Science unscripted

The science stories that will actually change your day — and maybe make you laugh. Science unscripted is a podcast, radio show & YouTube channel driven by listeners. Hello from Germany :)

Episodes

The vending machine experiment (or why you don't live in a tree)

June 10, 2024 • 30 mins

In a dream you see a vending machine. Instead of coins or cash, it has a square-shaped hole. That's it. No instructions. No one who walks past can explain it. At some point you shake it violently (still nothing) and see your own hands. They're furry.

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What to do when your hair falls out

May 29, 2024 • 18 mins

Hormonal therapies? Hair transplant? Or just go bald? When a genetic test shows a Science unscripted host is bound to lose his hair, it leads to a shocking amount of bad science and (potentially) significant side effects.

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Weekly roundup — Make things & stay healthy

May 25, 2024 • 30 mins

Is it OK to pee on your feet to get rid of foot and nail fungus? Also, if you say 'hi' kinda differently to your boss than you would to a friend or family member, you have something in common with the biggest land mammal on earth.

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Drugs don't make you more creative

May 24, 2024 • 14 mins

If you take drugs or drink alcohol and then write down your 'wildly creative,' chemically-inspired ravings... new research suggests you'll create a catalogue of useless garbage.

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Scary microplastics news & how to eat during pregnancy

May 24, 2024 • 18 mins

We all have microplastics inside our bodies. Until now, scientists weren't certain about the extent of the harm. Now they are.

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Weekly roundup — Mea culpa!

May 18, 2024 • 30 mins

Science Unscripted got an email this week about orgasms. What's more, someone wrote to let us know why a dying countess in a classic German novel would rather spend her final moments with a chauvinist man than with Conor or Gabe. And finally, how your doctor's credentials might just save your life.

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Nurses & teachers suffer when you call them 'heroes'

May 17, 2024 • 13 mins

When you applaud nurses, teachers, or member of military for being 'heroic,' you make it more OK for them to be exploited.

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'Bigger penises' & learning from our mistakes

May 17, 2024 • 17 mins

Are male sex organs really 'getting bigger' over time? Also, a new study suggests we don't actually learn from all our mistakes.

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Weekly roundup — Around the rim

May 4, 2024 • 30 mins

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?

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Your body image, ice baths & sad music

May 3, 2024 • 18 mins

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?

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Avian flu, strangers & orgasms

April 26, 2024 • 18 mins

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.

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Weekly roundup — Let's talk (to a whale)

April 20, 2024 • 30 mins

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

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Yes, songs are getting simpler, angrier & more about 'me'

April 19, 2024 • 13 mins

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

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A (surprising) connection between bad eating & loneliness

April 19, 2024 • 16 mins

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.

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Weekly roundup — In your head, your heart & your tummy

April 15, 2024 • 30 mins

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

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Please touch me (it's for my health)

April 12, 2024 • 12 mins

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.

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Where do you feel music?

April 12, 2024 • 17 mins

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

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Weekly roundup — There's so much in this one we couldn't find a title

March 30, 2024 • 30 mins

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

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Solar eclipse? Drive carefully.

March 30, 2024 • 12 mins

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

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A vaccine for... cocaine?

March 28, 2024 • 7 mins

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

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Science unscripted

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The vending machine experiment (or why you don't live in a tree)

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}What to do when your hair falls out

Weekly roundup — Make things & stay healthy

Drugs don't make you more creative

Scary microplastics news & how to eat during pregnancy

Weekly roundup — Mea culpa!

Nurses & teachers suffer when you call them 'heroes'

'Bigger penises' & learning from our mistakes

Weekly roundup — Around the rim

Your body image, ice baths & sad music

Avian flu, strangers & orgasms

Weekly roundup — Let's talk (to a whale)

Yes, songs are getting simpler, angrier & more about 'me'

A (surprising) connection between bad eating & loneliness

Weekly roundup — In your head, your heart & your tummy

Please touch me (it's for my health)

Where do you feel music?

Weekly roundup — There's so much in this one we couldn't find a title

Solar eclipse? Drive carefully.

A vaccine for... cocaine?

Popular Podcasts

The vending machine experiment (or why you don't live in a tree)

What to do when your hair falls out