Are Cold Plunges Actually Good For You?
Summary
This episode delves into the science behind popular cold plunges, discussing potential benefits like psychological well-being and stimulant effects, alongside significant dangers and common misconceptions. The conversation also shifts to the resurgence of mammoths as team mascots, exploring their characteristics, social structures, extinction theories, and recent surprising genetic discoveries.Episode description
If social media and certain influential podcast hosts are to be believed, cold plunges can do everything from boosting your immune system to reducing inflammation to acting as an antidote for depression. But what does the science say? Joining Host Flora Lichtman to throw at least a few drops of cold water on this science of plunging is biologist François Haman, who studies human performance and cold exposure.
And, with the help of the HBO show “Last Week Tonight,” a minor league baseball team in Pennsylvania rebranded themselves the Erie Moon Mammoths. That comes just a few months after the Utah NHL franchise renamed itself the Utah Mammoth as a nod to that state’s paleontological past. So, why are mammoths back? And do they really have what it takes to be a successful team mascot? Paleontologist Advait Jukar joins Host Flora Lichtman to weigh in.
Guests:
Dr. François Haman is a biologist at the University of Ottawa who studies how the human body responds to extreme environments.
Dr. Advait Jukar is the assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
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