We Have Concerns

When we think of augmented reality face filters, we tend to think of goofy novelties like Halloween masks, face swapping, or inadvertent racist caricatures. But AR could go far beyond that, putting objects in real space with sophisticated tracking tech. Jeff and Anthony imagine a world of the not-too-distant future full of AR and cute widdle angels. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VIS...

A chicken embryo with a dinosaur-like snout instead of a beak has been developed by scientists. Is this a good thing or a terrifying thing? Jeff and Anthony are here to think it through. 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 enjoying the show, pleas...

Squids, cuttlefish and octopuses do not follow the normal rules of genetic information, according to research published in the journal Cell. Their RNA is extensively rewritten, particularly the codes for proteins found in the animals' neurons. Put simply, that's very weird. One might even say... alien. Anthony and Jeff remain on the case, gathering more and more evidence that they's aliens. GET BO...

Fed up with the theft of toilet paper from public bathrooms, tourist authorities in China's capital have begun using facial recognition technology to limit how much paper a person can take. Jeff and Anthony discuss toilet paper usage, and determine if facial recognition is a bit of overkill in this case. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all...

Architecture firm Clouds Architecture Office has proposed a building that, instead of being supported by the ground and reaching up into the sky, would instead hang suspended from an asteroid. Named Analemma, the proposed skyscraper would be the tallest building ever created, and would travel thousands of miles each day between the northern and southern hemispheres in a figure-of-eight loop - incl...

Tyrannosaurus Rex had a snout as sensitive to touch as human fingertips, say scientists. Experts believe that males and females rubbed their sensitive faces together in a prehistoric form of foreplay. Jeff and Anthony discuss dinosaur mating, and the need to always make room for snout time. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We...

Leonid Rogozov was a Soviet general practitioner who took part in the sixth Soviet Antarctic Expedition in 1960–1961. He was the only doctor stationed at the Novolazarevskaya Station and, while there, developed appendicitis, which meant he had to perform an appendectomy on himself, a famous case of self-surgery. Jeff thinks this makes Leonid a prime example of a badass. Does Anthony agree? GET BON...

Scientists have long suspected that the common swift remains airborne for extraordinary amounts of time during its annual migration. Now, a team of scientists in Sweden has proved that these birds can spend almost their entire 10-month nonbreeding period on the wing. Jeff and Anthony discuss the idea of non-stop flying, and whether that's the best birding or the worst. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HA...

The contestants of a British reality show that marooned them in the wilderness for a year as a social experiment have returned to civilization — only to discover the series was taken off air several months ago and no one bothered to tell them. Jeff and Anthony wonder how this could happen, and what happens next? GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns...

Scientists Martin Nyffeler and Klaus Birkhofer published their estimate of the amount of spiders in the world, and the amount of biomass they would consume, in the journal the Science of Nature earlier this month, and the number they arrived at is frankly shocking: The world's spiders consume somewhere between 400 million and 800 million tons of prey in any given year. In other words, spiders coul...

Creativity is highly prized in Western society—much touted by cultures that claim to value individualism and the entrepreneurial spirit. But scratch beneath the surface, and it turns out that a lot of schools and businesses aren’t actually all that excited about bold new ideas. By and large, we tend to be threatened by creativity—and eager to shut it down. Anthony and Jeff talk about true creativi...

Scientists have found a way to use spinach to build working human heart muscle, potentially solving a long-standing problem in efforts to repair damaged organs. This opens up an entire field of vegetable-based human hybrids, and it has Jeff and Anthony imagining a Jolly Green Future. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Co...

Aging can seem like a scary prospect, but a wealth of scientific studies have found that youth isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are plenty of cases in which human beings peak well into middle and old age. Anthony and Jeff look at a chart about when we peak at certain activities and contemplate what that means for their own lives. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://pat...

Hardened plaque harvested from Neanderthal teeth is loaded with genetic material from plants and animals these prehistoric hominins ate, as well as remnants of microbes that reveal a surprising amount about how they lived and even what made them sick. Researchers extracted the ancient DNA and bacteria from the jaws of three Neanderthal individuals from Belgium and Spain, and described the results...

South African surfer Chris Bertish just pulled off one of the most remarkable feats of human determination, perseverance and sheer grit of all time by paddleboarding for 93 days, 4,050 miles across the Atlantic Ocean - by himself. Jeff is definitely trying to make his "Chronicles of a Badass" a recurring feature. Does Anthony think this one holds up? GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AN...

Low self monitors tend to use inner beliefs and values in deciding how to behave, while high self monitors tend to monitor their surroundings and change their behavior to fit in. Anthony and Jeff take a test to see where they exist on the spectrum, and discuss what that means for their lives. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet W...

Python breeder Justin Kobylka says he spent over eight years selectively breeding ball pythons to finally achieve a smiley face emoji pattern on the reptile's skin. Jeff and Anthony discuss pastimes, evocations, and what it takes to dedicate 8 years to make emoji snake skin. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns me...

In 1939 a secretive cult known as the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians made headlines when its leader, James Bernard Schafer, announced their intention to conduct an unusual experiment. They were going to raise an immortal baby. Has there ever been a more perfect story for We Have Concerns to cover? No, there has not. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/...

After noticing an uptick in a rare disease called melioidosis during the rainy season in parts of Southeast Asia and northern Australia, researchers used high-speed cameras and fluorescent dye to observe raindrops delicately catapulting the microbes into the air. Jeff and Anthony react to the idea that glorious, refreshing rain itself can spread disease. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE...

The longest personality study of all time, published in Psychology and Aging and recently highlighted by the British Psychological Society, suggests that over the course of a lifetime, just as your physical appearance changes and your cells are constantly replaced, your personality is also transformed beyond recognition. Jeff and Anthony discuss permanence and personality, and whether they think t...

UPS trucks almost never take left-hand turns. By favoring right-hand turns at all times -- unless a left is unavoidable -- the carrier saves millions of gallons of fuel each year, and avoids emissions equivalent to over 20,000 passenger cars. Anthony and Jeff discuss the inefficiencies of turns, and how this info might be applied to their own lives. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VIS...

A French electrician proved himself to be a bona fide MacGyver by building a makeshift motorbike out of his wrecked car after becoming stranded in the Moroccan dessert. Jeff thinks this also makes him a bona fide bad ass, but Anthony keeps poking holes in the story. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by sw...

By analyzing the pottery from an archaeological dig near Jerusalem, scientists have learned that the geomagnetic field around the earth fluctuated wildly during early human civilizations —and the news isn't good for a world that depends on electrical grids and high-tech devices. Jeff and Anthony discuss magnetic fields, scientific sleuths, and Santa Claus. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MO...

When you don’t know the actual, statistical likelihood of something, the brain uses the most readily surfaceable image. This is known as the availability heuristic, and it has been used by politicians to create unrealistic concepts that stick for decades. In light of the current political climate, Anthony and Jeff discuss this phenomenon, and how we can protect ourselves against it. GET BONUS EPIS...

The majority of Americans have no clear idea what “sell by” labels are trying to tell them. But after 40 years of letting us guess, the grocery industry has made moves to clear up the confusion. The Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the two largest trade groups for the grocery industry, announced that they’ve adopted standardized, voluntary regulations to clear up...