Coin flips and clips Join us as we attempt to figure out where the first coins came from. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are a couple of things on Roman coins. Coin Production in the Roman World Ancient Roman Coins: More Than Just Money Rome: A Thousand Years of Monetary History And here’s a bit about what might be the first ever coins. The Coinage of Ephesus

Nothing to sneeze at If you don’t use gold silver or coins, what does one use for money? Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are several links with information, and differing notions, on the sale of Manhattan Island. Keep the Change: The Beads that Bought Manhattan Was Manhattan really sold for $24 worth of beads and trinkets? The Beads That Did Not Buy Manhattan Island Here’s more about the use of cacao beans as money. The Maya...

Why money? We take a look at economic activity by nonhumans, and the Incas, with a large empire that never used money. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are some links about gift giving in the animal kingdom. Do Animals Give Gifts? Why Dolphins Bring Humans “Gifts” From the Sea at Australian Café Gift giving crows And here’s more info about the Incas, and the large empire they controlled that never used money. Inka...

On silly names and loud voices Let’s take a closer look at the sperm whale, with an unfortunate name and the loudest voice in nature. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are links to videos and articles about shattering glass with the human voice. Can You Shatter Glass With Your Voice? Jaime Vendera-Glass Shattering MythBuster MythBusters Episode 31: Breaking Glass Busting Myths About Sound And some links to videos and articles...

On dragons, fire, and breathing For our last question on DND and fantasy fiction, could any animal ever be able to actually breathe fire? Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Special thanks to: Girls Who Don’t DND Here’s the website for the Fuel Girls. Fuel Girls - Fire & Pyro Performances Here are a couple of things on the jellyfish sting, and the exploding cells behind it. Jellyfish Sting Mechanism Unveiled; Could Help Design...

Ouch! 13 types of damage in dungeons and dragons, let’s see how many of them we can find amongst actual living creatures. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Special thanks to: Girls Who Don’t DND. Here’s a bit on chicken hypnosis. Can You Hypnotize a Chicken? Here’s an article about the firefly that tricks and eats other fireflies. Firefly “femmes fatales” acquire defensive steroids (lucibufagins) from their firefly?prey Here’s a...

To see in the dark In fantasy novels and roll playing games, some characters can see in the dark. What about in real life? Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Special thanks to: Girls Who Don’t DND Here are some articles on human echolocation. Echolocation: How It Works and How to Learn It Human click-based echolocation: Effects of blindness and age, and real-life implications in a 10-week training program Here are some articles about...

Whose mind is it anyway? Fantasy fiction and DND have charm spells and other ways to control one’s mind. We take a look at examples of mind control from nature. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Special thanks to: Girls Who Don’t DND Here’s a paper on false memories. The false memory syndrome Here’s a look at parasites that change their host’s behavior. An overview of parasite-induced behavioral alterations And here’s a video...

Healing, magic, and science For our first episode on the science behind dnd and popular fantasy tropes, we search for healing magic in our actual factual world. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Special thanks to “Girls Who Don’t DND” for sending us the recorded questions we’re answering. Here’s a link to another science podcast and their rather well done episode on placebos. Placebo: Can the Mind Cure You? Here’s a link to a paper on...

Things get dicey We celebrate our 400th episode with the math behind rolling at advantage and disadvantage in D and D. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s a link to a site that gives you a simple table you can use to look up the probabilities. Probabilities for Advantage and Disadvantage And here’s a link to a video that goes into detail of the math behind rolling at advantage and disadvantage. The unexpected logic behind rolling...

Of birds and binary We examine the game of chicken, also called hawks and doves, plus a bit on bits and binary. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Check out our latest attempt at Episode One. Take 151 of Episode One: How many chickens does it take to…? Here are a couple of videos on the game of chicken, which in game theory, is also called hawks and doves. Game of Chicken / Hawk-Dove Game Theory 101: The Hawk-Dove Game

Phil plays anyway This week, we hurt Phil’s brain with the game multi-heap nim. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff!

Patrick plays anyway We take a quick look at combinatorial game theory by playing a nice simple game. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Check out our latest attempt at Episode One. Take 149 of Episode One: Games, movies, and camel spiders Here’s a video about a 1960s toy that plays the same game we did. The Unbeatable Game from the 60s: Dr NIM And if you’ve got a 3d printer handy, this link will let you build one for yourself. The...

The unfortunate affair of the sacred chicken We get some backstory for Twibble and Fidget, as we examine the prisoners’ dilemma. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are a couple of articles about the prisoner’s dilemma. Survival of the nicest? The Prisoner’s Dilemma and the "Virtues" of Tit for Tat

The adventures of Twibble and Fidget, part 2 Using hints from 391, 392 and 393, we finish a D and D like game, for science! Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s a link to a site offering help for those struggling with a gambling addiction. Or you can call the number. 1-800-gambler Here’s a link to the podcast that inspired this madness. Girls Who Don't D and D

The adventures of Twibble and Fidget, part 1 Using hints from 391, 392 and 393, we play a D and D like game, for science! Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s a link to a site offering help for those struggling with a gambling addiction. Or you can call the number. 800-gambler Here’s a link to the podcast that inspired this madness. Girls Who Don't dAndD

A gamble that isn’t a gamble After a rough sketch of how bookies work, we present a way to bet so that you can’t lose. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s a link to the girls who don’t D&D, who inspired these episodes. Girls Who Don't D&D Here’s a link to help resources for those with a gambling addiction. National Helpline 1-800-GAMBLER And here are a couple of sites about how bookies work. How Do Bookmakers Create...

Gambler’s ruin What went wrong? You had such a clever system, but still lost all your money. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s a link to where you can get help with a gambling addiction 1-800-gambler, 1-800-426-2537. And here’s a link to the “Girls Who Don’t DnD” podcast, who inspired this madness. Girls Who Don't DnD

What if I want the goat? For our first episode on games and game theory, inspired by “The Girls Who Don’t D&D” podcast, we take a look at the Monty Hall problem. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s the podcast that inspired this episode, and the next several to come. Girls Who Don't D&D Here’s an article on the Monty Hall problem. Why You Should Always Switch: The Monty Hall Problem Here’s that Leeroy Jenkins meme we...

How microbes went nuclear We try to figure out how eukaryotes, which include everything from single cells to the blue whale, got their nucleus. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s an article about how the nucleus might have originally been a virus. Medusavirus Ancestor in a Proto-Eukaryotic Cell Here’s something on the inside out theory of the nucleus. An inside-out origin for the eukaryotic cell Here’s a bit about how the nucleus...

Those sexy prokaryotes Have a look at prokaryotes, and how they do some of what they do. Including, but not limited to, mixing their genetics, without sex. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here’s an article about proton gradients, what they are and how they’re used. Proton Gradient, Cell Origin, ATP Synthase

Eukaryotes, living large We take a look at a few eukaryotes, including some single celled creatures large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Check out our latest attempt at Episode One. Take 140 of Episode One: 13 kinds of death Here’s a link to the earlier episode we referenced. Ep 141: The largest of the small Here’s an article about the largest single celled organism, caulerpa...

The cells that carry it Take a tour of eukaryotic cells by following a bit of food, as the cell turns it into, well… more cell. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Here are some of the old episodes, though not all of them, that we referenced. Ep 254: Prebiotic evolution part 1: proteins Ep 255: Prebiotic evolution part 2: DNA and RNA Ep 256: What was the first food? Here’s an article about electricity producing animals. The world's...

Viruses, from the horse’s mouth We finally explain what viruses are, with a side trip to the battle against diphtheria, and heroic horses. Join us on patreon.com/thelabwithbrad for extra special extra stuff! Check out our latest attempt at Episode One. Take 138 of Episode One: Evil books and wag bags Here are a couple of articles about diphtheria, and the fight against this childhood killer. How Science Conquered Diphtheria, the Plague Among...