Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Recreational Science
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Recreational Science
By ScientaficScience
Recreational Science episodes
- Size matters, in your pants and inside your head
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
38 min - Replying to SPAM emails for a free Vegas trip (special episode)
Scientists often gather at scientific conferences to share data and ideas. At these events, sometimes a prominent scientist is invited to give the Keynote Talk, the headliner of the conference. It’s a big honor. Has a graduate student ever received this honor? Well, Lu has, via an email that for some reason went to his SPAM folder. He, of course, accepted without hesitation.
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
40 min - Kids think bacon and hot dogs are plants
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 Watermelon
- 6:04 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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
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
41 min - Dogs are somewhat magnetic and do elephants yawn?
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
35 min - Manspreading for Tinder and scaring goats with helicopters
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
45 min - Double dipping and using mirrors for itch relief
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
38 min - Immoral meat and rubbing chickens into beards
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
34 min - Swimming in syrup and fake drunk confidence
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
35 min - Sheep shearing and how to publish anything
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
36 min - Chickens appreciate human beauty and rhinotillexomania
How do humans learn what’s beautiful in a face? Can chickens be trained to find beauty in human faces the way humans do?
Do teenage boys pick their nose? How often? Why do they do it? How do they feel about it? Is it pathological?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how to train chickens to become attracted to human faces and the prevalence of nose picking in teenagers.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 2:18 Chappell Roan; check yourself before you wreck yourself
- 9:56 Chicken preference study
- 22:50 Nose picking study
- 33:00 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Ghirlanda et al., 2002. Chickens prefer beautiful humans. Human Nature. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-002-1021-6
- Andrade & Srihari, 2001. A preliminary survey of rhinotillexomania in an adolescent sample. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11465519/
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
- Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod
Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
35 min
About Recreational Science
From the publisher's feed
RecSciPod: the podcast where funny scientists discuss funny science. Hosted by Lu and Tirth, two goofs (with MD/PhDs) who love to talk science and make each other laugh. In each episode, the two tell each other about one of the funniest, wackiest, and most provocative studies they stumble upon. Join us for an amusing mix of science and comedy, because the silly, weird, and ridiculous science experiments of today might just lead to the great discoveries of tomorrow!
Visit our website for transcripts, article archives, and more:
https://scientafic.com/recscipod
Produced by Scientafic