Stimulants

SciShow Tangents

Feb 05, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 13

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Episode description

Are you one of those people who doesn’t feel awake until you have caffeine coursing through your bloodstream? Well, you can choose to ingest some chemical stimulants, but they’re also something your body makes! Just think about the adrenaline rush before a public speech. This week, we’re going to dig into what science actually says about caffeine and dehydration. Why did some people try to ban coffee, and how dangerous was the pick-me-up given to some Antarctic explorers? And why the heck did researchers think gerbils could help with airport security?

Sources:

[Fact Off]

Gerbils:

Forced March:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2962153-8/fulltext

https://granta.com/shackletons-medical-kit/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/09/27/161881513/cocaine-for-snowblindness-what-polar-explorers-packed-for-first-aid

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279970/

[Ask the Science Couch]

Dehydration:

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/33/2/167

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12187618