About this podcast
The science stories that will actually change your day — and maybe make you laugh. Science unscripted is a podcast, radio show & YouTube channel driven by listeners. Hello from Germany :)
Episodes
The newest 50 of 100 episodes
- Underwear & pregnancy · 30 minBoxer briefs? Tighty whities? Strings? All seem to influence sperm quality. Also, a study on miscarriages in primates shows they happen more often when raising a small…
- How bad is the mental load gap? · 30 minA new study sheds light on how people perceive their own mental load — and what that does to the relationship.
- Smart women get punished at the workplace · 30 minA new cross-cultural study points at a universal truth: Women who are intelligent pay for it at the office.
- Muscle dysmorphia: a 'reverse anorexia' that mostly affects men · 30 minRipped. Jacked. Swole. And... limp? When does wanting bigger muscles turn toxic? And how's that linked to unhappiness in the bedroom?
- The politics of disgust · 30 minEver feel disgusted by other groups of people? That makes it more likely you're conservative. Unless you're 'interoceptive.'
- Have you seen my wallet? · 30 minTylenol is not causally connected to pregnancies and autistic children, according to a meta-meta study. Also, if you lost your wallet in a 'diverse' neighborhood, is it more (or…
- Is AI going to kill us? · 30 minWho can actually say what AI can (or can't) do? Maybe the guy who developed the 'box' it escaped from.
- Is your life meaningful? (pt. 2) · 30 minEver freaked out about finding 'meaning' in your life? A new study might help you understand where that (uniquely human) feeling comes from. (Note: We published part 1 on June…
- Pathological cringe & a pill to 'delete' trauma · 30 minA single drug undid the damage in mice who'd suffered early-life trauma. Also, a contagious form of 'cringe avoidance' is spreading — and listen in to the soft sounds of Jurassic…
- Can a dog understand these facial expressions? · 30 minIf dogs could understand our faces... how could we prove that, scientifically? Also, AI gets banned from the classroom and a study that put heavy metal festival fans through…
- How to speak without saying anything · 30 minGabe and Conor are back to talk about a science museum you should never visit, a cosmic event you shouldn't miss... and a well-researched communications strategy used by Meta CEO…
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? · 30 minIf you could put on VR goggles and talk to your future self... would that help you become who you want to be? Or would it harm you?
- SpaceX & a low-g baby? · 30 minWhen Elon Musk talks about a human 'civilization' on Mars, he's suggesting we'll have babies there. Should we?
- The 'Google maps' inside a pigeon's liver · 30 minA new experiment shows pigeons use immune cells to navigate our planet. The discovery redefines our understanding of how an animal can 'feel' Earth's magnetic field.
- Do you want to have kids? · 30 minThere are plenty of reasons NOT to have kids. But a new paper suggests having them may be the only way to protect gender equality over the long term.
- The testosterone age (or Honey, I shrunk my testes) · 30 minInfluencers, billionaires, even the US health secretary. Proponents of testosterone — as a hormonal therapy or barometer of "masculinity" — are causing men to self-medicate. With…
- Hantavirus: What to expect from here · 30 minThis ship phase is over. But the nature of this virus means cases may rise — even as officials contain it.
- Is the hantavirus the next pandemic? · 30 minIf you want to understand why the Andes variant of the hantavirus is different than COVID-19, this episode's for you.
- The ad that makes you drink more · 30 minWe know advertising works. (It's why the industry exists.) But a new study on beer ads in Germany shows how. Causally.
- How can I tell if someone's smart? · 30 minSome people seem to know if others are intelligent. Others... don't. A new study suggests why.
- There's almost no way to make us like AI art. Why? · 30 minA new study tried just about everything to get people to have a more positive reaction to AI poetry and prose. It failed. Almost always. And it's worth talking about why. (NOTE…
- Deepfake nudes & why men make them · 30 minLust? Humiliation? Control? If you think you know why men and boys make fake AI nudes of women and girls... first-of-its-kind research suggests a motivation that's almost more…
- When do you think the world will end? · 30 minA shockingly high number of people believe a global calamity will happen in their lifetime. Are you one of them?
- The war on phone blasting · 30 minA viral TikTok of a woman kicked off a plane is a good time to talk about how to (productively) confront loud people.
