SYSK Choice: How Material Science Has Changed Your Life & The Joy of Sweat

Ever noticed that aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side? Why do you suppose that is? Maybe it is significant – after all some recipes call for it to be either shiny side up or shiny side down. But how much difference could it possibly make? Listen and find out. https://culinarylore.com/food-science:aluminum-foil-shiny-side-up-or-down/ Bet you didn’t know that radio technology helped to create the quartz watch. Or that railroad technology reshaped how we celebrate Christmas. And how in the world did the telegraph change the way we speak? These are just a few of the fascinating ways older technologies have had an significant impact on how we live today. Ainissa Ramirez, is a material scientist and author of the book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another (https://amzn.to/2UyQkCy) . Listen as she takes us on a journey through some of the fascinating technologies that continue to shape how we live our lives.  Humans are one of a very few species that actually sweat through the skin. The purpose of sweating is to help you stay cool. And how this cooling system works inside your body is really interesting. You have millions of sweat glands and what kind of climate you spent your toddler years in likely affected how many of your sweat glands were activated and how efficiently they work today. There’s a lot to the story of human perspiration. Science writer Sarah Everts has gone deep into the research on sweating for her book, The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration (https://amzn.to/3AwyPTX) and she is here to explain.  You know if you have ever flown on an airplane, there are oxygen masks in the event of an emergency. So where do they keep the oxygen? And why do they tell you to tug on the mask to begin the flow of oxygen? Listen because the answer to that question is really going to surprise you. https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/do-airplanes-really-carry-oxygen-for-the-oxygen-masks.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND