Science Vs

Caffeine is a drug that tons of us take every day. But is that a bad thing? And if we get it in the form of energy drinks, is that super dangerous? We talk to Dr. Astrid Nehlig, Prof. Gregory Marcus, and Prof. Sachin Shah.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsCaffeineEnergyDrinks In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Chapter 1: We love/hate caffeine (02:12) Chapter 2: Coffee and our guts (07:12) Chapter 3: Coffee and our brains (12:40) Chapter 4: Coffee and our zzzzzzs (17:42) Chapter 5: Coffee makes us go vroom vroom vroom! (20:30) Chapter 6: Are we caffeine addicts?  (28:04) Chapter 7: Are energy drinks dangerous? This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, as well as Nick DelRose, Joel Werner, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Sarah Baum. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Special thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode – including Dr. Bryan Saunders, Dr. Sergi Ferré, Prof. Andreas Heinz, Prof. Christine Curran, Dr. Erikka Loftfield, Dr. Felix Oberhoffer, Dr. Alan Wayne Jones, and Dr. Vijay Yadav. Extra special thanks to Jason Vytlacil and the Zukerman family. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We are everywhere that podcasts are! If you are listening on Spotify, follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. And if you like us, give a five star review!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Molly, ecstasy, MDMA: whatever you call it, this drug is blowing up. Some say MDMA can be a legitimate medicine to treat conditions like PTSD. But others reckon it's a dangerous drug that can fry your brain, and even kill you — from just one bad pill. Who's right? That's what we're snorting up today. We talk to psychiatrist George Greer, public health researcher Prof. Joseph Palamar, former DEA special agent James Hunt, and neuroscientist Prof. Harriet de Witt. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsMDMA2023  This is an updated version of our MDMA episode from a few years ago.  Chapters:  In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Chapter 1: Cops and club kids (05:02) Chapter 2: Therapists try MDMA (09:05) Chapter 3: Your brain on MDMA (15:34) Chapter 4: Can MDMA cure racism?  (20:32) Chapter 5: Can MDMA Cure PTSD?  (23:13) Chapter 6: Is the MDMA comedown real?  (26:40) Chapter 7: Can MDMA damage your brain?  (30:04) Chapter 8: Can MDMA kill you?  (33:23) Chapter 9: Buying MDMA on the street (37:01) Chapter 10: Conclusion This episode was produced by Heather Rogers and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Shruti Ravindran, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Rose Rimler, Joel Werner, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. Edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris, Ben Kuebrich and Diane Kelly. Sound design by Martin Peralta, Haley Shaw and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, So Wylie and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we reached out to for this episode, including Prof. Jerrold S. Meyer, Prof. Niamh Nic Daéid, Dr Brian Earp, Dr. Carl Roberts and Dr. Matthew Baggott. An extra thanks to Lucy Little, Johnny Dynell, Jesse Rudoy, Joseph Lavelle Wilson, and the Zukerman family.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all know gossip can be bad — but some of us still can’t seem to get enough of it. So today we’re digging into the science of gossip to answer questions like: who really gossips? And why do we love it so much? We spill the tea with sociologist Dr. Stacy Torres and neuroscientist Professor Josep Marco-Pallarés. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsGossip In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Gossip has a bad rap (06:21) Who gossips? (17:13) Your brain on gossip (24:14) Can gossip be good? (32:27) How to fight nasty gossip Check out Tuck Woodstock’s podcast, “Gender Reveal,” a podcast that centers nonbinary, transgender, and queer folks. The show interviews LGBTQ+ artists, activists, and educators; answers listener questions; analyzes current events; and gets a little bit closer to understanding what the heck gender is. Find us on instagram: @science_vs This episode was produced by Nick DelRose with help from Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. 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, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thank you to all the researchers we spoke to, including Dr. Megan Robins, Dr. Jan Engelmann, Dr. Konrad Rudnicki, Dr. Alex Karan, and Dr. Julie Wargo Aikins. Recording assistance from Jaz Williams. Special thanks to the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dead man with a bitten penis and perplexing DNA, a terrifying syndrome where everything around you appears in miniature, and the big lie we all believe about lemmings: Wendy and Joel tell three science stories about times when things were not what they seemed, recorded live at the Beaker Street Festival in Tasmania.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsLIVE  Chapters:  (00:00) Welcome to Science Vs LIVE! (02:08) The Case of the Missing Penis (17:55) Alice In Wonderland Syndrome (31:35) The Big Lemming Lie This episode has been produced by Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner and Austin Mitchell, with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, and Nicholas DelRose. Our original version of lemmings was helped into the world by Kaitlyn Sawrey, Ben Kuebrich, Heather Rogers, and Shruti Ravindran.  Edited by Blythe Terrell and Annie-Rose Strasser. Fact Checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and Sound Design by Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. Scoring by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, and Emma Munger. Thanks to all of the researchers we spoke to including… Dr. Malte Andersson, Dr. Anders Angerbjörn, Dr. Rolf Anker Ims, Dr. Charles J. Krebs, and others. As well as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the use of Cruel Camera. And special thanks to Barbara and Paul Werner, Tegan Taylor, Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family. 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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices