Recreational Science

In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss a medical use of bacon, the relationship between penis size and sports cars, the effectiveness of rollercoasters in passing kidney stones, the long-term effects of knuckle cracking, surname sharing amongst economist coauthors, the jollity of visiting mall Santas, and the best scientific abstract ever written. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Bacon study 3:50 Sports car study 6:48 Rollercoaster study 8:25 Knuckle cracking study 10:35 Author surname study 13:44 Mall Santa study 16:05 Best abstract ever 17:08 Outro Article links: Humphreys et al., 2011. Nasal packing with strips of cured pork as treatment for uncontrollable epistaxis in a patient with Glanzmann thrombasthenia. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000348941112001107 Richardson et al., 2023. Small Penises and Fast Cars: Evidence for a Psychological Link. Psyarxiv. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/uy7ph_v1 Mitchell & Wartinger, 2016. Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2016.128/html Unger, 1998. Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers? Arthritis and Rheumatism. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1529-0131(199805)41:5%3C949::AID-ART36%3E3.0.CO;2-3 Goodmen et al., 2015. A Few Goodmen: Surname-Sharing Economist Coauthors. Economics Inquiry. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ecin.12167 Trainkaus, 2004. Visiting Santa: an informal look. Psychological Reports. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.2466/pr0.95.2.587-588 Berry et al., 2011. Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement? Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8113/44/49/492001 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

In this bonus episode, Lu and Tirth do some RecSci Quick Bites or funny studies they didn’t get to discuss at length during season one. These include an unusual finding on colonoscopy, ergonomic toilet seats, Japan’s Phillips curve, the misuse of the word promiscuity, the deal with birds, fruit bat fellatio part 2, and a case of untreated writer’s block. This episode is part of the 4th edition of Podcasthon! This is the world’s largest podcast charity initiative, bringing together podcasters globally to raise awareness for important causes. Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:27 Colonoscopy study 4:04 Toilet seat study 5:59 Japan study 7:02 Promiscuity study 8:47 Birds study 10:05 Fruit bat study 12:00 Writer’s block study 13:01 Outro Article links: Tahan et al., 2019. An Unusual Finding of a Ladybug on Screening Colonoscopy. ACG Case Reports Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6791639/ Lustig et al., 2018. Beware of the toilet: the risk for a deep tissue injury during toilet sitting. Journal of Tissue Viability. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X17300670?via%3Dihub Smith, 2006. Japan’s Phillips Curve Looks Like Japan. Queen's Economics Department Working Paper No. 1083. http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/working_papers/papers/qed_wp_1083.pdf Elgar et al., 2013. Promiscuous words. Frontiers in Zoology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1742-9994-10-66 Baldassarre, 2020. What’s the Deal with Birds? Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews. https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecules/birds.pdf Maruthupandian et al., 2013. Cunnilingus apparently increases duration of copulation in the Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0059743 Upper, 1974. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of “writer's block.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1311997 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Graphene is a fascinating material with the potential to help solve the world’s energy needs. Can you improve graphene with poop? Garlic is a superfood packed with flavor and health benefits. Yes, garlic causes bad breath, but could it actually improve your body odor? In this remunerative episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the electrocatalytic effects of doping graphene with guano and whether eating garlic makes men smell more desirable to women. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:16 Is this SPAM? 11:43 Graphene study 22:10 Garlic study 34:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Wang et al., 2020. Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect? ACS Nano. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.9b00184 Fialova et al., 2016. Consumption of garlic positively affects hedonic perception of axillary body odour. Appetite. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315300787 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipodTheme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Humans recognize each other’s faces. Chimps recognize each other’s butts. However, do chimps recognize human butts? Do humans recognize human butts? Do humans recognize chimp butts? All these questions must be asked. Getting surgery, even minor procedures, triggers anxiety. Do clowns help kids relax pre-surgery? Is there room for clowns in pediatric operating rooms? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss historic science gaffes, how human faces are quite similar to chimpanzee butts, and whether clowns can be good anxiolytics for children. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk 5:27 Historic science gaffes quiz 19:22 Chimp butt study 36:49 Clown studies 50:29 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Kret & Tomonaga, 2016. Getting to the Bottom of Face Processing. Species-Specific Inversion Effects for Faces and Behinds in Humans and Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes). PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165357 Vagnoli et al., 2005. Clown doctors as a treatment for preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized, prospective study. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-0466 Golan et al., 2009. Clowns for the prevention of preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatric Anesthesia. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9592.2008.02903.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Kids swallow little toys and other things they’re not supposed to all the time. Is it dangerous to swallow Legos? How long does it take for a swallowed piece of Lego to pass? There’s only one way to find out. Why do some men have beards? Do beards signify virility and manliness? Do bearded men have higher power levels? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the rich history of self-experimentation in medicine, how long it takes Legos to pass through the digestive tract, and whether bearded men fight better. Please vote for our show on the pod radar before Monday 12/22! https://thepodradar.com/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:12 Hate caller follow-up 7:59 The rich history of self-experimentation 16:42 Lego swallowing study 23:23 Beard study 36:11 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Tagg et al., 2018. Everything is awesome: Don’t forget the Lego. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpc.14309 Dixson et al., 2018. Contest competition and men's facial hair: beards may not provide advantages in combat. Evolution and human behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513817302660 Beseris et al., 2020. Impact Protection Potential of Mammalian Hair: Testing the Pugilism Hypothesis for the Evolution of Human Facial Hair. Integrative organismal biology. https://academic.oup.com/iob/article/2/1/obaa005/5799080 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Are ethicists ethical? One would think that people who spend their careers studying ethics must be more ethical than others. But are people with looser morals more likely to become ethicists, so that they can understand what they lack? Why do some ancient human bones have larger enthesis (sites on the bone where tendons and ligaments attach)? Did the individuals these bones belong to run or exercise more than their peers? How can we study this using Thanksgiving dinner? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on the science of Thanksgiving dinner. The two then discuss how you can evaluate the ethics of ethicists by going to a library and how forcing turkeys to walk on treadmills can teach us about human history. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Thanksgiving science quiz 10:39 Ethics study 24:15 Turkey study 32:40 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Schwitzgebel, 2009. Do ethicists steal more books? Philosophical Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515080903409952 Wallace et al., 2017. Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. Journal of Human Evolution. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248417300647 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod) Video - never deep fry a frozen turkey: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KqtVCqFJsu0

Why do we sometimes seek out and enjoy fear? Could it be that fear promotes sexual attraction? Is it a good idea to take your date to a horror movie or on a rollercoaster? Carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns is dangerous and often leads to hand injuries. What’s the safest pumpkin carving tool to use this Halloween? How do you even determine this? It’s Halloween! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss why some houses are thought to be haunted, how situations that arouse fear also arouse other feelings, as well as how to use reanimated cadaver arms to study pumpkin carving best practices. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:35 Why are some houses haunted? 8:35 Sexy fear study 23:29 Pumpkin carving study 34:54 Let’s read some mail 40:04 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Dutton & Aron, 1974. Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1975-03016-001 Marcus et al., 2004. The safety of pumpkin carving tools. Preventive Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743504000374 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Do farts contain dangerous bacteria? Should you avoid being flatulent near food? Can pre-workout supplements help you lift more weights at the gym? Should you drink beet juice and coffee before your workouts? In this episode, Lu and Tirth honor some of their favorite winners of the Darwin Award (an award even more prestigious than the Nobel Prize), debate whether breaking wind during surgery also breaks the sterile field of the operating room, and discuss whether nitrates and caffeine make good pre-workout supplements to maximize gains at the gym. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:53 Darwin awards 9:15 Fart culturing study 21:38 Pre-workout supplement study 33:09 Let’s read some mail 37:26 What did you learn today, outro Article link: 2001. Hot air? British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/323/7327/1449 Montalvo-Alonso et al., 2025. Single and combined effect of beetroot juice and caffeine intake on muscular strength, power and endurance performance in resistance-trained males. Scientific Report. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02021-y You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Placebos are not supposed to do anything, yet they kind of work. Well, then why not sell them at a high price like real medicine? Turns out, maybe that’s not such a bad question. Dogs have fantastic noses and can identify their owners by smell. Can humans return the favor? Can dog owners identify their dogs by smell? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how more expensive placebos are more effective than cheaper ones and whether dog owners can recognize their dog’s smell. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk; Tirth’s beef 5:38 Placebo studies 21:02 Dog smelling study 29:52 What did you learn today, outro Article link: Waber et al., 2008. Commercial features of placebo and therapeutic efficacy. Journal of the American Medical Association. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/181562 Espay et al., 2015. Placebo effect of medication cost in Parkinson disease: a randomized double-blind study. Neurology. https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001282 Diaz-Lago et al., 2023. Expensive seems better: The price of a non-effective drug modulates its perceived efficacy. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-023-00463-4 Wells et al., 2000. The discrimination of dog odours by humans. Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p2938 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Scientists often gather at scientific conferences to share data and ideas. At these events, sometimes a prominent scientist is invited to give the Keynote Talk, the headliner of the conference. It’s a big honor. Has a graduate student ever received this honor? Well, Lu has, via an email that for some reason when to his SPAM folder. He, of course, accepted without hesitation. In this special episode, Lu tells Tirth and Saran a story about the time he was invited to give the Keynote Talk at a scientific conference in Las Vegas as a graduate student. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:57 The email 28:35 The website/conclusion 34:50 What did you learn today, outro Checkout the video version of the story on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rvzz-wN0n_I James Veitch TED talk links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o5hSxvN_-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUjpoauJcKo You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

