
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763410001156?via%3Dihub

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Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/species-ending-asteroids-air-into-electricity-female-mice