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Tom Kennedy
Tom's SciCastEpisodes
Tom Kennedy
Tom's SciCast
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Episodes of Tom's SciCast
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A look back on my life in science, birds, fish, invasive species, streams, dams, and climate change and sleeping lizards.
Where is every one? Why haven't we been visited by alien races, made contact with aliens, or even discovered a hint of an alien race? Ever since Fermi asked this simple question, people have been coming up with answers as to why we don't see al
I believe humans are special and improve our chances of surviving as a species, I explain why we should colonize the solar system and beyond.
I explore how the Silurian Hypothesis provides insight into what it takes for a planet to host or evolve a civilization, how we might detect them, and the legacy of humans on Earth.
After 6 months, I'm back! I talk about how some of my views have changed to become more nuanced and how my own biases shape the way I think about astrobiology.
In researching astrobiology for my up coming book, I've started to view the evolution of life and civilizations in a paradigm shifting way that challenges the very basics of our understanding of evolution. Listen in as I explain why I think evo
What makes animals different from all other organisms? I discuss the evolutionary origins and unique features of animals along with a few other fun facts. And find out why I don't think sponges are animals.
The more I learn about plants, the more I'm amazed. From insects to fungus and bacteria, plants form many relationships. Some plants even talk to each other through the air or underground, while others form three-way relationships with ants and
Tatooine, Dagobah, Hoth, or the Death Star, how Star Wars resembles our solar system. I couldn't help myself, I had to do an episode comparing our solar system to my favorite movie. Learn how the Earth was like Mustafar. (Yes, I did say wookies
From the nature of light, to the light reaction and through the Calvin Cycle I explain how photosynthesis works. I cover how light energy transformed into chemical energy and follow the electrons from water to the Calvin Cycle.
After a few memes with cats sitting on biology books making references to biology being soft and textbooks calling chemistry the central science, I figured it's time to start calling biology the Apex Science, or the apex of science. Drawing fro
These are some of the biggest discoveries, events. and breakthroughs of 2022, from huge volcanoes, long-lived bacteria, breakthroughs in cancer treatments, AI, and why the James Web Telescope is one of the most important things we have done as
How we do science is changing. I use my own experiences from graduate school to understand science and where it is going from question driven science to the importance of natural history and keeping up with Artificial Intelligence.
Can one number be used to rank a civilization's advancement? I discuss the Kardashev Scale and how we might expand upon it by looking at other measures of advancement beyond energy use.
Do you have mutant super powers like eating ice cream without it hurting your stomach? How can diet and exercise slow down aging, or why do age in the first place? Does what happen to you affect your children? How do we make more proteins than
Why are some cancer cells immortal? What can we learn about aging from a lobster? Why does a gene from a human work in a bacteria? The answers lies in genetics. In this episode I explain how understanding the basics of DNA replication, the gene
Why do we reproduce sexually, why do we look similar to our parents and siblings, but are different? In this episode, I take a close look at the origins of sexual reproduction, how meiosis generates genetic diversity, and Mendel's basic princip
Why is the outer solar system perhaps the best place to look for life? If it is, then where should we look for it? And importantly, what would it mean to find life in our solar system?
For hundreds of years, we have wondered if life is on Mars. I take a close look at the evidence from nearly 50 years of orbiters, landers, rovers, and even Marian rocks found on Earth to answer this question. The evidence is compelling!
Surprisingly, defining life is hard. Listen in as Tom Kennedy takes a broader look at what makes something living.
When searching for life, look for liquid water, AKA the habitable zone. But knowing where liquid water on a planet's surface can be difficult. I explain how the characteristics of a star and its planets greatly influences the size of the habit
Could alien life resemble life on Earth, or, would it completely different? Join me as I discuss the importance of convergent evolution and introduce a new concept of biological determinism to speculate about what life might look like from simp
What does the future hold for humanity? Join me as I speculate about the prospects of our survival into the future along with the obstacles we must overcome to ensure our survival. There's a lot of fun speculation in this podcast, I'd love to h
Cellular membranes separate life from the outside world. I take a look into the world of membranes explaining how forming a barrier lets cells use their membranes to do many things from storing energy to sending signals.
One of the most biggest mysteries in science is how did life get started. In the past 100 years, several important theories improved our understanding about the origins of life. But each one has its limitations that become clear based on how w
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