A Little Bit Of Science - podcast cover

A Little Bit Of Science

A Little Bit Of Sciencewholesomeshow.com

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

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Episodes

The Year Of Silver Linings

Ok, 2020 sucked. But surely it wasn't 100% disaster? To round off the year, Will explores some of the silver linings of 2020 with Rod and special guest Janie! Thanks heaps to Inger Mewburn, Aparna Lal, Bec Colvin, Anna Raupach, Saul Cunningham, Jill Sheppard, Sharon Friel, Mark Howden and Arnagretta Hunter for additional silver linings! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Janie and proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awaren...

Dec 24, 202049 min

The Feejee Mermaid!

Real physical mermaids - do they exist? (No). But if they don't exist, where do the fake ones come from? Rod tells Will the story of the Feejee Mermaid! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 18, 202032 min

IQ!

Listener, it's pretty obvious from here you have an IQ of 158, maybe 159. But what does that mean? Where did it come from? And what percentage of it is bullshit? Rod tells Will the story of IQ! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 11, 20201 hr 20 min

What Caused The Crime Drop?

From about 1990 onwards, something really, undeniably good happened, on a vast - near global - level. But no one really knows why. Will tells Rod the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 04, 20201 hr 12 min

A Brief History of Penis Panics

Mass psychotics illnesses suck. Some are about dancing, some are about nervous ticks, some... are about genitals. Rod tells Will the history (and science) of penis panics! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 27, 202056 min

The Nazi War on Tobacco

The usual history says that the link between smoking and lung cancer was first shown by the British epidemiologist Richard Doll in 1952. But that's not quite true. The first people to show this link were... actually bad people. Will tells Rod and special guest CjJosh the story of the Nazi war on tobacco! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts - joined today by CJJosh! Proudly produced by G'day Studios, and brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness...

Nov 20, 20201 hr 11 min

The Sverdlovsk Outbreak of 1979!

It's horrible when a lot of people die... but what if they all die in a line? Will tells Rod the story of the Sverdlovsk outbreak of 1979! (Spoiler it's anthrax and it's the Soviet Union)! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 13, 20201 hr 4 min

Head Transplants! (actually body transplants)

Speculating here listener, but would you swap your body for a younger, hotter, healthier version of yourself? Well, there are a few surgeons out there who are happy to help... Rod tells Will the story of head (body) transplantation surgery! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by G'day Studios and supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 06, 20201 hr 12 min

The Science of Near Death Experiences!

It's a common trope - you do something catastrophically silly, and next thing you know you're watching your life flash before your eyes. Or you're standing in fluffy clouds that look suspiciously like heaven... or you're being dragged in chains to a pit that looks worryingly like hell. Don't worry, it's just a Near Death Experience! But... what actually are they? What happens? How common are they? And why are they all so... similar? Will tells Rod all about the science of Near Death Experiences!...

Oct 30, 20201 hr 15 min

Things People Have Done In An MRI!

What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and what is an MRI machine? What have people done in them? And are they 100% science? Rod tells Will and special guest CJJosh all about the wonderful world of Magnetic Resonance Imaging! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts - joined today by CJJosh! Proudly produced by G'day Studios, and brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 23, 20201 hr 9 min

Musical Maladies - And Fakes!

Playing a musical instrument is fun, rewarding, and lets you strut your stuff in front of a crowd of thousands! But it comes with a downside... some injuries unique to the instrument you choose. Or... does it? The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, produced by G'day Studios, and proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 16, 202053 min

The Science of Daylight Savings Time!

Daylight savings time is beautiful. An extra hour of the day for walking the dog, drinking daiquiris or listening to podcasts that require you to be outside in the sun! But maybe it's a little bit of a guilty pleasure... Will tells Rod the history and science of daylight savings time! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, produced by G'day Studios and proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Oct 09, 202043 min

Astrology For the Fortune 500 - The Myers Briggs Type Indicator!

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is used by thousands and thousands of high profile companies... But should it? The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 02, 20201 hr 5 min

Food Hacks... or P-Hacks? The Dodgy Insights of Brian Wansink!

You've known for years that things like portion size, food availability and the colour of your plates affect your food intake... But it turns out the research it was based on was maybe a little bit bullshit? Rod tells Will the story of Brian Wansink's strange food hack science! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 25, 20201 hr

The Myth of the Bee Apocalypse!

Apparently, Albert Einstein once claimed that “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live”... And since 2007, colonies of bees around the world have been mysteriously collapsing... Will (and guest expert Saul Cunningham) get to the bottom of the story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Professor Saul Cunningham of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society! Proudly brought to you by The Australi...

Sep 18, 20201 hr 13 min

A Brief History of Aphrodisiacs!

Ok, we know that old timey people had some weird ideas about medicine... but when it comes to cures for sexual issues, it seems they'll try... anything. Rod tells Will the story of old time aphrodisiacs! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 11, 20201 hr 9 min

The Hunt for the Fourth Order Island!

We all know about islands... and we all know about lakes. We know we can have islands in lakes, and even lakes on islands. But did you know that there are lakes on islands in lakes? And even more, islands in lakes on islands in lakes? Roger Dickey knew this... And he had a quest, to find the elusive fourth order island! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener...

Sep 04, 202041 min

The Actual Genius of Paul Erdős

A lot of people are held up as geniuses (genii?)... But most of them are just pretty smart and pretty lucky. Paul Erdős though, he was something different. Rod tells Will his story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 28, 20201 hr 23 min

The Strange Things People Have Smuggled Into Space!

As of recording on the 21 August 2020, some 566 have been to space. 345 have been American, 121 Russian Soviet. 65 have been women... And at least 7 have been smugglers. Will tells Rod the story of the secret things people have brought into space! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Aug 21, 202055 min

Exploring the Carbon Diet with Jo Clay!

Should you 'diet' to reduce your carbon impact? In this episode we discuss the carbon diet with Jo Clay, candidate for the Greens Party here in the current Australian Capital Territory election! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 14, 20201 hr 13 min

The Science of Swearing!

***Warning, there is a *lot* of swearing in this episode!*** Listener, have you always wanted to have a swear word for those people who aren't impressed by amazing things? Well, Rod's got a swear word for you! In this episode, Rod tells Will about the history and science of swearing! ***Second warning, there is a *lot* of swearing in this episode!*** The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Scien...

Aug 07, 20201 hr 18 min

Balloonomania!

For a few short months between 1783 and 1785, France went absolutely nuts for balloons. In this episode, Will tells Rod the origin and development of balloonomania! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 31, 20201 hr 5 min

The Martyrs To The X-Ray

Early scientific labs had a fairly different understanding of workplace health and safety to what we might see in labs today. In this episode, Rod tells Will some of the horror stories of the early work on x-rays! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 24, 202043 min

The History And Future Of The Death Certificate

No one likes doing paperwork. Even worse when that paperwork is about your own death... Today Will is joined by Dr Arnagretta Hunter to tell Rod the history - and the future - of the death certificate! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Dr Arnagretta Hunter. The Wholesome Show is proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 17, 20201 hr 14 min

Red Mercury!

In the middle of the Cold War, Soviet scientists apparently developed an explosive so potent it could be used to make nuclear fusion bombs the size of a baseball. But was it real? Rod tells Will the story of Red Mercury! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, and is proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 10, 202055 min

What Actually Is Stockholm Syndrome?

'Stockholm Syndrome' is a very widely used term, used to describe supposed feelings of affection and love held for a captor by a hostage... But when you dig a little deeper, the story turns into something a little bit different. Will tells Rod the story of Stockholm Syndrome! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 01, 202038 min

The People Who Don't Get Cancer

What would you trade to never get cancer? Well, that's not a real question, because it's not really an option. But there are a group of people with one hell of a side benefit... The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 202046 min

White Academics, Trying To Do Better

It's no secret listener, we're part of perhaps the most problematic demographic - white middle aged podcasting academics. And, quite legitimately, we're being asked to do better. So - this is us, going a little bit meta and drawing on the advice of Prof Jasmine Roberts of Ohio State University to try to explore what we can do to help make a better world. The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of S...

Jun 12, 202039 min

The Biggest Robot Ever Made!

Ok, it's the Cold War in America, and you're building nuclear everything - nuclear ships, nuclear subs, nuclear aeroplanes! But what if there's an oopsie - how do you clean it up? With the biggest robot ever made of course! Rod tells Will the story of the Beetle, the biggest robot ever made! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jun 05, 202052 min

A Brief History of the Nanny State Critique!

Ever since people have tried to make our world just a tiny bit healthier - you know, to not be coated in open sewage - idiot libertarians have screamed that it's their freedom to be covered in shit. In this episode, Will hosts Rod and special guest Professor Penny Hawe in a special quiz on the history of the nanny state critique! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Professor Penny Hawe! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public A...

May 29, 20201 hr 15 min
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