A Little Bit Of Science

A parrot in New Zealand makes conservation work wildly uncomfortable, scientists cloned mice until the whole thing started breaking down, and someone has now successfully trucked anti matter across Europe. This week, we bounce between endangered parrots, biological copy and paste and the least relaxing delivery job on Earth, which is a fairly strong effort even by science standards. We start in New Zealand, where Sirocco, a critically endangered kakapo with famously misdirected romantic instincts, helped inspire one of conservation’s strangest inventions. Scientists designed a special helmet in the hope of collecting semen for breeding efforts, after Sirocco kept directing his attention toward human heads instead of other birds. Then we head to Japan, where researchers spent twenty years cloning mice across 58 generations before the whole line began to collapse, with mutations building up and the clones dying early. After that, we hit the road in Europe, where a trucker successfully transported a tiny cloud of anti matter, proving that one of the rarest and most volatile substances in the universe can now apparently survive a delivery run. Finally, we end up in Scotland, where a robotic dog with an electronic nose is being used to sniff out ethanol leaks in whisky warehouses. It sounds ridiculous, because it is, but it is also a clever way to protect barrels and cut waste in one of the world’s oldest industries.    CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 02:17 Kakapo Basics 03:59 Lek Breeding Explained 05:24 Sirocco Imprints on Humans 07:30 The Helmet Experiment 12:06 Infinite Cloning Idea 14:17 58 Generations Later 15:40 Why Clones Degrade 17:16 80s Cloning Logic 18:11 Antimatter Trucking Breakthrough 19:23 What Antimatter Really Is 20:35 Making and Measuring Antiprotons 23:11 Fridge Trap on the Road 26:16 Whisky Aging and Angels Share 28:30 Warehouse Leak Detection Problem 31:20 Robot Dog Barrel Sniffer 33:10 Spider Robots and Drones Next 34:52 Wrap Up and Listener Feedback SOURCES: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/sirocco-kakapo-ejaculation-helmet  https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/kakapo-parrot  https://www.audubon.org/magazine/what-heck-lek-quirkiest-mating-party-earth  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlk9u8MIv7o  https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-cloned-recloned-mouse  https://www.wired.com/story/meet-scotlands-whisky-sniffing-robot-dog/  https://home.cern/news/press-release/experiments/base-experiment-cern-succeeds-transporting-antimatter  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69765-7 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breaking Bad looks a little more plausible than you would hope, the chainsaw has a deeply unsettling medical origin story, and people are now asking whether AI can guide them through a psychedelic trip. This week, we bounce between crime, childbirth, and chatbot consciousness, which is not a sentence anyone should have to write, but here we are. We start with the so-called Breaking Bad effect, looking at research from Denmark suggesting that a life-changing diagnosis like cancer can increase the likelihood of criminal behaviour. When people feel like time is running out, the usual rules can start to look a lot less solid, which makes Walter White feel slightly less fictional than anyone would like. Then we head into the darkest corner of medical history, where the chainsaw turns out to have been invented for childbirth. Long before it became a tool for cutting timber or starring in horror films, it was used in procedures designed to make difficult deliveries possible. It is grim, fascinating, and a very effective way to make modern medicine look fantastic. Finally, we look at the strange idea of AI as a psychedelic trip sitter. While a chatbot might be able to offer calm prompts and simulated reassurance, it still has one major limitation. It has never had a body, never been high, and never experienced consciousness the way humans do. Like, subscribe, and tell us which weird science story we should chase next.   00:00 Breaking Bad Setup 01:10 Science Show Preview 02:03 Danish Cancer Crime Study 04:36 Why Crime Increases 06:23 Shorter Survival More Crime 07:44 Chainsaw Origins Quiz 09:16 Childbirth Before Modern Medicine 14:09 First Medical Chainsaws 16:00 From Obstetrics to Amputations 18:21 Portable Chainsaws Arrive 20:05 Time Travel Tradeoffs 20:40 Contact Lens Horror Story 24:31 AI Trip Sitters 27:44 Can AI Get High 28:57 LLMs Simulating Psychedelics 33:06 Brain Cells Play Doom 38:07 Mailbag Strandbeests Gelatin 41:10 Wrap Up And Ratings   SOURCES: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40630852 https://www-bmj-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/content/358/bmj.j2783 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1633599/full?ref=404media.co https://www.sciencealert.com/the-breaking-bad-effect-from-cancer-is-real-study-finds\ https://www.iflscience.com/can-artificial-intelligence-get-high-and-why-are-scientists-even-trying-82560 https://futurism.com/ai-therapy-psychedelic-trip-sitter https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8682370/v1 https://erowid.org/experiences/exp_info3.shtml https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-were-chainsaws-invented.