Useful Science: Recent Episodes
Useful Science
Science is useful, but its usefulness isn't always obvious. In this podcast we dive deep into scientific research to figure out how the science was done, what was discovered, and how you can use it to improve your life.
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/60
This week we're talking about climate anxiety and winter sports.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* The 2021 Western North American heat dome increased climate change anxiety among British Columbians: Results from a natural experiment * https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278222000050#bib0024 * Association Between Ambient Heat and Risk of Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Among US Adults, 2010 to 2019 * Climate change is predicted to make European wine regions hotter and drier, shorten the grape growing season, shift growing regions, and change wine chemistry by altering levels of alcohol, acid, and aroma. * Only ‘one reliable host city’ will be left for Winter Olympics if global emissions are not curbed: study
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/21
This week we're talking about sleep.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* People who slept less than 6 hours a night were 4 times more likely to catch a cold. * Higher nighttime temperatures due to climate change are projected to disrupt summer sleep patterns, particularly for people who cannot afford air conditioning and people who are more sensitive to heat, like the elderly. * Not sleeping enough (staying up for 17 hours straight) impaired performance in the same way as a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit would (BAC 0.05%).
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/59
This week we're talking about dog ownership and gift giving.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Dog owners have a 24% lower risk of dying early and a 31% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. * The Gift of Psychological Closeness: How Feasible Versus Desirable Gifts Reduce Psychological Distance to the Giver
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/58
This week we're talking about fatigue & risk management in healthcare workers.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Association of residency work hour reform with long term quality and costs of care of US physicians: observational study * Education Outcomes in a Duty-Hour Flexibility Trial in Internal Medicine * Figuring in fatigue: A commentary on Schwartz et al., “Fatigue in surgical residents: An analysis of duty-hours and the effect of hypothetical naps on predicted performance” * Addressing fatigue in medical residents with biomathematical fatigue modeling * Trends in Strategic Napping in Surgical Residents by Gender, Postgraduate Year, Work Schedule, and Clinical Rotation * Fatigue in surgical residents an analysis of duty-hours and the effect of hypothetical naps on predicted performance * Biomathematical Modeling Predicts Fatigue Risk in General Surgery Residents
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/57
Deborah talks about two intervention programs designed to address the effects of discrimination on Black youth. Alex presents the results of the Oregon Water Futures Project, which revealed inequalities in water access throughout the state.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Elevating Water Priorities for Oregon Communities. * Program Profile: Adults in the Making (AIM) * Program Profile: Strong African American Families (SAAF) * Strong African American Families Program * The Adults in the Making Program: Long-term Protective Stabilizing Effects on Alcohol Use and Substance Use Problems for Rural African American Emerging Adults
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/56
This week we're talking about racial disparities in health and medicine. Ian and Deborah present research focusing on differences in cancer treatments for Black patients in contrast to White patients, and also discuss athlete head trauma and concussion education in the US.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Black patients in the U.S. are less likely to receive surgery as treatment for esophageal cancer, making them more likely to die from this type of cancer than white patients. * Even though 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, survival rates have been improving over the last three decades. However, black women are still 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women in the U.S. * Assessing Differences in Concussion Symptom Knowledge and Sources of Information Among Black and White Collegiate-Athletes
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/55
This week we're talking about neighborhood connections and green spaces.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* ‘It's real, not fake like a park’: Residents’ perception and use of informal urban green-space in Brisbane, Australia and Sapporo, Japan * Residential relocation and change in social capital: A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/54
This week we're talking about cultural change.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Global Increases in Individualism * Social Structure, Infectious Diseases, Disasters, Secularism, and Cultural Change in America * Tuning in to psychological change: Linguistic markers of psychological traits and emotions over time in popular U.S. song lyrics. * Temporal Changes in Individualism and Their Ramification in Japan: Rising Individualism and Conflicts with Persisting Collectivism * The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation * Large-Scale Psychological Differences Within China Explained by Rice Versus Wheat Agriculture * Status Quo Bias in Decision Making
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/53
This week we're talking about food and allergies.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* When surveyed, almost 1 in 5 Americans report that they have a food allergy, but only 1 in 10 report symptoms consistent with food allergies or have received a diagnosis from a physician. This suggests that around twice as many Americans believe they have a food allergy than actually do. * Foods that mothers eat regularly while breastfeeding are later more accepted by their infants.
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/52
On this episode we're joined by special guest, Erika Kirgios, whose research explores strategies for promoting prosocial behavior. Familiar hosts Avaneesh, Uyen, and Cameron discuss two of Erika's recent studies. One investigates “temptation bundling,” the process of pairing a pleasurable indulgence with a less-pleasurable behavior that confers delayed rewards in order to make it seem more appealing in the short-term. A second study demonstrates the concept of “motivation laundering,” when individuals who behave in accordance with financial incentives later forgo their monetary rewards in order to signal to others (or convince themselves) they acted out of purer motives. Erika is a researcher with The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Teaching temptation bundling to boost exercise: A field experiment * Forgoing earned incentives to signal pure motives
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/51
This week we're talking about parenting.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Curious Neuron
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/50
This week we're talking about parenting.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Mothers In Science
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/49
The COVID vaccine is a major medical triumph. But not everyone is so excited to receive it. What do we know about vaccine hesitancy? How about its more radical cousin, vaccine rejection? And how does the situation in the United States differ from other countries, like Australia? All that and more on this episode of the podcast, featuring Duncan, Avaneesh, and Cameron.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Vaccine Rejection and Hesitancy: A Review and Call to Action(http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/index.html%3Fp=70808.html) * Gizmodo: The Last of the Iron Lungs * Epidemic prevalence information on social networks can mediate emergent collective outcomes in voluntary vaccine schemes
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/48
The pandemic has affected all of us – and while we continue to manage the ongoing tragedy and loss, many have begun to look for silver linings as well. Here are two that can result from spending more time at home than usual: (1) nightly sleep among university students appears to have improved, and (2) having more flexibility in how you spend your lunch break (walking to a park, doing yoga) may decrease stress and fatigue, and increase concentration, for those working from home. Our hosts Ian, Josh, and Cameron provide the full scoop in this episode of the podcast.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Enhancing daily well-being at work through lunchtime park walks and relaxation exercises: Recovery experiences as mediators. * Sleep in university students prior to and during COVID-19 Stay-at-Home orders
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/47
The way we make decisions says a lot about us. In this episode, we highlight two studies that delve into the idea of “Blind Cooperation.” It turns out that being the kind of person who spontaneously cooperates with others and offers help without calculation can confer social benefits in the long run. Namly, it’ll earn you the reputation of being trustworthy.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Preferential interactions promote blind cooperation and informed defection * Uncalculating cooperation is used to signal trustworthiness
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/46
In an annual ceremony at Harvard University, the Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that "first make people LAUGH, and then make them THINK.” It's a quirky and entertaining tradition, and we've featured their 2020 Awards in this episode of the podcast. Hear from Susan, Duncan, and Camerom, who discuss their favorite Ig Nobel Prize winners, and learn more about the 30-year-old tradition organized by the Annals of Improbable Research. "The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology."
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/45
Not all laughter is created equal, and the truth is you probably laugh differently around people you don’t know than you do with friends and family. While subtle, many people can tell the difference. And do social media sites like Facebook provide a replacement for real interactions? A famous study from 2013 says no. Facebook may even make people less happy. Find out more in this episode on Social Connection.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Over a two-week period, young adults' Facebook use predicted decreased self-reported well-being. This was true for individuals with both small and large social networks. * Detecting affiliation in colaughter across 24 societies
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/44
Research suggests that higher local temperatures are associated with a greater incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections. In other words, climate change may exacerbate the already growing problem of antibiotic resistance in humans. On the flip side, scientists in Portland, Oregon find that planting more vegetation, using reflective materials on hard surfaces, and installing green roofs on buildings may help cool urban areas susceptible to extreme heat.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Antibiotic resistance increases with local temperature * A combination of planting more vegetation, using reflective materials on hard surfaces, and installing green roofs on buildings may help cool urban areas susceptible to extreme heat.
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/43
The average person eats at least 50,000 microplastics a year, and inhales a similar amount. Microplastics have been found in every part of our digestive tract, and are deleterious to the liver and gut. There is good news, however: researchers at Penn State are working on eco-friendly and biodegradable substitutes. They're made from squid teeth.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes* Squid-Inspired Tandem Repeat Proteins: Functional Fibers and Films * Human Consumption of Microplastics * Plastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue?
