More than Abstract

Latest Episodes
Early Location Tracking – The Inception of GPS
While location tracking has gotten more controversial in recent years, it's undoubtedly an integral part of our everyday lives. I personally couldn't find my way to the bathroom without GPS and its in
Ghost Hunting in Space – Dark Matter
We've heard dark matter in sci-fi or news stories, it's one of the big mysteries in astronomy, but how can we know something's out there, but not know enough about it to have a decent explanation. Tha
Poisonous Efficiency – Leaded Gasoline
Have you ever seen that sticker on your gas pump that says you're using unleaded gasoline and wondered who in their right mind would be dumb enough to put lead in their gas? So have I and that's what
Chernobyl 2.0 – The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
Its been 10 years since the events at Fukushima Daiichi took place and caused another nuclear panic. But how bad was this all in the end? At the time, there were horrifying possibilities thrown around
Finding your way through the Darkness – Early Cartography
How did we used to find our way around without google maps. We've grown so dependent on our devices that living without it would be a real shock, even though we used to use paper maps till not too lon
Conquering a Cyclone – Making a Hurricanes
Why are there constantly once in a century hurricanes multiple times a year. You might have heard it's due to climate change, but that doesn't really answer the question of why they keep coming. This
Playing the Market – Currency Manipulation
Why is this currency manipulation a problem. The situation isn't obvious and there's a lot of nuance that goes along with it. This week, Pranjal and Nat talk about the background of this problem and h
Turning a Desert Green – The Saharan Savanna
Have you ever wondered how humans first left Africa? Looking at a map, it seems impossible that hunter gatherers that need to migrate with their food source decided to go through one of the most vast deserts on the planet toward Europe and Asia.
Chancing an Enigma – Early Encryption
How do we keep our data safe from anyone with an antenna. After all, our sensitive information is sent through radio waves that go everywhere and we have all heard of instances when sensitive information has been hacked.
What happens when the sun gets angry – The Carrington Event
The sun is amazing, after all it give life to everything on earth. But it also has a more dangerous side, especially when it is most active. There are multiple side effects to this activity, one of the most notable is coronal mass ejections,