<description>&lt;p&gt;Cloning is getting more useful and more unsettling, tropical trees may be better at cooperation than we are, and smart underwear is now tracking human flatulence in extraordinary detail. This week, Will and Rod move from organ-growing biotech to forest teamwork, fart analytics, and a deeply worrying case of AI gone wrong.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;They look at the push to grow organs using non-conscious biological structures, and why that could transform medicine while also sounding like the start of a sci-fi horror film. Then they head into the forest, where new research suggests tropical trees are better at helping their neighbours than trees in colder climates, raising some mildly awkward questions about whether plants are beating us at community building.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And because science never knows when to stop, the episode also dives into the world of smart underwear, digestive health, and what actually counts as a normal amount of flatulence. Along the way, there is also a sobering look at a Tennessee grandmother wrongly jailed after faulty facial recognition, which is a useful reminder that technology can be both brilliant and deeply stupid.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;CHAPTERS:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;00:00 Cloning Nightmares Recap&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;01:45 Monkey Organ Sacks Idea&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;04:34 Human Organ Replacement Debate&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;07:45 How It Could Work&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;08:57 Surrogates And Storage Problems&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;12:39 Trees That Get Along&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;15:45 Why Tropical Trees Are Friendlier&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;17:25 Not All Prodigies Win&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;19:47 Late Bloomers And Training Myths&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;24:10 German Forest Bathing Tease&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;24:52 Forest Sounds Boost Mood&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;25:35 Massage Stories Detour&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;27:58 Local vs Tropical Forests&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;30:14 Fart Science Gets Serious&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;34:37 Smart Underwear Study&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;36:55 Farting Baselines Explained&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;39:19 Farter Types Atlas&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;43:00 AI Facial Recognition Fail&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;46:53 Why AI Enhancement Lies&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;49:13 Wrap Up and Callouts&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;SOURCES:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://futurism.com/health-medicine/startup-pitching-cloned-human-bodies"&gt;https://futurism.com/health-medicine/startup-pitching-cloned-human-bodies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.wired.com/story/a-billionaire-backed-startup-wants-to-grow-organ-sacks-to-replace-animal-testing/"&gt;https://www.wired.com/story/a-billionaire-backed-startup-wants-to-grow-organ-sacks-to-replace-animal-testing/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26935844-200-the-human-flatus-atlas-plans-to-measure-the-explosivity-of-farts/"&gt;https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26935844-200-the-human-flatus-atlas-plans-to-measure-the-explosivity-of-farts/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115965"&gt;https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115965&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590137025001268?via%3Dihub"&gt;https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590137025001268?via%3Dihub&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2509261-high-achieving-adults-rarely-began-as-child-prodigies/"&gt;https://www.newscientist.com/article/2509261-high-achieving-adults-rarely-began-as-child-prodigies/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-023-01840-1"&gt;https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-023-01840-1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-grandmother-jail-mistake"&gt;https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-grandmother-jail-mistake&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123556"&gt;https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123556&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1776239210296000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0TI7QWG9oUIKYRtAqwvqNj"&gt;https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123312" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123312&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1776239210296000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1FLQYLt5vroduSabYUa9gC"&gt;https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123312&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener"&gt;omnystudio.com/listener&lt;/a&gt; for privacy information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A Little Bit Of Science

A Little Bit Of Science

Organ-Growing Meat Sacks, Fart-Measuring Underwear, and Tropical Tree Friendships

APR 14, 202650 MIN
A Little Bit Of Science

Organ-Growing Meat Sacks, Fart-Measuring Underwear, and Tropical Tree Friendships

APR 14, 202650 MIN

Description

Cloning is getting more useful and more unsettling, tropical trees may be better at cooperation than we are, and smart underwear is now tracking human flatulence in extraordinary detail. This week, Will and Rod move from organ-growing biotech to forest teamwork, fart analytics, and a deeply worrying case of AI gone wrong. They look at the push to grow organs using non-conscious biological structures, and why that could transform medicine while also sounding like the start of a sci-fi horror film. Then they head into the forest, where new research suggests tropical trees are better at helping their neighbours than trees in colder climates, raising some mildly awkward questions about whether plants are beating us at community building. And because science never knows when to stop, the episode also dives into the world of smart underwear, digestive health, and what actually counts as a normal amount of flatulence. Along the way, there is also a sobering look at a Tennessee grandmother wrongly jailed after faulty facial recognition, which is a useful reminder that technology can be both brilliant and deeply stupid.   CHAPTERS: 00:00 Cloning Nightmares Recap 01:45 Monkey Organ Sacks Idea 04:34 Human Organ Replacement Debate 07:45 How It Could Work 08:57 Surrogates And Storage Problems 12:39 Trees That Get Along 15:45 Why Tropical Trees Are Friendlier 17:25 Not All Prodigies Win 19:47 Late Bloomers And Training Myths 24:10 German Forest Bathing Tease 24:52 Forest Sounds Boost Mood 25:35 Massage Stories Detour 27:58 Local vs Tropical Forests 30:14 Fart Science Gets Serious 34:37 Smart Underwear Study 36:55 Farting Baselines Explained 39:19 Farter Types Atlas 43:00 AI Facial Recognition Fail 46:53 Why AI Enhancement Lies 49:13 Wrap Up and Callouts   SOURCES: https://futurism.com/health-medicine/startup-pitching-cloned-human-bodies https://www.wired.com/story/a-billionaire-backed-startup-wants-to-grow-organ-sacks-to-replace-animal-testing/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26935844-200-the-human-flatus-atlas-plans-to-measure-the-explosivity-of-farts/ https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115965 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590137025001268?via%3Dihub https://www.newscientist.com/article/2509261-high-achieving-adults-rarely-began-as-child-prodigies/ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-023-01840-1 https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-grandmother-jail-mistake https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123556 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123312See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.