The Body of Evidence

Don't mind Chris' newfound psychic powers: do fitness trackers like Fitbits actually work? They monitor our heart beats, they count our steps and calories burnt, but do they do it accurately? And can they help us lose weight? Also: you'll never believe what actually motivates people to exercise; early detection is not as easy as it sounds; does Johnson & Johnson's baby powder cause cancer and should you even use baby powder in the first place; and how to judge the merits of a scientific paper when you're not a scientist. Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society. Jingle by Jillian Kate. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out!

Jonathan and Chris interview Pixie Turner, a London-based nutritionist who used to be, according to her, a "wellness wanker". And then she publicly changed her mind about food. They discuss her formerly obsessive relationship with nutrition; eating for Instagram; the turning point in her life; the vicious Instagram vegan posse; becoming an inadvertent Trojan horse on social media; why wellness mainly targets women; her thoughts on the carnivore diet; the demonization of carbs; orthorexia; Belle Gibson and the Medical Medium; which nutrition books to trust; how to fight misinformation; and why so many of her clients ask her, "Can I eat this?" LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixienutrition/ Website: http://www.pixieturnernutrition.com Pixie's First Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36272948-the-wellness-rebel?from_search=true Pixie's Second Book (pre-order): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40969801-the-no-need-to-diet-book?from_search=true Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

The boys end up in the jungle with varying degrees of immunological protection and Chris subdues a jungle cat. So what are the arguments against vaccination and are they warranted? They discuss arguments like better sanitation, Big Pharma conspiracies, aborted fetuses, autism, chemical preservatives and "too many, too soon". In a surprising twist, the Catholic Church comes to their defence. Also: Jacob Meza sees a big difference in how young and old people view vaccines; the world's first genetically edited babies are here (maybe); and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada recommends people with the disease up their dosage of vitamin D. Vox pop by Jacob Meza of the So It Is Told podcast. Jingle by Joseph Hackl. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out!

Jonathan and Chris interview Nick Saik from Know Ideas Media, a filmmaker who specializes in communicating about food and agriculture online. They discuss trust in farmers; going to filmmaking school and ending up working on the set of Supernatural; GMOs; precision agriculture; antibiotics in meat; the A&W dilemma; the romantic ideation of food production; RoundUp; orthorexia; chemical-free food; trust in institutions; why only big companies can afford to sell you GMOs; lab-grown meat; what if almonds had nipples; the skeptical movement; how to argue online; and why raising money to do this type of communication is extremely challenging. WORD OF THE WEEK: Ag = agriculture LINKS: The cat herding commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0ur5GKC0w Nick's nut milking video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJCTIPWPNtw Know Ideas Media on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowideasmedia Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Jonathan and Chris interview Cameron M. Smith, professor in the department of anthropology at Portland State University. They discuss what is anthropology; what it's like teaching evolution in the United States; what the theory of evolution is; what we've learned from the fossil record; whether or not humans are still evolving; what a hominin is; the revival of Lamarck's theory; and Cameron's real-life adventures on inhospitable terrain and his prediction for humanity's new space age. And you will learn a new word: gemmule! Cameron Smith was a guest of the Trottier Public Science Symposium in October 2018 in Montreal, and you can watch his talk on the space suit he designed by clicking here: https://youtu.be/h7uIV2PFD70?t=2810 Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

A risky session on Tinder brings up the topic of Chris' cat allergy. Meanwhile, comedian Jacob Meza learns from college students that the rise in allergies might be due to chemicals, antibiotics, or GMOs. Back in the studio, the boys talk about just how common allergies are, problems with the hygiene hypothesis, and what treatments are available. Also: is there a link between organic food consumption and cancer risk, and Jonathan talks about how amazing QED was while Chris reports back on his conference experience and on the relativists who want more farm animals to save us from global climate change! This podcast is now available with more puppies than ever. Vox pop by comedian Jacob Meza. His podcast is So It Is Told. Jingle by Jillian Kate. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

It's Two Men and a Baby as Jonathan realizes that Chris takes odd bets and ends up with an infant to care for. Has childbirth been over- or under-medicalized? Ada talks to clueless university students about the miracle of life. Do epidurals make mothers too "chill"? The boys discuss maternal mortality rates, what can go wrong while giving birth, and water births (wait! how does the baby not drown?). Also: how can crowdfunding platforms identify appeals for quack cancer treatments, and the difference between primary and secondary prevention when it comes to "an aspirin a day". It's episode 42, meaning it contains the answer to life, the universe, and everything. And there's a special guest star who's totally not the boyfriend of one of our contributors. Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society. Jingle by Joseph Hackl. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Lost on the highway, the boys look for a cell phone signal and wonder about the potential dangers of their lifeline. Comedian Jacob Meza explores the possibilities of groin cancer while learning that some people may be scared of cell phones but are unwilling to give them up. Back in the studio, Chris and Jonathan discuss fava beans; the Larry King Show and brain cancer; subgroup analyses (which lie, they always lie); what male rats got that other rodents didn't; infertility; ICQ; and pacemakers. Also: how prevalent are peanut allergies and do peanut bans in school really work? Plus an interview with Dr. David Gorski on the U.S.' right-to-try laws: how they compare to compassionate use and what is the link to libertarianism. For more on right-to-try laws, David Gorski's blog post from June 4th: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/right-to-try-is-now-law-let-patients-beware/ David Gorski writes for Science-Based Medicine and Respectful Insolence. Vox pop by comedian Jacob Meza. His podcast is So It Is Told. Jingle by Jillian Kate. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Jonathan and Chris interview Michael "Marsh" Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society and the vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society in England. They discuss how Marsh and Simon Singh met; what a skeptical charity does; why Marsh interviews people with fringe beliefs; changing people's minds with nudges; the Good Thinking Society's campaign to stop the NHS from funding homeopathy in the UK; how PR releases get used by journalists to create "churnalism"; and crowdfunding campaigns for alternative cancer cures. Michael Marshall on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrMMarsh The Good Thinking Society website: https://goodthinkingsociety.org The podcasts Marsh is involved with: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Returning from a memorable fishing trip, the boys tackle the evidence behind omega-3s, a group of molecules known as "PUFAs!" (try not to laugh). They talk about the EPA; kinky and bent molecules; carnivorous chickens; cardiovascular disease and brain development. Also: how big trials can go wrong; and an interview with Dr. Emma Jones on palliative care, cultivating quality of life, collaborations in paediatric oncology, and myths about medicinal cannabis! Julia Belluz's article about the PREDIMED trial paper retraction: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/20/17464906/mediterranean-diet-science-health-predimed Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society. Jingle by Joseph Hackl. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.