New research conducted by psychologists in Milan shows that if Batman show up, we immediately become more altruistic and considerate. Jeff and Anthony dig into this heroic study, and discuss how it might be applied to making the world a better place.

LInk to the story: https://phys.org/news/2025-11-batman-effect-mere-sight-superhero.html

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Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Anthony and Jeff take a look at two new breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Researchers believe it will be possible in the near future to build organisms from molecules with reversed structures. But a recent multi-disciplinary report suggest that creating such "mirror life" could lead to the end of all known life on earth. Jeff and Anthony discuss the report, and what it means for synthetic biology.

LInk to the story: https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/12/potential-risks-of-mirror-life

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

The Streaked Shearwater Seagull is a remarkable bird. It intentionally flies into the eye of hurricanes. But when scientists strapped video cameras to the gulls to study the behavior they learned something else. These birds are superpoopers. Anthony and Jeff plunge into the new findings to determine why this discovery is such a big deal.

LInk to the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-seabirds-pooping-habits-shock-scientists/

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

The World Meteorological Organization’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes recently certified a new record: the longest lightning strike ever measured. Jeff and Anthony discuss the astonishing phenomenon, and dive into a whole host of surprising lightning-based statistics.

LInk to the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lightning-strike-sets-new-record-for-longest-ever-measured/

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

The "Lost" Colony of Roanoke is one of the most enduring American mysteries, despite there being persuasive evidence to explain the disappearance of so many early settlers. Anthony and Jeff revisit this tale of American colonization, and look at the lastest findings that may put the questions to rest, once and for all.

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Findings published in the journal Evolution reveal that mammals independently evolved specialized adaptations for exclusively feeding on ants and termites at least 12 times since the Cenozoic era began, roughly 66 million years ago. Why? And what does that reveal about how life has evolved on earth? Jeff and Anthony chew on the data to find out.

LInk to the story: https://phys.org/news/2025-07-mammals-evolved-ant-eaters-dinosaur.amp

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

What are the characteristics that make someone cool? How about good? Is there overlap? Can someone be both cool and good? Anthony and Jeff look at a new study that aims to quantify the attributes most associated with cool and good people, all around the world, to see where they stand - and if they agree!

LInk to the story: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/well/mind/cool-people-traits-study.html

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

When it comes to making a splash, technique tops brute force. While you might think a cannonball will yield the biggest splash in the pool, science has confirmed that a new technique from New Zealand, called Manu jumping, reigns supreme. Jeff and Anthony describe the Manu jump, and the mechanics behind why it is so effective.

LInk to the story: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/biggest-splash-pool-manu-science

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Three stories this week, all concerning birds! Pranksters, scamps, potential saviors of earth? In the first, cockatoos in Australia have learned how to drink from public water fountains. Anthony and Jeff discuss how and why. Next ups, the penguins of Antactica might be helping offset climate change... with their poop. And finally, have humans altered the course of evolution with hummingbird feeders? Anthony and Jeff wing their way through all three topics!

LInk to the stories: https://www.science.org/content/article/cockatoos-have-learned-operate-drinking-fountains-australia

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5409315/penguins-antarctica-poop-climate-change

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/hummingbirds-rapidly-evolved-longer-beaks-slurp-more-nectar-yard-feeders-new-study

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

For 60 years, between 1637 and 1697, people who died at the largest hospital in Milan were dropped into a brick-lined crypt. Now, 300 years later, their unearthed remains reveal shocking insights into the lives of the 17th century working poor - and the discovery of a never before seen type of soil. Jeff and Anthony dig through the bones to discuss this fascinating trove of historical science.

LInk to the story: https://www.science.org/content/article/thousands-buried-17th-century-italian-crypt-reveal-lives-working-poor#

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social
Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social