Science Vs

Did We Predict the Pandemic?

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Just two months before Covid-19 broke out, we made a fictional pandemic episode that was like “Contagion” but with citations. And we played it for...

I’ll Be Dammed: Beavers Fighting Climate Change

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we give a dam about beavers. These busy rodents don’t just chill and go with the flow — it turns out their grabby paws are actually helping...

Ketamine: How Special is Special K?

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For years, ketamine has been thought of mostly as a horse tranquilizer — or a street drug that puts you in a scary-sounding K-hole. But now, we’re...

Pit Bulls: Bad to the Bone?

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pit bulls have a dark reputation. And some people say the science backs this up: that they bite people more often and do more damage when they chomp d...

Superbugs: Apocalypse … Now?

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine getting an infection, going to the doctor, and having no little pill to make you better. Welcome to a world of SUPERBUGS. For years we've been...

Hangovers: What Really Helps?

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What actually cures a hangover? Water? Crushed up Advil? Maybe a burger, fries and a Diet Coke? We wanted to know what the science says about how to b...

Alcohol: Time to Put a Cork in It?

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades we’ve been yanked around over alcohol: one day it’s actually good for us, the next day it’s a killer. And recently there’ve been r...

Weight Loss Meds: Is Ozempic a Miracle Drug?

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People say drugs like Ozempic are helping them lose tons of weight. But are these drugs really all they’re cracked up to be? Or could this be yet an...

Nerds, Assemble! Science Vs Is Back

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve got the goods on weight loss drugs, ketamine, pit bulls, skincare and more! Come for the science, stay for the jokes. Or vice versa. In your f...

Listen to Science Vs in Spanish!

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Science Vs has gone bilingual! La Ciencia Vs is the Spanish-language version of the show, and today we’re introducing the amazing hosts, Dr. Leonora...

Adderall: What's It Doing to Your Brain?

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s an Adderall shortage across the U.S., and it’s causing huge problems for people with ADHD. But on the flip side, we hear people saying tha...

When Science and Superstitions Collide

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is the THIRTEENTH season of the show! So we’re diving into stories about superstitions and luck. We’ll share the eerie tale of a 13-legged se...

Hypnosis: Does It Really Work?

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is hypnosis? Is it mind control? Are some people just faking? We’re revisiting this episode in which we explore the science of hypnosis and tak...

Deodorant: Is It Dangerous?

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re diving into your armpits! We’ll find out why some of us are so freaking smelly. And then we’re asking: Are deodorants and antipersp...

The Male Pill: When Is It Coming?

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A male birth control pill has been this big tease for decades. And today, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade … a male pill might matter more than e...

The Mystery of the Man Who Died Twice

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A dead body turns up with a stolen identity. We tell the story of how a grandmother tracked down the truth — and helped create a whole new and contr...

Mass Shootings: How Do We Stop Them?

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Buffalo. Uvalde. Highland Park. These mass shootings keep happening. One side says the problem is the guns, and the other side says the problem is the...

Should We Compost Human Bodies?

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the greenest way to die? Some nerds are saying that our bodies should go the way of our veggie scraps — and become compost. But will people g...

The Fight to Fix a Racist Medical Gadget

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The EEG is an incredibly important medical tool — and it’s been failing Black patients for decades. So today we’ll hear from two young, Black sc...

Vegans: Are They Right?

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do vegans have a right to be so smug? We’re finding out whether it really is better for the environment, and our bodies, to go vegan. We speak to en...

Hydration: Are You Drinking Enough Water?

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Celebs and wellness blogs treat water like a magic elixir that will make us the most attractive and healthiest version of ourselves. But do these clai...

We're Back for Season THIRTEEN

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s tons of misinformation, fads and strong opinions floating around out there — but then there’s SCIENCE. Season 13 starts on September 8! ...

Fauci on Monkeypox: What Went Wrong

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We called up Dr. Anthony Fauci to talk about monkeypox. We wanted to know — what’s the deal with the slow response here? And why haven’t we gott...

Monkeypox: What's Going On?

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monkeypox has been spreading around the world. So … what exactly is this disease? How worried should we be, and how can people stay safe? We talk to...

Abortion: The Science and the Supreme Court

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And in their opinion, we found a lot of scientific-sounding statements. So we wanted to find...

