PodcastScienceEnglishE

Recreational Science

by Scientafic

NewDo stolen fries taste better? Plus, distinguishing pleasure from painNovember 10, 2026 · 52 min

Episodes: 42
Released: every two weeks
Latest episode: Nov 10, 2026

About the podcast

RecSciPod: the podcast where funny scientists discuss funny science. Hosted by Lu and Tirth, two goofs (with MD/PhDs) who love to talk science and make each other laugh. In each episode, the two tell each other about one of the funniest, wackiest, and most provocative studies they stumble upon. Join us for an amusing mix of science and comedy, because the silly, weird, and ridiculous science experiments of today might just lead to the great discoveries of tomorrow! Visit our website for transcripts, article archives, and more: https://scientafic.com/recscipod Produced by Scientafic

Episodes 42

Do stolen fries taste better? Plus, distinguishing pleasure from pain
November 10, 202652 minSeason 2 · Episode 11
Have you ever taken food from the plate of your friends or loved ones without asking? Why did you do it? Could it be that stolen food actually tastes better? For some people, pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand …
Show notes
Have you ever taken food from the plate of your friends or loved ones without asking? Why did you do it? Could it be that stolen food actually tastes better?
For some people, pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand. What about the other people? Are they just in denial? Do people make similar facial expressions when experiencing pain and pleasure?
In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on the greatest invention fails in history (a topic Tirth is destined to do well on). The two then discuss the tastiness of stolen fries and the differences and similarities in facial expressions in response to pain and pleasure.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 2:41 Invention fails quiz
- 21:18 Stolen fries study
- 34:14 Pleasure and pain studies
- 46:25 Let’s read some mail (The Harrington-Hollingsworth experiment)
- 49:52 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Skryabin et al., 2026. Stolen fries are spicier than justice: How covert larceny enhances taste. Food Quality and Preference. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329326001126
- Fernandez-Dols et al., 2010. Facial Behavior While Experiencing Sexual Excitement. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10919-010-0097-7
- Hughes et al., 2008. Sex differences in the assessment of pain versus sexual pleasure facial expressions. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0099338
- Harrington et al., 1951. Demonstration of a thrombocytopenic factor in the blood of patients with thrombocytopenic purpura. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780124485105501308
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Smelling fear in sweat and soothing anxiety in sheep with Valium
October 27, 202631 minSeason 2 · Episode 10
Why do we sweat when we get scared or anxious? It turns out, humans can smell fear in each other’s sweat. But what about horses? Can horses smell fear in human sweat? Are sheep scared of border collies? Can you …
Show notes
Why do we sweat when we get scared or anxious? It turns out, humans can smell fear in each other’s sweat. But what about horses? Can horses smell fear in human sweat?
Are sheep scared of border collies? Can you relieve their fear with Valium? There’s only one way to find out.
In this special Halloween episode, Lu and Tirth go trick-or-treating for funny and scary scientific studies. They come back with a study on blood, a study on mummies, some intriguing research on smelling fear in sweat, a couple of inquiries into sheep anxiety, and a case report of a ghostly finding on a CT scan.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:50 Blood and mummy studies
- 10:51 Fearful sweat studies
- 17:33 Sheep Valium studies
- 26:55 Let’s read some mail (the spooky finding on a CT scan)
- 28:23 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Daniel & Egan, 1939. The Quantity of Blood Required to Produce a Tarry Stool. Journal of the American Medical Association. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/1159185
- Critchfield & Shue, 2018. The Dead Man Test: a Preliminary Experimental Analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-018-0239-7
- Chen & Haviland-Jones, 2000. Human olfactory communication of emotion. Perceptual and Motor Skills. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2466/pms.2000.91.3.771?
- Jardat et al., 2026. Human emotional odours influence horses’ behaviour and physiology. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337948
- Lee et al., 2016. Attention bias to threat indicates anxiety differences in sheep. Biology Letters. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article/12/6/20150977/50512/Attention-bias-to-threat-indicates-anxiety
- Monk et al., 2018. Attention Bias Test Differentiates Anxiety and Depression in Sheep. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00246/full
- Harding, 1996. The case of the haunted scrotum. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1295986/
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Prescription intercourse and how to stay awake at the wheel
October 13, 202632 minSeason 2 · Episode 9
Getting kidney stones can be painful and debilitating. Exercises like walking, light cycling, and yoga can help pass kidney stones. Are there any other activities that might help too? Driving in the middle of …
Show notes
Getting kidney stones can be painful and debilitating. Exercises like walking, light cycling, and yoga can help pass kidney stones. Are there any other activities that might help too?
Driving in the middle of the night while sleep deprived is dangerous. Does drinking coffee, taking a nap, or listening to music help?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth celebrate some of the latest Ig Nobel Prize laureates, discuss whether sex is effective in passing kidney stones, and learn about the best ways to prevent drowsiness while driving late at night.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:07 Ig Nobel Prizes
- 6:17 Kidney stone studies
- 19:25 Drowsy driving studies
- 27:02 Let’s read some mail (the Bouba-Kiki effect)
- 30:16 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Croy et al., 2017. Babies Smell Wonderful to Their Parents, Teenagers Do Not: an Exploratory Questionnaire Study on Children’s Age and Personal Odor Ratings in a Polish Sample. Chemosensory Perception. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12078-017-9230-x
- Alves-Nunes et al., 2024. RETRACTED ARTICLE: Study of defensive behavior of a venomous snake as a new approach to understand snakebite. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-59416-6
- Doluoglu et al., 2015. Can Sexual Intercourse Be an Alternative Therapy for Distal Ureteral Stones? A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study. Urology. https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(15)00347-7/fulltext
- Bayraktar & Albayrak, 2017. Sexual intercourse as a new option in the medical expulsive therapy of distal ureteral stones in males: A prospective, randomized, controlled study. International Urology and Nephrology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-017-1677-9
- Abdel-Kader, 2017. Evaluation of the efficacy of sexual intercourse in expulsion of distal ureteric stones. Urology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-016-1448-z
- Xu et al., 2019. Meta-analysis of the efficacy of sexual intercourse for distal ureteric stones. Journal of International Medical Research. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0300060518814116
- Turgut, 2021. Evaluation of the efficacy of sexual intercourse on distal ureteral stones in women: a prospective, randomized, controlled study. International Urology and Nephrology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-020-02661-1
- Philip et al., 2006. The Effects of Coffee and Napping on Nighttime Highway Driving: A Randomized Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-144-11-200606060-00004
- Sheibani et al., 2022. The effect of listening to Iranian pop and classical music, on mental and physiological drowsiness. Sleep and Biological Rhythms. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41105-021-00369-y
- Loconsole et al., 2026. Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the bouba-kiki effect in naïve baby chicks. Science. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq7188
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Kissing relieves allergies and starting an ant-sized fight club
September 29, 202640 minSeason 2 · Episode 8
Allergies are annoying, but maybe getting rid of them can be fun? Does a 30-minute make-out session help alleviate allergy symptoms? What matters in a battle between two armies? Army size? The strength of …
Show notes
Allergies are annoying, but maybe getting rid of them can be fun? Does a 30-minute make-out session help alleviate allergy symptoms?