How are dogs so good at navigation? Can they sense the earth’s magnetic field? How can you measure this? Elephants are intelligent and noble beasts. Do they yawn though? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether dogs can sense the earth’s magnetic field when they poop and whether elephants yawn. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:59 Tirth’s run-in with the TSA 8:41 Dog magnetism study 20:54 Elephant yawning study 32:45 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Hart et al., 2013. Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field. Frontiers in Zoology. https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-10-80 Rossman et al., 2017. When Yawning Occurs in Elephants. Frontiers in Veterinary Research. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00022/full You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Why is double dipping frowned upon? Does it actually transfer oral bacteria from the chip to the dip? Scratching an itch is bad for the skin. What if you can relieve an itch on one arm by scratching your other arm while tricking your brain with a mirror? In this episode, Lu and Tirth review research ideas from ChatGPT and discuss the microbiology of double dipping and how to scratch an itch using a mirror. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:21 Evaluating research proposals from ChatGPT 18:18 Double dipping study 28:14 Mirror scratching study 35:53 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Trevino et al., 2009. Effect of biting before dipping (double-dipping) chips on the bacterial population of the dipping solution. Journal of Food Safety. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2008.00137.x Helmchen et al., 2013. Itch Relief by Mirror Scratching. A Psychophysical Study. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0082756 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ⁠ ⁠Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)

If you replace the water in a swimming pool with syrup and convince some of your colleagues to swim in it, will they swim slower or faster? Drunk people find others and themselves more attractive. However, do people tricked into believing they are drunk also find themselves more attractive? In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on his science knowledge and the two discuss how fast humans swim in syrup and how to gain confidence by tricking yourself into thinking you are drunk. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Tirth takes a science trivia quiz 11:33 Swimming study 21:18 Fake drunk study 33:08 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Gettelfinger & Cussler, 2004. Will humans swim faster or slower in syrup? AIChE Journal. https://aiche.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aic.10389 Begue et al., 2012. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder’: People who think they are drunk also think they are attractive. British Journal of Psychology. https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.2044-8295.2012.02114.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (⁠https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod⁠)