<p><span>Eggs have tons of different sizes, textures, and protective shells, from giant ostrich eggs to squishy fish egg clusters. But, scientifically, they all boil down to the same thing: an egg is just a reproductive cell that can be fertilized by a sperm to make an embryo. This week, we’re cracking the science of eggs wide open! What are some of the weirdest eggs? How far will animal parents go to make sure their eggs are safe? And why the heck did researchers think it was a good idea to mix hamster eggs and human sperm? </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Truth or Fail]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Brown trouts:</span></p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150214-fake-orgasms-and-other-sex-lies"><span>http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150214-fake-orgasms-and-other-sex-lies</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347200915859?via%3Dihub"><span>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347200915859?via%3Dihub</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Octopuses:</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.mbari.org/deep-sea-octopus-broods-eggs-for-over-four-years-longer-than-any-known-animal/"><span>https://www.mbari.org/deep-sea-octopus-broods-eggs-for-over-four-years-longer-than-any-known-animal/</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103437"><span>https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103437</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Trilobites:</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124124905.htm"><span>https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124124905.htm</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/45/3/199/195237/pyritized-in-situ-trilobite-eggs-from-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext"><span>https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/45/3/199/195237/pyritized-in-situ-trilobite-eggs-from-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Fact Off]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Stick insect eggs:</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/ku-tsi052318.php"><span>https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/ku-tsi052318.php</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/10/stick-insects-lure-ants-fatty-knobs"><span>https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/10/stick-insects-lure-ants-fatty-knobs</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/05/science/stick-insects-eggs-birds.html"><span>https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/05/science/stick-insects-eggs-birds.html</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Humsters: </span></p> <p><a href="http://www.stillhq.com/pdfdb/000360/data.pdf"><span>http://www.stillhq.com/pdfdb/000360/data.pdf</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mrd.1120230307"><span>https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mrd.1120230307</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4471-3310-0_5"><span>https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4471-3310-0_5</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1725451"><span>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1725451</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Ask the Science Couch]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Egg shape: </span></p> <p><a href="https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/whale-shark-reproduction/"><span>https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/whale-shark-reproduction/</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/centers/cmbc/2018/05/15/hydrothermal-vents-incubators-for-deep-sea-skate-egg-cases/"><span>https://scripps.ucsd.edu/centers/cmbc/2018/05/15/hydrothermal-vents-incubators-for-deep-sea-skate-egg-cases/</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zg1mDwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT158&amp;lpg=PT158"><span>https://books.google.com/books?id=zg1mDwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT158&amp;lpg=PT158</span></a></p> <p><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6344/1249"><span>http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6344/1249</span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160304-one-animal-has-more-babies-than-any-other"><span>http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160304-one-animal-has-more-babies-than-any-other</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Butt One More Thing]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Snake sperm storage:</span></p> <p><a href="https://phys.org/news/2011-10-insight-term-sperm-storage-animals.html"><span>https://phys.org/news/2011-10-insight-term-sperm-storage-animals.html</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/secrets-of-sperm-storing-female-snakes-revealed/5652004"><span>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/secrets-of-sperm-storing-female-snakes-revealed/5652004</span></a></p>

<p><span>Have you ever wanted to lick the Moon and find out what that grey dust tastes like? If so, you’re in luck. This week, we’re sampling the science of taste, from the Apollo 16 mission reports to how the flavor compounds in amniotic fluid may affect babies’ food preferences. Apparently, it can get garlicky in there. But can non-human animals develop a sense of taste? And is “pine mouth” a real thing, or is it just what happens when Hank eats mysterious seeds he finds in the forest?</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Truth or Fail]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/07/orange-juice-toothpaste/"><span>https://www.wired.com/2014/07/orange-juice-toothpaste/</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3354153/"><span>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3354153/</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684458/"><span>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684458/</span></a></p> <p><a href="http://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20171114232622/https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm247099.htm"><span>http://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20171114232622/https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm247099.htm</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Fact Off]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Moon dust: </span></p> <p><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2006/30jan_smellofmoondust"><span>https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2006/30jan_smellofmoondust</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Bees and pesticides: </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828204911.htm"><span>https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828204911.htm</span></a></p> <p><a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1885/20180655"><span>http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1885/20180655</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/187907/the-more-pesticides-bees-more-they/"><span>https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/187907/the-more-pesticides-bees-more-they/</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Ask the Science Couch]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Developing taste: </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth"><span>https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth</span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7583013"><span>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7583013</span></a></p> <p><a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/6/e88.full"><span>http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/6/e88.full</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>[Butt One More Thing]</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Sea cucumber eating:</span></p> <p><a href="https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/03/14/giant-sea-cucumber-eats-with-its-anus/"><span>https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/03/14/giant-sea-cucumber-eats-with-its-anus/</span></a></p> <p> </p>

<p>What do the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and the Moon have in common? They’re all satellites that orbit the Earth! This week, we’re going extraterrestrial to talk about the dreams, discoveries, and debacles that went into Mir and other weirdly cool human-made satellites. Plus, we dig into burning questions, like whether the Sun can be considered a satellite. And we’re big enough space nerds that we try to explain some celestial mechanics.</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Truth or Fail]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9a3y8d/the-man-who-turned-night-into-day">https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9a3y8d/the-man-who-turned-night-into-day</a></p> <p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/1209034.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/1209034.stm</a></p> <p><a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bmvn44/the-mir-space-station-was-a-marvel-a-clusterfuck-and-an-underdog-hero">https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bmvn44/the-mir-space-station-was-a-marvel-a-clusterfuck-and-an-underdog-hero</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Fact Off]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Film satellites:</p> <p><a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2015-featured-story-archive/corona-declassified.html">https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2015-featured-story-archive/corona-declassified.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.space.com/12996-secret-spy-satellites-declassified-nro.html">https://www.space.com/12996-secret-spy-satellites-declassified-nro.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://gizmodo.com/5994202/how-the-us-built-its-super-secret-spy-satellite-program">https://gizmodo.com/5994202/how-the-us-built-its-super-secret-spy-satellite-program</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Earwig wing tech:</p> <p><a href="https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2018/03/earwigs-and-the-art-of-origami.html">https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2018/03/earwigs-and-the-art-of-origami.html</a></p> <p><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6382/1386">http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6382/1386</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Ask the Science Couch]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Picking satellite orbits:</p> <p><a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OrbitsCatalog/page2.php">https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OrbitsCatalog/page2.php</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/spaceobjectregister/index.html">http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/spaceobjectregister/index.html</a>  </p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Butt One More Thing]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Moon poop:</p> <p><a href="https://boingboing.net/2009/06/16/poop-on-the-moon-and.html">https://boingboing.net/2009/06/16/poop-on-the-moon-and.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://gizmodo.com/theres-poop-on-the-moon-1679070982">https://gizmodo.com/theres-poop-on-the-moon-1679070982</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>With American Thanksgiving around the corner, turkey is on everyone’s mind! So this week, we’re taking a closer look at flightless birds of all shapes and sizes, from families of penguins to very endangered nocturnal parrots that are just trying their best. What prevents some birds from using their wings to fly? Did Australians really start a war against emus? Plus, we’ll answer your burning questions about the sex lives of many, many different kinds of birds! Wow!</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Truth or Fail]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Inaccessible Island rail:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790318301763?via%3Dihub">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790318301763?via%3Dihub</a></p> <p><a href="https://gizmodo.com/how-a-tiny-flightless-bird-ended-up-on-an-island-in-the-1830188012">https://gizmodo.com/how-a-tiny-flightless-bird-ended-up-on-an-island-in-the-1830188012</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Ostrich egg globes:</p> <p><a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130821-ostrich-globe-map-discovery-science-nation/">https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130821-ostrich-globe-map-discovery-science-nation/</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Emu War:</p> <p><a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/">https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/</a>  </p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Fact Off]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Crested penguins:</p> <p><a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/s-ppi021016.php">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/s-ppi021016.php</a></p> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00265-016-2060-z">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00265-016-2060-z</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uod-ppc062816.php">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uod-ppc062816.php</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28785">https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28785</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Ratite