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Perpetual Notion Machine

Perpetual Notion Machine is a look at contemporary scientific issues and discoveries in a way that is accessible, understandable and entertaining to the non-scientists of the listening community. Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Sleeper Population of Spiny Water Flea in Lake Mendota

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   WORT 89.9FM Madison · The Sleeper Population of Spiny Water Flea in Lake Mendota   A new report in the journal BioScience finds that it’s not uncommon for “sleeper populations” of invasive species to lie low in new environments for years or even decades. These small, self-sustaining populations of nonnative species can exist […]

Earthquake Risk (Rebroadcast from Feb. 4, 2010)

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With everything that has happened in the past year, what are the chances Wisconsin will suffer the devastation of an earthquake? Not very likely. Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine looks into this possibility by rebroadcasting an old show that originally aired on February 4, 2010. Our guest on that show was Chuck DeMets, a geophysicist […]

The Effect of Systemic Racism

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This week, Perpetual Notion Machine explores systemic racism. In light of Black History Month, host Anita Nsubuga discusses the effects of racism, specifically systemic racism on people of color (with emphasis on black Americans) with guest Tiffany Green. Joined by Dr. Tiffany Green, Ph.D, assistant professor from the University of Wisconsin, Population Health Sciences, they […]

Nursing Homes and COVID-19

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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine changes direction, at least a little bit, from our typical science-related topics. But it does relate to the coronavirus. Why were nursing homes hit so hard by COVID-19? Our guest is Barbara Bowers, professor and associate dean for research in the School of Nursing at UW-Madison. With some background and […]

Speed of Evolution (Rebroadcast from Jan. 17, 2008)

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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine digs into our archive of shows to rebroadcast an edited version that originally aired on January 17, 2008. Our guest was John Hawks, anthropologist and evolutionist at UW-Madison. With his research into various genetic sequences of the human genome and at times, the use of some convenient mummified DNA, he […]

Analytics of “the play” in Packers Game

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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine looks into the link between science and sports. If you are a Green Bay Packers fan, I’m sure you are wondering about the decision on “the play” late in the championship game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers were on Tampa Bay’s 8 yard line. It was 4th down […]

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