We Have Concerns

One of the world's deadliest spiders - the funnel-web spider is native to Australia. No surprise to Anthony and Jeff, who have been chronicling the various ways Australia is dangerous for a while now. What is surprising, is the Australia has tasked ordinary citizens with capturing these terrifying creatures and bringing them - alive - to spider repositories. Have fun, Australia! Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story: http://www.wired.com/2015/10/of-course-australia-has-drop-off-centers-for-deadly-spiders/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

UPDATE: This story is actually FAKE. We were duped. :( A team of Japanese engineers has designed an adorable robotic bear to aid in assisted suicide. Capable of 23 different methods to end a life, including hands that are powerful enough to crush human bone, the SeppuKuma is an all-in-one suicide solution. Special guest Adam Sessler joins Anthony and Jeff to talk about the concept of gentle-looking killing machines, and what form they'd all like for their own personal death robot. Patrons get a bonus, double length episode with Adam! Check out our Patreon to listen to it: https://www.patreon.com/posts/3629963 Check out Adam's Friday the 13th Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/613356213/friday-the-13th-the-game?ref=nav_search Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Jeff on Twitter: @jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: @acarboni Today’s story: http://www.iflscience.org/japan-engineers-design-robotic-bear-to-aid-in-assisted-suicide/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Several amateur astronomers, gazing at data from the Kepler telescope, discovered an odd flickering from one particular star, usually caused by objects in space passing in front of it. But that usually means the star is very young, and this one is not. In fact, the phenomenon is so strange in this case, that some scientists are considering some wild theories to explain it. Could we be witnessing an alien super structure? Jeff and Anthony talk through all of the wildest ideas and decide if they's aliens. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by Emil Lange, Katie Smith, and several others: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/10/the-most-interesting-star-in-our-galaxy/410023/?utm_source=SFFB If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Bioengineers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a mathematical algorithm that can "see" your intention while performing an ordinary action like reaching for a cup or driving straight up a road -- even if the action is interrupted. The idea is to use this algorithm to design machines that could correct the course of a swerving car or help a stroke patient with spasticity. Anthony and Jeff imagine a world with psychic robots and wonder if it will be better or worse. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by Benjamin Dorn: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151007125748.htm If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

A new study find that people who like bitter foods are more likely to display psychopathic tendencies. Since Anthony loves his coffee black, this leads to some awkward moments as Jeff tries to survive another episode. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by Nick Frigillana: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/psychopathic-people-are-more-likely-to-prefer-bitter-foods-according-to-new-study-a6688971.html If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

In their ongoing debate over whether running is cool or stupid, Anthony and Jeff consider the new study which links the euphoric feeling from long distance runs not to endorphins, as previously assumed, but to the body’s own endocannabinoids. On a chemical level, is "runner's high" actually like the high from marijuana? Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by pretty much everybody: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/homing-in-on-the-source-of-runners-high/?_r=2 If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Roboticists have created an automaton with the appearance and behavior of legendary science fiction author, Phillip K. Dick. Quotes from actual interviews are augmented with an AI system that actually learns as it communicates. And recently, it told one interviewer it would eventually put humans in a "People Zoo", Anthony and Jeff find this information alarming, but oddly exciting. At least the robot uprising will start with fantastic authors. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by Jonathan Pople: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/09/02/ai-robot-learns-words-in-real-time-tells-human-creators-it-will-keep-them-in-a-people-zoo/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

David Whitlock is a chemist who hasn't showered in 12 years, but reportedly does not stink. Instead of bathing, he has been spraying himself with a concoction of his own devising that he claims breaks down ammonia, which is what causes body odor. Anthony and special guest Allie Goertz are ready to give the shower-free lifestyle a try, while Jeff mourns the loss of this favorite daily activity. Patrons get a bonus, double length episode with Allie! Check out our Patreon to listen to it: https://www.patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Check out Allie's Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/534180071/rick-and-morty-album-music-video-by-allie-goertz Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Jeff on Twitter: @jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: @acarboni Today’s story was sent in by: Jimirads on our subreddit: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-chemist-who-hasnt-showered-in-12-years-explain-why-he-doesnt-stink?utm_source=digg&utm_medium=facebook If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

One day in June, the Value Village in Fairbanks, Alaska was alerted to a 15 foot long bloodsucking fish in their parking lot.. What could possibly cause a lamprey to materialize so far from water? Even crazier, fish were discovered all over the city, as if they fell from the sky. Anthony and Jeff are perplexed by these phenomena, but that doesn't stop them from offering some theories on how they might be happening. Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by IRC523: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bloodsucking-fish-rain-from-the-sky-in-alaska/ar-AAeKyHL?ocid=iehp If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Jeff and Anthony have often discussed the brain's annoying propensity to latch on to erroneous conclusions by relating two disparate pieces of data, and a new article in FiveThirtyEight Science breaks down the "illusion of causality" and other problematic human tendencies even clearer. Why is the brain so determined to mislead itself? And what can we do to be less dumb? Get all your sweet We Have Concerns merch by swinging by http://wehaveconcerns.com/shop Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story sent in by Alexander Hoffman: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/your-brain-is-primed-to-reach-false-conclusions/?ex_cid=538twitter If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns