A Little Bit Of Science

Poetry for AI Hacking, Flatulent Foods as Aphrodisiacs and Penile Tuberculosis

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Rome-based research team discovered poetry can jailbreak AI systems by bypassing safety filters that normal prompts can't crack, making verse a genu...

Interspecies Love, Annual Frozen Dead Guy Day, and Stinky Brazilian Butt Lifts

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sika deer on Japan's Yakushima Island let macaque monkeys groom them in exchange for food scraps and sexual mounting, creating what scientists awkward...

Mad Scientist Misadventures, Mind-Reading AI, and the Fishy Origins of Fingers

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Horseshoe theory proposes that political extremes loop back around until far-left and far-right ideologies find disturbing common ground, sharing auth...

Atomic Gardening, Microwave Conspiracies and the Rise of Phubbing

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists in the mid-20th century created "atomic gardens" where they bombarded plants with gamma radiation to induce beneficial mutations like disea...

Living Without a Stomach, Simulation Theory, and Forensic DNA in the Air

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A woman survived without a stomach or small bowel after a catastrophic medical episode at her 18th birthday party, proving the human body is more adap...

Trump’s Sketchy Nuclear Restarts, Greenhushing Explained and Driverless Car Death Predictions

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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Bizarre Metrics, Gamer Kids' IQs, and The Trust Barometer

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Correlation doesn't equal causation, but patterns emerge in the strangest places - like Pentagon pizza orders spiking before major military operations...

Naps Unlock Genius, AI Peer Review Fraud and Microplastics in Penis Implants

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your grandmother was right - a 20-minute nap really can unlock creative genius and trigger Eureka moments. Japanese researchers got caught hiding secr...

YouTubers Beat Astronauts, Babies Named After Weapons and the Most Boring Invention

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A third of kids now want to be YouTubers instead of astronauts and half of those kids will probably be named after firearms rather than grandparents. ...

Covert Consciousness Horrors, Trump’s Space Shield Fantasy and Innovative Sports Cheating

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's stories reveal disturbing realities that sound like dystopian fiction but are actually happening. Covert consciousness means some coma pat...

Absurd Statistical Links, Human Obedience Experiments, and Mice Perform CPR on Friends

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's science stories prove that statistics can be meaningless and humans are disturbingly obedient. Spurious correlations like margarine predic...

Wind Theft, Ancient Chinese Climate Poetry, and Maddening Silence Chambers

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's science stories prove that good intentions create unexpected problems and the most valuable data comes from the weirdest places. Wind farm...

Immortal Oligarchs, AI Love Affairs, and Headless Animal Survivors

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's science stories reveal disturbing trends in human intelligence and technology that could reshape society in uncomfortable ways. The Flynn ...

Raw Milk Reality Check, Proton Beam to the Face, AI Animal Translators and The Enhanced Games

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve got a raw milk enthusiast friend, they might be conveniently forgetting that grandma used to boil her "fresh" milk to avoid dying from...

Down Side To Dong Size, Yoghurt-Cooled House, and Drowning In Space

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's little bits of science challenge long-held assumptions and reveal the unexpected dangers lurking in everyday situations. A groundbreaking ...

AI Only Reads Fox News, Insane Browser Hoarding, and Suspicious Russian Defenestration

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Truth Social's AI chatbot thinks "balanced news" means exclusively quoting Fox News, which is about as balanced as someone hoarding 7,470 browser tabs...

AI Prescribes Victorian Poison, Accidental Canal Unplugging, and Self-Defense Penises

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is this bizarre world we're living in where AI chatbots are literally poisoning people by recommending Victorian-era bromine cures, while British...

Cancelled Satellite Missions, Treasure Hunting Laws, and The Pineapple's Epic Fall From Grace

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The White House just cancelled two perfectly functioning climate satellites for mysterious reasons, British treasure hunters are going to prison for k...

