Episodes
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
WSS S5E11: How Insects Listen to the World Differently
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Did you know that some humans can sing two different pitches at once? Or that tree crickets invented speakers long before we did? What about how some species have ears in their mouths and on their feet?
Dr. Natasha Mhatre, from the Department of Biology, is a foremost authority on auditory reception across species. This week on the Western Science Speaks podcast we discuss the variety of auditory receptors across species in nature. Come for the fascinating factoids about how hearing differs across our bizarre world, stay for the insight on how you can protect your precious ears.
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
WSS S5E8: Start Your Engines: The F1 of Bird Migration
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Dr. Chris Guglielmo studies the process of migration in birds. However, while most researchers heavily focus on the flight, Chris focuses on the pit stops. Those pivotal breaks between long flights where birds are against the clock, in desperate need of a refuel. His research reveals birds as a dexterous athlete, capable of overcoming environmental and biological adversity. Chris joined the show to detail how migration is more like a prime-time sport than you think.
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
WSS S5E7: Sharks Get Lonely Too
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Paul Mensink, a marine ecologist from Western's Department of Biology, tracks sharks that have strayed far away from their natural habitats in order to cope with unsustainable conditions – usually brought forth by humans. As Western's resident shark aficionado, Dr. Mensink stops by to explain human-marine interactions, why the monstrous depiction of sharks in popular media isn't a bad thing, and how we can #SaveTheSharks.
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
WSS S5E6 Halloween Special: Fright Night Explained
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Our Halloween Special of Western Science Speaks includes Western University researchers Dr. Liana Zanette, Dr. Yolanda Hedberg, and Dr. Lyle Muller. Our guests join the show to talk about how fear evolved, varies across species, and how it stays with us. We also reveal the chemistry of candy and everything you need to know before biting into your Halloween haul. Don't be scared, tune in to hear fright night explained!
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
WSS S5E4: Microplastics Are Everywhere (Including Your Food!)
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
When Western Earth Sciences professor Patricia Corcoran takes time off from discovering new plastic forms on the shorelines of our beaches and lakes, she chooses to educate and explain why the plastic epidemic is worse than our eyes tell us. On this episode of Western Science Speaks, we discuss how toxic plastic-nature hybrids are formed, the invisible killers on our beaches, and how we can be better plastic citizens. Hope isn't lost in winning the fight against debris and plastic and listening to Patricia is the perfect place to start.
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
WSS S5E3: Can Metals Help Heal our World?
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Precious metals don’t just exist in Lord of the Rings. Western University researcher Martin J. Stillman joins the show to detail how antibiotics are able to morph themselves into the perfect puzzle piece in someone's body, the chemical bonds required for photographs, and the issues surrounding mass solar cell implementation in neighborhoods just like yours.
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
WSS S5E2: Mining Our Own Stories
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Dr. Bob Linnen, an economic geologist from the Department of Earth Sciences, joins the show to discuss the state of mining in Canada, the tech-building materials that are prompting a modern gold rush, and why are countries re-evaluating their own natural resources.
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
WSS S5E1: Lessons from the World's Smallest Monarchy
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Dr. Graham Thompson from the Department of Biology joins Western Science Speaks to compare and contrast the social hierarchies of humans and bees. Dr. Thompson also describes the evolution necessary for these honey producers to thrive within the world’s smallest monarchy.
Monday Jan 20, 2020
WSS S4E9: Ground Up Perspectives: Projecting the Future of Plants
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Professor Dani Way from the Department of Biology joins the show to discuss her work predicting future climate realities on Earth - and what that means for our plants and trees.
Friday Nov 01, 2019
WSS S4E6: Earth, Wind, and Fire: New Perspectives on Mining
Friday Nov 01, 2019
Friday Nov 01, 2019
Dr. Nigel Blamey joins the podcast to discuss the challenges facing the mining industry, what a mass extinction caused by gas would look like, and how oxygen has evolved.
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
WSS S4E4: The Rise of Fish Farming in Canada
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Dr. Bryan Neff from the Department of Biology joins the podcast to discuss the rise of sustainable fish farming in Canada, why we’re hesitant to eat genetically modified food, and his research in restoring salmon to Canadian lakes.
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
WSS S4E1: Spreading Avian Malaria in the Tropics: The Middleman Mosquito
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
Malaria is a serious disease that threatens human life. This illness, however, is not unique to us and understanding how it effects and is transmitted among other species can be important for controlling it among our own populations. On this episode of Western Science Speaks, our guest, Leticia de Souza Soares from the Department of Biology, talks about how birds specifically pass Malaria to one another through a middleman; the infamous mosquito.
Friday Dec 07, 2018
WSS S3E7: House of Balloons: Chemistry's Innovative Forefront
Friday Dec 07, 2018
Friday Dec 07, 2018
Chemists never rest on their laurels. 159 years after the invention of the periodic table, they are still looking to find revolutionary ways to apply and organize elements. This episode of Western Science Speaks focuses on the dexterous ways in which Western chemists are manipulating the element Phosphorus, in order to create a brighter, greener future for our planet.
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
WSS S3E6: Parasitism: The Most Popular Lifestyle Choice on Earth
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
With a population in the millions of trillions, Parasites are able to evolve at a faster pace than just about anything on Earth. Through this extreme and rapid evolution, parasites are able to come up with increasingly innovative ways to attach to a host species; whether it be in the sky, or down on the ground. Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, a professor at the Western faculty of Biology, studies the way in which parasites evolve in order to find hosts. She brings her expertise to the Western Science Speaks Podcast to explain how parasitism became the most popular lifestyle choice on Earth.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E8: Canada's Oil Disconnect
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Western Canada is one of the world's largest oil manufacturing regions, but in the last half-decade the industry has experienced a significant downturn, and is only just starting to recover. Western Science Speaks brings in geologist and former oil exploration CEO, Professor Burns Cheadle, for an objective breakdown of Canada's oil sector woes, the head-scratching reality of half the country importing oil from abroad, and how the sector impacts our relationship with the U.S.