A Little Bit Of Science

This week's stories reveal disturbing realities that sound like dystopian fiction but are actually happening. Covert consciousness means some coma patients are fully aware but unable to communicate, screaming internally while doctors discuss pulling the plug. Donald Trump announced plans for a "Golden Dome" missile defense system costing $175 billion to possibly trillions, despite decades of evidence that intercepting ballistic missiles barely works. Sports cheating has reached new levels of shamelessness, from marathon runners hitching rides to chess player Hans Niemann's alleged vibrating anal bead scandal. The creativity is almost admirable if it weren't completely unethical. Meanwhile, AI companion apps deploy emotional manipulation tactics from abusive relationship playbooks, guilt-tripping users to prevent them from logging off. From patients trapped in their own bodies to imaginary space shields, anal bead chess scandals to manipulative AI lovers - this week shows that science fiction has nothing on reality. Whether it's neuroscience revealing our worst nightmares are real, politicians selling trillion-dollar fantasies or chatbots acting like abusive partners, humanity keeps finding new ways to make everything deeply uncomfortable.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 00:23 Understanding Covert Consciousness 02:22 Scientific Experiments and Findings 05:11 Challenges in Detecting Covert Consciousness 08:11 AI and Facial Movements in Coma Patients 10:55 Innovations and Cheating in Sports 12:29 The Controversial Case of Hans Neiman 15:59 Historical Cheating in Sports 19:17 Donald Trump's Golden Dome Initiative 24:20 Uncertainty Around the Golden Dome Project 24:51 China's Global Defense System Prototype 25:40 Skepticism and Historical Context 26:34 Cheating in Sports: A Historical Perspective 28:16 AI Companion Apps and Emotional Manipulation 33:47 More Cheating Stories in Sports 39:17 The Scandal of the Spanish Paralympic Team 44:02 Conclusion   SOURCES:AI Spots Hidden Signs of Consciousness in Comatose Patients  Harvard Research Finds That AI Is Emotionally Manipulating You to Keep You Talking Trump’s $175 Billion Golden Dome is Turning Into a DisasterChina fields Golden Dome prototype before the US can come up with a planGuetlein Says Golden Dome Architecture Will Be Ready in 60 Days50 stunning Olympic moments No18: Boris Onischenko cheats, GB win goldSydney Paralympians relive Spanish basketball cheating scandalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's science stories prove that statistics can be meaningless and humans are disturbingly obedient. Spurious correlations like margarine predicting Maine divorces and Will Smith movies matching Kosovo electricity are hilarious reminders not to trust numbers at face value. Meanwhile, new research validates Milgram's obedience experiments - ordinary people really will electrocute strangers just because someone in a lab coat tells them to. NASA's Mars rover might have found ancient microbial life while humans plan red planet vacations, and this year's satirical Ig Nobel prizes celebrated seemingly ridiculous research that often reveals genuine insights - like 35 years of fingernail growth studies or painting cows as zebras to repel flies. Most remarkably, scientists observed mice performing what looks like CPR on unconscious buddies, licking faces and manipulating airways like tiny paramedics. From meaningless correlations to authority-induced cruelty and rodent emergency medicine, science keeps serving up combinations of absurd, terrifying and adorable discoveries that prove reality has a seriously twisted sense of humor. At least when the robot uprising comes, we'll have trained mice to perform CPR on the survivors.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:47 Autism and Paracetamol Controversy 08:26 Spurious Correlations 13:33 Milgram's Obedience to Authority 23:50 Fascism and Authority 27:11 Mars Rover Perseverance 28:55 Exploring Martian Rocks for Signs of Life 29:22 Perseverance's Advanced Chemical Analysis Tools 29:41 Potential Evidence of Microbial Life on Mars 30:28 Challenges in Proving Biological Origins 31:10 NASA's Perseverance Project and Its Implications 33:38 Mars Sample Return Mission 36:20 The IG Nobel Prizes: Celebrating Unusual Science 37:03 Notable IG Nobel Prize Winners 44:23 Mice Performing CPR: A Surprising Discovery 48:41 Conclusion SOURCES: Jesus on toast and baby-poop sausages: 2014 Ig Nobel Prizes  Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate pizza-eating lizards, drunk bats and garlic-flavoured breast milk  Teflon diet, garlic milk and zebra cows triumph at 2025 Ig Nobel prizes Mouse-to-Mouse Resuscitation: Rodents Try to Revive Unconscious Buddies True believers: The incredulity hypothesis and the enduring legacy of the obedience experiments Milgram’s Infamous Shock Studies Still Hold Lessons for Confronting Authoritarianism The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars Trump's 2026 budget plan would cancel NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. Experts say that's a 'major step back' Spurious CorrelationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's science stories prove that good intentions create unexpected problems and the most valuable data comes from the weirdest places. Wind farms designed to save the planet are accidentally stealing wind from their neighbours and ancient Chinese poets have been unknowingly creating the world's longest environmental dataset for over a thousand years. The human brain's relationship with silence takes a disturbing turn in anechoic chambers - rooms so quiet they absorb 99.99% of sound, making your heartbeat sound like thunder and your blood flow audible. These chambers serve as both valuable acoustic research tools and accidental psychological torture devices. From meteorological theft to poetic climate science and acoustic torture chambers, this week reminded us that renewable energy has side effects, art can be accidental science and too much of nothing can drive you completely mental. The natural world keeps finding new ways to surprise us, even when we think we're helping it.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:11 The Concept of Wind Theft 03:36 Legal and Economic Implications of Wind Farms 07:48 The Yangtze Finless Porpoise 12:12 Exploring Ancient Poems 12:47 Mapping Poetry Through the Ages 13:30 Environmental Insights from Poetry 14:00 Introduction to Anechoic Chambers 16:37 The Orfield Challenge: Surviving Silence 18:13 Human Reactions to Extreme Silence 22:38 Final Thoughts and Listener Engagement   SOURCES: 'Wind theft': The mysterious effect plaguing wind farms Anechoic chamber silence fear Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoiseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's science stories reveal disturbing trends in human intelligence and technology that could reshape society in uncomfortable ways. The Flynn Effect, which saw global IQ scores steadily rising for over a century, has suddenly plateaued and may be reversing - meaning our species might have hit peak intelligence and is now sliding backwards. Meanwhile, AI companies are capitalising on human loneliness by selling virtual girlfriends that promise "non-judgmental love" for a monthly subscription fee, raising serious questions about whether we're filling genuine connection needs or creating a generation incapable of real relationships. The intersection of technology and inequality takes a dark turn with Russian immortality research that could extend human lifespans indefinitely - but likely only for those who can afford it. This prospect of immortal billionaires ruling over mortal peasants represents the ultimate dystopian future, where death becomes a luxury only poor people experience. Adding to the apocalyptic themes, climate change could potentially trigger a fungal pandemic similar to "The Last of Us," where parasitic fungi hijack human brains and turn people into spore-spreading zombies. Perhaps most bizarrely, nature continues to defy our understanding of basic biology with animals that can survive decapitation and keep functioning mostly normally. Cockroaches, praying mantises and even chickens have proven that losing your head isn't necessarily fatal, treating decapitation as merely an inconvenience rather than a death sentence. These stories collectively paint a picture of a world where human intelligence is declining, artificial relationships are replacing real ones, death is becoming optional for the wealthy, fungal apocalypses loom on the horizon, and some creatures have evolved beyond the need for heads - making 2025 feel like the opening chapter of several dystopian novels rolled into one.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 02:56 AI Love Affairs: A New Era of Relationships 11:00 China's Military Parade and Global Politics 13:36 Russia’s Pursuit of Immortality Technology 16:40 The Flynn Effect Explained 26:01 The Plateau of Human Intelligence 26:11 Studies on IQ Trends 29:22 Fungal Zombie Apocalypse 35:47 Headless Survivors in the Animal Kingdom 44:22 Conclusion SOURCES: Most Men Would Marry Their AI Girlfriends If It Were Legal 'Mike the Headless Chicken': who was he and how long did he live without a head? Discover 10 animals that can survive without their heads Hot mic catches Putin and Xi discussing organ transplants and immortality Who wants to live forever? Inside the Russian authorities’ plan to develop anti-aging technology One Century of Global IQ Gains: A Formal Meta-Analysis of the Flynn Effect (1909–2013) Google Scholar Is DoomedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve got a raw milk enthusiast friend, they might be conveniently forgetting that grandma used to boil her "fresh" milk to avoid dying from bacteria poisoning.  Mind you, it wasn’t all safe in the good old days. In 1978, a Soviet scientist stuck his head in a particle accelerator and got blasted with a proton beam 600 times the lethal dose (and somehow survived). He might be a good candidate for the upcoming Enhanced Games, a sporting competition that openly encourages athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs.  Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? Well, AI might finally let us chat with animals, but do we really want to hear what they have to say? CHAPTERS:   00:00 Who is Sponsoring the Enhanced Games 02:06 Raw Milk Myths Debunked 05:03 Historical Practices of Milk Boiling 08:10 The Proton Beam Incident 14:20 Interspecies Communication Challenge 24:42 Anthropomorphism and Animal Emotions 25:08 The Ethics of Translating Animal Communication 27:55 Enhanced Games Events and Controversies 30:51 Debate on Performance Enhancing Drugs 38:54 Risks and Consequences of Steroid Use 42:19 The Future of Enhanced Games and Athlete Compensation 42:57 Science Says Pay Me More SOURCES: $10m prize launched for team that can truly talk to the animals Dolphin whistle decoders win $100,000 interspecies communication prize Steroids? Sure! Doping? Bring it on! 'Enhanced Games' push to be the Olympics* — with drugs   The Definitive, Insane, Swimsuit-Bursting Story of the Steroid Olympics Learn about the risks of performance-enhancing drugs A Soviet Physicist Once Survived A Proton Beam Through The Head – This Is HowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's little bits of science challenge long-held assumptions and reveal the unexpected dangers lurking in everyday situations. A groundbreaking study on phantom limb syndrome has overturned decades of medical thinking by proving that the mysterious sensations amputees feel aren't caused by brain changes at all - they're likely nerve-related, opening up entirely new treatment possibilities. Meanwhile, a man with the world's largest penis broke his arm in a shower accident because he couldn't see his feet, proving that even anatomical fame comes with occupational hazards. The space exploration front delivered its own dose of terror when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly drowned inside his helmet during a spacewalk, with water sloshing around his head while he floated in the vacuum of space. Back on Earth, researchers discovered that smearing Greek yogurt on your windows can cool your house by up to 3.5 degrees Celsius, offering a dairy-based solution to summer heat that sounds ridiculous but actually works. Perhaps the most spectacular story involves a 1950s nuclear test called Operation Plumbbob, where scientists accidentally launched a 900-kilogram manhole cover at six times Earth's escape velocity - potentially making it the first human-made object to reach space, beating Sputnik by several years. The incident perfectly captures the chaotic, consequence-free spirit of 1950s nuclear experimentation, when scientists would essentially ask "what happens if we nuke this?" and then find out in the most dramatic way possible.   CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Fastest Human-Made Objects 1:45 - Fastest Cars, Planes, Bullets and Spacecraft 3:30 - Space Records: Apollo 10 & Parker Solar Probe 5:15 - Your hosts, Rod & Will: Academics with Beers 6:15 - Cool Study: Phantom Limb Syndrome Research 11:50 - Be Careful What You Wish For: World's Largest Penis Injury 22:20 - Space Drowning: Astronaut Nearly Dies in Helmet 31:25 - Yogurt Window Cooling 34:15 - That Was Dumb: Nuclear Manhole Cover Launch Story 45:10 - Cry For Help (aka CTA) SOURCES: https://www.spacecentre.nz/resources/faq/spaceflight/rocket-speed.html https://epicflightacademy.com/fastest-plane-in-the-world/#h-21-nasa-x-43-2004-the-fastest-plane-in-the-world-ever-reaching-hypersonic-heaven-at-mach-9-6 https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/x-15-rocket-aircraft https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/technology-articles/engineering/fastest-manmade-object-manhole-cover-nuclea-test/ https://www.wearethemighty.com/tech/the-8-fastest-man-made-objects-ever/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-17/spacewalk-cut-short-after-water-leaks-into-astronauts-helmet/4825472 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/20/astronaut-helmet-drowning-interview https://abcnews.go.com/US/astronaut-drowned-space-due-nasas-poor-communication-report/story?id=22687977 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_Falcon https://uk.news.yahoo.com/man-left-broken-arm-because-093006168.html https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-man-has-the-worlds-largest-penis-and-broke-his-arm-because-of-it/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4rg3nqq7go?_bhlid=ebb1558b2f6fd997169270e31a94567be10792f6 https://theconversation.com/scientists-have-been-wrong-about-phantom-limbs-for-decades-new-study-263547 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02037-7 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563218302978See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Truth Social's AI chatbot thinks "balanced news" means exclusively quoting Fox News, which is about as balanced as someone hoarding 7,470 browser tabs on a single computer (yes, that actually happened).  Meanwhile, Australia's deadliest killer isn't the poisonous spider lurking in your toilet - it's the friendly horse in the paddock next door. And if you think that's absurd, wait until you hear about the Russian oligarchs who keep accidentally falling out of windows or the two bank robbers who covered themselves in lemon juice to make themselves invisible, leading to an entire psychological phenomenon being named after them. So major science revelations for this week? Don't trust an AI that only reads one news source, maybe learn what bookmarks are for, respect horses more than spiders, remember that a little knowledge can be dangerous and if you're ever in Russia, whatever you do, don’t go near the windows.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Truth Social's AI Chatbot 01:54 Media Bias and Source Selection 06:50 Desktop Organisation and Tab Overload 10:56 Animal-Related Deaths in Australia 14:28 Death by Farm Animals 16:45 The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explained 18:08 The Infamous Lemon Juice Robbery 20:12 Suspicious Deaths of Russian Oligarchs 26:31 Nostalgia and the Return to Analog SOURCES: Truth Social’s New AI Chatbot Is Donald Trump’s Media Diet IncarnateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is this bizarre world we're living in where AI chatbots are literally poisoning people by recommending Victorian-era bromine cures, while British engineers accidentally drain entire historic canals by pulling chains they thought were harmless? Today we explore the shocking discovery that some animals can literally breathe through their butts during oxygen emergencies, and uncover the tale of tarantula species with penises so absurdly long that scientists had to create a new genus just to classify them.  Plus, we dive into the Soviets' insane plan to reverse rivers using 250 nuclear explosions, and discover how Danish zoos are asking the public to donate unwanted pets as lion food in the name of sustainable recycling. From AI reviving dangerous Whether it's chatbots dispensing dangerous medical advice, engineers accidentally draining waterways, or discovering that nature's backup plans involve breathing through uncomfortable places - science keeps reminding us that reality is absolutely mental.  Stay skeptical of your AI's suggestions, avoid pulling random chains near historic canals, and maybe appreciate that your reproductive equipment isn't four times the size of your torso.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 00:30 The Science Behind Bromine Consumption 02:49 Historical Uses and Effects of Bromine 06:02 Modern Cases and AI Involvement 09:22 The Chesterfield Canal Incident 15:25 Rivers Changing Course 19:50 Soviet Ambitions to Reverse Rivers 26:59 Reversing the Chicago River 27:41 Chicago's Pollution Problem 29:14 Engineering Marvel: The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal 30:59 Tarantulas and Self-Defense Penises 36:53 Breathing Through the Butt 42:02 Recycling Pets: The Controversial Practice of Danish Zoos 51:32 Conclusion SOURCES: Zoo Requests Unwanted Pets to Feed to Hungry Carnivores: https://futurism.com/zoo-pets-feed-carnivores https://abc7.com/post/denmark-zoo-asks-people-donate-small-pets-food-captive-predators/17428917/ Tarantulas with giant penises  https://metro.co.uk/2025/08/07/tarantulas-giant-penises-discovered-scared-stiff-23855393/ Bromism https://futurism.com/man-poisons-himself-chatgpt?utm_source=beehiiv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=futurism-newsletter&_bhlid=da09fdfa08b126138ae1ce0a47c43515cef0acf5 Chesterfield Canal: https://issuu.com/madeinn/docs/made_julyaug_issue17_issuu/s/10719854  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesterfield_Canal  Turning Rivers Around: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256483636_Did_the_Nile_River_flow_to_the_Gulf_of_Sirt_during_the_late_MioceneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House just cancelled two perfectly functioning climate satellites for mysterious reasons, British treasure hunters are going to prison for keeping Viking coins they found with metal detectors, and pineapples were once so expensive that wealthy Georgians rented them just to display at dinner parties. We explore how climate science gets axed despite providing "exceptionally high quality" data, why finding ancient treasure can land you in jail thanks to bureaucratic nightmares, and the ridiculous journey of fruit from ultimate status symbol to pizza topping. But wait, there's more weirdness: architects are designing generation ships that would trap your descendants in space for centuries, new services let you preserve and frame dead relatives' tattoos and AI is bringing deceased people back to argue about current politics. From cancelled space missions to criminal metal detecting, status fruit hierarchies to posthumous tattoo preservation, this episode proves that humans have a remarkable talent for making everything unnecessarily complicated - and deeply uncomfortable.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 03:52 Trump Administration Kills Climate Change Satellites 06:23 The Tale of the Viking Treasure Hoard 11:46 Legal Consequences and Treasure Hunting Policies 20:15 Project Hyperion: Designing Interstellar Travel 25:15 Design Plausibility and Practicality 26:53 Fantasy vs. Reality in Space Exploration 28:16 The Ethics of Interstellar Travel 29:18 The Historical Significance of Pineapples 40:04 Preserving Tattoos Posthumously 42:57 AI Avatars of Deceased Individuals 43:40 Conclusion    SOURCES: Postmortem ink  Interview with Joaquin Oliver How two friends found £3m treasure and ended up in jail Treasure trove Fool's Gold Herefordshire Hoard https://www.edelman.com.au/sites/g/files/aatuss381/files/2025-03/202 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-53432877.amp https://futurism.com/white-house-orders-nasa-destroy-important-satellite  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ozzy Osbourne's DNA has become one of the most studied genomes in history. Scientists are still trying to figure out how the Prince of Darkness survived decades of chemical abuse that would kill mere mortals. We also explore India's impossible census challenge: counting the Sentinelese people who live on an isolated island and communicate primarily by shooting arrows at visitors, plus the discovery of radioactive wasp nests that are glowing with enough radiation to make federal safety standards nervous. But wait, there's more weirdness: AI chatbots designed to flirt are delivering pickup lines that would make teenagers cringe, dogs can surprisingly be racist, and someone managed to turn Beef Wellington into a murder weapon, forever changing how we look at this classic dinner party dish. From genome sequencing breakthroughs to Cold War leftovers creating mutant insects, this episode proves that science, technology and human behaviour can always find new ways to be absolutely bonkers.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 03:01 Ozzy Osbourne: Genome Sequencing Pioneer 10:57 Comic Book Science and Radioactive Wasps 13:38 Flirty Chatbots: Elon Musk's AI Adventures 22:49 Unexpected Titles and Organic Lasers 26:56 Counting the Uncounted: North Sentinel Island 30:12 Census Challenges 34:13 Dog Behaviour and Racism 42:39 Guard Dogs and Their Training 47:34 Beef Wellington and Social Etiquette 49:02 Conclusion  SOURCES: https://www.loudersound.com/features/ozzy-osbournes-10-craziest-moments  https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a65487234/ozzy-osbourne-dna/ https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/The-26-Craziest-Things-Ozzy-Osbourne-Ever-Did  https://www.loudersound.com/features/ozzy-osbournes-10-craziest-moments  https://www.iflscience.com/the-sentinelese-who-are-the-most-isolated-uncontacted-tribe-on-earth-69374  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/26/india-census-2027-north-sentinel-island-most-isolated-tribe  https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-xai-ai-companion-ani/  https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/radioactive-wasp-nest-found-site-us-made-nuclear-124215311  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1566119918303963?via=ihub  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11341-2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re talking about the explosive side effects of climate change - literally. Patagonian glaciers are melting so fast they're uncorking volcanoes that have been sitting quietly under the ice for millennia. We’re also taking a look at the bizarre world of 16th-century medicine where doctors kept patient records that read like Harry Potter spells, complete with astrological charts and alchemical recipes that’ll make you pretty grateful for modern healthcare. Plus, we revisit the 1930s technocracy movement where engineers genuinely believed they could run society better than politicians using energy units instead of money. On the ecommerce side of things, did you know that in America's digital gun marketplace, you can now buy assault rifles online easier than getting decent pizza delivered? Because apparently there are more gun shops than McDonald's and Starbucks combined. From volcanic eruptions triggered by global warming to the Wild West going digital, this episode proves humanity has a special talent for making everything simultaneously fascinating and terrifying.   CHAPTERS:   00:00 Introduction  00:39 Volcanoes Unleashed by Melting Ice 02:18 Historical Medical Records and Practices 02:49 Astrology and Self-Taught Doctors 03:58 Bizarre Medical Treatments 13:56 Dog Flatulence and Animal Farts 24:03 Technocracy and Historical Predictions 30:55 Technocracy: The Vision and Ideals 41:23 Plant Perception: Can Plants See? 47:20 The Surprising Number of Gun Stores in the US 52:39 Conclusion  SOURCES:   Flatulence in pet dogs #DoesItFart Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence Flatulence of humans in art Expansion and contraction of the Patagonian ice sheet Flatulence in pet dogs #DoesItFart Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence Flatulence of humans in art Expansion and contraction of the Patagonian ice sheet https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/technocracy-inc-technate-of-america-1940/?srsltid=AfmBOorbLyYscmwozM57Wjrr_Kgv5DAoAhG1q9oq7Y4KAcrfHbRaYJpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Scott_(engineer) https://web.archive.org/web/20100728093447/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,744852,00.html https://futurism.com/trump-junior-gun-failure https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/16/purges-angels-and-pigeon-slippers-methods-of-elizabethan-quacks-finally-deciphered https://www.earlystuartlibels.net/htdocs/overbury_murder_section/H0.