What matters in a battle between two armies? Army size? The strength of individual soldiers? Or does it depend on the battlefield?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth take a quiz on classic scientific studies, investigate whether smooches ditches itches, and discuss how Age of Empires 2 and ants can be used to test out real world battlefield strategies.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:21 Classic scientific studies quiz
- 13:48 Allergy study
- 24:55 Battlefield study
- 34:54 Let’s read some mail (argumentum ad baculum)
- 38:18 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Kimata, 2003. Kissing reduces allergic skin wheal responses and plasma neurotrophin levels. Physiology & Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938403002956?via%3Dihub
- Lymbery et al., 2023. Complex battlefields favor strong soldiers over large armies in social animal warfare. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2217973120
- Wreen, 1995. Knockdown arguments. Informal Logic. https://informallogic.ca/index.php/informal_logic/article/view/2421
Studies from the quiz:
- Chau et al., 2011. Chemical processes in the deep interior of Uranus. Nature Communications. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1198
- Frey et al., 2016. Four hot DOGs in the microwave. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/455/2/2058/1114769
- Thomson, 2007. Children crying at birthday parties. Why? Economic Theory. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27822533
- Eck, 2006. When is a bologna sandwich better than sex? A defense of small-n case study evaluations. Journal of Experimental Criminology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-006-9014-9
- Paynter, 2008. Practice makes perfect: Rectal foreign bodies. Emergency Nurse. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18372783/
- Galuzzi et al., 2025. What if my left hand wants to grab a cookie but my right one disagrees? A single case study of chronic anarchic hand syndrome rehabilitation. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09602011.2026.2620568
- Black et al., 2013. Are Children “Normal”? The Review of Economics and Statistics. https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/95/1/21/58040/Are-Children-Normal?redirectedFrom=fulltext
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
A pound of feathers, space sperm, nose hair, bug matter, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)
September 15, 202622 minSeason 2Bonus
In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the weight of a pound of lead and a pound of feathers, the swimming ability of fruit fly sperm after a trip to space, the force it takes to pluck …
Show notes
In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the weight of a pound of lead and a pound of feathers, the swimming ability of fruit fly sperm after a trip to space, the force it takes to pluck nose hair, the amount of bugs that splatter on car windshields, the horsepower of a horse, the antibiotic properties of ear wax, and scrotal asymmetry in ancient sculptures.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 2:30 Lead vs feathers study
- 6:04 Fruit fly sperm study
- 8:02 Nose hair study
- 10:41 Bug splatter study
- 13:12 Horsepower study
- 15:19 Ear wax study
- 17:26 Scrotal asymmetry study
- 21:23 Outro
Article links:
- Wagman et al., 2007. Which feels heavier – a pound of lead or a pound of feathers? Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p5854
- Ogneva et al., 2022. Sperm of Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster under Space Flight. International Journal of Molecular Science. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7498
- Prinz & Murray, 2021. On the pullout strength of human nasal hair. Materialia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2589152921001058?via%3Dihub
- Ball et al., 2021. The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey 2021. Kent Wildlife Trust. https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-05/Bugs%20Matter%202021%20National%20Report.pdf
- Stevenson & Wassersug. Horsepower from a horse. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/364195a0
- Tsenogu et al., 2024. Investigation of Bactericidal effect of Earwax on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from skin and stool samples of undergraduate students, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Surgery and Medical Case Reports. https://www.surgery-medical-casereports.com/1/article/view/6/4
- McManus, 1976. Scrotal asymmetry in man and in ancient sculpture. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/259426b0
- McManus & Humphrey, 1973. Turning the Left Cheek. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/243271a0
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Beauty triumphs over pain and teaching goldfish to drive cars
September 1, 202635 minSeason 2 · Episode 7
Why do some people enjoy looking at beautiful art? Why do some people enjoy looking at ugly art? Could it have something to do with how much they enjoy pain?Are goldfish as dumb as we think they are? Can they …
Show notes
Why do some people enjoy looking at beautiful art? Why do some people enjoy looking at ugly art? Could it have something to do with how much they enjoy pain?
Are goldfish as dumb as we think they are? Can they learn to drive cars to forage for food?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the effects of looking at paintings on physical pain tolerance and how goldfish are perhaps as smart as a 16-year-old human.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:33 Tirth’s interesting wedding
- 8:09 Pain study
- 19:29 Goldfish study
- 29:48 Let’s read some mail (toilet flushing)
- 32:58 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- de Tommaso et al., 2008. Aesthetic value of paintings affects pain thresholds. Consciousness and Cognition. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810008001177
- Giveon et al., 2022. From fish out of water to new insights on navigation mechanisms in animals. Behavioural Brain Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113711
- Goforth et al., 2024. Impacts of lid closure during toilet flushing and of toilet bowl cleaning on viral contamination of surfaces in United States restrooms. American Journal of Infection Control. https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553%2823%2900820-9/fulltext
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Physiological effects of improper urinal etiquette and touching wood
August 18, 202633 minSeason 2 · Episode 6
Urinal etiquette is sacred. Why do men always leave an empty urinal as buffer space when peeing in a public restroom? Could it have an effect on how well they pee? Why do people enjoy hiking in the woods so …
Show notes
Urinal etiquette is sacred. Why do men always leave an empty urinal as buffer space when peeing in a public restroom? Could it have an effect on how well they pee?
