We Have Concerns

The first known attempt at creating genetically modified human embryos in the United States has been carried out by a team of researchers in Portland, Oregon. The effort, led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health and Science University, involved changing the DNA of a large number of one-cell embryos with the gene-editing technique CRISPR. Anthony and Jeff discuss designer babies, and what this m...

A new article in Wired considers all of the dangers associated with performing surgery in space. NASA has never had to do it, but has thought about it a lot. And now Jeff and Anthony will think about it a lot, too. That may not be a good thing. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehav...

A “blueish mass” of 17 contact lenses has been discovered in the eye of a patient who was scheduled for cataract surgery. The 67-year-old patient was unaware that the contact lenses were missing, and later told surgeons that she thought her discomfort was due to dry eye and old age. Anthony and Jeff marvel at the ability to even get to that point, and wonder about the circumstances that led to the...

People with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic condition, can’t stop hugging people, have no fear of strangers, and love everyone equally. And it may be that this same syndrome is the reason your dog loves you, too. Jeff and Anthony discuss the condition, and the moral ramifications of breeding it into man's best friend. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehavec...

According to an MIT study published in The Journal of Human Resources, second-born children are more likely to grow up to become criminals. Anthony and Jeff discuss birth order and whether they believe it leads to a life of crime. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/...

Researchers from China successfully teleported a photon from Earth to a satellite 500 km away. The work is an essential step towards establishing a global-scale quantum internet. Anthony and Jeff discuss how this "teleportation" works, and decide whether it is really something worth getting excited over. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcern...

After a flood, thousands of homeless fire ants pile on top of one another to build bizarro towers with their own bodies — probably as temporary shelters. All the complex construction project needs is for each individual ant to follow a few simple rules, new research says. And, if wriggling ant towers weren’t nightmarish enough, this discovery could help engineer robot swarms that are even better a...

A new study may shed light on why teenagers sleep late while grandparents are often up at the crack of dawn. Fifty years ago, psychologist Frederick Snyder proposed that animals who live in groups stay vigilant during sleep, by having some stay awake while others rest. However, no one had tested this sentinel hypothesis in humans until now. Jeff and Anthony discuss the findings and test the theory...

Built in 1937 and distributed in London to members of the Chelsea Baby Club, the baby cage was meant for big-city apartments without yards, and would allow small children to receive fresh air and sunlight. It would be suspended from the side of the building, several stories up, and would still have sufficient room to play with toys. Jeff and Anthony discuss this insane invention, and wonder why it...

Scientists are about to change what a kilogram is. The weights and measures committee will establish a global value for Planck's constant and then will draft a resolution to redefine kilogram based on this constant. Why? Anthony and Jeff investigate, and the answer might surprise you. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have C...

Scientists have taken another step toward being able to edit out bad memories while leaving good ones intact — something that could one day be used to treat people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or anxiety disorders linked to painful memories. Anthony, Jeff, and special guest Vernon Shaw discuss what they would use this technology for, and whether it would be a good thing or...

Would your dog eat you if you died? Such in the question posed by The National Geographic in a new article. Anthony, as a dog owner himself, has to face the question as he and Jeff get the facts on when and how this might happen. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/s...

A rare allergy that causes people to have a terrible reaction to eating red meat is being spread in North America by ticks. Anthony and his vegan cabal are very pleased, but Jeff doesn't quite know how to handle this info. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey...

Some people say that the advent of farming gave people more leisure time to build up civilization, but hunter-gatherers actually have far more leisure time than farmers do, and more still than modern people in the industrialized world. Some even used their leisure time to gamble. Jeff and Anthony discuss time management of ancient peoples, and how that applies to us. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANG...

The National Health Service has compiled a list of the 20 most painful conditions known to humans. Anthony and Jeff take a gander at the list to see what hurts most, and try to figure out how to avoid it. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoyi...

The belief that there is a link between talent and left-handedness has a long history. Since Jeff and Anthony are both left handed, they might not be purely objective on this point, but they dive into the science anyway. Is left-handed an advantage? GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://...

One of the most significant innovations of the early 20th century might be the Post Office’s decision to start shipping large parcels and packages through the mail. When the Post Office’s Parcel Post officially began on January 1, 1913, the new service suddenly allowed millions of Americans great access to all kinds of goods and services. But almost immediately, it had some unintended consequences...

Neuroscientists have used a classic branch of maths in a totally new way to peer into the structure of our brains. What they've discovered is that the brain is full of multi-dimensional geometrical structures operating in as many as 11 dimensions. But this might not mean what you think it means. Anthony and Jeff delve into this discovery and decipher its true meaning. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HAN...

How far can you fall and still survive? Such is the question posed by a new article in Mental Floss. Jeff and Anthony discuss the answer... which might surprise you! (Not that they discuss it... oh, you get what I mean) GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! I...

Back in the 1960s, neuroscientist John C. Lilly ran a NASA-funded research unit where humans attempted to communicate with dolphins. Somewhere along the line, LSD got thrown into the mix, a researcher became sexually involved with a dolphin, and things generally got a bit weird. Anthony and Jeff discuss how the hell this happened and what it did to dolphin science. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOU...

Alex Honnold climbed the mighty El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any safety gear in about four hours using only his hands and feet. The 31-year-old became the first person to climb the 3000-foot granite wall alone without a safety harness or ropes to catch him if he fell. Is he crazy or stupid? Or both? Neuroscientists recently studied Honnold’s brain. They hadn’t seen anything like it...

With each passing breakthrough in artificial intelligence, we’re asking our machines to make increasingly complex and weighty decisions. Trouble is, AIs are starting to act beyond our levels of comprehension. In an effort to bridge the growing gap between man and machine, the Pentagon is launching a new program to create machines that can explain their actions in a way we puny humans can understan...

Virtual reality systems can create out-of-body experiences — and these experiences may be able to reduce the fear of death, according to a recently published study. Anthony, Jeff, and special guest Anita Sarkeesian discuss whether technology can deliver a zen-like calm in the face of death. Thanks to Anita for joining us! Find her show at https://feministfrequency.com/ We recorded a special, doubl...

For the past few years, a new scientific tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 has been hailed as the future of medicine. But a new study, published in Nature Methods , found that using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit a genome can result in hundreds of unintended mutations being introduced. Is this tool still the future, or should we slow down and pump the brakes on gene editing? Jeff and Anthony discuss. GET BONUS EPISO...

A start-up called Ambrosia is charging $8,000 for blood transfusions from young people. About 100 people have signed up to receive an infusion, founder Dr. Jesse Karmazin announced at the Code Conference. Anyone over age 35 can become an Ambrosia customer, said Karmazin, but most of the early adopters tend to be of retirement age. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ethics of this startup and idea of tec...