Don't Pee on Your Leg (and other scientific misconceptions)

Two Birds, One Scone
  • 4.5 (27)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker? Is it a good idea to pee on your leg after a jellyfish sting? Join biologists Camden and Margaret as they explore and address these scientific misconceptions and many more! With new episodes every two weeks, join the discussion of scientific misconceptions, with the hope of you learning something you didn’t already know about the world! If you have scientific misconceptions that you’d like explained or want to provide feedback to us, please email us at dontpeeonyourleg@gmail.com. "Don't Pee on Your Leg" (DPOYL) is a podcast produced by Two Birds, One Scone. Articles, blog posts, and more about what you can do every day to conserve our environment can be found at www.twobirdsonescone.org.

  1. APR 6

    E76 - Bird Bones and the Mind's Eye

    Camden, Margaret, and guest David discuss if bird bones are hollow so birds can fly (6:48) and whether everyone sees things the same way in their mind (22:09). Camden's Misconception: Bird bones are hollow so birds can fly Citations: "What If? 2" by Randall MunroeThe Science of Birds Podcast — "How Birds Breathe""Bone Density and the Lightweight Skeletons of Birds" by Elizabeth Dumont, UMass AmherstDiscovery — "Why Do Birds Have Hollow Bones?"Montana Natural History Center — "Avian Adaptations"Bird Spot — "How Birds' Skeletons Evolved For Flight"Wilderness Awareness School — "Bird Skeletons and Avian Physiology"David's Misconception: We all see things the same way in our minds Citations: Zeman et al. (2015) — "Lives Without Imagery: Congenital Aphantasia." CortexZeman (2024) — "Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia: Exploring Imagery Vividness Extremes." Trends in Cognitive SciencesDance, Ipser & Simner (2022) — "The Prevalence of Aphantasia in the General Population." Consciousness and CognitionMarks (1973) — Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). British Journal of PsychologyKay et al. (2022) — "The Pupillary Light Response as a Physiological Index of Aphantasia." eLifePearson (2019) — "The Human Imagination: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Visual Mental Imagery." Nature Reviews NeuroscienceMilton et al. (2021) — "Behavioral and Neural Signatures of Visual Imagery Vividness Extremes." Cerebral Cortex CommunicationsBainbridge et al. (2021) — "Quantifying Aphantasia Through Drawing." CortexWicken et al. (2021) — "The Critical Role of Mental Imagery in Human Emotion." Proceedings of the Royal Society B

    48 min

  2. MAR 6

    E75 - Vampire Bats and Soap

    Camden and Margaret discuss whether vampire bats actually suck blood and whether antibacterial soap is better for you than regular soap.

    38 min

  3. FEB 6

    E74 - Asteroids and Concussions

    Camden and Margaret discuss if asteroids really look like cratered potatoes (2:52) and whether you have to lose consciousness to have a concussion (11:49). Camden's Misconception: Asteroids look like little potatoes with craters Citations: "What If? 2" by Randall MunroeNASA Space Place - AsteroidsScientific AmericanCalTech Cool CosmosMargaret's Misconception: As long as you're conscious, it's not a concussion Citations: Concussion Recognition Tool from the Concussion in Sport GroupNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeCDC - TBI Data 2024Mayo Clinic - Concussions"Concussion" by Nitin Agarwal, Rut Thakkar, Khoi Than for the American Association of Neurological SurgeonsWhat We're Consuming: Camden: "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard OsmanMargaret: "The Dog's Best Friend Game" board gameFollow us on Instagram: @DontPeeonYourLeg Email us your misconceptions: dontpeeonyourleg@gmail.com

    29 min

  4. JAN 2

    E73 - Dust and Ears

    Camden and Margaret discuss if household dust is mostly just your dead skin floating around (2:45) and whether our ears keep getting bigger our entire lives (16:05). Camden's Misconception: Dust is mostly dead skin Citations: "What If? 2" by Randall Munroe"Is Dust Mostly Dead Skin?" by Veritasium"Making an epidermis" by Maranke Koster, University of Colorado DenverMargaret's Misconception: Our ears keep getting bigger our entire lives Citations: Cleveland Clinic - Cartilage"Do Your Nose and Ears Really Grow with Age?" by Justin Chupungco"Why do old men have big ears?" by James Heathcote"Ear size as a predictor of chronological age" by R Tan, V Osman, G Tan"Human ears grow throughout the entire lifetime" by Niemitz, Nibbrig, and ZacherToday I Found Out"Truth or Myth: Our Nose and our Ears Never Stop Growing" by Michael HinckWhat We're Consuming: Camden: "Project Hail Mary" by Andy WeirMargaret: BooksFollow us on Instagram: @DontPeeonYourLeg Email us your misconceptions: dontpeeonyourleg@gmail.com

    32 min

  5. 04/11/2024

    E72 - Ladybugs and Steak

    Margaret and Camden discuss whether the spots on a ladybug determine its age (08:54) and if the red liquid that comes out of your steak is actually blood (22:02).

    43 min

  6. 12/08/2023

    E71 - Mushrooms and Igloos

    Margaret and Camden discuss whether mushrooms are actually plants (07:24) and what makes up an igloo (20:56).

    44 min

  7. 01/20/2023

    E70 - Uranium and Sharks

    Camden and Margaret discuss if it's dangerous to touch uranium and if sharks have to keep moving in order to breathe.

    44 min

  8. 10/14/2022

    E69 - Attention Spans, Perpetual Motion, and Onions

    Camden and Margaret are joined by their friend Morgan to discuss if attention spans are decreasing, if perpetual motion machines are possible, and how to cut onions without crying.

    1h 43m
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About

Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker? Is it a good idea to pee on your leg after a jellyfish sting? Join biologists Camden and Margaret as they explore and address these scientific misconceptions and many more! With new episodes every two weeks, join the discussion of scientific misconceptions, with the hope of you learning something you didn’t already know about the world! If you have scientific misconceptions that you’d like explained or want to provide feedback to us, please email us at dontpeeonyourleg@gmail.com. "Don't Pee on Your Leg" (DPOYL) is a podcast produced by Two Birds, One Scone. Articles, blog posts, and more about what you can do every day to conserve our environment can be found at www.twobirdsonescone.org.

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