Science Vs

What Do Tear Gas and ICE Raids Do to People? Podcast Episode · Science Vs · 01/29/2026 · 41m

"It does seem like people are generally less healthy and less safe when ICE raids happen" @sciencevs.bsky.social

First half is on the science of what tear gas does to the human body (what we know is not good)

Second half is the impact of ICE raids on communities.

TL;DR our govt is torturing us

Raiding the Heartland An American Story of Deportation and Resistance

In our latest episode, we got to chat with @wdlopez.bsky.social about all the science showing what ICE raids do to our mental and physical health. Check out his excellent new book for more on this - Raiding the Heartland. www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

What Do Tear Gas and ICE Raids Do to People?

New ep on tear gas and immigration raids🧪

We look at the health impacts of tear gas — including some possible long-term effects that caught us by surprise.

We also look at immigration raids: What do they do to the mental and physical health of communities?

open.spotify.com/episode/0tbM...

We're working on an episode about safety during protests, both digital (e.g., your phone and tracking) as well as physical (with a focus on tear gas).

We're looking for folks in Minneapolis who are up for talking to us about what they're experiencing. DM or email ScienceVsTeam@gmail.com.

The Secret to Happiness?

Forget what you *think* makes you happy. The world's longest-running study on happiness has the science-approved answer 🧪

open.spotify.com/episode/2aTq...

Vaccines: Does Europe Do Them Better?

I discussed this on the @sciencevs.bsky.social podcast here: open.spotify.com/episode/1hjh...

Preventing more diseases is a success, not a failure.
This shouldn’t be controversial.

open.substack.com/pub/communit...

#Vaccines ##PreventDisease

Does Tylenol Cause Autism?

A big review just looked at autism and acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) use in pregnancy: "paracetamol exposure during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder." 🧪

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Check out our 2025 ep on this 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/0afn...

‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’

The idea that our bodies are chock full of microplastics has been freaking folks out for a while, but scientists aren't so sure it's right 🧪

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Check out our ep on this, from May: "Is There Really a Plastic Spoon in Our Brains?"

open.spotify.com/episode/2ZwZ...

Vaccines: Does Europe Do Them Better?

The CDC under RFK Jr. has popped out new recommendations for vaccines for kids, modeling them after the schedule in ... Denmark. And people love to point out how good the healthcare system is in Scandinavia. So — could that make sense?? And what could happen next? 🧪

open.spotify.com/episode/1hjh...

Is AI Making Us Stupid?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED LISTEN!
@sciencevs.bsky.social

TL;DR - #AI is a great tool to save time on monotonous tasks. However, if you use it as a shortcut for tasks intended to build skills, yes it will make you dumber.

open.spotify.com/episode/3rID...

Is AI Making Us Stupid?

Today, we're tackling a big question: Will AI make us stupid?

There are claims that LLMs like ChatGPT will torpedo our critical-thinking skills — and there's a ton of hand-wringing over the effect they could have on students. So ... what does the research say?? 👇🧪

open.spotify.com/episode/3rID...

Manifesting: How Powerful Are Our Thoughts?

New episode today! ✨ Manifesting✨

Some say that by focusing on what you want, you'll make it happen. But the science says different. Listen now👇

Screen shot of the Science Vs podcast logo showing that it is No. 69 on the Top Podcasts charts on Spotify

Thanks for making us No. 69 on the U.S. podcast charts on Spotify!

👀

It can be tough to have conversations with people who have been sucked in by misinformation. The folks at @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social have put together some tips 🧪👇

Chiropractors: Are They Legit?

Today: chiropractors! 🧪 Some folks swear by the chiro for easing their aches and pains. But there are also bigger claims — like people saying even kids or babies should go, for stuff like asthma, colic ... even breastfeeding issues?!

We crack open the science👇

open.spotify.com/episode/0xy7...

Should You Eat Like A Caveman? Plus — 10 Years of Science Vs! - Science Vs | iHeart Today, we’re celebrating 10 years of Science Vs with … science! We’ll tell you all about the so-called orgasm gap, the incorrect idea that vaccines are linked to autism, and the incorrect idea that iv...

If you haven't listened to @sciencevs.bsky.social, this 10 year anniversary is a great start! Orgasms (so, not safe for kids), vaccine safety, shark musicals, and so many puns. Bonus, and the reason this is one of my favorite science podcasts, citations galore!

www.iheart.com/podcast/309-...

Should You Eat Like A Caveman? Plus — 10 Years of Science Vs!

New ep out now! 🧪 Celebrating TEN YEARS of Science Vs with:
👉 orgasm science
👉 how we know vaccines don't cause autism
👉 delightful listener emails
👉 the first episode EVER
👉 one of our all-time favorite SV moments

Enjoy, and thanks for being here with us!

open.spotify.com/episode/5bHa...

THANK YOU!! We appreciate the kind feedback, and thanks for listening!

We endorse this message

And you're right that we didn't talk about construction or habitat loss. Definitely big issues, but they were outside the scope of our episode, which was really focused in on energy and water usage. Those could be a whole separate episode ...

We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn’t tracking and consider where it’s heading next.

Here's that article again:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...

Oh yes! Via the MIT piece: "As conversations with experts and AI companies made clear, inference, not training, represents an increasing majority of AI’s energy demands and will continue to do so in the near future. It’s now estimated that 80–90% of computing power for AI is used for inference."

Never Put Meatballs on Spaghetti, with Samin Nosrat Spotify video

New Episode! 🚨 Why should you NEVER bake with cold eggs, put meatballs on spaghetti, or cut into a butternut squash with a small knife?? Chef Samin Nosrat tells Wendy in our latest ep. 🍝 open.spotify.com/episode/4vMy...

Hahah — for once, it is COMPLETELY INNOCENT

We're listening! You can drop us a line at ScienceVsTeam at gmail if there are specific biases and holes you think we missed.

YouTube video by Joe Schmoe Adam and Jamie Paint the Mona Lisa in 80 Milliseconds! (HD)

In this week's ep about AI and energy use, we note that AI guzzles energy in large part because it requires a particular type of chip: the GPU.

The Mythbusters guys did a helpful demo of GPU vs. CPU chips. Check it out here 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmW6...

We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn’t tracking and consider where it’s heading next.

Check out @caseycrownhart.bsky.social and @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social's project at @technologyreview.com here: www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...

AI: Is It Ruining the Environment?

NEW EP ALERT! 🧪

Will AI suck up all our electricity and water??

We dig in with @caseycrownhart.bsky.social @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social, who did an amazing project at @technologyreview.com on energy

And @renshaolei.bsky.social, whose water paper became a meme 💧

open.spotify.com/episode/3yNg...