Mass psychotics illnesses suck. Some are about dancing, some are about nervous ticks, some... are about genitals.

Rod tells Will the history (and science) of penis panics!

The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!

Mass psychotics illnesses suck. Some are about dancing, some are about nervous ticks, some... are about genitals. Rod tells Will the history (and science) of penis panics! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

Bizarre science history from academics with beers

A Little Bit Of Science

Mass psychotics illnesses suck. Some are about da…

A Brief History of Penis Panics

Breaking Bad looks a little more plausible than you would hope, the chainsaw has a deeply unsettling medical origin story, and people are now asking whether AI can guide them through a psychedelic trip. This week, we bounce between crime, childbirth, and chatbot consciousness, which is not a sentence anyone should have to write, but here we are.

We start with the so-called Breaking Bad effect, looking at research from Denmark suggesting that a life-changing diagnosis like cancer can increase the likelihood of criminal behaviour. When people feel like time is running out, the usual rules can start to look a lot less solid, which makes Walter White feel slightly less fictional than anyone would like.

Then we head into the darkest corner of medical history, where the chainsaw turns out to have been invented for childbirth. Long before it became a tool for cutting timber or starring in horror films, it was used in procedures designed to make difficult deliveries possible. It is grim, fascinating, and a very effective way to make modern medicine look fantastic.

Finally, we look at the strange idea of AI as a psychedelic trip sitter. While a chatbot might be able to offer calm prompts and simulated reassurance, it still has one major limitation. It has never had a body, never been high, and never experienced consciousness the way humans do. Like, subscribe, and tell us which weird science story we should chase next.

 

00:00 Breaking Bad Setup

01:10 Science Show Preview

02:03 Danish Cancer Crime Study

04:36 Why Crime Increases

06:23 Shorter Survival More Crime

07:44 Chainsaw Origins Quiz

09:16 Childbirth Before Modern Medicine

14:09 First Medical Chainsaws

16:00 From Obstetrics to Amputations

18:21 Portable Chainsaws Arrive

20:05 Time Travel Tradeoffs

20:40 Contact Lens Horror Story

24:31 AI Trip Sitters

27:44 Can AI Get High

28:57 LLMs Simulating Psychedelics

33:06 Brain Cells Play Doom

38:07 Mailbag Strandbeests Gelatin

41:10 Wrap Up And Ratings

 

SOURCES:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40630852

https://www-bmj-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/content/358/bmj.j2783

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1633599/full?ref=404media.co

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-breaking-bad-effect-from-cancer-is-real-study-finds\

https://www.iflscience.com/can-artificial-intelligence-get-high-and-why-are-scientists-even-trying-82560

https://futurism.com/ai-therapy-psychedelic-trip-sitter

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8682370/v1

https://erowid.org/experiences/exp_info3.shtml

https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-were-chainsaws-invented.htm

