Using an unprecedented technique of matching stars to the locations of temples on Earth, a 15-year-old Canadian student says he’s discovered a forgotten Mayan city in Mexico. Anthony and Jeff talk about what it takes to be a young person with a useful hobby, and speculate on how cool it might be to contribute to science at an early age. Be sure to stick around to the end of this episode for a surprise twist where Jeff makes his own childlike discovery. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE...
May 20, 2016•22 min•Ep. 283
MIT says that every year in the US there are more than 3,500 reports of swallowed batteries. If left in the stomach or esophagus these can burn the tissue. They have designed a new indigestible origami meat robot could be deployed in these scenarios to find the battery, pulling it free from the tissue and guiding it toward the colon for evacuation. Jeff and Anthony discuss the idea of robots wrapped in meat, and compare stories of swallowing the wrong things. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS A...
May 18, 2016•24 min•Ep. 282
A small mammal has sabotaged the world's most powerful scientific instrument. The Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile superconducting machine designed to smash protons together at close to the speed of light, went offline due to a small weasel who gnawed through a power cable. Jeff and Anthony discuss the animal kingdom's knack for causing problems, and wonder if there is more to this story than a simple lone wolf... er, weasel. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com...
May 16, 2016•22 min•Ep. 281
Certain people, researchers have discovered, can’t summon up mental images — it’s as if their mind’s eye is blind. This month in the journal Cortex, the condition received a name: aphantasia, based on the Greek word phantasia, which Aristotle used to describe the power that presents visual imagery to our minds. It turns out, our own Anthony Carboni might have this condition, a revelation he and Jeff work through in this episode. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon....
May 13, 2016•22 min•Ep. 280
According to a new patent filing, Google has devised a method to inject a device directly into your eyeballs. Per the patent filing, the device is meant to replace your eye's natural lens and is injected in a solution that congeals and attaches to your lens capsule. While this sounds like science fiction, Anthony and Jeff use this opportunity to discuss the industry of patents and the business of owning ideas. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns ...
May 11, 2016•23 min•Ep. 279
A small city in southern Germany may be the first place in the world to introduce in-ground traffic lights. The move by authorities in Augsburg comes in response to distracted smartphone users increasingly putting themselves at risk by not looking up while crossing roads. Jeff is worried about what this means for encouraging bad habits, but Anthony actually thinks this is a fantastic idea. Listen as they hash it out. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveco...
May 09, 2016•19 min•Ep. 278
A growing body of research in cognitive science illuminates the physical and mental toll bland cityscapes exact on residents. It turns out boring architecture may take an emotional toll on the people forced to live in and around it. Jeff and Anthony discuss the effect of architecture on mood and the importance of being stimulated by your environment. GET BONUS EPISODES, VIDEO HANGOUTS AND MORE. VISIT: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http...
May 06, 2016•19 min•Ep. 277
The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every expert scientific witness gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000. Specifically, cases where hair samples, fingerprints, and other scientific evidence led to conviction, almost every single expert witness misled the jury. Jeff and Anthony unpack what it means to misuse science on such a large an important scale. W...
May 02, 2016•20 min•Ep. 275
The Toronto Zoo is investigating a video that shows a woman climbing into part of its tiger enclosure to retrieve her hat. That's right, she scaled a fence and got into a tiger cage to save... a hat. Anthony and Jeff discuss the type of person who might do this, and wonder what kind of item would compel them to do the same. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all you...
Apr 29, 2016•18 min•Ep. 274
Robert Fidler built a castle at Salfords in Surrey, England without planning permission and hid it behind straw bales for four years. He has now been ordered to tear it down or face 4 months on prison. Jeff and Anthony discuss the merits of having your own castle, and the strategy of hiding it inside 3 stories of hay. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your swee...
Apr 27, 2016•20 min•Ep. 273
Although Boaty McBoatface decisively won a public poll that Britain's Natural Environment Research Council launched last month to whip up enthusiasm about science, it turns out that will not be the name of their $300 million new vessel. Jeff and Anthony talk about crowdsourcing, the internet, and missed opportunities. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your swee...
Apr 25, 2016•19 min•Ep. 272
The Flyboard Air, made by Franky Zapata‘s Zapata Racing is either a clever fake, or the most impressive hoverboard yet in action. Jeff and Anthony are thrilled byt the possibilities, and imagine gliding through the city skies avoiding Spider-Man. Now if they can just afford some Pumpkin Bombs. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch ...
Apr 22, 2016•17 min•Ep. 271
Writer and programmer Paul Ford decided to outsource his anxiety by writing a piece of software that would email him expressions of his worst fears every morning. The idea being, that if all his worries seemed like spam, then perhaps he might disregard these distractions the same way he does actual spam. Anthony and Jeff have their own anxieties they'd like to minimize, but would this plan work? We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus cont...
Apr 20, 2016•21 min•Ep. 270
An octopus at the National Aquarium of New Zealand sliped out of its tank, crawled across floor, and escaped down pipe to ocean, leading Anthony and Jeff to worry that the cephalopod uprising has begun. What is the ramifications of intelligent octopi escape their confines when we know... they's aliens! We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concer...
Apr 18, 2016•18 min•Ep. 269
In Portugal, thousands of storks have chosen to forgo their typical winter migration to sub-Saharan Africa in favor of sticking around to gorge on garbage at open-air landfills. Jeff and Anthony discuss this smorgasbord of trash, what it is doing to the ecology of birds, and whether stopping it is even the right thing to do. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all yo...
