A pound of feathers, space sperm, nose hair, bug matter, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the weight of a pound of lead and a pound of feathers, the swimming ability of fruit fly sperm after a trip to space, the force it takes to pluck nose hair, the amount of bugs that splatter on car windshields, the horsepower of a horse, the antibiotic properties of ear wax, and scrotal asymmetry in ancient sculptures.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:30 Lead vs feathers study
• 6:04 Fruit fly sperm study
• 8:02 Nose hair study
• 10:41 Bug splatter study
• 13:12 Horsepower study
• 15:19 Ear wax study
• 17:26 Scrotal asymmetry study
• 21:23 Outro

Article links:

• Wagman et al., 2007. Which feels heavier – a pound of lead or a pound of feathers? Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p5854
• Ogneva et al., 2022. Sperm of Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster under Space Flight. International Journal of Molecular Science. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7498
• Prinz & Murray, 2021. On the pullout strength of human nasal hair. Materialia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2589152921001058?via%3Dihub
• Ball et al., 2021. The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey 2021. Kent Wildlife Trust. https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-05/Bugs%20Matter%202021%20National%20Report.pdf
• Stevenson & Wassersug. Horsepower from a horse. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/364195a0
• Tsenogu et al., 2024. Investigation of Bactericidal effect of Earwax on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from skin and stool samples of undergraduate students, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Surgery and Medical Case Reports. https://www.surgery-medical-casereports.com/1/article/view/6/4
• McManus, 1976. Scrotal asymmetry in man and in ancient sculpture. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/259426b0
• McManus & Humphrey, 1973. Turning the Left Cheek. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/243271a0

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