Breaking Bad looks a little more plausible than you would hope, the chainsaw has a deeply unsettling medical origin story, and people are now asking whether AI can guide them through a psychedelic trip. This week, we bounce between crime, childbirth, and chatbot consciousness, which is not a sentence anyone should have to write, but here we are.
We start with the so-called Breaking Bad effect, looking at research from Denmark suggesting that a life-changing diagnosis like cancer can increase the likelihood of criminal behaviour. When people feel like time is running out, the usual rules can start to look a lot less solid, which makes Walter White feel slightly less fictional than anyone would like.
Then we head into the darkest corner of medical history, where the chainsaw turns out to have been invented for childbirth. Long before it became a tool for cutting timber or starring in horror films, it was used in procedures designed to make difficult deliveries possible. It is grim, fascinating, and a very effective way to make modern medicine look fantastic.
Finally, we look at the strange idea of AI as a psychedelic trip sitter. While a chatbot might be able to offer calm prompts and simulated reassurance, it still has one major limitation. It has never had a body, never been high, and never experienced consciousness the way humans do. Like, subscribe, and tell us which weird science story we should chase next.
&nbsp;
00:00 Breaking Bad Setup
01:10 Science Show Preview
02:03 Danish Cancer Crime Study
04:36 Why Crime Increases
06:23 Shorter Survival More Crime
07:44 Chainsaw Origins Quiz
09:16 Childbirth Before Modern Medicine
14:09 First Medical Chainsaws
16:00 From Obstetrics to Amputations
18:21 Portable Chainsaws Arrive
20:05 Time Travel Tradeoffs
20:40 Contact Lens Horror Story
24:31 AI Trip Sitters
27:44 Can AI Get High
28:57 LLMs Simulating Psychedelics
33:06 Brain Cells Play Doom
38:07 Mailbag Strandbeests Gelatin
41:10 Wrap Up And Ratings
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40630852">https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40630852</a>
<a href="https://www-bmj-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/content/358/bmj.j2783">https://www-bmj-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/content/358/bmj.j2783</a>
<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1633599/full?ref=404media.co">https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1633599/full?ref=404media.co</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/the-breaking-bad-effect-from-cancer-is-real-study-finds%5C">https://www.sciencealert.com/the-breaking-bad-effect-from-cancer-is-real-study-finds\</a>
<a href="https://www.iflscience.com/can-artificial-intelligence-get-high-and-why-are-scientists-even-trying-82560">https://www.iflscience.com/can-artificial-intelligence-get-high-and-why-are-scientists-even-trying-82560</a>
<a href="https://futurism.com/ai-therapy-psychedelic-trip-sitter">https://futurism.com/ai-therapy-psychedelic-trip-sitter</a>
<a href="https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8682370/v1">https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8682370/v1</a>
<a href="https://erowid.org/experiences/exp_info3.shtml">https://erowid.org/experiences/exp_info3.shtml</a>
<a href="https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-were-chainsaws-invented.htm">https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-were-chainsaws-invented.htm</a>

The Breaking Bad Effect, Obstetric Chainsaws and AI Trip Sitters

Brain-eating amoebas, climate change, economists, and Leonardo da Vinci’s robot lion all collide in this week’s episode. We dig into how warming freshwater is helping dangerous amoebas spread into new places, why these rare but terrifying organisms are linked to water going up the nose, and what that means for swimmers, public health, and the very specific fear of warm lakes. It is science, climate, and nightmare fuel all in one neat package.

We also unpack a strange finding from economics research. The more economists agree with each other, the more their views can drift away from the general public. It is a fascinating look at expert consensus, groupthink, public opinion, and why economic theory can sometimes feel completely detached from real life. If you have ever wondered why economists sound like they are living on a different planet, this one may help.

Then we head back to the Renaissance for one of the greatest flexes in science and engineering history. Leonardo da Vinci reportedly built a mechanical robot lion that could walk and reveal flowers from its chest, blending robotics, invention, art, and spectacle centuries before modern technology caught up. If you love weird science, history, innovation, robots, and bizarre true stories, this episode is for you.

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Brain-Eating Amoeba Basics

02:43 How It Infects You

03:57 Warming Spreads the Risk

04:39 Economists vs Everyone

10:10 Assumptions and Governance

11:03 Medici Exile Storytime

12:23 Bologna Power Play

13:07 Medici Politics Banter

14:32 Da Vinci Gift Idea

16:46 Robot Knight Blueprint

18:48 Building the Lion

19:44 Courtroom Lion Reveal

23:22 Modern Art Machines

24:43 Ratings and Farewell

 

SOURCES:

https://www.aeaweb.org/articles/pdf/doi/10.1257/aer.103.3.636

https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-eating-amoebas-may-pose-a-growing-global-threat-scientists-warn

https://www.history.com/articles/da-vinci-robotic-lion

https://www.history.com/articles/7-early-robots-and-automatons

Brain-eating amoebas, climate change, economists, and Leonardo da Vinci&rsquo;s robot lion all collide in this week&rsquo;s episode. We dig into how warming freshwater is helping dangerous amoebas spread into new places, why these rare but terrifying organisms are linked to water going up the nose, and what that means for swimmers, public health, and the very specific fear of warm lakes. It is science, climate, and nightmare fuel all in one neat package.
We also unpack a strange finding from economics research. The more economists agree with each other, the more their views can drift away from the general public. It is a fascinating look at expert consensus, groupthink, public opinion, and why economic theory can sometimes feel completely detached from real life. If you have ever wondered why economists sound like they are living on a different planet, this one may help.
Then we head back to the Renaissance for one of the greatest flexes in science and engineering history. Leonardo da Vinci reportedly built a mechanical robot lion that could walk and reveal flowers from its chest, blending robotics, invention, art, and spectacle centuries before modern technology caught up. If you love weird science, history, innovation, robots, and bizarre true stories, this episode is for you.
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Brain-Eating Amoeba Basics
02:43 How It Infects You
03:57 Warming Spreads the Risk
04:39 Economists vs Everyone
10:10 Assumptions and Governance
11:03 Medici Exile Storytime
12:23 Bologna Power Play
13:07 Medici Politics Banter
14:32 Da Vinci Gift Idea
16:46 Robot Knight Blueprint
18:48 Building the Lion
19:44 Courtroom Lion Reveal
23:22 Modern Art Machines
24:43 Ratings and Farewell
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles/pdf/doi/10.1257/aer.103.3.636">https://www.aeaweb.org/articles/pdf/doi/10.1257/aer.103.3.636</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-eating-amoebas-may-pose-a-growing-global-threat-scientists-warn">https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-eating-amoebas-may-pose-a-growing-global-threat-scientists-warn</a>
<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/da-vinci-robotic-lion">https://www.history.com/articles/da-vinci-robotic-lion</a>
<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/7-early-robots-and-automatons">https://www.history.com/articles/7-early-robots-and-automatons</a>

Brain-Eating Amoebas, Economists vs. Everyone and Da Vinci's Robot Lion

Conspiracy theorists hate uncertainty, a mushroom hot pot in China can apparently summon tiny imaginary people, a bunch of seeds have been sitting underground since the 1800s waiting for their moment and scientists are trying to quantify why words like boobs are funny. This week is a mixed bag of psychology, botany and childish humour, which is basically the entire scientific enterprise when you strip away the grant applications.

We start with conspiracy thinking and why it is often less about facts and more about feelings. Research suggests people who lean hard into conspiracies can struggle with ambiguity and prefer simple explanations in a complicated world. Certainty feels good, chaos feels awful and conspiracy stories offer villains, motives and a neat ending. Even when the story is wrong.

Then we head to Yunnan, China, where prized mushrooms can cause hallucinations if they are eaten too early, including reports of seeing tiny people. Researchers still have not nailed down the exact chemical responsible, and it may be a mix of biology, preparation and expectation. The takeaway is simple. If the locals tell you to cook the mushrooms properly, listen.

We look at one of the longest running experiments in science, where seeds buried in glass bottles in the 1800s are still being dug up and tested to see what can germinate. We also dip into the science of funny words and why certain sounds and associations make some words reliably hilarious. So, stay curious, cook your hot pot properly, and if you start seeing tiny people, maybe stop eating the mushrooms.

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

00:48 Conspiracy Believer Traits

03:13 New Study On Coverups

05:14 Ambiguity And Unfairness

06:42 Skepticism Vs Conspiracy

07:59 Mushroom Hot Pot Warning

10:19 Tiny People Hallucinations

14:01 Hunting The Active Compound

17:35 Seed Bottle Time Capsule

21:24 Custodians And Map

21:56 Bottles Remaining Timeline

23:12 Succession And Secrecy

24:51 2021 Dawn Dig

26:30 Why The Experiment Matters

29:10 Long Term Projects

30:48 Science Of Funny Words

36:31 Modeling Humor Categories

40:21 Phonemes And Incongruity

43:22 Destroying Humour And Wrap

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423

https://futurism.com/health-medicine/conspiracy-theories-psychology 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/science/beal-seeds-experiment.html 

https://magazine.wfu.edu/2022/10/05/unearthing-time-in-a-bottle/ 

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old?utm_source=news.sciencealert.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=superagers-have-two-key-advantages&_bhlid=8fd449a2c8ea1d56a84867da881e4444546af69c 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/15-longest-running-scientific-studies-historyhttps://people.howstuffworks.com/why-poop-and-wiggle-are-funny-words-according-to-science.htm?utm_source=HowStuffWorks+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=themed-words-3-6-25

Conspiracy theorists hate uncertainty, a mushroom hot pot in China can apparently summon tiny imaginary people, a bunch of seeds have been sitting underground since the 1800s waiting for their moment and scientists are trying to quantify why words like boobs are funny. This week is a mixed bag of psychology, botany and childish humour, which is basically the entire scientific enterprise when you strip away the grant applications.
We start with conspiracy thinking and why it is often less about facts and more about feelings. Research suggests people who lean hard into conspiracies can struggle with ambiguity and prefer simple explanations in a complicated world. Certainty feels good, chaos feels awful and conspiracy stories offer villains, motives and a neat ending. Even when the story is wrong.
Then we head to Yunnan, China, where prized mushrooms can cause hallucinations if they are eaten too early, including reports of seeing tiny people. Researchers still have not nailed down the exact chemical responsible, and it may be a mix of biology, preparation and expectation. The takeaway is simple. If the locals tell you to cook the mushrooms properly, listen.
We look at one of the longest running experiments in science, where seeds buried in glass bottles in the 1800s are still being dug up and tested to see what can germinate. We also dip into the science of funny words and why certain sounds and associations make some words reliably hilarious. So, stay curious, cook your hot pot properly, and if you start seeing tiny people, maybe stop eating the mushrooms.
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Conspiracy Believer Traits
03:13 New Study On Coverups
05:14 Ambiguity And Unfairness
06:42 Skepticism Vs Conspiracy
07:59 Mushroom Hot Pot Warning
10:19 Tiny People Hallucinations
14:01 Hunting The Active Compound
17:35 Seed Bottle Time Capsule
21:24 Custodians And Map
21:56 Bottles Remaining Timeline
23:12 Succession And Secrecy
24:51 2021 Dawn Dig
26:30 Why The Experiment Matters
29:10 Long Term Projects
30:48 Science Of Funny Words
36:31 Modeling Humor Categories
40:21 Phonemes And Incongruity
43:22 Destroying Humour And Wrap
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656622000423</a>
<a href="https://futurism.com/health-medicine/conspiracy-theories-psychology">https://futurism.com/health-medicine/conspiracy-theories-psychology</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/science/beal-seeds-experiment.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/science/beal-seeds-experiment.html</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://magazine.wfu.edu/2022/10/05/unearthing-time-in-a-bottle/">https://magazine.wfu.edu/2022/10/05/unearthing-time-in-a-bottle/</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old?utm_source=news.sciencealert.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=superagers-have-two-key-advantages&amp;_bhlid=8fd449a2c8ea1d56a84867da881e4444546af69c">https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old?utm_source=news.sciencealert.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=superagers-have-two-key-advantages&amp;_bhlid=8fd449a2c8ea1d56a84867da881e4444546af69c</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/15-longest-running-scientific-studies-history">https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/15-longest-running-scientific-studies-history</a> <a href="https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-poop-and-wiggle-are-funny-words-according-to-science.htm?utm_source=HowStuffWorks+Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=themed-words-3-6-25">https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-poop-and-wiggle-are-funny-words-according-to-science.htm?utm_source=HowStuffWorks+Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=themed-words-3-6-25</a>

A Brief History of Penis Panics

In 1 playlist(s)

A Little Bit Of Science

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips