Shows
Recreational ScienceRecognizing butts and using clowns as anesthesiaHumans recognize each other’s faces. Chimps recognize each other’s butts. However, do chimps recognize human butts? Do humans recognize human butts? Do humans recognize chimp butts? All these questions must be asked. Getting surgery, even minor procedures, triggers anxiety. Do clowns help kids relax pre-surgery? Is there room for clowns in pediatric operating rooms? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss historic science gaffes, how human faces are quite similar to chimpanzee butts, and whether clowns can be good anxiolytics for children. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk 5:27 Historic science gaffes quiz 19:22 Chim...
2026-01-2053 minRecreational SciencePâté vs dog food and smoochy woochy poochyDog food quality has risen over the years, and its ingredients are not too different from that of pâté, or liver mousse, a French delicacy. The question, then, must be asked: can people taste the difference between dog food and pâté? Driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous and illegal, but what about bicycling? Is it safe to ride bikes after cannabis use? Happy 2026! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether blind taste testers can tell the difference between dog food and pâté, liverwurst, or SPAM, and whether cannabis users can sa...
2026-01-0632 minRecreational ScienceEating Legos (for kids) and the fighting prowess of bearded menKids swallow little toys and other things they’re not supposed to all the time. Is it dangerous to swallow Legos? How long does it take for a swallowed piece of Lego to pass? There’s only one way to find out. Why do some men have beards? Do beards signify virility and manliness? Do bearded men have higher power levels? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the rich history of self-experimentation in medicine, how long it takes Legos to pass through the digestive tract, and whether bearded men fight better. Please vote...
2025-12-1938 minRecreational ScienceThe Batman effect and how octopuses spend their free timeWould you give up your seat to a pregnant woman on the train? Would you be more likely to give up your seat to a pregnant woman if Batman was also on the train? What do octopuses do during their free time? Are they smart, curious, and bored enough to play catch by themselves? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how the presence of Batman makes people more kind to one another and whether octopuses play with toys. Beef man origins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-5StGiCb4 Octopus...
2025-12-0933 minRecreational ScienceThe ethics of ethicists and making turkeys exerciseAre ethicists ethical? One would think that people who spend their careers studying ethics must be more ethical than others. But are people with looser morals more likely to become ethicists, so that they can understand what they lack? Why do some ancient human bones have larger enthesis (sites on the bone where tendons and ligaments attach)? Did the individuals these bones belong to run or exercise more than their peers? How can we study this using Thanksgiving dinner? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on the science of Thanksgiving dinner. The two then discuss...
2025-11-2534 minRecreational ScienceMansplaining explained and dedicating a brain cell to Jennifer AnistonMansplaining is when a someone explains in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a woman. Why do men do it? Does mansplaining actually even exist? Brain processing and recognition of visual imagery, such as people and objects, is thought to involve complex neuronal pathways with lots of connected brain cells each playing a role. But are multiple brain cells really necessary for this? Why don’t we just dedicate one brain cell to recognizing each important person in...
2025-11-1137 minRecreational ScienceFear is sexy and using zombie arms to carve pumpkinsWhy do we sometimes seek out and enjoy fear? Could it be that fear promotes sexual attraction? Is it a good idea to take your date to a horror movie or on a rollercoaster? Carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns is dangerous and often leads to hand injuries. What’s the safest pumpkin carving tool to use this Halloween? How do you even determine this? It’s Halloween! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss why some houses are thought to be haunted, how situations that arouse fear also arouse other feelings, as well as how to use...
2025-10-2842 minRecreational ScienceCocaine bees and predicting whether people are iPhone or Android usersThe paradox of cocaine reinforcement is one of the biggest paradoxes in science. Why is cocaine so addictive to humans? Do bees enjoy cocaine as much as us? Why do some people prefer Apple iPhones while others prefer Android phones? Are there fundamental psychological differences between iPhone and Android users? Can you predict who uses which phone? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on different -ologies, or scientific fields of study. The two then discuss the behavior of honeybees on short- and long-term cocaine use and the differences in personality traits between iPhone and Android...
