A Little Bit Of Science - podcast cover

A Little Bit Of Science

A Little Bit Of Sciencewholesomeshow.com

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

Episodes

Rocket Mail! (Or How Stamp Collectors Got Us To The Moon!)

Do you get sick of waiting for your packages from your online retailers of choice? Have you ever wanted to get your mail just that little bit faster? Yes? Yes! Then might I interest you in... rocket mail? Will tells Rod and special guest CJ Josh the story of rocket mail! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by @cjjosh and proudly brought to by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Feb 18, 20221 hr 4 min

Spelling Reform!

Is English spelling needlessly complicated? Should we fix it? Som pepl say yes! Will tells Rod the story of the Simplified Spelling Board! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 11, 202253 min

Muscular Christianity!

Exercise is great. It helps with just about everything! But here's the thing, does it help you... spread the word of God? Rod tells Will the story - and future - of muscular Christianity! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 04, 20221 hr 11 min

Dozenalism!

We love the metric system - you love the metric system! But... what if it wasn't perfect? Will tells Rod the story of dozenalism! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! Sources: Svalbard: French Revolutionary (Decimal) Time; https://svalbard.watch/pages/about_decimal_time.html Wikipedia: Units of measurement in France; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Units_of_measurement_in_France Today ...

Jan 28, 20221 hr 2 min

Training Rats to Save Lives!

The Gambian Pouched Rat - or the African Giant Pouched Rat - can hold heaps of stuff in its awesome face pockets... But it's also very useful in helping humans... Rod tells Will the story, a pocket episode for the holidays! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 12, 202224 min

What Actually Happened on Easter Island, And Why It Matters

Over a few hundred years from the year 1200 on, the people of Easter Island / Rapa Nui built an amazing pocket universe - a flourishing civilisation with their own system of writing and amazing carved stone Moai. But then it collapsed. Will tells Rod what happens, and why the story of what happens matters! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! Sources: Benny Peiser’s ‘From Genocide to...

Dec 10, 202157 min

A History and Future of Chatbots!

Chatbots are everywhere these days - your bank, your phone company, your facebook... your therapist? Well actually, they were therapists first... Rod tells Will the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! Sources: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-eliza-effect/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666827020300062 http://www.jabberwacky.com/j2convbydate-N66...

Dec 03, 20211 hr 24 min

World Ice Theory!

We all know the Nazis embraced a bunch of dumb - awful - ideas. But their ideas about how the universe worked? Well that was sincerely whackadoo... Will tells Rod the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! Sources Willy Ley: Pseudoscience in Naziland, http://www.alpenfestung.com/ley_pseudoscience.htm Christina Wessely: Cosmic Ice Theory—Science, Fiction and the Public, 1894–1945...

Nov 26, 202146 min

The Birth of GWG Ferris's Wheel

We've all ridden in Ferris Wheels - including some that are getting really pretty gigantic. But have you ever wondered where they came from? Rod tells Will the story of Ferris's Wheel! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! --------------- Sources: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-25/what-happens-when-every-city-has-a-giant-ferris-wheel https://interestingengineering.com...

Nov 19, 20211 hr 11 min

The Making of Grey Owl!

Grey Owl had a crucial message for the world - but was he the right person to bring it? The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 12, 20211 hr 4 min

A Brief History of Penis Transplants

You didn't know you needed to know it, but penis prosthetics and penis transplants are both VERY IMPORTANT and VERY SCIENCE. They are! It's true! Rod tells Will the story of where they're up to! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 05, 20211 hr 21 min

The Story of the Curta - Curt Herzstark's Pocket Calculator!

Curt Herzstark had an invention ready to go... but he never knew it would save his life. Will tells Rod the story of the Curta pocket calculator! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 29, 20211 hr 2 min

Why We Should Care About Sand Mining!

We use a lot of sand. In fact, it's the number two thing we use as a species after water! But because we use so much, there's some bad things that happen as well... Rod tells Will all about the world of sand mining! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 22, 20211 hr 2 min

Alfred Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift! With Tanja Pejic!