Why do people enjoy hiking in the woods so much? Can you get the same enjoyment from touching a piece of wood?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the physiologic reason behind men’s well-established urinal etiquette and how touching wood affects your brain and heart activity.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:26 Tirth’s upcoming wedding plans
- 3:17 Urinal study
- 18:14 Touching wood study
- 28:44 Let’s read some mail (bird talk)
- 31:05 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Middlemist et al., 1976. Personal space invasions in the lavatory: suggestive evidence for arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.33.5.541
- Ikei et al., 2017. Physiological Effects of Touching Wood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5551239/
- Zongker, 2006. Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken. Annals of Improbable Research. https://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume12/v12i5/chicken-12-5.pdf
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Watchful eyes and a measure on the body that predicts success?
July 28, 202638 minSeason 2 · Episode 5
When there are images of eyes around, people are less likely to steal and more likely to donate money. What about images of other body parts? Moreover, do images of eyes make dogs less likely to steal as well? …
Show notes
When there are images of eyes around, people are less likely to steal and more likely to donate money. What about images of other body parts? Moreover, do images of eyes make dogs less likely to steal as well?
What measurement on the body is correlated with success at your job and athletic prowess in sports?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth take an obscure anatomy terminology quiz, discuss how images of eyes, mouths, and noses affect pro- and antisocial behavior in people and in dogs, and dissect whether the size of a part of your body may predict success in life.
Check out paint.brains on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/paint.brains/
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:55 Anatomy quiz
- 12:51 Watching eye studies
- 24:19 Success prediction studies
- 34:32 Let’s read some mail
- 36:03 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Kelsey et al., 2018. Eyes, More Than Other Facial Features, Enhance Real-World Donation Behavior. Human Nature. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-018-9327-1
- Neilands et al., 2020. Watching eyes do not stop dogs stealing food: evidence against a general risk-aversion hypothesis for the watching-eye effect. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-58210-4
- Coates et al., 2009. Second-to-fourth digit ratio predicts success among high-frequency financial traders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.0810907106
- Manning et al., 2001. Second to fourth digit ratio and male ability in sport: implications for sexual selection in humans. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-5138(00)00063-5
- Nye et al., 2017. The effects of prenatal testosterone on wages: Evidence from Russia. Economics and Human Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2016.11.003
- Hayashi & Sakamoto, 2025. Sexual activity is predicted by digit ratio in rats. Experimental Animals. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/expanim/74/4/74_24-0159/_article
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Incurable hiccups and predicting the weather with insect romance
July 14, 202634 minSeason 2 · Episode 4
What’s the best way to get rid of hiccups? Have you tried massaging your butt?Animals are deeply in tune with nature. Are insects more or less likely to mate when a storm is approaching?In this episode, Lu and …
Show notes
What’s the best way to get rid of hiccups? Have you tried massaging your butt?