2025-10-1445 minRecreational ScienceAre toots sterile? Plus, gym bro scienceDo farts contain dangerous bacteria? Should you avoid being flatulent near food? Can pre-workout supplements help you lift more weights at the gym? Should you drink beet juice and coffee before your workouts? In this episode, Lu and Tirth honor some of their favorite winners of the Darwin Award (an award even more prestigious than the Nobel Prize), debate whether breaking wind during surgery also breaks the sterile field of the operating room, and discuss whether nitrates and caffeine make good pre-workout supplements to maximize gains at the gym. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:53 Darwin...
2025-09-3039 minRecreational ScienceUnboiling an egg and tasting a tromboneMaking a hardboiled egg is easy. Unboiling a hardboiled egg is hard, if not impossible, right? What do musical instruments taste like? Are violins sour? Are pianos sweet? In this episode, Lu and Tirth use philosophical razors to debate whether Tirth’s fiancé is real, discuss how to turn back time to uncook eggs, and uncover what sounds taste like and what tastes sound like. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:12 Philosophical razors 17:23 Egg unboiling study 24:36 Sound taste study 36:04 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Yuan et al., 2015. Shear-Stress-Mediated Refolding of Proteins fro...
2025-09-1638 minRecreational ScienceExpensive placebos and making people smell their dogsPlacebos are not supposed to do anything, yet they kind of work. Well, then why not sell them at a high price like real medicine? Turns out, maybe that’s not such a bad question. Dogs have fantastic noses and can identify their owners by smell. Can humans return the favor? Can dog owners identify their dogs by smell? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how more expensive placebos are more effective than cheaper ones and whether dog owners can recognize their dog’s smell. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk; Tirth’s beef 5...
2025-09-0231 minRecreational ScienceSize matters, in your pants and inside your headDoes size matter to women? What about height? These age-old questions have been asked by every man who has ever lived. What does science have to say? Why do some animals become roadkill? Are they just dumb? It’s episode 10! In this milestone episode, Lu and Tirth pay homage to some of the greatest scientists of all time, fiercely debate whether size matters to women when it comes to the attractiveness of men, and discuss whether brain size in birds correlates with the probability of getting run over by cars. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:49 Sc...
2025-08-1937 minRecreational ScienceReplying to SPAM emails for a free Vegas trip (special episode)At scientific conferences where scientists gather to share data and ideas, a prominent scientist is usually invited to give the Keynote Talk, which is the headlining event of the conference. It’s a big honor. Has a graduate student ever received this honor? In this special episode, Lu tells Tirth and Saran a story about the time he was invited to give the Keynote Talk at a scientific conference in Las Vegas as a graduate student. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:57 The email 28:35 The website/conclusion 34:50 What did you learn today, outro Checkout the video version of...
2025-08-0539 minRecreational ScienceKids think bacon and hot dogs are plantsDo kids know where the food they eat comes from? More specifically, do they know whether food comes from plants or animals? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on some of the wackiest scientific journal titles, and the two discuss how American children cannot tell whether foods are animals or plants. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:22 Watermelon6:04 Wacky scientific journal title quiz 16:46 Kids food study 38:32 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Hahn et al., 2021. Children are unsuspecting meat eaters: An opportunity to address climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology. https://www.sciencedirect.com...
2025-07-2240 minRecreational ScienceDogs are somewhat magnetic and do elephants yawn?How are dogs so good at navigation? Can they sense the earth’s magnetic field? How can you measure this? Elephants are intelligent and noble beasts. Do they yawn though? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether dogs can sense the earth’s magnetic field when they poop and whether elephants yawn. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:59 Tirth’s run-in with the TSA 8:41 Dog magnetism study 20:54 Elephant yawning study 32:45 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Hart et al., 2013. Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field. Frontier...
