Skip to content
Artwork for Recreational Science
ScienceExplicit

Recreational Science

Scientafic

RecSciPod: the podcast where funny scientists discuss funny science. Hosted by Lu and Tirth, two goofs (with MD/PhDs) who love to talk science and make each other laugh. In each episode, the two tell each other about one of the funniest, wackiest, and most provocative studies they stumble upon. Join us for an amusing mix of science and comedy, because the silly, weird, and ridiculous science experiments of today might just lead to the great discoveries of tomorrow!

Visit our website for transcripts, article archives, and more:
https://scientafic.com/recscipod

Produced by Scientafic

Play
  • 21 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 30 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S2 · E9
    October 13 · 32 min

    Prescription intercourse and how to stay awake at the wheel

    Getting kidney stones can be painful and debilitating. Exercises like walking, light cycling, and yoga can help pass kidney stones. Are there any other activities that might help too? Driving in the middle of the night while sleep deprived is dangerous. Does drinking coffee, taking a nap, or listening to music help? In this episode, Lu and Tirth celebrate some of the latest Ig Nobel Prize laureates, discuss whether sex is effective in passing kidney stones, and learn about the best ways to prevent drowsiness while driving late at night. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:07 Ig Nobel Prizes 6:17 Kidney stone study 19:25 Drowsy driving study 27:02 Let’s read some mail (the Bouba-Kiki effect) 30:16 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Croy et al., 2017. Babies Smell Wonderful to Their Parents, Teenagers Do Not: an Exploratory Questionnaire Study on Children’s Age and Personal Odor Ratings in a Polish Sample. Chemosensory Perception. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12078-017-9230-x Alves-Nunes et al., 2024. RETRACTED ARTICLE: Study of defensive behavior of a venomous snake as a new approach to understand snakebite. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-59416-6 Doluoglu et al., 2015. Can Sexual Intercourse Be an Alternative Therapy for Distal Ureteral Stones? A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study. Urology. https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(15)00347-7/fulltext Bayraktar & Albayrak, 2017. Sexual intercourse as a new option in the medical expulsive therapy of distal ureteral stones in males: A prospective, randomized, controlled study. International Urology and Nephrology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-017-1677-9 Abdel-Kader, 2017. Evaluation of the efficacy of sexual intercourse in expulsion of distal ureteric stones. Urology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-016-1448-z Xu et al., 2019. Meta-analysis of the efficacy of sexual intercourse for distal ureteric stones. Journal of International Medical Research. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0300060518814116 Turgut, 2021. Evaluation of the efficacy of sexual intercourse on distal ureteral stones in women: a prospective, randomized, controlled study. International Urology and Nephrology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11255-020-02661-1 Philip et al., 2006. The Effects of Coffee and Napping on Nighttime Highway Driving: A Randomized Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-144-11-200606060-00004 Sheibani et al., 2022. The effect of listening to Iranian pop and classical music, on mental and physiological drowsiness. Sleep and Biological Rhythms. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41105-021-00369-y Loconsole et al., 2026. Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the bouba-kiki effect in naïve baby chicks. Science. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq7188 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E8
    September 29 · 40 min

    Kissing relieves allergies and starting an ant-sized fight club

    Allergies are annoying, but maybe getting rid of them can be fun? Does a 30-minute make-out session help alleviate allergy symptoms? What matters in a battle between two armies? Army size? The strength of individual soldiers? Or does it depend on the battlefield? In this episode, Lu and Tirth take a quiz on classic scientific studies, investigate whether smooches ditches itches, and discuss how Age of Empires 2 and ants can be used to test out real world battlefield strategies. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:21 Classic scientific studies quiz 13:48 Allergy study 24:55 Battlefield study 34:54 Let’s read some mail (argumentum ad baculum) 38:18 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Kimata, 2003. Kissing reduces allergic skin wheal responses and plasma neurotrophin levels. Physiology & Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938403002956?via%3Dihub Lymbery et al., 2023. Complex battlefields favor strong soldiers over large armies in social animal warfare. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2217973120 Wreen, 1995. Knockdown arguments. Informal Logic. https://informallogic.ca/index.php/informal_logic/article/view/2421 Studies from the quiz: Chau et al., 2011. Chemical processes in the deep interior of Uranus. Nature Communications. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1198 Frey et al., 2016. Four hot DOGs in the microwave. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/455/2/2058/1114769 Thomson, 2007. Children crying at birthday parties. Why? Economic Theory. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27822533 Eck, 2006. When is a bologna sandwich better than sex? A defense of small-n case study evaluations. Journal of Experimental Criminology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-006-9014-9 Paynter, 2008. Practice makes perfect: Rectal foreign bodies. Emergency Nurse. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18372783/ Galuzzi et al., 2025. What if my left hand wants to grab a cookie but my right one disagrees? A single case study of chronic anarchic hand syndrome rehabilitation. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09602011.2026.2620568 Black et al., 2013. Are Children “Normal”? The Review of Economics and Statistics. https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/95/1/21/58040/Are-Children-Normal?redirectedFrom=fulltext You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • September 15 · 22 min

