Why We Do What We Do

• Golden Goose Awards

  Science is not perfect, because it is human. But it is strives for correction, unlike almost any other human institution or endeavor. Much of what science does at the basic level can feel absurd, esoteric, and pointless. Sometimes, it is. But funding basic scientific research is the reason we have made more progress in the last 150 years than the previous 3,000 years combined. Let's continue making strides forward with our values in mind: fund basic science research!RecommendationsAbraham: The Stormlight Archive: Wind and Truth (https://www.brandonsanderson.com/pages/the-stormlight-archive-series)Shane: Y: The Last Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man)Holidays (6/11/2025):Corn on the Cob DayCousteau DayDirty Book DayInternational Yarn BombingKamehameha DayNational Cotton Candy DayNational German Chocolate Cake DayNational Making Life Beautiful DayCalifornia State Parks WeekCommunity Health Improvement Week (CHI)Meet a Mate WeekNational Clay WeekNational Little League Baseball WeekNational Pet Wedding WeekShampoo WeekLinks and References: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senator_William_Proxmire.htm https://www.aei.org/economics/in-praise-of-science-investment-especially-basic-research/https://www.goldengooseaward.org/our-gagglehttps://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/nanoporeshttps://www.aau.edu/newsroom/leading-research-universities-report/new-research-suggests-returns-federal-investments-rd https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-high-return-on-investment-for-publicly-funded-research/https://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/the-maserhttps://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/frog-skin-cholera Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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  51:42
• Mini: Scoville Scale

  The Scoville scale is a method for measuring the heat of capsaicin-laden food. This is the amount of sugar water needed to entirely dilute the spice. But, we say it more elegantly than that. Let the spice flow!Join our supporter's club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-you-measure-heat-pepper https://pepperscale.com/what-is-the-scoville-scale/ https://pepperpalace.com/blogs/expert-tips/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-scoville-scale?srsltid=AfmBOoojcmyRiT5Yv_4RSa631H588xTp2lgzgEorf5Cxbb0eYMXuLBam Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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  14:18
• Makeup

  Lots of people smear colored dyes into the skin of their face almost every day. It's so commonplace, we hardly give it a second thought. We explore the history of makeup, and the psychology of this cultural practice. There are different motives for wearing makeup. We enumerate some of them here. It's not so simple as a lot of peope might try to make it out to be. RecommendationsAbraham: Love, Death, and Robots (Season 4; https://www.netflix.com/title/80174608)Shane: Alien: Romulus (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18412256/)Holidays (6/4/2025)Chimborazo DayImpersonate Authority DayLove Conquers All DayNational Chocolate Macaroon DayNational Egg DayNational Itch DayRepeat Day (I said “Repeat Day”)World Bicycle DayWorld Clubfoot DayBedbug Awareness WeekBlack Single Parents WeekCanadian Environment WeekEnd Mountain Top Removal WeekNational Migraine and Headache Awareness MonthNational Portuguese Heritage MonthNational Pollinators MonthNational Soul Food MonthNational Candy MonthLinks and References: https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/history-of-cosmetics/https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/make-uphttps://lmi.edu/blog/4000-yrs-of-makeup-the-evolution-of-makeup/https://www.lebube.com/post/psychology-behind-makeuphttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201606/the-surprising-psychology-behind-makeuphttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8956164/https://people.howstuffworks.com/about-makeup.htmhttps://www.iceman.it/en/the-mummy/ https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/the-story-of-war-paint-206037 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/no-makeup-week-chicago-wr_n_735467 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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  1:14:37
• Mini: Science Cheat-Prevention

  A trending strategy to bolster the interpretation of scientific results is to "pre-register" a study. This is publicly declaring your methods and data analysis procedures prior to beginning the research. Another advantage is that this means null results are more likely to be published. However, it may also inhibit attention to unexpected discovery. We'll briefly describe what pre-registering is, the pros and the cons. Join our membership group! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/resources/preregistrationhttps://help.osf.io/article/145-preregistrationhttps://www.cos.io/initiatives/prereghttps://acf.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-whyhttps://help.osf.io/article/603-benefits-of-registrationhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2833373X.2024.2376046Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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  18:10
• The End is Nigh!

  We are all gonna die! Some day :) Top 10, or 12 or something times that humans incorrectly predicted the end of the world! People have been doing this for a long, LONG time. Why do we love predicting the end of times? Is it money? Fame? Power? Mental Illness? A little of column A, a little of column B? We'll do our best to list some major would-be world-ending events that didn't end the world and why humans predicted them in the first place. RecommendationsAbraham: Sound of Metal (movie https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Sound-of-Metal/0U8IBE45LTNO63PAZ9B9ZA81RN) Shane: Book tours on trips Holidays (5/28/2025):End of the worldAmnesty International DayInternational Hamburger DayMenstrual Hygiene DayNational Senior Health and Fitness DaySlugs Return from Capistrano DayWhooping Crane DayWorld Otter DayNational African Violet WeekNational Frozen Yogurt WeekOlder Americans Mental Health WeekPrepare Tomorrow’s Parents MonthScripps National Spelling BeeWeek of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non Self-Governing TerritoriesLinks and References: https://www.ripleys.com/stories/doomsday-scenarioshttps://www.britannica.com/list/10-failed-doomsday-predictions https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2021/06/23/joanna-southcott-1750-1814-religious-prophetess/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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  1:07:05

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