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/42b
5-Year Anniversary Special.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/42
More people are working from home than ever before. These lifestyle changes can meaningfully impact productivity, stress, and mental health. For example, researchers found that merely thinking that your employer expects you to monitor work email during nonwork hours can ramp up anxiety and harm romantic relationships.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes* Pressure to answer work emails during non-work hours negatively affected employees' health, and decreased the relationship satisfaction of both the employee and their significant other. * Briefly looking at the color green before working on a creative task (such as coming up with unusual uses for common objects) increased creativity.
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/41
This episode examines the difficult issues that surround diversity, injustice, and trust. Multiple studies in the United States and Europe found that more ethnic diversity in residential settingis is associated with lower trust among neighbors. And an analysis from 2011 found that many African regions that were raided during the transatlantic slave trade developed cultures of distrust, which can still reverberate in the day-to-day interactions of people who inhabit these areas.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: A Narrative and Meta-Analytical Review * The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/40
The Useful Science team unveils the many benefits of dogs on our well-being. Researchers in Canada found that therapy dogs can positively impact patients’ experiences in stressful hospital settings plagued by long wait times. And in an observational study of families with young children, researchers found that pre-schoolers who played with the family dog three or more times per week displayed fewer conduct problems, and more prosocial behaviors, compared to children who had little or no dog-time in their lives.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* A case study of the patient wait experience in an emergency department with therapy dogs * The relationship between dog ownership, dog play, family dog walking, and pre-schooler social–emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE observational study
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/39
This week we're talking about knots.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes* Topological mechanics of knots and tangles * The roles of impact and inertia in the failure of a shoelace knot
[https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/38](https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/38)
The Useful Science team provides a breakdown on clinical trials - what they are, why they matter, and how long they take. As a wave of urgent clinical trials related to COVID19 is unfolding around the world, researchers try to balance the need for vaccines & treatment with ethical concerns and the health of study participants.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Ethics of controlled human infection to address COVID-19 * What risks should be permissible in controlled human infection model studies?
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/37
Avaneesh Narla and Joshua Conrad Jackson discuss the insect that’s been making headlines lately. Also known as Asian giant hornets, these critters have received a lot of hype lately, not just for the scary name but also for their potential to wipe out the oh-so-important pollinating honey bees. Are these fears founded, or is there a bigger threat to our bees?
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction globally due primarily to habitat loss and pollutants including fertilizer and pesticides. * Unusual thermal defence by a honeybee against mass attack by hornets
https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/36
Uyen Nguyen and Joshua Conrad Jackson are back to discuss some things you might not have heard about sugar. More sugar consumption may lead to risky business in kids. We also examine whether the increasingly popular taxes on the sugar industry actually reduce sugary drink intake.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* In Mexico, a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages reduced the sales of sugary drinks by up to 12%, particularly among people of low socio-econonomic status. * Sugar consumption is associated with more frequent risky behavior, such as fighting, bullying, drinking, and smoking, in adolescents. Consuming sugary drinks is more strongly associated with risky behavior than consuming sweets such as chocolate and candy.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/35
Returning hosts Avaneesh Narla and Dr. Susan Rogers Van Katwyk are here to demystify and unravel some of the mystery of “best by” or expiration dates. How much science is out there about these labels, and how much do they really tell us about health and safety? Does reducing the price of almost-expired food at the store increase overall waste?
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Consumer behaviour towards price-reduced suboptimal foods in the supermarket and the relation to food waste in households * The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/34
Duncan talks about VR in the classroom. Avaneesh talks about how ice is the most slippery at about -7 C and becomes less slippery at colder temperatures. Jaime talks about how to teach quantum physics.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes* Ready student one: Exploring the predictors of student learning in virtual reality * Molecular Insight into the Slipperiness of Ice * Science and Culture: Quantum games aim to demystify heady science * Fizzics Education Free Resources
A followup episode on COVID-19.
- Coronavirus antibody tests aren’t as accurate as they seem - Quartz
- The False Hope of Antibody Tests - The Atlantic
- Food Safety and Coronavirus Disease 2019 - CDC
- Medical masks vs N95 respirators for preventing COVID‐19 in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized trials
- Shadowpox Game
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/33
Ian talks about how to deal with kids who don't like their gifts. Cindy talks about the role of maternal behavior in regulating a child's emotions. This is a crossover with the Curious Neuron Podcast (Dr. Cindy Hovington)
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes* Kids with higher levels of 'effortful control' (the ability to replace one emotional behavior with another) were better at suppressing negative reactions to unwanted gifts. * Sustained attention development during the toddlerhood to preschool period: Associations with toddlers’ emotion regulation strategies and maternal behaviour
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/32
This week we're talking about office fitness.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes* Ten minutes of moderate exercise (stair walking) increased feelings of alertness more than caffeine in chronically sleep-deprived women. * Employees who used a walking treadmill workstation at speeds up to 2 mph showed an increase in productivity over a period of 1 year.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/31
This week we're talking about politics and polarization.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice * Could climate change fuel the rise of right-wing nationalism? * Importing Political Polarization? The Electoral Consequences of Rising Trade Exposure
An emergency episode on COVID-19.