Ozzy Osbourne’s Genetic Superpowers, Radioactive Wasp Nests, and Racist Dogs

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ozzy Osbourne's DNA has become one of the most studied genomes in history. Scientists are still trying to figure out how the Prince of Darkness surviv...

Melting Ice Unplugs Volcanoes, Medieval Medical Madness, and The Original Technocrat

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about the explosive side effects of climate change - literally. Patagonian glaciers are melting so fast they're uncorking v...

Hurricane Conspiracies, Screaming Plants, and Turnspit Dogs

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is this bizarre world that we’re living in where meteorologists are getting death threats from conspiracy theorists convinced they're contr...

Human Skin Books, AI Psychosis, and Self-Cloning Crayfish

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People are literally going insane from chatting with AI too much, crayfish are cloning themselves faster than you can say "seafood buffet," and appare...

Hitler’s Horsepower Fail, Giant Dolphin Testicles and Beer-Bonking Beetles

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Say what you like about Hitler, but he was one driven man. The guy was dead serious about building monster weapons, including a 188 tonne tank to take...

Ice Cream Prevents Diabetes, CIA Sex Parties, and Microplastic Madness

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we told you that ice cream might prevent diabetes, the CIA used to throw LSD-fuelled sex parties (in the name of science of course), AI system...

A Really Old Poo, Sycophantic ChatBots, The Ugly Law, Sperm Racing

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do a thousand-year-old Viking turd, dangerously agreeable chatbots, laws that literally banned ugly people, and competitive sperm racing have in ...

AI Romance, Sperm-Stealing Salamanders, and Curious Whale Bubbles

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever caught someone on public transport having what looks like an intimate text conversation, only to realise they're sweet-talking an AI?   Welc...

Sheep Gut Condoms, TSA Touch Tech, and Boring People

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do you get when you cross a sheep’s intestine, a TSA agent’s glove, and the gnawing fear that you might be the dullest person at the ...

Bio Photons, Marshmallow-Tested Cuttlefish, and Friendly Shark Feasts

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

  From humans secretly glowing like discount glow sticks to sharks displaying better table manners than most toddlers, today's science roundup pr...

Fish on Prozac, AI Resurrections and the Universe is Ending (sooner)

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder tr...

RFK Jnr's poopy plunge, smuggling ants in your pants and Elon's rogue AI

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From politicians swimming in fecal water to underground ant trafficking rings. We're exploring a world where the US Health Secretary voluntarily bathe...

Too many words for snow, drugged up elephants and expensive AI manners

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From environmental impacts of AI politeness to the linguistic mysteries of snow, today's science roundup may leave you with more questions than answer...

The experience machine, worst case scenarios and a giant fish

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From mind-bending virtual reality choices to paradoxical barbers, hungry indecisive donkeys to real-world science funding crises, we're taking you on ...

The evolution of the anus, AI cybercrime and poison jellyfish

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

G'day science lovers! Buckle up, because today we're diving into everything from bottom-end evolution to deliberately poisoning yourself and your chil...

Exploding vampire bats, dire wolves were real and astronaut paychecks

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the potential resurrection of dire wolves (yes, they were real, not just Game of Thrones fantasy!) to the surprisingly modest paychecks of our sp...

Vaping Tamagotchis, Awkward Medical Robots and Zombie Cells

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our first episode back as the new and improved “A Little Bit Of Science”.  We're Rod and Will and it’s best if you t...

We are back with A Little Bit Of Science!

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Submit feedback/questions/rebuttals/abuse to [email protected] and you might be featured/glorified/shamed in the next episode! From th...

We are heading back into the lab!

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Submit feedback/questions/rebuttals/abuse to [email protected] or comment below and you'll be featured/glorified/shamed in the next episode! We...

Red Mercury: Snake Oil, Witchcraft and Nuclear Bomb All In One

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1990s, Samuel T. Cohen, the father of the neutron bomb, became extremely vocal about the fact that the Soviets had discovered a new raw materia...

Astronomer/Cult Inspiration Hanns Hörbiger and his Cosmic World Ice Theory

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born just outside Vienna, Austria in November 1860, Hanns Hörbiger was an engineer by trade. He invented a steel valve for a blast furnace blowing en...