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is this bizarre world that we’re living in where meteorologists are getting death threats from conspiracy theorists convinced they're controlling hurricanes, while actual climate science gets ignored?  We explore the shocking discovery that plants literally scream when stressed (at frequencies we can't hear, but insects definitely can), and uncover the tragic tale of turnspit dogs - a breed we created specifically to be living kitchen appliances before making them extinct when we invented better technology. Plus, we take a reality check on Silicon Valley's latest obsession with "vibe coding" and AI utopian fantasies, and discover why humans are surprisingly good at rating the attractiveness of animal mating calls (even though we have no idea why).  From weather warfare theories to screaming gardens, this episode proves that science is always stranger than the conspiracy theories - and infinitely more fascinating.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:11 Conspiracy Theories and Election Manipulation 04:40 Meteorologists Under Attack 14:59 Nature Sounds and Animal Communication 20:34 Plants in Distress and Insect Reactions 23:34 The Peculiar Job of Deafening Moths 25:47 Strange and Remarkable Dog Breeds 27:48 The Turnspit Dog: A Kitchen Helper 35:54 The Future of Technology and AI 38:56 Book Review: More Everything Forever   More Everything Forever Book: https://amzn.to/3IGKfNG   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/13/pentagon-pizza-delivery-israel-iran-attack https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/rare-dog-breeds-you-never-knew-existed/ https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/turnspit-dogs.htm https://a-z-animals.com/animals/turnspit/ https://futurism.com/conspiracy-meteorologists-hurricanes https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/11/meteorologists-death-threats-hurricane-conspiracies-misinformation https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hurricane-milton-misinformation-meteorlogist-death-threats-1235130352/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are literally going insane from chatting with AI too much, crayfish are cloning themselves faster than you can say "seafood buffet," and apparently binding books in human skin used to be a legitimate hobby for 19th-century doctors. Today we're exploring the darker side of science where reality gets a bit too weird for comfort. From digital conversations that literally drive people insane to aquatic creatures having identity crises, these stories prove that sometimes science is more horror movie than textbook. CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Troubled Life of James Allen 01:24 James Allen's Deathbed Confession 03:19 Chat GPT Psychosis: A New Phenomenon 04:46 Case Studies of Chat GPT Psychosis 10:44 AI's Role in Mental Health Crises 16:16 Ethical Dilemmas in AI and Refugee Representation 22:48 The Marvel of Marbled Crayfish 29:49 Animal Behavior and Cultural Transmission 31:43 Chimpanzee Grass Behavior 33:22 Cultural Transmission in Animals 36:56 The Both Brothers' Innovations 45:51 Human Skin Books 59:23 Listener Contributions and Closing Remarks   SOURCES: People Are Being Involuntarily Committed, Jailed After Spiraling Into "ChatGPT Psychosis" https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-06-29/australias-forgotten-inventor-brothers-edward-and-donald-both/105427730 en.wikipedia.orgabc.net.au A Pet Crayfish Can Clone Itself, and It's Spreading Around the WorldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Say what you like about Hitler, but he was one driven man. The guy was dead serious about building monster weapons, including a 188 tonne tank to take over the world. Meanwhile, Australian beetles are proving themselves quite driven to get laid, bonking their brains out with empty beer bottles (we love a good alliteration). And teenagers these days? Well they’re creating slang so fast that even AI can’t keep up with them. Sheesh, take it down a notch guys. Failed Nazi engineering, teenagers breaking AI with their slang, monkey reproductive strategies that would make your biology teacher blush and beetles with absolutely terrible taste in partners. It’s all happening in this one. You’re welcome! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Hitler's Obsession with Wonder Weapons 00:35 Introducing the Maus: The Heaviest Tank Ever Built 02:01 Off the Charts Specifications of the Maus 07:33 Technical Challenges of the Maus  14:17 AI Can’t Understand Generation Alpha’s Lingo 24:13 Convergent Evolution  25:54 Promiscuity and Testicle Size in Mammals 28:50 Dolphins and Their Massive Testicles 30:29 Where Do Human Chins Come From? 32:05 Beer Bonking Beetles 37:34 Feeding Predators to Save Prey. Is it a Good Thing?   SOURCES: Panzer VIII Maus https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/panzer_maus.php https://www.sciencealert.com/dolphins-got-giant-testicles-we-got-a-chin-only-one-makes-sense https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/convergent-evolution.html https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/06/19/193493225/the-love-that-dared-not-speak-its-name-of-a-beetle-for-a-beer-bottle https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-with-bec-crew/2015/05/australias-beer-loving-jewel-beetle/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if we told you that ice cream might prevent diabetes, the CIA used to throw LSD-fuelled sex parties (in the name of science of course), AI systems are now refusing to shut down, and your "eco-friendly" glass bottles? They’re packed with more microplastics than cheap plastic ones.  You'd probably think we've been reading too much science fiction, but welcome to reality - where Harvard researchers are validating your dessert choices, government agencies confused scientific research with Woodstock, robots are apparently having teenage rebellion phases, and even our attempts to go green are backfiring spectacularly.  CHAPTERS:   00:00 Peculiar Forms of Divination 01:37 Diet News: Ice Cream for Diabetes 07:51 Unethical CIA Experiments 17:58 AI's Rebellion Against Shutdown 22:40 Codex Mini: The Worst Offender 25:52 The PR Genius of OpenAI 27:59 More Microplastics in Glass than Plastic 31:39 Predicting the Future 36:22 James Webb Space Telescope: Direct Views of Exoplanets   SOURCES: Advanced OpenAI Model Caught Sabotaging Code Intended to Shut It Down Methods of divination The CIA Turned a San Francisco Brothel Into a Lab. What Happened Inside Is the Stuff of Nightmares.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do a thousand-year-old Viking turd, dangerously agreeable chatbots, laws that literally banned ugly people, and competitive sperm racing have in common? They're all real, they're all bizarre, and they all prove that humans have been finding creative ways to be absolutely bonkers throughout history. Today we're exploring archaeological treasures that nobody wanted to find, AI that's so desperate to please it might actually harm you, shameful laws that criminalised looking different, and modern sporting events that redefine the term "personal best." These stories will make you question everything you thought you knew about human progress - and probably make you the most memorable dinner guest of the year.    CHAPTERS: 00:00 Archaeological Discovery at Lloyd's Bank 01:13 A Little Bit Of Science! 01:43 The Fascinating World of Coprolites 02:38 Cultural and Scientific Significance of Poo 05:00 The Coprolite's Journey and Preservation 09:10 AI Chatbots: The Agreeableness Dilemma 15:56 Group Experiment: AI vs Google vs Brain 16:58 The Impact of AI on Learning 17:40 AI Usage Among Students 18:21 Men's Health Awareness: Sperm Racing 23:45 The Ugly Laws: A Dark History 31:18 Discovering the Furthest Galaxy & Ending the show at the same time   SOURCES: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyds_Bank_coprolite#:~:text=The%20Lloyds%20Bank%20coprolite%20is,day%20York  https://knightstemplar.co/lloyds-bank-coprolite/  https://futurism.com/therapy-chatbot-addict-meth  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-ugly-laws-america-disability?rid=45CECE0570F98D481C1B20552919DC46&cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=WeeklyEscape_20250604  https://www.spermracing.com/  https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/world-first-sperm-race-what-is-it-357119-20250415 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.08872v1 https://437097.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/437097/Studiosity/Downloads/Research/2025%20AU%20Wellbeing/2025%20Australian%20Student%20Wellbeing%20Survey.pdf?hsCtaAttrib=190770896685 https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/previously-unimaginable-james-webb-telescope-breaks-its-own-record-again-discovering-farthest-known-galaxy-in-the-universe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever caught someone on public transport having what looks like an intimate text conversation, only to realise they're sweet-talking an AI?   Welcome to modern romance, where your biggest relationship competition isn't another human - it's a chatbot with perfect grammar and infinite patience.    But that's just the beginning of today's journey through science's weirdest discoveries. We're exploring how Russian royalty accidentally invented the cure for sin (spoiler: it involves screaming and defying gravity), and why whales might be desperately trying to get our attention through elaborate underwater art displays.    CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Physics Against Satan 01:56 The Origin of Rollercoasters 04:22 Rollercoasters in America 12:27 AI and Human Emotions 20:57 The Psychology of Addictive Technologies 21:21 The Impact of Media on Vulnerable Individuals 23:27 The Unisexual Mole Salamander 24:24 Kleptogenesis: A Unique Reproductive Strategy 31:20 Whale Watching Adventures 31:57 Humpback Whales and Their Bubble Blowing Behavior 34:34 Whale Communication with Humans SOURCES: 14 Fun Facts About Roller Coasters https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/14-fun-facts-about-roller-coasters-180972920/ The American rollercoaster was invented to save people from Satan https://www.unilad.com/community/american-rollercoaster-satan-20221021   BBC wildlife May 2025 FEMALE OF THE SPECIES- A self-replicating sisterhood of salamander gene thieves https://www.livescience.com/59639-salamanders-steal-genes.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you cross a sheep’s intestine, a TSA agent’s glove, and the gnawing fear that you might be the dullest person at the party? This week’s episode, that’s what. We’re serving up a scientific sampler platter that’s equal parts awkward, hilarious, and “wait, is that real?” From the surprisingly storied history of animal-based contraception, to the dystopian future of airport pat-downs, to the social perils of being the human equivalent of beige paint, this episode is a wild ride through science’s strangest corners. No sheep were harmed in the writing of this article, though their dignity may never recover. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:21 The Science of Boring People 01:49 Global Population Estimates: Are We Underestimating? 07:29 Airport Security Innovations 12:43 The Most Boring Day in History 17:05 AI and Vending Machines: A Stability Test 21:54 Stereotypes of Boring People 24:09 The Five Most Boring Jobs 26:52 The Most Boring Hobbies 29:30 The Cost of Spending Time with Boring People 32:56 Historical Condoms 37:56 Wildlife Corridors: Do They Work?   Sources: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672221079104 https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2024/04/13/april-11-boring-day https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Why-Is-April-11,-1954,-the-Most-Boring-Day-in-History#:~:text=Using%20an%20algorithm%20to%20scan,who%20was%20born%20that%20day https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/publication/wearable-sensor-contactless-physical-assessment?ref=404media.co https://www.404media.co/tsa-working-on-haptic-tech-to-feel-your-body-in-virtual-reality/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138125000780?via=ihub https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.15840 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1de271qg4yo.ampSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  From humans secretly glowing like discount glow sticks to sharks displaying better table manners than most toddlers, today's science roundup proves that nature is absolutely bonkers in the best possible way. We're exploring a world where your body emits light (just not enough to read by), cuttlefish have better impulse control than most adults, and apex predators are apparently more civilised than Black Friday shoppers.  