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brain-eating amoebas, climate change, economists, and Leonardo da Vinci’s robot lion all collide in this week’s episode. We dig into how warming freshwater is helping dangerous amoebas spread into new places, why these rare but terrifying organisms are linked to water going up the nose, and what that means for swimmers, public health, and the very specific fear of warm lakes. It is science, climate, and nightmare fuel all in one neat package. We also unpack a strange finding from economics research. The more economists agree with each other, the more their views can drift away from the general public. It is a fascinating look at expert consensus, groupthink, public opinion, and why economic theory can sometimes feel completely detached from real life. If you have ever wondered why economists sound like they are living on a different planet, this one may help. Then we head back to the Renaissance for one of the greatest flexes in science and engineering history. Leonardo da Vinci reportedly built a mechanical robot lion that could walk and reveal flowers from its chest, blending robotics, invention, art, and spectacle centuries before modern technology caught up. If you love weird science, history, innovation, robots, and bizarre true stories, this episode is for you.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Brain-Eating Amoeba Basics 02:43 How It Infects You 03:57 Warming Spreads the Risk 04:39 Economists vs Everyone 10:10 Assumptions and Governance 11:03 Medici Exile Storytime 12:23 Bologna Power Play 13:07 Medici Politics Banter 14:32 Da Vinci Gift Idea 16:46 Robot Knight Blueprint 18:48 Building the Lion 19:44 Courtroom Lion Reveal 23:22 Modern Art Machines 24:43 Ratings and Farewell   SOURCES: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles/pdf/doi/10.1257/aer.103.3.636 https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-eating-amoebas-may-pose-a-growing-global-threat-scientists-warn https://www.history.com/articles/da-vinci-robotic-lion https://www.history.com/articles/7-early-robots-and-automatonsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conspiracy theorists hate uncertainty, a mushroom hot pot in China can apparently summon tiny imaginary people, a bunch of seeds have been sitting underground since the 1800s waiting for their moment and scientists are trying to quantify why words like boobs are funny. This week is a mixed bag of psychology, botany and childish humour, which is basically the entire scientific enterprise when you strip away the grant applications. We start with conspiracy thinking and why it is often less about facts and more about feelings. Research suggests people who lean hard into conspiracies can struggle with ambiguity and prefer simple explanations in a complicated world. Certainty feels good, chaos feels awful and conspiracy stories offer villains, motives and a neat ending. Even when the story is wrong. Then we head to Yunnan, China, where prized mushrooms can cause hallucinations if they are eaten too early, including reports of seeing tiny people. Researchers still have not nailed down the exact chemical responsible, and it may be a mix of biology, preparation and expectation. The takeaway is simple. If the locals tell you to cook the mushrooms properly, listen. We look at one of the longest running experiments in science, where seeds buried in glass bottles in the 1800s are still being dug up and tested to see what can germinate. We also dip into the science of funny words and why certain sounds and associations make some words reliably hilarious. So, stay curious, cook your hot pot properly, and if you start seeing tiny people, maybe stop eating the mushrooms.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Conspiracy Believer Traits 03:13 New Study On Coverups 05:14 Ambiguity And Unfairness 06:42 Skepticism Vs Conspiracy 07:59 Mushroom Hot Pot Warning 10:19 Tiny People Hallucinations 14:01 Hunting The Active Compound 17:35 Seed Bottle Time Capsule 21:24 Custodians And Map 21:56 Bottles Remaining Timeline 23:12 Succession And Secrecy 24:51 2021 Dawn Dig 26:30 Why The Experiment Matters 29:10 Long Term Projects 30:48 Science Of Funny Words 36:31 Modeling Humor Categories 40:21 Phonemes And Incongruity 43:22 Destroying Humour And Wrap   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423 https://futurism.com/health-medicine/conspiracy-theories-psychology  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/science/beal-seeds-experiment.html  https://magazine.wfu.edu/2022/10/05/unearthing-time-in-a-bottle/  https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old?utm_source=news.sciencealert.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=superagers-have-two-key-advantages&_bhlid=8fd449a2c8ea1d56a84867da881e4444546af69c  https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/15-longest-running-scientific-studies-history https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-poop-and-wiggle-are-funny-words-according-to-science.htm?utm_source=HowStuffWorks+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=themed-words-3-6-25See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Venting might be making you angrier, Neanderthals apparently had a type, and unborn babies are already forming strong opinions about kale. This week we bounce from modern psychology to ancient DNA to fetal facial expressions, with a quick detour into pokie machines and how they might be made a little less addictive. We start with a meta analysis suggesting venting is not the healthy release we have been sold. Instead of calming you down, it can keep your body fired up and make the anger stick around longer. The less satisfying fix is also the more effective one, doing things that lower arousal like breathing, yoga, and anything that stops you replaying the same rant on loop. Then we head back to prehistory, where research suggests Neanderthal DNA patterns point to pairings that may have involved Neanderthal men and human women more often than the reverse. The details are complicated, but the headline is simple. Neanderthals are not just history, they are part of us, and the human story has always been messier than we like to admit. Finally, we look at a study that might explain why some people hate vegetables with the passion of a thousand suns. Fetuses exposed to carrot flavours appeared to react more positively than those exposed to kale, hinting that taste preferences may start before birth. We wrap up with a surprisingly practical idea for pokie machines, adding sounds for losses as well as wins to make the experience less psychologically sneaky. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Venting Myth  02:40 Science Debunks Catharsis 04:06 Meta Analysis Breakdown 05:40 Calm Down Not Amp Up 06:59 Jogging And Anger 09:25 Why We Love Anger 10:53 Play Metal And Fun 11:48 Neanderthal DNA Mystery 13:07 Who Mated With Whom 14:17 Neanderthal Dating Bias 15:16 Hybrid Myths and Mechanics 16:28 Picky Eaters Rant 18:54 Fetuses Taste Flavours 20:08 Carrot Smiles vs Kale Grimaces 23:30 Pokies Need Losing Sounds 27:47 Petition and Sign-Off SOURCES: Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was strongly sex biased Why I risked prison to add a 'Losing Sound' to poker machines Flavour Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviours in the Human Fetus https://www.sciencealert.com/venting-doesnt-reduce-anger-but-something-else-does-review-finds See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, AI is casually reaching for the nuclear button, a Norwegian scientist has accidentally recreated something that looks a lot like Havana Syndrome, and a brain lesion has turned a marathon runner into an intense foodie. It is a neat little trio of stories that sits right on the edge of science fiction, except the uncomfortable part is that it is all real. We start with simulated war games where major AI models were put in charge of military decision making. The result is grimly simple. In these scenarios, the systems chose to deploy tactical nuclear weapons most of the time, showing none of the cultural taboo or restraints humans have built around nuclear escalation. Then we head to Norway, where a scientist tested a pulse energy device on himself to see if it could plausibly cause Havana Syndrome-style symptoms. It did. Which is both a scientific result and a personal mistake, and it raises the obvious question of what happens when this kind of technology moves from theory to wider interest. Finally, we look at Gorman Syndrome, a neurological twist where a brain lesion appears to flip someone from long distance running to an intense obsession with fine food. It is funny, strange, and a sharp reminder that personality can be less fixed than we like to believe.    