In her new book “South to America,” author Imani Perry seeks to change how people view the American South and, thus, the country’s history as a whole. Jeffrey Brown spoke with Perry, who traveled through the southern regions of the U.S. and explored the complexities and misperceptions she found along the way.
Category Archives: Reviews
Science: Water Flow And Quantum Friction, Super Soap Bubbles, Hippos
How quantum friction explains water’s strange flows in carbon nanotubes, and the latest from the Nature Briefing.
In this episode:
00:53 A theory for water’s baffling behaviour in carbon nanotubes
At large scales, water flows faster through a wider pipe than a narrower one. However, in tiny carbon nanotubes flow-rate is flipped, with water moving faster through the narrowest channels. This week, researchers have come up with a new explanation for this phenomenon: quantum friction. If validated, it could allow material designers to fine-tune flows through tiny channels, which could be useful in processes such as water purification.
Research Article: Kavokine et al.
06:43 Research Highlights
Creating soap bubbles that last 200,000 times longer, and hippos’ habit of aggressively spraying dung when they hear a stranger.
Research Highlight: No bursting for these record-breaking bubbles
Research Highlight: Hippos know strangers’ voices — and make a filthy reply
09:08 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a global study reveals how antibiotic-resistant infections have led to millions of deaths, and a genetic mutation that plays a big role in a dog’s size.
Nature News: The staggering death toll of drug-resistant bacteria
Nature News: Big dog, little dog: mutation explains range of canine sizes
Nature Video:
Preview: Times Literary Supplement – February 4
Science Visuals: The Top Illustrations From 2021
Reviews: Winnebago’s e-RV Fully Electric Camper Van
Winnebago has unveiled its e-RV, a fully electric RV camper van concept developed by Winnebago Industries’ Advanced Technology Group. It encompasses all the right buzz words: zero emissions, energy efficiency, functionality, sustainability, flexibility, innovation, connectedness, and eco-friendliness. The Winnebago e-RV is an all-electric motorhome designed for the electric age.
Previews: Science News Magazine – January 29
- COVER STORY Materials of the last century shaped modern life, but at a price From our homes and cities to our electronics and clothing, the stuff of daily life is dramatically different from decades ago. By Carolyn Wilke
- NEWS The coronavirus may cause fat cells to miscommunicate, leading to diabetes By Tina Hesman Saey
- NEWS Neandertals were the first hominids to turn forest into grassland 125,000 years ago By Bruce Bower
Science: Fecal Pills That Treat Gut Infections, Squirrel Hibernations
On this week’s show: A pill derived from human feces treats recurrent gut infections, and how a squirrel’s microbiome supplies nitrogen during hibernation.
First up this week, Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss putting the bacterial benefits of human feces in a pill. The hope is to avoid using fecal transplants to treat recurrent gut infections caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile.
Also this week, Hannah Carey, a professor in the department of comparative biosciences within the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, talks with Sarah about how ground squirrels are helped by their gut microbes during hibernation.
Cover Preview: Science Magazine – January 28
Covid-19: A Review Of The Best Rapid At-Home Tests
New high-tech Covid-19 tests promise better and earlier detection of the virus—similar to a PCR test. WSJ’s Joanna Stern (and her mannequin clone) tried out the Detect Covid-19 Test and Cue Health Monitoring System to see how they compare with rapid antigen tests. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes/ WSJ
Cover Preview: Nature Magazine – January 27
Boomers Daily 