The End Of The Human Race: What Will Kill Us At The Finish Line?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Humans love a good apocalypse. Give us a blockbuster about a virus that obliterates the population, an asteroid that wipes out the entire planet, or a...

Boiling Down Jordan Peterson's Lobster Logic

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do humans and lobsters have in common? Apart from the fact that both have social hierarchies and serotonin, not all that much really. Last time w...

Is the Laugh Track Truly Dead?

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No one likes being told what to do. As soon as we can choose for ourselves, humans thrive on the sense of agency to wear what we want, eat what we wan...

Is Reality TV Just A Guilty Pleasure?

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reality TV is a genre that has wormed its way into our screens, our culture, and—for many of us—our guilty pleasures. While some might dismiss the...

Prison Mathematician Christopher Havens' Redemption Through Maths

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Havens was a smart kid. While it mightn’t have been the best move for his social status in the fourth grade, he was so keen on maths tha...

Bagpipes, Weed, OR Puppets: What's Your Next Degree?

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the old days, there were pretty slim pickings about what to do for a career. Basically, people just did what their father or mother did. Then,...

Did Carrots Really Help Us Win World War 2?

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

World War II pilots ate a bunch of carrots. Back then, people were well aware that vitamin A was critical for healthy eyesight and that carrots were a...

Why does Trump cheat at golf and why do people let him?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Besides unnecessary wars, assassinations and scandalous affairs, what comes to mind when you think about American presidents? The Oval Office, the Sta...

Book Bowel Syndrome: When Words Truly Move You

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all have our idiosyncrasies, those automatic things we do each day that form the way we are in the world. Whether we scrunch or fold, or leave the ...

Super Recognisers: People with a mug memory like no other!

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever seen someone in public and you swear you know them from somewhere, you just can’t pick where? Are they an old school friend? The guy w...

Why Can't Generation Z Queue Properly?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the millions of years of evolution, we humans have developed into a highly intelligent species. We’ve developed the ability to communicate, we’...

Can You Make Your Own Country? Project Minerva and Libertarian Exit with Raymond Craib

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Humans love their independence. Wars have been fought for it, songs have been written about it, and history is filled with examples of individuals and...

Community or Control: Has There Ever Been a "Good" Cult?

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of the word ‘cult’, what immediately comes to mind for most of us are things like hooded velvet robes, secretive gatherings and doo...

Can you get pregnant from oral sex? Where There's a Willie, There's a Way

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The teen years can be tough. Let’s be real, it was an awkward time for the best of us. During those tender years, we all did our best to navigate th...

Why are redheads so fascinating? Detangling the science!

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the deal with redheads? It sounds like the beginning of a Seinfeld bit but in all fairness (pun intended), for a group of people who make up ...

Singing For Survival: How The Discovery Of Whale Songs Slowed Their Murder

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you think about the Cold War, you immediately think about whale songs right? Okay, maybe not everyone makes that connection, but in a delightfull...

"To Demonstrate It Was Safe": Politicians Putting Their Bodies On The Line

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians get a bad rap, don’t they? Every mutterance and every action falls under intense scrutiny from the press and the public eye. If they mak...

Norjak: The DB Cooper Unsolved Mystery and 2024 Update

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On November 24, 1971, Dan Cooper, a quiet, nondescript man (wearing the classic business suit everyone wore back then) wandered into Portland airport ...

The Memory Hole: Why Society Sometimes Draws a Blank

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all forget things sometimes. We leave the car keys in random places. We look all over the house for our sunglasses, only to find them already on ou...

What scares people these days and where does your phobia rank?

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What are the most common fears and phobias that people have today? Most of us can relate to having a healthy fear of sharks or getting sweaty palms at...

The End Of Science: Will We Ever Discover Everything?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the end of the science as we know it! And I feel fine! But seriously though, is it? As a global community, we are investing 10 times more money...

