A robot exosuit now costs more than most people’s houses, scientists are pitching a telescope built from the solar system itself, and Pokémon Go has somehow ended up feeding the war tech pipeline. This week, Will and Rod bounce between expensive robotics, slow burn space ambition, biosecurity chaos, and a 5,000 year old gut microbe that can still create great beer.

We start with a little shoutout. Unitree’s GD01 exosuit, a titanium priced reminder that “the future” is now a product page. It can move on two legs or four, it has onboard AI control, and it looks like it would smash through a wall just to prove it can. At around 650K USD, it is not exactly a casual purchase.

Then we zoom out into gravitational lensing and the plan to use the sun as part of a giant telescope to see distant exoplanets in far more detail. The catch is the timeline, because the mission could take around 60 years, which is either inspiring or mildly depressing, depending on your mood.

Finally, we hit Australia’s illegal cockroach trade, Pokémon Go scans being repurposed for drone navigation, and Ötzi the Iceman’s preserved gut yeast still being useful for baking and brewing. It’s a jam-packed episode that will leave you gasping at every turn. 

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Killer Exosuit Reveal

01:00 Meet the Hosts

01:45 Robot Reactions and Jaegers

02:55 Better Future Space Lens

04:24 Solar Telescope Challenge

07:08 Electric Sail Breakthrough

07:58 Seeing Alien Continents

09:13 Illegal Cockroach Bust

13:39 Why People Buy Roaches

15:19 Biosecurity Debate and Cleanup

17:27 Pokemon Go Tangent

18:15 Pokemon Go Scans

19:37 Drones Without GPS

21:25 Niantic Weapons Pipeline

22:50 Scientists Eat Headlines

25:26 Otzi Microbiome Bread

29:19 T Rex Leather Bag

32:48 Wrap Up And Sign Out

 

SOURCES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWOyUMJWptc

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/05/live-cockroaches-seized-nsw-breeder-australia

https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-lab-grown-trex-leather

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117726007660?ref=404media.co

https://dronexl.co/2026/06/09/pokemon-go-scans-niantic-vantor-military-drone-navigation/?_bhlid=59ba01ca00448ec948f397365da76b6ba3febdae

https://bsky.app/profile/paulisci.bsky.social/post/3mnnanoe3d22y?_bhlid=f589393b1087d6a8bc116f8d50ae811790ddc525

A robot exosuit now costs more than most people&rsquo;s houses, scientists are pitching a telescope built from the solar system itself, and Pok&eacute;mon Go has somehow ended up feeding the war tech pipeline. This week, Will and Rod bounce between expensive robotics, slow burn space ambition, biosecurity chaos, and a 5,000 year old gut microbe that can still create great beer.
We start with a little shoutout. Unitree&rsquo;s GD01 exosuit, a titanium priced reminder that &ldquo;the future&rdquo; is now a product page. It can move on two legs or four, it has onboard AI control, and it looks like it would smash through a wall just to prove it can. At around 650K USD, it is not exactly a casual purchase.
Then we zoom out into gravitational lensing and the plan to use the sun as part of a giant telescope to see distant exoplanets in far more detail. The catch is the timeline, because the mission could take around 60 years, which is either inspiring or mildly depressing, depending on your mood.
Finally, we hit Australia&rsquo;s illegal cockroach trade, Pok&eacute;mon Go scans being repurposed for drone navigation, and &Ouml;tzi the Iceman&rsquo;s preserved gut yeast still being useful for baking and brewing. It&rsquo;s a jam-packed episode that will leave you gasping at every turn.&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Killer Exosuit Reveal
01:00 Meet the Hosts
01:45 Robot Reactions and Jaegers
02:55 Better Future Space Lens
04:24 Solar Telescope Challenge
07:08 Electric Sail Breakthrough
07:58 Seeing Alien Continents
09:13 Illegal Cockroach Bust
13:39 Why People Buy Roaches
15:19 Biosecurity Debate and Cleanup
17:27 Pokemon Go Tangent
18:15 Pokemon Go Scans
19:37 Drones Without GPS
21:25 Niantic Weapons Pipeline
22:50 Scientists Eat Headlines
25:26 Otzi Microbiome Bread
29:19 T Rex Leather Bag
32:48 Wrap Up And Sign Out
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWOyUMJWptc
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/05/live-cockroaches-seized-nsw-breeder-australia
<a href="https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-lab-grown-trex-leather">https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-lab-grown-trex-leather</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117726007660?ref=404media.co">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117726007660?ref=404media.co</a>
https://dronexl.co/2026/06/09/pokemon-go-scans-niantic-vantor-military-drone-navigation/?_bhlid=59ba01ca00448ec948f397365da76b6ba3febdae<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/paulisci.bsky.social/post/3mnnanoe3d22y?_bhlid=f589393b1087d6a8bc116f8d50ae811790ddc525"></a>
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/paulisci.bsky.social/post/3mnnanoe3d22y?_bhlid=f589393b1087d6a8bc116f8d50ae811790ddc525">https://bsky.app/profile/paulisci.bsky.social/post/3mnnanoe3d22y?_bhlid=f589393b1087d6a8bc116f8d50ae811790ddc525</a>

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

Titanium Exosuits, Iceman Sourdough & Pokemon Spyware

This week we went from “surely that can’t be true” to “oh… that’s actually happening”. We fact check the legendary pig orgasm claim, then get weirdly hopeful about placebo pills that work even when you’re told they’re fake.

From there, we look at research that points a finger at the iPhone era for a chunk of the fertility slide, and what that might really be measuring in modern life. Then we’re back on humanity’s favourite hobby, trying to control the weather, now rebranded as “weather jiu jitsu”.

We finish with a satellite reality check, because apparently we’re speed running our way to a sky full of moving dots. If you like your science with a side of disbelief, this one’s for you.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS

 

00:00 Wild Orgasm Facts

01:05 Guinness Pig Claim

01:45 Meet the Hosts

03:03 Darwinian Doubts

05:50 Fact Checking Begins

06:08 Boar Taint Explained

07:37 Collecting Semen Methods

10:33 Four Ejaculation Phases

11:44 Verdict and Takeaways

12:42 iPhone Baby Bust

14:55 How the Study Works

19:00 Placebos and Aging

20:25 Open vs Deceptive Placebo

21:54 Open Placebo Ethics

22:17 Study Design Breakdown

22:43 Results That Shocked

24:16 Why Placebos Work

24:55 Open Placebos Everywhere

27:26 Weather Control Obsession

28:55 Weather Jiu Jitsu Explained

33:17 Nudging Storms Risks

35:50 Satellite Boom Warning

39:19 Night Sky Light Pollution

40:42 Governance and Fixes

42:34 Wrap Up and Contact

 

SOURCES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNwAKSL17s

https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2607/

https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000562&ref=404media.co

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0349765&ref=404media.co

https://www.nber.org/papers/w35310

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/9/1665

https://apple.news/AtTrEygKCQkCxuXk4Sb6Ojg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar_taint

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/animal/industries/pigs/breed/boars/collect