    A pound of feathers, space sperm, nose hair, bug matter, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

    In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the weight of a pound of lead and a pound of feathers, the swimming ability of fruit fly sperm after a trip to space, the force it takes to pluck nose hair, the amount of bugs that splatter on car windshields, the horsepower of a horse, the antibiotic properties of ear wax, and scrotal asymmetry in ancient sculptures. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:30 Lead vs feathers study 6:04 Fruit fly sperm study 8:02 Nose hair study 10:41 Bug splatter study 13:12 Horsepower study 15:19 Ear wax study 17:26 Scrotal asymmetry study 21:23 Outro Article links: Wagman et al., 2007. Which feels heavier – a pound of lead or a pound of feathers? Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p5854 Ogneva et al., 2022. Sperm of Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster under Space Flight. International Journal of Molecular Science. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7498 Prinz & Murray, 2021. On the pullout strength of human nasal hair. Materialia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2589152921001058?via%3Dihub Ball et al., 2021. The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey 2021. Kent Wildlife Trust. https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-05/Bugs%20Matter%202021%20National%20Report.pdf Stevenson & Wassersug. Horsepower from a horse. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/364195a0 Tsenogu et al., 2024. Investigation of Bactericidal effect of Earwax on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from skin and stool samples of undergraduate students, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Surgery and Medical Case Reports. https://www.surgery-medical-casereports.com/1/article/view/6/4 McManus, 1976. Scrotal asymmetry in man and in ancient sculpture. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/259426b0 McManus & Humphrey, 1973. Turning the Left Cheek. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/243271a0 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E7
    September 1 · 35 min

    Beauty triumphs over pain and teaching goldfish to drive cars

    Why do some people enjoy looking at beautiful art? Why do some people enjoy looking at ugly art? Could it have something to do with how much they enjoy pain? Are goldfish as dumb as we think they are? Can they learn to drive cars to forage for food? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the effects of looking at paintings on physical pain tolerance and how goldfish are perhaps as smart as a 16-year-old human. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:33 Tirth’s interesting wedding 8:09 Pain study 19:29 Goldfish study 29:48 Let’s read some mail (toilet flushing) 32:58 What did you learn today, outro Article links: de Tommaso et al., 2008. Aesthetic value of paintings affects pain thresholds. Consciousness and Cognition. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810008001177 Giveon et al., 2022. From fish out of water to new insights on navigation mechanisms in animals. Behavioural Brain Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113711 Goforth et al., 2024. Impacts of lid closure during toilet flushing and of toilet bowl cleaning on viral contamination of surfaces in United States restrooms. American Journal of Infection Control. https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553%2823%2900820-9/fulltext You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E6
    August 18 · 33 min

    Physiological effects of improper urinal etiquette and touching wood

    Urinal etiquette is sacred. Why do men always leave an empty urinal as buffer space when peeing in a public restroom? Could it have an effect on how well they pee? Why do people enjoy hiking in the woods so much? Can you get the same enjoyment from touching a piece of wood? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the physiologic reason behind men’s well-established urinal etiquette and how touching wood affects your brain and heart activity. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:26 Tirth’s upcoming wedding plans 3:17 Urinal study 18:14 Touching wood study 28:44 Let’s read some mail (bird talk) 31:05 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Middlemist et al., 1976. Personal space invasions in the lavatory: suggestive evidence for arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.33.5.541 Ikei et al., 2017. Physiological Effects of Touching Wood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5551239/ Zongker, 2006. Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken. Annals of Improbable Research. https://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume12/v12i5/chicken-12-5.pdf You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E5
    July 28 · 37 min

    Watchful eyes and a measure on the body that predicts success?