So did you get a root? Tales, definitions and loopholes for defining sex

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone loves a good loophole. From a clever workaround that outsmarts the tax man to exploiting a glitch in a video game (Sega Mega Drive all the wa...

Workplace Infantilisation: Incompetent Employees or Toxic Management?

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Remember as a kid, having to wear that uncomfortable school uniform every single day? We were told when to sit, when to stand, when to eat, when to pl...

Does Sheep Murmuration Explain England's 19th Century Sheep Panic?

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mother Nature, in all her brilliance, has birthed some fascinating phenomena. Take the magical skies of the Aurora Borealis in Iceland for example, or...

AI Girlfriend Chatbots, UFO Cosplay Drones, and Dihydrogen Monoxide

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the day, before robots and the internet, guys and gals who longed for the company of a significant other had one move up their sleeve: pluck u...

The Emu War: A Deep Dive Into Australia's Feathered Fiasco

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After the horrors of World War I, the Australian Federal Government gave thousands of discharged veterans money, land and the promise of a bright an...

John Chau's Fatal Mission For God To Earth's Most Isolated Tribe

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our modern society, most people live their lives lurching from fix to fix from the digital syringe; relying on social media and telecommunication a...

Mary Shelley, Taphophobia and Life-Preserving Coffins

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re all afraid of something. Many people live with significant anxiety due to their fear of things such as heights, flying, public speaking, the n...

Jose Delgado's Alternative To Lobotomy: The Stimoceiver Implant

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 20th century was a golden era for ethically dubious brain studies. In 1950, Dr Jose Delgado had a vision to control aggressive behaviour using a d...

St Lidwina: The Patron Saint Of Ice Skating (and Chronic Pain)

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of patron saints out there in the Catholic multiverse. They have saints for every day of the year and then some. We’ve all heard of ...

Biosphere 2: Sloppy Steve Bannon's Claim To Climate Fame

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of champions in the battle against climate change, names like Greta Thunberg, David Suzuki, and David Attenborough come to mind. But wou...

A Very Scary Christmas: Fierce Folklore, Macabre Meals and Ghastly Gifts

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. Festive feasting on sweet delicacies, children filled with wonder, awaiting Santa’s visit on Christm...

The Asbestos Coverup: "Let 'Em Work, Then They Can Rest In Peace"

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Anthony Lanza had quite an impressive career. Amongst many things, he discovered the cause of the lung disease, silicosis, and founded the discipli...

Wittenoom: Australia's Asbestos Chernobyl Wiped Town Off The Map

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Australia is a wondrous country with endless sights to see. The Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, the vast sunburnt deserts... and ...

From Toothpaste To Cigarettes: The Lesser Known Uses Of Asbestos

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Asbestos. Do you feel like coughing just thinking about it? Most of us shudder to hear the word - it’s a substance that has caused hundreds and thou...

From Baking To Hating: Tradwives and Terrorism with Dr Kristy Campion

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine a slower pace of life: Growing your own vegetables, spending more time with the children, the smell of freshly baked sourdough wafting through...

Nellie Bly Feigned Insanity To Expose Abuse In A Madhouse

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are girls good for? Well, in the 1800s, the answer to that question was plain as day: birthing children and keeping house. In fact, in 1885, the ...

Radithor: The Jaw-Dissolving Radioactive Energy Drink of the Roaring 20s

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ebenezer “Eben” McBurney Byers was the personification of the Roaring Twenties: Chairman of his own company, private box at the baseball, golf pro...

Is Sex With A Robot Cheating? What The Research Shows

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The notion of a humanoid machine was developed way back in the early 20th century. We’ve come a long way since then, integrating robots into every c...

Fired For Slow Travel: A Chat With Climate Scientist Gianluca Grimalda

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Picture this: you're on a cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by a vast expanse of water when suddenly, you feel a sharp pain. N...

Richard Walter: America’s Dollar-Store Sherlock Holmes

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 1980s had some memorable fads and crazes—hair metal bands, neon leotards, the Walkman… and criminal profiling!   By the mid-1980s, profilers ...

