The Spoondrift

Asher Leomund

Let's talk about science, philosophy, and the weird idea that popped up the other day. Here on the Spoondrift, the conversation spans a little bit of everything. The word Spoondrift describes that spray of water that a strong gust of wind blows from the tops of the waves. I talk about the spoondrift from the ocean of ideas. The goal is to unearth new perspectives and inspire curiosity. Artwork by 25 Sweetpeas

  1. 03/02/2025

    How Has Climate Change Altered The Gulf Stream?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomunddiscusses the Gulf Stream and how it has been altered by climate change.   Here are citations to the articles that were referenced in theshow: M. Andres, M.Muglia, H. Seim, J. Bane, and D. Savidge, “Observations of Shelf-Ocean Exchangein the Northern South Atlantic Bight Driven by the Gulf Stream,” Journal ofGeophysical Research: Oceans, vol. 128, no. 7, p. e2022JC019504, 2023, doi:10.1029/2022JC019504.   W. M. Balch etal., “Changing Hydrographic, Biogeochemical, and Acidification Propertiesin the Gulf of Maine as Measured by the Gulf of Maine North Atlantic TimeSeries, GNATS, Between 1998 and 2018,” JGR Biogeosciences, vol. 127, no.6, p. e2022JG006790, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.1029/2022JG006790.   A. Gonçalves Neto,J. A. Langan, and J. B. Palter, “Changes in the Gulf Stream preceded rapidwarming of the Northwest Atlantic Shelf,” Commun Earth Environ, vol. 2,no. 1, p. 74, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1038/s43247-021-00143-5.   J. Heiderich and R.E. Todd, “Along-Stream Evolution of Gulf Stream Volume Transport,” Journalof Physical Oceanography, vol. 50, no. 8, pp. 2251–2270, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-19-0303.1.   M. O. Baringer andJ. C. Larsen, “Sixteen years of Florida Current Transport at 27° N,” GeophysicalResearch Letters, vol. 28, no. 16, pp. 3179–3182, Aug. 2001, doi: 10.1029/2001GL013246.   T. Kohyama, Y.Yamagami, H. Miura, S. Kido, H. Tatebe, and M. Watanabe, “The Gulf Stream andKuroshio Current are synchronized,” Science, vol. 374, no. 6565, pp.341–346, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1126/science.abh3295.   C. G. Piecuch and L.M. Beal, “Robust Weakening of the Gulf Stream During the Past Four DecadesObserved in the Florida Straits,” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 50,no. 18, p. e2023GL105170, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1029/2023GL105170.   J.-L. Pinault,“Weakening of the Geostrophic Component of the Gulf Stream: A Positive FeedbackLoop on the Melting of the Arctic Ice Sheet,” JMSE, vol. 11, no. 9, p.1689, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.3390/jmse11091689.   D. W. Townsend, N.R. Pettigrew, M. A. Thomas, and S. Moore, “Warming waters of the Gulf of Maine:The role of Shelf, Slope and Gulf Stream Water masses,” Progress inOceanography, vol. 215, p. 103030, Jul. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2023.103030.   L. D. Talley, G. L.Pickard, W. J. Emery, and J. H. Swift, “Atlantic Ocean,” in DescriptivePhysical Oceanography, Elsevier, 2011, pp. 245–301. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7506-4552-2.10009-5.   Websites: https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/long-term-project-reaches-important-milestone/   And Wikipedia is a great place to explore more topics!

    39 min

  2. 06/21/2023

    Equity and Inclusion in Engineering: An Interview with Jessie

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund speaks with Jessie, a mechanical engineer who has taken a close look at how to bring diversity and inclusion into engineering. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: Picture a Scientist: https://www.pictureascientist.com/https://www.pictureascientist.com/ Book: “Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Pérez Interview with Caroline Criado Pérez: “Why Everything From Transit to iPhones Is Biased Toward Men”, https://www.wired.com/story/caroline-criado-perez-invisible-women/ Book: “Defined by Design: The Surprising Power of Hidden Gender, Age, and Body Bias in Everyday Products and Places” by Kathryn H. Anthony NPR Article: “The first female crash test dummy has only now arrived”, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133375223/the-first-female-crash-test-dummy-has-only-now-arrived INC article: “Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Use the 3 Percent Rule to Help People Embrace New Ideas, Products, and Processes”, https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/emotionally-intelligent-leaders-use-the3-percent-rule-to-bypass-hesitation-fear-help-people-embrace-new-ideas-products-processes.htmlhttps://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/emotionally-intelligent-leaders-use-the3-percent-rule-to-bypass-hesitation-fear-help-people-embrace-new-ideas-products-processes.html

