Science Vs

Latest Episodes:

Sleep: How Do We Get More? Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Not sleeping enough turning you into a monster? In one of our most popular episodes, we bring you the cutting-edge science that helps us understand why. And we sort through the fads to find out, what really works to get more ZZZs. We speak with lab coordinator Pam DeYoung, sleep researcher Dr. Brady Riedner, and circadian scientist Prof. Russell Foster.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSleep2023

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Not sleeping sucks

(03:00) What does lack of sleep do to us?

(06:07) Our beer vs. sleepiness experiment

(10:56) What happens in a sleepy brain

(17:45) How circadian rhythm affects sleep

(21:19) Does melatonin help with sleep?

(23:50) Does blue light keep us awake?

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Lexi Krupp with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn and Kaitlyn Sawrey. Editing by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Bach. Recording assistance from Dave Drexler, Tim Peterson, Zoe Sullivan, and Martin Wiggins. Sonification of EEG data came from Dr. Gerold Baier and Dr. Thomas Hermann. A huge thanks to Dr. Amandine Valomon, Prof. James Krueger, Dr. Ari Shechter, Dr. Jade Wu, Dr. Bei Bei, Dr. Connor Sheehan, Dr. Jennifer Ailshire, Dr. Agostinho Rosa, and everyone else we spoke to for this episode, especially our frustrated sleepers. Thank you so much for all the voice messages! And special thanks to Chuma Ossé, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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Seed Oils: Is Your Canola Oil Killing You? Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

We’ve been told that foods like butter and bacon are bad for us — because they're packed with saturated fats. And top dogs in nutrition say that a better option is vegetable oil, like canola oil. But there’s a trend popping off claiming that these top dogs are barking up the wrong tree. They say that butter is better and that those vegetable oils, aka “seed oils,” are incredibly dangerous. So — who’s right? Is canola oil really killing us? Or is butter the bad boy?

To find out, we speak to author and physician Dr Cate Shanahan, professor of nutrition science Jason Wu, professor of endocrinology David Schade, and Dr David Iggman.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSeedOils

A new Season of Heavyweight is out now! Find them here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Seed oils are the devil

(05:35) Is saturated fat killing you?

(12:25) Does cholesterol cause heart attacks?

(22:02) Do seed oils cause inflammation?

(28:00) Are seed oils killing you?

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr Lorena Pacheco, Dr Qi Sun, Dr Tetsumori Yamashima, Dr Idrees Mughal, Professor Rashika Ahmed, Dr Hatem Tallima, Dr Heidi Silver, Professor Ronald Krauss, Dr Yutang Wang, Dr David Sullivan, Professor Peter Clifton, Dr Lee Hooper and others. And a big thank you to Morgen Rockel, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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UFOs: The Truth Is Right Here Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

A whistleblower claims that the U.S. government is covering up what it knows about aliens on Earth, and several military pilots recently testified to seeing strange objects in the sky. It kinda feels like the tide is turning on UFOs — even NASA is taking these sightings seriously. So what’s going on here? Have aliens visited? And will we ever find alien life somewhere … out there? We speak to astrophysicists Prof. Kevin Knuth, Dr. Sara Webb, and Prof. Adam Frank.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsUFOs2023

Check our previous episode on UFOs here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/60oChXf4TK7dN4NZslVUpx

Prof. Adam Frank's new book, The Little Book of Aliens, comes out October 24.

Chapters:

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Chapter 1: Congress takes on aliens

(03:04) Chapter 2: Why is Rose Muldering?

(05:44) Chapter 3: The ‘Tic-Tac’ incident

(13:54) Chapter 4: We need a Scully

(26:45) Chapter 5: The new science on searching for alien life

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, as well as Michelle Dang, Joel Werner and Nick DelRose. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, and So Wylie. Special thanks to Matt Shilts and Walter Rimler. An extra special thanks to researchers we spoke to for this episode – including Prof. Seth Shostak and Julio Plaza Del Olmo.

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Andrew Huberman on Supplements, the Covid Lab Leak Theory and more Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Andrew Huberman is a skate punk turned neuroscientist, and he hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S.: The Huberman Lab. Today, we talk to him about his unlikely path to becoming a scientist, his fascinating research into regrowing neurons, the Covid-19 lab leak theory, and some of the criticism he's gotten for promoting certain supplements.

Coronavirus: Was It Made In a Lab? https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/dvheexn

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHuberman

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Chapter 1: Andrew Huberman: Skater Kid to Scientist

(10:35) Chapter 2: Huberman's favorite study: Regrowing neurons

(16:38) Chapter 3: Learning to Optimize

(21:59) Chapter 4: Covid Lab Leak Theory

(26:45) Chapter 5: Criticism for Promoting Certain Supplements

(35:06) Chapter 6: Huberman's favorite TV show: Love Island (jking)

(36:33) Chapter 7: Life Advice

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Joel Werner, with help from Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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Self-Care: Can You Hack Your Mood? Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Can plunging into an ice bath make us feel happier? What about gratitude journaling? We’re digging into some of the quirkiest self-care hacks around the internet to find out what the science says — and whether you should add them to your routine. We talk to environmental physiologist Dr. Heather Massey, counseling psychologist Prof. Joel Wong, and social psychologist Dr. Juliana Schroeder.

This episode does mention depression. Here are some crisis hotlines:

United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “GO” to 741741
Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available)
Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province)
United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI) (Online chat available)
Full list of international hotlines here

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSelfCare

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Chapter 1: Trendy self-care hacks

(02:13) Chapter 2: Ice baths: How our body reacts

(07:40) Chapter 3: Can cold plunges help with depression?

(12:41) Chapter 4: The risks of ice baths

(16:24) Chapter 5: Does gratitude journaling make us happier?

(20:39) Chapter 6: How does gratitude work?

(26:29) Chapter 7: When self-care isn’t just about yourself …

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Nick DelRose, Joel Werner, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, and So Wylie. Thanks to everyone we spoke to for this episode – especially Professor Megan Azad. And special thanks to the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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Why Fossil Nerds Are Pissed Right Now Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

The smash hit Netflix documentary “Unknown: Cave of Bones” has kicked off an all-out science brawl. The film makes extraordinary claims about a strange ape-like creature that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago — claims that rewrite what it means to be human. But some scientists are pushing back, saying that at this point, these extraordinary claims aren’t backed up by extraordinary evidence. So, what’s going on? Is “Cave of Bones” a Cave of Lies? We chat to the man at the center of the controversy, National Geographic Explorer In Residence Lee Berger, as well as a couple of the scientists pushing back against his work: Professor Andy Herries and Associate Professor Jamie Hodgkins.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVSCaveOfBones

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) ‘Cave of Bones’ is a hit!

(02:55) Lee Berger, Explorer in Residence

(07:10) Meet Homo naledi

(14:09) Extraordinary claims

(20:54) The media campaign and the backlash

(25:16) The evidence for burial

(32:00) The evidence for rock art

(40:54) Cave of Insufficient Evidence?

This episode was produced by Joel Werner, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Nick DelRose. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, So Wylie, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr Bridget Alex, Professor Michael Petraglia, Dr Kimberly Foecke, Dr Sven Ouzman, Dr Elizabeth Grace Veatch, Dr Flint Dibble, Professor Tim White, and Professor Bernard Wood. And a big thank you to Lindsey Cherner, Jill Harris, Jack Weinstein, Katie Vines, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Vaping: Is It Really That Bad? Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

More and more people are puffing on vapes — but some governments are making moves to ban them. So how dangerous is vaping, really? And as we inhale that sweet cherry flavor into our lungs, could we also be changing our brains? To find out, we talk to tobacco researcher Dr. Michael Chaiton, inhalation toxicologist Professor Ilona Jaspers, and pharmacology researcher Melissa Herman.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsVaping

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The fears around vaping

(03:41) Could vaping make you sick?

(09:45) Are vape flavors dangerous?

(20:17) Nicotine and depression

(32:03) Is vaping worse than smoking?

This episode was produced by Nick DelRose with help from Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler and Michelle Dang. Our original vaping episode was produced by Kaitlyn Sawrey with help from Lexi Krupp and Meryl Horn. Editing by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka, and Emma Munger. A huge thanks to all the people we spoke to for this episode including: Dr Jamie Harmann-Boyce, Prof Charlotta Pisinger, Prof Neal Benowitz, Dr Emily Stockings, Dr Mohammed Al-Hamdani, Prof Nancy Rigotti, Dr Elizabeth Stevens, Dr Matt Springer, Prof Paul Kenny, Dr Yasmeen Butt, Dr Sean Callahan, Dr Travis Henry, Professor Irfan Rahman, Christopher Harvel, Alex Sandorf, Dr James Pankow, Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, Professor Lorraine Martin, Professor Moon-Shong Tang, Dr. Kevin Davidson and Myron Ronay. Extra thanks to Conor Duffy, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Follow the show and tap the bell to receive new episode notifications.

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Breathwork: A Bunch of Hot Air? Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

The latest hot new trend is: breathing. Yeah, that’s right — there are claims that so-called breathwork can cure depression and supercharge your brain. Breathfluencers reckon that we're breathing all wrong but that with the right kind of breathing, you could be living a happier, healthier life. So what's the deal here? Are you really breathing badly? And if you learned the right way to breathe, could you become a better you? To find out, we talk to psychiatrists Professor David Spiegel and Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, memory researcher Dr. Artin Arshamian, and speech pathologist Ann Kearney.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsBreathwork

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Meet the Breathfluencers

(05:27) Can breathwork reduce stress?

(10:18) Can breathwork help with depression and PTSD?

(14:48) How does breathing work?

(21:04) Are you a mouth breather?

(23:58) Can mouth-breathing ruin your memory?

(31:05) Benefits of nose breathing

(33:41) Should you use mouth tape?

(35:47) Are the Breathfluencers right?

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Professor George Dallum, Dr Theresa Larkin, Dr Justin Feinstein, Dr Daillin Tavoian, Professor Margaret Chesney, Dr Anthony Bain, Dr Jayakar Nayak, Professor Leslie Kay, Professor John Hanrahan, Professor Andrew Allen, Dr Shirley Telles, Guy Fincham, and Shikha Malviya. And a big thank you to Jill Harris, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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We're Back! And Boldly Going Where We've Never Gone Before Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Brand-new episodes will drop starting next week! Stay tuned for science deep dives on breathing and breathwork, seed oils (what SHOULD we cook with??), UFOs, self-care, energy drinks, personality tests and much much MUCH more.

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The Best Ever Episode of Science Vs Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

This week – our episode that you voted as our BEST wild card episode!! You’ll have to listen to find out what it is.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/SVBestEverEp

In this episode talk to Brie Smith, Micah Truman, Katrina Spade and Thomas Bass.

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Courtney Gilbert and Disha Bhagat. Were edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design of this episode was by Bobby Lord. Mix and sound design of our original episode was by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, So Wylie and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all of the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr John Paul, Dr Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Dr Muriel Lepesteur, Jean F. Bonhotal, Dr Mark Pawlett, Professor Komla Tsey, Dr Ruth McManus and Dr Julie Rugg. Special thanks to Jimmy Olson, Jonathan Goldstein, Julia Martin, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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