Vaping Tamagotchis, Awkward Medical Robots and Zombie Cells

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 think of us as your slightly unhinged tour guides through the bits of science that probably won't win Nobel Prizes but will definitely make you the most interesting person at your next dinner party. When Robots Get Awkward Ever wondered what it's like to drop your pants for a robot? Neither had we, until science decided to tackle the elephant in the room: our weird relationship with medical robots. Turns out, we're not super keen on showing our bits to a talking toaster, even if it has a medical degree. Scientists are frantically trying to figure out how to make us comfortable with robot doctors, but let's be honest - there's something deeply unsettling about a machine asking you to "turn and cough." The 'Stupid Hackathon': Where Brilliance Meets Bonkers Speaking of questionable innovations, let us introduce you to the 'Stupid Hackathon' - where genius meets absolutely pointless. The star? A virtual pet that survives on vape clouds. Yes, you read that right. It's called the 'Vape-o-Gotchi” and it's exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. It's like a Tamagotchi but only survives off relentless vaping.  When AI Gets Sassy Picture this: you're coding away, and your AI assistant suddenly goes full career counsellor on you. "Have you considered learning to code better?" Ouch. It's like having a digital version of your disappointed parent, except this one runs on algorithms and attitude. Who knew silicon could serve such spectacular shade? Exploding Termites and Immortal Cells Now, for something completely different - termites that literally explode when they're stressed. (Relatable, honestly.) These little kamikaze insects from French Guiana take "going out with a bang" quite literally.  And while we're on the topic of bizarre biology, let's talk about 'zombie cells' that refuse to die. Will is convinced his mustache would be a great use of zombie cells, potentially achieving post-mortem world domination. Rod's betting on his spleen, because apparently the snowboarders of the world would thank him. The Dying Art of Pranking Here's a sad stat: April Fool's Day searches are down 50% from a decade ago. Are we all getting too serious? Too busy? Research shows interest peaked in 1931 - probably because they didn't have TikTok to distract them. So there you have it, folks - our first little bit of science episode after our rather long and unintentional break. Where else would you learn about exploding insects, sassy AI, and vape-dependent virtual pets all in one go? Stay tuned for more scientific weirdness, because trust us, this is just the tip of the nerdy iceberg. Until next time, keep your curiosity weird and your termites unexploded!   03:03 Exploring AI and Its Quirks 03:43 The Stupid Hackathon and Vape-O-Gotchi 11:30 AI's Role in Climate Change Research 15:56 AI's Human-like Behaviour 23:15 AI and Mistranslation Fun 26:17 The Exploding Termites of French Guiana 28:09 The Evolutionary Wonders and Oddities 29:09 The Mysteries of Dog Farts 31:39 Zombie Cells and Their Implications 35:20 The Embarrassing Robot Study 46:39 The Decline of April Fool's Day   SOURCES: Vape-o-Gotchi:  https://futurism.com/neoscope/vape-tamagotchi-interview   Robot refuses to code: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/ai-coding-assistant-refuses-to-write-code-tells-user-to-learn-programming-instead/   Embarrassed Robots: https://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s13230-010-0011-3   Reassessment of the Anthropogenic CO₂-Global Warming Hypothesis: https://scienceofclimatechange.org/wp-content/uploads/SCC-Grok-3-Review-V5-1.pdf    Tortured Phrases: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.06751 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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