We Have Concerns

New research conducted by psychologists in Milan shows that if Batman show up, we immediately become more altruistic and considerate. Jeff and Anthony dig into this heroic study, and discuss how it might be applied to making the world a better place.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2025

Anthony and Jeff take a look at two new breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2025

Researchers believe it will be possible in the near future to build organisms from molecules with reversed structures. But a recent multi-disciplinary report suggest that creating such "mirror life" could lead to the end of all known life on earth. Jeff and Anthony discuss the report, and what it means for synthetic biology.

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2025

The Streaked Shearwater Seagull is a remarkable bird. It intentionally flies into the eye of hurricanes. But when scientists strapped video cameras to the gulls to study the behavior they learned something else. These birds are superpoopers. Anthony and Jeff plunge into the new findings to determine why this discovery is such a big deal.

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2025

The World Meteorological Organization’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes recently certified a new record: the longest lightning strike ever measured. Jeff and Anthony discuss the astonishing phenomenon, and dive into a whole host of surprising lightning-based statistics.

Transcribed - Published: 5 September 2025

The "Lost" Colony of Roanoke is one of the most enduring American mysteries, despite there being persuasive evidence to explain the disappearance of so many early settlers. Anthony and Jeff revisit this tale of American colonization, and look at the lastest findings that may put the questions to rest, once and for all.

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2025

Findings published in the journal Evolution reveal that mammals independently evolved specialized adaptations for exclusively feeding on ants and termites at least 12 times since the Cenozoic era began, roughly 66 million years ago. Why? And what does that reveal about how life has evolved on earth? Jeff and Anthony chew on the data to find out.

Transcribed - Published: 22 August 2025

What are the characteristics that make someone cool? How about good? Is there overlap? Can someone be both cool and good? Anthony and Jeff look at a new study that aims to quantify the attributes most associated with cool and good people, all around the world, to see where they stand - and if they agree!

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2025

While you might think a cannonball will yield the biggest splash in the pool, science has confirmed that a new technique from New Zealand, called Manu jumping, reigns supreme. Jeff and Anthony describe the Manu jump, and the mechanics behind why it is so effective.

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

Three stories this week, all concerning birds! Pranksters, scamps, potential saviors of earth? In the first, cockatoos in Australia have learned how to drink from public water fountains. Anthony and Jeff discuss how and why. Next ups, the penguins of Antactica might be helping offset climate change... with their poop. And finally, have humans altered the course of evolution with hummingbird feeders? Anthony and Jeff wing their way through all three topics!

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025

For 60 years, between 1637 and 1697, people who died at the largest hospital in Milan were dropped into a brick-lined crypt. Now, 300 years later, their unearthed remains reveal shocking insights into the lives of the 17th century working poor - and the discovery of a never before seen type of soil. Jeff and Anthony dig through the bones to discuss this fascinating trove of historical science.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

New research aims to quality the health effects of silence. It turns out, just a few hours of quiet time per week can have striking benefits. Anthony and Jeff discuss their own relationship with silence, and how this study might motivate them to turn down the volume.

Transcribed - Published: 4 July 2025

Tim Friede has allowed himself to be bitten by venomous snakes more then 200 times. As a result, his blood has helped scientists concoct a new antibody cocktail that could save thousands of lives. Jeff and Anthony discuss how to classify Tim's contributions to science.

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have introduced InteRecon, a program that enables users to recapture real-world objects in a mobile app, and then animate them in mixed-reality environments. Jeff and Anthony discuss the notion of ownership, nostalgia, and replacing real-world possessions with digital replacements.

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2025

A new study from researchers at the University of Zurich and Harvard University reveals that bonobos, our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees, use the equivalent of word compounds and phrasings, suggesting that the roots of language predate humans. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of the discovery of these building blocks of communication in the animal kingdom.

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2025

Every night, bats emerge out of roosts in massive numbers, creating what scientists have called a 'cocktail party nightmare' of clashing echolocations. Nobody knew how bats managed this severe sensorial challenge. Now, scientists have tracked bats within a group of thousands to find out. Jeff and Anthony don their capes and cowls to investiagte this mystery, and the solution may surprise you!

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

A new study places the US at the top of the list of most fatal countries to be a pedestrian. Anthony and Jeff take a look at all the reasons it is so dangerous to walk in America, and what can be done to make foot traffic safer and more practical.

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

Scientists have developed a device, called “e-Taste”, capable of recreating complex flavours of food and drink from five basic building blocks, and plan to use it to enhance virtual reality and augmented reality systems, boosting immersive experiences. Anthony and Jeff debate whether adding taste to VR will made the world a better place.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

Researchers have discovered that dense crowds can spontaneously synchronize into collective oscillations, with hundreds of people moving in coordinated, swirling patterns. How did they do it? By studying the Spanish tradition of running with the bulls. Jeff and Anthony discuss getting lost in a crowd, and how science can make these large events safer for everyone.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

People with aphantasia lack the ability to summon images in their "mind's eye." But a new study suggests that the blueprints for those imaginary images might still be nestled in their brains. As someone with aphantasia himself, Anthony tries to explain to Jeff how his inner life works.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have uncovered new insights into the dual nature of scratching an itch, indicating that while it can worsen skin inflammation, it can also boost immune defenses against bacterial infections at the injury site. How did they do it? By torturing mice, of course. Jeff and Anthony dig into the science of itchiness to learn more.

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2025

The rise of AI has directly resulted in diminishing levels of critical thinking, epseically among young people, a new study shows. Anthony and Jeff discuss how relying on technology must be paired with new ways of thinking, and the dire consequences that may result from algorithmic learning.

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that one generation in particular has higher exposure to unsafe levels of lead than all others. It just happens to be Jeff and Anthony's generation: Gen X. They take a loook at the impacts, and the long history of cover-up that led to lead staying in gasoline far longer than it should have.

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

Much has been made about taking a cold shower in the morning vs a hot one. A new study aims to measure the health benefit of these different temperature extremes for daily washing. Anthony and Jeff get into a lather about it, and the results may surprise you!

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025

A study of 26 years' worth of wolf behavioral data, and an analysis of the blood of 229 wolves, has shown that infection with a parasite that can only reproduce in cats makes wolves 46 times more likely to become a pack leader. How can this be? Jeff and Anthony dive into the data, and come away thinking it has far-reaching ramification for how we all behave, every day.

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2025

A new study finds that the human body does not age at a constant rate throughout adulthood. Instead, it accelerates dramatically around ages 44 and 60. Jeff and Anthony discuss the findings while trying not to admit how old they feel.

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2025

More and more research points to the fact that the microbiome in our gut contributes sigificantly to both our phsyical and mental health. But what defines this microbiome? New analysis of nearly 2,000 people living in remote villages in Honduras has shown that friend groups have nearly as much impact as spouses or co-habitators. Jeff and Anthony discuss sharing gut health with their friends, and what this research might mean for cocktail parties in the future.

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2025

Contrary to previous assumption, a new study shows that bat-like echolocation is a skill that can be learned by both blind and sighted practitioners in as little as 10 weeks. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of this discovery, and what it means about practice and neural plasticity.

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2025

A new study used varying levels of hot sauce to test whether the expectation of spice and discomfort impacted the actual experience. Jeff and Anthony discuss how our brains deal with expectation - and also the way this study was conducted. With, um, squirt tubes.

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2025

In the 19th century, Scottish scammer Gregor MacGregor made a fortune selling land in Poyais. The only problem? Poyais never existed. Jeff and Anthony step through the history of this nortious fraudster, and try to resist parallels to modern American liars.

Transcribed - Published: 13 December 2024

The sport of Slap Fighting has taken the Internet by storm over the last year. But would you believe: it is stupid and dangerous? I KNOW. Jeff and Anthony discuss a new study that says the very good and smart sport is causing intense and permanent damage to its participants.

Transcribed - Published: 28 October 2024

When you see food that is colored blue, what flavor do you expect it to be? As the rarest color in plants and animals, blue might be the strangest color to eat. Jeff and Anthony dig into the unusual history of blue food to uncover the allure of azure.

Transcribed - Published: 21 October 2024

Among rural communities in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was taken as fact that a thunderstorm would turn milk sour. Jeff and Anthony look at the journey of scientific discovery around such a strange myth, and what it tell us about how long it takes to dispel misinformation, even in the modern age.

Transcribed - Published: 14 October 2024

It's time to celebrate the strangest, silliest, and most weirdly useful science of the last year! The Ig Nobel Prizes are back, and we're going to cover this year's winners.

Transcribed - Published: 23 September 2024

Thomas Midgley Jr. may not be a household name, but the inventor is responsible for some of the most world-changing breakthroughs in history. And not in a good way. Anthony and Jeff take a look at the life of man who was part visionary, part carnival barker, and all bad for humanity.

Transcribed - Published: 2 September 2024

Researchers in the Arctic are experimenting with drastic plans to geoengineer away the damaging effects of climate change. Jeff and Anthony look at one method, inspired by Dutch Ice Masters. Then, they discuss efforts from the Alameda city council to shut down geoengineering off the coast of California. Which is the best way forward?

Transcribed - Published: 26 August 2024

When birds collide with airplanes, their remains are sent to a special lab in Washington, DC. There, an elite team of avian detectives works to identify the exact type of bird to help prevent future catastrophes. Jeff and Anthony discuss the science behind the role of forensic ornithologist.

Transcribed - Published: 19 August 2024

A new study shows that some insomniacs who claim to have been up through the night have actually been sleeping. What is going on in their brains? Anthony and Jeff take a look at the data and discuss how even our perception of our own sleep my be warped.

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2024

New research suggests that the farther back you are in a progression, the worse you are perceived. In effect, we judge those later in line to be of lower value. Anthony and Jeff discuss this finding, and try to figure out why being earlier might actually be beneficial.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2024

By analyzing the brain waves of improvising jazz musicians, researchers now understand how the brain achieves a creative flow state. The findings have practical implications for anyone wanting to get ‘in the zone’ to generate creative ideas. Jeff and Anthony go with the flow and discuss how and when they are able to achieve this state of heightened performance.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2024

Two stories this week, both involving kids who get more than they bargained for. In the first, a toddler is certain she hears a monster in the walls of her family's 100 year old North Carolina farmhouse. In a way, she was right. And in the second, a 9 year old boy pines for a pet he shouldn't, and his parents find out the hard way why they shouldn't have given in.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2024

No two human fingerprints are alike. Even different fingers from the same person are unique. But new research from Columbia University using an applied neural network suggests there may be a new way to link intra-person fingerprints with a high degree of accuracy. Jeff and Anthony take a look at fingerprinting analysis and discuss the use of machine learning to innovate in ways humans cannot.

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2024

At the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte’s final battle, more than 10,000 men and as many horses were killed in a single day. Yet, archaeologists have found the physical remains of only 2 soldiers. How did so many bones up and vanish? In a new book, an international team of historians and archaeologists argues the bones were depleted by industrial-scale grave robbing. Why? Well, for sugar, of course. Jeff and Anthony dig into this mystery and learn a lot about how sugar get from farm to table, by way of bone char.

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2024

Consumer Reports released a new report on Lunchables in which it found lead and cadmium, and also observed the presence of phthalates, which can impact reproductive health and the human hormonal system. Anthony and Jeff discuss the findings, and how to face the challenge of eating food that isn't actively trying to kill you.

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2024

If humanity is to successfully colonize the lunar surface, we will have to bring other animals with us. Which species are essential to create a thriving ecosystem? Which should arrive first? Anthony and Jeff discuss the factors involved in deciding which kinds of creatures will join us on the moon.

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2024

It is the 200th anniversary of the first dinosaur discovery, so Jeff and Anthony dig into the story of finding fossils and naming them. It leads them to the wild story of William Buckland, the man who coined the term Megalosaurus, in 1824. If you think you know dinosaurs, you may be shocked by how they entered popular culture.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2024

A pair of recent studies suggest that the act of putting pen or pencil to paper increases brain activity and retention when compared to typing words into a computer. Anthony and Jeff discuss living a papered life, and whether taking physical notes is worth the increase in learning.

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2024

Statistics are amazing things. This week, Anthony and Jeff dig into the data around death to determine the most likely month and day that people all around the world will meet their end.

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2024

In 1944, the US Office of Strategic Services—now the CIA—published the "Simple Sabotage Field Manual," a top secret guide teaching the average citizen how to cause problems to any organization. Jeff and Anthony step through the instructions and marvel at how a by-gone era's tactics for creating chaos sound all-too similar to the everyday experience of daily life today.

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2024

In a new study by Harvard scientists, researchers have found that healing happens faster when the person involved thinks that time is progressing more quickly than it actually is. Jeff and Anthony discuss Mind/Body Unity, and what to do with all of the evidence that suggests we can control our physiology if we just believe.

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2024