Having to pee makes you scientifically better at video games

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FACTS: Atomic Priesthood, Space Smells Like Beef, the Power of Pee Fuel

By: Jess Boddy

I’m back with another solo-hosted episode! This week, I bring on two of my closest friends who love to go on a science deep dive. Lindsey, known around the internet as ohlindsey, was inspired to find out what space smells like. 

Many people cite the oft-repeated “raspberries” scent, but as Lindsey points out, that is a bit of a misconception. She set out to find the truth after seeing a TikTok where someone smelled NASA’s Eau de Space, a fragrance formulated by the space agency to mimic the molecular compounds found way up there. Spoiler alert: It smells foul. A bit like rotten flesh, a touch of ozone, and perhaps like when you open a beef stew packet in your kitchen. Check out the full episode to hear what else Lindsey uncovered, including what Jupiter’s moons and Cleopatra’s hair smelled like.

Meanwhile, Misti explained how a live, laugh, love-style piece of stick-on wall art inspired her favorite thing to talk about when she corners someone new at a party–nuclear semiotics. This interdisciplinary field of science and research tries to tackle how to warn humans in the far, far off future of nuclear waste sites. How do we signal danger to humans who have drastically changed, language and all, thousands of years in the future? 

It’s tricker than you might think, as most symbolic warnings invite exploration (think reverse psychology). Listen to the full episode to hear Misti get into the real solutions being researched right now, including ritualistic atomic priesthood, songs, and stories.

Finally, I get into a phenomenon I have anecdotally experienced, but now have scientific proof of–that having to go to the bathroom makes you better at playing video games. Research from the University of Twente in the Netherlands uncovered that having to pee helps you make less impulsive decisions. Anyone who has played a touch of Elden Ring knows patience and resisting impulse are key in those tough boss battles. Listen to the full episode to hear just how the power of piss can make you a better gamer.

 

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