Useful Science

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/60This week we're talking about climate anxiety and winter sports.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesThe 2021 Western North American heat dome increased climate change anxiety among British Columbians: Results from a natural experimenthttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278222000050#bib0024Association Between Ambient Heat and Risk of Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Among US Adults, 2010 to 2019Climate change is predicted to make European wine regions hotter and drier, shorten the grape growing season, shift growing regions, and change wine chemistry by altering levels of alcohol, acid, and aroma.Only ‘one reliable host city' will be left for Winter Olympics if global emissions are not curbed: study

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/21This week we're talking about sleep.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesPeople who slept less than 6 hours a night were 4 times more likely to catch a cold.Higher nighttime temperatures due to climate change are projected to disrupt summer sleep patterns, particularly for people who cannot afford air conditioning and people who are more sensitive to heat, like the elderly.Not sleeping enough (staying up for 17 hours straight) impaired performance in the same way as a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit would (BAC 0.05%).

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/59This week we're talking about dog ownership and gift giving.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesDog owners have a 24% lower risk of dying early and a 31% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.The Gift of Psychological Closeness: How Feasible Versus Desirable Gifts Reduce Psychological Distance to the Giver

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/58This week we're talking about fatigue & risk management in healthcare workers.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesAssociation of residency work hour reform with long term quality and costs of care of US physicians: observational studyEducation Outcomes in a Duty-Hour Flexibility Trial in Internal MedicineFiguring in fatigue: A commentary on Schwartz et al., “Fatigue in surgical residents: An analysis of duty-hours and the effect of hypothetical naps on predicted performance”Addressing fatigue in medical residents with biomathematical fatigue modelingTrends in Strategic Napping in Surgical Residents by Gender, Postgraduate Year, Work Schedule, and Clinical RotationFatigue in surgical residents an analysis of duty-hours and the effect of hypothetical naps on predicted performanceBiomathematical Modeling Predicts Fatigue Risk in General Surgery Residents

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/57Deborah talks about two intervention programs designed to address the effects of discrimination on Black youth. Alex presents the results of the Oregon Water Futures Project, which revealed inequalities in water access throughout the state.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesElevating Water Priorities for Oregon Communities.Program Profile: Adults in the Making (AIM)Program Profile: Strong African American Families (SAAF)Strong African American Families ProgramThe Adults in the Making Program: Long-term Protective Stabilizing Effects on Alcohol Use and Substance Use Problems for Rural African American Emerging Adults

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/56This week we're talking about racial disparities in health and medicine. Ian and Deborah present research focusing on differences in cancer treatments for Black patients in contrast to White patients, and also discuss athlete head trauma and concussion education in the US.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesBlack patients in the U.S. are less likely to receive surgery as treatment for esophageal cancer, making them more likely to die from this type of cancer than white patients.Even though 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, survival rates have been improving over the last three decades. However, black women are still 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women in the U.S.Assessing Differences in Concussion Symptom Knowledge and Sources of Information Among Black and White Collegiate-Athletes

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/55This week we're talking about neighborhood connections and green spaces.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show Notes‘It's real, not fake like a park’: Residents’ perception and use of informal urban green-space in Brisbane, Australia and Sapporo, JapanResidential relocation and change in social capital: A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/54This week we're talking about cultural change.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesGlobal Increases in IndividualismSocial Structure, Infectious Diseases, Disasters, Secularism, and Cultural Change in AmericaTuning in to psychological change: Linguistic markers of psychological traits and emotions over time in popular U.S. song lyrics.Temporal Changes in Individualism and Their Ramification in Japan: Rising Individualism and Conflicts with Persisting CollectivismThe Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variationLarge-Scale Psychological Differences Within China Explained by Rice Versus Wheat AgricultureStatus Quo Bias in Decision Making

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/53This week we're talking about food and allergies.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesWhen surveyed, almost 1 in 5 Americans report that they have a food allergy, but only 1 in 10 report symptoms consistent with food allergies or have received a diagnosis from a physician. This suggests that around twice as many Americans believe they have a food allergy than actually do.Foods that mothers eat regularly while breastfeeding are later more accepted by their infants.

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/52On this episode we're joined by special guest, Erika Kirgios, whose research explores strategies for promoting prosocial behavior. Familiar hosts Avaneesh, Uyen, and Cameron discuss two of Erika's recent studies. One investigates “temptation bundling,” the process of pairing a pleasurable indulgence with a less-pleasurable behavior that confers delayed rewards in order to make it seem more appealing in the short-term. A second study demonstrates the concept of “motivation laundering,” when individuals who behave in accordance with financial incentives later forgo their monetary rewards in order to signal to others (or convince themselves) they acted out of purer motives. Erika is a researcher with The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesTeaching temptation bundling to boost exercise: A field experimentForgoing earned incentives to signal pure motives

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/51This week we're talking about parenting.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesCurious Neuron

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/50This week we're talking about parenting.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesMothers In Science

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/49The COVID vaccine is a major medical triumph. But not everyone is so excited to receive it. What do we know about vaccine hesitancy? How about its more radical cousin, vaccine rejection? And how does the situation in the United States differ from other countries, like Australia? All that and more on this episode of the podcast, featuring Duncan, Avaneesh, and Cameron.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesVaccine Hesitancy: In Search of the Risk Communication Comfort ZoneGizmodo: The Last of the Iron LungsEpidemic prevalence information on social networks can mediate emergent collective outcomes in voluntary vaccine schemes

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/48The pandemic has affected all of us – and while we continue to manage the ongoing tragedy and loss, many have begun to look for silver linings as well. Here are two that can result from spending more time at home than usual: (1) nightly sleep among university students appears to have improved, and (2) having more flexibility in how you spend your lunch break (walking to a park, doing yoga) may decrease stress and fatigue, and increase concentration, for those working from home. Our hosts Ian, Josh, and Cameron provide the full scoop in this episode of the podcast.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesEnhancing daily well-being at work through lunchtime park walks and relaxation exercises: Recovery experiences as mediators.Sleep in university students prior to and during COVID-19 Stay-at-Home orders

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/47The way we make decisions says a lot about us. In this episode, we highlight two studies that delve into the idea of “Blind Cooperation.” It turns out that being the kind of person who spontaneously cooperates with others and offers help without calculation can confer social benefits in the long run. Namly, it’ll earn you the reputation of being trustworthy.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us on Twitter as @usefulsci, Instagram as @usefulscience, or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesPreferential interactions promote blind cooperation and informed defectionUncalculating cooperation is used to signal trustworthiness

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/46In an annual ceremony at Harvard University, the Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that "first make people LAUGH, and then make them THINK.” It's a quirky and entertaining tradition, and we've featured their 2020 ​A​wards in this episode of the podcast. Hear from Susan, Duncan, and Camerom, who discuss their favorite Ig Nobel Prize winners, and learn more about the ​30-year-old tradition organized by the Annals of Improbable Research. "The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology."Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show Notes30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/45Not all laughter is created equal, and the truth is you probably laugh differently around people you don’t know than you do with friends and family. While subtle, many people can tell the difference. And do social media sites like Facebook provide a replacement for real interactions? A famous study from 2013 says no. Facebook may even make people less happy. Find out more in this episode on Social Connection.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesOver a two-week period, young adults' Facebook use predicted decreased self-reported well-being. This was true for individuals with both small and large social networks.Detecting affiliation in colaughter across 24 societies

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/44Research suggests that higher local temperatures are associated with a greater incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections. In other words, climate change may exacerbate the already growing problem of antibiotic resistance in humans. On the flip side, scientists in Portland, Oregon find that planting more vegetation, using reflective materials on hard surfaces, and installing green roofs on buildings may help cool urban areas susceptible to extreme heat. Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesAntibiotic resistance increases with local temperatureA combination of planting more vegetation, using reflective materials on hard surfaces, and installing green roofs on buildings may help cool urban areas susceptible to extreme heat.

