Pet grief, exercise to stop panic attacks, and humor as a political weapon | Science Unscripted

Описание: This week on Science Unscripted, Conor & Gabe dive into one of their most wide‑ranging episodes yet — from mispronouncing Canadian cities 🇨🇦 to exploring the psychology of panic disorder 🧠💥

They kick things off with emails from around the world 🌍, including a listener from Regina who taps into a running joke on how to pronounce the city’s name. They also read off stories connected to a fake supermarket that helps scientists understand why we keep grabbing candy bars at the checkout 🛒

They also correct a memorable mix‑up (turns out PJ is not a cow… but a horse 🐎) and then jump into a stunning meta‑study showing a link between flu vaccinations and a lower lifetime risk of heart attacks ❤️‍🩹

Also: unpacking new US flu data – why infection rates have doubled, and why the vaccine still matters now more than ever.

From there, things get emotional: a new study suggests losing a pet can trigger prolonged grief disorder in nearly 1 in 10 people — more than losing a friend or even some relatives 🐾💔

And, in a rapid‑fire science round, they look at why astronomers are celebrating the cancellation of a $10‑billion green‑energy mega‑project ☀️🏜️ — and what it means for the future of exoplanet research. They also explain why you can, in fact, run from your problems — thanks to a new Brazilian study on sprinting and panic disorder 🏃‍♂️💨

Finally, an eye‑opening conversation about humor in politics: why today’s politicians seem funnier, how jokes can shift public opinion, and what "dark play" really means 😅🎭

All that and more in this episode!

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Questions?? Random thoughts and no to tell 'em to? Write:[email protected] ❤️
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📖 Study: Humorous political rhetoric in the US: analysing Trump’s and Ocasio-Cortez’s use of humour – European Journal of Humour Research
https://w.europeanjournalofhumour.org...

📖 Study: No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet – PLOS One
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art...

📖 Study: Brief intermittent intense exercise as interoceptive exposure for panic disorder: a randomized controlled clinical trial – Frontiers in Psychiatry
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/...

📖 Study: Influenza vaccination and the risk of myocardial infarction: a meta-epidemiology study – BMC Public Health
https://link.springer.com/article/10....

🎶 These days, always – Patrick James Bolster, Scott Steven
🎶 The way back – Paddy Conn
#science #pets #grief #loss

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro: Welcome to Science unscripted!
00:19 — Emails from Canada: Regina, Saskatchewan
01:52 — Listener shopping tips & the fake supermarket in Bonn
03:24 — The cow… that wasn’t: PJ the horse correction
04:08 — Big science: Flu vaccines & heart attack risk (18% reduction)
06:01 — U.S. flu season severity & vaccine effectiveness
06:47 — When pets die: New research on prolonged grief disorder
09:34 — Why losing a pet can hurt more than losing a relative
10:36 — Understanding responsibility, attachment & the "Dalmatian smile"
12:00 — Only losing a partner ranks higher in grief severity
13:21 — Science bites: Why astronomers are thrilled a $10B project was canceled
14:23 — Green hydrogen, green ammonia & the Atacama Desert debate
17:31 — Humor in politics: Why politicians are "funnier" now
18:27 — Interview with humor researcher Beer Prakken
20:05 — How jokes shift public opinion more than you think
22:55 — Humor as soft power: Asking the "unaskable"
25:39 — Dark play, boundaries & saying "stop"
26:33 — Real-life examples: Sexual jokes used to test limits
27:45 — Avoiding the awkward goat laugh (Gabe's method)
28:23 — Listeners: Have you experienced humor used to break rules?
29:54 — Goodbye!