Weekly roundup — Waves in the dark
An email from a miner, scary sounds in outer space, and a powerful magnet aimed at 50 human heads.
Sep 08, 2024•30 min
Science unscripted
The science stories that will actually change your day — and maybe make you laugh. Science unscripted is a podcast, radio show & YouTube channel driven by listeners. Hello from Germany :)
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
A dyslexia breakthrough
With the help of a powerful MRI, researchers in Germany have discovered where dyslexia appears to happen deep inside the human brain (in males). The peppercorn-sized structure may become the target of therapies for millions of people.
Sep 07, 2024•12 min
When you look in the mirror, does your face match your name?
A new study suggests your appearance 'drifts' as you age — toward the name you were given at birth.
Sep 06, 2024•24 min
Weekly roundup — My phone can smell things?
Ever take out your phone to identify a song that's playing near you? Pretty soon, you'll be able to do the same with smells. Also, fruit flies may have just given scientists the secret to happy hour.
Sep 01, 2024•30 min
Unhoused people & what police should(n't) do about it
You've lost your job, lost your home and go to sleep surrounded by strangers. You're scared. But what is it, exactly, you're scared of?
Aug 31, 2024•26 min
Are you symbiosexual?
Demisexual, graysexual, pomosexual — it's hard to keep track of the (expanding) list of human sexualities. The Harvard Pleasure study just added another.
Aug 30, 2024•12 min
Weekly roundup — Together again
It's been a long, chaotic and somewhat dangerous summer for the hosts of Science unscripted. It's time to catch up on that — and on the beautiful emails you've sent along the way.
Aug 25, 2024•30 min
What is 'benevolent' sexism?
All sexism is bad. But the kind you're probably most familiar with is called 'hostile' in science literature. So what is 'benevolent' sexism? And how's it connected to cheating on your partner?
Aug 24, 2024•18 min
Will mpox become the next pandemic?
As mpox spreads to Europe and Asia — and the WHO declares a public health emergency — a leading German virologist explains what we know (and don't know) about the infectious disease.
Aug 22, 2024•14 min
Weekly roundup — Oceans on Mars?
The discovery of gigantic resevoirs of water deep under the surface of Mars has implications for whether life was — or might be — possible on our hideous red neighbor.
Aug 18, 2024•30 min
TikTok, misinformation, and the female pelvic floor
Why is it that content with the least credible information is often the most viewed and shared on social media?
Aug 17, 2024•9 min
Human Hobbits really existed?
With the help of an astute Australian reporter (who incidentally has joined the DW Science team), let's travel back in time to an Indonesian island and meet the smallest hominids ever.
Aug 15, 2024•14 min
Why do boys give better directions than girls?
Give kids a map, and the boys will outperform the girls in giving accurate directions — that's according to a new study on children aged 3-10. Is it nature or nurture?
Aug 09, 2024•12 min
Gabe & Conor got burgled (true crime episode)
When both hosts of Science unscripted see their homes burglarized within a span of weeks, they get help from a detective named Roland and come to a gut-wrenching realization.
Aug 01, 2024•30 min
Weekly roundup — 20 billion clicks?
With YouTube's commentary, who needs emails? Also, a new German study hits the rewind button on our promiscuity reporting.
Jul 28, 2024•30 min
Depressed after moving? You're not alone.
Moving into a new apartment or house is pretty exciting. It's also associated with depression — especially if it happens at a certain age. Why?
Jul 27, 2024•10 min
Sexual double standards & better sleep
Women, not men, are viewed more favorably if they've had a few recent sexual partners... even if a German study appears to suggest the opposite. Also, if you're gonna do some late-night scrolling (because who doesn't), do it right.
Jul 25, 2024•18 min
Young Germans are happier to be single (nowadays)
"Are you okay with being single?" If you were to pose that question to a young German, you would get a different answer these days compared to 10 years ago. Why?
Jul 11, 2024•12 min
Weekly roundup — Things just won't stop changing
On this week's show, we learn the first thing young people should do when they're struggling. Also, why exactly do our eyes get worse as we get older? Plus, a researcher gets in touch to thank us (DW) for teaching him German.
Jul 07, 2024•30 min
Can you sing? And if so, does it have anything to do with lemurs?
Headlines implying human singing came from Madagascar... just aren't true. But lemurs are worth listening to.
Jul 06, 2024•9 min
Why do people ghost each other?
Ever had someone just... vanish out of your life? Or maybe you did it to them? A new study shows why people 'ghost' — and who actually suffers most from it.
Jul 05, 2024•20 min
Weekly roundup — A cure for lower back pain (that might injure your legs)
The number one cause of disabiliity worldwide is lower back pain. Great news, then, that a rigorous study says we can halve its recurrence by... walking. But there's a catch.
Jun 30, 2024•30 min
Losing your job is worse for your health if you live in a different country
Why is it that migrants get physically unhealthier when they lose their jobs (compared to locals)? And can anything be done to stop it?
Jun 29, 2024•9 min
Granola poop & a deserving victim
Sadly, one of our recent episodes caused a listener to go outside and cover her jacket in human feces. Also, if you're trying to raise money for a good cause, remember the German word 'Schadenfreude.'
Jun 27, 2024•20 min
Weekly roundup — Hold the door & filter your phone
Does it make YOU happier to do a random act of kindness? Also, how to stop a smartphone from messing with your sleep, and a milkshake fathers can make for pregnant partners.
Jun 23, 2024•30 min
Your body might not survive a trip to Mars
Why would our kidneys (possibly) fail when we're inside a spacecraft? And why do women's bodies do better in space than men's?
Jun 22, 2024•13 min
Where should you look during a video call?
Got an interview coming up? A study out of Japan has potentially life-changing advice for where to focus your gaze. Also, Gabe's back — and is recovering from an operation.
Jun 21, 2024•21 min
'Hunger games' in the jungles of Panama
Does having a big brain make you better at finding food? It's a difficult question to answer ethically. Unless you have access to an island.
Jun 15, 2024•13 min
The vending machine experiment (or why you don't live in a tree)
In a dream you see a vending machine. Instead of coins or cash, it has a square-shaped hole. That's it. No instructions. No one who walks past can explain it. At some point you shake it violently (still nothing) and see your own hands. They're furry.
Jun 11, 2024•30 min
What to do when your hair falls out
Hormonal therapies? Hair transplant? Or just go bald? When a genetic test shows a Science unscripted host is bound to lose his hair, it leads to a shocking amount of bad science and (potentially) significant side effects.
May 30, 2024•19 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android