crisscrossing Science Episode 017: If a Tree Falls in the Woods . . .

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) argue about the age-old question: If a tree falls in the woods while no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Gaiser and Crosser disagree on the answer, so they discuss sound and how our ears are able to perceive it

crisscrossing Science Episode 004: Oceans

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss the origins of the oceans on Earth, as well as what may happen to the oceans in the distant future

crisscrossing Science Episode 051: Tides: Tidal Forces through the Millennia: A Discussion

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss the tidal forces and give several examples of where these show up through the solar system. Learn about why Earth has tides, why there is a Dark Side of the Moon, why a moon around Jupiter still erupts, why Pluto and its moon, Charon, always face each other, and a fun way that a black hole can kill you that you haven\u27t thought about

crisscrossing Science Episode 018: Arrested Developmental Biology

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss the process in which cells in our bodies develop into vastly different cell types (skin, blood, liver, and so forth), despite all having the exact same DNA sequences. Instead, environmental cues determine which of these genes are expressed for any given cell

crisscrossing Science Episode 007: Doing the Timewarp

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) delve into the topic of gravity waves, as discovered last year by the research lab LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). They discuss Einstein\u27s theory of gravity and what is meant by the term space-time

crisscrossing Science Episode 030: Waterbears: Tiny Terrors from the Deep . . . Pond

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) tells Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) about tardigrades, also known as waterbears. These small creatures have the amazing ability to withstand nearly complete dehydration by creating special proteins which keep them from breaking apart without water. Gaiser and Crosser discuss the effects of dehydration on most living things and why cells will usually die

crisscrossing Science Episode 013: Einstein\u27s Greatest Blunder

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss the evidence behind the expanding universe and our understandings of it. They also discuss how Einstein built a flawed component into his Theory of General Relativity in order to match the data that people understood at the time. Although Einstein called this addition his greatest blunder, parts of it are being re-incorporated now as we learn more about the universe

crisscrossing Science Episode 032: What We Knows about GMOs

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss genetically modified organisms, specifically with two examples in plants: Roundup Ready® crops and Golden rice. It turns out that every living organism uses the same genetic language for making proteins. This means that it is possible to transfer instructions from one organism into another and make both produce the same proteins. This trick has been used in a handful of crops for varying purposes. Crosser and Gaiser discuss how this process is done, as well as some pros and cons to the practice

crisscrossing Science Episode 047: Live at the UFO Festival 2018

In this special live episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) bring a little science to the UFO Festival at McMenamins Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, Oregon. This festival occurs each year in honor of a famous photograph from 1950 that purportedly showed an alien spacecraft flying above Oregon. On the assumption that this photograph actually showed alien life visiting Earth, Gaiser and Crosser consider the implications of such a visit. Specifically, they consider what might the aliens look like and what technological advances would need to have occurred in order to allow these aliens to travel across the galaxy to visit us

crisscrossing Science Episode 002: Superconductors

In this episode, Chris Gaiser (professor of biology at Linfield College) and Mike Crosser (professor of physics at Linfield College) discuss the phenomenon of superconductivity, in which the electrical resistance of certain materials will disappear at very low temperatures. Resistance determines the amount of energy that is lost as current flows through a material and is the reason that wires will warm up when current flows through them