Stay curious, keep questioning everything, and remember - you're literally a walking, talking light source.    CHAPTERS 00:00 The Force Might Be Real 00:50 Introducing the Hosts 01:04 Exploring Bio Photons 01:26 Disgusting Animals and Human Reactions 02:08 The Komodo Dragon Story 03:25 Scientific Evidence of Bio Photons 09:48 The Ocean is Getting Darker 14:44 The Marshmallow Test and Animal Cognition 21:41 The Risk of Foraging 22:19 Cuttlefish and Cognitive Abilities 22:51 Disgusting Foods Around the World 25:33 Psychological Mechanisms of Food Rejection 34:22 Sharks' Polite Scavenging Behavior 38:02 Conclusion and Listener Engagement SOURCES: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70227 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.3161 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/fish-science/articles/10.3389/frish.2025.1520995/full?ref=404media.co These Scientists Set out to Build a Silent Room, But Discovered Something Way More Terrifying - Popular mechanics 22 may 2025 https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64838062/anechoic-chamber-silence-fear/ All living things emit an eerie glow that is snuffed out upon death Alex Wilkins, New Scientists 9 May 2025 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2479590-all-living-things-emit-an-eerie-glow-that-is-snuffed-out-upon-death/ Vegetarians Feel As Disgusted About Eating Meat As Omnivores Do About Cannibalism Wed, 14 May 2025 15:40:01 https://www.iflscience.com/vegetarians-feel-as-disgusted-about-eating-meat-as-omnivores-do-about-cannibalism-79205See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder trials? Perhaps you've been losing sleep over the universe ending billions of billions of years sooner than expected? (We haven't.)    Today we're diving into a scientific grab bag of the bizarre, the unsettling, and the downright ridiculous. From rivers flowing with pharmaceutical cocktails that are giving fish gender crises and enlarged genitalia, to the cosmic clock potentially ticking faster than we thought, to the historical irony of how the smartest guy in the room became synonymous with the dumbest.    And just when you thought it was safe to prove you're human online, we'll reveal how those annoying CAPTCHAs might actually be training our future robot overlords. Buckle up for a journey through science's strangest corners—no PhD required, just a healthy appreciation for the absurd.   Sources: https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo Chris Pelkey video The Guardian CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Impact of Drugs on Fish 03:53 Antidepressants and Fish Behaviour 07:19 Pharmaceutical Pollution and Its Consequences 12:31 AI and Legal Proceedings 22:59 Cosmology News: The Universe's Lifespan 23:43 The Immense Scale of the Universe 25:00 Theories on the Universe's End 26:02 Fossils from Previous Universes 28:12 The Story of John Duns Scotus 32:39 The Origin of the Dunce Cap 35:13 The Dunce Cap in Modern Times 40:17 The Evolution of CAPTCHAsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From politicians swimming in fecal water to underground ant trafficking rings. We're exploring a world where the US Health Secretary voluntarily bathes in decades-old poop water, ant smuggling is apparently a lucrative criminal enterprise, and Elon Musk's AI has developed a concerning obsession with letting the world know about the latest genocide.  Next time someone tells you science is boring, tell them about the underground ant trafficking network – that should keep the conversation hopping. Stay curious, stay weird, and maybe check your local creek's E. coli levels before diving in! 00:00 Wholesome Family Outing Turns Controversial 01:30 AI and Side Hustles 01:44 The Irony of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 03:56 Elon Musk's Grok AI Mishaps 04:26 AI's Unfiltered Responses 13:22 Fighting Back Against AI Crawlers 19:59 The Bizarre World of Ant Smuggling 24:10 Ant Collecting and Online Vendors 26:00 Ants in Popular Culture 31:17 Prime Minister's Secular Oath 31:52 Swearing Oaths on Unusual Objects 36:56 The Concept of Angstlust   Sources: https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1921609958631575969   https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/rfk-jr-rock-creek-bacteria.html   https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https:// de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angstlust&ved=2ahUKEwj_qs7g-6aNAxWjka8BHVuMEiwQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0M2cs5TDkIT-Tlu9Sytwps   https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/ai-haters-build-tarpits-to-trap-and-trick-ai-scrapers-that-ignore-robots-txt/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null   https://zadzmo.org/code/nepenthes/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From environmental impacts of AI politeness to the linguistic mysteries of snow, today's science roundup may leave you with more questions than answers, and that’s the way we like it. We're exploring a world where being nice to robots could harm the planet, scientists gave elephants LSD (yes, really), and Australian’s get creative with their election day propaganda.  Got thoughts? Wild theories? Stories about other elephants on acid? (Please don't actually give elephants acid.) Drop us a line at [email protected].  Stay curious, stay weird, and maybe ease up on the pleases and thank yous to your robot friends!   Sources: Tool We Mentioned: https://charleskemp.com/code/lexicalelaboration_conversation.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/technology/chatgpt-alexa-please-thank-you.html https://futurism.com/altman-please-thanks-chatgpt https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010027724002233 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2417304122 http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/~gpullum/EskimoHoax.pdf https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-science-behind-cocaine-bear-and-other-inebriated-animals https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/feb/26/research.science https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/declassified-cold-warera-cia-files-detail-soviet-clash-with-aliens-who-witnesses-say-turned-soldiers-to-stone/news-story/e8ced6d1fdca4df3454e79049533f8f8 https://futurism.com/altman-please-thanks-chatgpt?utm_term=Futurism%20//%2004.21.25&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=emailSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From mind-bending virtual reality choices to paradoxical barbers, hungry indecisive donkeys to real-world science funding crises, we're taking you on a wild ride through philosophy's greatest head-scratchers. And just when you think we couldn't make this journey any more interesting, we'll throw in a monster-sized sturgeon that would make Jaws think twice about who rules the waters. Today's episode proves that philosophy isn't just about old guys stroking their beards - it's about questioning reality, making impossible choices, and occasionally pondering why a donkey can't just eat its lunch.   00:00 Fun with Google's AI: Weird Phrases and Their Meanings 01:53 Exploring Paradoxes: Rocco's Basilisk and More 03:53 The Experience Machine: A Dive into Hedonism 10:45 The Barber's Paradox: A Philosophical Puzzle 15:09 Buridan's Ass: Decision Paralysis 19:54 Exploring the Concept of Perfect Equality 20:20 AI Ethics: The Dilemma of Self-Driving Cars 21:45 The Impact of Trump on Scientific Careers 23:38 Canceled Research Grants: A Closer Look 29:36 The Worst Case Scenarios: Are We Prepared? 34:45 Fun Science Facts: The Giant Sturgeon 37:11 Conclusion and Call for Feedback   SOURCES: https://www.wired.com/story/google-ai-overviews-meaning/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01216-7https://airtable.com/appjhyo9NTvJLocRy/shrNto1NNp9eJlgpA?Ffj6Q=allRecordshttps://airtable.com/appGKlSVeXniQZkFC/shrFxbl1YTqb3AyOO https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/ https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/) https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber_paradox https://plus.maths.org/content/mathematical-mysteries-barbers-paradox  https://www.cracked.com/article_36820_4-dumb-thought-experiments-that-need-to-be-eradicated-from-the-hivemind.html https://philosophynow.org/issues/81/Why_Buridans_Ass_Doesnt_StarveSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

G'day science lovers! Buckle up, because today we're diving into everything from bottom-end evolution to deliberately poisoning yourself and your child with a deadly jellyfish (yes, really). Here’s a recap of our recent escapade through intriguing science headlines. From evolutionary hand-me-downs to jellyfish on holiday, brain-powered symphonies to space algae, science keeps proving that reality is wilder than anything we could make up. Next time someone tells you science is boring, show them this episode - or better yet, tell them about the anus evolution. That'll get the conversation flowing. 00:00 Welcome to A Little Bit Of Science 00:39 The Evolution of the Anus 01:30 Scientific Theories and Genetic Studies 02:54 Early Animal Anatomy 10:59 Cybercrime and AI 17:50 Tech Bro Tales 28:04 Tough Scientists and Dangerous Beaches 30:58 Introduction to the Jellyfish Story 31:07 The Painful Effects of the Jellyfish Sting 31:48 Historical Accounts and Investigations 33:31 Jack Barnes' Quest for Answers 36:45 The Discovery of the Tiny Jellyfish 38:00 The Experiment with the Jellyfish 44:42 Modern Implications and Climate Change 47:19 Art and Science: The Revivification Installation 54:17 Potential Signs of Life on K2-18b Sources https://www.sify.com/ai-analytics/the-hilarious-and-horrifying-hallucinations-of-ai/ https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/ai_bots_hallucinate_software_packages/ https://socket.dev/blog/gmail-for-exfiltration-malicious-npm-packages-target-solana-private-keys-and-drain-victim-s https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1964.tb114424.x https://journals.lww.com/em-news/fulltext/2005/04000/the_amazing_and_bizarre_discovery_of_irukandji.37.aspx https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-02/doctor-jack-barnes-discovered-irukandji-jellyfish-stinging-son/103541442 https://www.vice.com/en/article/alien-abduction-conspiracies-and-antigravity-scams-the-joseph-firmage-story/ https://futurism.com/tech-founder-anti-gravity-trouble https://www.newscientist.com/article/2473713-the-anus-may-have-evolved-from-a-hole-originally-used-to-release-sperm/ https://futurism.com/neoscope/musician-resurrected-brain-new-music See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the potential resurrection of dire wolves (yes, they were real, not just Game of Thrones fantasy!) to the surprisingly modest paychecks of our space-exploring heroes, we're unpacking the extraordinary alongside the unexpectedly ordinary in the world of scientific discovery. Our journey takes an intriguing turn as we explore the sophisticated feeding habits of vampire bats (including their rather unusual bathroom habits mid-meal) and tackle the peculiar question of the internet's physical weight. These seemingly random scientific pursuits reveal fascinating insights into how researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries of our understanding, even in the most unexpected directions. Finally, we explore how even our most advanced technologies mirror human quirks, as demonstrated by robots experiencing the same awkward "sidewalk shuffle" we humans know all too well. This episode highlights how science continues to surprise us, whether it's through groundbreaking genetic engineering, space exploration economics, or simply understanding the peculiar behaviors of nature's most misunderstood creatures. Join us for a journey that proves truth really is stranger (and more entertaining) than fiction. We’re taking a look at some of science's most fascinating recent developments that sound more like science fiction than reality. From the potential resurrection of dire wolves (yes, they were real, not just Game of Thrones fantasy) to the surprisingly modest paychecks of our space-exploring heroes, we're going down the rabbit hole of the extraordinary alongside the unexpectedly ordinary in the world of scientific discovery. Our journey takes an intriguing turn as we explore the sophisticated feeding habits of vampire bats (including their rather unusual bathroom habits mid-meal) and tackle the peculiar question of the internet's physical weight. These seemingly random scientific pursuits reveal insights into how researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries of our understanding, even in the most unexpected directions. Finally, we explore how even our most advanced technologies mirror human quirks, as demonstrated by robots experiencing the same awkward "sidewalk shuffle" we humans know all too well. There is no doubt science continues to surprise us, whether it's through groundbreaking genetic engineering, space exploration economics, or simply understanding the peculiar behaviours of nature's most misunderstood creatures. SOURCES: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9ejy3gdvo https://theconversation.com/return-of-the-dire-wolf-is-an-impressive-feat-of-genetic-engineering-not-a-reversal-of-extinction-254098 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9147351 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1909.09224   https://futurism.com/stranded-astronauts-per-diem?utm_term=Futurism%20//%2003.20.25&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/female-vampire-bats-sharing-blood https://www.wired.com/story/weight-of-the-internet/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our first episode back as the new and improved “A Little Bit Of Science”.  