- CDC information on COVID-19
- World Health Organization information on COVID-19
- Public Health Agency of Canada information on COVID-19
- Social Network Sites and Well-Being: The Role of Social Connection
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/30
This week we're talking about social inclusion and well-being.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Religious people tend to live longer than non-religious people, partly due to greater engagement in community and volunteer activities. * Young adults felt worse and more socially excluded than they expected after talking about an extraordinary experience with a group who had shared an ordinary experience. This is possibly because people tend to bond more easily over common experiences.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/28
This week we're talking about antibiotics.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Antibiotic use in animals raised for food is drastically increasing. This poses a risk for antibiotic resistance, which may limit our capacity to treat infectious diseases. * Some non-antibiotic drugs prevent the growth of normal gut bacteria in similar ways to antibiotics, and may inadvertently contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/28
This week we're talking about red meat vs. the world
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes * Mathematical Optimization * Assessing the Role of Cattle in Sustainable Food Systems * Comparison of Nutritional Quality * Cronometer app * Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial * Effect of Lower Versus Higher Red Meat Intake on Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials * Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk for All-Cause Mortality and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies * Reduction of Red and Processed Meat Intake and Cancer Mortality and Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies * Patterns of Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk for Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/27
This week we're talking about the Circadian Rhythm.
Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.
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Show Notes * Wearing amber lenses that block blue light before bedtime can improve sleep quality. * Going camping without artificial lights for the weekend can help reset your sleep cycle to more closely match natural light cycles and wake up earlier.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/26
This week we're talking about the science of pets.
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Show Notes * The “Domestication Syndrome” in Mammals: A Unified Explanation Based on Neural Crest Cell Behavior and Genetics * Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body * Are owners' reports of their dogs’ ‘guilty look’ influenced by the dogs’ action and evidence of the misdeed?
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/25
This week we're talking about smartphones.
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Show Notes * 15-year-olds who had a moderate amount of daily screen time reported better mental well-being compared to those who had very little (less than 1-2 hours) or a lot (more than 5-6 hours) of screen time each day. * Employees who regularly used a smartphone app to perform mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes or more per week experienced greater well-being and less perceived job strain (workload and intensity). * Couples who had rules for not monitoring each other's cell phone usage and not repeatedly contacting each other via cell phone reported less relationship satisfaction than couples who did not have these rules.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/24
This week we're talking about having a useful summer.
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Show Notes * Fan-generated wind can help reduce the presence of mosquitoes by diluting substances that attract them, like CO2. * Normal (2D) movies are just as effective at evoking emotion as 3D movies.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/23
This week we're talking about pop music.
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Show Notes * From 1986 to 2016, billboard-reaching pop music songs became more "attention grabbing" with faster tempos, shorter titles, less time before singing began, and less time before the title of the song was mentioned. * From 2014 to 2016, songs with atypical lyrics (lyrics that defied genre conventions) were downloaded more on large streaming services than songs with typical lyrics.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/22
This week we're talking about the science of love.
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Show Notes * In heterosexual online dating, people pursue partners who are on average 25% more desirable than themselves. The likelihood of receiving a response to a first message decreases when there is a greater difference in desirability. * Couples who were instructed by researchers to have more sex increased their sexual frequency but reported reduced happiness and enjoyment of sex. This suggests that more sex does not necessarily lead to greater relationship happiness. * The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. (pdf)
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/21
This week we're talking about sleep.
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Show Notes * People who slept less than 6 hours a night were 4 times more likely to catch a cold. * Higher nighttime temperatures due to climate change are projected to disrupt summer sleep patterns, particularly for people who cannot afford air conditioning and people who are more sensitive to heat, like the elderly. * Not sleeping enough (staying up for 17 hours straight) impaired performance in the same way as a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit would (BAC 0.05%).
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/20
This week we're talking about going outside.
