The Myth of American Innovation & The Fascinating Physics of Life

The power of the human mind is amazing. This episode begins with a fascinating example of that. It turns out that how people feel about the medication they take determines how well it works. Things like cost, size of the pill and number of doses will influence your recovery. Listen and finds out how. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/health/research/05placebo.html There is sure a lot of talk about innovation. Who doesn’t want to be a great innovator? Interestingly though, there isn’t as much innovation going on as you might think and not all innovation is particularly good. Some innovation is actually destructive. That’s according to Andrew Russell, professor of history and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and co-author of the book, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most (https://amzn.to/30nuPon). After you hear what he has to say, you may think differently about what innovation really means. Sometimes it is hard to fall asleep. Listen as I explain a simple technique that will help just about anyone fall asleep faster on those nights where sleep does not come easy. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/631357/breathing-technique-helps-you-fall-asleep-faster How does your GPS in your car really work? What is 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mean and what is the difference? Why are there dimples on a golf ball. Why does a balloon stick to the wall after you rub it on your head? The answer to all these questions is : PHYSICS! Joining me to explain all these things and more is Dr. Charles Liu, he is an associate professor at the City University of New York and author of the The Handy Physics Answer Book (https://amzn.to/3cTtxqp) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices