Recreational Science

Humans recognize each other’s faces. Chimps recognize each other’s butts. However, do chimps recognize human butts? Do humans recognize human butts? Do humans recognize chimp butts? All these questions must be asked. Getting surgery, even minor procedures, triggers anxiety. Do clowns help kids relax pre-surgery? Is there room for clowns in pediatric operating rooms? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss historic science gaffes, how human faces are quite similar to chimpanzee butts, and whether clowns can be good anxiolytics for children. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk 5:27 Historic science gaffes quiz 19:22 Chimp butt study 36:49 Clown studies 50:29 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Kret & Tomonaga, 2016. Getting to the Bottom of Face Processing. Species-Specific Inversion Effects for Faces and Behinds in Humans and Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes). PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165357 Vagnoli et al., 2005. Clown doctors as a treatment for preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized, prospective study. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-0466 Golan et al., 2009. Clowns for the prevention of preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatric Anesthesia. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9592.2008.02903.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Dog food quality has risen over the years, and its ingredients are not too different from that of pâté, or liver mousse, a French delicacy. The question, then, must be asked: can people taste the difference between dog food and pâté? Driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous and illegal, but what about bicycling? Is it safe to ride bikes after cannabis use? Happy 2026! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether blind taste testers can tell the difference between dog food and pâté, liverwurst, or SPAM, and whether cannabis users can safely navigate through traffic on a bicycle while stoned. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:45 New Year’s celebrations and resolutions 8:04 Dog food study 20:17 Weed study 30:16 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Bohannon J et al., 2009. Can people distinguish pâté from dog food? AAWE Working paper No. 36 – Economics. https://wine-economics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/AAWE_WP36.pdf Hartung et al., 2016. The effect of cannabis on regular cannabis consumers’ ability to ride a bicycle. International Journal of Legal Medicine. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00414-015-1307-y You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Kids swallow little toys and other things they’re not supposed to all the time. Is it dangerous to swallow Legos? How long does it take for a swallowed piece of Lego to pass? There’s only one way to find out. Why do some men have beards? Do beards signify virility and manliness? Do bearded men have higher power levels? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the rich history of self-experimentation in medicine, how long it takes Legos to pass through the digestive tract, and whether bearded men fight better. Please vote for our show on the pod radar before Monday 12/22! https://thepodradar.com/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:12 Hate caller follow-up 7:59 The rich history of self-experimentation 16:42 Lego swallowing study 23:23 Beard study 36:11 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Tagg et al., 2018. Everything is awesome: Don’t forget the Lego. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpc.14309 Dixson et al., 2018. Contest competition and men's facial hair: beards may not provide advantages in combat. Evolution and human behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513817302660 Beseris et al., 2020. Impact Protection Potential of Mammalian Hair: Testing the Pugilism Hypothesis for the Evolution of Human Facial Hair. Integrative organismal biology. https://academic.oup.com/iob/article/2/1/obaa005/5799080 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Would you give up your seat to a pregnant woman on the train? Would you be more likely to give up your seat to a pregnant woman if Batman was also on the train? What do octopuses do during their free time? Are they smart, curious, and bored enough to play catch by themselves? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how the presence of Batman makes people more kind to one another and whether octopuses play with toys. Beef man origins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-5StGiCb4 Octopus playing video: https://figshare.com/articles/media/An_adult_i_O_bimaculoides_i_Octopus_H_playing_with_test_tube_cap_/29494452?file=56034531 Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:25 Lu has a hater 10:39 Batman study 21:53 Octopus study 31:41 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Pagnini et al., 2025. Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect. npj Mental Health Research. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-025-00171-5 Jarmoulk et al., 2025. Evidence of play behavior in captive California two-spot octopuses, Octopus bimaculoides. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326379 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Are ethicists ethical? One would think that people who spend their careers studying ethics must be more ethical than others. But are people with looser morals more likely to become ethicists, so that they can understand what they lack? Why do some ancient human bones have larger enthesis (sites on the bone where tendons and ligaments attach)? Did the individuals these bones belong to run or exercise more than their peers? How can we study this using Thanksgiving dinner? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on the science of Thanksgiving dinner. The two then discuss how you can evaluate the ethics of ethicists by going to a library and how forcing turkeys to walk on treadmills can teach us about human history. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Thanksgiving science quiz 10:39 Ethics study 24:15 Turkey study 32:40 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Schwitzgebel, 2009. Do ethicists steal more books? Philosophical Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515080903409952 Wallace et al., 2017. Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. Journal of Human Evolution. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248417300647 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod) Video - never deep fry a frozen turkey: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KqtVCqFJsu0

Mansplaining is when a someone explains in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a woman. Why do men do it? Does mansplaining actually even exist? Brain processing and recognition of visual imagery, such as people and objects, is thought to involve complex neuronal pathways with lots of connected brain cells each playing a role. But are multiple brain cells really necessary for this? Why don’t we just dedicate one brain cell to recognizing each important person in our life? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether mansplaining is real and why it might occur and examine evidence showing that the visual recognition of certain people and objects may be the job of one specific brain cell. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:13 How was your week? 5:04 Mansplaining study 21:38 Neuron recognition study 35:25 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Fokkema & Pollmann, 2024. Mansplaining explained: The role of the better-than-average effect and the interpretation bias in acts and accusations of mansplaining. Psychology of Language and Communication. https://sciendo.com/article/10.58734/plc-2024-0021 Quiroga et al., 2005. Invariant visual representation by single neurons in the human brain. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03687 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Why do we sometimes seek out and enjoy fear? Could it be that fear promotes sexual attraction? Is it a good idea to take your date to a horror movie or on a rollercoaster? Carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns is dangerous and often leads to hand injuries. What’s the safest pumpkin carving tool to use this Halloween? How do you even determine this? It’s Halloween! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss why some houses are thought to be haunted, how situations that arouse fear also arouse other feelings, as well as how to use reanimated cadaver arms to study pumpkin carving best practices. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:35 Why are some houses haunted? 8:35 Sexy fear study 23:29 Pumpkin carving study 34:54 Let’s read some mail 40:04 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Dutton & Aron, 1974. Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1975-03016-001 Marcus et al., 2004. The safety of pumpkin carving tools. Preventive Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743504000374 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

The paradox of cocaine reinforcement is one of the biggest paradoxes in science. Why is cocaine so addictive to humans? Do bees enjoy cocaine as much as us? Why do some people prefer Apple iPhones while others prefer Android phones? Are there fundamental psychological differences between iPhone and Android users? Can you predict who uses which phone? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on different -ologies, or scientific fields of study. The two then discuss the behavior of honeybees on short- and long-term cocaine use and the differences in personality traits between iPhone and Android users. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:15 Ologies quiz 17:37 Cocaine bee study 30:46 iPhone vs Android study 43:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Barron et al., 2009. Effects of cocaine on honey bee dance behavior. Journal of Experimental Biology. https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/212/2/163/18461/Effects-of-cocaine-on-honey-bee-dance-behaviour Shaw et al., 2016. Predicting Smartphone Operating System from Personality and Individual Differences. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2016.0324 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Do farts contain dangerous bacteria? Should you avoid being flatulent near food? Can pre-workout supplements help you lift more weights at the gym? Should you drink beet juice and coffee before your workouts? In this episode, Lu and Tirth honor some of their favorite winners of the Darwin Award (an award even more prestigious than the Nobel Prize), debate whether breaking wind during surgery also breaks the sterile field of the operating room, and discuss whether nitrates and caffeine make good pre-workout supplements to maximize gains at the gym. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:53 Darwin awards 9:15 Fart culturing study 21:38 Pre-workout supplement study 33:09 Let’s read some mail 37:26 What did you learn today, outro Article link: 2001. Hot air? British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/323/7327/1449 Montalvo-Alonso et al., 2025. Single and combined effect of beetroot juice and caffeine intake on muscular strength, power and endurance performance in resistance-trained males. Scientific Report. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02021-y You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Making a hardboiled egg is easy. Unboiling a hardboiled egg is hard, if not impossible, right? What do musical instruments taste like? Are violins sour? Are pianos sweet? In this episode, Lu and Tirth use philosophical razors to debate whether Tirth’s fiancé is real, discuss how to turn back time to uncook eggs, and uncover what sounds taste like and what tastes sound like. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:12 Philosophical razors 17:23 Egg unboiling study 24:36 Sound taste study 36:04 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Yuan et al., 2015. Shear-Stress-Mediated Refolding of Proteins from Aggregates and Inclusion Bodies. ChemBioChem. https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbic.201402427 Crisinel et al., 2010. As bitter as a trombone: synesthetic correspondences in nonsynesthetes between tastes/flavors and musical notes. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/APP.72.7.1994 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Placebos are not supposed to do anything, yet they kind of work. Well, then why not sell them at a high price like real medicine? Turns out, maybe that’s not such a bad question. Dogs have fantastic noses and can identify their owners by smell. Can humans return the favor? Can dog owners identify their dogs by smell? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how more expensive placebos are more effective than cheaper ones and whether dog owners can recognize their dog’s smell. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk; Tirth’s beef 5:38 Placebo studies 21:02 Dog smelling study 29:52 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Waber et al., 2008. Commercial features of placebo and therapeutic efficacy. Journal of the American Medical Association. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/181562 Espay et al., 2015. Placebo effect of medication cost in Parkinson disease: a randomized double-blind study. Neurology. https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001282 Diaz-Lago et al., 2023. Expensive seems better: The price of a non-effective drug modulates its perceived efficacy. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-023-00463-4 Wells et al., 2000. The discrimination of dog odours by humans. Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p2938 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Does size matter to women? What about height? These age-old questions have been asked by every man who has ever lived. What does science have to say? Why do some animals become roadkill? Are they just dumb? It’s episode 10! In this milestone episode, Lu and Tirth pay homage to some of the greatest scientists of all time, fiercely debate whether size matters to women when it comes to the attractiveness of men, and discuss whether brain size in birds correlates with the probability of getting run over by cars. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:49 Scientist quotes quiz 16:42 Penis size study 28:04 Bird brain study 35:51 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Mautz et al., 2013. Penis size interacts with body shape and height to influence male attractiveness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1219361110 Moller et al., 2017. Brain size in birds is related to traffic accidents. Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.161040 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

At scientific conferences where scientists gather to share data and ideas, a prominent scientist is usually invited to give the Keynote Talk, which is the headlining event of the conference. It’s a big honor. Has a graduate student ever received this honor? In this special episode, Lu tells Tirth and Saran a story about the time he was invited to give the Keynote Talk at a scientific conference in Las Vegas as a graduate student. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:57 The email 28:35 The website/conclusion 34:50 What did you learn today, outro Checkout the video version of the story on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rvzz-wN0n_I James Veitch TED talk links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o5hSxvN_-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUjpoauJcKo You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Do kids know where the food they eat comes from? More specifically, do they know whether food comes from plants or animals? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on some of the wackiest scientific journal titles, and the two discuss how American children cannot tell whether foods are animals or plants. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:22 Watermelon6:04 Wacky scientific journal title quiz 16:46 Kids food study 38:32 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Hahn et al., 2021. Children are unsuspecting meat eaters: An opportunity to address climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494421001584?via%3Dihub You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod) Lu's song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbaEdm5hLaY

How are dogs so good at navigation? Can they sense the earth’s magnetic field? How can you measure this? Elephants are intelligent and noble beasts. Do they yawn though? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether dogs can sense the earth’s magnetic field when they poop and whether elephants yawn. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:59 Tirth’s run-in with the TSA 8:41 Dog magnetism study 20:54 Elephant yawning study 32:45 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Hart et al., 2013. Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field. Frontiers in Zoology. https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-10-80 Rossman et al., 2017. When Yawning Occurs in Elephants. Frontiers in Veterinary Research. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00022/full You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Why do men manspread? Do women on dating apps prefer men who manspread their legs (and arms) in their profile pictures? Are goats brave? Can the Dutch air force scare goats using attack helicopters? In this episode, Lu tests Tirth's knowledge of the people with a "family feud" style game and the two discuss how to get likes on Tinder and an attempt to scare goats using air force helicopters. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:10 Science-themed "family feud" style game 16:39 Manspreading Tinder study 30:55 Goat helicopter study 42:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Vacharkulksemsuk et al., 2016. Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1508932113 van der Staay et al., 2011. Physiological and behavioral reactions elicited by simulated and real-life visual and acoustic helicopter stimuli in dairy goats. BMC Veterinary Research. https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-6148-7-16 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)

Why is double dipping frowned upon? Does it actually transfer oral bacteria from the chip to the dip? Scratching an itch is bad for the skin. What if you can relieve an itch on one arm by scratching your other arm while tricking your brain with a mirror? In this episode, Lu and Tirth review research ideas from ChatGPT and discuss the microbiology of double dipping and how to scratch an itch using a mirror. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:21 Evaluating research proposals from ChatGPT 18:18 Double dipping study 28:14 Mirror scratching study 35:53 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Trevino et al., 2009. Effect of biting before dipping (double-dipping) chips on the bacterial population of the dipping solution. Journal of Food Safety. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2008.00137.x Helmchen et al., 2013. Itch Relief by Mirror Scratching. A Psychophysical Study. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0082756 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)

To some people, eating meat is immoral. It’s a subjective opinion. However, does eating meat make you immoral objectively? Should hippies be allowed to work in a microbiology laboratory? Are their beards and long hair a contamination risk? How can chickens be used in this study? In this episode, Lu gives Tirth an opportunity to redeem himself with another science quiz, and the two discuss how eating meat actually makes you immoral, according to science, and how to trick hippies into shaving their beards. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:45 Tirth takes another science trivia quiz 13:39 Meat eating study 22:52 Beard microbiology study 32:11 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Loughnan et al., 2010. The role of meat consumption in the denial of moral status and mind to meat animals. Appetite. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666310003648?via%3Dihub Barbeito et al., 1967. Microbiological laboratory hazard of bearded men. Applied Microbiology. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/am.15.4.899-906.1967 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)

If you replace the water in a swimming pool with syrup and convince some of your colleagues to swim in it, will they swim slower or faster? Drunk people find others and themselves more attractive. However, do people tricked into believing they are drunk also find themselves more attractive? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on his science knowledge and the two discuss how fast humans swim in syrup and how to gain confidence by tricking yourself into thinking you are drunk. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Tirth takes a science trivia quiz 11:33 Swimming study 21:18 Fake drunk study 33:08 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Gettelfinger & Cussler, 2004. Will humans swim faster or slower in syrup? AIChE Journal. https://aiche.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aic.10389 Begue et al., 2012. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder’: People who think they are drunk also think they are attractive. British Journal of Psychology. https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.2044-8295.2012.02114.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)

Sheep shearing is hard, especially the step where you drag sheep around. What type of flooring is easiest to drag sheep on? There’s only one way to find out. Every scientist has asked the following question: how do I publish whatever I want in a peer-reviewed journal? Can I publish my personal blog? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the hazards of sheep shearing and how to publish anything you want...if you’re the editor-in-chief of a journal. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:30 Lu’s afternoon beef 9:22 Sheep shearing study 22:40 How to publish anything 31:47 Let’s read some mail 34:14 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Harvey et al., 2002. An analysis of the forces required to drag sheep over various surfaces. Applied Ergonomics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687002000716?via%3Dihub McCrory, 2006. Who says you cannot get published? British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/2/95.long McCrory, 2006. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/10/815 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)