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Science Vs

When Science and Superstitions Collide

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.412.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2022

⏱️ 39 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is the THIRTEENTH season of the show! So we’re diving into stories about superstitions and luck. We’ll share the eerie tale of a 13-legged sea creature. We’ll talk about a hot new telescope that’s trying to look back 13 billion years ago to uncover the secrets of the universe. And we’ll talk about a squeaky superstition that involves a rat — as the tooth fairy. We speak to marine biologist Dr. Julian Evans, astrophysicist Dr. Jeyhan Kartaltepe, and biologist Dr. Philip Cox.  UPDATE 12/16/22: A previous version of this episode incorrectly conflated the units of pressure and force when comparing the bites of great white sharks and rats. The episode has been updated to make the distinction between pressure and force more clear. Here’s a link to our transcript: http://bit.ly/3ujIgo0 This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, and Disha Bhagat. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our Executive Producer. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Peter Leonard. And a big thanks to the researchers we spoke to, including Professor Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, Dr. Ron Wasserstein, Professor Sander Greenland, Professor Natalie Batalha, and Dr. Terry Gosliner. Special thanks to Jen Hahn and Jonah Delso.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Rose Rimmler, filling in for Wendy Zuckerman.

0:02.8

She fell into some quicksand.

0:05.0

I'm just kidding.

0:06.0

She'll be back soon.

0:07.2

And you're listening to Science Vs from Gimlet.

0:09.8

This is the show that pits facts against misfortune.

0:15.4

And I'm here in the studio with our producer, Meryl Horn.

0:23.8

Hi, Meryl, Hi Rose.

0:25.4

So what are we doing here today?

0:27.4

We are here because it's the 13th season of Science Vs.

0:33.8

Oh, wow.

0:34.8

Yeah, come a long way, baby.

0:36.2

Yeah.

0:37.4

So we've decided to look at the number 13

0:40.8

and whether there is actually anything that's unlucky about it.

0:44.6

So why do people think 13 is unlucky in the first place?

0:48.2

Most people seem to think it comes from the Bible

0:51.2

because according to the Bible at the last supper,

0:54.6

there were 13 people there.

0:56.8

And you know, that's a bad supper

1:00.0

because that's the one that happened right before.

1:01.6

Jesus was crucified.

...

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