The Physics Of Figure Skating, Aerosols, Volatile Organic Compounds. Feb 16, 2018, Part 2

While oohing and ahhing at the powerful leaps and nimble spins on the ice at the Olympics, you may not realize you’re watching physics in action. Each jump requires a careful balance of matching the time in air to the speed and number of rotations.  From spray can to ocean spray, it's time to talk about aerosols. They do play a role in climate change, but not the one you might think.  There's a new urban air polluter on the block. Volatile organic compounds like wall paints and cleaning agents are becoming our cities' biggest sources of air pollution.  Could UV light zap the flu bug? Scientists are looking into a way to kill the bug even before it has a chance to get into your system, and one type of UV light could be used to disable proteins in the flu virus.  Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.