We all know that even though the ground beneath our feet feels solid, it's actually moving nice and slowly towards somewhere else. But the science underpinning this idea? It was actually a huge fight... Will and Rod explore, joined by Tanja Pejic of Geoscience Australia! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Dr Tanja Pejic of Geoscience Australia! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 12, 20211 hr 20 min

Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard and The Origin of Performance Enhancing Drugs!

People have taken things to enhance their performance for ages - but the things they've taken, that's what's weird... Rod tells Will the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 08, 20211 hr 13 min

Why People Worried About Bicycle Face!

Bikes are awesome! But during the biggest bicycle craze of the 19th century, medical opinion on bikes went a little bit weird... Will tells Rod the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 01, 20211 hr 10 min

How To Spot An Art Forgery!

Art forging - and catching art forgers - is a booming business these days. And on both sides, science has a key role to play... Rod tells Will the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 24, 20211 hr 8 min

Taylorism, or Scientific Management!

We love science here at the Wholesome Show, but what if you used science to make a workplace more efficient? Would you be a good person? Or is that dangerous? Will tells Rod the story of Taylorism, or Scientific Management! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 17, 202155 min

A Short History of Electroconvulsive Therapy!

The treatments we have available for various psychiatric issues aren't either vast... or precise. Which is why electroconvulsive therapy is still a regular thing... Rod tells Will and special guest Shaam Al Abed the history! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Shaam Al Abed and this time brought to you by Brain Teaser as well as The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 08, 20211 hr 26 min

Karl von Frisch and the Waggle Dance!

Symbolic communication is ours! Just for us humans! Or... maybe it's not... Will tells Rod the story of Karl von Frisch and the bee waggle dance! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 03, 20211 hr 6 min

Apotemnophilia!

So, simple question. If someone says their leg isn't really part of them, how should we help? Rod explains apotemnophilia to Will! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 27, 20211 hr 10 min

Bitcoin Is A Doomsday Device!

Doomsday devices suck. Just straight up not great. The Soviets built one at the Cold War, and now we've potentially got another one on our hands. Will asks Rod if we can get the bitcoin doomsday device back in the tube! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 20, 202157 min

Hitler's Seaside Resort!

Would you stay in Hitler's sea side resort? You can if you want, but it's a weird building... The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 13, 20211 hr

Mad Cow Disease :(

Prions are freaking horrible. Don't eat them if you can utterly avoid it. @willozap explains to @rodl what happens if you do. The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 06, 20211 hr 8 min

Karoshi Means Worked To Death (no exclamation mark)

So this is by far our most communist episode ever - and it's about people being worked to death. Cool cool! Rod tells Will all about karoshi! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 30, 20211 hr 19 min

The Unicorn of Quedlinburg (Or, How We Discovered Extinction)

We're pretty used to the idea of extinction. Species live, species die, it sucks, but... it's kind of a fact of the modern world. But we didn't always think this way. In fact, the idea of extinction took a lot of work to get off the ground. Will tells Rod all about it! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 23, 202140 min

Surgeons Behaving Badly!

Hey listener, are you having surgery anytime soon? Hugs if you are, it can be scary! Well, Rod is about to go under the knife... and to calm himself, he went and explored three (terrible) stories of surgeons behaving badly. Enjoy! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 13, 202159 min

Gain of Function Research and the Lab Leak Hypothesis!

Ok listener, this is the big question: did the SARS-CoV-2 virus - you know, the goddamn bug that's making Australians wear masks even now - leak from a lab in Wuhan? Ok I lied. That's not even the big question. The big question is not whether it SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab leak, but whether research like that was opening dangerous doors... The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omny...

Jun 30, 202155 min

This Is Your Brain, Frozen In Time! (It's About Cryonics)

Ok, this is the question listener: after you die, would you be interested in being frozen for reanimation in the future? Or do you think that sounds like the biggest scam around? Rod tells Will the story of cryonics! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 20211 hr 22 min