Forget the questionable relationship advice from internet influencers. Today, we’re diving into the science of lasting love, fighting, and "red flags” to find out what really matters for a healthy relationship. We’ll find out what it means to fight well with your partner. And we’ll also look at the signs that a relationship might become dangerous or abusive. For all this, we speak with Professor Ben Karney, Dr. Megan Haselschwerdt, Dr. Elizabeth McLindon and Matt Brown.

U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.7233 or www.thehotline.org

Find international resources and more at spotify.com/resources

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsIsYourRelationshipOK 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Influencers love giving advice

(02:36) How to have a ‘healthy fight’ 

(09:44) If you fight badly, will you get divorced? 

(13:55) What are ‘red flags’? 

(21:01) Red flags you should watch for

(28:23) Approaches to try to change abusive partners

(34:00) Why do people try to control their partners? 

(37:57) Can an abusive partner change? 

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to our consultants Maya Serelis and Jess Hill. A special thanks to the researchers and folks working in the space of domestic violence that we spoke to including, Dr Áine Travers, Claire Marshall, Professor Sharon Dawe, Professor Kelsey Hegarty, Dr Franscesca Righetti, Dr Andrea Meltzer, Professor Amy Rauer, and Dr Amie Zarling. A big thanks to 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. 

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Federal agents have descended on Minneapolis in the U.S., and things have gotten chaotic — and deadly. The Trump administration says the agents are there to enforce immigration law, but officers have shot three people so far, killing two, and are using tear gas and smoke on protesters. So today, we’re looking at the potential health impacts of tear gas. We’ll talk about what we do — and don’t — know about potential long-term effects of this stuff. And we’re also looking into research on the mental health effects of immigration raids. We speak to Dr. Jennifer Brown, Dr. Carlee Toddes, and Dr. William Lopez.

This episode does mention mental health issues. Find resources here: spotify.com/resources 

For more on William Lopez’s research on ICE raids, check out his new book, Raiding the Heartland https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/53706/raiding-heartland?srsltid=AfmBOoperKoqv48ZYzaHfQ87nM2xI3QiAbI7lo2wLqt5BykNo-47cHxS

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3MbC1Py

Transcripción en español: https://bit.ly/4cm5b9i

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) What’s going on in Minneapolis?

(05:40) Tear gas is banned in war 

(08:34) What tear gas does to the body

(16:44) The possible long-term effects of tear gas

(22:44) Can you protect yourself from tear gas?

(24:36) How immigration raids affect people’s health

(34:10) Do ICE raids make communities safer?

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys and Rose Rimler. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Dang and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard.  

Special thanks to all the Minnesotans who took the time to speak to us about what’s going on there, including photographer Matt Gundrum. Thanks also to the other researchers we spoke to, including Dr. Margot Moinester, Professor Joanna Dreby. Thanks to Paul Schreiber, Nimra Azmi, Whitney Potter and Jack Weinstein.

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.

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There's claims out there that all kinds of things can make us happy in life, from making money to having kids to buying your dream home. But what actually works?? What does it take to have a happy life?? 

Professor Bob Waldinger is a psychiatrist at Harvard who has spent more than two decades as the director of this amazing study. It has tracked hundreds of people for decades and is the world's longest scientific study into happiness. So we're gonna find out what a lot of us get wrong in searching for the good life. Where we should be putting our time and attention. And we'll get this huge insight into how we can all be happier — and healthier.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHappiness

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) What makes us happy?

(01:48) The world's longest study into happiness 

(07:25) The biggest finding of the study

(13:18) How do you build good relationships?

(18:26) How did Bob get happier??

(21:53) How childhood adversity changes us

(24:12) Does having kids make you happy? 

(25:22) Does making money make us happy? 

(27:55) The Happiest Person

(29:40) Looking back on our lives

Don't forget to text a friend you haven't seen in a while! Let us know what they say. Send us a photo if you end up catching up!! You can email us at [email protected] or tag us in an instagram post — we're at @science_vs. And come say hello to Wendy on tiktok, I'm @wendyzukerman

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking help by Ekedi Fauster-Keeys. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wiley, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. An extra thanks to 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.

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The U.S. just made a big change to its vaccine recommendations, cutting back on the number of shots it will routinely recommend for kids. The government says it wants to "better align" with countries like Denmark. But is following Denmark’s lead a fairy tale come true — or a nightmare in slow motion? Plus, we find out what this new schedule could mean for kids’ vaccines in the U.S. We hear from Professor Jens Lundgren and pediatrician and researcher David Higgins.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsVaccineSchedules 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The growing turmoil around vaccines in the U.S.

