Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and enjoying friends and family. Sometimes the chaos of the holiday makes us forget this keystone feature of Thanksgiving. As I sat around the table with my family I became motivated me to share with you my thoughts, ideas, and practices regarding how I find gratitude in my life. I begin the episode outlining som…

Each episode topic and details come about based on what is happening in my life or in the science of the moment. This episode I wanted to blend the current events surrounding LIGO discovering kilonovas, to the creation of the rarest elements to me giving a gold ring to my fiance (were engaged). Each event and moment of our lives is layered with awe…

The human experience is the best and worst of being you. Life is full of wonder and awe, tears and laughs, hugs and kiss. Nature is a constant state of change and chaos is the catalyst for change. Evolution is change, we are change, and change is everyday. But in the end this life is something to enjoy and marvel at. Go out today and find others wh…

This episode discusses the how and why behind the human need to belong and find their tribe. This episode discusses how time and evolution play a role in creating the human condition. A condition that centers around our own duality - selfishness and selfishness. We are hardwired to belong, but we live in a world that is growing evermore exclusive a…

The cosmos is vast. A vastness outside of human comprehension. The size, scale, composition and origin are wondrous and complex. Although we humans can not always comprehend the scope of things, that won't stop us from trying. The unknown and the unknowable are the key factors in what makes today great. Take a step back and ponder some of the ideas…

Light is everything. We see because of light. We get energy from light. Daytime would not be daytime without light. The Sun is the fuel for life, but it took sometime for the Universe to evolution into these wonderful crucibles of stellar light and stellar nucleosynthesis that the twinkles in the sky are today. We just experienced daylight saving t…

Our world is a connected web of energy and energy flow. Where there is water and energy there is not just life, but ecology. Science has recently discovered how this even plays in region without the Sun. Each region of the world where energy is present has life and an entire ecosystem flourishing around it. This episode describes some of the webs a…

This episode allows the listeners to discover and marvel at the influence the Sun has on biology. The vast majority of life on Earth is energized by the Sun. We have learned in previous episodes that our bodies are made of stardust and now we can discuss how we are also energized by starlight. While also discussing how the Sun is the heat engine of…

The Sun will rise again tomorrow and continue to do so for another 5,000,000,000,000 years. Each day the Sun converts crazy amounts of hydrogen into helium through the process of thermonuclear fusion giving us the by products of light and energy. Our lives are illuminated by our Sun. This daylight is also the catalyst for all biological energy on t…

Each week a listener of the show will send me three words of their choosing. Three words that I piece together off the cuff and freestyle/rant/flow/talk/connect through the looking glass of science and life. Get a little fun motivation before the week starts. If you are interested in becoming part of the show please send me an MP3 to beautifuldusts…

This episode is simple, but it is complex. The age we are living in today is very unique, but also terrifying. As we move through this age of anti-intellect and fake news we must be able to have conversations in hopes of building bridges. However, we must know what we are talking about and what words we are using. "Theory" is one of the most misuse…

The three wonderful words this week are provided by Youngman Brown - host of Your Creative Push: Space travel, dreams, and creativity. Three words that could easily be used in describing so many aspects of life, love, and today. Have quick a listen and get a little motivational push to kick off your weekend. Listen in and enjoy being a creative spa…

Sadly, on January 16, 2017 we lost another great human and another hero of the Apollo NASA program. Gene Cernan was just one piece of the 100,000 people who played a role in getting us to the Moon, but he was my favorite of all the Apollo astronauts. This episode is my attempt to pay tribute to him, the programs, the people, the discoveries, and im…

Round 3 of Freestyle Friday. In these quick little episodes I take three random words given to me by fans of the show and rift/rant/flow with their ideas. Each week the words change and the randomness changes. Tune in and get a quick science fill up before the weekend. If you would like to be a part of the show please email me beautifuldustspecks@g…

Each year our Earth takes a new trip around the Sun and we humans get an opportunity to rethink, restart, and redo little aspects of our lives. In this episode we discuss and outline three tips each dealing with planning out the new year and new you. It doesn't take much to start a change. This episode will help you grow, adapt, and plan out some l…

In this episode I explore the basic physics behind waves that create music. But more importantly this episode discusses how music effects our neurochemistry, biology, society, minds, bodies, and life. Most people love music and listen daily, but may never take the time to realize that our music is a wonderful manipulation of physics. While also pon…