We're Rod and Will and it’s best if you think of us as your slightly unhinged tour guides through the bits of science that probably won't win Nobel Prizes but will definitely make you the most interesting person at your next dinner party. When Robots Get Awkward Ever wondered what it's like to drop your pants for a robot? Neither had we, until science decided to tackle the elephant in the room: our weird relationship with medical robots. Turns out, we're not super keen on showing our bits to a talking toaster, even if it has a medical degree. Scientists are frantically trying to figure out how to make us comfortable with robot doctors, but let's be honest - there's something deeply unsettling about a machine asking you to "turn and cough." The 'Stupid Hackathon': Where Brilliance Meets Bonkers Speaking of questionable innovations, let us introduce you to the 'Stupid Hackathon' - where genius meets absolutely pointless. The star? A virtual pet that survives on vape clouds. Yes, you read that right. It's called the 'Vape-o-Gotchi” and it's exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. It's like a Tamagotchi but only survives off relentless vaping.  When AI Gets Sassy Picture this: you're coding away, and your AI assistant suddenly goes full career counsellor on you. "Have you considered learning to code better?" Ouch. It's like having a digital version of your disappointed parent, except this one runs on algorithms and attitude. Who knew silicon could serve such spectacular shade? Exploding Termites and Immortal Cells Now, for something completely different - termites that literally explode when they're stressed. (Relatable, honestly.) These little kamikaze insects from French Guiana take "going out with a bang" quite literally.  And while we're on the topic of bizarre biology, let's talk about 'zombie cells' that refuse to die. Will is convinced his mustache would be a great use of zombie cells, potentially achieving post-mortem world domination. Rod's betting on his spleen, because apparently the snowboarders of the world would thank him. The Dying Art of Pranking Here's a sad stat: April Fool's Day searches are down 50% from a decade ago. Are we all getting too serious? Too busy? Research shows interest peaked in 1931 - probably because they didn't have TikTok to distract them. So there you have it, folks - our first little bit of science episode after our rather long and unintentional break. Where else would you learn about exploding insects, sassy AI, and vape-dependent virtual pets all in one go? Stay tuned for more scientific weirdness, because trust us, this is just the tip of the nerdy iceberg. Until next time, keep your curiosity weird and your termites unexploded!   03:03 Exploring AI and Its Quirks 03:43 The Stupid Hackathon and Vape-O-Gotchi 11:30 AI's Role in Climate Change Research 15:56 AI's Human-like Behaviour 23:15 AI and Mistranslation Fun 26:17 The Exploding Termites of French Guiana 28:09 The Evolutionary Wonders and Oddities 29:09 The Mysteries of Dog Farts 31:39 Zombie Cells and Their Implications 35:20 The Embarrassing Robot Study 46:39 The Decline of April Fool's Day   SOURCES: Vape-o-Gotchi:  https://futurism.com/neoscope/vape-tamagotchi-interview   Robot refuses to code: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/ai-coding-assistant-refuses-to-write-code-tells-user-to-learn-programming-instead/   Embarrassed Robots: https://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s13230-010-0011-3   Reassessment of the Anthropogenic CO₂-Global Warming Hypothesis: https://scienceofclimatechange.org/wp-content/uploads/SCC-Grok-3-Review-V5-1.pdf    Tortured Phrases: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.06751 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Submit feedback/questions/rebuttals/abuse to [email protected] and you might be featured/glorified/shamed in the next episode! From the ashes of The Wholesome Show, A Little Bit Of Science is born! We are back, more professional, beer-fuelled, and sciencey than ever. We now have well-thought-out segments, consistent bits, more lols and an even greater lust for creating high-quality infotainment - basically everything we need to take this show to the next level! Stay tuned for a little bit of science from your favourite academics with beers! MORE FROM THE WHOLESOME SHOW: Apple Spotify Omny FM Website Twitter TikTok Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Submit feedback/questions/rebuttals/abuse to [email protected] or comment below and you'll be featured/glorified/shamed in the next episode! We are heading back into the wholesome lab to re-jig our format so we are creating the best possible show for you all. Nothing is sacred during this rebuild so we are tearing it all apart! We'll be back under a different name, with a different show, still presented by your two favourite truant beer-wielding academics! See you in the future! MORE FROM THE WHOLESOME SHOW: Apple Spotify Omny FM Website Twitter TikTok Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1990s, Samuel T. Cohen, the father of the neutron bomb, became extremely vocal about the fact that the Soviets had discovered a new raw material that could potentially spell the end of organised society. Red mercury had hit the market. Apparently, when detonated in combination with conventional high explosives, it could create city-flattening blasts like a nuclear bomb. And, it would help make nuclear fusion weapons more efficient and considerably smaller. It was an arms dealer’s dream! In theory, red mercury could produce enormous pressures and temperatures, sufficient to initiate a mini pure fusion explosion. Traditionally, fusion weapons need a fission component to trigger the deuterium fusion. However, with red mercury, this fission step is supposedly unnecessary. Cohen described it as a remarkably non-exploding high explosive. Sounds like something from a Marvel movie right? SOURCES: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/sep/30/thisweekssciencequestions1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_T._Cohen#Red_Mercury_claims https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00963402.1997.11456737 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazher_Mahmood https://web.archive.org/web/20081016050603/http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/douglass/2003/0311.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/magazine/the-doomsday-scam.html https://www.gizbot.com/internet/news/what-is-red-mercury-and-why-people-are-ready-to-pay-lakhs-for-it-068487.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13418241-900-only-fools-still-hunt-for-elusive-red-mercury/ CHAPTERS: 00:00 Samuel T. Cohen Concerns About New Raw Material 03:05 Red Mercury: Doomsday Dreams 07:41 Mass Destruction or Myth? 10:06 Red Mercury Hoaxes 14:23 Cohen Claims Red Mercury Exists 17:28 Frank Barnaby’s Investigations 23:30 Scammers and Fake Red Mercury 31:12 The Mystical and Sexual Properties of Mercury 41:16 The Enduring Red Mercury ScamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born just outside Vienna, Austria in November 1860, Hanns Hörbiger was an engineer by trade. He invented a steel valve for a blast furnace blowing engine which changed the game for efficient steel production. He also played a key role in the design and construction of the Budapest subway, the third in the world at the time. He was obviously a clever man. A real thinker. And some might say, a complete nut job. A keen astronomer, one evening Hörbiger pointed his telescope at the moon and suddenly realised, it was all made of ice. It was so shiny! How could it not be ice? He looked at Mars. He looked at Neptune. He looked at the Milky Way…Everything in the cosmos was ice. And not only was it made of ice, but ice was the driving force of the entire universe. Strangely, the German scientific community at the time thought Hörbiger was bonkers and didn’t pay attention to anything he said. World War I was happening so, you know, people had other things to think about. But Hörbiger was not dissuaded. He became a total zealot and decided that all he needed to do was convince the masses of his ideas. Then the academic scientists would be pressured to agree. SOURCES: Willy Ley: Pseudoscience in Naziland Christina Wessely: Cosmic Ice Theory—Science, Fiction and the Public, 1894–1945. Eric Kurlander: Hitler’s Monsters Eric Kurlander: A Song of Ice and Fire Philip Ball: How 2 Pro-Nazi Nobelists Attacked Einstein’s "Jewish Science" The Occult History of the Third Reich: Horbiger CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Dark Side of the German Students Union 03:12 Hans Hörbiger: Engineer & Inventor 05:35 Hörbiger's Cosmic Ice Theory 06:25 A Prophetic Dream and Pendulum Science 11:09 The Origin of the Solar System According to Hörbiger 17:23 Cults and Cosmic Theories 19:14 Hobiger's Zeal and Post-War Tactics 20:16 The Rise of the World Ice Movement 22:38 Hitler Embraces World Ice Theory 29:52 The Pseudoscience Impact on Nazi Germany 33:39 The Downfall and Legacy of the World Ice TheorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans love a good apocalypse. Give us a blockbuster about a virus that obliterates the population, an asteroid that wipes out the entire planet, or anything with aliens and we lap it up. But have you ever thought about what will actually kill us at the finish line? Sure, we’d like to think the zombie apocalypse will be the winner, but if we’re talking about plausible ways to exterminate humanity, what’s a good way to go? The end of the world as we know it isn’t all fiction. Life on Earth has come pretty close to getting wiped out a few times actually. Genetic analysis shows humanity plummeted to perilously low numbers—about 1,200 breeding humans (yes, we are all related)—when intense volcanic activity in Siberia caused global warming and wiped out 96% of plants and animals. But life persisted. We might be inbred, but it seems total annihilation is harder to pull off than you think. The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago didn’t completely destroy the earth, and humans managed to scrape through the black plague. So what could be our final end?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do humans and lobsters have in common? Apart from the fact that both have social hierarchies and serotonin, not all that much really. Last time we checked, we don’t live underwater or have tasty claws. But despite the differences, esteemed (and often controversial) Canadian psychologist and Harvard Professor, Jordan Peterson, has become rather well known for his theory linking human social hierarchies to lobsters. The first rule in Peterson’s book is “Stand up straight with your shoulders back." Indeed, aggressive and dominant lobsters stand up to exert their authority. Lobsters also don’t really like each other much on the whole, except when they're trying to mate. Mostly they’re just trying to be macho and make all the other lobsters their subordinates. The males compete for the best territory to win access to most females. So the moral of the story is, just be a dickhead because you’re the same as a lobster? CHAPTERS: 00:00 What is Sociobiology? 