We Have Concerns

For the first time, scientists have managed to grow an arm in a lab. This rat forelimb seems to be functional and able to circulate blood, giving hope that one day we will be able to grow usable replacement limbs for amputees. Anthony and Jeff are excited about the possibilities, but wonder about the fate of the rats on whom these new arms were tested. Also, Anthony reveals his darkest physical secret. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story submitted by Trevor Shulten: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630243.300-worlds-first-biolimb-rat-forelimb-grown-i

A London borough has decided to get to start DNA testing abandoned dog droppings and delivering retroactive tickets to the irresponsible owners. Anthony, Jeff, and special guest Greg Miller from Kinda Funny Vids discuss the ethics of cleaning up after your pet, and the ramifications of a DNA-empowered poop task force. Thanks to Greg Miller for joining us! Visit his website here: http://www.kindafunny.com/ We recorded a special, patron-only episode with Greg! Listen to it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/2723006 Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link:http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was submitted by Seth Bedwell: http://www.popsci.com/biotech-startup-wants-replace-your-eyeballs-synthetic-ones?dom=fb&src=SOC If you’ve seen a story you think belongs o

A new review of scientific literature finds that there is no evidence that eating the afterbirth is good for the mother. It could even be harmful. Which leads Anthony and Jeff to weigh the pros and cons of ingesting placenta, and wondering how this practice has become so common. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story submitted by Susan Bently: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/06/eating-placenta/394910/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/weh

The de-extinction movement is in full swing, which leads some scientists to consider reconstructing the DNA of Neanderthals. Could that be possible? And what would a prehistoric humanoid be like in the modern world. Anthony and Jeff consider the possible ramifications. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story submitted by Alex Salinas: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130306-neanderthal-genome-extinction-cloning-hominid-science/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subredd

Dean Karnazes has a rare physiological condition that allows him to process lactic acid more efficiently than other humans and effectively run forever. His list of running accomplishments is truly super human. Jeff and Anthony differ on their opinion of whether running is worthwhile, but both of them imagine what they might do if they could replicate Dean's unique attributes. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story submitted by Bilbosexyhobbit: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/aug/30/dean-karnazes-man-run-forever If you’ve seen a story

Scientists have discovered that getting spiders to ingest carbon nanotubes will cause them to weave spider silk that is even stronger than their naturally strong tensile strands. This leads Anthony and Jeff to imagine all kinds of potential uses for this amazing new by-product. There is only one problem: how do you harvest spider silk? We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story submitted by awsaba: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/537301/spiders-ingest-nanotubes-then-weave-silk-reinforced-with-carbon/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it

Scientists now believe that they have isolated the specific parts of DNA that cause aging in humans. Which leads Anthony and Jeff to think, if they've isolated them, perhaps they can eliminate them... And if they can eliminate them, can't we all live forever? And, like, if we can live forever... what would that mean?! We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story: http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=2080 If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/

A London-based company has developed highly articulated robotic hands, and has decided to use the technology to create an in-home product: stand-alone arms that will cook gourmet meals. Jeff and Anthony marvel at the innovation, but wonder if chef hands is really the most impressive use of the technology. Like, what about a tiny Ralph Macchio? We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32282131 If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http

A new virtual reality startup called Project Elysium aims to give Oculus Rift users the ability to have conversations with their deceased loved ones by recreating them digitally, using pictures, video, and data from their lives. Jeff and Anthony think this is the technological version of clairvoyant shysterism, but actually stumble upon some interesting use cases. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Evan Maroun: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/04/project-elysium-wants-to-use-vr-to-revive-deceased-loved-ones/ If you’ve seen a story you think

Whelp, it's happening. Scientists in China have begun genetically modifying human embryos. While these initial attempts to replace potentially fatal genes with new, safe, designer genes proved unsuccessful, the fact that Chinese researchers are even experimenting on human embryos has caused a stir in the scientific community. Jeff and Anthony debate whether humans should be playing god in this way, and consider the inevitable Lizard Babies that will result. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Anne Edris: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-br