My second installment of a little side project within the show. The three special words this week were given to me by my lovely best friend and girlfriend, Stefanie. Tune in and enjoy a quick little science flow to start off your weekend. Click to view: show page on Awesound

Each time our planet goes around the Sun we take time to celebrate and reflect on the previous year. It is a time of wonder and goals. In this episode I want to discuss with you the first beginning ever in this Universe called the Singularity and how it was the OG starting point of the Big Bang, the Universe, and today. This idea is a powerful arch…

A quick introductory episode describing our new podcast. In this episode you will learn who we are, what we want to create, and what being a Nerd Jock is all about. Click to view: show page on Awesound

Freestyle Fridays is going to be a new segment added to Beautiful Dust Specks. Each week I am going to ask my listeners to send me a little MP3 recording outlining three words of their choosing. Three words I will then rift off of. I will then listen to the words right for the first time on air and with them I will blend them into a five minute sci…

The job of Santa is epic. He is epic. It is all epic. However, your parents only told you a little bit of the story. You want to know the truth about the crazy, weird, wild, powerful, cool story… look no further than science. I have always loved Santa. I have always loved Stories. Stories, legends, tales, epics, sagas, and fables have been given to…

Geology teaches us a story. A story of epic proportions and events that has led to this moment, this day, this life. As the season swings to cold and winter comes back for the fun it is time to appreciate what we have. We have a planet that has changed again and again, over and over, for billions of years. Take a second to appreciate this winter be…

Gratitude and empathy are two emotions we all need more of in our lives. For years these ideas have resided in the eastern side of science, but has now been brought to the for front of western science. These wonderful scientists have now use fMRI scanners to show where these emotions activate in the mind and brain. This new data also shows us the p…

“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” Carl Sagan -Cosmos The morning of the 5th I awoke to a new world. A world that I didn't want, but hope that it will be alright. I wanted to create this episode to help us find some love an…

Take control of your mind and body. We humans are a crazy creatures endowed with crazy powers. None more powerful that our ability to think and move. Our mobile bodies allow for our mind to be mobile. Our mobile bodies allow us to share what is inside our mind and put our imagination into reality. Movement breaks down into the bones, muscles, tendo…

This episode you will provide you with a deeper understanding of what makes you the awesome thing that you are. Each nook and cranny of you, me, and us is made up of tiny little cells. The amount of cells that make us up is to big of a number for us to ever comprehend. But these little things make up our minds and bodies. You start as one cell and …

Everything you do in life requires energy, ATP. Your body is the pinnacle of complexity, but this complexity needs energy to express it. 3.8 billion years ago a crazy event took place by chance that turned you into what you are today. This is that story of Endosymbiosis. The story of how two bacteria came together to create the first complex cell. …

A few months ago I decided to sign up for my first marathon, but not two minutes after signing up I was asked the most popular question of the last three months... "why would you do that?" My answer is simple, I want to show people that the wonderful human body can do great things. I want my students to see that you can adapt to whatever environmen…

Our senses allow our epic bodies to take the inputs surrounding us and give it to our minds. Our minds will then turn the world into physical data. Humans are able to take this data and turn it into emotions, feelings, and ideas. The sounds and sights of the world integrate together in perceptions of the now. The body-mind connection is so strong a…

In this episode I break down our sense of smell and taste. Science now knows that these two senses combine to provide our minds and lives with the wonders of flavor! Flavor, smell, and taste give the gifts of delicious food and provide our minds with connections to what we are eating. By understanding the science behind our bodies perceptions with …

Have you ever sat back and really pondered your ability to ponder? Have you ever tried to feel your sense of feeling? Have you ever listened to the wonders of listening? Have you ever really attempted to taste and smell the taste and smells of your favorite meal? The senses of the body allow of take the internal and make it external and the externa…

I have always lived a life a wash in flow. I have spent endless hours, dollars, and body parts on chasing it down. Flow is the newest buzz terms regarding the human state of optimal performance. In the zone, in the pocket, losing a sense time and space. Science is uncovering a whole new world and quantifying what is happening in you that could allo…

Each aspect of this life is a part of a story that dates back to the dawn of the Universe. This fantastic tale is the greatest story ever told. If you study it with a curious mind it will enliven your life. Science is always thought of and remembered as a tough subject you took in school, but it is so much more. It is a lens to gaze upon the Earth,…

