Researchers at MIT have developed a new pill that is much more efficient at delivering medicine into the bloodstream.  Instead of a simple spheroid, it is covered in a multitude of tiny spikes, which stick into the stomache lining and ensure the medicine is absorbed rather than passed through the body undigested.   Jeff is fascinated by the evolution of the swallow-able tablet, from its roots thousands of years ago to the more common "friable" form introduced in the 19th century - but Anthony wants no part of swallowing spike-balls.  Beware the Spike Lobby.

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Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata

Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Article: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/what-happens-to-a-pill-after-you-pop-it/382183/

It's counter-intuative and perplexing, but the truth is, the less human beings know about a particular subject, the more they THINK they know about it.  This has become known as The Dunning-Kruger Effectific. A new article in the Pacific Standard by David Dunning himself attempts to explain this phenomenon of confident idiots.  Jeff and Anthony can relate, and try to come to terms with their own aversion to not knowing.

This show is entirely listener supported! For early episode, extra clips and bonus content, check out 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

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata

Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was suggested by Vrbatim: http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/confident-idiots-92793/

A new article describes the benefits of long-form reading and suggests that the tactile feedback of printed books results in better retention than e-readers.  While Jeff and Anthony are definitely on board with reading, they challenge the idea that enjoying books on digital screens is any less effective.  

This show is entirely listener supported! For early episode, extra clips and bonus content, check out 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

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata

Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was suggested by Jonathan Smith: http://mic.com/articles/99408/science-has-great-news-for-people-who-read-actual-books

To suggest a story, email us at wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com

On this special Halloween episode, Anthony and Jeff consider the nature of of the trick or treat tradition and the urban legend of poisoned Halloween candy.  Is asking strangers for food an inherently unsafe activity, or did we manufacture a scare that isn't real?

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A new Wired article recounts the medieval myth that beavers, when cornered by hunters, would castrate themselves by chewing off their own testicles.  Jeff and Anthony unpack the myth and try to figure out why the Dark Ages were filled with so much dumb.

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Previously on We Have Concerns... in the Welcome to the Hoverboard Future episode Anthony mocked Jeff's enthusiasm for a mind-bending new technology that indicated that hoverboards may, in fact be possible.  Now, there is a new article on Engadget that describes a working prototype soon making its way onto Kickstarter.  Does Jeff get the last laugh, hovering his way back into the future he's always wanted, or is Anthony still able to poke penny-sized holes in the dream?

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A new article describes a study in which doctors told patients they would just be getting a shot of vitamins, but instead gave them something a thousand times more powerful.  Whether these subjects thought something strange was happening or not depended entirely upon what the doctors told them they should expect.  This leads Jeff and Anthony to wonder just how much impact our conscious mind can have on our reality, and whether or not we can use this to our advantage.

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Anthony found an article that describes the community around the IBM Model M keyboard, a sublimely clicky keyboard that has spawned cult-like devotion and a second hand black market.  It makes him consider our fetishization of things, and the ties to productivity they create.  Jeff just thinks all those objects are yelling at him.

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Researchers have discovered that employees are actually more content taking orders from a robot than a human being in the workplace.  This prompts Anthony and Jeff to wonder what it might take to promote robots into middle management, what the perfect form factor for a boss-bot might be, and how companies might implement their new robo-supervisors.

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As a runner himself, Jeff was very impressed to read of James Lawrence, the endurance athlete who is attempting 50 ultra-distance triathlons, in 50 different states, in 50 straight days.  Anthony, on the other hand, thinks it is unhealthy, obsessive, and downright stupid to push your body to that extreme.  Is this just the Brock Life pushing human abilities to new heights, or a crazy person receiving misplaced admiration for a self-destructive act?

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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