Yearly Review of Quirky Science, Protests, and Achievements
TL;DR
- Scientific research on dad jokes reveals that dads themselves find their own jokes the funniest, suggesting humor appreciation is often self-centered rather than universally shared.
- Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in cat feces, may contribute to declining male fertility by decapitating sperm, acting as a natural spermicide within the body.
- "Vegetative electron microscopy" has emerged as a "digital fossil" in AI-generated scientific papers, indicating a significant degradation in AI model knowledge bases and research integrity.
- A radio presenter played a 24-hour marathon of number two chart hits to protest sewage pollution in lakes, highlighting the disconnect between water companies' profits and environmental responsibility.
- A silent album created by a thousand musicians, including prominent artists, achieved chart success as a protest against AI's impact on creative fields, demonstrating a novel form of artistic resistance.
- A Dutch typeface designer's font was pirated for a famous "You wouldn't steal a car" anti-piracy advert, revealing the hypocrisy of using stolen creative work to promote intellectual property rights.
- Microsoft Excel world champions are crowned annually, demonstrating that complex spreadsheet manipulation can be a competitive "esport" requiring advanced data analysis and problem-solving skills.
Deep Dive
This year's "No Such Thing As A Fish" Christmas special reviews the most notable news stories from the past year, highlighting scientific discoveries, unique protests, and quirky achievements. The podcast emphasizes second-order implications by exploring the broader consequences of these events, such as how a study on dad jokes reveals insights into self-centered humor and how the increasing prevalence of cat parasites might be linked to declining male fertility. The show also touches on the growing concerns around AI-generated scientific papers and the potential for unusual sports to gain recognition, ultimately underscoring the diverse and often unexpected ways human behavior and scientific inquiry shape our world.
The podcast delves into several scientific findings with significant implications. A study on dad jokes, for instance, found that dads themselves are the primary audience who find them funniest, suggesting a self-referential humor loop that reinforces the joke-teller's own amusement. This implies that the perceived funniness of dad jokes is less about universal appeal and more about the teller's internal validation. Further, research into Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in cat feces, suggests a potential link to declining male fertility. The parasite's ability to "decapitate" sperm in laboratory settings raises concerns that widespread exposure could act as a natural spermicide, presenting a public health implication that extends beyond pet ownership to global reproductive trends. The discussion also highlights the emergence of "vegetative electron microscopy" in scientific papers, an unintended consequence of digitizing older texts and the subsequent use of AI in generating new research. This phenomenon serves as a "digital fossil" of past errors, indicating potential systemic issues in AI-driven scientific writing and the integrity of knowledge bases.
Beyond scientific news, the episode features several unique protests and achievements. A radio presenter in the Lake District played a 24-hour marathon of "number two" songs to protest sewage pollution in local waterways. This creative approach to activism embarrassed water companies and brought attention to the environmental issue, demonstrating how unconventional methods can effectively highlight societal problems. Similarly, a campaign in France encourages citizens to be systematically late for work to compensate for a proposed increase in the retirement age, illustrating a form of passive resistance that challenges established norms. In sports, the British canoe polo team's bronze medal win at the World Games highlights the rise of niche sports and the dedication of athletes in less mainstream disciplines, suggesting that athletic achievement is not confined to Olympic-level sports. The episode also touches on the surprising effectiveness of baking soda as a performance enhancer in athletics, noting its legality and widespread use, which implies a subtle shift in how athletes are optimizing performance without resorting to banned substances. Finally, the story of a Microsoft Excel world champion winning a competition broadcast on ESPN points to the emergence of esports and competitive digital skills as legitimate fields of achievement, challenging traditional definitions of sport and competition.
Action Items
- Audit AI-generated scientific papers: Identify and flag instances of "vegetative electron microscopy" or "I am an AI model" to prevent propagation of digital fossils and ensure content integrity.
- Analyze cat poo parasite impact: Investigate the potential correlation between Toxoplasma gondii exposure and declining male fertility, focusing on mechanisms of sperm decapitation.
- Evaluate dad joke humor metrics: Replicate the study on dad joke humor by collecting 32,000 jokes and analyzing volunteer responses to identify demographic humor preferences.
- Track sewage protest effectiveness: Measure the impact of musical protests (e.g., playing number two songs) on water utility companies' sewage discharge practices.
Key Quotes
"The question we asked was what's brown and sticky and the answer of course is a stick actually that was just the title of the paper the thing we really wanted to know is who finds dad jokes the funniest and after collecting over 32,000 jokes and putting them to a group of volunteers we found our answer and so my fact for your podcast of the year is this the people who find dad jokes the funniest are in fact dads."
Mariel Burnett explains that a study, titled "What's Brown and Sticky," investigated the humor of dad jokes. Burnett's fact highlights the study's main conclusion: dads themselves find dad jokes the funniest. This suggests a self-referential aspect to this particular style of humor.
"basically there is this phrase that is starting to turn up in papers right vegetative electron microscopy okay well i know what electron microscopy is right i've done scanning tunneling electron microscopy at university have you yeah i've used a scanning tunneling microscope it's another episode of the thousand lives of james harkin it is i think that my lives are so less i mean way more interesting than yours andy but like yeah you can't say oh like oh my landscape is more mountainous than norfolk it's just like who cares yeah sure but compared to dan dan has lived a billion lives don't dan's had an interesting life do you two have both look i've i just look up at both your lives and i'm really impressed anyway okay vegetative electron microscopy you're right james it means nothing it's not a meaningful phrase okay um but it has become what scientists are calling a digital fossil."
This quote introduces the concept of "vegetative electron microscopy" as a "digital fossil." The speaker explains that this phrase, which is meaningless in scientific context, has appeared in papers due to errors in digitizing older texts. The phenomenon is attributed to AI models incorporating these errors into their knowledge base, leading to the generation of nonsensical phrases in new scientific papers.
"what's more sickening the fact that these water firms are paying themselves millions while failing to fix the sewage problem or that oasis never got to number one due to robson and jerome"
Lee Durrant, a radio presenter, uses this quote to highlight the absurdity of water companies paying out millions in profits while failing to address sewage issues. Durrant contrasts this with a seemingly trivial musical chart statistic, implying that both situations are "sickening" in their own way, but one is a more significant societal problem. This statement was made in the context of a protest involving playing "number two" songs for 24 hours to draw attention to sewage pollution.
"basically it seems to act as a buffer against increased acid build up in muscles it's legal and there they've developed ways of giving it to you you can't it probably doesn't work if you take it in a cake unfortunately like yeah all the athletes are scoffing a quick quick bit of chocolate pancake at the starting line so very sadly that's not it but there was there were some of it because we hadn't olympics last year didn't we and the winter olympics is about to happen okay because there were some events last summer where almost all finalists were taking baking soda right"
This quote reveals that baking soda is being used by athletes to improve performance. The speaker explains that it acts as a buffer against acid buildup in muscles, which is legal and can be administered in specific ways. The fact that nearly all finalists in some summer Olympic events were taking baking soda highlights its prevalence and effectiveness in athletic competition.
"the answer is that after an intense competition over three days amongst some of the world's best spreadsheeters i was crowned this year's microsoft excel world champion"
Jurem Durley announces his victory in a Microsoft Excel competition. Durley explains that the competition involved three days of intense challenges for spreadsheet experts. This highlights that proficiency in software like Microsoft Excel can be recognized as a competitive skill, even leading to a world championship title.
"just van rossum says i designed a font called ff confidential this year an investigation found that the font seems to have been pirated and used in a very famous advert saying 'you wouldn't steal a car ' so good wow this is like level zero of the podcast this is friend of the podcast from the get go so just designed that font which an investigation this year found had been nicked because the font used in that advert is identical to the font he designed and they did a little bit of kind of dna testing on the font in the advert amazing"
Just Van Rossum, a typeface designer, is discussed in relation to a famous advertising campaign. An investigation revealed that the font used in the "You wouldn't steal a car" advert was identical to Van Rossum's typeface, "FF Confidential." This indicates that his work was pirated and used without permission in a widely recognized advertisement.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "Too Long in the Bush" by Len Beadell - Mentioned as a signed first edition gift, detailing the author's construction of roads across central Australia.
Articles & Papers
- "What's Brown and Sticky?" (University of Massachusetts Amherst) - Discussed as a scientific paper exploring who finds dad jokes the funniest, with the conclusion that dads themselves find them most humorous.
- "The Epidemiology and Clinical Management of Acute Diarrhea in Dogs Under Primary Veterinary Care in the UK" - Referenced for the finding that Cockapoos are 25% more likely to suffer from diarrhea than Shih Tzus.
People
- Mariel Burnett - Co-writer of the scientific paper "What's Brown and Sticky?", discussing dad humor.
- Paul Sylvia - Co-writer of the scientific paper "What's Brown and Sticky?".
- James Harrison - Australian blood donor known as "the man with the golden arm" for his rare antibody anti-D.
- Lee Durrant - Radio presenter from the Lake District who played a 24-hour show of number two records to highlight sewage issues.
- Jurem Durley - Dutch individual who became a world champion in Microsoft Excel.
- Just van Rossum - Dutch typeface designer whose font "FF Confidential" was allegedly pirated for an advert.
- Jesse Eisenberg - Actor from the "Now You See Me" movies, whose signed card was given as a gift.
- Len Beadell - Author of "Too Long in the Bush," responsible for building roads in Australia.
Organizations & Institutions
- University of Massachusetts Amherst - Institution where Mariel Burnett works and co-authored a paper.
- QI - Mentioned as the origin of a TV show that inspired a podcast format.
- United Utilities - Water company that was embarrassed by a sewage protest.
- Club Fish - Patreon offering for "No Such Thing As A Fish" with extra content.
- Friends of Allenby - Canoe polo club in Liverpool that produced many players for the UK team.
- Team GB Canoe Polo Team - Won bronze at the World Games.
- The Crab Museum - Organized a marathon of songs to celebrate the anniversary of "Agadoo."
- Booths of Windermere - Supermarket chain against which a protest was launched over a parking ticket.
- SAS - Mentioned in relation to a typeface designed by Just van Rossum.
- Microsoft Excel - The software used in a world championship competition.
Websites & Online Resources
- nosuchthingasafish.com - Website for "No Such Thing As A Fish" for news, live shows, and merchandise.
- apple.co/nosuchthingasafish - Link for joining Club Fish via Apple.
- nosuchthingasafish.com/patreon - Link for joining Club Fish via Patreon.
- shipstation.com - Website offering a 30-day free trial for shipping solutions.
Other Resources
- "No Such Thing As Sheep Number Five" - Episode title of the podcast.
- "No Such Thing As A Fish" - Podcast name.
- "Podcast of the Year" - A format for the episode, paying tribute to books and TV shows.
- "The Book of the Year" - A previous format or publication by the podcast.
- "No Such Thing As The News" - A previous TV show by the podcast.
- Dad Jokes - A comedic concept discussed in relation to a scientific study.
- Toxoplasma Gondii - A parasite found in cat poo, discussed in relation to male fertility.
- Vegetative Electron Microscopy - A phrase identified as a "digital fossil" in scientific papers.
- AI Models - Mentioned in the context of generating science papers and potential "brain rot."
- Gonorrhea Vaccine - A medical advancement discussed.
- Bladder Transplant - A successful medical procedure mentioned.
- Infrared Vision Contact Lenses - Invented contact lenses providing infrared vision.
- Agadoo - A song celebrated with a marathon of its playback.
- Santas Against Sewage Swim - A protest event in Falmouth that was cancelled due to sewage.
- Retirement Age in France - A political issue in France that sparked protests.
- Is This What We Want? - An album by a thousand musicians protesting AI's impact on creative arts.
- Now You See Me - A movie franchise mentioned in relation to a signed card gift.
- Canoe Polo - A sport played in boats, with the UK team winning bronze at the World Games.
- World Games - An event for sports not included in the Olympics.
- Fin Swimming - A sport mentioned as part of the World Games.
- Fistball - A sport mentioned as part of the World Games, with historical reference to Goethe.
- Snooker - A sport played at the World Games, won by a professional player.
- Baking Soda - A substance discussed as a performance enhancer in athletics.
- FIFA Peace Prize - Awarded to Donald Trump.
- FIFA Club World Cup - A soccer competition.
- Testicular Cancer Society - Beneficiary of advertising on a football club's shorts.
- Microsoft Excel World Championship - A competition won by Jurem Durley.
- Origami - The theme for a Microsoft Excel competition.
- FF Confidential - A typeface designed by Just van Rossum.
- "You Wouldn't Steal A Car" - An advert that allegedly used pirated typeface.
- Christmas Presents - Gifts exchanged by the podcast hosts.
- Homeserve - A service for home repairs.
- Right Rug Flooring - A company offering flooring solutions.