We Have Concerns

In their ongoing debate over whether running is cool or stupid, Anthony and Jeff consider the new study which links the euphoric feeling from long distance runs not to endorphins, as previously assumed, but to the body’s own endocannabinoids. On a chemical level, is "runner's high" actually like the high from marijuana? Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://weha...

Roboticists have created an automaton with the appearance and behavior of legendary science fiction author, Phillip K. Dick. Quotes from actual interviews are augmented with an AI system that actually learns as it communicates. And recently, it told one interviewer it would eventually put humans in a "People Zoo", Anthony and Jeff find this information alarming, but oddly exciting. At le...

David Whitlock is a chemist who hasn't showered in 12 years, but reportedly does not stink. Instead of bathing, he has been spraying himself with a concoction of his own devising that he claims breaks down ammonia, which is what causes body odor. Anthony and special guest Allie Goertz are ready to give the shower-free lifestyle a try, while Jeff mourns the loss of this favorite daily activity. Pat...

One day in June, the Value Village in Fairbanks, Alaska was alerted to a 15 foot long bloodsucking fish in their parking lot.. What could possibly cause a lamprey to materialize so far from water? Even crazier, fish were discovered all over the city, as if they fell from the sky. Anthony and Jeff are perplexed by these phenomena, but that doesn't stop them from offering some theories on how they m...

Jeff and Anthony have often discussed the brain's annoying propensity to latch on to erroneous conclusions by relating two disparate pieces of data, and a new article in FiveThirtyEight Science breaks down the "illusion of causality" and other problematic human tendencies even clearer. Why is the brain so determined to mislead itself? And what can we do to be less dumb? Get all your swee...

When Phillip and Paula Dupont learned their dog Melvin was going to die, they decided to spend $100,000 at a South Korean lab to have him cloned. The process and results are both questionable, and lead Jeff and Anthony to label these people as the absolute worst. But, like, would YOU clone your dog if you could? Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/sho...

A Russian scientist admits injecting himself with 3.5 million year old 'eternal life' bacteria, and reports working harder, with reviewed energy. Anthony and Jeff have serious reservations about this scientist's methodology, but are excited that there are still people in the world crazy enough to experiment on themselves. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcer...

Anthony has become fascinated by British psychologist Elizabeth Stokoe's studies into how simple, subtle phrasing changes can have a huge impact on behavior. Just by substituting a single word here or there, people show a much different response. Jeff is fascinated by language, too, but worries Anthony will not use his newfound semantic powers for good. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by...

A new study using eye-tracking software finds that chimps enjoy watching movies featuring humans dressed in ape costumes. Even more surprising, the primates are able to anticipate story turns based on previous viewings. Jeff and Anthony wonder if the eventual planet of the apes is going to look much like this one, with lazy monkeys binge-watching trashy television. Get all your sweet We Have Conce...

A Shaolin monk in China recently ran 125 meters across 200 thin planks of wood floating on the water, an incredibly difficult and unprecedented feat some have dubbed "running on water". He trained for 10 years to accomplish this task, which, let's be honest, doesn't even look particularly impressive on video. This gives Jeff and Anthony a chance to consider the application of one's life...

While many people derided the ice bucket challenge that spread over social media in 2014 as "slacker activism", the truth is that the huge surge in funds from the campaign has been credited for a major new breakthrough in fighting ALS. Anthony and Jeff discuss the topic of social media campaigns, generosity, and the sad need for online communities to destroy nice things. Get all your swe...

Amateur cave explorers in South Africa's famous Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site recently made a remarkable discovery: exquisitely preserved remains of a previously unknown evolutionary human ancestor. This new species, dubbed Homo Naledi, has some very strange physical features, and the location of their remains raises even more intriguing questions. Jeff is thrilled and perplexed by the n...

Biomedical scientist Mark Roth believes that suspended animation is within reach. He is conducting experiments using Elemental Reducing Agents to slow down cells' oxygen burning, and predicts that in 40 years this procedure will be used to shut the body down when it otherwise might die, lik in the case of cardiac arrest. The only problem is that these ERAs come in the form of poisonous materials t...