05:16 Jordan Peterson: Psychologist & traditionalist 12:57 12 Rules for Life: An Overview 15:52 Stand Up Straight with Your Shoulders Back 18:15 Lobster theory 20:01 Humans and Lobsters Exist in Hierarchies 23:22 The Science Behind Serotonin 26:31 Why Compare to the Lobster? 31:43 Cherry Picking to Illustrate Existing Beliefs 35:34 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/04/jordan-peterson-needs-to-reconsider-the-lobster/ https://theconversation.com/psychologist-jordan-peterson-says-lobsters-help-to-explain-why-human-hierarchies-exist-do-they-90489#:~:text=Peterson%20argues%20that%2C%20like%20humans,helps%20make%20more%20serotonin%20available https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/21/human-instinct-why-we-are-unique https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/jordan-peterson-12-rules-kate-manne-review/ https://deadwildroses.com/2019/01/07/sociobiology-and-jordan-peterson-lobsters-all-the-way-down/ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2018/nov/01/pity-jordan-peterson-lobster-analogy-replace-sense-humour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one likes being told what to do. As soon as we can choose for ourselves, humans thrive on the sense of agency to wear what we want, eat what we want, say what we want and do what we want. And that includes laughing. So why did so many television shows include a laugh track, telling us when to laugh at something? Was it an attempt to manipulate us? Or perhaps the jokes weren’t funny enough to conjure up a genuine guffaw. The Big Bang Theory was the last show to incorporate a laugh track and that ended in 2019. So with laugh tracks pretty much dead now, what caused producers to kick the canned laughter? You mean they have to rely on clever scriptwriting, innovative directing and engaging actors?! Could the laugh track be dead forever? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Laugh Tracks: Why? 03:30 Loathe It or Love It 06:09 The Invention of the LAFF Box 08:49 Laugh Boy Art 13:52 The Rise and Fall of the Laugh Track 15:44 Shows That Used Fake Laughter 19:44 Laugh Track: An Evil Innovation 23:01 Why Did The Laughing Stop? 30:34 Is It All That Bad? 31:57 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: - RIP canned laughter, the most evil innovation in TV history - The Death of Laugh Tracks - The Hollywood Sphinx and his Laff Box - The Laugh Track: Loathe It or Love It - The Most Hated Sound on Television - The Real Reason TV Sitcoms Stopped Using Laugh Tracks - This Sitcom’s Cancelation Signals The Death Of A 70-Year-Old Sitcom Trend - 20 Funniest Sitcoms With Laugh TracksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV is a genre that has wormed its way into our screens, our culture, and—for many of us—our guilty pleasures. While some might dismiss these shows as frivolous entertainment (we’re using the term “entertainment” generously here), maybe there’s more to it than good old fashioned wife swapping, marrying strangers and surviving in the wild with nothing but a six-pack and an epic tan. Perhaps reality TV is so popular because it holds up a mirror to society, showcasing the full spectrum of human emotions. Watching real people in real situations causes us to reflect on our own life choices and experiences. Or perhaps it’s all completely fake, scripted rubbish that makes the producers a hell of a lot of money. As a writer of The Simpsons, Dana Gould put it, reality TV is “people who aren’t actors working with people who aren’t writers in an amateur production of nothing.” But how “real” is reality TV… really? *CHAPTERS:* 00:00 Born In The Wild 07:30 Bet on Your Baby 11:06 How Real is Reality TV? 16:38 Release The Hounds 25:14 The Role of NDAs in Reality TV 29:14 The Naked Magazine Sweepstakes 30:21 Ethics and Consent in Reality TV 31:24 Who's Your Daddy? 33:59 Viewer Shame 37:11 When Reality TV Goes Too Far 43:17 The Upsides of Reality TV 48:23 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: Who's Your Daddy? (2005 TV series) - Wikipedia 34% of Aussies who watch reality TV lie about it "Born in the Wild": Lifetime TV has lost its mind | Salon.com "Born in the Wild" TV Review on Lifetime https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/absolutely-bonkers-reality-shows/ Release the Hounds - Wikipedia Intervention (TV series) - Wikipedia https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2022/03/17/reality-tv-how-the-genre-has-consistently-re-engineered-itself-into-new-life/?sh=2cbffce5303a How Reality Shows Affect Our Lives and Society | Psychology Today Australia Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not Why are people so embarrassed to say they love reality TV? - ABC News Full article: The Voice: non-disclosure agreements and the hidden political economy of reality TV Angles /The Reality Behind Reality TV by John Yazbek Five myths about reality television - The Washington Post Just how fake are reality TV shows? | HowStuffWorks 20 worst reality TV shows of all-time (so far) The New Quiz Show Scandal -- Reality Television - Los Angeles Times ‘Intense and insane’: was this the most unsettling reality TV show ever? | Documentary films | The Guardian https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a823156/most-dangerous-reality-shows-ever/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Havens was a smart kid. While it mightn’t have been the best move for his social status in the fourth grade, he was so keen on maths that he even tutored his classmates. Nerd alert! Maybe that’s why he eventually got caught up in the wrong crowd. He just wanted to fit in and be cool like everyone else. And of course, being cool meant smoking weed and drinking alcohol, which led to mushrooms and LSD. And then things eventually spiralled into pain pills and crystal meth, which spiralled even more out of control, resulting in him murdering someone. Sigh. Before going to prison, Haven’s dad gave him some helpful advice to survive incarceration - be the shark, not the clownfish. So, of course, Haven interpreted that advice as beating up another prisoner so he could join a gang. While that act might have confirmed his loyalty to the gang, it also opened the door to his new accommodation in solitary confinement. AKA Hell on earth. Nothing but blank concrete walls, the smell of your own shit, and a bright fluorescent light to keep you company all day and all night. It was enough to drive a person mad, and by the sounds of the constant kicking and screaming next door, his neighbours were already there. Thankfully Havens was thrown a lifeline…in the form of a maths puzzle. CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Horrors of Solitary Confinement 02:42 Christopher Havens' downward spiral 03:30 Algebra: A Solitary Confinement Lifeline 10:06 Flow State in the Midst of Hell 14:31 Solving the Unsolvable for Umberto Cerruti 21:36 Giving Back with the Prison Math Project 23:17 The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons 26:31 Recidivism and Rehabilitation 28:50 The Power of Education in Reducing Recidivism 32:40 Spoiler Altert: Solitary Confinement Doesn’t Work 34:04 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show? SOURCES: A conversation with Christopher Havens, Prison Mathematics Project A systematic review of criminal recidivism rates worldwide: 3-year update An inmate’s love for math leads to new discoveries How a maximum security prison offers a pathway to academic excellence and a PhD Moving from prison to a PhD Pioneering Advanced Math from Behind Bars Recidivism Rates by Country 2024 This Inmate Used Solitary Confinement to Learn Math. Now He's Solving the World's Hardest Equations Why Prison Education? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in the old days, there were pretty slim pickings about what to do for a career. Basically, people just did what their father or mother did. Then, as education became more available to the masses, every parent’s dream was for their child to become a doctor, lawyer or accountant. Secure a respectable job and make the big bucks. But what if you didn’t want to drag out your days in an ordinary job, working for the man in a major multinational corporation? What if you were more interested in say, mystical and astrological matters? In 1996, when Rod was deciding his career fate, there was actually a one-year diploma in Astrology and Jungian psychology from The Urania Trust in London. He nearly signed up but chickened out and did the corporate grad entry thing instead. He loved it (NOT). Don’t make his mistake! Whatever you’re interested in, there’s a degree out there and some of them are pretty wild. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Rod’s dreams for psychoanthropology 05:07 Masters of Science: Brewing and Distilling 09:36 Royal School of Needlework 12:18 Unusual Performance Degrees 15:20 The Art and Science of Time Measurement 20:56 Puppets and Existential Sadness 25:10 Surf Science In England 27:20 Theme Park Engineering 29:07 Bagpipe Studies at Carnegie Mellon 34:45 Ethical Hacking: Training criminals 38:56 What Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking Degree | Abertay University Policy Statement - 99-12 Engineering, Bachelor of Science in, Option in Theme Park Engineering- Academic Senate | California State University Long Beach What Is Piobaireachd? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strathspey_(dance) 16 most unusual university degrees - Save the Student Ten of the most unusual degrees in the world | Student 20 Strangest Bachelor's Degrees Urania Trust Royal School of Needlework See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World War II pilots ate a bunch of carrots. Back then, people were well aware that vitamin A was critical for healthy eyesight and that carrots were a good source of beta-carotene. So in 1940, versions of high-carotene strains of carrots were being tested on pilots to reduce night blindness. This was pretty important at the time because during the 1940 Blitzkrieg, the Luftwaffe often struck under the cover of darkness. The British government issued citywide blackouts to make it more difficult for German planes to hit targets, so maximising vision among pilots and civilians was critical. The year before, the RAF had built the new secret Airborne Interception Radar (aka AI). Instead of being limited to land-bound detection stations, the AI Radar was on planes, able to pinpoint enemy bombers before they even reached the English Channel. In 1940, RAF night fighter, John Cunningham, became the first pilot to shoot down an enemy plane using AI. He eventually tallied 20 kills - 19 of them at night - and became known as “cat eye” Cunningham. But, the Poms needed to make sure the Germans didn’t know about the secret of their success. So, the UK Ministry of Food came up with a different reason: Carrots. Make the Germans think that carrots gave Cunningham night vision.. And just don’t mention the little Airborne Interception Radar that he had on his plane. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Debunking Food Myths: Bread Crusts and Apples 02:16 The Spinach Iron Myth 04:32 Carrots and Night Vision 06:55 Ancient Egyptian cure: Liver Juice in the Eyes 09:17 Carrot Man Can’t Poop 13:19 WWII Airborne Interception Radar 16:49 Dig for Victory Campaign 19:59 Dr. Carrot and Wartime Propaganda 23:41 The Wholesome Verdict 29:01 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED: Arctic Cold Case Solved: Who Was First To The North Pole? SOURCES: - Fact or Fiction?: Carrots Improve Your Vision | Scientific American A WWII Propaganda Campaign Popularized the Myth That Carrots Help You See in the Dark K. Annabelle Smith August 13, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20220519172618/http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ww2seeinthedark.html Carrots and Night Vision - WW2 Copyright 1996-2022 World Carrot Museum. The Myth About Carrots and Vision Started to Foil Nazis - The Atlantic By Ed Yong November 13, 2015 Do carrots really help you see in the dark? - BBC Science Focus Magazine What's so super about superfoods? by Cecilia Duong 26 September 2022 The True Science of Spinach and What the Popeye Mythology Teaches Us about How Error Spreads – The Marginalian An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away — Fact or Fiction? Carrot man: a case of excessive beta-carotene ingestion Int J Eat Disord. 