Semester 4 Show Notes & Cheat Sheets

This is the final lab of semester 4, before Titi and Zakiya go on winter break.

Real talk: Did it really happen if it’s not on social media? Do you even exist if you’re not on the feed? These days, it seems like everyone and their dog has an IG or a TikTok account. But this ability to constantly socialize online is still relatively new for society. This week, Titi and Zakiya ask how social media may impact our well-being, attention spans, and the ways in which we communicate with one another. Guest: Dr. Jeff Hancock

Anyone else feel like everything is getting more expensive? That's because it is. Inflation is driving up the cost of all our basic needs, from bread and milk, to chicken wings! This week we want to help you — and ourselves — understand the economy. We’ll hear about the current state of the United States economy, and learn about how to prepare for a recession. Guest: Dr. Vanessa Perry

We know friendship is important, but let’s be real – it gets harder to make new friends as we get older. In a follow up to What About Your Friends – Lab 026, Titi and Zakiya learn about romance in friendship, how people approach friendships differently, and how we can handle conflict with our besties. Guest: Dr. Marisa G. Franco.

If you could go on a first-class trip to space…would you? Titi and Zakiya learn more about the history of space exploration and its origins, the rise of commercial space flights, and what we should consider as more people are going to space. Guest Expert: Jordan Bimm

Monkeypox has been around for a long time. But with the recent increase in cases, the virus seems to be dominating our headlines and social feeds. Titi and Zakiya learn what Monkeypox is, how it got here, and why public health recommendations don’t always align with science. Guests: Dr. Angie Rasmussen and Kenyon Farrow.

We’ve all seen things blow up in the comments section on social media! And this week, we’re asking ‘how do you change someone’s mind’? We’re asking how we make up our mind, what happens when someone tries to change it, and why we see strong reactions when debating topics big and small. Guest: David McRaney.

This week we’re talking all about the chemicals found in food packaging and how they impact our bodies and the environment with guest expert Justin Boucher, Operations Director at the Food Packaging Forum.

This week we’re celebrating National Oyster Day! We’re talking all about shellfish aquaculture, and how cultivating oysters fits into our economy, environment, and changing climate. Guest: Dr. Bill Walton.

It feels like everyone is online these days, but is that really the case? In this lab, Titi and Zakiya discuss the state of internet access in the US, digital disparities in minoritized communities, and how algorithm bias affects us in real life.

There are chips in every computing device out there, from refrigerators to smart phones to cars. They are vital to how our world runs – and right now, there's a shortage. We learn what’s behind the shortage and what’s being done to close the gap. Guest: Al Thompson, Intel VP of US Government Relations

Nail art and nail styling has been trending in mainstream culture, but it’s not new! This lab focuses on the history and culture behind nail care, the intimate relationships between nail techs & their clients, as well as some of the health, safety, and labor issues affecting the industry.

Language is a huge part of culture, and this week we’re talking all about linguistics. We’re getting into the difference between accents and dialects, the linguistic history of Black American English, code switching, and more! Guest Expert: Dr. John Baugh

It’s Black Music Month! This week we are celebrating Black music and getting into the history, the culture, and the politics with some very special guests. We’re diving into the roots of hip hop and jazz and tracing how Black music and artists have been at the forefront of music and popular culture. Guests: Mark Anthony Neal & 9th Wonder

In this lab, Titi & Zakiya get into the history of Juneteenth, the food traditions behind the holiday, and the power that food has to connect people across families, communities, and cultures. Guest: Nicole Taylor, author of Watermelon and Redbirds

It’s June and it’s also Pride month! To celebrate, we’re passing the mic and hearing from you about the amazing work you all are doing in STEM: biology, astronomy, engineering, and more! Join us as we celebrate Pride in STEM.

You ever heard the phrase “you play too much” or you "playing games?” Well, despite what society’s told us, life is kind of like a game, because of the many ways different aspects of our day-to-day have been gamified, i.e given characteristics of gameplay and incentivized. We learn why we game, how we game, and the difference between gaming and gamification.

Did you know that art is inherently therapeutic? If you listened to Beyoncé’s Lemonade album, then of course you did. But, not only is art therapeutic but art can be part of therapy, and psychotherapists and art therapists use it to express and unlock things things that go beyond the verbal.

The conversation around the maternal healthcare system in the U.S. is far from over, especially now when reproductive rights are further at risk. This week we continue the conversation of maternal health and we ask all the why’s. Why has the maternal mortality rate tripled in the last 40 years? Why is maternal healthcare not prioritizing mothers and birthing people after birth? Why is the maternal healthcare system failing birthing people of color? We’re getting into it all, the data, what’s changing, and what needs to change A$AP.

As Mother’s Day is approaching and in light of SCOTUS’ recent overturn of Roe v Wade, we reflect on human rights, the maternal health care system, and birthing equity. People have been giving birth since the dawn of time but why is it that there are no many risks to maternal health and risk disparities for different birthing people? We investigate all that and more, and dig deep into what a safe and equitably resourced space for birthing people might look like in the future.

Sodium, iron, magnesium—oh my! We’re going straight Avatar the Last Airbender in this lab and learning about what real earth-bending looked like. There are so many incredible metals on earth but not all are in abundance. We dive into where metals come from, the different processes they undergo to create different properties, and while we know metals are necessary in tech, did you know that humans need them to live?

The ecosystem is a great example of the circle of life. How plants and animals interact is so integral to how our world functions. In this lab, we dig into food chains, ecology and ecosystems, environmental conservation as we know and how it needs to change.

The mind-body connection is so underrated, despite it being so integral to our day-to-day functions. Our minds are so powerful that sometimes things in our minds can affect our body’s responses and sometimes even cause pain in our bodies. We’re taking it to the head in this lab, and learning about psychosomatic disorders.

In our live recording of Lab 057, we are at the Great Northern Festival in Minnesota’s Twin Cities! When you want to talk about winter, where better than one of the coldest places in America? Join us for an incredible convo about volcanic ash, snowflakes, microplastics, and ocean acidification.

We’ve probably all seen an organ transplant scene on a medical drama, but how exactly does a transplant work and what does it mean when a donor and a recipient are a match and what does it mean when the body rejects a transplant? Also, new transplant technologies are making sci-fi look very non-fiction.

Ever wonder how every time you log onto your favorite social media site, all the ads are of stuff you actually want? What about what it means when you accept cookies before you surf a favorite site? How is it that the internet seems to really know you? We’re learning all about cyber security, what’s legal, what’s not, and what to do to stay safe.