Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder trials? Perhaps you've been losing sleep over the universe ending billions of billions of years sooner than expected? (We haven't.) 

 

Today we're diving into a scientific grab bag of the bizarre, the unsettling, and the downright ridiculous. From rivers flowing with pharmaceutical cocktails that are giving fish gender crises and enlarged genitalia, to the cosmic clock potentially ticking faster than we thought, to the historical irony of how the smartest guy in the room became synonymous with the dumbest. 

 

And just when you thought it was safe to prove you're human online, we'll reveal how those annoying CAPTCHAs might actually be training our future robot overlords. Buckle up for a journey through science's strangest corners—no PhD required, just a healthy appreciation for the absurd.

 

Sources:

https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email

https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid

https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo

Chris Pelkey video The Guardian





CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Impact of Drugs on Fish

03:53 Antidepressants and Fish Behaviour

07:19 Pharmaceutical Pollution and Its Consequences

12:31 AI and Legal Proceedings

22:59 Cosmology News: The Universe's Lifespan

23:43 The Immense Scale of the Universe

25:00 Theories on the Universe's End

26:02 Fossils from Previous Universes

28:12 The Story of John Duns Scotus

32:39 The Origin of the Dunce Cap

35:13 The Dunce Cap in Modern Times

40:17 The Evolution of CAPTCHAs

Ever wondered what happens when fish accidentally consume our medications? Or how AI might be bringing the dead back to testify at their own murder trials? Perhaps you've been losing sleep over the universe ending billions of billions of years sooner than expected? (We haven't.)&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Today we're diving into a scientific grab bag of the bizarre, the unsettling, and the downright ridiculous. From rivers flowing with pharmaceutical cocktails that are giving fish gender crises and enlarged genitalia, to the cosmic clock potentially ticking faster than we thought, to the historical irony of how the smartest guy in the room became synonymous with the dumbest.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
And just when you thought it was safe to prove you're human online, we'll reveal how those annoying CAPTCHAs might actually be training our future robot overlords. Buckle up for a journey through science's strangest corners&mdash;no PhD required, just a healthy appreciation for the absurd.
&nbsp;
Sources:
<a href="https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&amp;utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term%3DFuturism%2520//%2520060725%26utm_campaign%3DFuturism_Actives_Newsletter%26utm_source%3DSailthru%26utm_medium%3Demail&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748410920322000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3qGWgL9Ov7QpA7UeyfX9Iz">https://futurism.com/ai-dead-brother-impact-statement?utm_term=Futurism%20//%20060725&amp;utm_campaign=Futurism_Actives_Newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email</a>
<a href="https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748410920322000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1yNLn4TeLugFU1oEnXqPCl">https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/10/john-duns-scotus-and-the-dunce-cap-a-brief-history-of-a-pointy-hat-that-was-once-a-symbol-of-respected-scholars.html</a>
<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748410920322000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3VJxETZ7zqwfsrPxRvXJrV">https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dunce-cap-wasnt-always-so-stupid</a>
<a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748410920322000&amp;usg=AOvVaw36VRj2zThyBW9ZI6NYlLow">https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/407949/anti-anxiety-depression-medication-wildlife-salmon</a>
<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748410920322000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0zQMRjmtsjiXcdwkGQ52t-">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/salmon-are-being-exposed-to-our-anti-anxiety-medication-and-its-making-them-take-more-risks-study-suggests-180986424/</a>
<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref%3D404media.co&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748416353588000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2zwfpp0UDVU2n526pqgYt5">https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023?ref=404media.co</a>
<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref%3D404media.co&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748416353588000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3o_mU9XFBKIJUV_6-XoKWU">https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00266-0?ref=404media.co</a>
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748416353588000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1MZI4H2UTwT4IuP2XyBF7h">https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq808px90wxo</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4UvxytB7Ss" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DM4UvxytB7Ss&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748416353588000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Fkxr8ASOYiBX1aqUdUucL">Chris Pelkey video The Guardian</a>
 
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:50 Impact of Drugs on Fish
03:53 Antidepressants and Fish Behaviour
07:19 Pharmaceutical Pollution and Its Consequences
12:31 AI and Legal Proceedings
22:59 Cosmology News: The Universe's Lifespan
23:43 The Immense Scale of the Universe
25:00 Theories on the Universe's End
26:02 Fossils from Previous Universes
28:12 The Story of John Duns Scotus
32:39 The Origin of the Dunce Cap
35:13 The Dunce Cap in Modern Times
40:17 The Evolution of CAPTCHAs

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

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