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Explore every episode of the podcast Science unscripted

Dive into the complete episode list for Science unscripted. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–50 of 100

TitlePub. DateDuration
Weekly roundup — My phone can smell things?01 Sep 202400:30:00
Ever take out your phone to identify a song that's playing near you? Pretty soon, you'll be able to do the same with smells. Also, fruit flies may have just given scientists the secret to happy hour.
Are you symbiosexual?30 Aug 202400:11:47
Demisexual, graysexual, pomosexual — it's hard to keep track of the (expanding) list of human sexualities. The Harvard Pleasure study just added another.
Weekly roundup — 20 billion clicks?28 Jul 202400:30:00
With YouTube's commentary, who needs emails? Also, a new German study hits the rewind button on our promiscuity reporting.
Depressed after moving? You're not alone.27 Jul 202400:09:56
Moving into a new apartment or house is pretty exciting. It's also associated with depression — especially if it happens at a certain age. Why?
Sexual double standards & better sleep25 Jul 202400:18:01
Women, not men, are viewed more favorably if they've had a few recent sexual partners... even if a German study appears to suggest the opposite. Also, if you're gonna do some late-night scrolling (because who doesn't), do it right.
Young Germans are happier to be single (nowadays)11 Jul 202400:11:43
"Are you okay with being single?" If you were to pose that question to a young German, you would get a different answer these days compared to 10 years ago. Why?
Weekly roundup — Things just won't stop changing07 Jul 202400:30:00
On this week's show, we learn the first thing young people should do when they're struggling. Also, why exactly do our eyes get worse as we get older? Plus, a researcher gets in touch to thank us (DW) for teaching him German.
Can you sing? And if so, does it have anything to do with lemurs?06 Jul 202400:08:35
Headlines implying human singing came from Madagascar... just aren't true. But lemurs are worth listening to.
Why do people ghost each other?05 Jul 202400:20:09
Ever had someone just... vanish out of your life? Or maybe you did it to them? A new study shows why people 'ghost' — and who actually suffers most from it.
Weekly roundup — A cure for lower back pain (that might injure your legs)30 Jun 202400:30:00
The number one cause of disabiliity worldwide is lower back pain. Great news, then, that a rigorous study says we can halve its recurrence by... walking. But there's a catch.
Losing your job is worse for your health if you live in a different country29 Jun 202400:09:12
Why is it that migrants get physically unhealthier when they lose their jobs (compared to locals)? And can anything be done to stop it?
Granola poop & a deserving victim27 Jun 202400:20:01
Sadly, one of our recent episodes caused a listener to go outside and cover her jacket in human feces. Also, if you're trying to raise money for a good cause, remember the German word 'Schadenfreude.'
Weekly roundup — Together again25 Aug 202400:30:00
It's been a long, chaotic and somewhat dangerous summer for the hosts of Science unscripted. It's time to catch up on that — and on the beautiful emails you've sent along the way.
Weekly roundup — Hold the door & filter your phone23 Jun 202400:30:00
Does it make YOU happier to do a random act of kindness? Also, how to stop a smartphone from messing with your sleep, and a milkshake fathers can make for pregnant partners.
Your body might not survive a trip to Mars22 Jun 202400:12:48
Why would our kidneys (possibly) fail when we're inside a spacecraft? And why do women's bodies do better in space than men's?
Where should you look during a video call?21 Jun 202400:20:34
Got an interview coming up? A study out of Japan has potentially life-changing advice for where to focus your gaze. Also, Gabe's back — and is recovering from an operation.
'Hunger games' in the jungles of Panama15 Jun 202400:12:53
Does having a big brain make you better at finding food? It's a difficult question to answer ethically. Unless you have access to an island.
The vending machine experiment (or why you don't live in a tree)11 Jun 202400:30:00
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.
What to do when your hair falls out30 May 202400:18:50
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.
Weekly roundup — Make things & stay healthy26 May 202400:30:00
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.
Drugs don't make you more creative25 May 202400:14:08
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.
Scary microplastics news & how to eat during pregnancy24 May 202400:18:53
We all have microplastics inside our bodies. Until now, scientists weren't certain about the extent of the harm. Now they are.
Weekly roundup — Mea culpa!19 May 202400:30:00
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.
What is 'benevolent' sexism?24 Aug 202400:17:56
All sexism is bad. But the kind you're probably most familiar with is called 'hostile' in science literature. So what is 'benevolent' sexism? And how's it connected to cheating on your partner?
