The Science Hour Provides Newsy Minutes
For several months now I’ve been putting together a brief summary of the week’s science news stories at the top of Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour. I feel like it is a great way to get the science juices flowing before jumping into the main interview, and a little variety seems to spice things up for everyone.
During some of my precious free-time between tapings of the Science Hour, I had a thought that the science news portion of the show could stand on its own. So, starting this week, we will be releasing a new program called ‘Science News Weekly with Dr. Kiki’ via YouTube and the regular RSS channels for you to enjoy!
Science News Weekly will always be a brief review of the science headline news, so you will be able to enjoy it in minutes rather than having to put aside an entire hour. And, for those of you who are wondering if this means anything different for the Science Hour, rest assured that DKSH will be business as usual.
Look for Science News Weekly with Dr. Kiki!
Filed under DKSH, TWiT | Comments (3)Getting Skeptical…
Tomorrow night, as part of the Bay Area Skeptics East Bay SkepTalk series, I will be talking about science and sensationalism from 7pm PT at Cafe Valparaiso in Berkeley, CA.
Here’s a map.
I hope to see you there and expect a few questions if not skeptical glances.
Filed under Science & Politics | Comment (1)Bay Area Science Festival Coverage
This week, the first of (hopefully) many Bay Area science festivals is taking place. There are events happening all around the Bay, and I will be covering some of them live via Justin.tv. Also, I’m lucky to be joined in the action by the wonderful Indre Viskontas.
Here is my estimated broadcast schedule (times are still subject to change):
Tuesday 7-8pm PT
Porchlight: Epic Fail
Hosts: Indre, Kirsten
Wednesday 11am-12pm PT
Retrain your brain
Hosts: Kirsten
Wednesday 6:30-7pm and 9-9:30pm PT
Will We ever understand the brain
Hosts: Indre, Kirsten
Friday 11:30am-12:30pm PT
Gut Check
Hosts: Kirsten
Friday 7-8pm PT CANCELLED
RadioLab
Hosts: Kirsten
Saturday 1-2pm PT CANCELLED
Artificial Intelligence
Hosts: Indre, Kirsten
Sunday
Discovery Days, ATT Park
Hosts: Kirsten
Watch live video from drkiki on www.justin.tv
About That EMF…
… radiation / hypersensitivity story that has been making its way around the internet today. Thanks to Tom Merritt for inviting me onto Tech News Today to talk briefly about the story!
So, people are moving to West Virginia to get away from electromagnetic radiation. They’ve chosen the particular area in WV because it is a “quiet zone” with little in the way of EM transmission going on (mainly so the government dishes listening to the rest of the world and signals coming here from space can hear things better).
This type of story is not new. People have been moving away from modern society for any number of reasons for years. I recall watching a made for TV movie some years back about a woman isolating herself from everyone and everything because she was convinced that chemicals (in paint, perfume, fabrics, etc.) were making her sick. It was depressing. I turned it off.
Scientifically, there is no concrete evidence that EMF radiation causes the symptoms related to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (specifically, we are talking about only that portion of the EM spectrum related to the production and transmission of electrical and magnetic energy — people with hypersensitivity report symptoms when computers or tvs are turned on, near cell towers, near power lines, in areas with wi-fi, etc.). The symptoms are real though, so there definitely is a cause. What that cause is has yet to be discovered.
It’s been suggested that EM hypersensitivity results from an unknown sensory transduction process, that the individuals’ physiological responses actually lie outside normal variability, or it is psycho-somatic in nature. There is a high likelihood that some percentage of those with EM hypersensitivity do fall in the fringes of what we call normal; we know about people with tetrachromacy (they can see more colors); there are super-tasters; kids can hear higher frequencies than adults (and, I can hear the high pitched whine of fluorescent lights and had to get rid of my old CRT monitor because its refresh rate was too slow).
I, personally, like the idea that it could be due to some unknown process. How cool to have some people with an extra sense for EMF! It wouldn’t be too surprising either, considering that we evolved in a radiation-bathed world. The question that rises from that knowledge is what kind of survival benefit would come from being able to sense EMF, and from the symptoms described, in a really unpleasant way? What other things do we sense unpleasantly? Noxious stimuli. Burning hot, freezing cold, sharp objects that could injure our skin, and so on. We need to sense things that could injure us in order to survive better.
Is EMF harmful then? Is the sensation and resulting behavioral response a brilliant survival mechanism? Well, if so, why is it only self-reported in 5% of Americans? Shouldn’t it be more widely spread? Could be that we are seeing evolution in action with this one… I suggest the geneticists get on it to look for evidence of the genes responsible.
Anyway, my bad news for those trying to get away from EMF radiation is that since they live in this universe, there isn’t really any place that is technically 100% quiet. Sure, they can avoid some specific EMF signals created and transmitted by people since there aren’t any cell towers or electrical wires nearby, and they’ve chosen not to use wi-fi, and in some cases even live without electricity; however, they are still subject to all the signals (“It’s like a particle and a wave, man…”) that bounce around inside our atmosphere. Just because they don’t have a television doesn’t mean they aren’t still being bombarded by TV’s EM waves. TVs are not magnets for TV broadcast signals; they’re more like a bird net that can be tuned to catch specific kinds of birds.
And, to the poor suffering seventy year old Nichols Fox from the BBC article, who said she felt the symptoms come and go when she used her remote control to turn the TV on and off, I just have one thing to say. TVs with wireless remotes are always on in a stand-by mode waiting for the signal from the remote control to “turn it on”. Ok, two things to say… the EM radiation emitted by a TV decreases exponentially with distance, so sit further away if you are worried.
I’m not saying we know everything about EMF radiation and public health. By all means, no. We have a lot more to learn, and thankfully scientists are doing studies to inform our future decisions. If you are worried about EMF pollution by human activities, do your best to limit your exposure. You might find yourself breathing fresh air a lot more often, which science has shown to be very good for you.
Filed under Esoterica, TWiT | Comments (12)I Am A Scientist…
I think this speaks for itself…
Many thanks to Jeff Steinmetz at Urge Productions for the pictures, Anastassia Babanskaia for the styling, and Kat Steinmetz for the make-up. These pictures were taken last year pre-pregnancy; I’m working to get back into the amazing shape I was in when these pics were taken. Note the intentional lack of a lab coat anywhere.
Filed under Esoterica, Women in Science | Comments (8)DKSH: Jeri and Joanne Talk Science
I feel so honored to have had Jeri Ellsworth host the Science Hour with her guest, the Science Goddess, Joanne Manaster, while I was on maternity leave. They put together a fabulous discussion of science and education that is entirely worth your time. Thank you, ladies, for a great episode.
Check it out:
DKSH: Phil Plait Interviews Zach Weiner
Many thanks to the Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, for filling in on the Science Hour while I was on maternity leave. He interviewed cartoonist, Zach Weiner, about cartoons, science, and life.
Check it out:
The Science Comedian and Weird Science Facts
During my March maternity leave, the Science Comedian, Brian Malow, guest hosted Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour and interviewed Greg Gbur about strange physics.
Check it out:
The Science Comedian and Carl Zimmer
In a recent episode of Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour, the Science Comedian, Brian Malow, interviewed science writer, Carl Zimmer, on the topic of pathogens… and science tattoos.
Check it out:
The Science Comedian and First Contact
Last week The Science Comedian, Brian Malow, guest hosted Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour once again. He spoke with Marc Kaufman about what our first contact with alien life would be like.
Check it out:
