I scream you scream we all scream for Ice cream.

Time for some sweet delicious science delivered right here on whimsical wavelengths. Food science! Love the breath we get to explore here. This discussion is going to investigate some of the science that goes into perfecting and understanding the greatest frozen dessert that comes in so many different flavours. Yes, ice cream!

Ice cream like other materials, like magma, melt, freeze and deform in complex ways depending on structures within the material. In past episodes I have talked about eruption dynamics and how the viscosity or resistance to flow changes eruption style. Well viscosity or more broadly Rheology (how a substance flows under a force over time) is important here too!

The crossover between scientific disciplines is real! So be ready to chill here on Whimsical Wavelengths as we scoop into the coolest science around! This week's guest is no soft serve when it comes to sweet science— So grab your spoons and prepare for the brain freeze.

Today's guest studied how fat networks within dairy foods like ice cream can alter sensorial and rheological properties. Today she applies that science background as an industry consultant and science communicator. Dr. Abigail Thiel!

Here is Dr. Abigail Thiel's

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@AbbeytheFoodScientist

Blog:https://abbeythefoodscientist.com/

Also she has a kids Colouring book out!

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FGJWXGHD?ref_=litb_stb_nodl

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGJWXGHD

Its the start of Season 2!! Time for Basaltic plinian eruptions, melt inclusions, viscosity and more. Today we going to head into one of my papers!

Because it’s one of my papers that means heading back to volcanology. Like other historical scientists covered here on Whimsical wavelengths I will follow where the data is pointing. Follow the path.

When I was planning my PhD, yes I was in the envious position of basically picking my projects, I knew I wanted to do more at Masaya Volcano. Masaya is however complicated. It is a unique volcano in many ways.

Here I'll focus on two things:

1. Masaya is persistently active. It has been in a perpetual state of unrest for 100’s of years. The last eruption of any significant amount was 1772 where it produced a lava flow from the central cone. Since that time there have been degassing, occasional lava lakes, and small vent clearing explosions. There is not many volcanoes on earth able to claim constant activity for 100’s of years.
2. It can have basaltic Plinian eruptions……

Basaltic plinian eruptions. For those who know a bit about volcanoes this may seem like an oxymoron.

Join the pod to find out all this apparent oxymoron!

Paper at the center of the episode:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027318303470

example Basaltic plinian eruptions at Masaya (there are lots but here is one):

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00585-5#:~:text=Las%20Sierras%2DMasaya%20volcanic%20system,%2DTIL)13%2C20.

Links for Whimsical Wavelengths:

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Time for someone who some have called the greatest scientist you have not heard of. Likely the reason average IQ's have no fallen (even if it feels like they have - idiocracy)!

This is the sibling episode to the last one. The rise of Leaded Gas. This time the story starts with Dr. Clair Patterson a geochemist. Before the PhD and discovering the age of the Earth, Clair Patterson and his wife Laurie (also a chemist) became civilians working on the Manhattan project. No not in New Mexico designing the bomb like depicted in the movie Oppenheimer. Instead they got to work on the problem of concentrating Uranium. A 235U electromagnetic separation plant (figure in the post!) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

From there on to a PhD. The following of the data lead to lead being everywhere. Before advocating for the elimination of lead he developed the first clean room and found the age of the earth by dating a meteorite (fragment of which is picture with the post). His work brought about the downfall of leaded gasoline. His story has been told many times before but probably not like this. Even if you already know the story I bet there is new nuggets here. Whimsical even....

So with the release of this episode, season 1 is done! Time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t.

Special thanks to those who did give me feedback throughout the year. It was needed. Embrace the terrible puns and jokes, don’t apologize for them! Was just one piece of advice I got.

And of course thanks to all the guests that agreed to come on the podcast! Some without any tie to someone I know and they took a chance to share their work. A unknown podcast showing up in an email or call out ask.

The next 3 eps will be encore additions. Some of my favourites from this inaugural season and then on September 15 season 2 will start!

Links for Whimsical Wavelengths:

Facebook:www.facebook.com/WhimsicalWavelengths

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Bluesky: @whimsicallambda.bsky.social

Email: whimsical.wavelengths@gmail.com

Patreon: patreon.com/WhimsicalWavelengths