(02:20) Why did the CDC change its vaccine recommendations?

(07:29) Vaccines, the Danish way

(16:20) Should the U.S. copy Denmark’s vaccine schedule?

(20:22) How bad is this?

(22:03) RSV: A case study in confusion

(28:27) What should parents do now?

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Meryl Horn with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Additional research help from Erica Akiko Howard. Our executive producer is Wendy Zukerman. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks very much to the Unbiased Science network, who connected us with David Higgins. They’ve been doing some amazing work on trying to explain what’s going on with the U.S. and vaccines. Unbiased Science — check out their podcast and their socials. Thanks very much to all the scientists we spoke to and emailed with about these changes. And special thanks to Bernadette Sciandra and Laurence Horn. 

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.  

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AI tools like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm, with tons of people saying they use them regularly. This is especially true for students, many of whom say they use AI to get their schoolwork done. And this is freaking some of us out — we're hearing that jumping on the AI train could be a terrible idea, partly because of claims that these tools could be bad for our brains. So — are we outsourcing too much of our thinking to the bots?? Will our brains turn to mush? Or can we use AI to boost our brainpower? To find out, we talk to Dr. Shiri Melumad, expert in the psychology of technology, and Dr. Aaron French, expert in information systems.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsAIStupid 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Is AI ruining or boosting our brains?

(02:45) How often are LLMs like ChatGPT wrong?

(05:01) Do LLMs mess with our ability to learn?

(19:26) Does using AI make us more productive?

(24:33) Another example of a technology that freaked a bunch of people out

(27:40) Can using AI help us learn?

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Michelle Dang, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Our executive producer is Wendy Zukerman. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke with including Daniela Fernandes, Dr. Marcin Romanczyk, Professor Michael Henderson, Dr. Tim Zindulka, and Professor Vitomir Kovanovicent. Special thanks also to Sebastian Peleato, Chris Suter, Elise, Dylan, Jack Weinstein and Hunter.

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. 

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Influencers are out in full force, telling us how we can “manifest” anything we want using only the power of our thoughts. Want that dream car, dream boyfriend, or dream house? Act as if you already have it, and the universe will respond. And we know our thoughts can be powerful … so, could this be legit? We go on the hunt for a manifestation method that has the science stamp of approval. We talk to psychologists Prof. Laura King and Prof. Gabriele Oettingen. 

Find our transcript here:  https://bit.ly/ScienceVsManifestation

Chapters:

(00:00) The Promise of Manifesting

(04:54) The Best Possible Self Exercise

(09:40) Wendy and Rose Give it a Go

(12:23) The Fantasy Fiasco

(17:19) How To Get Your Dream Life (science approved!)

(20:44) Just a Bit of Magic

Check out Gabriele’s science-backed manifesting method here: https://woopmylife.org/en/science

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Michelle Dang, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to all the researchers we reached out to, including Dr. Lucas Dixon. Special thanks also to Mark Johnson. 

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

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Tons of people visit the chiropractor, saying it helps soothe pain in their neck or back. But we’re now hearing claims that chiro can do a whole lot more. Like, some say it can help kids with stuff like asthma, colic, even breastfeeding problems. So … can chiro really do all that?? To find out what’s cracking here, we talk to chiropractor Carl Cleveland III, physical therapist Anita Gross, neurophysiologist Dr. Marcello Costa — and the parents of former Senior Producer Kaitlyn Sawrey. 

We originally published a version of this episode several years ago; we’ve updated it with new science.

Check out our full transcript here: https://bit.ly/sciencevschiropractors 

00:00 Welcome to Science Vs chiropractors

01:09 Baby Kaity and the Sawreys

04:54 The origin of chiropractic  

07:35 The theory behind subluxation

10:19 Neck and back pain 

13:18 The science on taking kids to the chiro 

19:07 The evidence on subluxation

24:42 What are the risks? 