Nightmare on Science Street

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re sharing a collection of spooky science stories. You’ll hear about a nightmare in the ocean, a nightmare on land, and even a nightmare...

Placebo: Can the Mind Cure You?

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

[REBROADCAST] Could fake medicine actually take away your pain or treat a disease? We dig into the science of placebos to find out more about the powe...

A Mystery in the Air

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When a little girl, Ella Kissi-Debrah, suddenly got sick and landed in the hospital, doctors were stumped. In this episode, her mom, Rosamund, takes o...

ASMR: How Whispering Hijacks the Brain

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ASMR is huge. People say these videos of someone whispering or making soft sounds can make them feel all tingly inside, and even help them feel calm a...

Serial Killers: The Mind of a Murderer

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

[REBROADCAST] What makes a serial killer? What drives them to kill again and again? To find out the truth about this ghastly lot, we talked to forensi...

Ultra-Processed Foods: A Load of Baloney?

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We hear over and over that ultra-processed food is bad for us. But is there actually something funky going on here — or is it just junk food? We dig...

Ivermectin: The Story of a Wonder Drug

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re digging into the weird and wooly world of ivermectin. When promising papers came out early in the pandemic, a lot of scientists got exc...

Spotify and Misinformation: An Update!

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the show an update about our push to get Spotify to do more to stop misinformation spreading on the platform. Learn more about your ad cho...

The Abortion Underground

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

REBROADCAST. The Supreme Court is set to rule on a major abortion case this year, and the court could decide to overturn Roe v. Wade. Already, places ...

Ukrainian War: Fighting Russia's Propaganda Machine

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia attacked Ukraine more than a month ago — and the war has raged ever since. From the beginning, Russia has been pushing out propaganda and dis...

Ancient Aliens: Who Really Built the Pyramids?

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

[REBROADCAST] Is it possible that the pyramids were built with a helping hand ... from aliens? If not, how did the ancient Egyptians build them withou...

Trans Kids: The Misinformation Battle

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. politicians are trying to keep trans kids from getting the medical care they need to transition — and states are banning them from playing on ...

Here’s What’s Coming Up!

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s tons of misinformation, fads and strong opinions floating around out there — but then there’s SCIENCE. Find it here! Learn more about yo...

Misinformation: What Should Our Tech Overlords Do?

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After Joe Rogan was accused of spreading Covid-19 vaccine misinformation on his podcast, Spotify landed in the hot seat. People (including us!) wanted...

Joe Rogan: The Malone Interview

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, Joe Rogan aired an interview that scientists are up in arms about — with Dr. Robert Malone. Malone talked smack about the Covid-19 vaccine...

The Moon: Why Are We Really Going Back?

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The moon race is back! Countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon. But why are we really going? Some sa...

Fauci on How This Ends

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Anthony Fauci sits down with us to talk about omicron, how this pandemic actually ends — and how he’s fighting back against the haters.  Fin...

Omicron: Do You Need to Freak Out?

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welp, the pandemic has served up yet another poop sandwich, and it’s called omicron. This variant is popping up in dozens of countries across the wo...

Presenting Gastropod: How Chilis Conquered the World

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’ve got a spicy treat for you: a show called Gastropod. Hosts Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber dig into the world of food and serve up ...

Jurassic Park: Hold On to Your Butts

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Could our dreams for a real Jurassic Park come true? Headlines say scientists are closer than ever to resurrecting prehistoric animals like the woolly...

Killer Asteroids: NASA Strikes Back

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

[REBROADCAST] Asteroids! In just two weeks, NASA plans to launch a first-of-its-kind mission to try to move an asteroid off its path. If it works, thi...

Monkey Say What? LEOPARD!!

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Science isn’t always dressed up in fancy lab coats and goggles — sometimes it goes undercover! In this episode, we go behind the scenes in the Con...

Chronic Pain: Can Our Brains Fix It?

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

People with chronic pain often struggle with it for years while doctors scour their bodies for the cause. But are we looking in the wrong spot? For so...

The Legendary Condom Queen

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Joycelyn Elders is a total badass. She grew up in poverty in rural Arkansas, but in 1993 she rose to become the surgeon general of the United Stat...

Burnout: Can We Fix Work?

