We Have Concerns
Jeff Cannata and Anthony Carboni talk about the personal philosophical concerns they find lurking inside everyday things. It's fun?
Episodes
Can one six-sided cube seamlessly pass through another of equal size? The answer may surprise you. And the quest to discover convex polyhedrons that don't behave that way is even wilder. After more than three centuries, a geometry problem that originated with a royal bet has been solved, and Jeff and Anthony lay it all out for you.
LInk to the story: https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-shape-found-that-cant-pass-through-itself-2025...
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'recent' is defined as “having happened or started only a short time ago.” And yet, in the world of scientific publishing, it may be one of the most imprecise terms ever used. Jeff and Anthony take a look at a 'recent' study that aims to quantify exactly what is meant by the term. How is Billy Joel involved? You'll have to listen to find out.
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
While the research is still early, it looks like AI chatbots can push people who are already at risk into psychotic and delusional episodes. Jeff and Anthony delve into this early resear...
An experienced hiker had to be saved by National Parks Search and Rescue last month after getting stuck in quicksand. This made us go "Wait, quicksand? Like, quicksand is a thing?" So here are all the details on the rescue, how quicksand works, how common it really is, and what to do if you get stuck in it.
Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns
Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, or “tooth-in-eye” surgery, is a real thing, returning vision to patients with severe corneal blindness. Jeff and Anthony explain the astounding process of using a tooth to repair an eye, and the wild road to discovering that it actually works.
LInk to the story: https://www.today.com/health/men-s-health/tooth-in-eye-surgery-restores-vision-rcna230395
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
Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreo...
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
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-shoc...
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/
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/wehaveconcer...
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
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
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
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 ...
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....
New research aims to quality the health effects of silence. It turns out, just a few hours of quiet time per week can have striking benefits. Anthony and Jeff discuss their own relationship with silence, and how this study might motivate them to turn down the volume.
LInk to the story: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/turns-out-bonobos-talk-a-lot-like-humans/
Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord comm...
Tim Friede has allowed himself to be bitten by venomous snakes more then 200 times. As a result, his blood has helped scientists concoct a new antibody cocktail that could save thousands of lives. Jeff and Anthony discuss how to classify Tim's contributions to science.
Link to the story: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/05/02/nx-s1-5381017/snake-bite-venom-antivenom-tim-friede-universal
Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have introduced InteRecon, a program that enables users to recapture real-world objects in a mobile app, and then animate them in mixed-reality environments. Jeff and Anthony discuss the notion of ownership, nostalgia, and replacing real-world possessions with digital replacements.
Today's story: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-personal-items-...
A new study from researchers at the University of Zurich and Harvard University reveals that bonobos, our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees, use the equivalent of word compounds and phrasings, suggesting that the roots of language predate humans. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of the discovery of these building blocks of communication in the animal kingdom.
LInk to the story: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette...
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