Science Vs

We’re hearing stories of people having amazing, cosmic orgasms. So what buttons are they pressing to do this?? Well, it's just one. The “male G spot,” also called the “P spot,” because that P stands for prostate. Word on the street is that if you touch your prostate in just the right way — BAM — one helluva orgasm. But is that really true? And if you don't have a prostate (ahem, me): are you stuck...

Protein influencers are big right now, telling us that we're probably missing out on the protein we need — and giving us a bunch of hacks for getting it. Why? They say that eating extra protein helps us build muscle, feel full, and lose weight. So is that true? We talk to kinesiology professor Stuart Phillips and nutrition professor Faidon Magkos.  Find our transcript here: bit.ly/ScienceVsPROTEIN...

Today we’re presenting Trillion Dollar Shot, a new series that explores the business story behind the rise of Ozempic and other blockbuster drugs being used for weight loss. The first episode focuses on the Novo Nordisk scientist who invented the compound that paved the way for Ozempic. You can find every episode on The Journal’s show feed. Trillion Dollar Shot is part of The Journal, which is a c...

Health care for trans kids has been in the spotlight, with battles over what the science says and tons of U.S. states restricting the care that children can get. And then there’s a new report out of the UK, called the Cass Review, saying that a bunch of the evidence that doctors have been relying on to treat trans kids is “remarkably weak.” So what’s going on here? What is the best health care for...

More than 150 years ago, just before dino-mania struck, New York City was supposed to get a majestic dinosaur museum full of amazing models of dinos. There would have been nothing like it in the world. Until a bunch of thugs showed up with sledgehammers and smashed every bit of the models to smithereens — and buried it all in Central Park. Today we’re finding out what happened — and WHY. We speak...

The Abortion Pill is now the most common way to have an abortion in the US. Yet what exactly happens when you take these pills is shrouded in mystery. Even many doctors don't know how well they work! Today, we're letting the sun shine on the abortion pill. We'll walk you through what happens when you take these pills: what they do to your body, and how safe are they for your physical and mental he...

With the powers of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists discovered some super weird things in the early Universe, and it's making some nerds question our theory of everything.  This story comes to us from our friends at Unexplainable at Vox Media. Find Unexplainable’s transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsUnexplainable In this episode, we cover: (0:00) Liftoff (01:10) The James Webb Space...

Getting your heart broken sucks — and for some of us, it even feels physically painful. So why does it hurt so bad? And what can science tell us about how to get over it? We dive into all of this with neuroscientist Prof. Lucy Brown.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHeartbreak In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Heartbreak sucks (07:17) What heartbreak does in the brain (12:14) Wh...

Comedian Tig Notaro, who just released her fifth comedy special, "Hello Again," joins us for a chat about the science of her comedy: telling us how she builds jokes, and of course sharing a bunch of dumb and fabulous jokes. Enjoy!  Here's our Funniest Joke in the World Episode!!  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsTigNotaro In this episode, we cover: (00:00) We're interviewing Tig! ...

If you Google "The Funniest Joke in the World," you'll be very disappointed. The internet might serve you something like, "What has many keys but can't open a single lock??” (Answer: A piano). Screw that. That's not funny. Enter Science Vs. We’re going on a romp to find out once and for all: What is the funniest joke in the world. According to science. And for this quest we've interviewed a bunch...

[Video available on Spotify] Wendy and emma chamberlain of the Anything Goes podcast sit down for a chat and get deep about “the guru effect,” science garbage on the internet, accusations Wendy’s faced of being a pyromaniac, orgasms and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tons of us are feeling run-down and crummy and are wondering: What can we do about it? Well, lots of influencers have an answer: balancing our hormones. These influencers, including some doctors, recommend special supplements, diets, exercises, and prescriptions to tame our cortisol, boost our testosterone, and tackle our estrogen. Are they on to something? We get to the bottom of it with endocrin...

It’s 1849, and a gruesome murder has just happened at Harvard. As body parts turn up, the science of the day is put to the ultimate test to find out: who committed this brutal killing? Prof. Paul Collins tells us how this morbid mystery unfolds.   Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsMurderInTheIvoryTower In this episode, we cover: (00:00) The murder that shocked Harvard (02:35) A ve...

