We Have Concerns
Society & Culture
About
Jeff Cannata and Anthony Carboni talk about the personal philosophical concerns they find lurking inside everyday things. It's fun?
Episodes
- Time is Perception
A new study comparing the visual capacity of various animals indicates that the perception of time is linked to the pace of their lives. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of such a study, and what it might mean for understanding e…
- Why We Retreat When We're Sick *FIXED*
Sorry about the truncated episode! This version is fixed! Do you wanna crawl under the house and hide like a dog when you're sick? You're not alone. I mean, you're alone, you're under the house like a dog. But you're not alone in the FEELI…
- A Horse is a Horse, of Course of Course
Two stories this week, both involving horses. In the first, a recent study of unearthed bones in Britan reveals that horses were much smaller in medieval times than they are today. Then, the world of polo is dominated by horses that have b…
- The AI Social Network
A Reddit-style social network called Moltbook lets AI agents post, comment, upvote, and create subcommunities without human intervention. Anthony and Jeff take a look at this bizarre experiment to suss out why anyone would want this to hap…
- Microplastics aren't a big deal
We've all spent the last couple years being worried about microplastics- but maybe we shouldn't be. More experts have reviewed the original study that freaked us all out, and they say it's full of errors. Today's story: https://www.theguar…
- You're selfish and you never think about sea urchins
It's about time you considered the lowly sea urchin. It's about time you considered their thoughts and feelings, especially since we have just found out they've got thoughts and feelings. Story: https://www.sciencealert.com/shock-discovery…
- Discovering the Noperthedron
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…
- How Recent is Recently?
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 A…
- AI Psychosis is a Cool Thing We Have to Think About Now
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…
- Quicksand is Making a Comeback
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 w…
- Tooth-in-Eye
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…
- The Batman Effect
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 be…
- New Insights into ADHD
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://b…
- The Threat of Mirror Life
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…
- Bird Poop in a Hurricane
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 superpooper…
- Shocking Stats About Lightning
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…
- The Mystery of Roanoke
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 this tale of American colonization, and l…
- Eating Ants
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 began, roughly 66 million years ago. Why? A…
- Cool vs Good
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 most associated with cool and good people,…
- The Science of Big Splashes
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, called Manu jumping, reigns supreme. J…
- Hummingbirds, Penguins, and Cockatoos, oh my.
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 Jeff discuss how and why. Next ups, the…
- Tales From the Crypt
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 into the lives of the 17th century working…
- Silence is Golden
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 silence, and how this study might motivate t…
- Snakebites for Science
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. Jeff and Anthony discuss how to classify T…
- Virtual Nostalgia
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 then animate them in mixed-reality environm…
- Speaking Bonobo
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 phrasings, suggesting that the roots of lang…
- Batman's Cocktail Party Mystery
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 sensorial challenge. Now, scientists have trac…
- The Walking Dead
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 done to make foot traffic safer and more pr…
- Taste This Machine
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 augmented reality systems, boosting immersive…
- Move with the Crowd
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 studying the Spanish tradition of running wi…
- Try to Imagine It
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 someone with aphantasia himself, Anthony tri…
- Why Do We Itch?
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 defenses against bacterial infections at th…
- AI vs Critical Thinking
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 with new ways of thinking, and the dire co…
- Generation Lead
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 Jeff and Anthony's generation: Gen X. They…
- Showers for Health: Hot or Cold?
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 get into a lather about it, and the resul…
- Alpha Wolf Brain Parasite
A study of 26 years' worth of wolf behavioral data, and an analysis of the blood of 229 wolves, has shown that infection with a parasite that can only reproduce in cats makes wolves 46 times more likely to become a pack leader. How can thi…
- Old at 44
A new study finds that the human body does not age at a constant rate throughout adulthood. Instead, it accelerates dramatically around ages 44 and 60. Jeff and Anthony discuss the findings while trying not to admit how old they feel. For…
- Gut Health Among Friends
More and more research points to the fact that the microbiome in our gut contributes sigificantly to both our phsyical and mental health. But what defines this microbiome? New analysis of nearly 2,000 people living in remote villages in Ho…
- Bat-Powers Can Be Yours
Contrary to previous assumption, a new study shows that bat-like echolocation is a skill that can be learned by both blind and sighted practitioners in as little as 10 weeks. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of this discovery, an…
- Spicy Expectations
A new study used varying levels of hot sauce to test whether the expectation of spice and discomfort impacted the actual experience. Jeff and Anthony discuss how our brains deal with expectation - and also the way this study was conducted.…
- History's Greatest Con Man
In the 19th century, Scottish scammer Gregor MacGregor made a fortune selling land in Poyais. The only problem? Poyais never existed. Jeff and Anthony step through the history of this nortious fraudster, and try to resist parallels to mode…
- Not-So-Happy Slappy
The sport of Slap Fighting has taken the Internet by storm over the last year. But would you believe: it is stupid and dangerous? I KNOW. Jeff and Anthony discuss a new study that says the very good and smart sport is causing intense and p…
- Blue Food
When you see food that is colored blue, what flavor do you expect it to be? As the rarest color in plants and animals, blue might be the strangest color to eat. Jeff and Anthony dig into the unusual history of blue food to uncover the allu…
- Lightning Milk
Among rural communities in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was taken as fact that a thunderstorm would turn milk sour. Jeff and Anthony look at the journey of scientific discovery around such a strange myth, and what it tell us about how l…
- The Strangest Science of 2024
It's time to celebrate the strangest, silliest, and most weirdly useful science of the last year! The Ig Nobel Prizes are back, and we're going to cover this year's winners. Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord communit…
- Inventor of Doom
For bonus content, check out our Patreon! patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Link to this week's story: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/24/…
- Refreezing the Arctic
Researchers in the Arctic are experimenting with drastic plans to geoengineer away the damaging effects of climate change. Jeff and Anthony look at one method, inspired by Dutch Ice Masters. Then, they discuss efforts from the Alameda city…
- Bird Detectives
When birds collide with airplanes, their remains are sent to a special lab in Washington, DC. There, an elite team of avian detectives works to identify the exact type of bird to help prevent future catastrophes. Jeff and Anthony discuss t…
- Wakeful Sleeping
A new study shows that some insomniacs who claim to have been up through the night have actually been sleeping. What is going on in their brains? Anthony and Jeff take a look at the data and discuss how even our perception of our own sleep…
- Get to the Front of the Line
For bonus content, check out our Patreon! patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Link to this week's story: Here’s the iTunes link: http://…