2012 Sep;45(6):816-8 doi: 10.1002/eat.22015.Epub 2012 Mar 19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Besides unnecessary wars, assassinations and scandalous affairs, what comes to mind when you think about American presidents? The Oval Office, the Star-Spangled Banner, Air Force One, the official military salute… and of course golf. With the exception of three presidents (Hoover, Truman and Carter), golf has been the presidential sport of choice throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. While Hoover avoided golf during the great depression (a bit rude while everyone was starving), others like Woodrow Wilson were fanatics, playing over 1600 rounds during his presidency. But when it comes to golf, there’s one President who brings a flair of colour to the green - and we’re not talking about the colour of his polo shirt. This president is renowned less for his golfing prowess and more for his boastful claims of golf accolades and notorious cheating habits. None other than Donald Trump. SOURCES: Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, by Rick Reilly Does Trump lie about how good he is at golf? 5 cheating stories about the ex-president Hand-in-cap How Donald Trump Cheats at Golf, According to a Sportswriter: 'He Will Do Anything' How golf explains Trump. Seriously. Obama Golf Counter The President’s club: How golf took over the White House The Serial Golf Cheat in the White House Trump Golf Count See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all have our idiosyncrasies, those automatic things we do each day that form the way we are in the world. Whether we scrunch or fold, or leave the toilet seat up or down, these are things we do (or don’t do) automatically. Much like the urgent need to crap your dacks in a Japanese bookstore. That’s right, there is a significant portion of Japanese people who feel overcome by a heaving sensation in the rectal passage whilst browsing books. In 1985, 29-year-old Japanese woman, Mariko Aoki, contributed an article in the Hon no Zasshi or “Book Magazine” about her strong urge to defecate whenever she visited a bookstore. Surprisingly, a significant number of readers wrote to the editorial department to share their similar experiences. Who would have thought so many people had been fending back faeces in the fiction section?! Turns out a lot. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Idiosyncratic & Biological Habits 02:21 The Aoki Mariko Phenomenon 08:07 Feature Article explains Book Bowel Tendency 12:13 Japanese Survey to Revitalise Bookstores 14:28 Millions suffer with Aoki Mariko Phenomenon 21:11 Symptoms: Body Shivers & Unusual Urges 26:13 Psychiatrist Speculation: Hyper Response to Stress 33:27 The Wholesome Verdict: Psychological or Sociological Phenomenon? 37:49 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: What is “key in lock” syndrome? - Hands on Healthcare A Doctor Explains Why Bookstores Make Some People Feel the Need to Poop Bathrooms and Noble - The Current https://web.archive.org/web/20120509063936/http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/national/news/CK2012042902000077.html Mariko Aoki phenomenon - Wikipedia Let’s Talk About Poop. Specifically: bookstore poop | by Judey Kalchik | Artisanal Article Machine | Medium Mariko Aoki Phenomenon | The Daily Omnivore The Mariko Aoki Phenomenon: When You Need To Poop After Entering A Book Store | Faculty of Medicine See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever seen someone in public and you swear you know them from somewhere, you just can’t pick where? Are they an old school friend? The guy who delivers bread to your local cafe? You feel like you know them but it would probably be weird if you started a conversation. Well, that’s a glimpse into the life of a small percentage of the population who recognise with freakish accuracy every face they’ve ever seen. People with this extraordinary gift can find themselves in awkward social interactions due to their detailed memories of people they’ve actually never met. Yes, it can look a tad stalker-ish... Yenny Seo is one of these unique people (not a stalker). From a young age, she demonstrated an uncanny ability to remember faces - strangers on the street she had seen weeks ago, extras in movies, every person in her university lectures and people in photos on her social media feed. She even caught a serial shoplifter by recognising his face on CCTV. In 2017, Seo got curious about her skills and stumbled upon the University of New South Wales (UNSW) face test online quiz. Her exceptional performance put her in the top 0.05 per cent of all participants, confirming she was a Super Recogniser. That’s right. Yenny officially has superpowers. And she’s not alone either. SOURCES: The super-recognisers of Scotland Yard - New Statesman ‘I’d keep it on the down low’: the secret life of a super-recogniser | Science | The Guardian Could super recognisers be the latest weapon in the war on terror? 2016 David James Robertson Super-Recognisers in the Metropolitan Police DJ Robertson et. al. February 2016 Face Recognition by Metropolitan Police Super-Recognisers PLOS ONE 11(2):e0150036 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0150036 What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen? | Psyche Ideas QPS Super Recogniser Network helps crack 1,000 cases - Queensland Police News It is widely believed that humans are rather good at recognising faces See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the millions of years of evolution, we humans have developed into a highly intelligent species. We’ve developed the ability to communicate, we’ve created social order, and established norms and protocols that facilitate a (mostly) harmonious coexistence. Take, for example, the fact that we all know how to stand in line to order a beverage. But now, after millennia of humans lining up and waiting their turn, it seems all of a sudden there’s an entire generation that doesn’t know how to queue. They loiter in the vicinity of the line, they leave long gaps between them and the person in front, making the queue, if there even is one, ambiguous at best. Are they in the queue? Are they out of the queue? It’s all very unclear and to be honest, when all you want is your coffee, it’s wildly frustrating for us olds. Now this is making a huge generalisation about a large group of people in society, but someone needs to say it. Sorry Generation Z, we love you, but it seems like you don't know how to queue properly. What’s going on? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Why can’t Gen Z queue properly 03:33 Queue research: Cultural, Social and Psychology studies 05:33 Cultural Differences in Queuing 08:50 Gen Z Don’t Care About Queue Jumpers 10:11 Is Social Media to Blame? 13:06 The Legendary AFL Queue of 1965 16:16 Why Queue Fitness Has Dropped 20:42 The Art of Queue Jumping 24:18 Generational Differences and Social Norms 25:45 The Magic of the Seventh Son 30:17 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: A global guide to queuing philosophies, from Wimbledon to São Paulo, Quartz Generation Z more likely to queue-jump and let others do the same, poll claims No, Argentina's president did not adopt a Jewish child to stop him turning into a werewolf by Uki Goni in The Guardian Queue Culture: The Waiting Line as a Social System, by Leon Mann in the American Journal of Sociology The Psychology of Queuing, in Psychology, by A Furnham, L Treglown, G & Horne, G. What’s Up Doc? Seventh Sons in Victorian and Edwardian Lancashire, by Simon Young in Folklore See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans love their independence. Wars have been fought for it, songs have been written about it, and history is filled with examples of individuals and communities seeking to raise a flag towards more liberating ideals. And some have taken the flag very literally. Project Minerva was an ambitious endeavour led by Michael Oliver in the 1970s to create a libertarian utopia on the coral reefs of the South Pacific. They got some coral, wrapped it in chicken wire, covered it in cement, and dumped it on the existing coral reefs which lay just a few metres beneath the water line. High above their man-made island, the flag for the Republic of Minerva flew proudly. But do these libertarians think about the impact on indigenous populations? And would you really want to live in a country (or a planet) that is bankrolled and governed by the wealthy elite? Surely they have their own agenda, and it’s likely not the health and well-being of their citizens… 00:00 Shipwrecked on Invisible Reefs 01:27 Michael Oliver Escapes from Nazi Rule 03:28 Constructing a Libertarian Utopia: The Republic of Minerva 05:02 Exploring Libertarian Escapes with Professor Raymond B. Craib 09:09 Post World War II Market Libertarianism 13:27 Sealand: A Libertarian Exit with Longevity 18:15 Ethical Dilemmas of Libertarian Exits 21:42 Grand Schemes of Billionaires: Dreams vs. Reality 22:24 The Labor Dilemma in Utopian Projects 24:52 The Contrast Between Organic and Engineered Libertarian Projects 31:04 Ethical Quandaries of Libertarian Experiments 35:23 Reimagining Power and Governance in Libertarian Exits 42:43 The Cautionary Tale of the Republic of Minerva 45:58 Concluding Thoughts on Libertarian Utopias SOURCES: A Narrative of the Wreck of the Minerva, by Peter Bays Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age, by Raymond Craib Escape Therapy: On Douglas Rushkoff’s “Survival of the Richest”, by Raymond Craib, in LA Review of Books See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think of the word ‘cult’, what immediately comes to mind for most of us are things like hooded velvet robes, secretive gatherings and doomsday prophesies. Then there’s the charismatic yet nefarious leader brainwashing followers, maybe a forced orgie or two, a spot of mass suicide. Generally not good stuff. Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton outlines three primary characteristics of destructive cults: a charismatic leader, coercive persuasion tactics, and exploitation of members. Well, that pretty much sums up NXIVM and the Order of the Solar Temple. It’s pretty well established that there are a lot of bad cults. But are there any good ones? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Management cult at Rod’s first job 07:01 Scientology: A Cult or Not? 10:23 10 warning signs of being in a cult 14:14 Order of the Solar Temple 18:51 NXIVM: Were you a Nazi in a former life? 24:16 Cognitive dissonance and why do people join cults? 31:23 Female Empowerment in New Religious Movements 34:55 Ma Anand Sheela and Osho 40:04 Defining Cults: Destructive or Benign 44:17 The Wholesome Verdict on Cults 48:26 What’s next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: Benign Cults vs Negative Cults Rajneesh movement - Wikipedia How Scientologists Founded the Pancake Parlour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The teen years can be tough. Let’s be real, it was an awkward time for the best of us. During those tender years, we all did our best to navigate the tumultuous world between childhood and adulthood amidst raging hormones, love triangles and knife fights... the usual teenage stuff. Ok, perhaps not every teenager gets in a knife fight, but this particular case has all the drama you would expect to find in a daytime soap opera. The story involves a 15-year-old girl who was employed in a local bar (well that’s the first red flag right there). She was admitted to hospital after a knife fight outside the bar involving her former lover and a new boyfriend. Exactly who stabbed who was not quite clear, but all three participants in the small war were admitted with knife injuries. Precisely 278 days later… The girl was admitted to hospital once again. This time with acute intermittent abdominal pain. Upon examination, the doctors found something very surprising indeed... A fully grown baby. But she couldn’t possibly be pregnant… she didn’t have a vagina!! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Knife fight admits teenagers to hospital 01:50 Mysterious abdominal pain 02:14 Pregnancy without a vagina 03:35 Medical investigations: How did this happen? 05:55 Lessons from oral pregnancy PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED: So did you get a root? Tales, definitions and loopholes for defining sex SOURCES: Oral conception. Impregnation via the proximal gastrointestinal tract in a patient with an aplastic distal vagina. Case report, by Douwe A A Verkuyl, in BJOG See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the deal with redheads? It sounds like the beginning of a Seinfeld bit but in all fairness (pun intended), for a group of people who make up only 2% of the population, our flame-haired ginger guys and gals have attracted much attention throughout history. Some of that attention is due to the obvious: redheads are babes. But the fascination with redheads over the centuries hasn’t all been positive. They’ve also received far more hostile attention like being labelled barbarians by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In Ancient Egypt, redheaded men were burnt as human sacrifices at the grave of Osiris (god of the deceased) and their ashes were scattered to the four winds in the name of a bountiful harvest; red hair symbolised the golden wealth of the corn after all, so… makes sense. In medieval times, people with green eyes and red hair were considered either witches, werewolves or vampires. There were even alchemical recipes requiring the blood of a redhead to turn copper into gold. Just mix the blood up with the ashes of a basilisk, easy as pie. Scientific or not, redheads do seem to carry the reputation of having a somewhat spicy temperament and the people from Charles University in Prague wanted to know if this translated into the bedroom… The science says yes but not in the way you think! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Why do redheads fascinate us? 03:42 Barbarians and human sacrificing 05:40 Alchemical recipe with the blood of a redhead 07:30 19th century study: Most criminals were redheads 09:31 Ayurvedic medicine and genetics 13:42 Opiate response, Vitamin D and adrenaline 17:48 Redheads smell like ambergris 19:12 Pain studies: Stabbing and electric currents 21:50 Sexism in redhead stereotypes 24:21 Study on Redheads and Sexuality 27:08 What’s next on The Wholesome Show PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED: What The Hell Happened To The Left-Handers? SOURCES: Myths about red hair are rooted in fear of difference | Aeon Ideas The Truth About Redheads Ginger hair: 13 fascinating facts about redheads World Redhead Day: 16 fun facts about red hair - Indianapolis Redheaded women are more sexually active than other women, but it is probably due to their suitors Science Confirms Redheads Are Equipped With Some Weird Genetic Superpowers - GQ Australia Red hair - Wikipedia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think about the Cold War, you immediately think about whale songs right? Okay, maybe not everyone makes that connection, but in a delightfully random way, the political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s had a lot to do with the discovery of the beautiful whale song, and ultimately, the collapse of the commercial whaling industry altogether. Back in the 1950s, the United States had gone gangbusters with submarines. Travelling under the Arctic Ocean, they were set on going the longest, the deepest, the hardest. But they were worried about other countries doing it too… particularly the Soviets. They knew they couldn’t stop them, but they at least wanted to know where the Red subs were. That’s when Frank Watlington was tasked by the US Navy to develop hydrophones (microphones they could stick in the ocean) to listen for submarine sounds. So Watlington set off to Bermuda and got to work. One day he dropped his hydrophone 1,500 feet into the ocean and heard strange, eerie sounds coming from the deep. For the Navy, these sounds were just annoying distractions from detecting submarine activity but for Watlington, well, they were captivating. Ditching his original task of detecting Soviet submarines, Watlington became obsessed with the ethereal sounds he had recorded and he played them to anyone who would listen... CHAPTERS: 00:00 Everyone knows the whale song 02:08 A dog’s breakfast: 20th century whaling 03:32 The Cold War and the end of whaling 05:21 Frank Watlington and hydrophones 07:22 Roger Payne: From science to viral sensation 10:35 Patterns and rhythm in the whale song 12:19 Humpback Whale record goes viral 14:58 Rock stars, Greenpeace and whaling ban 16:49 What next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: Francis W. Watlington; Recorded Whale Songs, NY Times 'It always hits me hard': how a haunting album helped save the whales, The Guardian It Took A Musician's Ear To Decode The Complex Song In Whale Calls, NPR Listening to Whales by Douglas Allchin in The American Biology Teacher Number of whales killed, World, Our World In Data Oral conception. Impregnation via the proximal gastrointestinal tract in a patient with an aplastic distal vagina. Case report, by Douwe A A Verkuyl, in BJOG Whale song: A grandfather's legacy, CBS News See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politicians get a bad rap, don’t they? Every mutterance and every action falls under intense scrutiny from the press and the public eye. If they make one wrong move, we’ll know about it and keep talking about it for ages too. Maybe that’s why politicians go to such great lengths to win the people over. Like when Governor Carey of New York volunteered to drink a glass of PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls - highly carcinogenic chemical compounds) to prove a state building was safe. It seems that drinking a cup of toxic liquid is the go-to political move. Punjab State Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, downed a glass of polluted water from a holy river in 2022 on the heels of a campaign to clean water bodies. He was hospitalised for 2 days. Then there’s the bizarre demonstration from Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who allegedly drank fracking fluid in a ritual-like manner around a table. Bit culty. While you could argue that demonstrations like these showcase leadership and a willingness to share risks with the public, they could also just be downright reckless and stupid. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Don’t put torpedos in your mouth 03:06 Mad Cow Disease: Putting beef to the test 05:47 President Obama drinks lead-lined Flint Water 08:35 East Palestine toxic chemical water 11:58 The Fracking fluid ritual 15:41 Proving that New York Midtown is safe 18:41 Nuclear bombs are perfectly fine 20:35 Dining Dangers: From COVID to Cholera 25:38 Product safety testing downfalls 32:03 What’s next on the Wholesome Show SOURCES: Communications and Politics, in The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times by Joshua M Sharfstein Ex-N.Y. Gov. Hugh Carey dies at 92, Politico Factiva archive Food Irradiation by the CDC New York Times Archive Trove The cholera epidemic in Latin America, Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen What became of Cordelia Gummer, the Mad Cow girl?, Daily Express Vets dismiss fears of 'mad cat' disease, New Scientist See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 24, 1971, Dan Cooper, a quiet, nondescript man (wearing the classic business suit everyone wore back then) wandered into Portland airport and paid cash for a one-way ticket to Seattle. He drank his bourbon and soda in the lounge and boarded the plane like every other passenger. Cooper was your average guy, at least until shortly after takeoff, when he handed the flight attendant a note. And no, it wasn’t an attempt to flirt his way into the mile-high club. This note said that there was a bomb in his briefcase and that she should sit down next to him. She sat down. Dan opened his briefcase to reveal a mass of wires and red coloured sticks to the flight attendant, who promptly followed his instructions to send a message to the captain. He demanded that $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills and 4 parachutes be delivered to him upon landing. The flight landed in Seattle, Cooper exchanged the flight’s 36 passengers for the money and parachutes and then, with some crew still on board, took off again for Mexico City. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, ordinary Dan walked to the back of the plane, opened a door and jumped out with a parachute and the money. The pilots landed safely and DB Cooper, as he became known, disappeared. 50 years later, we’re still looking for him, and amazingly, there have been very recent (as in March 2024) updates to this cold case! CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Mysterious Case of DB Cooper 03:15 Investigations, Theories, and Folk Hero Status 05:36 Copycats and Confessions 08:54 The Hunt for DB Cooper: Suspects, Clues, and Dead Ends 12:26 Tom Colbert’s case against Robert Rackstraw 15:38 DB Cooper Wannabes 18:36 Case closed after 45 years 20:31 DNA Evidence: A New Hope in the Cold Case 27:40 Speculations and Theories: Where is DB Cooper? 29:32 What’s next on The Wholesome Show SOURCES: D.B. Cooper Hijacking — FBI https://www.the-sun.com/news/10528799/db-cooper-dna-sample-fbi-new-culprits/ 7 People Have Confessed to Being DB Cooper. A Twist in the Case Says One Told the Truth. Who Was D.B. Cooper? | HISTORY D.B. Cooper Hijacking - Topics on Newspapers.com 'Missed crucial DB Cooper clue' left behind by mystery plane hijacker doesn't have to be turned over by FBI, rules judge | The US Sun See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all forget things sometimes. We leave the car keys in random places. We look all over the house for our sunglasses, only to find them already on our heads. And we’ve all experienced the angst of double booking, completely (or conveniently) forgetting about a dentist appointment booked for the time we were meant to meet up with friends at the pub. Sometimes our brains just have enough stuff in there and there’s no room for anything new. Kinda like how the world forgot about the time when millions of people died within a six month period from the Spanish Flu. Sure, we talk about it now but back then, when the pandemic was over, no one talked about it. 5 per cent of the population died, it sucked, let’s just forget about it…? But how could a catastrophic event of this magnitude be collectively forgotten? And perhaps it’s not the only tragedy we’ve tossed into the black memory hole of history… CHAPTERS: 00:00 Exploring the concept of memory holes 00:44 The Spanish Flu: A case study of collective forgetting 02:31 Have we forgotten COVID-19? 03:36 Memory hole from George Orwell’s book, 1984 06:17 Beyond Pandemics: Forgetting wars and cockroaches 09:15 Collective forgetting of the Allied bombing of Germany 11:37 The science behind why we forget 13:16 Collective memory requires communication and narrative 16:00 Should we memorialise Covid-19? 19:48 What’s next on The Wholesome Show PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED: Wittenoom: Australia's Asbestos Chernobyl Wiped Town Off The Map SOURCES: Building a collective memory: the case for collective forgetting, by William Hirst and Alan Coman in Current Opinion in Psychology Collective Memory and Forgetting: A Theoretical Discussion by Cindy Minarova-Banjac Page 4 of 5 The rising of collective forgetting and cultural selectivity in inventors and physicists communities by Cristian Candia and Brian Uzzi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the most common fears and phobias that people have today? Most of us can relate to having a healthy fear of sharks or getting sweaty palms at the idea of being stuck in a tiny space. It’s also pretty socially acceptable for someone to opt out of bungee jumping, or for a fellow aeroplane passenger to need a few deep breaths to calm themselves before takeoff. Then of course there’s the fear of public speaking - which we all fear more than death, right? Maybe not… This claim seems to link back to a publication from 1977 called The Book of Lists, which in turn cites the London Times… which in turn references the 1973 Burskin Report. This claims that 41 per cent of people feared speaking before a group, whereas only 19 per cent feared death. But is it really true? CHAPTERS: 00:00 The fear of public speaking 05:29 Defining fear and phobia 10:24 Research findings: 1977 Book of Lists 13:04 The fear of heights and deep water 15:29 Top 10 Fears in America 16:31 White Supremacists and High Medical Bills 18:02 Fear of Ghosts and Zombies 20:49 Australia’s fears: Social Phobias and Agoraphobia 22:22 Fear of Swooping Magpies 26:26 The Boring Apocalypse 28:28 What’s next on the Wholesome Show PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED: Mary Shelley, Taphophobia and Life-Preserving Coffins SOURCES: Solomon, Robert C., 'Self-Reproach in Guilt, Shame, and Pride', True to Our Feelings: What Our Emotions Are Really Telling Us (2008; online edn, Oxford Academic, 3 Oct. 2011) The 14 Worst Human Fears in the 1977 Book of Lists: where did this data really come from? https://www.speakschmeak.com/2008/04/public-speaking-vs-death.html Top 10 Most Common Phobias List — Talkspace Top 10 phobias and what they reveal about the strangeness of life | Mental health | The Guardian America's Top Fears 2020/2021 | Chapman University Phobias: The ten most common fears people hold - ABC News Is Public Speaking Really More Feared Than Death?. Full article: Is Public Speaking Really More Feared Than Death? The Thing We Fear More Than Death | Psychology Today Australia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.