Apr 13, 2016•19 min•Ep. 268
Science host Greg Foot tries to get to the secret of what human flesh tastes like by performing a biopsy of his leg muscle to smell the aroma of his own cooked flesh. Anthony and Jeff discuss the circumstances that might make them attempt to eat humans, and how they think they'd taste. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swing...
Apr 11, 2016•19 min•Ep. 267
Scientists have managed to thaw out and perform an autopsy on an ancient frozen puppy, which was mummified in the Russian permafrost some 12,400 years ago. The next? Obviously, someone wants to clone it. Jeff and Anthony have some reservations about bringing back a long-extinct breed of dog, adorable puppy or no. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We ...
Apr 06, 2016•20 min•Ep. 266
Microsoft introduced a chatbot that was built to learn from its interactions with Twitter users, but had to disable it after it began spouting some very troubling rhetoric. Anthony and Jeff consider what we should learn from the sad and brief life of AI known as Tay. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehav...
Apr 04, 2016•22 min•Ep. 265
The community of Delta, B.C. is looking at updating its Annieville playground with riskier equipment, after a public health expert told the council that kids who play safe when they're young show more signs of depression and anxiety later in life. Anthony and Jeff have some strong opinions about playing it safe, and debate the merits of "helicopter parenting". We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://p...
Mar 30, 2016•21 min•Ep. 264
Scientists from Cornell University and the Italian Technology Institute in Pontedera have developed an elastic robotic skin that is able to stretch up to five times its size, change colors, and even detect pressure. Anthony is ready to replace his own skin immediately... until Jeff tells him it basically makes him just like an octopus. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns...
Mar 28, 2016•23 min•Ep. 263
A mountain lion miraculously surviving in the urban mountains in Los Angeles is believed to have breached a 9-foot fence at the Los Angeles Zoo and mauled an 18-pound koala at night. However, all the evidence is circumstantial. Jeff and Anthony take a look at those circumstances and come to their own conclusions about the mountain lion known as P-22. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com...
Mar 25, 2016•20 min•Ep. 262
A medical condition called Witzelsucht causes people to compulsively create puns and bad jokes all day long. Anthony thinks this might explain Jeff's Dad Joke tendencies, and starts the episode ready to diagnose Jeff with the disease. But Jeff pulls out possibly the most deft bait-and-switch of all time, to avoid it. You don't want to miss this one. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/...
Mar 23, 2016•20 min•Ep. 261
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that neighbors of lottery winners are unusually likely to go bankrupt, and the larger the lottery prize, the more likely bankruptcy becomes. Jeff and Anthony talk about keeping up with the Joneses, and Appleby's riblets. There's a surprising amount of discussion of riblets. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcern...
Mar 21, 2016•18 min•Ep. 260
Residents of Windsor, the industrial Canadian city that lies just across the river from Detroit, have been experiencing a monotonous type of noise pollution that is usually just referred to as 'The Hum,' and it's been happening for years. No one knows what it is, but Jeff and Anthony have some theories. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Conce...
Mar 18, 2016•23 min•Ep. 259
Psychologists at Sussex University published a new study that claims a horse can not only tell whether a human might be in a bad mood by simply looking at the human's facial expression, it can do so from a photograph. Anthony and Jeff discuss the emotional empathy of animals, and also perform the entire, full-length Mr. Ed theme song from memory. So no one would blame you if you skip this one. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus conten...
Mar 16, 2016•21 min•Ep. 258
Fire behaves very differently in zero gravity, and NASA wants to study it. The problem? It is very, very foolish to set fire to something inside a spacecraft, and there are specific rules prohibiting flammable material even being on board. But those clever NASA scientists have come up with a very smart solution. Jeff and Anthony take a look at their the plan and consider the issue of space fire. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus cont...
Mar 14, 2016•20 min•Ep. 257
Nineteen-year old British programmer Joshua Browder has created a robotic appeal system for parking tickets. Since its inception in 2015, this robo-lawyer has successfully appealed $3 million worth of tickets. Anthony is ready to move all of his legal affairs to non-humans, while Jeff wonders how long it will take the government to out-bureaucracy the robot. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://pat...
Mar 11, 2016•21 min•Ep. 256
For centuries, Peruvian locals talked about a river in the Amazon that burns so hot it can kill. Now, Peruvian geoscientist, Andrés Ruzo has actually found it. Jeff and Anthony discuss Indiana Jones-esque adventures into the jungle, boiling rivers, and, for some reason, Jolt Cola. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging b...
Mar 09, 2016•22 min•Ep. 255
In an extremely strange case that can’t be found anywhere in medical history, a girl from Deesa, Gujarat in India has been unlucky enough to be chosen as the host for an ant nest — right inside of her ear. Indeed, at least 10 to 15 large ants are emerging from the girl’s ear everyday. Jeff, Anthony, and special guest Travis McElroy contemplate the horror of having an ant's nest inside your skull. This episode is not for the squeamish. Patrons get a bonus, double length episode with Travis! Check...
Mar 07, 2016•26 min•Ep. 254
A scientist at the University Medical Centre Maribor, Slovenia has presented a way to encode data directly into the DNA of plants, which would continue to pass along that genetic information to all subsequent generations. Jeff is enamored with the idea of plant life that can be used for archival purposes, but Anthony is much more interested in new plastic data discs that will last forever. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, c...
Mar 04, 2016•23 min•Ep. 253
