Six Degrees of Rumination

You haven't seen a viral video until you've seen a sloth pooping.  In other science, low fat chocolate is created (Reno is unimpressed), the phenomenon of onions making us cry is explained (producer Mike is unimpressed), and why some people get "skin orgasms" from listening to music is explained (Nina is impressed). http://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-the-horror-that-sloths-have-to-go-through-ever...

Technology advances further in the reanimation of dead tissue, and science advances further in studying feelings of fish.  Silicon Valley creates a veggie burger that bleeds, sizzles, and tastes like meat, while new research indicates that depression might be an allergic reaction to inflammation.  Oh, and we get severely off topic discussing vegetables. http://www.callingallscience.com/biotech-giv...

Reno and Nina finally admit they might have a serious brain condition--producer Mike is not surprised.  Technology wins against Earth when it comes to leap seconds, but it takes nothing more than a weasel to disarm the most powerful particle collider.  Looks like Earth got technology back.  New York may be one step closer to prosecuting people who text and drive, and accidental developments in the...

Six Degrees starts off this episode with a marijuana article--we had to; it's 4/20!--but the episode also includes plenty of standby favorites, like crazy animal stunts, nanotechnology, and Pope Francis. http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/04/rescheduling_marijuana_what_th.html   http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/6-things-we-learned-from-the-worlds-first-study-examining-lsds-effe...

After a month long hiatus due to one thing or another, Six Degrees reconvenes to let their sarcasm and puns loose on real life unicorns, chickenosauruses, religion, politics, and giant lasers. http://www.sciencealert.com/a-fossilised-skull-has-revealed-when-the-last-siberian-unicorn-lived-on-earth   http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-grown-dinosaur-legs-on-a-chicken-for-the-first-time   h...

Six Degrees debates the value in programming wheelchairs to read monkeys' thoughts--is the expensive technology and simian frustration worth the grapes?  SeaWorld monitors the health of one of their prize killer whales (who was previously implicated in two homicides) and Paris might soon use bioluminescent material to light its city streets at night. http://www.kurzweilai.net/monkeys-learn-to-driv...

Science shows that the gas in farts may prevent cancer, and also discovers that sighing is an essential function to life.  Technology has designed an alarm clock that wakes you up via orgasm, and it's also produced a set of headphones that get their users high. http://www.newsner.com/en/2015/11/research-your-farts-can-prevent-cancer-and-are-actually-good-for-people-around-you/   http://www.science...

Is life more like Tetris or chess?  An internet opinion haver leans towards Tetris--maybe because he plays it every day.  Technology gets even better at delivering a faster internet, and science makes more advances toward understanding how our brains work.  Nature provides more examples of unbelievable animals (and their behavior) and history shows us how little we know about ourselves. Finally, f...

Does texting ruin a relationship?  Host Nina and producer Mike take a break from texting each other to weigh in.  Then producer Mike takes everyone on a tangent to overly discuss the details of their first few dates.  In other news, marshmallows play a part in predicting a child's willpower throughout their life.  [EDIT: the "marshmallow test" has long been incorrectly described as an experiment i...

Producer Mike is on Day 1 of attempting to quit coffee, while hosts Nina and Reno make no attempt to ease up on puns and smart remarks.  Baby pods are discussed, as well as the logistical and moral sub-issues of the intra-vaginal technology.  Scientists took a break from developing in utero soundscapes to find a way to preserve the entire internet (yes, your old Myspace profile will live forever n...

Enjoy co-host Reno playing Devil's Advocate during this entire episode:  The blind are back!  This time with smart phones.  Hear why special ed students should stay away from Texas, how nature makes twelve different kinds of rainbows, and why helping others during a busy day is worth that extra few seconds. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/12/15/459870958/help-a-blind-person-iden...

Find out what a selectively blind woman, deja vu, and an artificial body start up company have in common.  Also learn about literal power plants, why carbon farming is more efficient, and how to live inside plastic bottles.  Plus this: is double dipping really that bad for your health...? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/24/the-blind-woman-who-switched-personalities-and-c...

Is there sound in space? Do religiously raised children view altruism differently than the children of atheists? What IS producer Mike's political affiliation? Do women's Fallopian tubes implode in space? All these questions and more are answered in episode 54, just in time for your Thanksgiving drive.

Phil Collins is coming out of retirement!  And in SCIENCE news, Sweden considers employing new technology that would allow them to get rid of cash, a refrigerator keeps food cold....without electricity, and crows are proven to be even smarter than we previously thought. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/red-meat-bacon-hot-dogs-processed-meats-cause-cancer-dangerous-smoking/?utm_source=facebook&u...

As we near the end of October 2015, we celebrate that all important date from Back to the Future!  Learn about a conspiracy theory that connects the classic movie to--you guessed it--9/11, a disease that makes the brain perceive faces as dragons, and NASA's 3 step plan for getting humans to Mars. http://www.sciencealert.com/the-woman-who-looked-at-faces-and-saw-dragons?utm_source=Article&utm_mediu...

Benjamin Abel knows more about aliens than he thinks he does, and we know less.  Good thing Ben is here!  Learn about alien classification, how the Vatican feels about aliens, and how a new instrument improves the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3184769/We-not-says-Vatican-Pope-s-chief-astronomer-says-alien-life-exists-unlikely-visited-Jesus...

Find out how a dolphin can kill you, why coffee and bowel movements have a causal relationship, and what kind of new device can target and kill blood clots.  Also, Reno brings up the unspeakable act connected to Dave Matthews Band. http://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-why-you-need-to-poop-after-your-morning-cup-of-coffee   http://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/celebrity/Dave-Matthews-Still-Apologi...

Despite the fact that our first article has been debunked by Snopes (and a number of other sites) it remains an invaluable example of how glorious the human race can be.  In other news, the dangers of AI are a serious concern in this day and age, so maybe we should just put the kibosh on technology for awhile and instead of enhancing our bodies with lasers and robotics, we should use our hands to...

In episode 48, you'll learn how a short term memory of 90 minutes can affect your life, why more sex won't make you happy, and how depression damages your brain--but the Immortality Bus trumps all of the above. http://www.iflscience.com/brain/meet-man-whose-memory-lasts-90-minutes   http://www.sciencealert.com/no-having-more-sex-will-not-make-you-happier-study-reveals   http://www.sciencealert.com...

Join Six Degrees and their favorite Sacramentan, Benjamin Abel, as they discuss everything from dolphin attacks to the psychology of lateness.  Also analyzed are the issues of DMT being responsible for near death experiences, the truth about aphrodisiacs, and what would happen if the entire world suddenly went vegetarian. http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/dolphin-dives-boat-breaks-woman...

Thanks to Evi, from the audience of last week's live podcast, for this first article!  Get a new take on the afterlife, hear why "moist" is one of the most disgusting words ever, and discover what new feat might take place in space.  Looking to get married?  3D printers may assist in making that engagement ring.  Also learn whether psychosis and creativity are connected, and what might make a trip...

Robots could be coming for your jobs!  In other news, shocks to the brain previously shown to increase performance on tests have now been proven to diminish IQ scores over time…and diminish racial prejudice.  When should new mothers clamp the umbilical cord?  The difference between seconds and minutes could affect social and fine motor skills.  Oh, and unplug your lamps.  A new model operates off...