Animals are deeply in tune with nature. Are insects more or less likely to mate when a storm is approaching?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the effectiveness of digital rectal massage in treating otherwise incurable hiccups and how moths’ and beetles’ interest in sex changes depending on the atmospheric pressure.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:41 Texas
- 7:21 Hiccups studies
- 19:03 Insect study
- 27:25 Let’s read some mail
- 31:34 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Fesmire, 1988. Termination of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage. Annals of Emergency Medicine. https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(88)80594-8/abstract
- Odeh et al., 1990. Termination of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage. Journal of Internal Medicine. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2796.1990.tb00134.x
- Lee & Tong, 2017. Termination of Persistent Hiccups by Digital Rectal Massage. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. https://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30634-5/abstract
- Pellegrino et al., 2013. Weather Forecasting by Insects: Modified Sexual Behaviour in Response to Atmospheric Pressure Changes. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075004
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:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c
- YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM
- Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Monkey floss, big ears, diapers, whole logs and more (RecSci Quick Bites)
June 30, 202617 minSeason 2Bonus
In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss monkeys’ choice for dental floss, how your ears get bigger as you age, whether moms can identify their baby’s soiled diapers, analyzing poop in log …
Show notes
In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss monkeys’ choice for dental floss, how your ears get bigger as you age, whether moms can identify their baby’s soiled diapers, analyzing poop in log form, boxers versus briefs, and how to settle co-first authorship between friends.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:17 Monkey study
- 3:33 Big ears study
- 6:03 Diaper study
- 8:33 Poop analysis study
- 11:04 Underwear study
- 13:58 Co-first authorship
- 15:50 Outro
Article links:
- Watanabe et al., 2007. Long-tailed macaques use human hair as dental floss. American Journal of Primatology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajp.20403
- Heathcote, 1995. Why do old men have big ears? British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/311/7021/1668.short
- Case et al., 2006. My baby doesn't smell as bad as yours: The plasticity of disgust. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513806000195
- Krauth et al., 2012. An In-Depth Analysis of a Piece of Shit: Distribution of Schistosoma mansoni and Hookworm Eggs in Human Stool. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0001969
- Minguez-Alarcon et al., 2018. Type of underwear worn and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center. Human Reproduction. https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/33/9/1749/5066758
- Bai & Zhu et al., 2021. Adjacent Cell Marker Lateral Spillover Compensation and Reinforcement for Multiplexed Images. Frontiers in Immunology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.652631/full
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Sexist birds and intimidating runners with hills
June 16, 202631 minSeason 2 · Episode 3
Does the sex of the bird affect how soon they fly away when approached by humans? What about the sex of the human? Coming across a steep hill while out jogging can be intimidating. Does being tired affect how …
Show notes
Does the sex of the bird affect how soon they fly away when approached by humans? What about the sex of the human?
Coming across a steep hill while out jogging can be intimidating. Does being tired affect how runners perceive the size of hills?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how European birds are sexist towards humans and how just tricking people into believing they have to climb a hill can cause them to exaggerate its steepness.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:48 Ways to improve the podcast
- 7:25 Bird study
- 17:08 Hill study
- 26:44 Let’s read some mail
- 29:23 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Morelli et al., 2025. Sex matters: European urban birds flee approaching women sooner than approaching men. People and Nature. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70226
- Bhalla et al., 1999. Visual-Motor Recalibration in Geographical Slant Perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-03275-014
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Theme music by Dasein:
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Kids vs traffic and food preference in fetuses
June 2, 202641 minSeason 2 · Episode 2
Crossing the street alone is a difficult and dangerous task for young kids. Is it even more perilous for overweight and out-of-shape children? Kids are notorious picky eaters. When does this start? In the womb? …
Show notes
Crossing the street alone is a difficult and dangerous task for young kids. Is it even more perilous for overweight and out-of-shape children?
Kids are notorious picky eaters. When does this start? In the womb?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth play another game of Family Feud But Science and discuss practical athleticism in overweight children and whether fetuses are picky "eaters."
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:38 BTS
- 1:48 Family Feud But Science
- 15:00 Fat kids study
- 26:23 Fetuses study
- 35:03 Let’s read some mail (pyroflatulence)
- 39:22 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
- Chaddock et al., 2012. Role of Childhood Aerobic Fitness in Successful Street Crossing. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2012/04000/role_of_childhood_aerobic_fitness_in_successful.23.aspx
- Ustin et al., 2022. Flavor Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviors in the Human Fetus. Psychological science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976221105460
- Ladas et al., 2007. Colonic gas explosion during therapeutic colonoscopy with electrocautery. World Journal of Gastroenterology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4171316/
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
The ideal booty call and a potent jet lag drug for hamsters
May 19, 202631 minSeason 2 · Episode 1
What do men and women look for in an ideal partner for a one night stand, friends with benefits relationship, and marriage? What’s the best way to find out? An economics experiment, of course. Do hamsters …
Show notes
What do men and women look for in an ideal partner for a one night stand, friends with benefits relationship, and marriage? What’s the best way to find out? An economics experiment, of course.
