Podcast
The Science Pawdcast
Hosted by Jason and Kris Zackowski · EN
The Science Pawdcast breaks down the latest science happening in the human world AND the pet world.
Jason and Kris Zackowski break down a topical science news and pet science news every week with a dose of humour and heart.
You'll also occasionally get a wonderful interview with a science expert about their area of knowledge, but ALSO some pet stories too!
It's the perfect blend of education and fun!
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 30 Season 7: How A Solar Eclipse Changed Bird Behaviour And What Kids Get Wrong About Dogs
Oct 1800:29:32Tap to summarizeSend a textThe sky went dark at midday, the temperature dipped, and a continent held its breath. We chased the total solar eclipse to Texas and came back with more than a memory—fresh science on how birds react when day vanishes and returns a few minutes later. Leveraging a blend of community observations, autonomous recorders, and BirdNET machine learning, researchers tracked behavior from Mexico to Canada and found a clear pattern: movement slowed during totality while vocalizations spiked, followed by a pseudo-dawn burst when the light returned. Some species, like American Robins and Barred Owls, showed dramatic shifts; others didn’t budge, pointing to species-specific sensitivity to light.That sudden flip from light to dark is more than a spectacle—it’s a powerful biological cue. We connect the dots to artificial light at night, from migration disruptions to window strikes, and explore how city lighting policies and dark-sky practices can protect wildlife without sacrificing safety. When the whole sky changes at once, you see how deeply behavior is tuned to brightness. It’s a rare, elegant experiment you can’t reproduce in a lab, and it gives us practical guidance for urban design and conservation.Back on the home front, we turn to a concern every family with pets and kids faces: children often misread dog body language. New data show that four- to seven-year-olds frequently mistake angry dog faces for happy ones, with high error rates even at seven. Most bites happen at home, during child-initiated contact, and without supervision. We share simple, actionable steps—teach a few key cues, keep greetings calm, supervise play, and give dogs guaranteed safe spaces—to preserve the empathy and comfort dogs bring while lowering risk.If you love science, animals, and practical insights that make life better, this one’s for you. Our links!Support the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower. All our social links are here!
Transcribe →Season 4 Episode 40: Fusion, Stress, and Dr. Torah Kachur on Genetics!
Dec 16, 2022Tap to summarizeSend us a textOn The Science Pawdcast this week, we break down the FUSION STORY!It's exciting and ground breaking...but I do feel we are a ways off of it being scaled up to something useful. In Pet Science News we look at at study that found the stress level of humans mimicked the stress levels in dogs, but not the other way around..so humans can cause dog stress! Wow!In Ask an Expert, we have lecturer and genetics wizz/radio host Dr. Torah Kachur to chat about running a national science segment AND some fun pet stories tucked in there too!Adam is getting his wisdom teeth out/got them out this week so he is taking the week off from the family section.Dr. Torah Kachur's links:https://twitter.com/DrTorahKachurhttps://www.cbc.ca/whatawaste/Bunsen and Beaker Links:The Bunsen and Beaker Website has adorable merch with hundreds of different combinations of designs and apparel- all with Printful- one of the highest quality companies we could find!www.bunsenbernerbmd.comSign up for our Weekly Newsletter!https://www.getrevue.co/profile/bunsenbernerbmd?via=twitter-profileOur Spaces Sponsor: Bark and Beyond Supplyhttps://barkandbeyondsupply.com/Bunsen and Beaker on Twitter:https://twitter.com/bunsenbernerbmdBunsen and Beaker on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/bunsenberner.bmd/InstaBunsandBeakshttps://www.instagram.com/bunsenberner.bmd/?hl=enSupport the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower. All our social links are here!
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