Science unscripted

Gabe's voice undergoes an unexpected transformation, and why two people have been running around a 'wall of death' in Italy. Also, send your favorite SAD SONG to su@dw.com - and let us know why you listen to it?

Unhappy with your body? Deleting Instagram may help (if you're a woman). Also, forget 'cold tubs' if you want bigger muscles — and why do we consume content that makes us sad?

How concerning is the spread of H5N1 from cows to humans? Also, random people know you better than you think, new research on why people make sounds during sex, and a listener... doesn't like a song we played.

If we wanted to talk to a gigantic underwater animal, how would we do that? Also, lose weight... by making friends!

Dear elderly people, you were right. Today's music isn't what it used to be. The interesting part is why.

If you're home alone on a Friday night, you might stuff your face full of chips, chocolate or candy. (Gabe and Conor do.) A study on brain activity shows it's not entirely your fault, though — and that there may be a way to solve it.

Angry? New research shows you can 'export' it and then destroy it! Also, make yourself healthier and happier... by being touched... by something!

Are we touching each other less? Probably. Does it matter? Very much. If you're missing physical contact, new research will make you feel better.

A good song resonates inside you. But the question is... where? Well, it depends — on 'surprise' and 'uncertainty.'

There's a 30% increase in car deaths due to solar eclipses, and it's important to know why that happens.

Frozen hands, subjective aging, understanding autism — this episode has a ton of science (and some angry YouTube comments).

Human trials are underway to stop cocaine addiction using vaccines. Do they work? And if so, how?

If you're tempted to blame dog owners for their chunky animals... think twice. Also, should Gabe and Conor be perfectly informed on every study they talk about?

We all have ways of dealing with anger. And most of them don't really work.

When new research makes women look good, we tend to like it. When it makes men look good, we don't.

A quirk in human psychology has a big impact on your chances of getting a job, a date or winning a talent show. Also, Conor puts 'social norms erosion' research to the test — twice.

Exhaustion is almost as dangerous as driving drunk. And researchers might have found a way to prove who's doing it.

Did you notice? How the curse words above jolted your brain awake? That effect is real. Don't abuse it.

You a procrastinator? (We are.) New research suggests an unexpected cause of that. Also, if you have a tough time confronting rule breakers in public (because who doesn't), a new study shows there's a way to do it right.

Ever heard someone scrolling TikTok or YouTube Shorts ? It's really annoying — and there's a way to stop it.

Yes, he's real. And he was doing it (in part) to make money. But when doctors found out, they asked him to get jabbed a few times more.

A listener email sends us deep into the lakes of Latvia — and to honor victims of genocide, it's important to talk about what it is, how it happens and who it happens to.

If a close neighbor had committed horrific murders 30 years ago and was released back into your community, could you accept that? That they'd been rehabilitated? Researchers are trying to answer that question in Rwanda.

If someone had become more empathetic... how would you know? Also, people are willing to pay more for products that look and talk like humans — but only some products.

Powerful smells may mitigate severe depression, and a new study suggests regular erections can help against ED. Also, the fascinating reason humans built a gigantic wall close to a lake roughly 10,000 years ago.

A new study using VR suggests the things that make neighborhoods safer… don't necessarily make us FEEL safer. (And for God's sake, close the garage door.)

Deep in a remote forest, a sick, elderly man got scratched by a stray cat — and likely died as a result.

Every third person thinks human-induced climate change — which is real and caused by us humans — is a fantasy. But if you think it's a psychological trick to drive SUVs or fly (guilt free), a new study suggests you're wrong.

New research suggests we should divulge our secrets more often than we do. But how you do it matters. (Send secrets to su@dw.com)

Look, we know we sound like boomers — but there really is something wrong with mass-produced music today, and it's connected to the science of how humans perceive beats.

Should Science unscripted be using AI imagery for its shows? It's a real question, and we don't know how to answer it. Will you help us?

Imagine you got rejected by a university. Except a human didn't reject you — AI did. How do you feel now?

Was Alzheimer's transferred to a handful of patients? Also, a new study shows what parking lots do to your brain.

Most of us employees only have a short time before going to bed to recover from the stress of the work day. Video games can help. But you have to be careful with how you use them.

Let's be honest: 'Gatherer-hunters' doesn't quite roll off the tongue. And a new study from up in the Andes doesn't prove we've been plant-based all along.

A new study suggests it's never a good idea to watch someone else eat raw broccoli. Also, what Job (from the Old Testament) got wrong about wind and wisdom, and the surprising side effect of phobia therapy.

By asking children whether they should stomp on another kid’s foot, researchers have answered one of the core questions of our existence.

Look, we're not trying to push a vegan lifestyle. But it’s worth figuring out why a diet that leads to better human health (and a cooler climate)… just isn't popular with men.

Chickens can communicate emotions (like exasperation), and we humans can understand it. Also, our listeners have a wild variety of new status symbols (and one of them is Science unscripted).

We all have an image of what a 'wise person' looks and sounds like. New research shows we're wrong.

A new study on mice shows there may be an easy way to prevent — and treat — the debilitating nausea and vomiting that happens in 70% of pregnancies.

Once in a while we have an episode that has nothing to do with science. This one's about how Gabe burned his hair off.

Thanks for listening to (or watching) our show this year. And please don't forget these quick tips on how to have a safe and fun party on December 31.

Sometimes we end up at social events because... it's just too awkward to say no. New research suggests you should feel better about declining (if you do it the right way).

Conor misplaces a telescope, our solar system is a ballerina, and how to protect your voice from being AI synthesized.

Across the globe, 15-year-olds are doing worse on standardized tests than five years ago. And it may have nothing to do with the pandemic lockdowns.

Does that seem like an impossible question to answer? It sure does. Because you'd have to go back in time to answer it. Or you'd need 30 hours on the planet's most powerful telescope (James Webb).

Just about every study we talk about in this episode has a pretty significant caveat. Also, an emailed warning from a poet who chopped too much firewood.

A longitudinal US study shows that having a younger sibling will tend to lower your cognitive development. But the effect vanishes after child number three.

In an unprecedented interview about a unique and novel study, an Austrian researcher explains why the first three adjectives you just read are part of a growing problem.

As you age, your body can get stuck in 'fasting mode,' leading to muscle loss and other problems. New research from Germany gives a clue at how to change that — and maybe live longer?

Once in a while there's a surfeit of positive news in the field of medicine. This week was one of 'em.

A study on eye contact suggests it isn't aggressive, but actually improves conversation. So why don't we do it more?

Sometimes, improving pollution... makes global warming worse. Also, women are more addicted to their phones than men, chimpanzees use military strategy — and one of our new listeners didn't like us at first.

One solution to unprecedented cattle die-offs: Modify cows so they can deal with record heat.

The future of weather forecasting might have little to do with atmospheric physics. Also, our listeners had some really interesting things to say about a study on tattoos.

As expected, you had things to say about our interview with a masculinity influencer. Also, when a dozen parakeets are squawking, how do they know who's speaking?

If you're honest, you probably have an opinion on people with tattoos. And that makes you a lot like the police (and judges and juries).

A large, longitudinal study has some surprising conclusions about when we're most satisfied with our lives — and it's connected to how we humans tend to fill out questionnaires.

A novel study out of Switzerland and Germany shows that human beings, under certain conditions, can end up synchronizing biologically — like a metronome.

A few episodes back we did a deep dive into the science behind a toxically masculine mind. At that point not one of the influencers we'd reached out to had agreed to be interviewed — and it seemed they never would. Then we got an unexpected email.

Conor gets an email from a German island about his accent, Gabe does his best to make his mom 'proud,' and an in-studio experiment takes all of us to India.

You probably have an opinion on which language is the 'most beautiful.' And you're probably (objectively) wrong.

As we age, we become slower at connecting words with the imagery that represents them. The interesting part is why.

A breakthrough in brain science for alcoholics (but not just them), a shoe tech revolution is underfoot, and the startling fact that living in a city means you're far more likely to suffer from depression.

By delivering a gene to the brain, scientists appear to have 'cured' alcoholic primates of their booze lust. Also, why did the woman who shattered the marathon world record kiss her shoe as soon as she finished?

Why is it that people who live in an urban environment are 30%+ more likely to suffer depression than those in rural areas? And why does that rule just... absolutely not apply in developing countries?

In the wake of natural catastrophes, the forensic work to identify the dead is critically important for loved ones' closure. But mistakes can be made.

Humility, which is great to have, is also connected to whether you trust scientists (or people like Gabe and Conor). Also, what a tooth can tell us after a tragedy, and a fun study on what people do when they get a big lump sum of money.

It sounds like a thereotical question. But for 200 lucky participants in a pretty novel study, it became very real.

You'd think that the less someone knows, the more likely it is they'll buy in to misinformation. Right? Surprisingly, a new study suggests that, up to a point, it's actually worse to know more.

Anxiety about the climate crisis actually drops as you learn more about it. Also, to avoid dying unnecessarily early, you may need to get a new job.

Want to live longer? Sure, there's exercise and nutrition. But a new study makes a convincing case that a less 'precarious' work environment is the answer.

On this week's show, we invite you to ponder roundworms in the human brain, a carbon tax that actually might have a chance and a way to inject insulin that uses music instead of a needle.

Recent data from the United States shows unequivocally that the rich are (by far) most responsible for CO2 emissions. Private jets, yachts...this is probably not new information. What might be new for you, however, is the role that investments play in all of this.

The worms that live inside pythons (and that can wriggle their way into a human brain) are a healthy reminder for all of us to — please — handle our food better.

It is possible to 'download' a song clip directly from human brains — and that's good news for 'brain-to-speech' technologies of the future. Also, SU listeners (and others) have weighed in on the debate about intimate cosmetic surgery.

Do you wear Crocs? Because that's the material Italian researchers used to see if the Prince of Walachia (aka 'Vlad the Impaler') was plagued by a rare condition called hemolacria.

A dog in Iceland, Australians in Italy, and Gabe back in studio. Once in a while we have an episode that's not about science. This is one of them.

How could a country that just put a lander on the moon's south pole decide to rob its students of fundamental science?

A small German study on scrotum aesthetics has raised big questions: Does talking about 'beauty' in the context of genitalia lead to medically unnecessary surgeries? (Like some labiaplasties.) And do attempts to even define those standards contribute to the problem?

How could a character that's supposed to make us laugh cause 50% of people to feel terror?

When a DW co-investigation uncovers a path that leads from a German physics department to the Chinese military — and it involves technologies that could change the outcome of a war — it's time to ask uncomfortable questions.

Yes, scientists really do create 'enhanced viruses' inside labs around the world. Should they?

Three people. Ever. That's how many have been cured of HIV. We visited one of them to learn about the extraordinarily rare (and risky) treatment — and to find out if it can, even indirectly, lead to a true cure for 40 million more.

Do you have a purpose in life? Would it matter if you didn't? Also, Gabe learns why it's wrong to say 'victims of sexual harassment.'

Ever wonder why, after encountering sexual harassment, so many people don't report it? There's a good reason for that. We talked to women about their encounters with harassment — and asked social psychologist Manuela Barreto, author of a new study, to explain.

The better your body is at sucking oxygen out of the atmosphere and pumping it toward your cells, the lower your risk of getting two kinds of cancer (and dying from three).

A German urologist answers a listener email about fainting after urination, and why a prominent doctor thinks taurine won't extend human lives (like it did for mice and monkeys).

Mosquito haters, rejoice: Researchers in Israel have created an insect repellant made of cellulose (plant compounds) that could save lives and make summer nights way more enjoyable.

How would it make you feel to know a virtual reality forest could make you as happy as a real one?

'Comparison is the thief of joy,' a listener reminds us — and also, a researcher explains why people are feeling younger than ever.

Forget your birth date. How old do you actually feel? That gap, or 'age bias,' is a real phenomenon — and for some reason it's getting wider.

A staggering amount data suggests our mental health goes down — not up — when we try to solve our loneliness by socializing.

We love the emails. SU@dw.com — keep them coming! But there's one more way you can help shape this show: https://surveys.dw.com/c/su?maca=en-podcast_spectrum-31485-xml-mrss

We learn this week that Conor truly is a Celtic music-making machine. All it took was a c# from some busted toilet pipes. Also, thanks for all the emails about seated urination.

Two people in the same neighborhood stub their toes. Whose hurts more? Unbelievably, it kind of depends on the size of their house.

An excellent study shows that animals live substantially longer lives after daily doses of a natural amino acid. But please don't start chugging taurine-enhanced energy drinks (like Gabe does).

Seemingly inexplicable seated urination, a wildflower meadow amidst the immaculate lawns of Cambridge University, birds singing soothing songs on the eastern bank of the River Rhine, and an oddly beautiful sound that emanates from a DW bathroom — this one's got it all.

Birdsong is apparently so good for human wellbeing all it takes is an audio recording to bring down anxiety levels — and paranoia. This show goes out to our listener Brent.