Do hamsters experience jet lag? Do hamsters respond to Viagra? Does Viagra cure jet lag in hamsters?
In the season 2 premier, Lu and Tirth catchup on all the life changing events that took place during the offseason and discuss giving people “mate dollars” to build their ideal mate and using Viagra to treat jet lag in hamsters.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:52 Big updates from the offseason
6:45 Booty call study
19:09 Jet lag study
26:54 Let’s read some mail
29:22 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
March et al., 2018. Netflix and Chill? What Sex Differences Can Tell Us About Mate Preferences in (Hypothetical) Booty-Call Relationships. Evolutionary Psychology. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474704918812138
Agostino et al., 2007. Sildenafil accelerates reentrainment of circadian rhythms after advancing light schedules. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0703388104
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
RecSciPod season 2 announcement
May 12, 20261 minSeason 2Bonus
Season 2 will premier on May 19, 2026. We're fairly sure. Probably. Who knows? You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube …
Show notes
Season 2 will premier on May 19, 2026. We're fairly sure. Probably. Who knows?
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
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Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ
Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Bacon, sports cars, rollercoasters, knuckle cracking, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)
April 28, 202619 minSeason 1Bonus
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 …
Show notes
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!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Bad knives, self-scoping, baby size, Olympics, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)
April 7, 202620 minSeason 1Bonus
In this bonus episode of RecSci Quick Bites, Lu and Tirth discuss more funny studies they didn’t get to talk about at length during season one. These include making knives out of poop, performing colonoscopy on …
Show notes
In this bonus episode of RecSci Quick Bites, Lu and Tirth discuss more funny studies they didn’t get to talk about at length during season one. These include making knives out of poop, performing colonoscopy on yourself, reasons why babies are so small, the happiness of Olympic medalists, the worst time to consume chili, zebra-striped mannequins, and giving it to Reviewer 2.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:50 Knife study
3:37 Self-scoping study
5:44 Babies study
7:56 Olympian study
10:57 Chili study
12:28 Zebra study
15:31 Reviewer 2 study
18:22 Outro
Article links:
Eren et al., 2019. Experimental replication shows knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371?via%3Dihub
Horiuchi & Nakayama, 2006. Colonoscopy in the sitting position: lessons learned from self-colonoscopy by using a small-caliber, variable-stiffness colonoscope. Gastointenstinal Endoscopy. https://www.giejournal.org/article/S0016-5107(05)03012-9/
Ellstrand, 1982. Why are juveniles smaller than their parents? Evolution. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1983.tb05637.x
Medvec et al., 1995. When Less Is More: Counterfactual Thinking and Satisfaction Among Olympic Medalists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.69.4.603
Gupta, 2007. Red hot chilli consumption is harmful in patients operated for anal fissure - a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. Digestive Surgery. https://karger.com/dsu/article-abstract/24/5/354/116015/Red-Hot-Chilli-Consumption-Is-Harmful-in-Patients
Horvath et al., 2019. Striped bodypainting protects against horseflies. Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/6/1/181325/94617/Striped-bodypainting-protects-against
Peterson, 2020. Dear reviewer 2: Go F’ Yourself. Social Science Quarterly. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ssqu.12824
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Lady bugs, toilet seats, Japan, promiscuity, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)
March 20, 202614 minSeason 1Bonus
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 …
Show notes
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!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Swearing makes you stronger and how to potty train cows (season finale)
March 10, 202645 minSeason 1 · Episode 24
How do you make yourself lift more at the gym? Have you tried swearing? Kids need potty training, but what about animals? Does potty training cows make them healthier and happier? In the season 1 finale, Lu and …
Show notes
How do you make yourself lift more at the gym? Have you tried swearing?
Kids need potty training, but what about animals? Does potty training cows make them healthier and happier?
In the season 1 finale, Lu and Tirth do a year-end review and discuss how saying your favorite swear word makes you stronger at the gym and how to potty train cows using an electric trainer.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:45 Year-end review
7:37 Swearing study
25:25 Potty training study
37:01 Is this SPAM? An update
42:43 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Jiannine & Antonio, 2023. The Effects of Cursing on Exercise Performance. Journal of Exercise Physiology online. https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOCTOBER2023_Lia%20Jiannine_Jose%20Antonio.pdf
Stephens et al., 2025. “Don’t Hold Back”: Swearing Improves Strength Through State Disinhibition. American Psychologist. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2027-01514-001.html
Bergsten et al., 1992. The cleanliness of cows tied in stalls and the health of their hooves as influenced by the use of electric trainers. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016758779290038H
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Doping graphene and the hedonic benefits of garlic
February 24, 202637 minSeason 1 · Episode 23
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 …
Show notes
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!
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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)
Strip club economics and hot sauce aggression
February 10, 202633 minSeason 1 · Episode 22
How do economics work in a strip club? What are the factors that go into how much a stripper makes in tips? Do strippers earn more tips when they’re ovulating? Men are prone to doing some dumb, poorly planned …
Show notes
How do economics work in a strip club? What are the factors that go into how much a stripper makes in tips? Do strippers earn more tips when they’re ovulating?
Men are prone to doing some dumb, poorly planned, and aggressive stuff. Is testosterone to blame? Does testosterone make men serve more hot sauce to other people?
In this episode, to celebrate the supposed end of Tirth’s bachelorhood, Lu and Tirth discuss surprising factors that affect how much money lap dancers make and how testosterone levels in men make them more aggressive with hot sauce.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:34 Tirth’s “not” bachelor party
8:37 Stripper study
20:51 Testosterone study
31:13 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Miller et al., 2007. Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lap dancers: economic evidence for human estrus? Evolution and Human Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513807000694
Klinesmith et al., 2006. Guns, Testosterone, and Aggression: An Experimental Test of a Mediational Hypothesis. Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01745.x
You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!
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Recognizing butts and using clowns as anesthesia
January 20, 202653 minSeason 1 · Episode 21
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 …
Show notes
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!
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Pâté vs dog food and smoochy woochy poochy
January 6, 202632 minSeason 1 · Episode 20
Dog food quality has risen over the years, and its ingredients are not too different from that of pâté, or liver mousse, a French delicacy. The question, then, must be asked: can people taste the difference …
Show notes
Dog food quality has risen over the years, and its ingredients are not too different from that of pâté, or liver mousse, a French delicacy. The question, then, must be asked: can people taste the difference between dog food and pâté?
Driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous and illegal, but what about bicycling? Is it safe to ride bikes after cannabis use?
Happy 2026! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether blind taste testers can tell the difference between dog food and pâté, liverwurst, or SPAM, and whether cannabis users can safely navigate through traffic on a bicycle while stoned.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:45 New Year’s celebrations and resolutions
8:04 Dog food study
20:17 Weed study
30:16 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Bohannon J et al., 2009. Can people distinguish pâté from dog food? AAWE Working paper No. 36 – Economics. https://wine-economics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/AAWE_WP36.pdf
Hartung et al., 2016. The effect of cannabis on regular cannabis consumers’ ability to ride a bicycle. International Journal of Legal Medicine. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00414-015-1307-y
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Eating Legos (for kids) and the fighting prowess of bearded men
December 19, 202538 minSeason 1 · Episode 19
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 …
Show notes
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
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Batman makes people nicer and octopus fun time
December 9, 202534 minSeason 1 · Episode 18
Would you give up your seat to a pregnant woman on the train? Would you be more likely to give up your seat to a pregnant woman if Batman was also on the train? What do octopuses do during their free time? Are …
Show notes
Would you give up your seat to a pregnant woman on the train? Would you be more likely to give up your seat to a pregnant woman if Batman was also on the train?
What do octopuses do during their free time? Are they smart, curious, and bored enough to play catch by themselves?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how the presence of Batman makes people more kind to one another (aka the Batman effect) and whether octopuses play with toys.
Beef man origins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-5StGiCb4
Octopus playing video: https://figshare.com/articles/media/An_adult_i_O_bimaculoides_i_Octopus_H_playing_with_test_tube_cap_/29494452?file=56034531
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:25 Lu has a hater
10:39 Batman study
21:53 Octopus study
31:41 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Pagnini et al., 2025. Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect. npj Mental Health Research. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-025-00171-5
Jarmoulk et al., 2025. Evidence of play behavior in captive California two-spot octopuses, Octopus bimaculoides. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326379
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Ethicists steal more and making turkeys exercise
November 25, 202534 minSeason 1 · Episode 17
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 …
Show notes
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
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Video - never deep fry a frozen turkey:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KqtVCqFJsu0
Mansplaining explained and dedicating a brain cell to Jennifer Aniston
November 11, 202537 minSeason 1 · Episode 16
Mansplaining is when a someone explains in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a …
Show notes
Mansplaining is when a someone explains in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a woman. Why do men do it? Does mansplaining actually even exist?
Brain processing and recognition of visual imagery, such as people and objects, is thought to involve complex neuronal pathways with lots of connected brain cells each playing a role. But are multiple brain cells really necessary for this? Why don’t we just dedicate one brain cell to recognizing each important person in our life?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether mansplaining is real and why it might occur and examine evidence showing that the visual recognition of certain people and objects may be the job of one specific brain cell.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:13 How was your week?
5:04 Mansplaining study
21:38 Neuron recognition study
35:25 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Fokkema & Pollmann, 2024. Mansplaining explained: The role of the better-than-average effect and the interpretation bias in acts and accusations of mansplaining. Psychology of Language and Communication. https://sciendo.com/article/10.58734/plc-2024-0021
Quiroga et al., 2005. Invariant visual representation by single neurons in the human brain. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03687
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Fear is sexy and using zombie arms to carve pumpkins
October 28, 202542 minSeason 1 · Episode 15
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 …
Show notes
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
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Cocaine bees and predicting iPhone vs Android users
October 14, 202545 minSeason 1 · Episode 14
The paradox of cocaine reinforcement is one of the biggest paradoxes in science. Why is cocaine so addictive to humans? Do bees enjoy cocaine as much as us? Why do some people prefer Apple iPhones while others …
Show notes
The paradox of cocaine reinforcement is one of the biggest paradoxes in science. Why is cocaine so addictive to humans? Do bees enjoy cocaine as much as us?
Why do some people prefer Apple iPhones while others prefer Android phones? Are there fundamental psychological differences between iPhone and Android users? Can you predict who uses which phone?
In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on different -ologies, or scientific fields of study. The two then discuss the behavior of honeybees on short- and long-term cocaine use and the differences in personality traits between iPhone and Android users.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Ologies quiz
17:37 Cocaine bee study
30:46 iPhone vs Android study
43:34 What did you learn today, outro
Article links:
Barron et al., 2009. Effects of cocaine on honey bee dance behavior. Journal of Experimental Biology. https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/212/2/163/18461/Effects-of-cocaine-on-honey-bee-dance-behaviour
Shaw et al., 2016. Predicting Smartphone Operating System from Personality and Individual Differences. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2016.0324
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Are farts sterile? Plus, gym bro science
September 30, 202540 minSeason 1 · Episode 13
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? …
Show notes
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
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Unboiling an egg and tasting a trombone
September 16, 202538 minSeason 1 · Episode 12
Making a hardboiled egg is easy. Unboiling a hardboiled egg is hard, if not impossible, right? What do musical instruments taste like? Are violins sour? Are pianos sweet? In this episode, Lu and Tirth use …
Show notes
Making a hardboiled egg is easy. Unboiling a hardboiled egg is hard, if not impossible, right?
What do musical instruments taste like? Are violins sour? Are pianos sweet?
In this episode, Lu and Tirth use philosophical razors to debate whether Tirth’s fiancé is real, discuss how to turn back time to uncook eggs, and uncover what sounds taste like and what tastes sound like.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:12 Philosophical razors
17:23 Egg unboiling study
24:36 Sound taste study
36:04 What did you learn today, outro
Article link:
Yuan et al., 2015. Shear-Stress-Mediated Refolding of Proteins from Aggregates and Inclusion Bodies. ChemBioChem. https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbic.201402427
Crisinel et al., 2010. As bitter as a trombone: synesthetic correspondences in nonsynesthetes between tastes/flavors and musical notes. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/APP.72.7.1994
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