Questions and Answers: Volume 14

Questions and Answers: Volume 14

Podcast Transcript The month of January was named after the Roman god Janus who had two faces, one on each side of his head.  Janus was the god of waging war and making peace. Of beginnings and endings, and of change and passages. …and while there is no evidence to prove it, I’m pretty sure …

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Introduction to the Philippines

Introduction to the Philippines

Podcast Transcript Located off the coast of Southeast Asia lies an archipelago of 7,641 islands that constitute the nation of the Philippines.  The Philippines is one of the largest countries in the world by population and has a history and a culture, unlike any other country in Asia.  The process through which the modern nation …

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e: Euler’s Number

e: Euler's Number

Podcast Transcript There are an infinite number of numbers, but some numbers are more important than others.  One number, which might just be the most important number, lies hidden in a wide variety of things in the natural world. It can be found in everything from the mathematics of radioactive decay to population growth and …

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Spirits and Liqueurs

Spirits and Liqueurs

Podcast Transcript Thousands of years ago, the first humans accidentally created the first beer and wine. This occurred naturally when yeast in the air converted sugars into alcohol.  However, it wasn’t until thousands of years later that new techniques were developed to distill those beverages, but even then, the products they created weren’t designed for …

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The Black Death

The Black Death

Podcast Transcript During the 14th century, the world saw one of its most traumatic episodes.  A plague spread through Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa that was unlike anything the world had ever seen.  In some locations, over half of the population died. Those who survived found themselves in a whole new world …

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Apollo 8

Apollo 8

Podcast Transcript On December 21, 1968, a Saturn V rocket was launched from Florida that did something that had never been done before. It took three men outside of the orbit of the Earth.  They didn’t just leave the Earth’s orbit; they orbited the moon, and while they were in the orbit of the moon, …

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The Santa Claus Association

The Santa Claus Association

Podcast Transcript In the early 20th century, Christmas became a big business. Christmas was becoming highly commercialized, and the Santa Claus that we know today was being established.  It was during this time one man saw an opportunity. He was able to fill a gap in the market and in answering the letters that children …

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Snow

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Snow

Podcast Transcript If you live anywhere away from tropical latitudes, you might have experienced snow. In fact, depending on where you live, you might have experienced a whole lot of snow at various points in your life.  As a substance, snow has some very unique properties. On the one hand, it is very simple; it …

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Non-Euclidian Geometry

Non-Euclidian Geometry

Podcast Transcript If anyone has taken some basic mathematics, you are probably familiar with Euclidian Geometry. Euclidean geometry is what most people just call geometry.  It is the study of shapes like triangles and circles in a simple plane. This type of geometry was developed over 2000 years ago, and it is based on certain …

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