We Have Concerns

New research indicates that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may be linked to a physical swelling in the brain. This leads scientists to believe that by preventing this swelling, they may be able to not only treat PTSD, but actually immunize against fear itself. Jeff and Anthony imagine a world without fear, and wonder what they'd do if they could prevent their own anxieties. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Christine Reynolds: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/immunization-could-halt-post-traumatic-stress/ 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

Back in 1999, Sony released a robot dog called Aibo. Now, 15 years later, these toys have started to break down, and Sony has ceased repairing them or manufacturing new models. This has caused the few people who still use and care for these little robotic companions to come to terms with the loss of a wholly inorganic member of their families. Jeff and Anthony discuss whether man-made friends can ever truly replace natural ones, and why we must always accept the inevitable death of all cute things. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Zachary Sears: http://gizmodo.com/sonys-robotic-dogs-are-dying-a-slow-and-heartbreaking-d-1712160637 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 an effort to create a more accurate image recognition system, researchers have been training Google's neural network to pick out objects obscured by denser and denser layers of optical noise. But by feeding the AI the other direction - giving it nothing but noise and asking it to pick out images - they've discovered a surreal and dreamlike quality in the network that is both beautiful and haunting. Anthony and Jeff marvel at the ability for an AI to "dream", and project how this will lead to our ultimate downfall. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Soryo21: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/snapshots-of-an-ais-psychedelic-dreams?utm_source=mbtwitter 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

As a way to raise funds, some US prisons are offering visitors a way to eat what inmates eat. This experience promises to be the "worst meal of your life" and yet still been successful in attracting curious diners in at least two locations. Anthony shares his experience with jail food, and Jeff wonders what kind of person thinks this is a good idea. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Katie Brady: http://munchies.vice.com/articles/the-public-is-dying-to-taste-the-prison-systems-worst-food 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

For the first time, scientists have managed to grow an arm in a lab. This rat forelimb seems to be functional and able to circulate blood, giving hope that one day we will be able to grow usable replacement limbs for amputees. Anthony and Jeff are excited about the possibilities, but wonder about the fate of the rats on whom these new arms were tested. Also, Anthony reveals his darkest physical secret. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Trevor Shulten: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630243.300-worlds-first-biolimb-rat-forelimb-grown-in-the-lab.html?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=twitter&cmpid=SOC|NSNS|2014-GLOBAL-twitter#.VYnIzUa5jnO 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 London borough has decided to get to start DNA testing abandoned dog droppings and delivering retroactive tickets to the irresponsible owners. Anthony, Jeff, and special guest Greg Miller from Kinda Funny Vids discuss the ethics of cleaning up after your pet, and the ramifications of a DNA-empowered poop task force. Thanks to Greg Miller for joining us! Visit his website here: http://www.kindafunny.com/ We recorded a special, patron-only episode with Greg! Listen to it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/2723006 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 was submitted by Seth Bedwell: http://www.popsci.com/biotech-startup-wants-replace-your-eyeballs-synthetic-ones?dom=fb&src=SOC 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://wehaveconcerns.reddit.com

A new review of scientific literature finds that there is no evidence that eating the afterbirth is good for the mother. It could even be harmful. Which leads Anthony and Jeff to weigh the pros and cons of ingesting placenta, and wondering how this practice has become so common. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Susan Bently: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/06/eating-placenta/394910/ 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

The de-extinction movement is in full swing, which leads some scientists to consider reconstructing the DNA of Neanderthals. Could that be possible? And what would a prehistoric humanoid be like in the modern world. Anthony and Jeff consider the possible ramifications. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Alex Salinas: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130306-neanderthal-genome-extinction-cloning-hominid-science/ 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

Dean Karnazes has a rare physiological condition that allows him to process lactic acid more efficiently than other humans and effectively run forever. His list of running accomplishments is truly super human. Jeff and Anthony differ on their opinion of whether running is worthwhile, but both of them imagine what they might do if they could replicate Dean's unique attributes. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by Bilbosexyhobbit: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/aug/30/dean-karnazes-man-run-forever 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

Scientists have discovered that getting spiders to ingest carbon nanotubes will cause them to weave spider silk that is even stronger than their naturally strong tensile strands. This leads Anthony and Jeff to imagine all kinds of potential uses for this amazing new by-product. There is only one problem: how do you harvest spider silk? We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns 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 submitted by awsaba: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/537301/spiders-ingest-nanotubes-then-weave-silk-reinforced-with-carbon/ 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