Love is the most powerful emotion we humans can experience. We spend our whole lives chasing these feelings and dealing with them if/when we can catch the love. Creatives have attempted to describe it for all of recorded history through the lens of art, music, poetry. Now science is joining the conversation in hopes of adding to our human understan…

The last episode taught us that our "feelings" of happy and sad are neurotransmitters flowing through our brain, nerves, and bodies. This flow creates various states of being that we call happy, sad, love, pumped, bummed, etc. Let me share with you couple easy strategies that will allow you reach, strive, and attack your own happiness. Happy and lo…

We all strive for happiness. We strive for a life filled with joy and wonder. A life of contentment, peace, and smiles. However, we are human and we humans live our days out swimming through a sea of emotions. In this episode I want to first teach you about the NEUROCHEMISTRY that is in your body and discuss the good and the bad it brings us. By un…

Another fun episode that was kind of unexpected. I am going to do a three part episode on Neurochemistry. This episode is an overview and introduction into the topics and feelings associated with this topic. I want to discuss next looking at the chemical combinations of love & loneliness. Then happy & sad and finishing with creativity & flow. Lets …

This episode is a very fun episode where I discuss our human capacity to ask questions. We always think that a person's ability to answer a question is our greatest gift, but I think that our most epic ability is our asking brain. All great break throughs, wonders, and discoveries began with a person forming a question. Let me teach you how and why…

Kepler recently discover 1,285 new exoplanets (planets around distant stars) which has moved us closer to stating that planets are more common than stars. The Kepler telescope has opened our minds, data, and imagination about planets, even rocky planets, being very common out there in the Milky Way. Pondering the concepts of goldi-locks conditions …

The Overview Effect is a new term coined by Frank White and others. This effect personifies the ideas and feelings brought back inside the courageous astronauts who have seen the whole Earth at a glance. Each of them verbally describe a blissful feeling of awe, connectedness, and wonder regarding our Earth. This episode attempts to convey their emo…

This episode will get you to go outside, look up at the Moon and give it an air five. The Moon that formed from an epic collision 4.5 Billion Years Ago has wonderful effects on our Earth and the ecosystems we know and love. Click to view: show page on Awesound

This week I took a chance and submitted my voice to PRX - The Radiotopia Competition. I enjoyed writing and trying to compress my podcast's mission into a two minute audio clip. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. @The_ScienceBro and BeautifulDustSpecks.com. Click to view: show page on Awesound…

Take the time to appreciate the wonderful clear liquid that pours from the tap and rains down on you in the shower each morning. Take a second to appreciate the only substance on the planet that exists as a liquid, solid, and gas. In this episode I will teach you why you should scream with joy every time an ice cube floats to the surface of your gl…

This episode dives into why we should appreciate water as the primary medium of life. Each week we discuss the connections of nature and the substance that play a role in all is water. Where there is water, there is life. Why you ask? This holds true because water has seven wonderful properties. Properties that allow this amazing wet rock to harbor…

This episode dives into two more of the elemental components of our lives, N and P. I try to bring you a passionate description about two sweet sweet elements: Nitrogen and Phosphorus. These two elements are vital for life, but life needs to work together to keep the cycles going. You bring the curiosity, I'll bring the passionate science rants. Cl…

A Carbon-Based SciFulNess to Make You Carbon-Based Smile... A new science and mindfulness episode. Let's break down why you should feel happy and healthy by describing the what, how, and why being a Carbon-Based life should fill you will gratitude. Click to view: show page on Awesound

I bet you have heard that you are a carbon-based life form. Do you know what that means? Let me teach you. Let me verbally take you a journey through the wonders of this amazing molecule that is the foundation of all organic life. Every moment of your life is possible based on the sweet structures and functions of our body. At the core of each stru…

I want you guys to use this episode in a mindful way. First, listen to the episode and enjoy the information. Second, turn it off and close your eyes (when you can) and let the information fill you up with a mindful wonder. Third, open your eyes and enjoy all the things you and today can bring to our world. Enjoy the ride you Beautiful Dust Specks.…

The connections of the world and the world's connection to us run deep. Ecology teaches us the connections of science run deeper than we could possibility know. In this episode I tell you a story. The first story tells the tale of the wolves in yellowstone and their profound impact. Secondly, I tell the story of the power of whale poop... Yup, the …

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