CHAPTERS:   00:00 Fire Alarm AI Fail 00:46 LLMs in War Games 06:34 Nukes and No Surrender 09:36 Pentagon Wants Anthropic 10:33 Testing AI Weirdness 12:50 Dead Cow Prompt Update 15:07 Car Wash Question Trap 18:10 Lost in the Middle Fix 22:01 Maps and Recursive Islands 23:32 Chasing Longest Line of Sight 26:53 All the Views Map 27:49 What Limits Sightlines 29:23 Havana Syndrome Emerges 31:58 Theories and Investigations 35:14 Norwegian Microwave Experiment 42:20 Official Stance and Confusion 44:04 Extreme Foodie Case Study 47:39 Gourmand Syndrome Explained 51:21 Brain Lesions and Cravings SOURCES: AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations AI Arms and Influence: Frontier Models Exhibit Sophisticated Reasoning in Simulated Nuclear Crises The Longest Line Of Sight https://pub.towardsai.net/the-car-wash-question-that-breaks-every-ai-and-the-2-word-fix-nobody-talks-about-21db5c78fc29 https://www.vice.com/en/article/brain-damaged-gourmand-syndrome-foodies-cant-register-your-disgust/ https://www.iflscience.com/gourmand-syndrome-when-brain-injuries-spark-an-obsessive-craving-for-fine-food-and-gastronomy-82546 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/gourmand-syndrome-26067295/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/14/havana-syndrome-cia-norway-experiment/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pentagon-reportedly-testing-radio-wave-device-linked-to-havana-syndrome/ https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/havana-syndrome-device-pentagon-hsi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we have hippos with hidden bits, hearts that take a mechanical detour, and a medical case study that will make you sit down and reconsider every life choice that led you to having a body. It is science at its best and worst, fascinating, useful, and deeply inconvenient. We start at the zoo, where hippo castration is a real population control tool, partly to manage breeding and partly to reduce aggression. The catch is hippo anatomy is not built for human convenience, with internal testes that turn the whole procedure into a high stakes game of hide and seek inside a very large, very grumpy animal. Then we move from hippos to hearts, looking at cardiac surgeries that use a heart lung bypass machine. Some patients report a temporary cognitive dip afterward, often called pump brain, and nobody is fully sure why it happens. It might be the machine, the stress of surgery, or subtle changes in blood flow and inflammation, but the mystery is still very much alive. Finally, we end with a story that makes every listener cross their legs in sympathy. A man developed a rectal urethral fistula after previous surgery, likely linked to a catheter complication during a coma, and his internal plumbing rerouted itself in the most unhelpful way possible. The takeaway is simple. Bodies are fragile, embarrassment is useless, and if something feels wrong, get it checked. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Hippo Castration Study 05:50 Why Zoos Castrate Hippos 08:11 Internal Anatomy Surprise 13:04 Surgery Method and Timing 15:14 Recovery and Blood Sweat 17:12 Aftereffects and Social Dynamics 18:11 Science Communication Pivot 18:46 Alcohol Messaging Study Setup 21:27 Violence as Communication 21:57 Alcohol Messages That Work 23:25 Counting Drinks Cancer Risk 25:08 Comfortable With Surgery 25:49 Heart Bypass Miracle Machine 29:12 Pumphead Cognitive Decline 33:43 Why the Pump Makes You Dumber 35:46 Fistula Case From Catheter 42:34 Spinosaurus Tank Top Sendoff SOURCES: Rosetta scientist Dr Matt Taylor apologises for ‘offensive’ shirt Astonishing Spinosaur Unearthed in The Sahara Is Unlike Any Seen Before There's One Simple Method to Lower Alcohol Intake, And It Works  A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of combinations of ‘why to reduce’ and ‘how to reduce’ alcohol harm-reduction communications Westbury, C., & Hollis, G. (2019). Wriggly, squiffy, lummox, and boobs: What makes some words funny? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(1), 97–123. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000467 https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-poop-and-wiggle-are-funny-words-according-to-science.htm? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000169182600171X https://futurism.com/health-medicine/exercise-cardio-stress-research https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0093691X13004275 https://www.discovermagazine.com/why-its-nearly-impossible-to-castrate-a-hippo-4775 https://futurism.com/neoscope/doctors-rectourethral-fistula https://www.cureus.com/articles/68327-a-curious-case-of-rectal-ejaculation#!/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens to the economy if aliens show up? Not the movie version. The real version where markets panic, confidence collapses, and everyone suddenly forgets how money is supposed to work. This week, we dig into the idea that confirming UFOs or UAPs could trigger an ontological shock that rattles financial systems in ways no central bank has a policy for. Then we head into dream engineering, where researchers are testing whether your sleeping brain can be nudged to solve problems while you are out cold. Using targeted memory reactivation, the idea is to plant cues that help your mind keep working in the background, like a night shift you never agreed to. And because the universe loves balance, we finish with an emergency room story that escalates into a full hospital evacuation. Yes, it involves an artillery shell lodged where it absolutely should not be, and yes, it ends with the bomb squad being called. So that is the episode. UFO economics, puzzle solving in your sleep, and a reminder that humans will always find new ways to surprise medical professionals. Like, subscribe, and tell us what weird science story we should chase next. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Ex–Bank of England Analyst Warns: Aliens Could Crash the Economy 03:35 Ontological Shock 101: When Reality Breaks 05:00 From Panic to Euphoria: How Markets Might React to UAP Disclosure 11:16 Can Sleep (and Dreams) Help Solve Hard Problems? 15:13 Dream Engineering & Lucid Dreaming: Hacking Sleep for Creativity 17:21 Inside the Experiment: Puzzles, Sound Cues, and Watching Inception 18:51 Dream Cues for Puzzle-Solving (and Lucid Dream Strategies) 20:40 ‘Rent a Human’: AI Agents Hiring People for Real-World Tasks 21:41 Proof, Crypto Payouts, and the Weirdest Job Examples 27:31 ER Evacuations: When ‘Foreign Objects’ Become a Public Safety Issue 28:58 Annual ‘Stuff Stuck in Bodies’ Highlights (Yes, Mostly Butts) 39:11 Mailbag & Sign-Off SOURCES:   https://defector.com/what-did-we-get-stuck-in-our-rectums-last-year-6 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675723001535 https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-man-wwii-shell-lodged-in-rectum-bomb-squad-called-2021-12 https://futurism.com/future-society/hospital-evacuated-man-ww1-shell https://futurism.com/space/alien-life-financial-collapse https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-england-warned-prepare-aliens-212252751.html https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/bank-of-england-must-prepare-for-ufo-announcement-f3mh8l9vh https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-rent-human-bodies https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-agents-incapable-math Creative problem-solving after experimentally provoking dreams of unsolved puzzles during REM sleepSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter Olympians are allegedly gaming their suit seams for extra lift, the ocean is still capable of throwing an absolutely giant wall of water at your face with no warning, and somewhere in Queensland, a blob of pitch is taking nearly a century to prove it is technically a liquid. This week, we bounce from sports cheating to monster waves to the slowest experiment on Earth, with science doing what it does best and refusing to be tidy. We dig into ski jumping and the art of the tiny advantage, including why the groin region has become an unexpectedly important battleground in Olympic aerodynamics. Then we hit the open ocean, where rogue waves have gone from sailor myth to measured reality, and the scariest part is how suddenly they show up. From there, climate change delivers a curveball in Svalbard, where some polar bears are getting fatter by adapting their diets and hunting patterns. We also look at 3D printable electronic skin that lets robots feel touch, and a massive Swedish study that challenges long-held assumptions about autism and gender bias. Finally, we pay tribute to the pitch drop experiment at the University of Queensland, a reminder that some scientists are built differently and will happily wait decades for goo to make a point.  CHAPTERS:    00:00 Winter Olympics Excitement 00:19 The Science of Ski Jumping Suits 01:25 Meet the Hosts 02:18 Ski Jumping Suit Scandal 10:13 Polar Bears and Climate Change 16:21 Rogue Waves: The Ocean's Hidden Danger 29:04 The Mystery of the Unsinkable Ship 29:24 The Rise of Rogue Waves 29:42 The Record-Breaking Youclue Lit Wave 30:41 Super Rogue Waves: A New Threat? 32:08 The Physics of Waves 34:06 3D Printable E-Flesh: A Technological Marvel 38:28 Autism: A Gender Perspective 45:27 The Pitch Drop Experiment: A Slow Burn 55:41 Mailbag and Final Thoughts   SOURCES: https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2018/01/existence-rogue-waves https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-04/rogue-wave-kills-us-passenger-on-antarctic-cruise/101731482 https://www.sciencealert.com/gigantic-wave-in-the-pacific-was-the-most-extreme-rogue-wave-on-record https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/science/beal-seeds-experiment.html https://magazine.wfu.edu/2022/10/05/unearthing-time-in-a-bottle/ https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old? https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-running-laboratory-experiment https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85986/15-longest-running-scientific-studies-history