Bonnie's back from Spain, which means the crew's back for another episode! This time around Bonnie covers the story of how one whale model souvenir expanded into an idea of efficiency from sea to land to a whole company creating blades for fans and wind turbines across the world. This is the story of Frank E Fish and WhalePower.

Find us on Instagram and Twitter: @PearReviewClub

WhalePower: https://whalepowercorp.wordpress.com/

After a long hiatus, we're back with Pear Review Bites a (hopefully) shorter form of what we do best, fun science.

This ep, Vicky explores the microstructural characterisation of potato chips and Jack discusses the dumpling Degree of Doneness (DoD).

Papers:

• Microstructural Characterization of Fried Potato Disks Using X-Ray Micro Computed Tomography: https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.13219
• Dumpling Cooking - Modeling and Simulation: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2015.09.007

Follow us on Insta and Twitter: @PearReviewClub

Follow Vicky

• Twitter: @vicky__tan
• The Chip Connoisseur on Insta: @_thechipconnoisseur

Follow Jack on Twitter: @jack_chan15

In this episode, we're privileged to have Dr Ricardo Garcia-Rosas, CEO of Virtetic for an exclusive interview on his company and gain some insights on entering the start-up space.

Virtetic is empowering the prosthetics community through the use of Virtual Reality (VR). Virtetic has 'gamified' interventions for prosthetics users with VR solutions to make rehabilitation fun and interactive!

Find Virtetic: https://www.virtetic.com.au/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtetic/

Find Ricardo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rigaro/

Find us on:

Twitter & Instagram: @PearReviewClub

Email: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

Find Jack: @jack_chan15

Missing cutlery in your tea room? Yeah me too. This episode, special guest, Saki, brings a study all about missing cutlery that might give you some hints as to where your missing cutlery is going!

Find Saki:

Twitter: @Kobayashi1S

LinkedIn: sakurako-kobayashi-655681217

Find us on:

Twitter & Instagram: @PearReviewClub

Email: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

Find Jack and Vicky: @jack_chan15 @vicky__tan

Sources: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/213/11/what-forks-longitudinal-quality-improvement-study-tracking-cutlery-numbers

In the year 2000, Japan was polled on what they thought was their greatest invention in the 20th century. Their answer? Instant noodles. This is the history and food science behind that invention. From fabled beginnings in the Qing dynasty, to the collision of Asian and US innovation in the late 20th century and to why surface area to volume ratios are actually important, Jack leaves no stone unturned, no noodle uncooked in his magnum opus of an episode.

Find us on:

Twitter & Instagram: @PearReviewClub

Email: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

Find Jack and Vicky: @jack_chan15 @vicky__tan

Sources

Noodles, traditionally and today, Journal of Ethnic Foods: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618116300828?via%3Dihub

The Humble Origins of Instant Ramen, Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/the-humble-origins-of-instant-ramen-from-ending-world-5814099

Remembering a man who used his noodle, Cosmos: https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/chemistry/in-science-today-remembering-a-man-who-used-his-noodle/

The Savory Science of Instant Noodles, Discovery Magazine: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-savory-science-of-instant-noodles

A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12448

Brain activation by the umami taste substance monosodium L-glutamate via gustatory and visceral signaling pathways, and its physiological significance due to homeostasis after a meal, Journal of Oral Biosciences: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1349007912000801

Effects of salt and kansui on rheological, chemical and structural properties of noodle dough during repeated sheeting process, Food Chemistry: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814620322275

Using its noodle for success, Nippon.com: https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00512/

Eels are weird and Sri has returned to tell you all why! Did you know we still don't fully understand how eels reproduce? Or that eels are metamorphic creatures? Or that they go towards the Bermuda Triangle to birth young and probably die? Yeah me neither. Join us for another wild ride!

Find us on Twitter and Instagram: @PearReviewClub

Find Sri on Twitter: @srimayeev

E-mail: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

EMBL PhD Symposium: https://emblphdsymposium.org.au/

Tickling for science? Weird but true! In this episode, Vicky takes us through the studies, the certifications, and stories that have shown there is a right way to tickle a rat. If you work with rodents and need some happier lil' subjects the this is the ep for you!

Find us on Twitter and Instagram: @PearReviewClub

E-mail: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

Purdue Rat Tickling and Certification: https://ag.purdue.edu/ansc/gaskill/resources/

Jaak Panksepp: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/jaak-panksepp-rat-tickler-who-revealed-emotional-lives-of-animals-dies-at-73/2017/04/21/01e367ce-2536-11e7-a1b3-faff0034e2de_story.html

Studies by Shimpei Ishiyama: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.085 & https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5114

Ever think about breathing through your butt? Me neither. But Ryo Okabe and the Takebe lab certainly do and together they have developed a system where, you can, indeed, breath through your butt. Crazy.

In this episode, Bonnie takes us through this year's landmark study on butt breathing and how this could potentially be a new therapy for patients with respiratory failure.

Find us on Twitter and Instagram: @PearReviewClub

E-mail: the.pear.review.pod@gmail.com

Links:

Mammalian enteral ventilation ameliorates respiratory failure: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2021.04.004

Graphical abstract: https://bit.ly/2WPYNm5