Why We Retreat When We're Sick

Special Guest Brian Brushwood, from the Modern Rogue, stops by the Anxiety Chamber to discuss a recent study about language. As a magician and Scam School professor, Brian is uniquely qualified to lead Anthony and Jeff through the subtle differences between starting a sentence with 'so' and 'oh', and how that can be used to convey a surprising amount of information. Topics also incluse AI protections, and the renewed value of in-person communication. Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

In the age of social media and digital distraction, the pervailing sentiment is that attention spans are shrinking. But is that the truth? Jeff and Anthony dig into the evidence... at least as long as they are able to focus on it. LInk to the story: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01407-w Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Do you believe a house can be haunted? Scientists interested in finding alternative explanations for reported ghost sightings have found that infrasound, particularly at a frequency of 18.9 Hz might be responsible for those eerie feelings. Anthony and Jeff terll their own spooky stories as they delve into this spine-tingling phenomenon.  LInk to the story: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/that-spooky-sensation-likely-due-to-rumbling-pipes-not-spirits/ Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

You may be shocked to learn that water will freeze faster when it starts hot than when it starts cool. In fact, all of science was shockled to learn this in 1963 when 13 year-old Erasto Mpemba insisted it was true in school. Jeff and Anthony delve into the incredible story of how this phenomenon became known as the Mpemba Effect. LInk to the story: https://www.science.org/content/article/hot-things-can-freeze-faster-cool-ones-now-paradox-has-gone-quantum Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

NASA is going back to the moon. Which means one of the biggest unsolved problems still looms large: what to do with all of the human waste we leave behind? Anthony and Jeff discuss the poop problem, and what scientists are doing to figure it out. Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

A researcher at Cornell has designed a Coporate Bullsh*t Receptivity Scale, noting that employees most impressed by corporate nonsense may be least equipped to make effective decisions. Jeff and Anthony dig into the findings, and discuss their own encounters with that particular style of double-speak.  LInk to the story: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/23/corporate-speak-study Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

A new study comparing the visual capacity of various animals indicates that the perception of time is linked to the pace of their lives. Anthony and Jeff discuss the ramifications of such a study, and what it might mean for understanding evolution. LInk to the story: https://theconversation.com/animals-perception-of-time-is-linked-to-the-pace-of-their-life-new-study-27512 Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Sorry about the truncated episode! This version is fixed! Do you wanna crawl under the house and hide like a dog when you're sick? You're not alone. I mean, you're alone, you're under the house like a dog. But you're not alone in the FEELING. A recent study published in Cell discusses why we have this instinct, and it's not just because we're grumpy. Spolier: it is also not because we're dogs. Links to today's story: https://news.mit.edu/2025/too-sick-socialize-how-brain-immune-system-promote-staying-in-bed-1209   Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.social Anthony on Instagram: https://instagram.com/acarboni Links to today's story: https://news.mit.edu/2025/too-sick-socialize-how-brain-immune-system-promote-staying-in-bed-1209 Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social

Two stories this week, both involving horses. In the first, a recent study of unearthed bones in Britan reveals that horses were much smaller in medieval times than they are today. Then, the world of polo is dominated by horses that have been cloned. Is that ethical? Jeff and Anthony discuss both stories to get a bit more info about the evolving ecology of earth's most rideable animal. Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.socialLinks to today's stories: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-warhorses-were-actually-the-size-of-ponies-180979389/https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/technology/2026/cloned-polo-horses Support the show and get bonus episodes, videos, Discord community access and more! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcernsJeff on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeffcannata.bsky.socialAnthony on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/acarboni.bsky.social