Deutsche Welle Science Unscripted

Science Unscripted

From advances that will change our lives to offbeat oddities, Spectrum keeps you abreast of developments in the realm of European science and technology news.
Weekly English Germany Science · Technology
49 Episodes
1 – 20

How your brain understands other people (sometimes WRONG!)

Some people seem very good at guessing what you're thinking. And some of us might find that we think very deeply about what people are thinking or feeling. The reason appears linked to special connections between some the youngest parts of the brain, evolved 300 million years ago. We explored…
29 Nov 16 min

A poo test for discrimination?

Being discriminated against — due to your ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, age or anything else — is harmful and wrong. A new study shows it also... changes the bacteria in your stool?
21 Nov 13 min

A gossiper's friend & how to think about drinking

Women drink less... if you ask them to visualize alcohol? Also, the yucky trick gossipers use to make you think they're kind — and why iron in red meat may be causing cancer (in your bottom).
7 Nov 30 min

Why are people getting skinnier?

Data from the US suggests we may have passed the point of 'peak obesity.' Have we? Also, spray testosterone in men's noses... and they'll emotionally dehumanize certain women.
31 Oct 30 min

Don't text & drive (especially during a full moon)

Quiz time: How could a full moon make roads more dangerous? (Email su@dw.com with your guess before you listen.) Also, teens (like all of us) use their phones while driving — and a jarring new study tells us how much.
24 Oct 30 min

Can we hit ‘pause’ on a human embryo?

Scientists in Berlin have shown you can stop the development of an embryo-like model - *NO HUMAN EMBYROS WERE USED IN THE EXPERIMENT* - and keep it alive to be developed later. The implications could be huge for IVF.
19 Oct 30 min

Want the job? Post a 'Duchenne' smile

Fake smiles aren't just bad for Instagram. They're bad for your reputation. That's the implication of a new study — with clear consequences for LinkedIn... and maybe your life? (Also, come with us to see Europe's 'answer to ChatGPT.')
4 Oct 30 min

Assert yourself (especially if your partner drinks)

Alcohol? Bad for us. But a fascinating new study looks at what happens to person who's watching the drinking happen. Also, college kids in Egypt saw their depression/anxiey/stress drop... by getting a crash course on 'assertiveness.'
23 Sep 30 min

A dyslexia breakthrough

With the help of a powerful MRI, researchers in Germany have discovered where dyslexia appears to happen deep inside the human brain (in males). The peppercorn-sized structure may become the target of therapies for millions of people.
6 Sep 11 min

Weekly roundup — My phone can smell things?

Ever take out your phone to identify a song that's playing near you? Pretty soon, you'll be able to do the same with smells. Also, fruit flies may have just given scientists the secret to happy hour.
31 Aug 30 min

Are you 'symbiosexual'?

Demisexual, graysexual, pomosexual — it's hard to keep track of the (expanding) list of human sexualities. The Harvard Pleasure study just added another.
30 Aug 11 min

Weekly roundup — Together again

It's been a long, chaotic and somewhat dangerous summer for the hosts of Science unscripted. It's time to catch up on that — and on the beautiful emails you've sent along the way.
24 Aug 30 min

What is 'benevolent' sexism?

All sexism is bad. But the kind you're probably most familiar with is called 'hostile' in science literature. So what is 'benevolent' sexism? And how's it connected to cheating on your partner?
23 Aug 17 min

Will mpox become the next pandemic?

As mpox spreads to Europe and Asia — and the WHO declares a public health emergency — a leading German virologist explains what we know (and don't know) about the infectious disease.
22 Aug 13 min
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