When his heart was replaced with a constant, flowing artificial pump in March of 2011, Craig Lewis because the first human ever to live without a pulse. Anthony is eager to disregard his biological heart for science's improvements - he'd do it in a heartbeat - but Jeff is worried that living life without a pulse might lead to strange existence out of rhythm. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Feerios: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096314/Meet-HEARTLESS-man-able-live-heartbeat-PULSE.html If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on th

Moore's Law states that every 2 years the number of transistors on a chip will double. But some scientists predict that in just 10 years, we will hit the upper limit of Moore's Law. Anthony and Jeff wonder what the will happen if we get to the end of the Law and suggest a few ways we might outsmart this presumptive limit. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moores-law-computing-after-moores-law/ If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit

A group of biohackers is working on a way to create cheese without ever using an animal. The idea is to take custom-fabricated snippets of DNA and insert them into yeast to fabricate truly vegan cheese. In fact, they don't even need to use DNA from a cow. They could end up making human cheese. Jeff and Anthony debate the merits of dairy without the cow, and decide what kind of cheese they'd like their DNA to make. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Diana: http://www.wired.com/2015/04/diy-biotech-vegan-cheese/ If you’ve seen a story you thin

No one had ever observed geckos exhibiting behavior that could be described as "play". That is, until the reptiles were jettisoned into space in an unmanned Russian rocket. One of their collars dislodged in zero gravity, and the geckos onboard began to bat it around in improvised games. If such stoic, all-business creatures can discover fun in space, Anthony and Jeff wonder what other effects traveling into the stars might have on us. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/21/space-geckos-show-their-playfu

A new study pinpoints the geographic locations where the longest-living humans are most concentrated. Analysis of these "Blue Zones" reveals the kinds of activities and diet that contribute to longevity. Jeff and Anthony discuss the pros and cons of living healthy, as well as a side-plan to eliminate dark magic from the earth. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Jason Sapir: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/food-matters/2015/04/06/blue-zones-what-the-longest-lived-people-eat/?WT.mc_id=SA_Twitter If you’ve seen a story you think be

The Lujan Zoo outside of Buenos Aires has been dubbed the "World's Most Dangerous Zoo" because it allows visitors to cuddle, fondle, and feed lions, tigers, and bears. But when Anthony and Jeff hear about these practices, all they see are the inhumane and disgusting manner in which the animals are treated to ensure they remain in a state of lethargic docility. Are humans really this insecure about their place on the food chain? Oh, and what jungle cat is best to ride to school? We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Alex Salinas: http:

A new study at USC shows evidence that men who are going bald may actually be able to stimulate their dormant follicles by violently plucking out the remaining hairs that do grow. This counter-intuitive solution was reached by ripping out fur in healthy mice, which leads Jeff and Anthony to wonder how far we as humans will go to regrow our hair, and what kind of doctor even thinks to try this. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by BilboSexyHobbit: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27323-painful-baldness-cure-regenerate-hair-by-plucking-whats-

Anthony and Jeff learn about the affliction known as Exploding Head Syndrome, which, it turns out, is a really misleading name. It leads them to discuss sleep, inner voices, and the peace attained from a quiet mind. Oh, and alien probes. Somehow they also get to alien probes. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Ken Neville: https://news.wsu.edu/2015/03/30/wsu-researchers-find-exploding-head-syndrome-more-common-in-young-people-than-thought/#.VUkXQJN_Czy If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.

An octopus at the Sea Life Aquarium in New Zealand has been trained to take photos. When visitors stand in front of his tank, Rambo the octopus reaches inside the casing of the underwater camera and presses the button, capturing the image of his "guests". Anthony reveals his long-held hatred of all cephalopods and fear that they will someday live in trees, while Jeff wonders how one trains an octopus, anyway. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by Justin Meader: http://gizmodo.com/holy-crap-this-octopus-is-taking-pictures-of-its-visit-1

A 30-year-old Russian man Valery Spiridonov has volunteered to become the world's first head transplant. His terrible, degenerative spinal disease has forced him to resort to drastic actions, but some scientists are worried that the resulting neural confusion of a human head transplant may actually be worse than death. Jeff and Anthony wonder what kind of doctor would try such a thing, and consider the ramifications. We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Today’s story was sent in by many, many listeners. Thank you! http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/man-undergoing-h