High school students launch blood samples into near space, a real life love story involves a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT), and scientists find cocaine in sharks off The Bahamas. Today we bounce between space medicine, the gut microbiome and mental health, and the uncomfortable reality of ocean pollution.

We break down what those student rocket experiments could mean for space exploration and future medical procedures, then dive into the emerging science of gut bacteria, antibiotics, and how the microbiome may influence conditions like bipolar disorder. It is fascinating, hopeful, and also a bit gross, which is basically the scientific sweet spot.

Then we hit the ocean for the headline nobody asked for: sharks on cocaine. It is not just a meme, it is a sign of how far human contaminants travel through marine ecosystems, and why environmental science keeps finding our mess in places we thought were pristine.

We also unpack why we yawn, including research on brain temperature regulation and whether yawning patterns act like a physiological fingerprint. 

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

01:08 Chivalry Frog Meet Cute

03:37 Bipolar Confession Backstory

05:21 Gut Brain Link Evidence

06:50 DIY FMT Love Story

08:27 FMT Risks And Hype

11:10 Defensive Rewilding Idea

16:40 Cocaine Sharks Explained

17:52 Bahamas Study Findings

22:40 Pollution Everywhere

23:30 Why We Yawn

26:00 Contagious Yawns

27:22 Yawns in the MRI

28:37 Yawning Fingerprints

30:21 Brain Goo Hypothesis

32:06 Student Science Journal

38:12 Blood to Space

39:39 Four-Dimensional Minds

 

SOURCES:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-28/faecal-microbiota-transplant-credited-with-curing-bipolar/105541522
https://futurism.com/science-energy/sharks-high-levels-of-cocaine
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724049477
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749126001880
https://emerginginvestigators.org/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03071847.2026.2646067#d1e362
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569904826000340?via=ihub

High school students launch blood samples into near space, a real life love story involves a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT), and scientists find cocaine in sharks off The Bahamas. Today we bounce between space medicine, the gut microbiome and mental health, and the uncomfortable reality of ocean pollution.
We break down what those student rocket experiments could mean for space exploration and future medical procedures, then dive into the emerging science of gut bacteria, antibiotics, and how the microbiome may influence conditions like bipolar disorder. It is fascinating, hopeful, and also a bit gross, which is basically the scientific sweet spot.
Then we hit the ocean for the headline nobody asked for: sharks on cocaine. It is not just a meme, it is a sign of how far human contaminants travel through marine ecosystems, and why environmental science keeps finding our mess in places we thought were pristine.
We also unpack why we yawn, including research on brain temperature regulation and whether yawning patterns act like a physiological fingerprint.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Chivalry Frog Meet Cute
03:37 Bipolar Confession Backstory
05:21 Gut Brain Link Evidence
06:50 DIY FMT Love Story
08:27 FMT Risks And Hype
11:10 Defensive Rewilding Idea
16:40 Cocaine Sharks Explained
17:52 Bahamas Study Findings
22:40 Pollution Everywhere
23:30 Why We Yawn
26:00 Contagious Yawns
27:22 Yawns in the MRI
28:37 Yawning Fingerprints
30:21 Brain Goo Hypothesis
32:06 Student Science Journal
38:12 Blood to Space
39:39 Four-Dimensional Minds
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-28/faecal-microbiota-transplant-credited-with-curing-bipolar/105541522</li>
<li>https://futurism.com/science-energy/sharks-high-levels-of-cocaine</li>
<li>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724049477</li>
<li>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749126001880</li>
<li>https://emerginginvestigators.org/</li>
<li>https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03071847.2026.2646067#d1e362</li>
<li>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569904826000340?via=ihub</li>
</ul>

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