Vintage vaccine skeptics thought medicine would turn kids into demon cows
What is the strangest thing you learned this week? Either way, we promise you’ll get an even weirder answer if you listen PopSciis the hit podcast.
The strangest thing I learned this week comes to Apple, Spotify, YouTube and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every other Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the weirdest facts, figures, and science spirals, the editors of Popular science can gather. If you like the stories in this article, we guarantee you will love the series.
FACT: Ancient anti-vaccines thought medicine would turn children into demon cows
By Rachel Feltman
In this week’s episode The strangest thing I learned this weekI explore the origins of the first anti-vaccine movement. Edward Jenner was able to formulate a makeshift smallpox vaccine as early as 1798, but even then people weren’t very normal about it. Skeptics spread alarming propaganda, claiming that the drug (which protected many people from becoming dangerously ill) would turn children into demonic cow-like creatures and make them very ill.
This is a pretty encouraging parallel to the anti-vaxxers we still see today. Tune in to hear the full story, which includes hilarious political cartoons and the complex legacy of vaccine skepticism.
FACT: This bat ate a meal on the go
By Sara Kiley Watson
Bats are some of the strangest and most interesting creatures that fly and roost across the planet. Most of them spend a lot of time munching on beetles, moths, mosquitoes, etc. In the past, scientists thought this was the case for the greater noctule bat, a rare arboreal creature with a wingspan of 16 to 18 inches that lives across the European continent, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Bosphorus region of Turkey. But recently, Spanish scientists received a horrific reminder that nature doesn’t play by our rules. In this case, our understanding of a meal on the go is rather insignificant compared to what a large noctule bat did while flying at about 4,000 feet above sea level. This hungry little creature grabbed a snack in the shape of a tiny robin, chewed on it for 23 minutes while moving through the night sky, and thanks to a little backpack filled with sound equipment, scientists (and you, if you dare) can listen to the whole thing.
FACT: Horror movie fans are actually some of the most empathetic people you’ll meet
By Coltan Scrivner
If you had to guess, do you think horror fans would be more or less empathetic? The research might surprise you.
While early studies and meta-analyses pointed to a link between horror fandom and low empathy, closer examination shows that horror enthusiasts actually perform better on cognitive empathy and compassion. Horror films, at their core, explore vulnerability and fear. If viewers can empathize with characters facing terrifying situations, they are bound to find films scarier and, ultimately, enjoy them more. Additionally, many horror fans experience higher levels of anxiety but seek out these films to face and overcome their fears in a safe environment. Watch this week’s full episode to get an in-depth look into the horror genre enthusiast’s mind!
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