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Work can really suck. And for lots of us, burnout has been feeling especially terrible. This week, we dive into how burnout messes with our brains and...

Blue Balls: You're Wrong About Them

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We join forces with Sarah Marshall from You’re Wrong About to dive into a question for the ages: Blue balls — are they real? We’ve heard that fo...

True Love: Is Monogamy Unnatural?

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

[REBROADCAST] Are humans built for monogamy? Or is the idea of having one partner forever just a myth forced on us by tired old love songs? We revisit...

The Secret World of Plants

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Plants aren’t just sitting around looking cute; they’re doing all sorts of stuff, like defending themselves, and even warning other plants about d...

Childbirth: Are Doctors Messing It Up?

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Childbirth seems to be getting more and more medicalized, with C-sections and other interventions out the wazoo. But childbirth isn’t a disease! So ...

Weight: Is Fat Unhealthy?

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re hearing nonstop chatter about the “quarantine 15.” But should we really care if we put on weight? Is fat bad for us? We talk to Prof. Henr...

Therapy: Does It Work?

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our mental health has taken a turn for the worse the past couple of years. We keep hearing that therapy can help, but it can be a big investment of ti...

Let’s Do Science Again!!

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Season 11 starts Sept. 9! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

Presenting Not Past It: The Vax That Got Axed

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re sharing an episode of a show we love: Not Past It. ​​Did you know there was almost an AIDS vaccine? On June 3, 1998, AIDSVAX VAX004...

The Delta Variant: How Bad Is It?

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This delta variant of the coronavirus seems to really be screwing us over. Cases are spiking in the U.S., and we keep hearing about vaccinated people ...

Pet Food: How Fancy Should They Feast?

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are soooo many options for what to feed your dog or cat, from the cheap stuff at the supermarket to fresh food delivered straight to your door. ...

The G Spot: Come Again?

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re heading into a big summer, with more places and — ahem — people opening up. So we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes about feeli...

Back From the Dead

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're telling tales that push life to the ultimate limit. We're bringing things back from the dead, diving into the mysteries of immortality and...

A Seedy, Late-Night Adventure

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, under cover of darkness, we're hunting buried treasure. This is a wild romp through one of the oldest science experiments in the world. And at ...

Screens: Are They Ruining Our Brains and Mental Health and Eyes and

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tons of us are spending waaaayyy more time using screens these days — and it’s freaking us out. We’ve got all kinds of worries. Like, is all thi...

Havana Syndrome: Did a Secret Weapon Fry Diplomats' Brains?

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2016, U.S. Embassy workers in Cuba were struck by a mysterious noise, followed by symptoms like headaches, dizziness and memory problems. This...

How Science Created Morons

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

REBROADCAST: This episode looks at how one of the worst ideas in science got a big push from a bad study… and intellectuals of the day lapped it up....

Coronavirus: How Scary Are the Variants?

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

UPDATE 4/13/21: Since this episode published, there has been some evidence linking the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to rare blood clots. As o...

Snake Bite Cures: Weasels, Pigeons, Pee

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Venomous snakes entranced medieval Europe. And although bites were rare, this didn’t stop 14th century doctors from using everything but the kitchen...

SNAKES!!!

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Snake venom is a wily beast. It's packed with hundreds of toxins that can attack our blood vessels, muscles and nerves. That's why snake bites kill so...

UFOs: Through the Wormhole Again

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, a weird-looking space object called ʻOumuamua whipped past our sun. Now a Harvard scientist is suggesting it miiiight be an alien probe! So ...

Brood X: A Drug-fueled Cicada Orgy

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Parts of the U.S. are about to see a surge of cicadas — masses of flying bugs, popping up all over the place. After 17 years underground, a crap ton...

Immune Boosting: Is It a Bust?

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Internet influencers have been pushing “immune boosters” during the pandemic — claiming they’ve got just the pill, berry or brew to rev up our...

Bringing the Science Back, Baby!

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Season 10 starts March 4! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

Butterflies Are Secret Monsters

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Butterflies flit through life as the pride and joy of the insect world. But when we saw photos of butterflies swarming the eyes of turtles, we wondere...

Presenting Coronavirus: Fact Vs. Fiction

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re sharing an episode of Coronavirus: Fact Vs. Fiction, a podcast from CNN. This episode is The Hunt for Disease X: As human activity ...

