Episode 70 of the Mindcast is up!

Download it here.

Show topics:

46th anniversary of the first human in space, scifi author Kurt Vonnegut dies and is “up in heaven”, and skin cream products contain compound that causes pathological reactions.

Rhesus Monkey genome sequenced, and the pope pontificates on evolution and doesn't seem to understand a few fundamentals of science - commentary on the trouble with religion wading into science, Myers-Miller show announced, and 7000 year old corn pollen found, pushing back the date of corn cultivation, and the sometimes deadly mouth bacterium S. sanguinis has been sequenced as well.

Latest IPCC report is out, and points to dramatic changes unless action is taken - the arctic permafrost may melt. There are possible caves on Mars, research suggest that the first photosynthetic life forms may have been purple, and for the same reasons, alien life on alien worlds orbiting alien suns would have very alien coloration. Finally, Karl announces that he will be departing for graduate school.

Theme = The Last Starfighter by Craig Safan.

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2 Comments to "Episode 70"

• On 07/29/2007 at 5:54 Nick lacy said:

  Ive been listening to your program for the past 3 months or so and like a mould it grows on you!!!The combination of si fi themes and science news/trivia is great. I listen at night thru my MP3 player as i go of to sleep(last part subliminal). I was a supporter of I.D. before I listened to your program only because of Lovelocks Gaia Hypothesis. now i can see the pseudo science being feed to children from the christian right!!!! thanks Karl the world needs empirical minds to decipher science for the layman..I work in a team of stonemasons and lunch topics tend not to vear away from football much so I change the topic with science trivia as much as I can!Keep it up Nick Lacy Margaret River , Western Australia
  Ps How about a Gaia special

• On 07/30/2007 at 15:30 Karl J. Mogel said:

  I assure you that scientists are hard at work somewhere on an antifungal agent for curing your affliction. And if they discover it I will do everything I can to discredit it. Making science infectious is my goal!

  My off-the-cuff comment about the Gaia hypothesis is that it sounds like a metaphorical description of what’s going on at the least, and at most, a recognition that the whole can have a process going on that each of the parts aren’t aware of. Kind of like how our minds have a process going on that each individual cell is a part of, but doesn’t know what’s going on. Whether those processes add up to a mind or not, I don’t know. But I would like to read more about it. I’m considering adding a more topical element to the show.

  I should really do a “where do you get inoculated” call for submissions. I wonder what time of day and in what place people end up turning it on. I’ve gotten dish-washing, bike riding, driving, a ’sleep-aide’ is new…
  Let me tell you the world would be a better place if the latest discoveries were discussed at lunchtime among chums rather than just the latest feats of sports or gossip on celebrities. Thanks for your comment!