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Science Friction's latest series is: Brain Rot. We're looking at what being chronically online is doing to our brains. What's really going on with our attention spans and tech addiction? Is data-dumping your entire life into ChatGPT helpful? Can going internet free help you escape the doomscroll? And what's it like to be in love ... with an AI?

National technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre tackles the wildest ways people are using tech and the big questions about our own use. That's Brain Rot — our latest series from Science Friction.

Science Friction's previous series was: Cooked. We dig into food science pickles. Why are studies showing that ice cream could be good for you? Do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet says? And why are people feeling good on the carnivore diet?

Science Friction

For Science Friction, a new series — Cooked!

On Cooked, we dig into the nuance of nutrition. Why are studies showing that ice cream could be good for you? Do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet says? And why are people feeling good on the carnivore diet?

Nutrition and food scientist Dr Emma Beckett helps comb through the evidence on food groups and ingredients like meat, dairy and salt — to unpick why nutrition studies can be so conflicted and confusing.

00 | INTRODUCING — Cooked

Two decades ago, nutritional epidemiologists made a startling finding – that people eating more ice cream were less likely to develop diabetes.

In the years since, various groups have tried to account for this peculiar scientific signal — with limited success.

In multiple studies the link between ice cream and a reduced risk of diabetes persists. Yet nutrition experts globally still aren’t convinced.

But if it’s not true, what’s causing the signal?

Grab a spoon and dig into culture, causation and confounders — and the joy of a tub of ice cream.

Credits:

 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Nathan Turnbull

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

Nutrition Science's Most Preposterous Result - The Atlantic.

Here's the scoop on the new thinking about ice cream, yogurt, cheese and health - WBUR.

Dairy and your heart health - Heart Foundation.

01 | Cooked: Could ice cream actually be good for you?

Diets like carnivore have been popping up all over the place. People who go carnivore aim to eat nothing but a select few animal products, like meat and eggs.

So why are some people turning to an all-meat diet? And why do they say they feel good doing so?

On this episode of Cooked, we sift through some of the counterintuitive findings around carnivore — the scientific pitfalls you need to be aware of when reading the research — and the health effects in the short and long term.

Guests:

Mick and JennyNew South Wales, Australia

Dr Jacob MeyAssistant Professor and Registered Dietitian, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana

Dr Richie KirwanLecturer, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Janet ChrzanNutritional anthropologist, University of PennsylvaniaAuthor, Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets

Credits:

 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Angie Grant

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status Among 2029 Adults Consuming a "Carnivore Diet" - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2021.

Limitations of Self-Reported Health Status and Metabolic Markers Among Adults Consuming a “Carnivore Diet” - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2022.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality: Results from Two Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies - Circulation, 2021.

Long-Term Consumption of 10 Food Groups and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies - Advances in Nutrition, 2022.

Association of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies - BMJ, 2019.

Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets - Columbia University Press, 2022.

What is the carnivore diet? - Harvard Health Publishing, 2024.

02 | Cooked: All-meat eaters say they feel great - but why?

It was one of the world's biggest nutrition trials. A study of thousands of people which found that following a Mediterranean diet could meaningfully reduce someone's risk of heart disease and stroke.

But as data detectives began to comb through the results of the trial, something wasn't quite adding up.

On Cooked this week, we're taking a look at what can go wrong when implementing a nutrition science trial at scale ... and what it means for one of the world's most popular diets.

Guests:

Dr John Carlisle

Anaesthetist, NHS, United Kingdom

Dr Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz

Epidemiologist, University of Wollongong

Dr Evangeline Mantzioris

Program Director, Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of South Australia

Credits:

 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Angie Grant

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

The analysis of 168 randomised controlled trials to test data integrity - Anaesthesia, 2012.

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet - New England Journal of Medicine, 2013.

Data fabrication and other reasons for non-random sampling in 5087 randomised, controlled trials in anaesthetic and general medical journals - Anaesthesia, 2017.

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts - New England Journal of Medicine, 2018.

Mediterranean‐style diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease - Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019.

Translation of a Mediterranean-Style Diet into the Australian Dietary Guidelines: A Nutritional, Ecological and Environmental Perspective - Nutrients, 2019.

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet is associated with physical and cognitive health: a cross-sectional analysis of community-dwelling older Australians - Frontiers in Public Health, 2022.

In conversation with John Carlisle: the silent hero shaping medical publication integrity - ENT and Audiology News, 2024.

That Huge Mediterranean Diet Study Was Flawed. But Was It Wrong? - NYT, 2018.

Errors Trigger Retraction Of Study On Mediterranean Diet's Heart Benefits - NPR, 2018.

How the Biggest Fabricator in Science Got Caught - Nautilus, 2015.

Statistical vigilantes: the war on scientific fraud - The Guardian, Science Weekly Podcast, 2017.

03 | Cooked: Mystery in the Mediterranean

Why did a group of anonymous strangers on the internet try to eat almost nothing but potatoes for a month? 

On Cooked this week, an unusual experiment and the possibilities and perils of a mono-diet.

Guests:

Andrew Taylor

Melbourne, Australia

Slime Mold Time Mold

Scientist collective

Dr Jess Danaher

Associate Dean, RMIT University; Nutrition Scientist and Dietitian

Credits:

 • Reporter: Alistair Kitchen
 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Angie Grant

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

Weight Loss and Fad Diets - Better Health Channel

The Potato People - Kitchen Counter

SMTM Potato Diet Community Trial

SMTM Potato Diet Community Trial: 6 Month Followup

04 | Cooked: A peculiar potato experiment

Over the past few years, you might have heard advertisements in your podcast feed or on social media for electrolyte supplements.

If you haven’t seen them, they’re basically these little sachets or tubs that get mixed in with water as a drink.

News media reports demand for such products is exploding – with the market for electrolyte supplements set to grow to 112 billion dollars by 2030, more than doubling in size in less than a decade.

They go by a bunch of different names … and their marketing often suggests we could all use more electrolytes in our life.

But what’s the science on this swing towards salty beverages? Who actually needs them? And what does our obsession with optimised hydration … say about us?

Guests:

Dr Alan McCubbin

Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Nutrition Dietetics and Food, Monash University; Accredited Sports Dietitian

Dr Colleen Derkatch

Professor of Rhetoric, English Department, Toronto Metropolitan University; Author, Why Wellness Sells

Jay Clark

Athlete and fitness coach

Dan Newton

Athlete and fitness coach

Credits:

 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

Modelling sodium requirements of athletes across a variety of exercise scenarios – Identifying when to test and target, or season to taste - European Journal of Sport Science, 2022.

The Impact of Dietary Sodium Intake on Sweat Sodium Concentration in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Review - International Journal of Sports Science, 2018.

Impact of Sodium Ingestion During Exercise on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review - International Journal of Sports Science, 2018.

Sodium Intake Beliefs, Information Sources, and Intended Practices of Endurance Athletes Before and During Exercise - International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2018.

Sports Dietitians Australia Position Statement: Nutrition for Exercise in Hot Environments.

Why Wellness Sells - Hopkins Press, 2022.

Exercise - the low down on hydration - Better Health.

The electrolytes boom: a wonder supplement – or an unnecessary expense? The Guardian, 2024.

No, you don't need daily electrolyte supplements - Axios, 2023.

05 | Cooked: Electrolytes — who needs them?

For episode six of Cooked, we turn the lens on … science communication itself.

We’re looking at how information travels from a scientific study to the world and what can go wrong along the way.

This is the final episode in our Cooked series. We'll be back in May for another series of Science Friction on a different topic — digital devices and how they're driving us to delight ... and to despair.

Statement from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in response to Science Friction.

Guests:

Isabelle Oderberg

Founder, Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition

Professor Claire Roberts

Lead, Pregnancy Health and Beyond Laboratory, Flinders University

Dr Georgia Dempster

Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

Dr Nazmul Karim

Senior Lecturer, Monash University

Credits:

 • Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
 • Producer: Carl Smith
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

NAD Deficiency, Congenital Malformations, and Niacin Supplementation - New England Journal of Medicine, 2017.

Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations - Journal of Science Communication, 2022.

Vitamin profile of 563 gravidas during trimesters of pregnancy - Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2002.

Effect of maternal dietary niacin intake on congenital anomalies: a systematic review and meta-analysis - European Journal of Nutrition, 2021.

Pregnancy Double Discovery - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2017.

Statement regarding pregnancy discovery - Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, 2017.

Vitamin B3 supplementation in pregnancy - NSW Health, 2017.

The 'vegemite cure' - the Sydney finding that could help women everywhere - ABC Sydney Drive, 2017.

Could vegemite prevent miscarriage? - Women's Health Melbourne.

Pregnant women shouldn’t start taking vitamin B3 just yet: reports it prevents miscarriage and birth defects are overblown - The Conversation, 2017.

Can a simple vitamin prevent miscarriages and birth defects? - The Australian, 2017.

The common vitamin that could be the key to preventing some cases of heart birth defects and miscarriages - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2023.

06 | Cooked: Vitamin B3 ... and the media

For Science Friction, it's Brain Rot — a new series about the science of being chronically online and what it’s doing to our brains.

What's really going on with our attention spans? Is data-dumping your entire life into ChatGPT helpful? And what's it like to be in love ... with an AI?

National technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre tackles the wildest ways people are using tech and the big questions about our own use. Episode 1 is out Wednesday 4 June.

INTRODUCING — Brain Rot

Everyone seems to have a hunch that their phone is destroying their attention span, but is there any science to back it up?

In episode one of Brain Rot, we’re doing our best to focus on the topic of attention for a full 25 minutes — and find out what's actually happening in your brain every time your phone buzzes or dings.

Is brain rot a real thing? Or just another moral panic?

And how do you know when your own screen use has gone too far?

Brain Rot is a new five part series from the ABC’s Science Friction about how tech is changing our brains, hosted by Ange Lavoipierre. 

Guests:

Anna Seirian

CEO, Internet People

Dr Mark Williams

Professor, Macquarie UniversityCognitive neuroscientist

Michoel Moshel

Clinical Neuropsychologist RegistrarPhd Candidate, Macquarie University

Professor Marion Thain

Professor of Culture and Technology, University of EdinburghDirector, Edinburgh Futures Institute

Credits:

 • Presenter: Ange Lavoipierre
 • Producer: Fiona Pepper
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Brendan O'Neill

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

More information:

Neuropsychological Deficits in Disordered Screen Use Behaviours: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis - Neuropsychology Review, 2024.

Do we have your attention? How people focus and live in the modern information environment - King's College London, 2022.

Internet addiction-induced brain structure and function alterations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity studies - Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2023.

01 | Brain Rot: Is there any proof your phone is destroying your attention span?

Whether it’s social media, the omnipresent smartphone or AI companions, in recent decades the way we relate to each other has been completely up-ended. 

In episode two of Brain Rot, we explore the potential implications that tech poses to human relationships. 

Worldwide estimates suggest there are around one billion users of AI companion — people using software or applications designed to simulate human-like interactions through text and voice. 

So if the uptake of these AI companions is as rapid as is being reported, what are the ramifications? And could AI companions be both a cause and cure for loneliness? 

Brain Rot is a new five part series from the ABC’s Science Friction about how tech is changing our brains, hosted by Ange Lavoipierre. 

Guests:

Kelly

In a relationship with an AI companion, Christian

Bethanie Drake-Maples

Doctoral Candidate, Research Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence

Nicholas Epley

Professor of Behavioural Science, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Nicholas Carr

Author and journalist

Credits:

 • Presenter: Ange Lavoipierre
 • Producer: Fiona Pepper
 • Senior Producer: James Bullen
 • Sound Engineer: Tim Symonds

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

02 | Brain Rot: Is AI turning us off human relationships?

AI is often portrayed as being all about technology. But it is also about money and control. Because those who control AI, may control the world.

In the AI world, there are two names that keep coming up: OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and its CEO, Sam Altman.

Who is Sam Altman? How did his tiny company leapfrog the tech giants and win the scramble for control of AI? And what are Altman's plans for the future?

04 | If you control AI, you control the world

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