reproduction:</p> <p><a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00858.x">https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00858.x</a></p> <p><a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/80394/10-facts-about-cassowaries">http://mentalfloss.com/article/80394/10-facts-about-cassowaries</a></p> <p><a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/12/08/finally-the-ostrich-penis-provides-the-answer-to-a-long-standing-question/#.W6FsOZNKhxw">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/12/08/finally-the-ostrich-penis-provides-the-answer-to-a-long-standing-question/#.W6FsOZNKhxw</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/ratites/reproduction-of-ratites">https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/ratites/reproduction-of-ratites</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Ask the Science Couch]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Kākāpō:</p> <p><a href="https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/03/22/happy-hatchday-21-years-of-conservation-success-for-the-kakapo/">https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/03/22/happy-hatchday-21-years-of-conservation-success-for-the-kakapo/</a></p> <p><a href="https://phys.org/news/2015-11-rimu-berry-game-changer-kakapo.html">https://phys.org/news/2015-11-rimu-berry-game-changer-kakapo.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/060401_kakapo">https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/060401_kakapo</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Butt One More Thing]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Ostrich urine &amp; feces:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643303000060">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643303000060</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>Even though scientific fraud seems like something that we would’ve stopped falling for, it’s still a problem today. This week, we’re delving into the complicated world of scientific hoaxes. Some are just goofs that went a little too far, but others have had serious negative impacts on public health. So why do people perpetrate hoaxes? Why do people, even credible scientists, sometimes fall for them? And what the heck is “Jeep Butt”?</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:</p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Truth or Fail]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Cello Scrotum:</p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1610985/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1610985/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b379">https://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b379</a></p> <p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7853564.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7853564.stm</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Surfer’s Ear:</p> <p><a href="http://ent.uci.edu/more-at-uc-irvine/conditions/surfers-ears.asp">http://ent.uci.edu/more-at-uc-irvine/conditions/surfers-ears.asp</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Jeep Butt:</p> <p><a href="https://publichealth.gwu.edu/departments/healthpolicy/CHPR/downloads/mil_prep042605.pdf">https://publichealth.gwu.edu/departments/healthpolicy/CHPR/downloads/mil_prep042605.pdf</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.academia.edu/19875506/Pilonidal_sinus_Jeeps_disease_An_improved_model_of_care">http://www.academia.edu/19875506/Pilonidal_sinus_Jeeps_disease_An_improved_model_of_care</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Fact Off]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Mary Toft:</p> <p><a href="http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/aug2009.html">http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/aug2009.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/past/article/238/1/43/4822513">https://academic.oup.com/past/article/238/1/43/4822513</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Parapsychology:</p> <p><a href="http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/ZS-Issues-PDFs/ZeteticScholarNos12-13.pdf">http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/ZS-Issues-PDFs/ZeteticScholarNos12-13.pdf</a></p> <p><a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.617.9791&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf">http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.617.9791&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.csicop.org/uploads/files/martin-gardner-pdfs/landmark-pk-hoax.pdf">https://www.csicop.org/uploads/files/martin-gardner-pdfs/landmark-pk-hoax.pdf</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060503224225/http://www.banachek.org/nonflash/project_alpha.htm">https://web.archive.org/web/20060503224225/http://www.banachek.org/nonflash/project_alpha.htm</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1S5CRcqJQo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1S5CRcqJQo</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Ask the Science Couch]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Andrew Wakefield:</p> <p><a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347">https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323045/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323045/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.html">https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/28/andrew-wakefield-mmr-vaccine">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/28/andrew-wakefield-mmr-vaccine</a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong>[Butt One More Thing]</strong></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p>Fake coprolite:</p> <p><a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140729-dinosaur-coprolite-paleontology-dung-fossil-auction/">https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140729-dinosaur-coprolite-paleontology-dung-fossil-auction/</a></p> <p> </p>

<p><span>Introducing the lightly competitive knowledge showcase from the geniuses behind the YouTube series <a href="https://www.youtube.com/scishow" target="_blank">SciShow</a>. Every Tuesday, join <a href="https://twitter.com/hankgreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Hank Green</a>, Ceri Riley, Stefan Chin, and Sam Schultz as they try to one-up and amaze each other with weird and funny scientific research... while not getting distracted. There will be tangents about video games, music, weird smells, surprisingly deep insights about life, and of course, poop, but it always comes back to the science.</span></p>