Shit Yourself Healthy: Quack Doctor Prescribed The Squirts For Everything

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do people who have a dull singing voice, contract syphilis, and die suddenly have in common?   Well, according to a book (with the longest title...

Accidental Incest: The Lesser Known Consequence Of Prolific Sperm Donation

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lesson every kid needs to learn is how to share. Little ones usually want everything for themselves, but as we grow and mature, we learn that sharin...

The Collapse And Concealment of the "Unbreakable" Banqiao Dam

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By the second half of the 20th century, humans were captivated by the idea of taming nature, making their mark on the world with colossal concrete str...

Behind The Ig Nobel Prizes With Founder Marc Abrahams

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every once in a while, somebody does something in the name of science that turns out to be really useful. Their research changes the world, a eureka m...

Snap, Crackle, Peep! Cereal box cartoons are watching your kids

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cereal, the food of the gods. Who can resist the crunchy, sugary deliciousness in a box? Kids (admit it - adults too) would eat it for every meal if t...

Dying For It: A Scientific Look At Death During Sex

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While some people shuffle off this mortal coil in rather ordinary ways, there are those adventurous souls who seem hell-bent on making the grim reaper...

Medical Cannibalism: Biting Into The History Of Corpse Medicine

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One question that pervaded the minds of early European physicians was not whether we should eat human flesh, but rather which part and how much. While...

From Jazz to Beheadings: Landis' 1920s Psych Experiment

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ahhh 1920s psychology… back when you could do anything in the name of science. Like traumatising a baby or making people believe they'd killed someo...

Iroquois Theater Blaze: The Tragic Fire That Ignited The Evolution Of Exit Lights

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Believe what you will about the Gods, karma, the universe, whatever! There are some rules that even atheists should follow.   Never call your boat “...

Increase The Productivity of Your Open Plan Office With "The Isolator"

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Open plan workplaces. How do we feel about them? Now, we’re all up for modernism and advancement but when it comes to actually being able to get wor...

Project Huemul: The First Nuclear Fusion Hoax

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine harnessing the power of the sun using nothing more than high school science lab equipment and household ingredients. Desktop cold fusion - it ...

Lights, Camera, Olfaction: Smell-o-Vision Actually Existed

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you think cinema is just audiovisual entertainment, hold onto your popcorn folks, because today we're diving into an aromatic abyss of olfactory od...

Why The Japanese Coined "Karoshi": Death From Overwork

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone loves a good hack these days. It’s all about efficiency and finding ways to be even more productive. Well, that’s great for things like f...

The Monster Study: Gaslighting Orphans for Speech Science

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The history of science is peppered with some pretty dubious research… grafting second heads onto dogs, growing bits of human brains inside mouse emb...

How Your Shower Started As A Torture Device

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1700s, hydrotherapy was the panacea. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, wrote in his book that cold water plunges could cure ast...

Ellen Langer Teaches Us To Think Ourselves Younger

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Picture this: It’s the turn of the millennium. The dust from 9/11 is only just beginning to settle. Shrek, Rush Hour 2 and Donny Darko are packing c...

World's Most Kissed Face: Why CPR Doll Resusci-Anne Looks Like A French Girl

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is it with the French and kissing?   They certainly know a thing or two about romance. Imagine being serenaded with an accordion and indulging i...

Swill Milk: How Bad Did Old Timey Milk Actually Get?

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

**Warning, this episode is both very gross and very sad.**   Take us back to the good old days when the air was clean, the grass was green and the co...

Unexplained Aerial Phenomena! (It's The New Name For UFOs!) (RECAST)

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have always been fascinated by the unexplained. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and, one of the most intriguing unknowns that has captured our i...

John Cade's Discovery of Lithium (RECAST)

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lithium. Anyone who had a heartbeat in the 90s knows that Nirvana song backward. Speaking of, Rod’s claim to fame is meeting Kurt Cobain and the boy...