Science Vs

Our brains go completely WILD when we go through our teenage years. It’s a time where it feels like every disagreement with our parents turns into World War III, and every idea that could get us killed sounds like the most fun we could ever have. In this episode, we get into the science of what the brain is doing during the teenage years with clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour. Lisa co-wrote the college textbook “Abnormal Psychology” and was a consultant on Disney's “Inside Out 2.” She takes us deep into the developing brain to explain what makes teens tick. Plus, we talk about mental health, how boys and girls are struggling in different ways, and tips for anyone who has big feelings.  



Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsTeens



Check out Lisa Damour’s podcast, Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens, here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2GIh790via4L7oGAJ2mz1b 



In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Meet Lisa Damour

(05:33) The teenage brain

(11:20) Big feelings, what they mean, and how to respond 

(19:56) The teenage brain and abstract thinking

(22:34) Teenagers and risk-taking

(29:18) How long does adolescence really last?? 

(33:47) The different kinds of popularity

(41:58) Should we be worried about kids these days?

(46:57) How boys are struggling and how can we help

(51:49) Oddball questions



Credits:

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

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. You can join us for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.


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Stress! We’re all feeling it. And besides just feeling crappy, we’re also told that stress can wreak havoc on our bodies. The internet has a million solutions: vagus nerve stimulators, deep breaths, or a hot sauna! If that doesn’t work, maybe a cold plunge? But what does the science say about all this — what works to lower our stress? And is it really THAT bad to be stressed out? We dive into the research to find out, with psychology Professor Mark Seery, psychology Professor Jeremy Jamieson, and anatomist Dr. Theresa Larkin. 

 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsStress 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) We’re all stressed out! 

(02:37) Is stress that bad for us?

(13:55) A healthier stress response

(22:32) How our vagus nerves are involved in stress

(25:57) Can we “hack” our vagus nerves? 

(30:42) What else can relieve stress? 

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the executive producer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Video editing and sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode including Professor Julie Vašků, Dr. Christopher Austelle, Professor Daryl O'Connor, and Dr. Jennifer Wild, as well as Humdinger Studios in Melbourne. And thanks as well to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
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Could artificial intelligence really wipe out humanity? Claims that AI poses an existential threat are going gangbusters. AI agents from OpenAI recently hacked into another company, Hugging Face, which has people talking about whether AI can go “rogue.” And some current and former AI company employees are raising the alarm. CEOs have called for a slowdown, and one Anthropic employee just quit, saying that the companies creating this tech are putting us all at risk — and adding that “the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” So — are we really creating a monster? Could AI escape human control and take us all out? If so … how?! And are these scary claims just a distraction from the stuff that AI is already being used for out in the world? We talk to cyber security expert Professor David Parry, philosopher Dr. Nick Bostrom, and scientist Dr. Michael Vermeer to find out.

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsAIApocalypse 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) AI is scaring the crap out of people

(03:43) The Hugging Face hack

(13:20) The paperclip maximizer

(19:22) How would superintelligent AI take us out?

(22:54) Could AI unleash nuclear war?

(27:19) Could AI unleash biological weapons?

(34:22) How worried should we be about AI??

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the executive producer. Fact checking by Erika Akiko Howard. Video editing and sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode including Dr. Cameron Domenico Kirk-Giannini, Dr. Jascha Bareis, Dr. Leonard Aaron Dung, and Professor Niusha Shafiabady. And thanks as well to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne and Wolff Island Studios in NYC. Special thanks to Christopher Suter. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
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Bugs are disappearing at alarming rates, scientists are telling us. Bees, butterflies, beetles: all of them have been dropping like flies. And scientists say there are a bunch of reasons to care about this — for example, fewer bugs means less pollination, which means less pasta in your pantry. But recently, some have suggested that all these scientists crying out about the insect apocalypse might just be crying wolf. They say that the math isn’t math-ing and that the insects are doing all right. And this has been bugging us! So we called up Dr. Jessica Ware, an entomologist and a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, to find out what’s going on here. And Jessica also specializes in dragonfly lovemaking, so of course, we had to ask about that too. 



Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/SVInsectApocalypse 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Meet entomologist Dr. Jessica Ware 

(03:27) Dragonflies: Origins and sex lives 

(08:55) The insect apocalypse: How bad is it?

(19:02) What’s causing the decline in insects

(22:24) Bees and pollinator gardens

(27:16) Invasive species: Lanternflies and murder hornets 

(33:46) How to milk a cockroach

(39:07) Is it beeswax?

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the executive producer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Video editing and sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne, and Wolff Island Studios in New York City. 

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. 





Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/SVInsectApocalypse



In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Meet Entomologist Dr. Jessica Ware

(03:27) Dragonflies: Origins and sex lives

(08:55) The Insect Apocalypse: How bad is it?

(19:02) What’s causing the decline in insects

(22:24) Bees and pollinator gardens

(27:16) Invasive species: Lanternflies, murderhornets,

(33:46) Cockroaches and cockroach milk

(39:07) Is it beeswax?





This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the executive producer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Video editing and sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne, and Wolff Island Studios in New York City.



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.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Protein is everywhere — tons of us are trying to cram more of it into our diets, and it's showing up in our lattes, our snack bars, even our popcorn. But just as we’re getting on board with protein-maxxing, a bunch of headlines have started saying the opposite: that eating LESS protein could actually help you live longer. So what's going on here?? Should we be piling on the protein — or pulling back? And could going too low actually be dangerous? We talk to biologist Prof. Dudley Lamming and exercise physiologist Prof. Stuart Phillips to find out.



Note: This episode mentions calorie restriction. Please take care when listening, and here are some resources:

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) helpline: 1(888)-375-7767

Crisis support:

United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/ Text “HOME” to 741741

Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available)

Canada: Call or text 988

United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI)

Full list of international hotlines here 

Other help available: spotify.com/resources



Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsProteinMaxxing



In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Protein-Maxxing or Protein-Minning?

(02:15) Restricting Protein Makes You Live Longer??!?

(09:20) A Tale of Brown Fat and mTOR

(13:45) What Could Go Wrong?

(21:20) So What the Hell Should We Be Eating?



This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. Fact checking by Marlowe Starling. Video editing and sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode including Prof. Edward Giovannucci, Prof. Holly Brown-Borg, Prof. John Speakman, Dr. Mingyang Song, and Dr. Jessica Biesiekierski. And thanks as well to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne and Wolff Island Studios in New York City. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices