Technically Speaking | a science and engineering discussion

Also known as orcas, these large mammals have been observed doing some really weird stuff. Laura, Ellie and Jasmin talk about orca massages, wearing salmon as hats, hunting and more. They discuss how these behaviours might have started and consider what other weird behaviour we might not have seen yet.

Fact check:

• Newly observed behaviour of making a dead fish explode
• Using seaweed for massaging and grooming
• Unintentionally sinking ships
• Fun facts from the WWF
• Being a fish specialist means orcas don't tend to roam too far for food
• A clip on YouTube of orcas attempting to flip prey from ice floes 
• How much food they need
• The law of the tongue

Trails of condensation in the wake of an air plane might look pretty, but some of them contribute significantly to the climate emergency. Laura speaks to Jasmin about her research group's latest project to predict how they form, how to avoid them, and what else the aviation sector needs to consider to make air travel more sustainable.

Antonia, Ellie and Emma explore the nature of altruism from examples with mammals and insects, to human studies and the pop culture take on the term. Could donating a kidney be seen as an altruistic act or is there always some hidden benefit that makes even the most generous of gifts a tiny bit selfish?

Fact check:

• Ants signal sickness to save others
• Dolphins help lost whale
• Chimpanzees help each other... some of the time
• Are the brains of altruistic people different?
  
  

 

New research has found an unusual link between immune cells in the liver and the ability of homing pigeons to navigate using the earth's magnetic field. Laura, Antonia and Ellie dive into the research and put themselves in the shoes of the scientist making this surprising discovery. They also ask how we can make use of this research and consider what might be discovered next.

Read the original research article at science.org or read a news summary in Scientific American.

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Antonia and Ellie discuss the first ever Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. We explore what lead to the report being created, what the predictions for climate change looked like in the 90s and whether the world has taken any steps to mitigate the effects suggested by the report.

Fact check:

• First IPCC report 1990/1992
• IPCC Reports over the years
• Laws after the Paris agreement
• USA leaves the Paris agreement

 They're fast and floaty, but sadly we don't have them in the UK. Laura, Emma and Antonia look at the cool use of physics that makes them levitate and compare energy use and infrastructure requirements to other forms of transport.

Fact check:

• Usual train speeds, and the record speed
• How maglevs work
• Energy use compared to traditional trains

Antonia, Ellie and Tom discuss the history of the Moon missions, including the Apollo programme that started it all and the past and future of the ISS. The team explores the media hype and the differences surrounding the Artemis missions in comparison to those first voyages to space over 50 years ago. 

Fact check:

• The best photographs
• Records broken
• The capsule returns
• Meet the crew
• Things get nuts in space

And how did they learn to do it? Ellie and Emma discuss what tool use actually is and the species that have adapted specific instruments to achieve a desired goal. From Veronika the cow to Jane Goodall we explore how far tool use has come and what the possibilities are for species and tools of the future.

Fact check:

• Research about ravens
• Evidence that humans are better than chimps at solving puzzles
• News about Veronika the cow
• An overview of animals using tools
• News of wolves using tools too
• A mason bee carrying objects as it flies
• A video of fish doing stuff

The battery in electric vehicles makes them much heavier than traditional vehicles. Laura and Jasmin discuss how steel car components can be made lighter to offset this increased weight, what implications that has for other industries, and whether this would make the steel industry more sustainable. 

Fact check:

• Some ways that steel car components are made lighter
• Stats about the Nissan Leaf and how it compares to a similar spec car with an internal combustion engine
• How steel makers can use maths to understand how the microstructure affects mechanical properties
• Research using AI to predict mechanical properties based on composition
• More research using AI, this time looking at processing variables during manufacture
• Different generations of high strength steel

Ellie, Antonia and Emma discuss their personal experiences with cold water and the science behind whether there is any benefit in dunking yourself in a chilly loch. They also discuss studies related to sauna usage, if cold showers make any difference, and if the Nordic countries have got the right idea 💡

Fact check:

• Research shows that cold plunges can lead to heart attacks
• A scientific review of winter swimming
• Research on the ideal sauna temperature
• A news article about Wimhoff breathing
• A review of research on saunas and ageing showing that 4-7 saunas a week can decreased the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease