Jeffrey Delvisio: Dear 60 Second Science fans, I’m Jeff DelViscio, Executive Producer of the Podcast. First off, I really just want to thank all of you loyal listeners – no matter how long you’ve been listening.
Just in case this has been happening since the beginning – you’ve now been with us 16 years 3 months and 7 days from today.
(that’s near prehistoric In the age of podcasts. )
In that time, we’ve published over 3,000 episodes on every science and health topic imaginable.
But on September 5, 2006, we started it all with the beetle.
Karen Hopkin, she’s been with us all the time – honestly she has… She just did a talk last week about how Your bitch must be judging your abilities– describes how MIT researchers made water-saving materials based on natural technologies built into the Namib desert beetle.
For nostalgia, here’s the full snippet:
[Segment Plays]
Karen Hopkins: 60 Seconds of Science from Scientific American. I’m Karen Hopkins…this will only take a minute.
Biologist JBS Haldane once said: “The Creator, if he exists, has an inordinate fondness for beetles.”
Well, so did the MIT researchers.Inspired by the Namib desert beetle, MIT engineers robert cohen with michael rubner A new material that can trap and control trace amounts of water has been produced.
The Namib Desert in southern Africa is one of the driest places on Earth. Its inhabitants survive by extracting precious moisture from the morning mist that regularly sweeps across the desert.
The beetle’s wings are covered with hydrophilic bumps that collect water droplets, as well as hydrophobic channels that funnel the droplets into the beetle’s mouth.
The MIT scientists used a similar design for a beetle-mimicking material, described in the online edition of the journal Nano letters. These materials could be used to move small liquid samples in a lab-on-a-chip, or to make tents that provide shelter and cold drinks for people camping in the desert.
A water-harvesting material might not represent intelligent design, but it is certainly a good example of intelligent mimicry.
thank you for your time. For Scientific American’s 60 Seconds of Science, I’m Karen Hopkins.
[Segment Ends]
Delvisio: Mesmerizing… 60 seconds long, actually.
That’s why I’m here today to talk to you all.
The podcast you’ve loved and listened to for so long is getting a big update. We’ll start by changing the name to reflect reality (we’re getting into reality here).
The show hasn’t been a minute in a long time, so we won’t say it is anymore.
But the show isn’t going anywhere. Quite the opposite.
In the new year, we will return with a new name and a new look. We’ll be posting more frequently – starting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
We’ll take you on a journey of sound that still respects your time—so, they’ll be fast—but we’ll also expand what we cover.
It’s going to be very fascinating and fun, and we hope you’ll keep participating.
We’re extending the holidays (plus a little) while we prepare for the big reboot.
But don’t worry, we’ll be back on your podcast feed in early 2023 with exciting new shows that dive into fascinating science that still amazes you…but you’ll still have plenty of time in your day to do other things matter.
See you then. thanks.
For 60 Seconds of Science, now formerly known as Scientific American, I’m Jeff DelViscio.
