Tag: human
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Hibernation Information and Measuring a Second
Can humans reach new planets by hibernating during the trip? A new study on hibernation reveals how the benefits of torpor don't scale with size, and Jeff and Anthony debate the science of human hibernation. Then, what does it take to accurately measure a second? Anthony and Jeff take a look at the effort to redefine the unit of measure that relates to all others. [more]
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Corpse Medicine and Tetris Effects
The idea of ingesting human skulls from the freshly killed seems repulsive today, but it was shockingly common among British and other European aristocrats from the 16th century all the way up into the so-called Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century. Jeff and Anthony discuss what it would take to try the recipe, and why it was so pervasive. Then, a new study reports that playing just 20 minutes of Tetris following an automobile accident can help prevent the formation of the painful, intrusive memories that can follow trauma. Anthony and Jeff investigate why this might be, and tip their hat to the greatest video game of all time. [more]
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Human Growth Plants and Zen and the Art of Lying
In an effort to combat global hunger, scientists are attempting to create crops with a higher yield without enlarging their footprint. Researchers have even transferred a human protein into plants to supersize them, with results that are surprising even them. Jeff and Anthony discuss this bizarre and promising method and what it might mean for the world. Then, how do we know when someone is lying? A new study shows that our instincts for determining the honesty in other might be completely skewed. Anthony and Jeff lie to each other to find out. [more]
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Prehistoric Boning and Micromorts
Scientists know a surprising amount about the historical period when Neanderthals and ancient humans were interbreeding, including whether they kissed and the nature of their sexual organs. Jeff and Anthony take a look at this data with the dispassionate professionalism of real scientists who've seen the trailer for the Croods. Then, the unit measure known as the Micromort quantifies your chance at dying from any number of day to day activities. Anthony and Jeff are obsessed with death, but they might find new ways to employ this illuminating value. [more]
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Put Your Foot in Your Mouth
If you could taste human flesh in an ethical way, would you? A man was recently in a motorcycle crash that put him face-to-face with the macabre hypothetical. When a car hit his bike and sent him careening into a nearby forest, his foot was shattered to the point that he would never walk on it again. When the doctor asked if he wanted to amputate, his one question was, “Can I keep it?” He invited his closest friends for a very personal dinner. Jeff and Anthony make a pact. [more]
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Psych Warn
The Stanford Prison Experiment, one of the most famous and compelling psychological studies of all time, told us a tantalizingly simple story about human nature. This experiment has been included in many, many introductory psychology textbooks and is often cited uncritically. But its findings were wrong. Very wrong. And not just due to its questionable ethics or lack of concrete data — but because of deceit. Jeff and Anthony try the experiment out for themselves and flip a coin to see who gets to be the guard. [more]
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Snow vs the Volcano
Hawaii's big island recently got a little bit hairier. Golden filaments resembling human hair measuring up to two feet in length are draped across parts of the island—an unusual effect of the ongoing eruption from Kīlauea volcano. These strands may look like biological matter, but they’re actually made of glass. Jeff and Anthony look into discount Hawaiian vacation packages. [more]
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Organ Web
A study claims to have discovered a new human organ that could help scientists better understand its impact on diseases such as cancer. Reports suggests this organ, called the interstitium, is a series of interconnected, fluid-filled compartments found throughout the body. The study also claims the interstitium is among the body's largest organs. Jeff and Anthony make it through the episode without making a joke about the body's largest organs. [more]
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Tooth Bomb
In the 19th Century, a Pennsylvania dentist called WH Atkinson came across a condition that sounds like the stuff of nightmares. Writing in The Dental Cosmos, the first major journal for American dentists, Atkinson documented an outbreak of exploding teeth. Jeff and Anthony chew this story over. [more]
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