We Have Concerns

By Jeff Cannata/Anthony Carboni

What's We Have Concerns about?

Jeff Cannata and Anthony Carboni talk about the personal philosophical concerns they find lurking inside everyday things. It's fun?

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We Have Concerns episodes:

04.15.2024
Lead for Lunch
Consumer Reports released a new report on Lunchables in which it found lead and cadmium, and also observed the presence of phthalates, which can impact reproductive health and the human hormonal system. Anthony and Jeff discuss the findings, and how...
04.08.2024
Animals on the Moon
If humanity is to successfully colonize the lunar surface, we will have to bring other animals with us. Which species are essential to create a thriving ecosystem? Which should arrive first? Anthony and Jeff discuss the factors involved in deciding...
04.01.2024
Dinosaur Anniversary
It is the 200th anniversary of the first dinosaur discovery, so Jeff and Anthony dig into the story of finding fossils and naming them. It leads them to the wild story of William Buckland, the man who coined the term...
03.27.2024
Handwriting Your Memories
A pair of recent studies suggest that the act of putting pen or pencil to paper increases brain activity and retention when compared to typing words into a computer. Anthony and Jeff discuss living a papered life, and whether taking...
03.18.2024
Here's When You're Going To Die
Statistics are amazing things. This week, Anthony and Jeff dig into the data around death to determine the most likely month and day that people all around the world will meet their end.
03.04.2024
Citizen Saboteur
In 1944, the US Office of Strategic Services—now the CIA—published the "Simple Sabotage Field Manual," a top secret guide teaching the average citizen how to cause problems to any organization. Jeff and Anthony step through the instructions and marvel at...
02.19.2024
Healing with Your Mind
In a new study by Harvard scientists, researchers have found that healing happens faster when the person involved thinks that time is progressing more quickly than it actually is. Jeff and Anthony discuss Mind/Body Unity, and what to do with...
02.12.2024
The Catpocalypse
Your average indoor/outdoor domestic cat is responsible for the destruction of other animal species on a scale that boggles the mind. Anthony and Jeff take a look at the data, and discuss why one cute, cudly pet might just be...
01.22.2024
What Your Humor Says About You
A new study breaks down comedy into specific types, and correlates those types of humor with mood and personality. Anthony and Jeff take a look at what their jokes might be saying about them.
01.15.2024
RSVP Anxiety
New research has found that while people are often concerned that turning down an invitation will upset the inviter, and lead to fewer invitations in the future, their fears tend to be exaggerated. Jeff and Anthony dig into the five=part...
01.09.2024
Put a Shirt On
When did ancient humans start wearing clothes? It is a trickier question than you might think, and one that researchers have used some very interesting ways to try to answer. Jeff and Anthony discuss clothing, it's origins and evolution.
12.11.2023
Processing the Process of Processed Food Study
We've heard processed foods are bad for us. But what does that mean exactly? And are they actually more desirable than whole foods? Anthony and Jeff take a look at a new study that claims to answer that question, but...
12.04.2023
I Need a Hero
Ancient legends, comic book sagas and blockbuster movies alike share a storytelling blueprint called “the hero’s journey.” This timeless narrative structure was first described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949, but could it help you, today? Jeff and Anthony discuss...
11.27.2023
Peak Fear
The Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University, Denmark studies the effects - good and bad - of fear on the human psyche. In a recent experiment, two volunteers in Sweden shared their worst fears to the scientists, who then recreated...
11.13.2023
Pave the Moon
Lunar colonization faces many potential problems, not the least of which is the fact that landing and moving around on the moon kicks up lots of dust and dirt that can wreak havoc on equipment. One solution is to pave...
11.06.2023
Man the Hunter Debunked
A common trope in evolutionary anthropology is the notion of the male as hunter and the female as gatherer. But was this binary division of labor actually in place among developing cultures? New research challenges this all too accepted belief,...
10.27.2023
Rat Ticklers
Newly published research represents “a fantastic step forward” for understanding the neural basis of play and laughter in mammals. That research involves tickling rats and playing games with them, and may reveal where in the brain play is localized. Jeff...
10.16.2023
Do Opposites Attract (feat. DJ Skat Cat)
Researchers at CU Boulder analyzed more than 130 traits, including millions of couples over more than a century, to determine whether opposite kinds of people are actually attracted to one another. Anthony and Jeff delve into the data and compare...
09.29.2023
Salty
Exactly how our taste buds sense saltiness is a mystery, and researchers haven’t deciphered all of the details yet. In fact, the more they look at salt sensation, the weirder it gets. Jeff and Anthony get their licks in,...
09.22.2023
Don't Get Hangry
With calorie limiting diet fads like intermittent fasting spreading in popularity on the Internet, researchers have started looking into the effects that not eating has, not just on the body, but on the mood. Anthony and Jeff take a look...
09.12.2023
Leaf of Three, Let it Be
Climate change is having all sorts of unexpected side-effects. One of which has been recorded over the last 14 years by Pesky Pete of Pesky Pete's Poison Ivy Removal. It turns out, poison Ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac love...
09.01.2023
Howdy Neighbor!
Gallup Polls, famous for its political odds-making every election cycle, has released a new poll that attempts to draw correlation between general happiness and certain everyday activities - like saying hello to your neighbors. As Anthony and Jeff dig into...
08.25.2023
Intelligence and Personality
An enormous new publicly available dataset containing over 1,300 studies of millions of people from across the world, establishes reliable relationships between personality traits and cognitive abilities. Jeff and Anthony dig into this vast amount of information to see if...
08.18.2023
Kitesurfing Cargo
A French company has developed a new way to pull cargo ships using a kite, which it says could help reduce their fuel consumption and cut their carbon emissions by an average of 20%. Jeff and Anthony examine the...
08.11.2023
Beaver Drop
In 1948, environmentalists actually used parachutes to relocate beavers into their natural habitat in Idaho, hoping to encourage their numbers to increase. Anthony and Jeff discuss the novel method of moving species in and out of different environment, and whether...
08.05.2023
Zombie Worms from the Permafrost
Scientists in Russia have thawed worms trapped in the Siberian Permafrost 46,000 years ago and found that the creatures returned to normal activity. Could their ability to survive in a state of suspended animation offer clues for humans to survive...
07.21.2023
Is Dunning-Kruger Wrong?
The Dunning-Kruger effect is the idea that the least skilled people overestimate their abilities more than anyone else. But a new study suggests that the mathematical approach used to show this effect may be incorrect. Jeff and Anthony discuss one...
07.14.2023
Take a Nap
According to a new study, napping appears to be associated with a larger brain volume in adults, raising the possibility that it could offer some protection against neurodegeneration. Anthony and Jeff are big fans of naps, and discuss all the...
07.07.2023
Your DNA is Everywhere
According to a new study, it's now possible to sift scraps of human DNA out of the air, water, or soil and decipher personal details about the individuals who dropped them. Jeff and Anthony take a look at the technology...
06.30.2023
Mind Spine Control
When a cycling accident left Gert-Jan Oskam paralyzed after his spinal cord was damaged in his neck, few believed he would ever walk again. But a new device has created a digital bridge between his brain and the...
06.21.2023
Electricity Out of Thin Air
A team of engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has shown that nearly any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air. Jeff and Anthony think this could be a paradigm-shifting...
06.09.2023
Little Brown Pill
US health officials have approved the first pill made from healthy bacteria found in human waste to fight dangerous gut infections – an easier way of performing fecal transplants. Anthony and Jeff talk about how the poop pill might change...
05.29.2023
The Chimps are Talking
A study was published in Nature examining communication among chimpanzees. It found that chimps use "words," and can combine the words into "syntactic-like structures," the beginnings of phrases and sentences. Jeff and Anthony dig into how the researchers came to...
05.19.2023
AI Mind Reader
By combining fMRI brain imaging with an AI predictive text system, researchers have demonstrated a process that is akin to mind reading. Anthony and Jeff discuss the methodology and ramifications of such a system, and decide whether they'd sign up...
04.23.2023
500 Days in a Cave
A Spanish extreme athlete has emerged from a cave after spending 500 days with no human contact, in what could be a world record. Jeff and Anthony discuss what went into the feat, and whether it qualifies for Chronicles of...
04.14.2023
Mammoth Meatball
An Australian company revealed a meatball made of lab-grown cultured meat using the genetic sequence from the long-extinct mammoth. Anthony and Jeff decide whether they'd eat such a thing, and dig into the real purpose behind this headline grabbing stunt...
04.07.2023
Future Oriented People
A new study suggests that Future Oriented People - those you act in ways that affect their future states, rather than their current well-being - are happier, more at peace, and better able to sleep at night. Anthony and Jeff...
03.31.2023
Mister Potato Home
Scientists from the University of Manchester have created a new building material dubbed ‘StarCrete’ that could be the key to settling Mars and the Moon. Jeff and Anthony discuss the amazing breakthrough, and the dark road to its discovery.
03.28.2023
Floating the Idea of Solar
An international team of researchers has done a global analysis on the potential of floating solar panels, and the results are striking. Jeff and Anthony discuss the feasibility of using reservoirs to harness solar energy, and why more countries aren't...
03.17.2023
Another Brick in the Mall
Back in 2003, an artists collective calling themselves the Tummerkind moved into a gap between stores in a shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. Over the next few years, they lived rent free in that very public space, unbeknownst to...
03.10.2023
The Weight of it All
How much do all the wild mammals that roam the Earth weigh? Which wild mammal accounts for the most cumulative weight? Does any of this matter? Jeff and Anthony look at a remarkable project attempting to quantify the weight of...
03.03.2023
Another One Fermi
The Fermi Paradox is the story that started We Have Concerns, and Anthony and Jeff return to the topic this week. There is new research that might explain why we haven't seen evidence of alien life in the universe, and...
02.18.2023
Let the Bugs Eat Your Plastic
Enzymes that rapidly break down plastic bags have been discovered in the saliva of wax worms, which are moth larvae that infest beehives. Could this be the natural remedy that saves humanity from itself? Anthony and Jeff take a look...
02.10.2023
18 Again
With unlimited funds and intense commitment, is it possible for a 45 year old to have the body of an 18 year old? That is what tech billionaire Bryan Johnson is finding out with his Project Blueprint, an extreme organ-by-organ...
02.03.2023
Crisis at Earth's Core!
Mainstream news has picked up on a report that the molten core of the Earth has stopped spinning, and, in fact, might reverse direction. This has led to wild speculation and dire predictions. Anthony and Jeff dig a bit deeper...
01.27.2023
How Many People Have Ever Lived?
It is a simple question that requires some pretty complicated investigation. Calculating the number of people who have ever lived since the dawn of humanity is part science and part art. Jeff and Anthony dig in to the fascinating process...
01.20.2023
Work Less, Have More Kids, and Be Kind
Sometimes, when something seems obvious, science still needs to confirm it. This week, Anthony and Jeff take a look at a trio of stories that may seem not to require investigation, but reveal interesting subtleties upon further study. First up,...
01.12.2023
The Quietest Room on Earth
Inside a building in Minneapolis, there is a room so quiet that people believe an hour inside will drive anyone mad. It is so quiet, they say, that you will hear the sound of your own internal organs. A writer...
12.30.2022
The Goldfish's Bad Rap
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford has found via experimentation that goldfish use markings on the floor below them to measure how far they have traveled. The study disproves the long-held belief goldfish have little or no...
12.19.2022
Mosquito Magnets
Scientists have known that mosquitos are drawn to people at varying rates, but they have struggled to explain what makes certain people “mosquito magnets” while others get off bite-free. In a new paper published in the journal Cell, researchers suggest...

What's We Have Concerns about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

We Have Concerns episodes:

Lead for Lunch

Animals on the Moon

Dinosaur Anniversary

Handwriting Your Memories

Here's When You're Going To Die

Citizen Saboteur

Healing with Your Mind

The Catpocalypse

What Your Humor Says About You

RSVP Anxiety

Put a Shirt On

Processing the Process of Processed Food Study

I Need a Hero

Peak Fear

Pave the Moon

Man the Hunter Debunked

Rat Ticklers

Do Opposites Attract (feat. DJ Skat Cat)

Salty

Don't Get Hangry

Leaf of Three, Let it Be

Howdy Neighbor!

Intelligence and Personality

Kitesurfing Cargo

Beaver Drop

Zombie Worms from the Permafrost

Is Dunning-Kruger Wrong?

Take a Nap

Your DNA is Everywhere

Mind Spine Control

Electricity Out of Thin Air

Little Brown Pill

The Chimps are Talking

AI Mind Reader

500 Days in a Cave

Mammoth Meatball

Future Oriented People

Mister Potato Home

Floating the Idea of Solar

Another Brick in the Mall

The Weight of it All

Another One Fermi

Let the Bugs Eat Your Plastic

18 Again

Crisis at Earth's Core!

How Many People Have Ever Lived?

Work Less, Have More Kids, and Be Kind

The Quietest Room on Earth

The Goldfish's Bad Rap

Mosquito Magnets

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