Science Friction

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

  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:KellyIn a relationship with an AI companion, ChristianBethanie Drake-MaplesDoctoral Candidate, Research Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centred Artificial IntelligenceNicholas EpleyProfessor of Behavioural Science, University of Chicago Booth School of BusinessNicholas CarrAuthor and journalistCredits:Presenter: Ange LavoipierreProducer: Fiona PepperSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Tim SymondsThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

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

  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 SeirianCEO, Internet PeopleDr Mark WilliamsProfessor, Macquarie UniversityCognitive neuroscientistMichoel MoshelClinical Neuropsychologist RegistrarPhd Candidate, Macquarie UniversityProfessor Marion ThainProfessor of Culture and Technology, University of EdinburghDirector, Edinburgh Futures InstituteCredits:Presenter: Ange LavoipierreProducer: Fiona PepperSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Brendan O'NeillThis 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.

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• INTRODUCING — Brain Rot

  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.

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

  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 OderbergFounder, Early Pregnancy Loss CoalitionProfessor Claire RobertsLead, Pregnancy Health and Beyond Laboratory, Flinders UniversityDr Georgia DempsterResearch Fellow, University of MelbourneDr Nazmul KarimSenior Lecturer, Monash UniversityCredits:Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Tim JenkinsThis 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.

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• 05 | Cooked: Electrolytes — who needs them?

  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 McCubbinSenior Teaching Fellow, Department of Nutrition Dietetics and Food, Monash University; Accredited Sports DietitianDr Colleen DerkatchProfessor of Rhetoric, English Department, Toronto Metropolitan University; Author, Why Wellness SellsJay ClarkAthlete and fitness coachDan NewtonAthlete and fitness coachCredits:Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Tim JenkinsThis 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.

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