70,000 years ago, the eruption of an Indonesian supervolcano whittled the human population down to a few thousand globally. This episode, we walk our way along our evolutionary path from the last known common ancestor of apes and homo sapiens to us: Modern humans. Did you know that scientists found a single pinky bone in a Siberian cave which uncovered an ancient homonin species that once ruled Eurasia? What about the footprints of an earlier hominin species that were cemented in time by a perfect storm? We really hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to support two humble young scientists ..read more

Two greeks first once asked if we kept cutting an object in half, would we find the smallest building block of the universe? This episode we discuss how after an age of cosmic exploration through telescopes physicists began looking for the smallest of things, some of the biggest discoveries of 20th century physics and the god particle itself. Do you know how discovering the most elusive particles in existence could impact you and your future? We really hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to support two humble young scientists, follow the show on Spotify or subscribe to it on Apple Podcast ..read more

This episode we interview a vaccine specialist and immune system expert, Dr Liz Ryan. What makes  COVID-19 so unique that it caused a pandemic? What actually makes the elderly vulnerable? Should we be concerned about new strains? Should we be concerned about how fast the vaccines have been developed? All is discussed in this week's episode. This episode was recorded in the middle of January 2021 so not all information regarding the current state of the pandemic is up to date. https://www.patreon.com/LivingRoomLogic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

It only took 3 years after humans invented the first nuclear reactor for the first nuke to be dropped. This episode we recount the origins of nuclear everything, from atomic discoveries and nuclear families to nuclear warfare and the symbolism of Godzilla. Did you know that there are an uncomfortably large number of nukes that are still missing today? Would YOU live close to a nuclear reactor? We really hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to support two humble young scientists, follow the show on Spotify or subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, and leave a review if you can. https://www.pa ..read more

All the bugs on planet earth outweigh all the humans on earth 70 to 1, so surely our leggy neighbours have a lot going on? This episode we discuss the secret underground societies of ants, why creepy crawlies give us the heebie-jeebies and how some funky bugs get their freak on. Did you know that we use insects to develop new medicines? The future might also have some insect based food on the menu! We really hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to support two humble young scientists, follow the show on Spotify or subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, and leave a review if you can. https://w ..read more

The world's most important climate conference to date, COP27, is on right now in Egypt. Why should I give a f**k!? You might ask. This is why: Humans have managed to increase Earth's temperature by 1.1 C since the late 1800s, and we're on a trajectory for 3 C warming by 2100, which would basically be Armageddon. But don't freak out just yet, 3 UN climate reports have come out in the last two years that give us CLEAR guidelines on what the world needs to do to stop the earth from warming past 1.5 degrees C and prevent catastrophe. In this bonus episode, Aidan (who just happens to be a climate c ..read more

In today's episode of this award winning science podcast, Aidan interviews a social scientist and climate activist, Dr Clare Watson, who tells us why many people deny or ignore climate change, and how positivity and community engagement (with a little help from the government) can refresh people's mindsets towards less doom and gloom and more action and progress. This episode was supported by MaREI, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, coordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork. To find out more about MaREI vi ..read more

In today's episode of this award winning science podcast, Aidan interviews an expert in renewable energy, Dr Paul Deane, who explains why renewable energy could play a huge part globally in stabilising energy supplies, reducing costs and reducing carbon emissions massively. Paul has previously given TED talks about these issues and has won several awards for science communication, so he's definitely worth listening to, on top of his expert knowledge of his field. This episode was supported by MaREI, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, coordinated by ..read more

In today's episode of this award winning science podcast, Aidan interviews an offshore wind energy expert Dr Frances Judge, to find out just how big offshore wind is getting, how to build Eiffel Tower sized structures in raging seas, and why offshore wind may be one of the worlds ways to curb rising energy costs and fight climate change. This episode was supported by MaREI, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, coordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork. To find out more about MaREI visit https://www.marei.ie ..read more

What is more painful, a kick in the jewels or giving birth? Who REALLY experiences more pain: men or women?  On today’s show, we sit down with Dr Siobhain O’ Mahony, a senior lecturer at University College Cork specializing in pain neuroscience, women's health, and the gut-brain axis.   Dr. Siobhain starts the conversation by defining pain syndromes, different types of pains for both genders, and sex differences in how we perceive pain. She also expounds on the relationship between pain and estrogen level fluctuations, why high estrogen levels cause pain resistance, as well as how i ..read more