    When there are images of eyes around, people are less likely to steal and more likely to donate money. What about images of other body parts? Moreover, do images of eyes make dogs less likely to steal as well? What measurement on the body is correlated with success at your job and athletic prowess in sports? In this episode, Lu and Tirth take an obscure anatomy terminology quiz, discuss how images of eyes, mouths, and noses affect pro- and antisocial behavior in people and in dogs, and dissect whether the size of a part of your body may predict success in life. Check out paint.brains on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/paint.brains/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Anatomy quiz 12:51 Watching eye studies 24:19 Success prediction studies 34:32 Let’s read some mail 36:03 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Kelsey et al., 2018. Eyes, More Than Other Facial Features, Enhance Real-World Donation Behavior. Human Nature. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-018-9327-1 Neilands et al., 2020. Watching eyes do not stop dogs stealing food: evidence against a general risk-aversion hypothesis for the watching-eye effect. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-58210-4 Coates et al., 2009. Second-to-fourth digit ratio predicts success among high-frequency financial traders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.0810907106 Manning et al., 2001. Second to fourth digit ratio and male ability in sport: implications for sexual selection in humans. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-5138(00)00063-5 Nye et al., 2017. The effects of prenatal testosterone on wages: Evidence from Russia. Economics and Human Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2016.11.003 Hayashi & Sakamoto, 2025. Sexual activity is predicted by digit ratio in rats. Experimental Animals. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/expanim/74/4/74_24-0159/_article You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E4
    July 14 · 33 min

    Incurable hiccups and predicting the weather with insect romance

    What’s the best way to get rid of hiccups? Have you tried massaging your butt? Animals are deeply in tune with nature. Are insects more or less likely to mate when a storm is approaching? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the effectiveness of digital rectal massage in treating otherwise incurable hiccups and how moths’ and beetles’ interest in sex changes depending on the atmospheric pressure. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:41 Texas 7:21 Hiccups studies 19:03 Insect study 27:25 Let’s read some mail 31:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Fesmire, 1988. Termination of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage. Annals of Emergency Medicine. https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(88)80594-8/abstract Odeh et al., 1990. Termination of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage. Journal of Internal Medicine. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2796.1990.tb00134.x Lee & Tong, 2017. Termination of Persistent Hiccups by Digital Rectal Massage. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. https://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30634-5/abstract Pellegrino et al., 2013. Weather Forecasting by Insects: Modified Sexual Behaviour in Response to Atmospheric Pressure Changes. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075004 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • June 30 · 17 min

    Monkey floss, big ears, diapers, whole logs and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

    In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss monkeys’ choice for dental floss, how your ears get bigger as you age, whether moms can identify their baby’s soiled diapers, analyzing poop in log form, boxers versus briefs, and how to settle co-first authorship between friends. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:17 Monkey study 3:33 Big ears study 6:03 Diaper study 8:33 Poop analysis study 11:04 Underwear study 13:58 Co-first authorship 15:50 Outro Article links: Watanabe et al., 2007. Long-tailed macaques use human hair as dental floss. American Journal of Primatology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajp.20403 Heathcote, 1995. Why do old men have big ears? British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/311/7021/1668.short Case et al., 2006. My baby doesn't smell as bad as yours: The plasticity of disgust. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513806000195 Krauth et al., 2012. An In-Depth Analysis of a Piece of Shit: Distribution of Schistosoma mansoni and Hookworm Eggs in Human Stool. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0001969 Minguez-Alarcon et al., 2018. Type of underwear worn and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center. Human Reproduction. https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/33/9/1749/5066758 Bai & Zhu et al., 2021. Adjacent Cell Marker Lateral Spillover Compensation and Reinforcement for Multiplexed Images. Frontiers in Immunology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.652631/full You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E3
    June 16 · 31 min

