

Sci Guys
The Sci Guys
Sci Guys is a podcast all about the weird and unbelievable ways that scientists learn about the world around us. Each week, Corry (@notcorry) tells the story of a particularly strange scientific study while his cohost Luke (@lukecutforth) does his best to derail the conversation with questions, jokes, and whatever nonsense he can think of.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 13, 2021 • 1h 7min
126: America’s First Black Scientist - Benjamin Banneker
American History tends to ignore the achievements of black people - which is why you probably haven’t heard of Benjamin Banneker… He was a polymath who went verbally toe to toe with Thomas Jefferson on the topic of slavery, was instrumental in the creation of the capital, and did so much more!
You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:
http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!
http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!
Facebook
http://facebook.com/SciGuysPod
Twitter
http://twitter.com/SciGuysPod
Instagram
http://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further Reading
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/benjamin-banneker
https://archive.org/details/bulletinunitedst2311964unit/page/17/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/three-things-know-about-astronomer-benjamin-bannekers-pioneering-career-180967136/
https://friendsofbenjaminbanneker.com/history/benjamin-banneker-2/
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2vEQAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA65&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.history.com/.amp/news/cicadas-discovery-benjamin-banneker
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112037299119&view=1up&seq=13&skin=2021
https://www.biography.com/.amp/scientist/benjamin-banneker
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85984/retrobituaries-benjamin-banneker-african-american-mathematician-who-may-have-saved
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Banneker
https://www.wired.com/2010/02/benjamin-banneker-the-first-african-american-geek/am
Follow the SCI GUYS
@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth

Sep 6, 2021 • 50min
125: The Science of Nazi Nuclear Cubes
At the end of WWII hundreds of uranium cubes made for the Nazi nuclear program were taken by the USA, but they didn't take them all. Quite a number of these nuclear cubes went missing... A few have popped up here and there, until recently it's always been near impossible to tell if a cube is real, or just a really good replica - but scientists have just found a wild new way to find which ones are fakes...You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further Reading
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/hundreds-of-cubes-of-nazi-uranium-are-missing-now-scientists-have-a-new-way-to-spot-them-12389326
https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?next_url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2fhistory%2f2021%2f08%2f25%2fnazi-nuclear-program-failed-uranium-cube%2f
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2287673-investigation-of-nazi-uranium-could-help-stop-modern-nuclear-smuggling/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
https://www.history.com/.amp/news/wwii-nazi-atomic-secrets-alsos-mission-kidnap-heisenberg
https://www.britannica.com/science/nuclear-fission
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb.htm
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1321436
https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-14-dating
https://www.britannica.com/science/hydrogen/Isotopes-of-hydrogen#ref621366
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Werner-Heisenberg/Heisenberg-and-the-Nazi-Party
Follow the SCI GUYS@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth

Aug 30, 2021 • 1h 1min
124: The Alpha Male Myth
Some men label themselves alphas - citing an old study on wolves, but surprisingly the results might not be as applicable to humans (or even wolves) as you might have thought…You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingWolf Packshttps://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/wolf-pack-mentality.htmhttps://www.wolf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/267alphastatus_english.pdfhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21963347https://wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-wolf-info/wolf-faqs/#toggle-id-21https://www.jstor.org/stable/3881436Animal Social Behaviour & Hierarchies https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180925-with-females-in-charge-bonobo-society-is-more-chilled-outhttp://amydprice.com/hypertext_narrative/primates_research.pdfhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bonobo-sex-and-society-2006-06/https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bonobohttps://www.britannica.com/video/193398/bonobos-humanshttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/3/l_073_03.htmlhttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newscientist.com/article/2180434-the-7-non-human-mammals-where-females-rule-the-roost/amp/Human Alpha Studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30978215/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0165025407084054Alpha Male Pseudosciencehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2021/01/26/the-pseudoscience-behind-the-sigma-male-explained/amp/https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/alpha-male-alpha-chimpanzee-primatologist-frans-de-waal-a8421291.html%3Famphttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/no-such-thing-alpha-male-2016-10%3Famphttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YTyQgwVvYychttp://davemech.org/wolf-news-and-information/schenkels-classic-wolf-behavior-study-available-in-english/http://davemech.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ExpressionstudiesP.1-10.pdfhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtFgdwTsbUhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BPsSKKL8N0sFollow the SCI GUYS@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth

Aug 23, 2021 • 1h 12min
123: The Science of Sleepy Hallucinations
Ever seen or heard something as you were half asleep and woken up to realise it wasn’t there? Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are actually fairly common!You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingHallucinations
https://www.britannica.com/science/hallucination/Chemical-factors
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/hallucinations-hearing-voices/
Hypnagogic & Hypnopompic Hallucinations
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988750/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/14313158_Hypnagogic_and_Hypnopompic_Hallucinations_Pathological_Phenomena
https://www.scielo.br/j/anp/a/C9cqbVby3nqWJrKYLvBngkk/?lang=en
https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/IJoDR/article/view/71170
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-23739-8_8
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30138-X/fulltext
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RvBvYrklXM
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-87318-4
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/hypnagogia
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978012375038900008X
https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/6638
Other Parasomnias & Related Effects
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20120522-suffer-from-sleep-shudders
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781437703269000282
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11030656/
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/290/5490/350?hwshib2=authn%3A1628867368%3A20210812%253Aed134caf-83e8-4fd7-9799-0ea1e0c31419%3A0%3A0%3A0%3AyeqVACDJVH2x2dHe%2FPUbZw%3D%3D
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560817/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/narcolepsy/
Follow the SCI GUYS@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth

Aug 16, 2021 • 1h 13min
122: The Science of Myers Briggs Personality Tests
Myers Briggs types are scientific evaluation of your personality… or at least that’s how they’re sold. Turns out that they might be barely more scientific than your horoscope.You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingWhat is MBTI?
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
https://www.mbtionline.com/en-US/Articles/2017/July/What-do-the-letters-in-the-Myers-Briggs-test-stand-for
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554596/
https://www.16personalities.com/country-profiles/global/world
The Origins of MBTI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NQqSnkI32A
https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/isabel-briggs-myers.htm
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06614-
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Jung/Character-of-his-psychotherapy
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264783017_Isabel_Briggs_Myers_Psychological_Type_and_the_Spirit_of_CG_Jung
Is the MBTI Test Scientific & Useful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQiYiXxmjg
https://quoteinvestigator.com/tag/carl-jung/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26851600/
https://www.livescience.com/amp/65513-does-myers-briggs-personality-test-work.html
https://jobtalk.indiana.edu/HRMWebsite/hrm/articles/develop/mbti.pdf
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/00346543063004467
vox.com/platform/amp/2014/7/15/5881947/myers-briggs-personality-test-meaningless
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014920639602200103
https://amp.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/mar/19/myers-briggs-test-unscientific
https://pages.uoregon.edu/sanjay/bigfive.html

Aug 9, 2021 • 1h 1min
121: The Uncanny Valley: Science of Creepy Robots
Robots are becoming more and more human-like, but something weird happens when things become too human without quite making it all the way - we start to hate them… This is the uncanny valley, and you’ll find a lot of things in it.You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further Reading
https://www.aaai.org/Papers/AAAI/2005/RBC05-007.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/medu.14184
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-uncanny-valley
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/507812
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/33/6555
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-uncanny-valley-human-look-alikes-put-us-on-edge/
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/scientists-identify-possible-source-of-the-uncanny-valley-in-the-brain
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/33/6555
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4557950
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6211702/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6556781/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392592/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/medu.14184
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25762967/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32526760/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130901-is-the-uncanny-valley-reallist_works&sortby=pubdate

Aug 2, 2021 • 1h 38min
120: The Science of Past Lives
Some children tell stories about lives they used to live… Are they just playing pretend or is this proof of reincarnation? Maybe science has some answers… You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingPast Lives, Jim Tucker & UVA’s Division of Perceptual Studies
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830708000943
https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/our-research/children-who-report-memories-of-previous-lives/
https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/resources/advice-to-parents-of-children-who-are-spontaneously-recalling-past-life-memories/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgqygg/hard-science-of-reincarnation-past-lives
https://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259886077/searching-for-science-behind-reincarnation?t=1626790336553
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830721000951
False Memories, Source Errors & Other Explanations
https://www.livescience.com/7272-belief-reincarnation-tied-memory-errors.html
https://www.livescience.com/7737-reality-reincarnation.html
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1363461503040001005
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2466/pms.1996.83.3f.1107
Past Life Regression Therapy
https://www.thehypnotherapypracticeedinburgh.co.uk/why-past-life-regression-is-a-waste-of-money/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5797677/
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/james-pandarakalam-a-search-for-the-truth-of-past-life-regression.pdf?sfvrsn=f5442f17_2
tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00029157.1982.10404067?needAccess=true
The Egghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6fcK_fRYaI&vl=en-GB

