Can one six-sided cube seamlessly pass through another of equal size? The answer may surprise you. And the quest to discover convex polyhedrons that don't behave that way is even wilder. After more than three centuries, a geometry problem that originated with a royal bet has been solved, and Jeff and Anthony lay it all out for you.

LInk to the story: https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-shape-found-that-cant-pass-through-itself-20251024/

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Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'recent' is defined as “having happened or started only a short time ago.” And yet, in the world of scientific publishing, it may be one of the most imprecise terms ever used. Jeff and Anthony take a look at a 'recent' study that aims to quantify exactly what is meant by the term. How is Billy Joel involved? You'll have to listen to find out.

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Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Link to today's story: https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-086941

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Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

While the research is still early, it looks like AI chatbots can push people who are already at risk into psychotic and delusional episodes. Jeff and Anthony delve into this early research and what AI companies and mental health experts think of it.

Story links:

https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/discover

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03020-9

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/202507/can-ai-chatbots-worsen-psychosis-and-cause-delusions

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-chatbot-psychosis-link-1abf9d57

An experienced hiker had to be saved by National Parks Search and Rescue last month after getting stuck in quicksand. This made us go "Wait, quicksand? Like, quicksand is a thing?" So here are all the details on the rescue, how quicksand works, how common it really is, and what to do if you get stuck in it.

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Links: 

https://apnews.com/article/quicksand-arches-national-park-rescue-hiker-cb1a4c2e35a86bd67c003d1f875120db

https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/comments/1pgxvt5/quicksand_trapped_me_on_the_hayduke_in_arches_np/

https://www.livescience.com/33350-how-quicksand-works.html

https://www.nature.com/articles/437635a

Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, or “tooth-in-eye” surgery, is a real thing, returning vision to patients with severe corneal blindness. Jeff and Anthony explain the astounding process of using a tooth to repair an eye, and the wild road to discovering that it actually works.

LInk to the story: https://www.today.com/health/men-s-health/tooth-in-eye-surgery-restores-vision-rcna230395

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

New research conducted by psychologists in Milan shows that if Batman show up, we immediately become more altruistic and considerate. Jeff and Anthony dig into this heroic study, and discuss how it might be applied to making the world a better place.

LInk to the story: https://phys.org/news/2025-11-batman-effect-mere-sight-superhero.html

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Anthony and Jeff take a look at two new breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Researchers believe it will be possible in the near future to build organisms from molecules with reversed structures. But a recent multi-disciplinary report suggest that creating such "mirror life" could lead to the end of all known life on earth. Jeff and Anthony discuss the report, and what it means for synthetic biology.

LInk to the story: https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/12/potential-risks-of-mirror-life

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

The Streaked Shearwater Seagull is a remarkable bird. It intentionally flies into the eye of hurricanes. But when scientists strapped video cameras to the gulls to study the behavior they learned something else. These birds are superpoopers. Anthony and Jeff plunge into the new findings to determine why this discovery is such a big deal.

LInk to the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-seabirds-pooping-habits-shock-scientists/

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

The World Meteorological Organization’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes recently certified a new record: the longest lightning strike ever measured. Jeff and Anthony discuss the astonishing phenomenon, and dive into a whole host of surprising lightning-based statistics.

LInk to the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lightning-strike-sets-new-record-for-longest-ever-measured/

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social