All About the Element Oxygen

All About the Element Oxygen

Podcast Transcript All around you, in the air and the ground, is the most common element on Earth: Oxygen. As you are certainly well aware, Oxygen is required for life on Earth as we know it. But you might realize that the Earth didn’t always have oxygen in its atmosphere.  Oxygen has been responsible for …

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A History of Tattoos

A History of Tattoos

Podcast Transcript Everyone listening to this is familiar with tattoos. All of you have at least seen someone with one, most of you know someone with one, and, statistically speaking, many of you have at least one of your own.  The act of putting permanent illustrations on skin is actually one that goes back thousands …

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Antarctica’s Dry Valleys

Antarctica's Dry Valleys

Podcast transcript Many places on Earth have extreme climates. However, there is one place on Earth that has a climate so extreme that it is the closest thing to it might be on another planet.  Despite having the most inhospitable and unforgiving climate on Earth, researchers have been shocked at what they’ve found there. Their …

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All About Gladiators

All About Gladiators

Podcast Transcript You’ve probably seen a movie or a TV show that took place in ancient Rome where gladiators fought in the coliseum or an amphitheater. At the end of the fight, the emperor or some other official would extend their thumb to see if the defeated gladiator would live or would die. But how …

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The Silk Road

The Silk Road

Podcast Transcript Despite having very different cultures and being separated by thousands of kilometers, Asia and Europe have been connected for thousands of years.  Through a series of overland and sea trade routes, goods, ideas, and people were able to move from east to west and vice versa.  These routes were responsible for some of …

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The Kingdom of Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga

Podcast Transcript Located in the South Pacific, squarely within the Polynesian Triangle, lies the Kingdom of Tonga.  While there are many islands and several countries within that region, Tonga has a unique history among them. The Tongans were one of the most dominant cultures in the Pacific, ruled an extensive sea-based empire, and were one …

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Project Orion

Project Orion

Podcast Transcript In the years immediately following the end of the Second World War, several of the scientists who took part in the Manhattan Project had an explosive idea.  They wondered if we could harness the incredible power of atomic bombs and put them to use for peaceful purposes.  In particular, what if we could …

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The Surprising Origin of Monopoly

The Surprising Origin of Monopoly

Podcast Transcript One of the most popular board games in the world is Monopoly.  Millions of copies of the game have been sold and thousands of different versions have been published.  However, the origins of the game are not what most people think. In fact, the game was originally designed not as a way for …

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Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Podcast transcript Gnaeus Pompeius was one of the most significant personalities during the late Roman Republic.  He was considered a military wunderkind who, at an early age, was given great responsibilities and never failed to deliver victory.  However, history remembers him not as the greatest Roman of his era but rather as a side player …

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