    Sexist birds and intimidating runners with hills

    Does the sex of the bird affect how soon they fly away when approached by humans? What about the sex of the human? Coming across a steep hill while out jogging can be intimidating. Does being tired affect how runners perceive the size of hills? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how European birds are sexist towards humans and how just tricking people into believing they have to climb a hill can cause them to exaggerate its steepness. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:48 Ways to improve the podcast 7:25 Bird study 17:08 Hill study 26:44 Let’s read some mail 29:23 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Morelli et al., 2025. Sex matters: European urban birds flee approaching women sooner than approaching men. People and Nature. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70226 Bhalla et al., 1999. Visual-Motor Recalibration in Geographical Slant Perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-03275-014 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E2
    June 2 · 40 min

    Kids vs traffic and food preference in fetuses

    Crossing the street alone is a difficult and dangerous task for young kids. Is it even more perilous for overweight and out-of-shape children? Kids are notorious picky eaters. When does this start? In the womb? In this episode, Lu and Tirth play another game of Family Feud But Science and discuss practical athleticism in overweight children and whether fetuses are picky "eaters." Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:38 BTS 1:48 Family Feud But Science 15:00 Fat kids study 26:23 Fetuses study 35:03 Let’s read some mail (pyroflatulence) 39:22 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Chaddock et al., 2012. Role of Childhood Aerobic Fitness in Successful Street Crossing. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2012/04000/role_of_childhood_aerobic_fitness_in_successful.23.aspx Ustin et al., 2022. Flavor Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviors in the Human Fetus. Psychological science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976221105460 Ladas et al., 2007. Colonic gas explosion during therapeutic colonoscopy with electrocautery. World Journal of Gastroenterology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4171316/ You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

  • S2 · E1
    May 19 · 31 min

    The ideal booty call and a potent jet lag drug for hamsters

    What do men and women look for in an ideal partner for a one night stand, friends with benefits relationship, and marriage? What’s the best way to find out? An economics experiment, of course. Do hamsters experience jet lag? Do hamsters respond to Viagra? Does Viagra cure jet lag in hamsters? In the season 2 premier, Lu and Tirth catchup on all the life changing events that took place during the offseason and discuss giving people “mate dollars” to build their ideal mate and using Viagra to treat jet lag in hamsters. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:52 Big updates from the offseason 6:45 Booty call study 19:09 Jet lag study 26:54 Let’s read some mail 29:22 What did you learn today, outro Article links: March et al., 2018. Netflix and Chill? What Sex Differences Can Tell Us About Mate Preferences in (Hypothetical) Booty-Call Relationships. Evolutionary Psychology. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474704918812138 Agostino et al., 2007. Sildenafil accelerates reentrainment of circadian rhythms after advancing light schedules. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0703388104 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNAhYtrSM9nW9GpCiDpST?si=ea49670388f24e5c YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WQ6G62lfM Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/song/cas/1706824849 Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • May 12 · 1 min

    RecSciPod season 2 announcement

    Season 2 will premier on May 19, 2026. We're fairly sure. Probably. Who knows? You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • April 28 · 18 min

    Bacon, sports cars, rollercoasters, knuckle cracking, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

    In this bonus RecSci Quick Bites episode, Lu and Tirth discuss a medical use of bacon, the relationship between penis size and sports cars, the effectiveness of rollercoasters in passing kidney stones, the long-term effects of knuckle cracking, surname sharing amongst economist coauthors, the jollity of visiting mall Santas, and the best scientific abstract ever written. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Bacon study 3:50 Sports car study 6:48 Rollercoaster study 8:25 Knuckle cracking study 10:35 Author surname study 13:44 Mall Santa study 16:05 Best abstract ever 17:08 Outro Article links: Humphreys et al., 2011. Nasal packing with strips of cured pork as treatment for uncontrollable epistaxis in a patient with Glanzmann thrombasthenia. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000348941112001107 Richardson et al., 2023. Small Penises and Fast Cars: Evidence for a Psychological Link. Psyarxiv. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/uy7ph_v1 Mitchell & Wartinger, 2016. Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2016.128/html Unger, 1998. Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers? Arthritis and Rheumatism. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1529-0131(199805)41:5%3C949::AID-ART36%3E3.0.CO;2-3 Goodmen et al., 2015. A Few Goodmen: Surname-Sharing Economist Coauthors. Economics Inquiry. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ecin.12167 Trainkaus, 2004. Visiting Santa: an informal look. Psychological Reports. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.2466/pr0.95.2.587-588 Berry et al., 2011. Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement? Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8113/44/49/492001 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • April 7 · 19 min

