The Low Road to Cathode

In this episode, co-hosts Matt Smith and Brian Cross dig into penguin poop, gene editing, and the insidious nature of hydrogen. Cosmic ray spallation makes its last appearance in Matt’s Chemical Minute, and in the first of two episodes featuring the Sutton Avian Research Center, Executive Director Chad Ellis stops by to talk bird conservation in the state of Oklahoma.

Got a question, comment, or correction? Yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com.

Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Production help provided by Scott Gregory.

Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa, Kendall Hall, University of Tulsa, and at the Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.

Links:

Sutton Avian Research Center:

Sutton Avian Research Center

Wild Brew Fundraiser

Gene Therapy for Babies:

Gene-editing therapy made in just 6 months helps baby with life-threatening disease: Custom CRISPR paves the way for treating genetic disorders in tailormade ways (Science, May 15, 2025)

Patient-Specific In Vivo Gene Editing to Treat a Rare Genetic Disease by Musunure et al. NEJM, May 15, 2025)

Penguin Poop in Antarctica:

Boyer, M., Quéléver, L., Brasseur, Z. et al. Penguin guano is an important source of climate-relevant aerosol particles in Antarctica. Commun Earth Environ 6, 368 (2025).

Insidious Hydrogen and the Death of Batteries:

Scientists may have an explanation for why some batteries don’t last (Science News, Sept. 27, 2024)

Disappearing Science:

NIH Grants Terminated: https://grant-watch.us/nih-data.html

NSF Grants Terminated: https://grant-watch.us/nsf-data.html

In this episode, co-hosts Matt Smith and Brian Cross talk asteroid impacts, mantis shrimp, and the 90s sci-fi classic The Matrix. The element lithium pops up in both Matt’s Chemical Minute and in the guest interview with TU Prof. Dale Teeters, whose research focused on polymers and battery technology.

Got a question, comment, or correction? Yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com.

Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Production help provided by Scott Gregory.

Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa, Kendall Hall, University of Tulsa.

Links:

Mantis Shrimp: https://www.science.org/content/article/scienceadviser-shock-absorbing-armor-protects-mantis-shrimp-its-own-bad-vibes

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mantis-shrimp-punishing-blows-physics

Modeling a Bennu-sized Asteroid Impact:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq5399

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-asteroid-impact-simulation-reveals-climate.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X10005613

Dale Teeters:

https://www.tualumni.com/s/1174/bp20/interior.aspx?pgid=961&gid=1