Recreational Science – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

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

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Are ethicists ethical? One would think that people who spend their careers studying ethics must be more ethical than others. But are people with looser morals more likely to become ethicists, so that they can understand what they lack?

Why do some ancient human bones have larger enthesis (sites on the bone where tendons and ligaments attach)? Did the individuals these bones belong to run or exercise more than their peers? How can we study this using Thanksgiving dinner?

In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on the science of Thanksgiving dinner. The two then discuss how you can evaluate the ethics of ethicists by going to a library and how forcing turkeys to walk on treadmills can teach us about human history.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:57 Thanksgiving science quiz
• 10:39 Ethics study
• 24:15 Turkey study
• 32:40 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Schwitzgebel, 2009. Do ethicists steal more books? Philosophical Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515080903409952
• Wallace et al., 2017. Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. Journal of Human Evolution. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248417300647

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Video - never deep fry a frozen turkey:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KqtVCqFJsu0

Mansplaining is when a someone explains in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a woman. Why do men do it? Does mansplaining actually even exist?

Brain processing and recognition of visual imagery, such as people and objects, is thought to involve complex neuronal pathways with lots of connected brain cells each playing a role. But are multiple brain cells really necessary for this? Why don’t we just dedicate one brain cell to recognizing each important person in our life?

In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss whether mansplaining is real and why it might occur and examine evidence showing that the visual recognition of certain people and objects may be the job of one specific brain cell.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:13 How was your week?
• 5:04 Mansplaining study
• 21:38 Neuron recognition study
• 35:25 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Fokkema & Pollmann, 2024. Mansplaining explained: The role of the better-than-average effect and the interpretation bias in acts and accusations of mansplaining. Psychology of Language and Communication. https://sciendo.com/article/10.58734/plc-2024-0021
• Quiroga et al., 2005. Invariant visual representation by single neurons in the human brain. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03687

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Why do we sometimes seek out and enjoy fear? Could it be that fear promotes sexual attraction? Is it a good idea to take your date to a horror movie or on a rollercoaster?

Carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns is dangerous and often leads to hand injuries. What’s the safest pumpkin carving tool to use this Halloween? How do you even determine this?

It’s Halloween! In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss why some houses are thought to be haunted, how situations that arouse fear also arouse other feelings, as well as how to use reanimated cadaver arms to study pumpkin carving best practices.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 3:35 Why are some houses haunted?
• 8:35 Sexy fear study
• 23:29 Pumpkin carving study
• 34:54 Let’s read some mail
• 40:04 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Dutton & Aron, 1974. Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1975-03016-001
• Marcus et al., 2004. The safety of pumpkin carving tools. Preventive Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743504000374

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The paradox of cocaine reinforcement is one of the biggest paradoxes in science. Why is cocaine so addictive to humans? Do bees enjoy cocaine as much as us?

Why do some people prefer Apple iPhones while others prefer Android phones? Are there fundamental psychological differences between iPhone and Android users? Can you predict who uses which phone?

In this episode, Lu quizzes Tirth on different -ologies, or scientific fields of study. The two then discuss the behavior of honeybees on short- and long-term cocaine use and the differences in personality traits between iPhone and Android users.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:15 Ologies quiz
• 17:37 Cocaine bee study
• 30:46 iPhone vs Android study
• 43:34 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Barron et al., 2009. Effects of cocaine on honey bee dance behavior. Journal of Experimental Biology. https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/212/2/163/18461/Effects-of-cocaine-on-honey-bee-dance-behaviour
• Shaw et al., 2016. Predicting Smartphone Operating System from Personality and Individual Differences. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2016.0324

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Do farts contain dangerous bacteria? Should you avoid being flatulent near food?

Can pre-workout supplements help you lift more weights at the gym? Should you drink beet juice and coffee before your workouts?

In this episode, Lu and Tirth honor some of their favorite winners of the Darwin Award (an award even more prestigious than the Nobel Prize), debate whether breaking wind during surgery also breaks the sterile field of the operating room, and discuss whether nitrates and caffeine make good pre-workout supplements to maximize gains at the gym.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:53 Darwin awards
• 9:15 Fart culturing study
• 21:38 Pre-workout supplement study
• 33:09 Let’s read some mail
• 37:26 What did you learn today, outro

Article link:

• 2001. Hot air? British Medical Journal. https://www.bmj.com/content/323/7327/1449
• Montalvo-Alonso et al., 2025. Single and combined effect of beetroot juice and caffeine intake on muscular strength, power and endurance performance in resistance-trained males. Scientific Report. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02021-y

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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Making a hardboiled egg is easy. Unboiling a hardboiled egg is hard, if not impossible, right?

What do musical instruments taste like? Are violins sour? Are pianos sweet?

In this episode, Lu and Tirth use philosophical razors to debate whether Tirth’s fiancé is real, discuss how to turn back time to uncook eggs, and uncover what sounds taste like and what tastes sound like.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:12 Philosophical razors
• 17:23 Egg unboiling study
• 24:36 Sound taste study
• 36:04 What did you learn today, outro

Article link:

• Yuan et al., 2015. Shear-Stress-Mediated Refolding of Proteins from Aggregates and Inclusion Bodies. ChemBioChem. https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbic.201402427
• Crisinel et al., 2010. As bitter as a trombone: synesthetic correspondences in nonsynesthetes between tastes/flavors and musical notes. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/APP.72.7.1994

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Placebos are not supposed to do anything, yet they kind of work. Well, then why not sell them at a high price like real medicine? Turns out, maybe that’s not such a bad question.

Dogs have fantastic noses and can identify their owners by smell. Can humans return the favor? Can dog owners identify their dogs by smell?

In this episode, Lu and Tirth discuss how more expensive placebos are more effective than cheaper ones and whether dog owners can recognize their dog’s smell.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:55 Dave talk; Tirth’s beef
• 5:38 Placebo studies
• 21:02 Dog smelling study
• 29:52 What did you learn today, outro

Article link:

• Waber et al., 2008. Commercial features of placebo and therapeutic efficacy. Journal of the American Medical Association. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/181562

• Espay et al., 2015. Placebo effect of medication cost in Parkinson disease: a randomized double-blind study. Neurology. https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001282

• Diaz-Lago et al., 2023. Expensive seems better: The price of a non-effective drug modulates its perceived efficacy. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-023-00463-4

• Wells et al., 2000. The discrimination of dog odours by humans. Perception. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p2938

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Does size matter to women? What about height? These age-old questions have been asked by every man who has ever lived. What does science have to say?

Why do some animals become roadkill? Are they just dumb?

It’s episode 10! In this milestone episode, Lu and Tirth pay homage to some of the greatest scientists of all time, fiercely debate whether size matters to women when it comes to the attractiveness of men, and discuss whether brain size in birds correlates with the probability of getting run over by cars.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro

• 2:49 Scientist quotes quiz

• 16:42 Penis size study
• 28:04 Bird brain study
• 35:51 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Mautz et al., 2013. Penis size interacts with body shape and height to influence male attractiveness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1219361110

• Moller et al., 2017. Brain size in birds is related to traffic accidents. Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.161040

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Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)