Spectrum | Deutsche Welle

This week on Science unscripted, what event(s) led to racoons setting foot in Germany? Why do our fingers prune up after a long bath? And a study conducted in Papua has bold claims about female breasts.

The way you and your partner fall asleep says a lot about what's going on in your life. Also, a surprising new study suggests being healthy (heart-wise) isn't as beneficial as we thought for living a longer life.

When you're trying to quit an addiction... what happens in that moment or two just before you fail? Researchers in Germany are trying to solve that. Gabe took part (sort of).

Doesn't matter how old you are — learning a new instrument (or trying) has all sorts of side benefits. Also, it's about time we understand the 'most misunderstood serious illness.'

Sex is good for your mental and physical health — and now scientists know how much makes you happiest. Also, how many relationships are sexless... but both partners are OK with it?

On the day you were born, you already had the framework of your own personal morality inside you. And we know that because of a study on young children who were asked to do something really bad — because God 'told them to.'

Music can be really bad for you if it's forced on you (at work). Also, which people believe false headlines — and a study to help you spot a liar.

A “climate of fear” has taken hold as US researchers face budget cuts, mass layoffs and free-speech restrictions. Are they actually leaving, though? DW reached out to Germany's “four pillars” of science to find out.

A DW investigative report, together with Der Spiegel, looks into troubling allegations of workplace misconduct at Germany's Max Planck Society. Also, come celebrate as we mark 5 years of Science unscripted.

The case of a French researcher denied US entry creates a jarring new crack between European scientists and their US peers. Also, if you're feeling lonely... but you're also in a relationship... well, what should you do?

New research from Germany hints at what audiobooks of the future will sound like. Also, 'woolly mice' get blown out of proportion — and why you shouldn't get surgery on a Friday.

An experiment off the coast of Corsica suggests fish can recognize specific people (sometimes). Also, put a dot in front a zebrafish and, amazingly, you'll be a step closer to understanding the concept of free will.

A new study has categorized the (wildly different) stuff that makes men and women get instantly and permanently disgusted by a romantic partner. And it's not always the 'icky' person's fault.

Why are birth rates falling? And do they ever go back up? Also, a study on eggs — and an email about two horses peeing.

With the US pulling out of the Paris Agreement... and its president chanting "Drill, baby, drill!"... it is absolutely fair to ask if your own personal climate footprint even matters anymore.

Trump, pandemic, war... more Trump. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the news (or feeling burned out) — you may be consuming it wrong.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X — across platforms, fact checkers are being fired and replaced with... well, promises that regular people can do the job instead. They can't.

The words 'next pandemic' are being thrown around by more and more experts watching the spread of avian influenza in North America. Why?

Just how dangerous do you think the world is? Because that changes how you'd punish a violent criminal (if you're a woman). Also, if you're frustrated with your democratically elected government... what alternatives are you open to?

You know that stab of anxious envy when you see people having a good time (without you)? You can get rid of that. Also, Gabe and Conor are back — with an unfortunate story about a random act of violence.

Nations are buying H5N1 bird flu vaccines amid the spread of the virus among livestock in the US. At least two children in North America have contracted the disease from unknown sources. How serious is the situation?

Some people seem very good at guessing what you're thinking. And some of us might find that we think very deeply about what people are thinking or feeling. The reason appears linked to special connections between some the youngest parts of the brain, evolved 300 million years ago. We explored this with lead researcher Rodrigo Braga, a clinical neurologist, from Northwestern University.

Being discriminated against — due to your ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, age or anything else — is harmful and wrong. A new study shows it also... changes the bacteria in your stool?

Women drink less... if you ask them to visualize alcohol? Also, the yucky trick gossipers use to make you think they're kind — and why iron in red meat may be causing cancer (in your bottom).

Data from the US suggests we may have passed the point of 'peak obesity.' Have we? Also, spray testosterone in men's noses... and they'll emotionally dehumanize certain women.

Quiz time: How could a full moon make roads more dangerous? (Email su@dw.com with your guess before you listen.) Also, teens (like all of us) use their phones while driving — and a jarring new study tells us how much.

Scientists in Berlin have shown you can stop the development of an embryo-like model - *NO HUMAN EMBYROS WERE USED IN THE EXPERIMENT* - and keep it alive to be developed later. The implications could be huge for IVF.

If a show made by AI sounds as good as one made by humans... what happens next?

Fake smiles aren't just bad for Instagram. They're bad for your reputation. That's the implication of a new study — with clear consequences for LinkedIn... and maybe your life? (Also, come with us to see Europe's 'answer to ChatGPT.')

Alcohol? Bad for us. But a fascinating new study looks at what happens to the person who's watching the drinking happen. Also, college kids in Egypt saw their depression/anxiey/stress drop... by getting a crash course on 'assertiveness.'

Fresh off the birth of a brand-new conspiracy, researchers have unveiled a 'soulless' new tool to stop us from becoming victims of half-truths and full-blown lies.

An email from a miner, scary sounds in outer space, and a powerful magnet aimed at 50 human heads.

With the help of a powerful MRI, researchers in Germany have discovered where dyslexia appears to happen deep inside the human brain (in males). The peppercorn-sized structure may become the target of therapies for millions of people.

A new study suggests your appearance 'drifts' as you age — toward the name you were given at birth.

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.

You've lost your job, lost your home and go to sleep surrounded by strangers. You're scared. But what is it, exactly, you're scared of?

Demisexual, graysexual, pomosexual — it's hard to keep track of the (expanding) list of human sexualities. The Harvard Pleasure study just added another.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Why is it that content with the least credible information is often the most viewed and shared on social media?