The data vigilantes

Scientists are trying to figure out what makes something funny. We compare notes with comedians ⁠Atsuko Okatsuka⁠, ⁠Josh Johnson⁠, ⁠Dulcé Sloan⁠, and ⁠Chris Fleming⁠ (Originally published in 2023) Guests: ⁠Allie Volpe⁠, Vox correspondent; ⁠Peter McGraw⁠, professor at University o ...  Show more

Socrates, Aristotle, Galileo, and Darwin couldn't figure it out. But one scientist has built a tickle robot (named Hektor) to try and settle the mystery of ticklishness once and for all. Guest: Konstantina Kilteni, principal investigator of the Touch & Tickle Lab at the Donders I ...  Show more

As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs. Pr ...  Show more

There’s a sticky issue scientists have to deal with – science is carried out by humans. We humans have flaws (and how) and they can end up in our work. Fortunately, science is waking up to research bias. In the meantime, here’s what to look out for.

What if bad science put you in prison for a crime you didn't commit? How many guilty offenders are still out there because of pseudoscience, fraud or disorganized laboratories? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe and Christian review the use of forensic science in ...