Science Vs

Tons of us are inked — one in three American adults has a tattoo — but lately, we’ve been hearing that tattoos are actually bad for us. We’re told that they mess with our immune system and could even lead to cancer. Can that be true?! Plus, are there any upsides to having a tattoo? We talk to immunologist Dr. Santiago González, epidemiologist Dr. Christel Nielsen, and psychologist Prof. Viren Swami. 



Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsTattoos 



(00:00) Tattoos Under Attack

(02:03) Getting Under Our Skin

(11:38) Do Tattoos Cause Cancer?

(18:50) Should You Get Them Lasered Off?

(20:53) The Benefits of Tattoos



This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Blythe Terrell, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Special thanks to all the experts we spoke with for this episode, including Dr. Signe Clemmensen, Prof. David Kriebel, Dr. John Swierk, Natacha Cingotti, Dr. Sandrine Henri, Prof. Chris Lynn, and Tricia Allen. 



Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.


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We keep hearing that we need to be BORED more, with people online swearing that boredom can work magic — restoring your mind, and even supercharging your creativity. So, is boredom secretly good for us? We talk to cognitive neuroscientist Prof. James Danckert and organizational psychologist Prof. Guihyun Park to find out. 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsBoredom

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) They say we need more boredom

(02:06) This is your brain on boredom

(12:30) Does boredom push us into creativity? 

(22:08) Should you try to be more bored? 

(23:53) When you give your brain time to rest

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 


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Headlines have been screaming about a new study suggesting that vaping could cause cancer — and that vaping could be just as dangerous as cigarettes. And if this were true, it would be a HUGE deal. We’ve been hearing for years that vaping is a safer option — and can help you quit ciggies. But the new paper has run up against angry criticisms from other scientists, with some calling the paper "misleading" and "problematic." So what’s going on?? Do scientists still think vaping is safer than cigarettes? How well do vapes actually help people quit smoking? And could Big Tobacco be behind the scenes, clouding the truth about all of this?? We get help sorting it out from Professor Bernard Stewart, Professor Lion Shahab and Professor Becky Freeman.



Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsVapingCancer



In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Vaping world set alight by new study

(02:50) Why Some Scientists Have Linked Vaping to Cancer

(07:45) Why Some Scientists Pushed Back Against Vaping-Cancer Claims

(17:51) Is Vaping as Dangerous as Smoking?

(25:15) Do Vapes Help People Quit Smoking?

(30:52) Big Tobacco Is Funding Vaping Research



This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Additional music from Parry Music Library / BMGPM. Thanks so much to the Australian science media centre and all the scientists who responded to our emails on this — we asked a lot of you!. A big thanks to Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family.



Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 


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Lots of us love — or love to hate — running. And we do it because it’s supposed to be healthy, right?! But then we hear tons of stories about runners getting hurt — sometimes so badly that they have to hang up their sneakers. And there are people on social media going even further, claiming it’s one of the worst things we can do for our bodies. So IS running secretly bad for us? And could too much of it actually bring you closer to a heart attack? We’ll explore the science on all of that, and we’ll also dig into runner’s high: What is going on in the brain to cause this feeling? With help from Dr. Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen, Professor Duck-Chul Lee, and Dr. Michael Siebers, we look at the science to find out if running is the key to a healthy life or if there are peer-reviewed reasons to be a hater. 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/sciencevsrunning 

In this episode, we cover:

(01:48) What’s the deal with running injuries?

(10:51) How to get hurt less

(15:03) The secret to a longer life

(19:34) What is the runner’s high? 

(28:58) How to get runner’s high

This episode was produced by Ekedi Fausther-Keeys with help from Blythe Terrell, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn and Wendy Zukerman. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. Fact checking by Taylor White. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Anita Eberl, Dr. Johannes Fuss, Professor Robert Otto, Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka, Dr. Peter Kokkinos, Dr. Marilyn Moffat, and Director Brian Farr. A big thanks to Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.
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The moon race is back! NASA’s Artemis II mission just sent four astronauts around the moon. And other countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon too. But why are we really going? Some say this is a lunar gold rush, that countries want to mine the moon for resources. Others are saying the real reason to go to the moon today is that it’ll help us get to Mars. To find out, we talk to engineer Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, physicist Prof. Nicolle Zellner, and astronomer Prof. Gregg Hallinan.  [REBROADCAST]

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsGoingBackToMoon 

UPDATE 4/9/26: We updated this episode with information about more recent efforts to mine Helium-3 from the moon.

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Tom Simko, Professor Jack Burns, Dr. Paul Byrne, Dr. Martin Elvis, Dr. John Mather, Dr. Jennifer Whitten, Dr. Ian Crawford, Dr. Simon J Lock, and Dr. Greg De Temmerman. Special thanks to Chris Suter, Jack Weinstein, the Zukerman family, the Fausther-Keeys family, and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) We’re going back to the moon!

(06:23) Should we dig up rare earth elements on the moon?

(10:05) Should we go back to the moon for Helium-3?(14:54) The moon as a training ground for Mars

(19:55) The FARSIDE telescope: a portal into the universe’s history

(27:12) So is it worth returning to the moon?
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