There is evidence to suggest that human beings may not have seen the color blue until modern times. No word for blue shows up in ancient texts, and no one seemed to describe things as "blue" until relatively recently in history. Jeff thinks this is fascinating, while Anthony discounts it as a quirk in linguistic record keeping. Can some colors be younger than others? We Have Concerns is...

A drone recently flew over the wall at the Mansfield Correctional Institution carrying drugs, cellphones, and other illicit paraphernalia, and landed in the prison yard, starting a riot. Jeff and Anthony wonder whose diabolical plan that was, and what the future holds for a world increasingly populated by flying drones. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get ea...

In this special, double-length episode, Anthony and Jeff take topic suggestions directly from the crowd during their live panel at PAX 2015. Subjects include the animal stone age, snake fish, the singularity, Wrestlemania, and much more! This is a very different kind of episode you won't want to miss! This episode was recorded LIVE at PAX Prime 2015 in Seattle. Thanks to everyone who came out to t...

Anthony has an irrational fear of octopi, the eight-armed denizens of the deep. And now, scientists have sequenced the octopus genome and discovered that their DNA is so different from any other creature on Earth that they could be qualified as "aliens". As you might imagine, this makes Anthony completely lose it. Listen, then, as Jeff attempts to hold the show together in front of a liv...

When given the option between raw and cooked food, chimpanzees seem to prefer the latter, even if it means delaying their gratification. This leads researchers to believe that if given the chance, Chimps would cook their food, as humans do. Jeff thinks this indicates an impressive level of cognitive understanding in the animals, but Anthony is unimpressed by anything that just wants better tasting...

To prove he lived in small village, an Irishman sent his friend a letter addressing it only "Your man Henderson, that boy with the glasses doing his PHD up in Belfast", which, against all odds, was actually delivered successfully. This leads Anthony and Jeff to talk about systems of organization, and the extraordinary ability of postal services to work throughout history. We Have Concern...

The Bill Gates Foundation has funded research on an implantable remote-controlled contraceptive microchip that can last up to 16 years. Anthony and Jeff try to wrap their minds around the ramifications of a long-lasting birth control device that can be controlled by an app, and do their best to avoid putting their feet in their mouths about woman's issues. We Have Concerns is entirely listener sup...

A crow recently passed a remarkably complicated, eight stage intelligence test, which required it to perform a number of actions in a specific order to unlock a morsel of food. Jeff and Anthony are impressed by the problem-solving capabilities of the crow, and wonder what that means for the general cognitive ability of the animal kingdom. Also, are we gonna have to fight birds now? We Have Concern...

An Australian designer by the name of Maximilian Kiener has created an interactive representation of the way we perceive our lifespan. The younger you are, the longer time feels, and the older you get, the quicker a year seems to fly by. In fact, this effect is so skewed that half of the time you perceive in your life is over by the time you are 7 years old. Jeff and Anthony discuss their experien...

A Japanese drinks company is sending 5 samples of whiskey up to the International Space Station to study the effects of zero gravity on the fermentation process. Anthony, Jeff, and special guest Brian Brushwood from Night Attack discuss the ramifications of Space Whiskey. Will there be unforeseen consequences? Interstellar drunkenness? Alcohol that returns to Earth with magic properties? This epis...

An article in the New York Times outlines a series of studies which seem to point to the fact that empathy is actually a choice. Is there a benefit to feel something for our fellow man, or could it possibly be an evolutionary drawback, limiting oor ability to make dispassionate decisions for the greatest good? Anthony and Jeff compare their own levels of empathy and try to decide what to feel. Wil...

In this very special episode on We Have Concerns, we talk about the plight of an actual Brock: Brock Leads, a young man from the UK who was playing on a cliff when a disaster of cartoonish proportions struck. Are kids just naturally attracted to danger? Have you ever played "Box and Hill?" Will you be at PAX? HEY, SO WILL WE! Come watch us record a couple live episodes Saturday at 9:30 P...