2 Nerds Start A Podcast
Jamaican Labrat
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Fighting disinformation with science. Two Jamaican scientists tackle conspiracy theories, science "news" and controversial topics in pursuit of the truth.
Available episodes
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Jul 23, 2021
More Health Myths (& Some Cannibalism?)
This episode was a lot of a fun and a bit...um...chaotic? Eleanor is back with some Caribbean health myths to blow Derrick's mind. They also spend a loooooot of time talking about eating people. Strap in, it's a wild ride!
(A couple extra expletives in this one. Sorry!)
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Jul 2, 2021
Yep. It's another vaccine episode.
SURPRISE! We thought we were done with vaccines too. But recent events in Jamaica forced us to do ONE more MINI episode around the COVID-19 vaccine. (This episode is particularly specific to the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine).
Please listen to our previous vaccine episodes before this one!!!! We promise we won't do any more.
Sources:
https://www.jwatch.org/na53268/2021/03/17/weighing-timing-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccines-second-dose
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001211
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/astrazeneca-vaccine-3-month-dosage-interval-might-be-preferable#12-week-interval
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Jun 20, 2021
The Vaccine Machine - Part 3 (We're finally done!)
We had to do ONE LAST episode surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines, and we still didn't get to cover everything. This time we compare the mode of action and efficacy of the different vaccines, and talk a little about...was COVID-19 man made?
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Jun 11, 2021
Schrödinger's Cat
It's a Derrick mini-episode! Do you know the theory behind Schrödinger's cat? Come hear us talk about quantum tunneling, and maybe a little magic?
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May 16, 2021
Pod-To-Pod with Global Yaadie: The Vaccine Machine Part 2
We're back with vaccine theories and conspiracies, and this week we're doing a pod-to-pod joint episode with our friend Dainalyn over by the Global Yaadie podcast. This episode, we get down into the nitty gritty of some of the most common COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies out there right now, and try to give you the FACTS to make an informed decision.
To hear more from Global Yaadie, visit globalyaadie.com or listen wherever you get your podcasts. (Seriously, go subscribe!)
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May 5, 2021
The Vaccine Machine (Part 1)
Throwback to October 2020:
On this blast from the past episode, Derrick and Eleanor were discussing the COVID-19 vaccines before they were approved for distribution. See what predictions they got right, what they got wrong, annnnddddd........stay tuned for an EXTRA special follow-up episode a little later this week.
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Feb 17, 2021
(NOT a Mini Episode) What's Your Type?
This was supposed to be a mini-episode but we got a little carried away...
Derrick & Eleanor discuss the ABO system, a little genetics, a little immunology, and lots of blood.
[Apologies for the less-than-perfect audio this week. Our first attempt at virtual recording had a few hiccups, but hopefully you won't mind too much.]
Some of our sources:
*https://www.bswhealth.com/patient-tools/blood-center/blood-type-genetics-and-compatibility*
*https://stanfordbloodcenter.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-facts/blood-types/*
*https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2019/april/blood-types*
*https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/218285*
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Jan 18, 2021
Mini Episode: Smelly Microbes
Here's a mini episode dropping randomly in your feed. Can you identify some distinctive smells caused by microbes?
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Jan 10, 2021
Microbes In Your Meals
Happy 2021! The nerds are back to talk about all the microorganisms that make your favourite foods taste great....or not so great. What do your bread, cheese and wine all have in common?
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Nov 18, 2020
GIS Day 2020 Mini Episode: Intro to GIS
Happy Geography week, nerds! Today Derrick & Eleanor are celebrating World GIS Day 2020 by venturing waay outside their comfort zones trying to give you an introduction to GIS technology (because it really is all around us!) Definitely scheduling a follow up on this topic!
For more information visit:
www.esri.com
www.spatialvision.com
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Nov 8, 2020
The Earth is (NOT) Flat
We're back! This week Derrick takes the lead tackling one of his favourite conspiracy theories: Flat Earth.
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Oct 25, 2020
Are Aliens Real?
This week, Derrick and Eleanor discuss extraterrestrial life. From alien abductions to super microbes, we theorize about it all! And is there a planet with diamond rain?
Some of our sources:
*https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/are-aliens-real-then-let-us-see-pentagon-ufo.html*
*https://time.com/alien-life/*
*https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/us/pentagon-ufo-videos.html*
*https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/5/8/21244090/pentagon-ufo-report-navy-alexander-wendt*
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Oct 14, 2020
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: CRISPR (Mini Episode)
Surprise! We know you're waiting for a new episode, so in the meantime we wanted to give you a little something extra to chew on!
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, a team of researchers at UC Berkeley for discovering the revolutionary genetic engineering tool, CRISPR. A few years ago though, this recognition didn't look so sure for them.
Some of our sources:
*https://labratchroniclesblog.wordpress.com/home-2/blog/page/3/*
*https://womenlovetech.com/female-scientists-make-history-for-winning-the-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/*
*https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2020/press-release/*
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Oct 2, 2020
Artificial Intelligence: Will Robots Overthrow Us?
The nerds are back (finally)! This week we're talking all things artificial intelligence: are our robot overlord just waiting to take over? From voice assistants to self driving cars, Derrick & Eleanor touch on almost everything in this episode and try to answer the REAL question: are we creating Skynet?
Some of our sources include:
https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/amazons-alexa-never-stops-listening-to-you/
https://www.business2community.com/marketing/predicting-customer-behaviors-with-artificial-intelligence-
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Sep 8, 2020
All About COVID-19 (Part 2)
On this week's episode, Derrick & Eleanor tackle the topic that's on everyone's mind: the COVID-19 pandemic. What exactly is the coronavirus? Manmade or natural? Do masks actually work? And what about a vaccine? These questions are more answered in parts 1 & 2 of "All About COVID-19".
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Sep 6, 2020
All About COVID-19 (Part 1)
On this week's episode, Derrick & Eleanor tackle the topic that's on everyone's mind: the COVID-19 pandemic. What exactly is the coronavirus? Manmade or natural? Do masks actually work? And what about a vaccine? These questions are more answered in parts 1 & 2 of "All About COVID-19".
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Aug 27, 2020
Health Myths (Part 1): Sex & Pregnancy
Meet Eleanor, the Jamaican Labrat, and Derrick. Welcome to our podcast where we talk about popular science theories, myths and conspiracies. This week we kick off discussing some popular old wives tales, natural remedies, and some crazy theories surrounding sex, pregnancy and contraception.
References:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/does-female-orgasm-boost-your-odds-of-getting-pregnant-1960
TBC
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Aug 27, 2020
Health Myths (Part 2): Natural & Home Remedies
Welcome back to our podcast with Eleanor, the Jamaican Labrat, and Derrick where we talk about popular science theories, myths and conspiracies. This week we're back with more health myths, this time tackling some popular natural and home remedies. How many of them are just snake oil?
References:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/fitness/are-these-10-common-home-remedies-effective-cures-or-myths-we-find-out/story-RswBHJoOaUuyXVz123tiOI.html
https://www.webmd.com/balance/ss/slideshow-home-remedies
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