2025-07-0834 minRecreational ScienceManspreading for Tinder and scaring goats with helicoptersWhy do men manspread? Do women on dating apps prefer men who manspread their legs (and arms) in their profile pictures? Are goats brave? Can the Dutch air force scare goats using attack helicopters? In this episode, Lu tests Tirth's knowledge of the people with a "family feud" style game and the two discuss how to get likes on Tinder and an attempt to scare goats using air force helicopters. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:10 Science-themed "family feud" style game 16:39 Manspreading Tinder study 30:55 Goat helicopter study 42:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links:
2025-06-2444 minRecreational ScienceDouble dipping and using mirrors for itch reliefWhy is double dipping frowned upon? Does it actually transfer oral bacteria from the chip to the dip? Scratching an itch is bad for the skin. What if you can relieve an itch on one arm by scratching your other arm while tricking your brain with a mirror? In this episode, Lu and Tirth review research ideas from ChatGPT and discuss the microbiology of double dipping and how to scratch an itch using a mirror. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:21 Evaluating research proposals from ChatGPT 18:18 Double dipping study 28:14 Mirror scratching study 35:53 What did you learn...
2025-06-1037 minRecreational ScienceImmoral meat and rubbing chickens into beardsTo some people, eating meat is immoral. It’s a subjective opinion. However, does eating meat make you immoral objectively? Should hippies be allowed to work in a microbiology laboratory? Are their beards and long hair a contamination risk? How can chickens be used in this study? In this episode, Lu gives Tirth an opportunity to redeem himself with another science quiz, and the two discuss how eating meat actually makes you immoral, according to science, and how to trick hippies into shaving their beards. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:45 Tirth takes another science trivia qu...
2025-05-2733 minRecreational ScienceSwimming in syrup and fake drunk confidenceIf you replace the water in a swimming pool with syrup and convince some of your colleagues to swim in it, will they swim slower or faster? Drunk people find others and themselves more attractive. However, do people tricked into believing they are drunk also find themselves more attractive? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on his science knowledge and the two discuss how fast humans swim in syrup and how to gain confidence by tricking yourself into thinking you are drunk. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Tirth takes a science trivia quiz 11:33 Swimming study 21:18...
2025-05-1334 minRecreational ScienceSheep shearing and how to publish anythingSheep shearing is hard, especially the step where you drag sheep around. What type of flooring is easiest to drag sheep on? There’s only one way to find out. Every scientist has asked the following question: how do I publish whatever I want in a peer-reviewed journal? Can I publish my personal blog? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the hazards of sheep shearing and how to publish anything you want...if you’re the editor-in-chief of a journal. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:30 Lu’s afternoon beef 9:22 Sheep shearing study 22:40 How to publis...
2025-04-2235 minRecreational ScienceChickens appreciate human beauty and rhinotillexomaniaHow do humans learn what’s beautiful in a face? Can chickens be trained to find beauty in human faces the way humans do? Do teenage boys pick their nose? How often? Why do they do it? How do they feel about it? Is it pathological? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how to train chickens to become attracted to human faces and the prevalence of nose picking in teenagers. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:18 Chappell Roan; check yourself before you wreck yourself 9:56 Chicken preference study 22:50 Nose picking study 33:00 What did you learn today, ou...
2025-04-0834 minRecreational ScienceFruit bat foreplay and electric anti-venomFruit bats engage in fellatio, obviously, but does this sexual behavior decrease or increase total copulation time? What do you do if a venomous rattlesnake bites you? Should you try shocking yourself with a car battery? In the inaugural episode of the podcast, Lu and Tirth discuss the importance of foreplay in fruit bat copulation and what happens when electrocution is attempted as therapy for venomous snake bites. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:55 Host introductions; Dave Talk 7:08 Bat fellatio study 17:13 Electric shock study 28:57 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Tan et...
2025-03-2930 min