    51 min

  3. 07/29/2022

    How Can You Create A Better Workplace?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses Fast Radio Bursts before identifying different strategies to improve the workplace. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: “Scientists have picked up a radio signal 'heartbeat' billions of light-years away”: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/14/1111471532/space-science-stars-radio-waves-signals-galaxy-lightyears-mit “One Advantage of Trashing Time Sheets: Humanizing Work”: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202205/lindsay-blakely/the-mb-group-employee-benefits.html “How Great Companies Are Making Work Work”: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202205/inc-staff/office-benefits-best-workplaces.html “As Knowledge Workers Return to the Office, This Powerful Productivity Tool Is Primed for a Comeback”: https://www.inc.com/joe-procopio/as-knowledge-workers-return-to-office-this-powerful-productivity-tool-is-primed-for-a-comeback.html

    25 min

  4. 07/01/2022

    What Is Thermal Radiation?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses thermal radiation. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: “What Causes Hot Things to Glow?”: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/what-causes-hot-things-glow “What is a pyrometer?” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcBPy9tQeYc “How Thermocouples Work - basic working principle + RTD” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7NUi88Lxi8 “Introduction to Infrared Pyrometers”: https://es.omega.com/temperature/Z/InfraredPyrometers.html The Science and Engineering of Materials by Donald R. Askeland and Wendelin J. Wright

    20 min

  5. 06/24/2022

    From The Archive: Should You Ever Suppress A Sneeze (S1 E20 Rerelease)

    In this rerelease of The Spoondrift’s 20th episode of Season 1, host Asher Leomund discusses the question of whether or not you should suppress a sneeze (the short answer is no). He then talks about the Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded for research into CRISPR-Cas9. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: Suppressing a Sneeze: https://time.com/3975363/sneezing/ Nobel Prize: CRISPR-Cas9: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/07/921043046/2-female-scientists-awarded-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-for-genome-editing-research How Genome Editing and CRISPR-Cas9 work: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/ What is CRISPR?: https://biologydictionary.net/crispr/

    23 min

  6. 06/17/2022

    Meaningful Days: Permitting Interracial Marriage In The US And Mental Health Days

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses the history of interracial marriage in the United States of America as well as the recent integration of mental health days into select public school systems. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: “June 12 is Loving Day — when interracial marriage finally became legal in the U.S.”: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/12/1005848169/loving-day-interracial-marriage-legal-origin “More states are allowing students to take mental health days off”: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/10/1103939937/kids-mental-health-days Illinois Bill Permitting Mental Health Days: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1577&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=110&GA=102 Constitution of the United States of America: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/ Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/12/07/us-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-on-youth-mental-health-crisis-further-exposed-by-covid-19-pandemic.html

    22 min

  7. 06/10/2022

    What’s The Deal With Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses hydrogen fuel cells. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: “How Does a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Work?”: https://www.ecobattsolutions.com/how-does-a-hydrogen-fuel-cell-work/ “Hydrogen Fuel Cell: How It Works” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFb5TKVPSiY “How Hydrogen Fuel Cells Work – GenCell” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck6lTRvHROg “Fuel cell stack explained” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5E_MAZdO-k “Is a cathode positive or negative?”: https://www.quora.com/Is-a-cathode-positive-or-negative?share=1 “Hydrogen may be a climate solution. There's debate over how clean it will truly be”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/1096584260/clean-energy-hydrogen-energy-climate-change

    25 min

  8. 06/03/2022

    Data Is Everywhere: Using Data To Study Exoplanets and Whales

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses how the James Webb Space Telescope will be using data to study exoplanets as well as how a company is using Artificial Intelligence to analyze data describing the sounds of whales and other marine mammals. Here are links to the articles discussed in the show: “A computer program designed to sort mice squeaks is also finding whales in the deep”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1102097099/how-deep-squeak-an-a-i-program-with-a-weird-name-is-detecting-whales “James Webb targets detailed as commissioning nears completion”: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/james-webb-first-research-targets/

    21 min
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About

Let's talk about science, philosophy, and the weird idea that popped up the other day. Here on the Spoondrift, the conversation spans a little bit of everything. The word Spoondrift describes that spray of water that a strong gust of wind blows from the tops of the waves. I talk about the spoondrift from the ocean of ideas. The goal is to unearth new perspectives and inspire curiosity. Artwork by 25 Sweetpeas

Information

  • Creator
    Asher Leomund
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Asher Leomund
  • Show Website
    The Spoondrift