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/43The average person eats at least 50,000 microplastics a year, and inhales a similar amount. Microplastics have been found in every part of our digestive tract, and are deleterious to the liver and gut. There is good news, however: researchers at Penn State are working on eco-friendly and biodegradable substitutes. They're made from squid teeth.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesSquid-Inspired Tandem Repeat Proteins: Functional Fibers and FilmsHuman Consumption of MicroplasticsPlastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue?

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/42b5-Year Anniversary Special.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/42More people are working from home than ever before. These lifestyle changes can meaningfully impact productivity, stress, and mental health. For example, researchers found that merely thinking that your employer expects you to monitor work email during nonwork hours can ramp up anxiety and harm romantic relationships.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesPressure to answer work emails during non-work hours negatively affected employees' health, and decreased the relationship satisfaction of both the employee and their significant other.Briefly looking at the color green before working on a creative task (such as coming up with unusual uses for common objects) increased creativity.

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/41This episode examines the difficult issues that surround diversity, injustice, and trust. Multiple studies in the United States and Europe found that more ethnic diversity in residential settingis is associated with lower trust among neighbors. And an analysis from 2011 found that many African regions that were raided during the transatlantic slave trade developed cultures of distrust, which can still reverberate in the day-to-day interactions of people who inhabit these areas.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesEthnic Diversity and Social Trust: A Narrative and Meta-Analytical ReviewThe Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/40The Useful Science team unveils the many benefits of dogs on our well-being. Researchers in Canada found that therapy dogs can positively impact patients’ experiences in stressful hospital settings plagued by long wait times. And in an observational study of families with young children, researchers found that pre-schoolers who played with the family dog three or more times per week displayed fewer conduct problems, and more prosocial behaviors, compared to children who had little or no dog-time in their lives.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesA case study of the patient wait experience in an emergency department with therapy dogsThe relationship between dog ownership, dog play, family dog walking, and pre-schooler social–emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE observational study

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/39This week we're talking about knots.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesTopological mechanics of knots and tanglesThe roles of impact and inertia in the failure of a shoelace knot

[https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/38](https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/38)The Useful Science team provides a breakdown on clinical trials - what they are, why they matter, and how long they take. As a wave of urgent clinical trials related to COVID19 is unfolding around the world, researchers try to balance the need for vaccines & treatment with ethical concerns and the health of study participants.Music by [Solomon Krause-Imlach](https://solomonkrauseimlach.com/).Follow us @usefulsci or email us at [podcast@usefulscience.org](mailto:podcast@usefulscience.org).Show NotesEthics of controlled human infection to address COVID-19What risks should be permissible in controlled human infection model studies?

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/37Avaneesh Narla and Joshua Conrad Jackson discuss the insect that’s been making headlines lately. Also known as Asian giant hornets, these critters have received a lot of hype lately, not just for the scary name but also for their potential to wipe out the oh-so-important pollinating honey bees. Are these fears founded, or is there a bigger threat to our bees?Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesOver 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction globally due primarily to habitat loss and pollutants including fertilizer and pesticides.Unusual thermal defence by a honeybee against mass attack by hornets

https://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/36Uyen Nguyen and Joshua Conrad Jackson are back to discuss some things you might not have heard about sugar. More sugar consumption may lead to risky business in kids. We also examine whether the increasingly popular taxes on the sugar industry actually reduce sugary drink intake.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesIn Mexico, a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages reduced the sales of sugary drinks by up to 12%, particularly among people of low socio-econonomic status.Sugar consumption is associated with more frequent risky behavior, such as fighting, bullying, drinking, and smoking, in adolescents. Consuming sugary drinks is more strongly associated with risky behavior than consuming sweets such as chocolate and candy.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/35Returning hosts Avaneesh Narla and Dr. Susan Rogers Van Katwyk are here to demystify and unravel some of the mystery of “best by” or expiration dates. How much science is out there about these labels, and how much do they really tell us about health and safety? Does reducing the price of almost-expired food at the store increase overall waste?Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesConsumer behaviour towards price-reduced suboptimal foods in the supermarket and the relation to food waste in householdsThe Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/34Duncan talks about VR in the classroom. Avaneesh talks about how ice is the most slippery at about -7 C and becomes less slippery at colder temperatures. Jaime talks about how to teach quantum physics.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesReady student one: Exploring the predictors of student learning in virtual realityMolecular Insight into the Slipperiness of IceScience and Culture: Quantum games aim to demystify heady scienceFizzics Education Free Resources

A followup episode on COVID-19.Coronavirus antibody tests aren’t as accurate as they seem - QuartzThe False Hope of Antibody Tests - The AtlanticFood Safety and Coronavirus Disease 2019 - CDCMedical masks vs N95 respirators for preventing COVID‐19 in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized trialsShadowpox Game

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/33Ian talks about how to deal with kids who don't like their gifts. Cindy talks about the role of maternal behavior in regulating a child's emotions. This is a crossover with the Curious Neuron Podcast (Dr. Cindy Hovington)Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesKids with higher levels of 'effortful control' (the ability to replace one emotional behavior with another) were better at suppressing negative reactions to unwanted gifts.Sustained attention development during the toddlerhood to preschool period: Associations with toddlers’ emotion regulation strategies and maternal behaviour

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/32This week we're talking about office fitness.Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach.Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org.Show NotesTen minutes of moderate exercise (stair walking) increased feelings of alertness more than caffeine in chronically sleep-deprived women.Employees who used a walking treadmill workstation at speeds up to 2 mph showed an increase in productivity over a period of 1 year.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/31 This week we're talking about politics and polarization. Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice Could climate change fuel the rise of right-wing nationalism? Importing Political Polarization? The Electoral Consequences of Rising Trade Exposure

An emergency episode on COVID-19. CDC information on COVID-19 World Health Organization information on COVID-19 Public Health Agency of Canada information on COVID-19 Social Network Sites and Well-Being: The Role of Social Connection

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/30 This week we're talking about social inclusion and well-being. Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Religious people tend to live longer than non-religious people, partly due to greater engagement in community and volunteer activities. Young adults felt worse and more socially excluded than they expected after talking about an extraordinary experience with a group who had shared an ordinary experience. This is possibly because people tend to bond more easily over common experiences.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/28 This week we're talking about antibiotics. Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Antibiotic use in animals raised for food is drastically increasing. This poses a risk for antibiotic resistance, which may limit our capacity to treat infectious diseases. Some non-antibiotic drugs prevent the growth of normal gut bacteria in similar ways to antibiotics, and may inadvertently contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/28 This week we're talking about red meat vs. the world Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Mathematical Optimization Assessing the Role of Cattle in Sustainable Food Systems Comparison of Nutritional Quality Cronometer app Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial Effect of Lower Versus Higher Red Meat Intake on Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk for All-Cause Mortality and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies Reduction of Red and Processed Meat Intake and Cancer Mortality and Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies Patterns of Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk for Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/27 This week we're talking about the Circadian Rhythm. Music by Solomon Krause-Imlach. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Wearing amber lenses that block blue light before bedtime can improve sleep quality. Going camping without artificial lights for the weekend can help reset your sleep cycle to more closely match natural light cycles and wake up earlier.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/26 This week we're talking about the science of pets. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes The “Domestication Syndrome” in Mammals: A Unified Explanation Based on Neural Crest Cell Behavior and Genetics Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body Are owners' reports of their dogs’ ‘guilty look’ influenced by the dogs’ action and evidence of the misdeed?

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/25 This week we're talking about smartphones. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes 15-year-olds who had a moderate amount of daily screen time reported better mental well-being compared to those who had very little (less than 1-2 hours) or a lot (more than 5-6 hours) of screen time each day. Employees who regularly used a smartphone app to perform mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes or more per week experienced greater well-being and less perceived job strain (workload and intensity). Couples who had rules for not monitoring each other's cell phone usage and not repeatedly contacting each other via cell phone reported less relationship satisfaction than couples who did not have these rules.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/24 This week we're talking about having a useful summer. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Fan-generated wind can help reduce the presence of mosquitoes by diluting substances that attract them, like CO2. Normal (2D) movies are just as effective at evoking emotion as 3D movies.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/23 This week we're talking about pop music. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes From 1986 to 2016, billboard-reaching pop music songs became more "attention grabbing" with faster tempos, shorter titles, less time before singing began, and less time before the title of the song was mentioned. From 2014 to 2016, songs with atypical lyrics (lyrics that defied genre conventions) were downloaded more on large streaming services than songs with typical lyrics.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/22 This week we're talking about the science of love. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes In heterosexual online dating, people pursue partners who are on average 25% more desirable than themselves. The likelihood of receiving a response to a first message decreases when there is a greater difference in desirability. Couples who were instructed by researchers to have more sex increased their sexual frequency but reported reduced happiness and enjoyment of sex. This suggests that more sex does not necessarily lead to greater relationship happiness. The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. (pdf)

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/21 This week we're talking about sleep. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes People who slept less than 6 hours a night were 4 times more likely to catch a cold. Higher nighttime temperatures due to climate change are projected to disrupt summer sleep patterns, particularly for people who cannot afford air conditioning and people who are more sensitive to heat, like the elderly. Not sleeping enough (staying up for 17 hours straight) impaired performance in the same way as a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit would (BAC 0.05%).

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/20 This week we're talking about going outside. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Bridging the nature gap: can citizen science reverse the extinction of experience? Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles (found in mineral sunscreens) generate DNA damage when exposed to UV light, however they do not appear to penetrate the underlying layers of skin, minimizing their potential risk. Literature review on the safety of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens Patterns of sunscreen use on the face and other exposed skin among US adults Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics Most of Us Are Making a Crucial Mistake When Applying Sunscreen, Scientists Warn

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/18 This week we're talking about expensive headphones and audio quality. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes No correlation between headphone frequency response and retail price A Meta-Analysis of High Resolution Audio Perceptual Evaluation Quarter to Midnight (Thanasi's album)

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/18 This week we learn about the benefits and risks of urban green spaces. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using green infrastructure: A literature review Children living in areas with more street trees have lower prevalence of asthma Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/17 This week we learn about sleep habits, Fitbit lawsuits, and bad science reporting.. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes VanWinkles.com: Here's the Truth About the "Women Need More Sleep Than Men" Study That Blew Up the Internet Exploring Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Health: A Society for Women's Health Research Report Snopes.com: Drinking Tequila Provides Many Health Benefits? CNN: Fitbit accuracy questioned in lawsuit Validation of Biofeedback Wearables for Photoplethysmographic Heart Rate Tracking

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/hi-interview Interview: Social impact, documentaries, VR, and empathy with Harmony Institute. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Harmony Institute Social Issue Networks and Film Festivals (Graphika Research) VR: Going Beyond the Empathy Machine That Dragon Cancer Harmony Institute Fellowship Program Story Pilot

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/16 This week we learn about art museums, napping, and male and female brains. Follow us @usefulsci or email us at podcast@usefulscience.org. Show Notes Students selected to visit an art museum showed stronger critical thinking skills and displayed higher levels of social tolerance after the visit. These effects were larger for students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Bo Bartlett’s The Box Although there are some aspects of brain structure that are more common in males or females, any individual brain is typically a 'mosaic' of these features, suggesting there is no such thing as a 'male brain' or 'female brain'.

http://www.usefulscience.org/podcast/15 This week we learn about getting out the vote, ADHD, and self-compassion.