Science Vs

We join forces with Sarah Marshall from You’re Wrong About to dive into a question for the ages: Blue balls — are they real? And we’ve got some BIG blue balls news in this episode! The survey we did when it originally aired has been turned into a peer-reviewed paper led by scientists at Queen’s University! WE MADE SCIENCE! And if you took our survey, you helped!So join us as we revisit this romp where we ask if blue balls are a ball-faced lie, something that men make up to pressure women to have sex with them. Our guests include Sam Pierstorff, Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, Professor Caroline Pukall and Dr. Jonathan Chalett.Find our blue balls paper in the journal Sexual Medicine: https://academic.oup.com/smoa/article/11/2/qfad016/7148610Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/sciencevsblueballsupdate Link(s) to related episode(s), if desired (and ask Jen Hahn to make a button once published): In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Chapter One: We’ve published a scientific paper on blue balls!(04:05) Chapter Two: A cautionary blue balls tale(09:25) Chapter Three: Could a semen backup cause blue balls?(15:00) Chapter Four: Is blue balls caused by blood flow?(19:05) Chapter Five: We do our own blue balls research!Credits:This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn, Nick DelRose, Michelle Dang, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Eva Dasher, update fact checked by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. The updated version was mixed by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. A huge thanks to all the experts we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr Gordon Muir, Dr Michael Leapman, Dr Karan Rangarajan, Dr Randal Rockney, Dr Nan Wise, and Dr Kevin Gandhi. A big thanks to Joel Werner, R.E. Natowicz, Eric Mennel, Ayo Oti, Andrea Scott, Jack Weinstein, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you wanna receive notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The dentist tells us to floss, brush, avoid certain food and drinks ... but what actually matters when it comes to having healthy teeth? We're drilling into the science on all of it. Plus, we go undercover to find out how many dentists are trying to upsell you when you go in for a checkup. We talk to epidemiologist and dentist Professor Philippe Hujoel, dentist Dr. Alisha Virmani, and economist Dr. Felix Gottschalk. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/sciencevsdentist Fill out this quick survey to vote on the BEST SCIENCE VS EPISODE OF ALL TIME! blythet.typeform.com/to/oghHme3x  In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Chapter 1: Oral hygiene is confusing(02:08) Chapter 2: Do flossing and tooth brushing prevent cavities?(11:07) Chapter 3: Flossing: Good for the gums?(16:42) Chapter 4: Does seltzer mess up our teeth? What about other food and drink?(22:26) Chapter 5: How dodgy are dentists?Credits:This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Wendy Zukerman, R.E. Natowicz, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang and Joel Werner, We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr. Joshua Emrick, Dr. Arosha Weerakoon, Professor Stephen Peckham, Professor Marie Bismark, Professor Steven Levy, Dr. Abdul Ghoneim, Dr. David Okano, Professor Christof Dörfer, and Dr. Patrick Fee. Special thanks to Chris Suter, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you want to get notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon in your app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to keeping our skin looking younger, what works? Retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C? This simple question has become confused by the billion-dollar skin-care industry, which floods us with scientific-sounding claims about the chemicals they say we should put on our face. We find out the real science on what you need for healthy skin with Dr Natalia Spierings, Dr Szu Wong and Kirsten Drysdale. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/sciencevsskincare In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Chapter 1: Promises of the skin care industry(04:12) Chapter 2: Why do we get wrinkles? (06:36) Chapter 3: Can skin care products remove wrinkles? (14:15) Chapter 4: Can vitamin A cream reduce wrinkles? (21:30) Chapter 5: 99% reduction in fine lines! (26:55) Chapter 6: Moisturizers and sunscreen(29:00) Chapter 7: Is skin care a waste of money?This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, R.E. Natowicz, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Thanks to all the researchers who helped us with this episode including Dr Yousuf Mohammed, Professor Chris Anderson, Dr Lifeng Kang, Dr Heather Benson, and Professor Sara Brown. Special thanks to Flora Lichtman, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you wanna receive notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Dr. Anthony Fauci. Today, we’re looking back at that episode and asking — how much of the pandemic did we predict? This episode has some unbleeped curse words. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsPandemicIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Chapter One: Why we’re sharing this episode(03:42) Chapter Two: Meet Dr. Anthony Fauci(07:10) Chapter Three: The fictional pandemic begins(26:50) Chapter Four: Fauci’s thoughts on our fake pandemic(33:53) Chapter Five: Wendy and Blythe’s reactionThe original pandemic episode was produced by Kaitlyn Sawrey, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Lexi Krupp, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. It was edited by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Extra writing help from Kevin Christopher Snipes. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord and Marcus Thorne Bagala. This new update was produced by Rose Rimler and fact checked by Erika Akiko Howard, and mixed by Bobby lord.Thank you to all the scientists and researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Eric Toner, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Beth Maldin Morgenthau, Dr. Melvin Sanicas, Dr. Mandy Izzo, Dr. Kurt Frey, Professor Michael Osterholm, Dr. Patrick Saunders Hastings, Rosemary Gibson, Thomas Bollyky, Dr. Ashleigh Tuite, Professor Stephen Morse, Dr. Lalitha Sundaram, Professor David N. Fisman, Lynette Brammer, the late Dr. Mohamed Naguib, Dr. Yeulong Shu, Dr. Dan Jernigan, Dr. Kirsty Short, and special thanks to Bess Davenport at CDC. Thanks to our actors, Annabelle Fox as Mindy, as well as the late William Dufris, Alice Kors, Dani Cervone, Robin Miles, Jordan Cobb, Jonathan Woodward, Ian Lowe and Casey Wortmann. Directed by William Dufris with help from Wendy Zukerman, Kaitlyn Sawrey and Fred Greenhalgh. Recording by Fred Greenhalgh and Peter Leonard. Also thank you to all the Gimlet people who performed various drafts during edits, including Chad Chenail, Gabe Lozada, Jasmine Romero and MR Daniel. And a huge thank you to Frank Lopez, Jorge Just, Joel Werner, R.E. Natowicz, Stevie Lane, Phoebe Flanigan, Chris Giliberti, Justin McGolrick, Katie Pastore, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science vs on Spotify. Tap the bell to receive new episode notifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 hands in the fight against climate change. We dive into how this works with ecologists Dr. Emily Fairfax and Dr. Ben Dittbrenner. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsBeaversIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Intro: How beavers “beaver away”(02:22) Chapter One: How beavers can help (06:18) Chapter Two: Can we move beavers for the better? This episode was produced by Disha Bhagat, with help from Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and R.E. Natowicz. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our Executive Producer. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord.Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you want to get notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon in your app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 hearing reports that it could be almost a miracle medicine, treating stubborn depression and other mental illnesses. So how good is it, really? And could using a drug like this for depression actually be dangerous? We talk to researchers Dr. Rebecca Price, Prof. Colleen Loo, and Prof. Gerard Sanacora – and Fernanda Graciolli. UPDATE 4/28/23: A previous version of this episode incorrectly described Dr. Rebecca Price’s role in a 2009 study of ketamine’s effect on depression and suicidal thoughts, back when she was a graduate student. The episode has been updated accordingly.This episode does deal with depression and suicidal thoughts. Here are some crisis hotlines:  United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (2755) (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “GO” to 741741 Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available) Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province) United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI) Full list of international hotlines here  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsKetamineIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Intro: Ketamine - a new wonder drug? (05:47) Chapter One: Ketamine and depression(10:37) Chapter Two: What does ketamine do in the brain?(15:04) Chapter Three: But ketamine doesn’t help everyone …(20:17) Chapter Four: The risks of using ketamine(24:30) Chapter Five: Ketamine and addiction(25:54) Chapter Six: Overall — what should we make of ketamine?This episode was produced by Michelle Dang,Wendy Zukerman, R.E. Natowicz, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, So Wiley, and Emma Munger. Thank you to researchers Prof. Bita Moghaddam and Grace Forsyth. Special thanks to Flora Lichtman, Jorge Just, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you want to get notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon in your app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 down. But other people say, no way — these dogs don’t deserve their bad rap. And if a dog has a problem, it’s really the owner’s fault. So who’s right? To find out, we talk to animal behavior expert Anna MacNeil, statistician Dr. Isain Zapata, and researcher Dr. Anthony Herrel. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsPitbulls In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Intro: The pit bull controversy(05:55) Chapter 1: Do pit bulls bite more than other dogs?(11:00) Chapter 2: Which dogs are most aggressive?(19:53) Chapter 3: Do pit bulls bite harder than other dogs?(28:08) Chapter 4: Are dog owners the problem?(29:50) Chapter 5: Signs that a dog might biteThis episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Wendy Zukerman, R.E. Natowicz, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Lawrence Grandpre, Dr. Carlos Alvarez, Dr. Elaine Ostrander, Dr. Elinor Karlsson, Professor James Serpell, and Dr. Kathryn Lord. And a big thanks to everyone who shared their stories about pit bulls - we really appreciate it. Special thanks to Chris Suter, Penelope Epsilon Suter, Mathilde Urfalino, Talia Rochmann, Pierce Singgih, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you want to get notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon in your app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 hearing that our antibiotics aren't working as well as they used to. But recently, it feels like things have really gotten out of hand — we’re told that these super scary antibiotic-resistant bugs are EVERYWHERE. In today’s episode, Wendy visits a freezer filled with superbugs to find out how worried we need to be, and what scientists are doing about this. We talk to ​​Dr. Fernando Gordillo Altamirano, Professor Edward Feil, and Dr. Tina Joshi. Find our transcript here: http://bit.ly/3o914qb In this episode, we cover:(00:00) What's up with superbugs? (04:59) Are superbugs everywhere? (08:32) How is antibiotic resistance spreading? (14:33) Why aren't we all dead? (20:52) Meet phages: superbug-killing viruses(30:33) What else needs to happen to fight superbugs?This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, R.E. Natowicz, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Professor Evgeni V. Sokurenko, Professor Anton Peleg, Professor Jon Iredell, Dr Alejandro Chavez, Dr Branwen Morgan, Professor Asad Khan, Professor Ramanan Laxminarayan, Dr Vanina Guernier-Cambert, Dr Calum Walsh, Dr Claire Gorrie, Dr Marc Stegger. Special thanks to Dr Karl, Pierce Singgih, Flora Lichtman, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you want to get notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon in your app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 bounce back when we’ve had a few too many. We talk to psychopharmacologist Andrew Scholey to find out.Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHangovers In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Party on Bourbon Street(02:11) Does water cure a hangover? What about electrolytes?(08:08) Does sleep cure a hangover?(9:24) Inflammation and hangovers(11:41) What actually works for a hangoverCredits:This episode was produced by R.E. Natowicz, with help from Wendy Zukerman and Meryl Horn, along with Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr. Sally Adams, Prof. Daryl Davies, Prof. Steve Allsop, Prof. David Mangelsdorf, Jöran Köchling, Dr. Stephen Goodman and Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler. Special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify and if you wanna receive notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 reports that even a little bit of booze is bad for you overall. We first looked into this back in 2019, and since then the research has evolved faster than a nanobrewery’s tap list. So today we’re diving back into the science to find out: is just a bit of alcohol dangerous? We talk to epidemiologist and nutritionist Prof. Eric Rimm, psychologist Prof. Tim Stockwell, cancer researcher Dr. Susan Gapstur, and substance use disorder researcher Dr. Peter Butt.Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/AlcoholCorkinItScienceVsTranscript In this episode, we cover: (00:00) The debate over alcohol(03:26) Why alcohol might be good for us(10:10) Why alcohol might be bad for us(16:30) Why are experts recommending even less alcohol now?(19:30) Alcohol and cancer risk(25:32) Our conclusion on alcoholCredits: This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from R.E. Natowicz, Wendy Zukerman as well as Disha Bhagat, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Joel Werner, and Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Editing help from Caitlin Kenney. Gimlet’s managing director is Nicole Beemsterboer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard, Michelle Harris and Michelle Dang. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson, Bobby Lord and Peter Leonard. Music by Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode including Dr. Arthur Klatsky, Dr. Krishna Aragam, Dr. William Kerr, Dr. Tim Niami, Professor William Ghali, Dr. Wendy Chen, Max Griswold and many others. Recording help from Andrew Stelzer, Susanna Capelouto, Katie Sage, and Joseph Fridman. Also thanks to Lynn Levy, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Original Podcast and a Gimlet production. Follow Science Vs on Spotify, and if you wanna receive notifications every time we put out a new episode, tap the bell icon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices