We Have Concerns

Do you believe a house can be haunted? Scientists interested in finding alternative explanations for reported ghost sightings have found that infrasound, particularly at a frequency of 18.9 Hz might be responsible for those eerie feelings. Anthony and Jeff terll their own spooky stories as they delve into this spine-tingling phenomenon. 

LInk to the story: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/that-spooky-sensation-likely-due-to-rumbling-pipes-not-spirits/

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You may be shocked to learn that water will freeze faster when it starts hot than when it starts cool. In fact, all of science was shockled to learn this in 1963 when 13 year-old Erasto Mpemba insisted it was true in school. Jeff and Anthony delve into the incredible story of how this phenomenon became known as the Mpemba Effect.

LInk to the story: https://www.science.org/content/article/hot-things-can-freeze-faster-cool-ones-now-paradox-has-gone-quantum

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NASA is going back to the moon. Which means one of the biggest unsolved problems still looms large: what to do with all of the human waste we leave behind? Anthony and Jeff discuss the poop problem, and what scientists are doing to figure it out.

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A researcher at Cornell has designed a Coporate Bullsh*t Receptivity Scale, noting that employees most impressed by corporate nonsense may be least equipped to make effective decisions. Jeff and Anthony dig into the findings, and discuss their own encounters with that particular style of double-speak. 

LInk to the story: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/23/corporate-speak-study

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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 evolution.

LInk to the story: https://theconversation.com/animals-perception-of-time-is-linked-to-the-pace-of-their-life-new-study-27512

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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 FEELING. A recent study published in Cell discusses why we have this instinct, and it's not just because we're grumpy. Spolier: it is also not because we're dogs.

Links to today's story: https://news.mit.edu/2025/too-sick-socialize-how-brain-immune-system-promote-staying-in-bed-1209

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Links to today's story: https://news.mit.edu/2025/too-sick-socialize-how-brain-immune-system-promote-staying-in-bed-1209

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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 been cloned. Is that ethical? Jeff and Anthony discuss both stories to get a bit more info about the evolving ecology of earth's most rideable animal. 

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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 happen and what it could mean for the future.

LInk to the story: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/ai-agents-now-have-their-own-reddit-style-social-network-and-its-getting-weird-fast/

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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.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt 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

High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. Anthony and Jeff take a look at these new observations to determine how worried they should actually be.

Link to today's story: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

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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.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

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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-reveals-sea-urchins-are-basically-all-brain

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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.

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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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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<...

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.

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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

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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

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

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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

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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/

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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/

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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 look at the lastest findings that may put the questions to rest, once and for all.

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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? And what does that reveal about how life has evolved on earth? Jeff and Anthony chew on the data to find out.

LInk to the story: https://phys.org/news/2025-07-mammals-evolved-ant-eaters-dinosaur.amp

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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, all around the world, to see where they stand - and if they agree!

LInk to the story: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/well/mind/cool-people-traits-study.html

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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. Jeff and Anthony describe the Manu jump, and the mechanics behind why it is so effective.

LInk to the story: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/biggest-splash-pool-manu-science

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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 penguins of Antactica might be helping offset climate change... with their poop. And finally, have humans altered the course of evolution with hummingbird feeders? Anthony and Jeff wing their way through all three topics!

LInk to the stories: https://www.science.org/content/article/cockatoos-have-learned-operate-drinking-fountains-australia

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5409315/penguins-antarctica-poop-climate-change

https://www.audubon...

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 poor - and the discovery of a never before seen type of soil. Jeff and Anthony dig through the bones to discuss this fascinating trove of historical science.

LInk to the story: https://www.science.org/content/article/thousands-buried-17th-century-italian-crypt-reveal-lives-working-poor#

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...

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 them to turn down the volume.

LInk to the story: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/turns-out-bonobos-talk-a-lot-like-humans/

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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 Tim's contributions to science.

Link to the story: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/05/02/nx-s1-5381017/snake-bite-venom-antivenom-tim-friede-universal

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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 environments. Jeff and Anthony discuss the notion of ownership, nostalgia, and replacing real-world possessions with digital replacements.

Today's story: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-personal-items-reality.html

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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 language predate humans. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of the discovery of these building blocks of communication in the animal kingdom.

LInk to the story: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/turns-out-bonobos-talk-a-lot-like-humans/

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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 tracked bats within a group of thousands to find out. Jeff and Anthony don their capes and cowls to investiagte this mystery, and the solution may surprise you!

LInk to the story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250331151152.htm

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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 practical.

Link to the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/walking-shouldnt-be-so-dangerous-in-the-u-s/

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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 experiences. Anthony and Jeff debate whether adding taste to VR will made the world a better place.

Today's story: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/28/scientists-create-e-taste-device-that-could-add-flavour-to-virtual-reality-experiences

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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 with the bulls. Jeff and Anthony discuss getting lost in a crowd, and how science can make these large events safer for everyone.

Link to the story: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-spanish-bulls-festival-reveals-crowd.html

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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 tries to explain to Jeff how his inner life works.

LInk to the story: https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/people-who-cant-see-with-their-minds-eye-have-different-wiring-in-the-brain

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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 the injury site. How did they do it? By torturing mice, of course. Jeff and Anthony dig into the science of itchiness to learn more. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00256-3

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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 consequences that may result from algorithmic learning.

Today's story: https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ai-linked-eroding-critical-skills.html

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