This week we went from &ldquo;surely that can&rsquo;t be true&rdquo; to &ldquo;oh&hellip; that&rsquo;s actually happening&rdquo;. We fact check the legendary pig orgasm claim, then get weirdly hopeful about placebo pills that work even when you&rsquo;re told they&rsquo;re fake.
From there, we look at research that points a finger at the iPhone era for a chunk of the fertility slide, and what that might really be measuring in modern life. Then we&rsquo;re back on humanity&rsquo;s favourite hobby, trying to control the weather, now rebranded as &ldquo;weather jiu jitsu&rdquo;.
We finish with a satellite reality check, because apparently we&rsquo;re speed running our way to a sky full of moving dots. If you like your science with a side of disbelief, this one&rsquo;s for you.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS
&nbsp;
00:00 Wild Orgasm Facts
01:05 Guinness Pig Claim
01:45 Meet the Hosts
03:03 Darwinian Doubts
05:50 Fact Checking Begins
06:08 Boar Taint Explained
07:37 Collecting Semen Methods
10:33 Four Ejaculation Phases
11:44 Verdict and Takeaways
12:42 iPhone Baby Bust
14:55 How the Study Works
19:00 Placebos and Aging
20:25 Open vs Deceptive Placebo
21:54 Open Placebo Ethics
22:17 Study Design Breakdown
22:43 Results That Shocked
24:16 Why Placebos Work
24:55 Open Placebos Everywhere
27:26 Weather Control Obsession
28:55 Weather Jiu Jitsu Explained
33:17 Nudging Storms Risks
35:50 Satellite Boom Warning
39:19 Night Sky Light Pollution
40:42 Governance and Fixes
42:34 Wrap Up and Contact
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNwAKSL17s
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2607/
https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000562&amp;ref=404media.co
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0349765&amp;ref=404media.co
https://www.nber.org/papers/w35310
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/9/1665
https://apple.news/AtTrEygKCQkCxuXk4Sb6Ojg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar_taint
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/animal/industries/pigs/breed/boars/collect

Pig Orgasms, Placebo Power and How iPhones are Ruining Sex

Will’s gone walkabout, so Rod’s raided the archives and pulled out four of his favourite segments for you to enjoy.

You’ll get a philosophical gut punch about the Experience Machine and why a perfect fake life still feels wrong, a genuinely weird global mystery with Havana Syndrome and the uncomfortable question of what’s actually causing it, plus the bad news that venting might be making you angrier, not calmer. Then we finish with the surprisingly brutal social cost of being labelled “boring”, and why that stereotype sticks harder than it should.

Will’s back next week. Probably with a snake in one hand and a chunk of Antarctic ice in the other.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Just Rod Here

00:55 Nozick Experience Machine

03:37 Would You Plug In

04:50 Why Authenticity Matters

08:50 Havana Syndrome Origins

11:25 Weapon Theories and Reports

14:41 Norwegian Microwave Test

21:46 Official Flip Flops Summary

23:25 Why Venting Feels Good

24:25 Venting Myth Busted

25:57 Meta Analysis Breakdown

27:29 Calm Down Techniques

28:48 Jogging Makes It Worse

31:14 Why We Love Anger

32:42 Playful Exercise Exception

33:37 Boring People Study

34:28 Boring Jobs And Traits

36:29 Escape Boring Conversations

40:57 Pay To Hang Out

43:44 Stereotypes And Wrap Up

 

SOURCES:

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2024/04/13/april-11-boring-day

https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Why-Is-April-11,-1954,-the-Most-Boring-Day-in-History#:~:text=Using%20an%20algorithm%20to%20scan,who%20was%20born%20that%20day

https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/

https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/14/havana-syndrome-cia-norway-experiment/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pentagon-reportedly-testing-radio-wave-device-linked-to-havana-syndrome/

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/havana-syndrome-device-pentagon-hsi

Will&rsquo;s gone walkabout, so Rod&rsquo;s raided the archives and pulled out four of his favourite segments for you to enjoy.
You&rsquo;ll get a philosophical gut punch about the Experience Machine and why a perfect fake life still feels wrong, a genuinely weird global mystery with Havana Syndrome and the uncomfortable question of what&rsquo;s actually causing it, plus the bad news that venting might be making you angrier, not calmer. Then we finish with the surprisingly brutal social cost of being labelled &ldquo;boring&rdquo;, and why that stereotype sticks harder than it should.
Will&rsquo;s back next week. Probably with a snake in one hand and a chunk of Antarctic ice in the other.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Just Rod Here
00:55 Nozick Experience Machine
03:37 Would You Plug In
04:50 Why Authenticity Matters
08:50 Havana Syndrome Origins
11:25 Weapon Theories and Reports
14:41 Norwegian Microwave Test
21:46 Official Flip Flops Summary
23:25 Why Venting Feels Good
24:25 Venting Myth Busted
25:57 Meta Analysis Breakdown
27:29 Calm Down Techniques
28:48 Jogging Makes It Worse
31:14 Why We Love Anger
32:42 Playful Exercise Exception
33:37 Boring People Study
34:28 Boring Jobs And Traits
36:29 Escape Boring Conversations
40:57 Pay To Hang Out
43:44 Stereotypes And Wrap Up
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2024/04/13/april-11-boring-day">https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2024/04/13/april-11-boring-day</a>
<a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Why-Is-April-11,-1954,-the-Most-Boring-Day-in-History#:~:text=Using%20an%20algorithm%20to%20scan,who%20was%20born%20that%20day">https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Why-Is-April-11,-1954,-the-Most-Boring-Day-in-History#:~:text=Using%20an%20algorithm%20to%20scan,who%20was%20born%20that%20day</a>
<a href="https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/">https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/</a>
<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html">https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html</a>
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/14/havana-syndrome-cia-norway-experiment/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/14/havana-syndrome-cia-norway-experiment/</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pentagon-reportedly-testing-radio-wave-device-linked-to-havana-syndrome/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pentagon-reportedly-testing-radio-wave-device-linked-to-havana-syndrome/</a>
<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/havana-syndrome-device-pentagon-hsi">https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/havana-syndrome-device-pentagon-hsi</a>

Rod's Best Of: The Experience Machine, Havana Syndrome, Venting Makes you Angrier and Boring People

Microplastics are everywhere. Birds are masturbating. A trillion dollars is still not a real number. And somewhere in the middle of all that, a mushroom case study pops up and reminds you Alzheimer’s is not just a punchline.

This week, we ping pong between lab gear that can fake a crisis, wildlife behaviour that is way more common than we pretend, billionaire maths that breaks your sense of scale, and one weird medical result that is making researchers quietly lean in.

Microplastics might be getting overcounted because of something painfully basic: lab gloves. University of Michigan researchers measured outdoor microplastics and got results about a thousand times higher than earlier studies, then did the sensible thing and assumed their method was being sabotaged. It was. Vibrational spectroscopy can mistake stearate salts from glove manufacturing for polyethylene, meaning the “plastic everywhere” signal can be partly your own equipment shedding junk into the sample.

Then we swing to birds, because science loves a tonal whiplash. Bird masturbation is real, widespread across species, happens in both sexes, and is more common in the wild than in captivity, which flips the usual “it’s a stress behaviour” assumption. After that, we try to make a trillion dollars make sense, and mostly fail because human brains were not built for it. And finally, there’s a single Alzheimer’s case study where a woman reportedly showed unexpected cognitive improvement after a large dose of psilocybin, which is not a DIY cure, but is exactly the kind of odd result that makes researchers lean in and pay attention.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Intro

00:45 Microplastics Shock Study

01:57 Lab Protocols And Jerkins

03:46 Glove Contamination Twist

05:40 How Bad Is Shedding

07:11 Science Skepticism Lesson

07:54 Onanism Bible Origin

10:41 Animals Doing It Too

13:38 Bird Masturbation Explained

17:19 New Research And Takeaways

20:18 Trillionaire Brain Melt

21:38 Why Big Numbers Fool Us

23:40 Time Scale Money Trick

24:33 What Buys A Trillion

27:07 Inequality Airplane Metaphor

29:07 Mushrooms And Alzheimer Case

32:44 Science Skepticism And Ethics

38:06 Signoff And Ratings





SOURCES:

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-found-a-big-problem-with-how-we-measure-microplastics 

https://theconversation.com/scientists-may-be-overestimating-the-amount-of-microplastics-in-the-environment-and-the-culprit-is-lab-gloves-258545 

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2026/ay/d5ay01801c 

https://theconversation.com/birds-masturbate-and-thats-perfectly-normal-284232 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2022.2044446 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/15/can-you-spend-1-trillion-we-hand-you-musks-fortune-to-find-out 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/our-brains-underestimate-elon-musks-wealth/

https://futurism.com/health-medicine/elderly-woman-high-dose-psychedelic-mushrooms 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2531319-woman-with-alzheimers-starts-conversing-again-after-taking-psilocybin/ 

Microplastics are everywhere. Birds are masturbating. A trillion dollars is still not a real number. And somewhere in the middle of all that, a mushroom case study pops up and reminds you Alzheimer&rsquo;s is not just a punchline.
This week, we ping pong between lab gear that can fake a crisis, wildlife behaviour that is way more common than we pretend, billionaire maths that breaks your sense of scale, and one weird medical result that is making researchers quietly lean in.
Microplastics might be getting overcounted because of something painfully basic: lab gloves. University of Michigan researchers measured outdoor microplastics and got results about a thousand times higher than earlier studies, then did the sensible thing and assumed their method was being sabotaged. It was. Vibrational spectroscopy can mistake stearate salts from glove manufacturing for polyethylene, meaning the &ldquo;plastic everywhere&rdquo; signal can be partly your own equipment shedding junk into the sample.
Then we swing to birds, because science loves a tonal whiplash. Bird masturbation is real, widespread across species, happens in both sexes, and is more common in the wild than in captivity, which flips the usual &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a stress behaviour&rdquo; assumption. After that, we try to make a trillion dollars make sense, and mostly fail because human brains were not built for it. And finally, there&rsquo;s a single Alzheimer&rsquo;s case study where a woman reportedly showed unexpected cognitive improvement after a large dose of psilocybin, which is not a DIY cure, but is exactly the kind of odd result that makes researchers lean in and pay attention.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Intro
00:45 Microplastics Shock Study
01:57 Lab Protocols And Jerkins
03:46 Glove Contamination Twist
05:40 How Bad Is Shedding
07:11 Science Skepticism Lesson
07:54 Onanism Bible Origin
10:41 Animals Doing It Too
13:38 Bird Masturbation Explained
17:19 New Research And Takeaways
20:18 Trillionaire Brain Melt
21:38 Why Big Numbers Fool Us
23:40 Time Scale Money Trick
24:33 What Buys A Trillion
27:07 Inequality Airplane Metaphor
29:07 Mushrooms And Alzheimer Case
32:44 Science Skepticism And Ethics
38:06 Signoff And Ratings
 
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-found-a-big-problem-with-how-we-measure-microplastics">https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-found-a-big-problem-with-how-we-measure-microplastics</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-may-be-overestimating-the-amount-of-microplastics-in-the-environment-and-the-culprit-is-lab-gloves-258545">https://theconversation.com/scientists-may-be-overestimating-the-amount-of-microplastics-in-the-environment-and-the-culprit-is-lab-gloves-258545</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2026/ay/d5ay01801c">https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2026/ay/d5ay01801c</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://theconversation.com/birds-masturbate-and-thats-perfectly-normal-284232">https://theconversation.com/birds-masturbate-and-thats-perfectly-normal-284232</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2022.2044446">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2022.2044446</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/15/can-you-spend-1-trillion-we-hand-you-musks-fortune-to-find-out">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/15/can-you-spend-1-trillion-we-hand-you-musks-fortune-to-find-out</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/our-brains-underestimate-elon-musks-wealth/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/our-brains-underestimate-elon-musks-wealth/</a>
<a href="https://futurism.com/health-medicine/elderly-woman-high-dose-psychedelic-mushrooms">https://futurism.com/health-medicine/elderly-woman-high-dose-psychedelic-mushrooms</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2531319-woman-with-alzheimers-starts-conversing-again-after-taking-psilocybin/">https://www.newscientist.com/article/2531319-woman-with-alzheimers-starts-conversing-again-after-taking-psilocybin/</a>&nbsp;

Titanium Exosuits, Iceman Sourdough & Pokemon Spyware

A Little Bit Of Science

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