- Why do I get goosebumps when I listen to music? · 30 minSome of us get chills from music, movies or art. And others... never do. Why is that?
- Wait — who's friendzoning who here?! · 30 minIt's usually guys who complain about being 'friendzoned.' But new research says it definitely happens to women, too — sometimes.
- How different are the brains of boys and girls? · 30 minA new study shows a sex difference in the early growth of the human brain. Does it matter?
- When a pet’s death really hurts · 30 minThe loss of a pet can affect you more than losing a loved one, a new study shows. With one exception.
- Why do humans have (relatively) large penises? · 30 minCompared to chimps or gorillas, human males are unusually well endowed. A new study suggests it's partly because men 'size each other up' before a fight.
- How casual hookups are good (and healthy) for singles · 30 minYou really do benefit from 'friends with benefits,' a new study suggests. Also, a forgotten birthday can tank employee morale and a look at how the Autobahn lead to more support…
- The anomie within · 30 minWhen it feels like society's breaking down right before your eyes, it's called anomie. And it can lead to an even a darker place.
- Do you think animals can think? · 30 minIt's an interesting question. Even more intriguing is why you believe what you do — and whether you live near a city.
- Neanderthals chose to eat each other? · 30 minCannibalism happened among the Neanderthals. That much we knew. Now, a paleoanthropological discovery has possibly uncovered an ugly truth about our distant cousins. Conor and…
- Happy New Year! · 30 minThanks to everybody who listened during this year. Most of all, thank you to those who wrote to us and — in the process — became part of our show.
- Imagine your way to better friendships...? · 30 minWant to like someone more? It just takes eight seconds. Also, mice that smelled bacon... had more obese children?
- Who do you give to? (And who do you not?) · 30 min$1,000 is put in your hand. With one condition: You have to donate it. What do you do next?
- The Batman effect · 30 minA pregnant woman enters a tram. Nearly 40% of the time, she's offered a seat. Unless someone else enters. Dressed as batman.
- Does the world feel... off to you? · 30 minIf you feel overwhelmed... and you don't know why... new research suggests you may be experiencing something called 'mismatch.'
- Mountain gorilla menopause & why raccoons are the next dogs · 30 minWe're on our way to having a new housepet, a study suggests. Also, mountain gorillas join humans as part of the (exclusive) 'grandmother hypothesis.'
- Gen Z can't sleep (but at least they're not out committing crimes) · 30 minAn alarming number of young people are using two very unhelpful drugs to help them sleep. Also, what's behind the sharp decline in youth crime?
- When people talk about 'dehumanization,' listen · 30 minDehumanizing a group of people is step 4 on the 10-step path to genocide. We should pay attention when politically powerful people start saying it.
- Can you tell the difference? · 30 minIs a hair-loss product causing men (primarily) to become depressed and suicidal? Also, can you pass our AI voice test?
- Women have more to lose when healthcare gets cut · 30 minWomen will die at disproportionately higher rates as the US rolls back access to public insurance programs (like medicaid). Also, AI tools like ChatGPT change how honest we…
- Why do men die earlier? · 30 minFive years. That's the (significant) difference between male/female life expectancies in human beings. If we'd like to change that (and shouldn't we try?), a new study suggests…
- Keeping score (or how to doom a relationship) · 13 minIf you're keeping a mental list of what your partner 'owes' you, a new study suggests... maybe don't?
- Does getting married make your life more satisfying? · 30 minOn this week’s Science unscripted, a quantitative and qualitative glimpse into how harmful politics can be for relationships, a glimpse into the future of pregnancy, and an…
- Huntington's disease: Curing the incurable? · 30 minOn Science unscripted this week, we dissect the latest research on political violence. Also, we look into what scientists are calling a breakthrough for an incurable…
- Rate my professor? No thanks. · 30 minThink you're getting a fair review of a teacher from a rating site? Think again. Also, two studies shed light on who wakes up more when a baby cries... and the connection between…
- Painkillers, pregnancy & autism — what the research says · 30 minA metastudy on pregnant women taking the painkiller acetaminophen is at odds with the leaked 'autism report' commissioned by US Health Secretary RFK Jr. Also, why so many people…
- Have you lived a good life? · 30 minIf you read enough obituaries, you might unearth what people (and society) find important about existence. What do you want yours to say?