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Show Notes * Bridging the nature gap: can citizen science reverse the extinction of experience? * Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles (found in mineral sunscreens) generate DNA damage when exposed to UV light, however they do not appear to penetrate the underlying layers of skin, minimizing their potential risk. * Literature review on the safety of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens * Patterns of sunscreen use on the face and other exposed skin among US adults * Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics * Most of Us Are Making a Crucial Mistake When Applying Sunscreen, Scientists Warn
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/18
This week we're talking about expensive headphones and audio quality.
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Show Notes * No correlation between headphone frequency response and retail price * A Meta-Analysis of High Resolution Audio Perceptual Evaluation * Quarter to Midnight (Thanasi's album)
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/18
This week we learn about the benefits and risks of urban green spaces.
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Show Notes * Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using green infrastructure: A literature review * Children living in areas with more street trees have lower prevalence of asthma * Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/17
This week we learn about sleep habits, Fitbit lawsuits, and bad science reporting..
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Show Notes * VanWinkles.com: Here's the Truth About the "Women Need More Sleep Than Men" Study That Blew Up the Internet * Exploring Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Health: A Society for Women's Health Research Report * Snopes.com: Drinking Tequila Provides Many Health Benefits? * CNN: Fitbit accuracy questioned in lawsuit * Validation of Biofeedback Wearables for Photoplethysmographic Heart Rate Tracking
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/hi-interview
Interview: Social impact, documentaries, VR, and empathy with Harmony Institute.
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Show Notes * Harmony Institute * Social Issue Networks and Film Festivals (Graphika Research) * VR: Going Beyond the Empathy Machine * That Dragon Cancer * Harmony Institute Fellowship Program * Story Pilot
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/16
This week we learn about art museums, napping, and male and female brains.
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Show Notes * Students selected to visit an art museum showed stronger critical thinking skills and displayed higher levels of social tolerance after the visit. These effects were larger for students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. * Bo Bartlett’s The Box * Although there are some aspects of brain structure that are more common in males or females, any individual brain is typically a 'mosaic' of these features, suggesting there is no such thing as a 'male brain' or 'female brain'.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/15
This week we learn about getting out the vote, ADHD, and self-compassion.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/josh-rosenau
Guest Josh Rosenau, Programs and Policy Director of the National Center for Science Education, talks about the mission of the NCSE and the history of attacks against evolution and climate science in public schools.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/14
This week we learn about body shape index, humor in the classroom, and squatting while pooping.
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Show Notes * 'Surface-based Body Shape Index', which takes into account distribution of body weight, has been found to more accurately predict mortality than the Body Mass Index (BMI). * Teachers who use humor in their classrooms tend to get better student evaluations by their students, regardless of learning outcomes. * Squatting down makes it quicker and easier to poop as compared to sitting down, probably because sitting upright leaves a kink in the gut that straightens out when we squat. * Accurate science or accessible science in the media – why not both? * Squatty Potty
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/13
This week we learn about online dating, marathon runners, and pizza.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * People tended to eat less pizza when it was cut into small slices and served on a large table. * Ask Useful Science: Bicycle weight and marathon runners + Wilber, R. L. & Pitsiladis, Y. P., Kenyan and Ethiopian distance runners: what makes them so good? + Hoffman, K. M., Trawalter, S., Axt, J. R. & Oliver, M. N., Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. + Some medical students still think black patients feel less pain. + The Ethiopia/Kenya Running Phenomenon. Runner’s World (2014). + Fisher, M., Why Kenyans Make Such Great Runners: A Story of Genes and Cultures. * Interview: Accurate science or accessible science in the media – why not both? * Thorough screening of romantic partners online does not lead to more successful dates. This may be because online profiles emphasize searchable attributes (like religion), while daters would prefer to screen people by experiential attributes (like sense of humor).
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/12
This week we learn about getting drunk on diet soda, getting full on imaginary food, and attracting mosquitos with your genes.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/11
This week we learn about ambient noise for creative thinking, email checking frequency, and academic tracking, which is separating students into different classes or schools according to their academic ability.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Individuals who were instructed to only check e-mails 3 times per day (as opposed to as many times as they wanted) reported lower levels of daily stress. * Ask Useful Science: Academic Tracking + The Variable Effects of High School Tracking (Gamoran, 1992) + Peer Effects, Teacher Incentives, and the Impact of Tracking: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Kenya (Duflo, Dupas & Kremer, 2008) + Implications for Ability Grouping in Mathematics for Fifth Grade Students (Stinnet, 2013) + Ability Grouping Interventions and Math Performance Among Inner-City School (Sreckovic, 2015) + Can Universal Screening Increase the Representation of Low Income and Minority Students in Gifted Education? (Card & Giuliano, 2015) * The optimal noise level for carrying out abstract thinking and creative tasks is 70 dB, which is the average noise level of a coffee shop.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/10
This week we learn about attractive male faces, sex frequency, and organic, grass fed, hormone free, non-gmo beef.
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Listener feedback on Episode 8 math anxiety study: + Does Rejection Hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion, Eisenberger et al. + Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain, Kross et al. * The happiest couples have sex about once per week, and having sex more frequently is not associated with greater happiness. * Women are not attracted to male faces morphed to increase their Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy characteristics (which correlate to how masculine a face looks). + PDF with morphed photos * Facing a psychopath: Detecting the dark triad from emotionally-neutral faces, using prototypes from the Personality Faceaurus * Machiavelli (Google Image Search) * Machiavelli statue * Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/9
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes * Adolescent brains develop in a way that overemphasizes reward and underemphasizes risk, which may help explain teenager's decision making and susceptibility to peer and emotional pressures. * Rebelling against the brain: Public engagement with the ‘neurological adolescent’ * Alcohol-Related Risk of Driver Fatalities: An Update Using 2007 Data (Voas et al) * Case Closed: Research Evidence on the Positive Public Health Impact of the Age 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age in the United States (DeJong & Blanchette) * Drinking and driving among college students (Wechsler et al) * Antibacterial soap containing triclosan is no better at killing germs during hand-washing than regular soap.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/8
Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.
This week we learn about the effect of old misconceptions on learning new concepts, painful math anxiety, and healthy personalities.
Show Notes * Students’ difficulties in grasping physics concepts are rooted in the incorrect assumptions the student develops before entering a physics course ( e.g. “motion implies a force” ). When these preconceptions are not addressed, fundamental physics concepts are likely to be misperceived or distorted to fit existing beliefs. * People with high math-anxiety activate pain networks in their brains when anticipating doing math, but not while actually performing math. * Story Spoilers Don’t Spoil Stories * Personality traits are associated with expression levels of genes that regulate inflammation and therefore may be biologically linked to how well people fight disease. * Big Five personality traits, OCEAN/CANOE
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/7
This week we cover articles from the education section of our site. We learn about teaching children that intelligence is malleable, merit badges, and depressed roommates. We also have an interview with Derek Muller of Veritasium and Snatoms.
Show Notes
- Awarding an educational merit badge (a digital representation of student knowledge or skill mastery) may be a useful tool to motivate and measure learning in young students.
- Veritasium, Derek Muller's YouTube channel
- Snatoms: The Magnetic Molecule Modeling Kit (KickStarter)
- Derek Muller on Hank Green's SciShow
- Teaching 7th graders that intelligence is not fixed but malleable (and that it can be improved through hard work) resulted in an upward trajectory of math grades in junior high school.
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck
- Guy Winch, Emotional Hygiene
- Having a roommate who was vulnerable to depression increased college students' own vulnerability and symptoms of depression.
- Editorial Expression of Concern and Correction (Facebook emotion study)
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/5
This week we learn about eating fast food after a workout, xenophobic 6 year olds, and HIV prevention.
Show Notes:
- When adjusted for carbohydrate, fat, and protein content, fast food was equally as effective as sports supplements (such as energy bars) for post-workout recovery in a study with 11 trained male athletes.
- Fat adapted diet
- Lore of Running, Timothy Noakes
- Marathon Training Academy
- DoubleBlinded.com
- When treated unfairly, six-year-old children punished the perpetrator more harshly if they were an 'outsider' to the child's social group, displaying an 'in-group bias'. By age eight, children punished 'insiders' and 'outsiders' more similarly, demonstrating less of this bias.
- It is estimated that in the USA, 30.2% of new HIV infections are transmitted by people who do not know they have the virus. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure if you have HIV.
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/5
This week we're talking about placebos. We cover placebo clothing, placebo surgeries, and how placebos are getting stronger over time.
Show Notes:
- Compression garments provide no measurable performance gain in sports, though they may help reduce muscle soreness if worn for 24 hours after exercise.
- Influence of compressive gear on powerlifting performance: role of blood flow restriction training.
- Powerlifting equipment
- Kinesio Tape
- Kinesio Taping - The Latest Sports Fad
- Nocebo effect
- Nocebo as a potential confounding factor in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease treatment: a meta-analysis
- DoubleBlinded.com - The Self Experimentation Platform
- Arthroscopic knee surgery for osteoarthritis is not an effective treatment, and helps people no more than fake surgery. Current guidelines argue against doing this procedure, however it remains a common occurrence.
- Peristalsis #EverybodyPoops
- QWOP
- The placebo effect has increased over time.
- That Mitchell and Webb Look: Homeopathic A&E
- Diluting the scientific method: Ars looks at homeopathy
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/4
This week we learn about the benefits of napping, how music makes you smarter, and why you should be playing more video games.
Show Notes:
- Morning and afternoon naps helped prevent some of the hormonal and immune changes that occurred following a night of sleep deprivation.
- People who regularly played action video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed were better at learning a new sensorimotor skill on the computer than their non-playing peers.
- Underground game
- Music training resulted in improved cognitive performance in children.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/3
This week, all of our topics come from the happiness section of our site. We learn about how the wealth of others affects your happiness, the effectiveness of anti-depressant drugs, and why being happy all the time may not make you happy all the time.
Show Notes:
- ‘Emodiversity’ (feeling a balance of different emotions) has been found to be predictive of better mental and physical health.
- People who cried while watching a movie experienced a more negative emotional state initially, but within 90 minutes recovered to an even better mood than before watching the movie.
- Pixar's Inside Out
- Feeling poorer than one's peers decreases health and happiness (for example, in measures of life expectancy, diet, or exercise). Reducing conspicuous consumption may make communities happier and healthier.
- Canadian Thanksgiving
- The Perfect Salary for Happiness: $75,000 (Wall Street Journal)
- An analysis of over 6500 depressed patients found that antidepressant drugs were effective and consistently superior to placebo at reducing depressed mood.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/2
This week we learn about how walking enhances creativity, power posing, and why arguing with your teenager may be a good idea.
Show Notes:
- Power-posing for two minutes (i.e. feet resting on a surface while sitting with fingers interlaced behind the head or, standing and leaning slightly forward over a surface supported by firmly planted hands) temporarily elevates testosterone levels and lowers cortisol levels. This increases feelings of power and promotes focus on reward instead of risk.
- Amy Cuddy
- Power-Posing TED Talk
- Zurich study on power posing
- Amy Cuddy's meta-analysis
- Data Colada article on power posing
- Photo of power poses
- Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Walking, whether outside or on a treadmill, leads to more creative thinking.
- Cultured bacteria from the hand of an eight-year-old
- Teenagers who engaged in healthy debate with their parents (listening to each other and discussing, though not necessarily agreeing), developed a sense of autonomy that made them more resistant to peer pressure relating to drugs and alcohol.
- Ig Nobel Price
- An analysis of the forces required to drag sheep over various surfaces
- Are cows more likely to lie down the longer they stand?
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/1
This week, all of our topics come from the persuasion section of our site. We learn about why people suck at giving gifts, all about vocal fry, and how to create love in an hour… in a lab at least.
Show Notes:
- Gift givers tended to prioritize desirability in a gift, although a more practical version of the same gift was more likely to please the recipient.
- People speaking with vocal fry (a 'creaky' speech pattern increasingly common in American women) were judged as less competent, less trustworthy, and less employable.
- Ryan Kane
- Asking a series of progressively more personal questions brought pairs of strangers emotionally closer than other ice-breaking exercises.
http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/0
This week we learn about sleep paralysis, whether cool 13 year olds have already washed out by the age of 22, is your cat’s poop affecting your behavior, and how reliable is medical information on Wikipedia.
The is the first ever episode of the Useful Science Podcast. We're still figuring this thing out, and we can really use your help to make it as good as possible. Let us know what you think at podcast@usefulscience.org.
Show Notes:
- Sleep paralysis, in which a temporary inability to move occurs as one wakes up, is fairly common (~7.6% of general population). It can be frightening and sometimes occurs with hallucinations, but quickly goes away.
- The 'cool kids' at age 13 tend to be less popular and have worse social skills than others by the time they turn 22.
- People who own cats are more likely to be infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. This parasite causes behavior changes in infected mice and may affect human behavior as well.
- Wikipedia articles about the top 10 most costly medical conditions have been found to contain many errors.