Your grandmother was right - a 20-minute nap really can unlock creative genius and trigger Eureka moments. Japanese researchers got caught hiding secret messages in scientific papers to trick AI reviewers into approving their work, which is either brilliantly devious or academic fraud depending on who you ask. And microplastics have officially invaded the most intimate part of human existence: a Florida study found them in penises, proving that nowhere on or in the human body is safe from plastic contamination. From sleep induced brilliance to microplastic penises, science sure hasn’t let us down this week.

While you may not be peer reviewing scientific papers, our top advice this week is to  stop using AI for things your brain should be doing. When that feels a bit tiring, have a nap! You’ll feel better for it. Oh, and make sure you start wearing 100% cotton undies.

 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Joy of Napping

02:06 The Science Behind Napping

05:36 Ethical AI Dilemmas in Peer Review

09:59 Microplastics found in penises





SOURCES:

'Positive review only': Researchers hide AI prompts in papers

Detection of microplastics in the human penis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38890513/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-a-quick-snooze-help-with-energy-and-focus-the-science-behind-power-naps

Your grandmother was right - a 20-minute nap really can unlock creative genius and trigger Eureka moments. Japanese researchers got caught hiding secret messages in scientific papers to trick AI reviewers into approving their work, which is either brilliantly devious or academic fraud depending on who you ask. And microplastics have officially invaded the most intimate part of human existence: a Florida study found them in penises, proving that nowhere on or in the human body is safe from plastic contamination. From sleep induced brilliance to microplastic penises, science sure hasn&rsquo;t let us down this week.
While you may not be peer reviewing scientific papers, our top advice this week is to  stop using AI for things your brain should be doing. When that feels a bit tiring, have a nap! You&rsquo;ll feel better for it. Oh, and make sure you start wearing 100% cotton undies.
&nbsp;
CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Joy of Napping
02:06 The Science Behind Napping
05:36 Ethical AI Dilemmas in Peer Review
09:59 Microplastics found in penises
 
SOURCES:
<a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/positive-review-only-researchers-hide-ai-prompts-in-papers">'Positive review only': Researchers hide AI prompts in papers</a>
Detection of microplastics in the human penis: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38890513/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38890513/</a>
<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-a-quick-snooze-help-with-energy-and-focus-the-science-behind-power-naps">https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-a-quick-snooze-help-with-energy-and-focus-the-science-behind-power-naps</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

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