You can't push knowledge into a brain, the brain has to suck. We sat down with science comic maker Stuart McMillen to hear how he turns on the brain suck button. Enjoy!
The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, we record at the Wig and Pen Canberra, and we're driven by @ANU_CPAS!

You can't push knowledge into a brain, the brain has to suck. We sat down with science comic maker Stuart McMillen to hear how he turns on the brain suck button. Enjoy! The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, we record at the Wig and Pen Canberra, and we're driven by @ANU_CPAS!

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

You can't push knowledge into a brain, the brain …

Comics and political fisticuffs - a beer with comicer Stuart McMillen!

It’s pretty natural for humans to gravitate towards the most attractive person in the room. But do animals do it too? At Stockholm University, researchers decided to see if chickens could spot a hottie. They trained these birds to peck at faces on a screen and found that chickens prefer the same facial features that humans rate as attractive. Apparently, hotness isn’t just a matter of human opinion. Even a chicken can pick out a looker. Does that make us RSPCA approved?

Accidentally Breaking a Video Game World Record

In 2007, Billy Baker started writing a book about jugglers. At the time,  there was a controversial movement to turn the performance art of juggling into a competitive sport but this story isn’t about juggling. It’s about video games. During his research, Baker’s curiosity led him from online juggling forums down the rabbit hole of video games where he learned the world record of Tetris stood at 327 lines. Here’s the twist…his own wife easily scored up to 500 or 600 lines on her old Game Boy at home. She was just casually breaking a video game world record without even knowing.

Jackalopes: When Myth Meets Mutation

You’ve heard of the jackalope, right? That legendary rabbit with antelope horns. Turns out, they might just be real. Back in 1933, virologist Richard Shope discovered a virus that causes rabbits to grow cancerous horn-like growths all over their face. Suddenly, the jackalope isn’t just a campfire story. What if the tales we’ve written off to be myths were actually sightings of cancerous rabbits? 

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Theories of Physical Attractiveness

02:29 Chickens and Human Hotness

06:27 Juggling and Competitive Sports

07:46 Speedrunning Super Mario Brothers

10:37 Cryptozoology and Mythical Creatures

11:47 The Jackalope: America's Mythical Creature

12:15 Historical References to Horned Rabbits

14:38 The Shope Papilloma Virus Discovery

17:08 Modern Day Jackalope Sightings

 

SOURCES:

'Bizarro World’: That's what my wife and I entered when we drove up to an arcade in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, where she would attempt to break an official world record in the classic video game Tetris.

Ghirlanda S, Jansson L, Enquist M. Chickens prefer beautiful humans. Hum Nat. 2002 Sep;13(3):383-9. doi: 10.1007/s12110-002-1021-6. PMID: 26192929.

INFECTIOUS PAPILLOMATOSIS OF RABBITS

It&rsquo;s pretty natural for humans to gravitate towards the most attractive person in the room. But do animals do it too? At Stockholm University, researchers decided to see if chickens could spot a hottie. They trained these birds to peck at faces on a screen and found that chickens prefer the same facial features that humans rate as attractive. Apparently, hotness isn&rsquo;t just a matter of human opinion. Even a chicken can pick out a looker. Does that make us RSPCA approved?
Accidentally Breaking a Video Game World Record
In 2007, Billy Baker started writing a book about jugglers. At the time,  there was a controversial movement to turn the performance art of juggling into a competitive sport but this story isn&rsquo;t about juggling. It&rsquo;s about video games. During his research, Baker&rsquo;s curiosity led him from online juggling forums down the rabbit hole of video games where he learned the world record of Tetris stood at 327 lines. Here&rsquo;s the twist&hellip;his own wife easily scored up to 500 or 600 lines on her old Game Boy at home. She was just casually breaking a video game world record without even knowing.
Jackalopes: When Myth Meets Mutation
You&rsquo;ve heard of the jackalope, right? That legendary rabbit with antelope horns. Turns out, they might just be real. Back in 1933, virologist Richard Shope discovered a virus that causes rabbits to grow cancerous horn-like growths all over their face. Suddenly, the jackalope isn&rsquo;t just a campfire story. What if the tales we&rsquo;ve written off to be myths were actually sightings of cancerous rabbits?&nbsp;
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Theories of Physical Attractiveness
02:29 Chickens and Human Hotness
06:27 Juggling and Competitive Sports
07:46 Speedrunning Super Mario Brothers
10:37 Cryptozoology and Mythical Creatures
11:47 The Jackalope: America's Mythical Creature
12:15 Historical References to Horned Rabbits
14:38 The Shope Papilloma Virus Discovery
17:08 Modern Day Jackalope Sightings
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<a href="https://archive.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/08/19/bizarro_world/">'Bizarro World&rsquo;: That's what my wife and I entered when we drove up to an arcade in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, where she would attempt to break an official world record in the classic video game Tetris.</a>
<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26192929/">Ghirlanda S, Jansson L, Enquist M. Chickens prefer beautiful humans. Hum Nat. 2002 Sep;13(3):383-9. doi: 10.1007/s12110-002-1021-6. PMID: 26192929.</a>
<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2132321/">INFECTIOUS PAPILLOMATOSIS OF RABBITS</a>

Chickens Choose the Hot Girls, Accidental Video Game WR and Are Jackalopes Real?

A ventriloquist once ruled the radio waves, captivating millions with stage tricks that made no visual sense but somehow worked perfectly through a speaker. The world’s love for a good illusion runs deep, stretching from ancient oracles channeling voices through their bellies to audiences mesmerised by dummies with invisible lips. Humans have always been drawn to spectacle, even when it requires a leap of imagination.

The world of competitive chestnut-smashing, known in England as Conkers, has moved far beyond childhood nostalgia. Now it is a battleground for grown-up pride, world championships and the occasional controversy. When the stakes are glory and bragging rights, even a simple game can become the centre of suspicion and scandal.

Even stone skimming is not immune to drama. The World Stone Skimming Championships recently faced its own rule-bending episode, with contestants trying to perfect their throws in shady ways that organisers had to address. Whether it’s radio dummies, nut-bashing or stone skipping, humans will always find a way to turn even the silliest competition into a drama.

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction 

02:27 The Curious Case of Radio Ventriloquism

05:18 King of Conkers Controversy 

08:53 Stone Skimming Championships and Cheating Scandals

12:18 Conclusion and Listener Engagement





SOURCES:

Cheating scandal rocks world stone skimming championships

‘King Conker’ cleared of cheating at World Conker Championships

The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show

A ventriloquist once ruled the radio waves, captivating millions with stage tricks that made no visual sense but somehow worked perfectly through a speaker. The world&rsquo;s love for a good illusion runs deep, stretching from ancient oracles channeling voices through their bellies to audiences mesmerised by dummies with invisible lips. Humans have always been drawn to spectacle, even when it requires a leap of imagination.
The world of competitive chestnut-smashing, known in England as Conkers, has moved far beyond childhood nostalgia. Now it is a battleground for grown-up pride, world championships and the occasional controversy. When the stakes are glory and bragging rights, even a simple game can become the centre of suspicion and scandal.
Even stone skimming is not immune to drama. The World Stone Skimming Championships recently faced its own rule-bending episode, with contestants trying to perfect their throws in shady ways that organisers had to address. Whether it&rsquo;s radio dummies, nut-bashing or stone skipping, humans will always find a way to turn even the silliest competition into a drama.
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction&nbsp;
02:27 The Curious Case of Radio Ventriloquism
05:18 King of Conkers Controversy&nbsp;
08:53 Stone Skimming Championships and Cheating Scandals
12:18 Conclusion and Listener Engagement
 
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp982r99rrmo?_bhlid=efc76fa617769db8a0a1f2c4fa78dd9c2b68485a">Cheating scandal rocks world stone skimming championships</a>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/20/king-conker-cleared-of-cheating-at-world-conker-championships">&lsquo;King Conker&rsquo; cleared of cheating at World Conker Championships</a>
<a href="https://www.museum.tv/portfolio-2/the-edgar-bergen-and-charlie-mccarthy-show">The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show</a>

Radio Ventriloquism, Conkers Controversy and Stone Skimming Cheaters

Academics are now seriously debating the ethics of sex with aliens, with questions swirling around intergalactic consent, the boundaries of romance and whether Captain Kirk’s escapades would pass the cosmic sniff test. Some call it unnatural, others say it’s all about happiness and agreement, and a few even claim to have had their own close encounters. Until E.T. shows up with a clear answer, the verdict is equal parts fascinating and unresolved.

Back on Earth, dogs have been quietly evolving to manipulate us with their eyes. Thanks to unique facial muscles and lightning-fast eyebrow moves, modern pups can pull off that “feed me” look better than any wolf ever could. We bred dogs to be emotionally expressive, and now they’re experts at tugging our heartstrings, turning the human-canine relationship into a masterclass in mutual manipulation.

Meanwhile, StaffCop is turning offices into digital panopticons, logging every keystroke and screenshot in the name of productivity. While management loves the promise of accountability, for employees it means more paranoia, less privacy and a creativity drought. With science and technology serving up weirder dilemmas than ever, it’s safe to say the workplace is starting to look a little too much like 1984.

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

00:47 Ethical Dilemma: Sex with Aliens

03:27 Exploring Alien Reproduction

07:53 Human-Alien Sexual Encounters

13:46 Ethics and Consent in Alien Relationships

19:07 Dogs Using Their Eyebrows to Manipulate Humans

23:01 Employee Monitoring Software

27:16 Ethical Concerns and Privacy

31:47 Conclusion and Listener Engagement





SOURCES:

This Guy Paints the Sex He Allegedly Has with Aliens

Would you have sex with an alien?

How many men here would be willing to have sex with a legitimate alien from another planet?

Alien Attraction

What is StaffCop?

The science behind puppy-dog eyes, and other ways our canines communicate with us

Academics are now seriously debating the ethics of sex with aliens, with questions swirling around intergalactic consent, the boundaries of romance and whether Captain Kirk&rsquo;s escapades would pass the cosmic sniff test. Some call it unnatural, others say it&rsquo;s all about happiness and agreement, and a few even claim to have had their own close encounters. Until E.T. shows up with a clear answer, the verdict is equal parts fascinating and unresolved.
Back on Earth, dogs have been quietly evolving to manipulate us with their eyes. Thanks to unique facial muscles and lightning-fast eyebrow moves, modern pups can pull off that &ldquo;feed me&rdquo; look better than any wolf ever could. We bred dogs to be emotionally expressive, and now they&rsquo;re experts at tugging our heartstrings, turning the human-canine relationship into a masterclass in mutual manipulation.
Meanwhile, StaffCop is turning offices into digital panopticons, logging every keystroke and screenshot in the name of productivity. While management loves the promise of accountability, for employees it means more paranoia, less privacy and a creativity drought. With science and technology serving up weirder dilemmas than ever, it&rsquo;s safe to say the workplace is starting to look a little too much like 1984.
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Ethical Dilemma: Sex with Aliens
03:27 Exploring Alien Reproduction
07:53 Human-Alien Sexual Encounters
13:46 Ethics and Consent in Alien Relationships
19:07 Dogs Using Their Eyebrows to Manipulate Humans
23:01 Employee Monitoring Software
27:16 Ethical Concerns and Privacy
31:47 Conclusion and Listener Engagement
 
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-guy-paints-the-sex-he-allegedly-has-with-aliens/">This Guy Paints the Sex He Allegedly Has with Aliens</a>
<a href="http://google.com/url?sa=D&amp;q=https://unherd.com/newsroom/would-you-have-sex-with-an-alien/&amp;ust=1765491840000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1hVx22y4Y7m2wgkohjs3of&amp;hl=en">Would you have sex with an alien?</a>
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/shw91e/how_many_men_here_would_be_willing_to_have_sex/">How many men here would be willing to have sex with a legitimate alien from another planet?</a>
<a href="http://google.com/url?sa=D&amp;q=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-red-light-district/201104/alien-attraction&amp;ust=1765491840000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0XboGRDHRYslDaSeG0220l&amp;hl=en">Alien Attraction</a>
<a href="https://comparecamp.com/staffcop-review-pricing-pros-cons-features/">What is StaffCop?</a>
<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-04-06/dog-human-communication-puppy-dog-eyes-facial-expression/100955364">The science behind puppy-dog eyes, and other ways our canines communicate with us</a>

Comics and political fisticuffs - a beer with comicer Stuart McMillen!

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