In this bonus episode, Lu and Tirth do some RecSci Quick Bites or funny studies they didn’t get to discuss at length during season one. These include an unusual finding on colonoscopy, ergonomic toilet seats, Japan’s Phillips curve, the misuse of the word promiscuity, the deal with birds, fruit bat fellatio part 2, and a case of untreated writer’s block.

This episode is part of the 4th edition of Podcasthon! This is the world’s largest podcast charity initiative, bringing together podcasters globally to raise awareness for important causes.

Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:27 Colonoscopy study
• 4:04 Toilet seat study
• 5:59 Japan study
• 7:02 Promiscuity study
• 8:47 Birds study
• 10:05 Fruit bat study
• 12:00 Writer’s block study
• 13:01 Outro

Article links:

• Tahan et al., 2019. An Unusual Finding of a Ladybug on Screening Colonoscopy. ACG Case Reports Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6791639/
• Lustig et al., 2018. Beware of the toilet: the risk for a deep tissue injury during toilet sitting. Journal of Tissue Viability. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X17300670?via%3Dihub
• Smith, 2006. Japan’s Phillips Curve Looks Like Japan. Queen's Economics Department Working Paper No. 1083. http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/working_papers/papers/qed_wp_1083.pdf
• Elgar et al., 2013. Promiscuous words. Frontiers in Zoology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1742-9994-10-66
• Baldassarre, 2020. What’s the Deal with Birds? Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews. https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecules/birds.pdf
• Maruthupandian et al., 2013. Cunnilingus apparently increases duration of copulation in the Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus. PLoS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0059743
• Upper, 1974. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of “writer's block.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1311997

You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!

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• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod
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Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ

Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

How do you make yourself lift more at the gym? Have you tried swearing?

Kids need potty training, but what about animals? Does potty training cows make them healthier and happier?

In the season 1 finale, Lu and Tirth do a year-end review and discuss how saying your favorite swear word makes you stronger at the gym and how to potty train cows using an electric trainer.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:45 Year-end review
• 7:37 Swearing study
• 25:25 Potty training study
• 37:01 Is this SPAM? An update
• 42:43 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Jiannine & Antonio, 2023. The Effects of Cursing on Exercise Performance. Journal of Exercise Physiology online. https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOCTOBER2023_Lia%20Jiannine_Jose%20Antonio.pdf
• Stephens et al., 2025. “Don’t Hold Back”: Swearing Improves Strength Through State Disinhibition. American Psychologist. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2027-01514-001.html
• Bergsten et al., 1992. The cleanliness of cows tied in stalls and the health of their hooves as influenced by the use of electric trainers. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016758779290038H

You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!

Follow us on social media @RecSciPod!

• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod
• TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod
• BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social
• Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod

Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ

Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)

Graphene is a fascinating material with the potential to help solve the world’s energy needs. Can you improve graphene with poop?

Garlic is a superfood packed with flavor and health benefits. Yes, garlic causes bad breath, but could it actually improve your body odor?

In this remunerative episode, Lu and Tirth discuss the electrocatalytic effects of doping graphene with guano and whether eating garlic makes men smell more desirable to women.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:16 Is this SPAM?
• 11:43 Graphene study
• 22:10 Garlic study
• 34:34 What did you learn today, outro

Article links:

• Wang et al., 2020. Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect? ACS Nano. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.9b00184
• Fialova et al., 2016. Consumption of garlic positively affects hedonic perception of axillary body odour. Appetite. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315300787

You can find Recreational Science (#RecSciPod) everywhere great podcasts are found!

Follow us on social media @RecSciPod!

• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RecSciPod
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recscipod
• TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@recscipod
• BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/recscipod.bsky.social
• Threads https://www.threads.com/@recscipod

Theme music by Dasein: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ

Recreational Science is produced by Scientafic (https://www.scientafic.com/recscipod)