Magic Mushrooms: Trip Through the Science

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Magic mushrooms have hit the headlines, with people saying that shrooms cured their depression and anxiety. But is this for real? How can taking a tri...

Coronavirus: More Scared or Less Scared?

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

MINI EPISODE! Tons of new science means fresh answers on a few things that really freaked us out at the start of the pandemic: coronavirus on surfaces...

Coronavirus: Shots! Shots! Shots!

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a ton of hoopla over these new coronavirus vaccines. But given that they’ve been produced at warp speed — can we trust them? We also fin...

Did the CIA do it? Part II

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When a deadly pig virus hit Cuba in 1971, some claimed the CIA was behind it all. But could it be true? In part two of our investigation into the outb...

Did the CIA Plant a Virus in Cuba?

13 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the Cuban government rounded up and killed thousands of pigs in 1971, people were angry and confused. Castro claimed they were trying to stop an ...

Platypuses Get a Glow Up

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The eccentric platypus has always turned heads, and now it’s got something else up its sleeve. We talked with mammalogist Dr. Paula Anich to get the...

Reparations: How Could It Work?

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of paying Black Americans reparations for slavery has been around for a long time, but it’s starting to get more support than ever. So we a...

Supervolcanoes: Is Yellowstone Gonna Blow?

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We keep hearing that a Yellowstone supervolcano could blow at any moment — and possibly wipe us all out. So is Yellowstone overdue for the BIG ONE, ...

Science Vs Presents: How to Save a Planet

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re sharing another great Gimlet show, How to Save a Planet. On this episode: It started with students walking out of school to demand more action...

Lab-Grown Meat: We Grill It

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon Valley seems to be constantly pumping out "solutions" to fix our broken food system. The latest and greatest: cell-cultured meat — meat that...

Hunting an Invisible Killer

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An adventuring Swedish doctor takes on a decades-long medical mystery: What exactly was the 1918 flu? We talk to Dr. Johan Hultin, Eileen Hultin, Dr. ...

Orgasms: Come for the Science

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s this idea that the female orgasm is a complicated riddle, but for a man with a penis, getting off is easy peasy. Is there really an orgasm g...

SHARKS!!! Sink Your Teeth in Again

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: This episode first published 6/13/19. Are sharks the super-predators we think they are? Or have we been baited with great white lies? To find ou...

Astrology: Are Geminis the Worst?

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, people have been looking to the stars to tell us all kinds of things — what our future holds, who we should date. So what does the sc...

Mini Mask Update

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

MASKS. Since the early days of the pandemic, it’s been tough to nail down how much they can really do to slow down the spread of the virus. We speak...

Probiotics: Scam or Superfood?

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kombucha, kefir and other probiotic-crammed foods are marketed as charmers of the human microbiome — and the key to immune, gut and brain health. Bu...

New Season! Time for Non-Coronavirus Content

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Science Vs is back August 27th. Fact you next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coronavirus: Are We Back Where We Started?

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re six months into this coronavirus pandemic, which has shaken the world and stunned scientists. What have we learned? Where are we headed? To fi...

Fauci! He’s Back!

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and America...

Coronavirus: Dude, Where's My Vaccine?

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

All through the pandemic, we’ve been waiting for a possible silver bullet: a vaccine. How soon could we actually get one? To find out, we talk to mi...

Coronavirus: Weirdest Virus Ever?

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus seems to cause symptoms all over our body, from nose to toes. So how can one virus do so many strange things? To find out, we talk to ...

Coronavirus: Protesting in a Pandemic

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hundreds of thousands of people have joined the global protest movement sparked by the death of George Floyd. And a lot of doctors and public health e...

Coronavirus: Labs Go Dark

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Life is on pause for many of us right now. But scientists don’t want to stop! Researchers have had to figure out how to keep experiments going and k...

Coronavirus: Sweden Goes Rogue

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While a lot of countries have put in strict measures, like lockdowns, to stop the coronavirus, there’s been a conspicuous outlier: Sweden. The count...

Coronavirus: The Mask Wars

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the pandemic started, we were told not to bother with masks. But now it looks like experts have done a 180 here, and a lot of us are being told t...