Nurses & teachers suffer when you call them 'heroes'18 May 202400:13:37
When you applaud nurses, teachers, or member of military for being 'heroic,' you make it more OK for them to be exploited.
'Bigger penises' & learning from our mistakes17 May 202400:17:48
Are male sex organs really 'getting bigger' over time? Also, a new study suggests we don't actually learn from all our mistakes.
Weekly roundup — Around the rim05 May 202400:30:00
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?
Your body image, ice baths & sad music03 May 202400:18:19
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?
Avian flu, strangers & orgasms26 Apr 202400:18:39
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.
Weekly roundup — Let's talk (to a whale)21 Apr 202400:30:00
If we wanted to talk to a gigantic underwater animal, how would we do that? Also, lose weight... by making friends!
Yes, songs are getting simpler, angrier & more about 'me'20 Apr 202400:13:52
Dear elderly people, you were right. Today's music isn't what it used to be. The interesting part is why.
A (surprising) connection between bad eating & loneliness19 Apr 202400:16:10
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.
Weekly roundup — In your head, your heart & your tummy15 Apr 202400:30:00
Angry? New research shows you can 'export' it and then destroy it! Also, make yourself healthier and happier... by being touched... by something!
Please touch me (it's for my health)13 Apr 202400:12:34
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.
Will mpox become the next pandemic?22 Aug 202400:13:42
As mpox spreads to Europe and Asia — and the WHO declares a public health emergency — a leading German virologist explains what we know (and don't know) about the infectious disease.
Where do you feel music?12 Apr 202400:17:17
A good song resonates inside you. But the question is... where? Well, it depends — on 'surprise' and 'uncertainty.'
Solar eclipse? Drive carefully.30 Mar 202400:12:08
There's a 30% increase in car deaths due to solar eclipses, and it's important to know why that happens.
Weekly roundup — There's so much in this one we couldn't find a title30 Mar 202400:30:00
Frozen hands, subjective aging, understanding autism — this episode has a ton of science (and some angry YouTube comments).
A vaccine for... cocaine?28 Mar 202400:07:02
Human trials are underway to stop cocaine addiction using vaccines. Do they work? And if so, how?
Weekly roundup — Fat dogs & a new gender bias24 Mar 202400:30:00
If you're tempted to blame dog owners for their chunky animals... think twice. Also, should Gabe and Conor be perfectly informed on every study they talk about?
Angry? Don't run. Just breathe.23 Mar 202400:14:09
We all have ways of dealing with anger. And most of them don't really work.
You probably prefer studies that make women look better (and that's a problem)22 Mar 202400:17:57
When new research makes women look good, we tend to like it. When it makes men look good, we don't.
Weekly roundup — Want the job? Be first17 Mar 202400:30:00
A quirk in human psychology has a big impact on your chances of getting a job, a date or winning a talent show. Also, Conor puts 'social norms erosion' research to the test — twice.
A blood 'breathalyzer' for tired drivers16 Mar 202400:17:43
Exhaustion is almost as dangerous as driving drunk. And researchers might have found a way to prove who's doing it.
Stop f***ing swearing & get some damn sleep14 Mar 202400:13:19
Did you notice? How the curse words above jolted your brain awake? That effect is real. Don't abuse it.
Weekly roundup — Oceans on Mars?18 Aug 202400:30:00
The discovery of gigantic resevoirs of water deep under the surface of Mars has implications for whether life was — or might be — possible on our hideous red neighbor.
Weekly roundup — Make yourself do things10 Mar 202400:30:00
You a procrastinator? (We are.) New research suggests an unexpected cause of that. Also, if you have a tough time confronting rule breakers in public (because who doesn't), a new study shows there's a way to do it right.
How to stop people from playing loud music & videos on their phones09 Mar 202400:13:14
Ever heard someone scrolling TikTok or YouTube Shorts ? It's really annoying — and there's a way to stop it.
The German man who got 200+ COVID vaccinations08 Mar 202400:20:05
Yes, he's real. And he was doing it (in part) to make money. But when doctors found out, they asked him to get jabbed a few times more.
Weekly roundup — Dark waters03 Mar 202400:30:00
A listener email sends us deep into the lakes of Latvia — and to honor victims of genocide, it's important to talk about what it is, how it happens and who it happens to.
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