Boob Backwash, Nighttime Radio Secrets, 10 Toes Down on Tommy

What you'll learn

• 1 (02:14) **Introductions & Teases** - Hosts Rachel Faltman, Anna Gomez, and Sarah Durn welcome first-time guests Emma and Sarah, who describe their roles at Scientific American and Popular Science.
• 2 (08:04) **How Breast Milk Works & The "Baby Backwash" Mechanism** - Rachel explains the biology of lactation, including how the body produces milk and how a baby's suckling creates negative pressure that pulls saliva back into the nipple.
• 3 (20:17) **The Purpose of Baby Backwash: Antibody Communication** - Rachel explains how baby backwash likely helps the lactating parent's body produce targeted antibodies for the baby, citing a mouse study and discussing the benefits of direct breastfeeding versus pumping.
• 4 (27:35) **Break & Return to Eclipses** - The show returns from a commercial break, and Emma begins explaining how eclipses affect radio communication.
• 5 (31:14) **How Eclipses Affect the Ionosphere & Radio Signals** - Emma explains that the sun's radiation charges the ionosphere during the day, affecting how radio waves travel, and that eclipses create irregular conditions that scientists study using ham radio.
• 6 (36:56) **The Chaotic System of Radio Communication** - Emma and the hosts discuss how radio infrastructure is dependent on solar activity and the surprising lack of autopilot in global timekeeping.
• 7 (44:05) **Break & Introduction of Tommy Tucker the Squirrel** - The show returns from a commercial break, and Sarah introduces the story of Tommy Tucker, a World War II celebrity squirrel.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app