Science Vs

Autism rates are rising all over the world, and lots of people are wondering: why? In the U.S., HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said the cause is an "environmental toxin" and has vowed to get to the bottom of it. But we already have lots of science on this — so what does that research tell us? We talk with epidemiologist Professor Brian Lee, Associate Professor Karen Heffler, clinical...

A lot of influencers are going on all-meat diets, saying that all this meat is clearing up inflammation, healing their guts, and sharpening their focus. But others say, hold up — this diet is sure to lead to heart disease, cancer, and even scurvy. So we’re asking: Is it possible to live on meat alone? Is there any benefit to the carnivore diet? And what are the risks? We talk to nutritionist...

Fitness buffs online can’t stop raving about creatine. They say it is THE supplement to get you shredded in no time — and that it can even boost your brain and memory too. Are they right? We dive into the science of creatine and talk to anatomy Professor Darryn Willoughby, physicist Dr. Ali Gordji-Nejad, and psychology researcher Julia Fabienne Sandkühler.Find our transcript here:...

This year there was huge news when scientists at the company called Collosal brought back the dire wolf! Some say these cute, white pups are not really dire wolves, but that didn't stop a huge media buzz. One of the wolves even made the cover of TIME Magazine … with the line "He's a dire wolf. The first to exist in 10,000 years. Endangered species could be changed forever." So, what exactly is...

Strange things have been happening to science in the US. An executive order is freezing research, a website with once scientific information now looks kinda like it's advertising a reality show … even milkshakes have been caught in the fray. Milkshakes! On top of this, research projects studying everything from vaccine hesitancy to Covid-19 to climate change have been cut. The Trump...

Bird flu has been in the headlines for ages, with scientists warning that we could be headed for a pandemic. But we’ve been hearing about this H5N1 virus for so long that it’s kind of starting to feel like the boy who cried wolf. So — what’s really going on with H5N1 bird flu? How scary is it, and how likely is it that we’re going to end up in a bird flu pandemic? We talk to virologists Dr. Seema...

Headlines are screaming that we have tons of microplastics in our brains — the equivalent of an entire plastic spoon. OK, that sounds terrifying, but is it true? We talk to chemist Prof. Oliver Jones. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/PlasticSpoonBrain In this episode, we cover:(00:00) A plastic spoon’s worth of microplastics?!(05:21) Something dodgy here?(17:39) So how much plastic is in...

Methamphetamine has a scary reputation as one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs out there. But at the same time, it's an FDA-approved drug — and can even be used to treat ADHD in children. So just how dangerous and addictive is meth? And what’s going on in your brain when you use it? We hear from Science Vs listeners who’ve used it — and the scientists who study it, including...

Measles is spreading in the U.S., with hundreds of cases across more than 20 states. And tons of people online are arguing over how we should feel about it. Some say this is bad because measles is SO contagious — and not enough people get the vaccine. But others say that measles isn't such a big deal, so why are we freaking out?? Didn't basically everyone get this virus back in the day and live...

A popular podcast called The Telepathy Tapes claims that telepathy is real — and tons of people are convinced. So we open our minds to the possibility of mind-reading and ask: Could this be real?? And if not — what might be going on here? We dive into the science (yes — there is science!) with Dr. Katharine Beals, Prof. Jim Todd, and Prof. Chris French. Find our transcript here:...