We Have Concerns

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…

The "Lost" Colony of Roanoke is one of the most enduring American mysteries, despite there being persuasive evidence to explain the disappearance of so many early settlers. Anthony and Jeff revisit t…

Findings published in the journal Evolution reveal that mammals independently evolved specialized adaptations for exclusively feeding on ants and termites at least 12 times since the Cenozoic era beg…

What are the characteristics that make someone cool? How about good? Is there overlap? Can someone be both cool and good? Anthony and Jeff look at a new study that aims to quantify the attributes mos…

When it comes to making a splash, technique tops brute force. While you might think a cannonball will yield the biggest splash in the pool, science has confirmed that a new technique from New Zealand…

Three stories this week, all concerning birds! Pranksters, scamps, potential saviors of earth? In the first, cockatoos in Australia have learned how to drink from public water fountains. Anthony and …

For 60 years, between 1637 and 1697, people who died at the largest hospital in Milan were dropped into a brick-lined crypt. Now, 300 years later, their unearthed remains reveal shocking insights int…

New research aims to quality the health effects of silence. It turns out, just a few hours of quiet time per week can have striking benefits. Anthony and Jeff discuss their own relationship with sile…

Tim Friede has allowed himself to be bitten by venomous snakes more then 200 times. As a result, his blood has helped scientists concoct a new antibody cocktail that could save thousands of lives. Je…

Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have introduced InteRecon, a program that enables users to recapture real-world objects in a mobile app, and the…

A new study from researchers at the University of Zurich and Harvard University reveals that bonobos, our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees, use the equivalent of word compounds and phra…

Every night, bats emerge out of roosts in massive numbers, creating what scientists have called a 'cocktail party nightmare' of clashing echolocations. Nobody knew how bats managed this severe sensor…

A new study places the US at the top of the list of most fatal countries to be a pedestrian. Anthony and Jeff take a look at all the reasons it is so dangerous to walk in America, and what can be don…

Scientists have developed a device, called “e-Taste”, capable of recreating complex flavours of food and drink from five basic building blocks, and plan to use it to enhance virtual reality and augme…

Researchers have discovered that dense crowds can spontaneously synchronize into collective oscillations, with hundreds of people moving in coordinated, swirling patterns. How did they do it? By stud…

People with aphantasia lack the ability to summon images in their "mind's eye." But a new study suggests that the blueprints for those imaginary images might still be nestled in their brains. As some…

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have uncovered new insights into the dual nature of scratching an itch, indicating that while it can worsen skin inflammation, it can also boost immune def…

The rise of AI has directly resulted in diminishing levels of critical thinking, epseically among young people, a new study shows. Anthony and Jeff discuss how relying on technology must be paired wi…

A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that one generation in particular has higher exposure to unsafe levels of lead than all others. It just happens to be Jef…

Much has been made about taking a cold shower in the morning vs a hot one. A new study aims to measure the health benefit of these different temperature extremes for daily washing. Anthony and Jeff g…