    Bad knives, self-scoping, baby size, Olympics, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

    In this bonus episode of RecSci Quick Bites, Lu and Tirth discuss more funny studies they didn’t get to talk about at length during season one. These include making knives out of poop, performing colonoscopy on yourself, reasons why babies are so small, the happiness of Olympic medalists, the worst time to consume chili, zebra-striped mannequins, and giving it to Reviewer 2. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:50 Knife study 3:37 Self-scoping study 5:44 Babies study 7:56 Olympian study 10:57 Chili study 12:28 Zebra study 15:31 Reviewer 2 study 18:22 Outro Article links: Eren et al., 2019. Experimental replication shows knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371?via%3Dihub Horiuchi & Nakayama, 2006. Colonoscopy in the sitting position: lessons learned from self-colonoscopy by using a small-caliber, variable-stiffness colonoscope. Gastointenstinal Endoscopy. https://www.giejournal.org/article/S0016-5107(05)03012-9/ Ellstrand, 1982. Why are juveniles smaller than their parents? Evolution. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1983.tb05637.x Medvec et al., 1995. When Less Is More: Counterfactual Thinking and Satisfaction Among Olympic Medalists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.69.4.603 Gupta, 2007. Red hot chilli consumption is harmful in patients operated for anal fissure - a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. Digestive Surgery. https://karger.com/dsu/article-abstract/24/5/354/116015/Red-Hot-Chilli-Consumption-Is-Harmful-in-Patients Horvath et al., 2019. Striped bodypainting protects against horseflies. Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/6/1/181325/94617/Striped-bodypainting-protects-against Peterson, 2020. Dear reviewer 2: Go F’ Yourself. Social Science Quarterly. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ssqu.12824 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • March 20 · 14 min

    Lady bugs, toilet seats, Japan, promiscuity, and more (RecSci Quick Bites)

    In this bonus episode, Lu and Tirth do some RecSci Quick Bites or funny studies they didn’t get to discuss at length during season one. These include an unusual finding on colonoscopy, ergonomic toilet seats, Japan’s Phillips curve, the misuse of the word promiscuity, the deal with birds, fruit bat fellatio part 2, and a case of untreated writer’s block. This episode is part of the 4th edition of Podcasthon! This is the world’s largest podcast charity initiative, bringing together podcasters globally to raise awareness for important causes. Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:27 Colonoscopy study 4:04 Toilet seat study 5:59 Japan study 7:02 Promiscuity study 8:47 Birds study 10:05 Fruit bat study 12:00 Writer’s block study 13:01 Outro Article links: Tahan et al., 2019. An Unusual Finding of a Ladybug on Screening Colonoscopy. ACG Case Reports Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6791639/ Lustig et al., 2018. Beware of the toilet: the risk for a deep tissue injury during toilet sitting. Journal of Tissue Viability. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X17300670?via%3Dihub Smith, 2006. Japan’s Phillips Curve Looks Like Japan. Queen's Economics Department Working Paper No. 1083. http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/working_papers/papers/qed_wp_1083.pdf Elgar et al., 2013. Promiscuous words. Frontiers in Zoology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1742-9994-10-66 Baldassarre, 2020. What’s the Deal with Birds? Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews. https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecules/birds.pdf Maruthupandian et al., 2013. Cunnilingus apparently increases duration of copulation in the Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0059743 Upper, 1974. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of “writer's block.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1311997 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E24
    March 10 · 45 min

    Swearing makes you stronger and how to potty train cows (season finale)

    How do you make yourself lift more at the gym? Have you tried swearing? Kids need potty training, but what about animals? Does potty training cows make them healthier and happier? In the season 1 finale, Lu and Tirth do a year-end review and discuss how saying your favorite swear word makes you stronger at the gym and how to potty train cows using an electric trainer. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:45 Year-end review 7:37 Swearing study 25:25 Potty training study 37:01 Is this SPAM? An update 42:43 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Jiannine & Antonio, 2023. The Effects of Cursing on Exercise Performance. Journal of Exercise Physiology online. https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOCTOBER2023_Lia%20Jiannine_Jose%20Antonio.pdf Stephens et al., 2025. “Don’t Hold Back”: Swearing Improves Strength Through State Disinhibition. American Psychologist. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2027-01514-001.html Bergsten et al., 1992. The cleanliness of cows tied in stalls and the health of their hooves as influenced by the use of electric trainers. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016758779290038H You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E23
    February 24 · 37 min

