What do you get when you cross a sheep’s intestine, a TSA agent’s glove, and the gnawing fear that you might be the dullest person at the party? This week’s episode, that’s what.

We’re serving up a scientific sampler platter that’s equal parts awkward, hilarious, and “wait, is that real?” From the surprisingly storied history of animal-based contraception, to the dystopian future of airport pat-downs, to the social perils of being the human equivalent of beige paint, this episode is a wild ride through science’s strangest corners. No sheep were harmed in the writing of this article, though their dignity may never recover.





CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:21 The Science of Boring People

01:49 Global Population Estimates: Are We Underestimating?

07:29 Airport Security Innovations

12:43 The Most Boring Day in History

17:05 AI and Vending Machines: A Stability Test

21:54 Stereotypes of Boring People

24:09 The Five Most Boring Jobs

26:52 The Most Boring Hobbies

29:30 The Cost of Spending Time with Boring People

32:56 Historical Condoms

37:56 Wildlife Corridors: Do They Work?

 

Sources:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672221079104

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://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/publication/wearable-sensor-contactless-physical-assessment?ref=404media.co

https://www.404media.co/tsa-working-on-haptic-tech-to-feel-your-body-in-virtual-reality/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138125000780?via=ihub

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.15840

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1de271qg4yo.amp

What do you get when you cross a sheep&rsquo;s intestine, a TSA agent&rsquo;s glove, and the gnawing fear that you might be the dullest person at the party? This week&rsquo;s episode, that&rsquo;s what.
We&rsquo;re serving up a scientific sampler platter that&rsquo;s equal parts awkward, hilarious, and &ldquo;wait, is that real?&rdquo; From the surprisingly storied history of animal-based contraception, to the dystopian future of airport pat-downs, to the social perils of being the human equivalent of beige paint, this episode is a wild ride through science&rsquo;s strangest corners. No sheep were harmed in the writing of this article, though their dignity may never recover.
 
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:21 The Science of Boring People
01:49 Global Population Estimates: Are We Underestimating?
07:29 Airport Security Innovations
12:43 The Most Boring Day in History
17:05 AI and Vending Machines: A Stability Test
21:54 Stereotypes of Boring People
24:09 The Five Most Boring Jobs
26:52 The Most Boring Hobbies
29:30 The Cost of Spending Time with Boring People
32:56 Historical Condoms
37:56 Wildlife Corridors: Do They Work?
&nbsp;
Sources:
<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672221079104">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672221079104</a>
<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://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/publication/wearable-sensor-contactless-physical-assessment?ref=404media.co" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/publication/wearable-sensor-contactless-physical-assessment?ref%3D404media.co&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749623253631000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0TVUeJ-Op4bPPjOKKTD7O1">https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/publication/wearable-sensor-contactless-physical-assessment?ref=404media.co</a>
<a href="https://www.404media.co/tsa-working-on-haptic-tech-to-feel-your-body-in-virtual-reality/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.404media.co/tsa-working-on-haptic-tech-to-feel-your-body-in-virtual-reality/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749623253631000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1lgxwGLQxogBemdCdPNYB1">https://www.404media.co/tsa-working-on-haptic-tech-to-feel-your-body-in-virtual-reality/</a>
<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749623253631000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1QLLt2nQsxStdahAQ1D1cm">https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138125000780?via=ihub" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138125000780?via%3Dihub&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749623253631000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0SyClQPQsbhRBtolJgLiZL">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138125000780?via=ihub</a>
<a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.15840">https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.15840</a>
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1de271qg4yo.amp" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1de271qg4yo.amp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749632866139000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CEXQZwerf6RTelZi5B747">https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1de271qg4yo.amp</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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