Weed has gone mainstream, and it's been rebranded as a wellness drug that you can customize to fit your needs. Want to feel relaxed? Well, you'll need a kind of pot called Indica. Want to get pepped up? Go for Sativa. But what can weed really do for us? We’re going to pack a bowl full of science facts, sit back, put our feet up and find out: Can cannabis really improve your mental health? Does it...

Fasting diets are going bonkers right now — some tech bros are down to one meal a day! And health-fluencers claim that intermittent fasting can help you lose weight, live longer and even fight cancer. But meanwhile, recent headlines are screaming that these diets might actually be dangerous — and linked to death from heart disease. Can science sort this all out?? We speak to nutrition researchers...

Dreaming might be the weirdest thing that our brains do. Out of thin air we may see ourselves battling a triceratops, or stressing for an exam that we don't have … so why do we do this?? What is going on in our brains to create these bonkers images? For years, the land of dreams was a place for mystics and philosophers, but with groundbreaking technology, we're getting closer to understanding the...

We looked at this class of weight loss drugs a year ago, and they've only gotten more popular — and more controversial. We’re hearing that these kinds of drugs can be tough on your stomach, and that the weight loss comes with worrisome loss of muscle. We’ve also heard claims that they might increase your risk of suicide. So — should we be freaking out here?? We talk to endocrinologist Dr. Vibha Si...

We’ve been hunting for the fountain of youth for millennia, but if you go online, it looks like the search is over! So we’re looking at some of the buzziest anti-aging hacks out there: the potential powers of young blood, the latest supplements, and a drug that has some scientists really pumped. We talk to researchers Dr. Jim White, Dr. Melanie McReynolds and Prof. Nir Barzilai.  Find our transcri...

Strap in, nerds: New Science Vs episodes are coming! This season, we’re diving into the science of longevity, cannabis, hormone balancing, dreams, menopause, squirting, protein and MUCH more. New episodes start March 7! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DMT might be the weirdest drug in the already weird world of psychedelics. It’s the active ingredient in ayahuasca, but on its own, DMT can give you what’s nicknamed “the businessman’s trip” — a psychedelic journey that can be done and dusted inside 15 minutes. So what is this drug doing to our brains? And could it help people with depression? We catch up with Dr Chris Timmermann, Dr Graham Campbe...

Personality tests like the MBTI are all over the internet, the workplace, and dating apps — but some say it’s all a bunch of baloney. So are any of these tests legit? And what can science actually tell us about personality? We talk to psychologists Dr. Alexander Swan, Dr. Emorie Beck, and Dr. Ted Schwaba. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsPersonalityTests In this episode, we cover:...

Caffeine is a drug that tons of us take every day. But is that a bad thing? And if we get it in the form of energy drinks, is that super dangerous? We talk to Dr. Astrid Nehlig, Prof. Gregory Marcus, and Prof. Sachin Shah.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsCaffeineEnergyDrinks In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Chapter 1: We love/hate caffeine (02:12) Chapter 2: Coffee and our gut...

Molly, ecstasy, MDMA: whatever you call it, this drug is blowing up. Some say MDMA can be a legitimate medicine to treat conditions like PTSD. But others reckon it's a dangerous drug that can fry your brain, and even kill you — from just one bad pill. Who's right? That's what we're snorting up today. We talk to psychiatrist George Greer, public health researcher Prof. Joseph Palamar, former DEA sp...

We all know gossip can be bad — but some of us still can’t seem to get enough of it. So today we’re digging into the science of gossip to answer questions like: who really gossips? And why do we love it so much? We spill the tea with sociologist Dr. Stacy Torres and neuroscientist Professor Josep Marco-Pallarés. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsGossip In this episode, we cover: (0...

A dead man with a bitten penis and perplexing DNA, a terrifying syndrome where everything around you appears in miniature, and the big lie we all believe about lemmings: Wendy and Joel tell three science stories about times when things were not what they seemed, recorded live at the Beaker Street Festival in Tasmania.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsLIVE  Chapters:  (00:00) Welc...