Cosmic Queries: The Science of Humans at War

About This Episode

Fan favorite author Mary Roach is back to help host Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice answer fan-submitted questions about the softer side of military science: people. Learn how advances in combat medicine are saving lives, not just on the battlefield but around the world, too, including how a replacement for IV Glucose is helping combat malaria, cholera and dysentery for millions of civilians. Find out which injury the VA spends more money on – it’s not what you might expect. You’ll also hear about a DARPA research paper that speculated on modifying humans to create “super solders” with characteristics inspired by the animal kingdom: surgically installed gills for underwater operations, increased hemoglobin for mountain warfare, and even unihemispheric sleeping ability like dolphins to help soldiers fight sleep deprivation while remaining alert. Neil, Mary and Chuck discuss weaponized exotic particles, infrasound and non-lethal anti-personnel devices that use microwaves to “heat up” a crowd, as well as how Germany’s V2 rocket and mortar shell ballistics led to advances in computers, satellites and the exploration of space. This episode also features a new segment of Cosmic Queries: Maker Edition, brought to you by Google, where Bill Nye the Science Guy joins Chuck to answer questions about portable greenhouses, using 3D printers for space exploration, and much more.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: Cosmic Queries: The Science of Humans at War.