Jul 26, 2021 • 2h 20min
119: The Science of Maladaptive Daydreaming
Some people report being unable to stop daydreaming, to the point that it takes over their entire lives. Maladaptive Daydreaming isn’t yet a recognised disorder, but it only gets more strange from there...You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingMaladaptive Daydreaming in the Media
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_daydream_that_never_stops
https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/06/25/people-with-maladaptive-daydreaming-spend-an-average-of-four-hours-a-day-lost-in-their-imagination/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/04/when-daydreaming-replaces-real-life/391319/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/10/at-home/daydreaming.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/30/health/maladaptive-daydreaming-feature/index.html
Eli Somer
https://www.youtube.com/user/SomerClinic/videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsZ7ivOSKjQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loE6Cq8lUS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZxHmfpcsI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_scn44bTEE
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=cIDL8CEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Maladpative Daydreaming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maladaptive_daydreaming
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810016300460?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395621000844
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28598955/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6426361/
https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/9/4/article-p1056.xml
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1020597026919.pdf
https://gpsych.bmj.com/content/34/2/e100419
https://maladaptivedaydreaming.org/pages/maladaptive-daydreaming-test
Pathologising, Disorders, & The DSM-5
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~heiby/overheads_classification.html
https://wjh-www.harvard.edu/~dtg/KILLINGSWORTH%20&%20GILBERT%20(2010).pdf
Psychopathology
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1529100617727266
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683251/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683251/

Jul 19, 2021 • 1h 12min
118: The Science of The Loch Ness Monster
Scientists went hunting for the Loch Ness Monster in 2019, but the search wasn’t all it seemed to be…You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingLoch Ness Monster & The Myths
https://www.livescience.com/61111-unusual-creature-sightings.html
https://www.britannica.com/place/Loch-Ness-lake-Scotland-United-Kingdom
https://www.lochnessproject.org/
Gimmell & His Survey
https://www.livescience.com/loch-ness-monster-dna-study.html?_gl=1*e5q5rq*_ga*YW1wLVBxOEh1MnFUNHpkcG9VNHEzWmkyZWxoaURiOF9TYkc3ZUZ2QS1uVmNTSjFCZDduOFhRS0dQcXlQWkJsUzB3N1E.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/sep/05/loch-ness-monster-could-be-a-giant-eel-say-scientists
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/loch-ness-monster-dna-study-reveals-plausible-explanation-for-sightings/
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago717609.html
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/loch-ness-monster-just-big-eel
https://gemmell-lab.otago.ac.nz/research
https://gemmell-lab.otago.ac.nz/our-team
https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?hl=en&user=XGE4mdAAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/loch-ness-monster-scotland-environmental-dna-science
http://www.sci-news.com/biology/eel-dna-loch-ness-07580.html
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/loch-ness-monster-how-edna-helps-us-discover-what-lurks-beneath/
https://twitter.com/ProfGemmell/status/1169748929887391744
Follow the Sci Guys@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth

Jul 12, 2021 • 1h 16min
117: The 'Sophia the Robot' Conspiracy
Sophia the Robot is one of the most famous robots in the world, outside of those in Sci-fi. Although, there may be more fiction than fact when it comes to her artificial intelligence…You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:http://youtube.com/SciGuys
Help keep the show running by supporting us on Patreon!http://patreon.com/sciguys
If you'd like to see more of us, follow our socials!Facebookhttp://facebook.com/SciGuysPodTwitterhttp://twitter.com/SciGuysPodInstagramhttp://instagram.com/SciGuysPod
References & Further ReadingWhat is a Robot?https://www.britannica.com/technology/robot-technologySophia The Robot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-1MlkxyqI
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/05/hanson-robotics-sophia-the-robot-pr-stunt-artificial-intelligence.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fnCQC7bLs0
https://www.hansonrobotics.com/sophia/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/sophia-robot-artificial-intelligence-science
https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-first-robot-citizen-sophia-animatronic-humanoid-2017-10?r=US&IR=T
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zarastone/2017/11/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sophia-the-worlds-first-robot-citizen/#18ede81546fa
https://www.businessinsider.com/sophia-robot-hanson-robotics-other-humanoids-2017-11?r=US&IR=T
Strong AI, Chinese Room & Turing Tests
https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/strong-ai
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/
https://iep.utm.edu/chineser/
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Turing-test#ref1252405
Follow the Sci Guys@notcorry / @jampkin / @lukecutforth