27:14 Let’s round it all up

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Kaitlyn Sawrey, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Shruti Ravindran and Heather Rogers. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound design by Martin Peralta and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord. Recording help from Asher Griffith. Special thanks to Dr. Richard Deyo, Prof. Tim Mirtz, Prof. Gregory Whitcomb, Dr. Adam Cifu and Julie Knaak. An extra big thanks to Rachel Ward, Emma Morgenstern, Christina Sullivan, Jasmine Romero, Phoebe Flanigan, Alex Ward, Russell Gragg, Fiona Croall and Judy Adair. Also, a shout-out to the Sawreys! Thank you, Bill & Chris.

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. 

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Today, we’re celebrating 10 years of Science Vs with … science! We’ll tell you all about the so-called orgasm gap, the incorrect idea that vaccines are linked to autism, and the incorrect idea that ivermectin helps with Covid-19. We’ll also cover the Paleo Diet — this was the first EVER episode of Science Vs. And you’ll hear one of the greatest moments in Science Vs history. THANK YOU for listening!

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVs10

(00:00) We’re celebrating 10 years of Science Vs!

(04:10) Our peer-reviewed paper on the “orgasm gap”

(10:13) Vaccines don’t cause autism

(14:20) Ivermectin doesn’t help with Covid

(20:54) Should you go on the paleo diet?

(34:01) One of the greatest Science Vs moments of all time

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Hannah Harris Green was the lead producer on our Orgasm Gap episode. Heather Rogers was our lead producer on the Vaccines episode. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, So Wylie, and Bobby Lord. Thank you so much to all the folks who have helped make Science Vs over the years, including Caitlin Kenney, Alex Blumberg, Matt Lieber, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Angela Stengel, Ben Watts, Nick DelRose, Diane Wu, Austin Mitchell, Annie-Rose Strasser, Martin Peralta, Heather Rogers, Shruti Ravindran, Joel Werner, Sinduja Srinivasan, Odelia Rubin, Disha Bhagat, RE Natowicz, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Reid, Taylor White, Rasha Aridi, Romila Karnick, Lexi Krupp, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, Catherine Anderson, Sam Bair, Bumi Hidaka, Lauren Silverman, Lily Kim, and so so many more!!!   

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.

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Every day we’re all doing a little bit of chemistry: when we bake potatoes, add a little salt to our pasta, or even bake a box cake. And award-winning chef Samin Nosrat just loves to nerd out over all this. She's the author of the best-selling book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and has a new book out called “Good Things.” Today, Samin joins us to talk all about the science and art of cooking. Plus — why you should NEVER put meatballs on spaghetti.

Video available on Spotify.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSaminNosrat 

Samin’s Book: https://ciaosamin.com/shop/good-things 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Welcome to Science Chats with Samin Nosrat

(01:27) Samin’s childhood in California

(06:05) Samin’s obsession with boxed cake mix

(14:29) Why salt, fat, acid and heat matter

(17:17) The magic of salt

(21:11) Why soy sauce and cheese can bring out big feelings

(32:26) Why we bake with room-temperature eggs

(34:32) Why tomatoes don’t belong in the fridge

(37:00) The geopolitics of cinnamon

(40:07) Why vanilla beans cost so much

(42:15) The value of handmade food

(47:10) Why you shouldn’t put meatballs on spaghetti

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Michelle Dang, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Video editing and sound design by Bobby Lord. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Roland Campos, Skyline Studios and Humdinger Studios.

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. 

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The internet is abuzz with accusations that artificial intelligence is using up tons of energy and water. People are even protesting the building of new AI data centers, saying they’ll put a huge strain on local resources. But some AI defenders say that this fear is overblown and that AI isn’t actually that bad for the environment. So who’s right? We talk to science and tech reporters Casey Crownhart and James O’Donnell, and computer scientist Prof. Shaolei Ren. 

UPDATE, 11/13/25: This episode has been updated to note that some AI companies advertise on the show.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsAIEnvironment 

Read James and Casey's article here: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/

Check out the Mythbusters GPU/CPU demonstration here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmW6SD-EHVY

In this episode, we cover:

(0:00) Chapter One: No More AI For Dank Memes?!

(3:34) Chapter Two: How Much Energy Does Your AI Query Use?

(15:37) Chapter Three: How Much Energy Does AI Use Total?

(21:18) Chapter Four: Is AI Drinking All Our Water?

(29:29) Chapter Five: Should You Quit Using AI?

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Blythe Terrell, with help from Meryl Horn and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to all the researchers we reached out to, including Prof. Melissa Scanlan, and special thanks to Andrew Pouliot and Jesse Rimler. 

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 new episode notifications.

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