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29 Dec 2020

Pet Project – Eric Tourigny

What do changes in our beliefs about the death of our pets over the past century say about the relationship we have with our companion animals? In episode 90, Eric Tourigny from Newcastle University's School of History, Classics and Archaeology discusses his research into historic pet cemeteries a......
Listen to the episode..Pet Project – Eric Tourigny
29 Sep 2020

Why Narcissists Are “Never Wrong” – Tori Howes and Ed Kausel

Should I have done something differently? Or could nobody have seen it coming? In episode 84 Satoris "Tori" Howes from Oregon State University-CascadesĀ and Edgar "Ed" Kausel from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile join us to discuss their research into the malleability of narcissists' memory...
Listen to the episode..Why Narcissists Are “Never Wrong” – Tori Howes and Ed Kausel
4 Aug 2020

The Metaethics of Moral Claims – Jordan Theriault

How do our brains respond when people behave in unpredictable ways? In episode 80, Jordan Theriault from Northeastern University discusses his research into a set of brain regions which, when activated by a variety of social tasks, can provide insights into how we judge the moral objectivity or su......
Listen to the episode..The Metaethics of Moral Claims – Jordan Theriault
21 Jul 2020

A Marijuana Breathalyzer – Neil Garg

What's that on your breath? In episode 79 of Parsing Science we talk with Neil Garg from UCLA about his research into the fundamental chemistry necessary for the creation of a small, electronic test of marijuana that works by way of a simple electrochemical oxidation process similar to that used i......
Listen to the episode..A Marijuana Breathalyzer – Neil Garg
23 Jun 2020

How Black Politicians Matter – Trevon Logan

What impact did Black politicians have during the Reconstruction? In episode 77, Trevon Logan from The Ohio State University's Department of Economics discusses his research into the election of Black politicians after the Civil War ended in 1865, which led to increased tax revenues that were put ......
Listen to the episode..How Black Politicians Matter – Trevon Logan
9 Jun 2020

When Ignorance is Bliss – Emily Ho

Why do some of us choose to remain ignorant of information that - though perhaps unpleasant - could help us make better informed decisions in the future? In episode 76, Emily Ho from Northwestern University’s Department of Medical Social Sciences discusses her research into why we keep our heads i...
Listen to the episode..When Ignorance is Bliss – Emily Ho
12 May 2020

Parroting Probabilities – Amalia Bastos

Very few animals can combine information to adjust their predictions in a flexible way by using domain-general intelligence as humans do. In episode 74, Amalia Bastos from the University of Auckland discusses her research demonstrating that kea parrots can make predictions based in probabilities, ......
Listen to the episode..Parroting Probabilities – Amalia Bastos
14 Apr 2020

The Plight of the Tiger – Akchousanh Rasphone

Are wild tigers now extinct in Laos? In episode 72, Akchousanh "Akchou" Rasphone from Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit discusses her research which concludes that improvised snares appear to have decimated the country's wild tiger population, a species whose worldwide population is now......
Listen to the episode..The Plight of the Tiger – Akchousanh Rasphone
17 Mar 2020

The Minds of Single-celled Organisms – Jeremy Gunawardena

Can even a single-celled organism truly learn? In Episode 70, Jeremy Gunawardena with the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School talks with us about his replication of an experiment originally conducted over a century ago, which suggested that at least one single-cell organism - t......
Listen to the episode..The Minds of Single-celled Organisms – Jeremy Gunawardena
3 Mar 2020

Cuttlefish in 3D Glasses – Trevor Wardill

Why Velcro 3D glasses onto cuttlefish? In Episode 69,Ā Trevor Wardill from the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota discusses his research into the previously unknown ability of the cephalopod to see in stereo vision. His article,Ā ā€œCuttlefish use stereopsis t...
Listen to the episode..Cuttlefish in 3D Glasses – Trevor Wardill
21 Jan 2020

Hiding in Plain Sight – Katherine Wood

Did you catch that? In episode 66, Katherine Wood from the University of Illinois discusses her research with the scientist behind the famous ā€œInvisible Gorillaā€ experiments, Daniel Simons,Ā into if and when people notice unexpected objects in inattentional blindness tasks. She discusses her and Si...
Listen to the episode..Hiding in Plain Sight – Katherine Wood
7 Jan 2020

Transmitting Placebo Effects – Luke Chang

Can your doctor's beliefs about the efficacy of a treatment affect how you experience pain? In episode 65, we’re joined by Luke Chang from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. He talks with us about his research into socially transmitted placebo effects, throu...
Listen to the episode..Transmitting Placebo Effects – Luke Chang
10 Dec 2019

Global Decline of Homicide – Mateus Rennó Santos

The global decline of births from 1990 and 2015 has to a reduction in the proportion of people aged 15-29. So might this explain why the world’s homicide rate has dropped by nearly 20%? In episode 64, we’re joined by Mateus Rennó SantosĀ from the University of South Florida. He talks with us about ...
Listen to the episode..Global Decline of Homicide – Mateus Rennó Santos
26 Nov 2019

Extraordinary Claims, Ordinary Evidence – Susan Gelman

Why are bold, broad, and terse depictions of science perceived as more important, robust and generalizable than nuanced ones? In episode 63, we're joined by Susan Gelman from the University of Michigan, who talks with us about her research into the use of generic language in scientific papers. Her......
Listen to the episode..Extraordinary Claims, Ordinary Evidence – Susan Gelman
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