    Doping graphene and the hedonic benefits of garlic

    Graphene is a fascinating material with the potential to help solve the world’s energy needs. Can you improve graphene with poop? Garlic is a superfood packed with flavor and health benefits. Yes, garlic causes bad breath, but could it actually improve your body odor? In this remunerative episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the electrocatalytic effects of doping graphene with guano and whether eating garlic makes men smell more desirable to women. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:16 Is this SPAM? 11:43 Graphene study 22:10 Garlic study 34:34 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Wang et al., 2020. Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect? ACS Nano. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.9b00184 Fialova et al., 2016. Consumption of garlic positively affects hedonic perception of axillary body odour. Appetite. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315300787 You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E22
    February 10 · 33 min

    Strip club economics and hot sauce aggression

    How do economics work in a strip club? What are the factors that go into how much a stripper makes in tips? Do strippers earn more tips when they’re ovulating? Men are prone to doing some dumb, poorly planned, and aggressive stuff. Is testosterone to blame? Does testosterone make men serve more hot sauce to other people? In this episode, to celebrate the supposed end of Tirth’s bachelorhood, Lu and Tirth discuss surprising factors that affect how much money lap dancers make and how testosterone levels in men make them more aggressive with hot sauce. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:34 Tirth’s “not” bachelor party 8:37 Stripper study 20:51 Testosterone study 31:13 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Miller et al., 2007. Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lap dancers: economic evidence for human estrus? Evolution and Human Behavior. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513807000694 Klinesmith et al., 2006. Guns, Testosterone, and Aggression: An Experimental Test of a Mediational Hypothesis. Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01745.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E21
    January 20 · 53 min

    Recognizing butts and using clowns as anesthesia

    Humans recognize each other’s faces. Chimps recognize each other’s butts. However, do chimps recognize human butts? Do humans recognize human butts? Do humans recognize chimp butts? All these questions must be asked. Getting surgery, even minor procedures, triggers anxiety. Do clowns help kids relax pre-surgery? Is there room for clowns in pediatric operating rooms? In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss historic science gaffes, how human faces are quite similar to chimpanzee butts, and whether clowns can be good anxiolytics for children. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Dave talk 5:27 Historic science gaffes quiz 19:22 Chimp butt study 36:49 Clown studies 50:29 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Kret & Tomonaga, 2016. Getting to the Bottom of Face Processing. Species-Specific Inversion Effects for Faces and Behinds in Humans and Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes). PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165357 Vagnoli et al., 2005. Clown doctors as a treatment for preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized, prospective study. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-0466 Golan et al., 2009. Clowns for the prevention of preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatric Anesthesia. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9592.2008.02903.x You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E20
    January 6 · 32 min

    Pâté vs dog food and smoochy woochy poochy

    Dog food quality has risen over the years, and its ingredients are not too different from that of pâté, or liver mousse, a French delicacy. The question, then, must be asked: can people taste the difference between dog food and pâté? Driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous and illegal, but what about bicycling? Is it safe to ride bikes after cannabis use? Happy 2026! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether blind taste testers can tell the difference between dog food and pâté, liverwurst, or SPAM, and whether cannabis users can safely navigate through traffic on a bicycle while stoned. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:45 New Year’s celebrations and resolutions 8:04 Dog food study 20:17 Weed study 30:16 What did you learn today, outro Article links: Bohannon J et al., 2009. Can people distinguish pâté from dog food? AAWE Working paper No. 36 – Economics. https://wine-economics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/AAWE_WP36.pdf Hartung et al., 2016. The effect of cannabis on regular cannabis consumers’ ability to ride a bicycle. International Journal of Legal Medicine. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00414-015-1307-y You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found! Follow us on social media @RecSciPod! YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

    • Transcript
Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes