logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
1 h

Why do we like being scared?

All Around Science
About this episode

On today’s episode: The same things that cause autoimmune diseases may have helped our ancestors survive the Black Death. It’s Halloween! Let’s talk about the science of why we like scary things! All that and more today on All Around Science.

LINKS:

THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allen https://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOUL http://andrewallenmusic.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
258 - Teens and AI Companion Apps
On today’s episode: Where’s all the sulfur!? Is your teen using an AI Companion App? Probably. All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESArchaeology student finds rare ninth-century gold 'within the first 90 minutes' of her first excavation | Live ScienceChemists H ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 18
257 - Sunscreen
On today’s episode: We pay tribute to Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell. How does sunscreen work? All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCESJim Lovell, commander of NASA's Apollo 13 moon mission, dies at 97 | Live ScienceNASA Biography of Jim Lovellhttps://www.health. ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 11
256 - RFK Jr. Is Dismantling Healthcare
On today’s episode: Ozempic may have even more health benefits! How is RFK Jr. undermining healthcare and science in the US and the world? All that and more today on All Around Science...RESOURCEShttps://www.yalemedicine.org/news/why-your-cardiologist-may-prescribe-semaglutide-we ... Show More
1h 9m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Exploring the Science of Spookiness at the Recreational Fear Lab
Why do so many of us love a good scare? Whether it’s horror movies, haunted houses or creepy podcasts, there’s something thrilling about feeling spooked—especially around Halloween. In this episode, host Rachel Feltman dives into our fascination with fear and morbid curiosity wit ... Show More
17m 32s
Oct 2024
Scurvy, Bird Flu and a Big Old Meteorite
An enormous meteorite’s impact 3.26 billion years ago may have made conditions on Earth more hospitable for life in the long run. Washington State is the sixth state to report cases of bird flu in humans. Weight-loss procedures and treatments could lead to an uptick in scurvy cas ... Show More
9m 27s
Oct 2024
Scurvy, Bird Flu and a Big Old Meteorite
An enormous meteorite’s impact 3.26 billion years ago may have made conditions on Earth more hospitable for life in the long run. Washington State is the sixth state to report cases of bird flu in humans. Weight-loss procedures and treatments could lead to an uptick in scurvy cas ... Show More
9m 27s
Oct 2024
Why is horror so fun?
It makes sense that we run away from scary things. That’s a good way to stay alive. But why do some people also love scary things? Why do people gravitate toward horror?Guests: Mathias Clasen and Marc Andersen, co-directors of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus UniversityFor sho ... Show More
21m 51s
Nov 2024
Spooky Science
It’s our Halloween special from a rain-soaked Jodrell Bank in Cheshire. We find out what you can see in a dark, dark Halloween night sky with space-watcher and Professor of astrophysics Tim O’Brien. Also this week, we meet some blood-sucking leeches, the horrors of pumpkin waste ... Show More
28m 11s
Dec 2015
Episode 08: Being Human with Robert Sapolsky
This episode of Origin Stories was recorded live in San Francisco as part of the Bay Area Science Festival. It was the first of The Leakey Foundation and the Baumann Foundation’s new “Being Human” event series. Our speaker was Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology ... Show More
38m 34s
Feb 2025
Exploring the Hidden Life in the Air around Us with Carl Zimmer
Scientists now agree that COVID spreads via airborne transmission. But during the early days of the disease, public health officials suggested that it mainly did so via close contact. The subsequent back-and-forth over how COVID spread brought science journalist Carl Zimmer into ... Show More
16m 47s
Oct 2024
Microbes Are Evolving to Eat Cleaning Supplies, and Whooping Cough Is Making a Comeback
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have confirmed we’re in the solar maximum, a period of increased solar activity that could lead to more auroras. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a fivefold surge in whooping cough cases ... Show More
9m 13s
Oct 2024
Microbes Are Evolving to Eat Cleaning Supplies, and Whooping Cough Is Making a Comeback
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have confirmed we’re in the solar maximum, a period of increased solar activity that could lead to more auroras. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a fivefold surge in whooping cough cases ... Show More
9m 13s
Feb 2025
Where Did Curly Hair Come From? Biological Anthropology May Provide Insights
It’s fairly strange that humans, unlike many other mammals, don’t have hair all over. Our lack of body hair and wide geographic distribution led to the variation of sun-protective melanin in our skin. For the hair that remains, why did some groups develop curls while others did n ... Show More
18m 46s