Listener Questions #40

A recent paper found tantalizing evidence that rural raccoons are showing evidence of domestication. So how long until we all have pet raccoons? And how well do we really understand the domestication process anyway?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Daniel and Kelly dig into the mysterious concept of quantum contexuality: how measurements depend on each other.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about muscle memory, water-less showers, and why everyone can't be ambidextrous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Are we morally obligated to pursue space exploration? What ethical considerations should we consider when creating space policy? Philosopher James Schwartz joins the show to address these questions and talk about his new book, The Value of Science in Space Exploration. Learn more ... Show More

Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. What does this mean for the future of science? For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts For more, go to vox.com/ ... Show More

It’s a brave question to put to three astronauts live on stage but it’s a risk we are prepared to take. Recorded in front of a live audience at the UK Space Conference in Manchester, European Space Agency astronauts Tim Peake, Meganne Christian and John McFall discuss the future ... Show More

Is there life out there in the cosmos? Jorge talks to scientists about whether we are truly alone in the Universe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Space junk. It might sound like an out-of-this-world problem that we don’t need to worry about here on Earth – but is it? As we send more and more metal in the form of satellites up into space, scientists are warning it is becoming more of a risk both here – and up there. We dig ... Show More

The microbes that live in and on our bodies will colonize a human-manned spacecraft to Mars—but will the spacecraft's microbiome be safe? Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that Chagas disease is now endemic in the U.S. Koalas may finally be spared from a deadly epidemic. Meanwhile NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered tantalizing clues about potential ancient microbia ... Show More

Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. In this episode of Unexplainable, we ask, what does this mean for the future of science? This episode was hosted and produ ... Show More

The European Space Agency recently announced that the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 2 percent chance of hitting our planet in 2032. The probability of impact is difficult to predict exactly and will be clearer in 2028, when 2024 YR4 will whiz by us. But if the asteroid reall ... Show More

NASA found a Martian rock that might have traces of ancient life. It's perhaps the most tantalizing revelation in the century-long search for Martian life. (Updated from 2022) Guests: Katie Stack Morgan, project scientist for the Perseverance rover; Lindsay Hays, astrobiologist a ... Show More