Jeff is intrigued by an interview he read about Nasa's one and only Planetary Protection Officer.  Her job?  To protect OTHER planets from us and ensure the galaxy isn't contaminated by microbes, particles, or other detritus that might ruin it.  Anthony hopes for the same attention to detail in his own life, and everybody hopes we don't ever accidently create avacado creatures.

This show is entirely listener supported! For early episode, extra clips and bonus content, check out http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

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

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

Article submitted by Tom Snowden: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/meet-nasa-s-one-and-only-planetary-protection-officer/

Park Rangers are asking visitors to state park and forest areas to please stop taking #bearselfies. Anthony and Jeff try to figure out what would possess a person to approach a wild, deadly creature in the woods and snap a pic, decide which type of bears are the most dangerous, and discover the absolute worst clinic to attend when you've been mauled.

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

Article submitted by Ben Rowe: http://www.weather.com/news/science/nature/stop-taking-bearselfies-park-officials-warn-20141029

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.

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

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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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

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.

Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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

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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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

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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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

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.

Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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