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Why do dogs and other furry animals shake to dry off? Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss new research that has discovered specialized touch receptors in animal skin that trigger this behavior and could lead to treatments for hypersensitive skin in humans and animals.

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Scientists have discovered a giant dinosaur-era trapdoor spider fossil in Australia. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle discuss the find’s evolutionary history which offers insights into ancient ecosystems, and the important environmental role of spiders in controlling pests.

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The octopus is a fascinating, intelligent creature and Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss recent discoveries that some octopi will team up with, coax, and even punch fish as they work together to locate and capture prey, suggesting that octopuses may have a complex, social intelligence previously unrecognized in cephalopod behavior.

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Are there vast oceans of water underground on Mars? Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss recent data from NASA’s InSight lander that indicate the water might be there and what it could mean for the future of space exploration and life on Mars.

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Nuclear fusion shows great promise as a nearly unlimited power source. Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss the unexpected connection between fusion and mayonnaise, which scientists are using to model instabilities in inertial confinement fusion.

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Ancient Egyptian scribes suffered from osteoarthritis, a condition still common today. Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss how the daily rigors of the scribes mirror modern office worker’s health challenges and how study of the scribes can help people today.

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This tiny fork fern has the largest known genome of any organism. Caroline Knight tells Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle about its discovery and the biological implications of large genomes, such as slower growth and reduced efficiency.

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Go is one of the most difficult strategy board games to master for humans and AI alike. Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss a documentary about Google’s DeepMind’s 2016 match against human Go master and its significance for how it could tackle real-world challenges.

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Researchers have discovered a new prehistoric giant goose-like bird in South Australia, and Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss the unique creature, its environment, and the other mega-fauna it would have co-existed with. Plus more on observing ants and SpaceX’s Starship launch!

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What would you be willing to do for science? Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss a researcher who stepped on deadly snakes 40,000 times to better predict snake bites on behalf of the 5 million people bitten by snakes annually.

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Consider the lowly ant. Caroline Knight tells Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle about the desert ant and how they use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. A recent study found their surprisingly adaptable brains changed due to altered magnetic fields. What does this mean for other animals?

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Japan plans to launch a satellite to test space-based solar power in 2025. Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss the technical aspects, scalability, and environmental concerns, balancing enthusiasm for its potential with realism about challenges and costs.

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A coalition of countries are creating a standardized Lunar time zone, and Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss why this is important to the future of space travel; how mass and gravity affect timekeeping; and the challenges to keeping time beyond Earth.

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With a large part of the US getting a chance to see a total solar eclipse this week, Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle discuss eclipse science and viewing tips for those lucky enough to be in the path.

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Baboons in ancient Egypt held special significance, even providing the form of one of their gods. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle discuss how recent DNA finds trace their origins to the land of Punt and reveal insights into ancient trade routes and more.

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The Moon is indeed shrinking. Caroline Knight explains to Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle how the Moon is contracting and cooling over time, causing moonquakes, shrinking about 150 feet every few hundred million years, and potentially affecting future Artemis lunar missions.

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Plant-animal hybrids may only exist in the Pikmin game, but Caroline Knight tells Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle that there are also real-life photosynthetic animals that convert sunlight to energy, and discusses how all that works.