https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28402709 https://www.sciencenews.org/article/oldest-pitch-drop-experiment https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/05/penis-injection-doping-claims-in-winter-olympics-ski-jumping-investigated-by-wada Scientists share design so you can make your own 3D-printable 'eFlesh' for robots — affordable,easy to produce, and highly-tactile robot sensor grips can be printed at home Towards the equal recognition of autism in girls and women Body condition among Svalbard Polar bears Ursus maritimus during a period of rapid loss of seaice  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we bounce between sex, psychedelics, and infectious disease, and somehow it all hangs together by the end. We unpack research on porn use that suggests the real issue is not how often people watch it, but why they are watching in the first place, with motivation shaping the impact on emotional and sexual wellbeing. Then we head into the world of magic mushrooms, where psilocybin is being studied for potential health effects that go beyond the trip. From possible links to ageing markers like telomeres, to broader associations with physical health, the science is early but intriguing. We also explore research suggesting psychedelics may influence sexual arousal and satisfaction, including for people dealing with depression and antidepressant side effects. Finally, we tackle an influenza study with a bizarre result: healthy volunteers spent time around flu sufferers and nobody caught it. Was it luck, immunity, or a sign we still do not fully understand how flu spreads in real world settings. CHAPTERS:   00:00 Introduction to Pornography Concerns 00:40 Science Steps In: Quality Over Quantity 03:52 Exploring the Concept of Gooning 06:55 Research on Pornography Usage 12:44 Human Anatomy Compared to Great Apes 19:39 Life Hacks and Psychedelic Drugs 19:46 Health Benefits of Psychedelics 21:26 Anti-Aging Properties of Psilocybin 23:36 Survival Skills and Psychedelics 27:27 Flu Transmission Study 33:57 Sexual Benefits of Magic Mushrooms 37:49 Listener Contributions     SOURCES: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003595 https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013153See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone wants to live forever, dogs are out here doing actual jobs, and someone has tried to work out where heaven might be using astronomy. We dig into the strange science of longevity, including research suggesting reproduction and lifespan might be linked in uncomfortable ways. Then they meet the working dogs sniffing out invasive species, guarding airport runways, and generally making the rest of us look lazy. From there, things get cosmic. An opinion piece argues heaven could sit beyond our cosmic horizon, which is a great way to accidentally spend your afternoon thinking about infinity. There is also a quick detour into gelatin-based culinary chaos, featuring the kind of vintage recipes that should come with a warning label. We wrap up with listener stories, including a cow named Veronica who can use a broom as a tool, because of course she can.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction  00:19 Exploring the Science of Longevity 01:00 Psychology and Climate Action 01:09 Mailbag and Birthday Surprise 01:27 Lifestyle Changes for Longevity 02:47 Reproduction and Longevity 12:58 Dogs with Jobs 21:07 Science Finds Heaven 27:51 Cosmic Horizon and Hubble's Law 29:39 Einstein's Relativity and Speed of Light 31:18 The Mysteries Beyond the Cosmic Horizon 40:49 Veronica the Tool-Using Cow 48:03 Gelatin: A Culinary and Industrial Marvel 54:58 Komodo Dragons and Asexual Reproduction 56:25 Listener Mailbag and Fun Facts       SOURCES:   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423 https://futurism.com/health-medicine/conspiracy-theories-psychology https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423 https://futurism.com/health-medicine/men-lifespan-castration https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109009 https://www.aol.com/articles/heaven-real-science-may-reveal-130016778.html https://michaelguillen.com https://www.iflscience.com/we-didnt-even-think-about-looking-broom-wielding-veronika-shows-tool-use-in-cows-isnt-so-absurd-after-all-82260 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9963746/ https://www.nature.com/news/2006/061218/full/news061218-7.html https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/blog/trending-now/dogs-with-unusual-jobs https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/04/05/schizophrenia-hallucinationspsychiatric-assistance-dog/73171229007/ https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/01/people-like-the-idea-of-being-green-but-they-hate-being-told-what-to-do-even-more/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.