Artwork

Content provided by A Little Bit Of Science. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by A Little Bit Of Science or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Player FM - Podcast App
Go offline with the Player FM app!

Fish on Prozac, AI Resurrections and the Universe is Ending (sooner)

44:36
 
Share
 

Manage episode 485276045 series 2298733
Content provided by A Little Bit Of Science. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by A Little Bit Of Science or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder trials? Perhaps you've been losing sleep over the universe ending billions of billions of years sooner than expected? (We haven't.)

Today we're diving into a scientific grab bag of the bizarre, the unsettling, and the downright ridiculous. From rivers flowing with pharmaceutical cocktails that are giving fish gender crises and enlarged genitalia, to the cosmic clock potentially ticking faster than we thought, to the historical irony of how the smartest guy in the room became synonymous with the dumbest.

And just when you thought it was safe to prove you're human online, we'll reveal how those annoying CAPTCHAs might actually be training our future robot overlords. Buckle up for a journey through science's strangest corners—no PhD required, just a healthy appreciation for the absurd.

Sources:

https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email

https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid

https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo

Chris Pelkey video The Guardian

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Impact of Drugs on Fish

03:53 Antidepressants and Fish Behaviour

07:19 Pharmaceutical Pollution and Its Consequences

12:31 AI and Legal Proceedings

22:59 Cosmology News: The Universe's Lifespan

23:43 The Immense Scale of the Universe

25:00 Theories on the Universe's End

26:02 Fossils from Previous Universes

28:12 The Story of John Duns Scotus

32:39 The Origin of the Dunce Cap

35:13 The Dunce Cap in Modern Times

40:17 The Evolution of CAPTCHAs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  continue reading

381 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 485276045 series 2298733
Content provided by A Little Bit Of Science. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by A Little Bit Of Science or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder trials? Perhaps you've been losing sleep over the universe ending billions of billions of years sooner than expected? (We haven't.)

Today we're diving into a scientific grab bag of the bizarre, the unsettling, and the downright ridiculous. From rivers flowing with pharmaceutical cocktails that are giving fish gender crises and enlarged genitalia, to the cosmic clock potentially ticking faster than we thought, to the historical irony of how the smartest guy in the room became synonymous with the dumbest.

And just when you thought it was safe to prove you're human online, we'll reveal how those annoying CAPTCHAs might actually be training our future robot overlords. Buckle up for a journey through science's strangest corners—no PhD required, just a healthy appreciation for the absurd.

Sources:

https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email

https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid

https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo

Chris Pelkey video The Guardian

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Impact of Drugs on Fish

03:53 Antidepressants and Fish Behaviour

07:19 Pharmaceutical Pollution and Its Consequences

12:31 AI and Legal Proceedings

22:59 Cosmology News: The Universe's Lifespan

23:43 The Immense Scale of the Universe

25:00 Theories on the Universe's End

26:02 Fossils from Previous Universes

28:12 The Story of John Duns Scotus

32:39 The Origin of the Dunce Cap

35:13 The Dunce Cap in Modern Times

40:17 The Evolution of CAPTCHAs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  continue reading

381 episodes

All episodes

×
 
Loading …

Welcome to Player FM!

Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.

 

Quick Reference Guide

Copyright 2025 | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | | Copyright
Listen to this show while you explore
Play