You're the Expert

Dr. Robert Provine is a neuroscientist who studies "curious behaviors" like sneezing, yawning, laughter, farting, and the hiccups. He teaches comedians Maeve Higgins, Seaton Smith, and Rachel Rosenthal about the science behind his studies and why comedy is so difficult to master. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.

Using studies on fire ants and business school students, Dr. Krista Ingram (Colgate) tries to understand how our bodies keep track of time. Panelists Eugene Mirman (Bob's Burgers), Elna Baker (This American Life), and Scott Adsit (30 Rock) try to guess what Krista does and learn about jetlag, brain science, and what you can and cannot do to a dolphin. Recorded in front of a live audience at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA for the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival. Hosted by Chris Duffy.

From the Franklin Institute at the Philadelphia Science Festival, this episode is all about the real science behind shows like CSI. Kimberlee Sue Moran is a forensic archaeologist. She studies decomposing corpses, ancient fingerprints, and bomb blasts. Trying to guess about Kimberlee's work are panelists Wyatt Cenac, Zhubin Parang, and Jo Firestone. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 

MIT's Dr. Julie Shah studies robot-human teamwork. Panelists John Hodgman, Wyatt Cenac, and Maeve Higgins get to the bottom of what Dr. Shah does all day and why her work matters. Will robots take over the world and kill us all? Will they write poetry and hitchhike across Canada? What should you name your robot butler? Listen to this episode to find out! This episode was a co-presentation of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival and the Cambridge Science Festival and was made possible with generous funding from MIT's de Florez Fund for Humor. Hosted by Chris Duffy.

Dr. Anne Pringle studies the deadliest mushrooms on Earth. Panelists Jo Firestone (Broad City), Charlie Hankin (Comedy Central), and Ken Reid (TV Guidance Counselor) try to guess what Dr. Pringle studies and understand her findings. This episode contains military nicknames, fungi larger than blue whales, and why it's probably not a great idea to eat a mushroom you find growing in the forest. Produced and hosted by Chris Duffy.

Dr. Chris Mason recently completed the first large scale genetic study of the NYC subway system. What he found will blow your mind. Panelists Zhubin Parang (The Daily Show), Jo Firestone (Broad City), and Maeve Higgins (Fancy Vittles) try to guess what Dr. Mason studies all day and learn about his work. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 

Dr. Hidde Ploegh is an immunologist at MIT’s Whitehead Institute. He uses alpaca DNA and cloned mice to try and tackle some of the most difficult diseases affecting humans today. This episode features panelists Wyatt Cenac, Jo Firestone, and Emmy Blotnick. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 

Live from SF Sketchfest, we've got Dr. Cynthia Kenyon, a geneticist who discovered a technique to make mice live seven times as long as normal. She's currently working on the science of human life extension. Comedians Wyatt Cenac, Phoebe Robinson, and Nato Green try to guess what she studies and then learn about what she does in the lab all day. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 

Dr. Craig Mello won the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his work on "RNA interference." In this episode, Dr. Mello explains what he actually discovered to comedians Myq Kaplan, Jo Firestone, and Anna Drezen. Recorded in front of a live audience at the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA with help from SciCafeWoo. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 

Dr. Joseph LeDoux is the director of the Emotional Brain Institute at NYU. He's the author of several groundbreaking studies on fear and anxiety. In this episode, Dr. LeDoux teaches comedians Janeane Garofalo, Zhubin Parang, and Phoebe Robinson how our brains create emotion, how to conquer their fears, and why it's important to be really good at waterskiing if you live in Louisiana. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick.

Dr. Joshua Drew, head of Columbia University’s Marine Conservation Biology program, joins us to talk about coral reefs, shark tooth swords, and what the book “JAWS” is really about. Featuring panelists Todd Barry, Julie Klausner, and Dave Hill. Hosted by Chris Duffy. 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}  

Dr. Robert Stickgold is the head of Harvard's Center for Sleep and Cognition. In this episode, he tells comedians Myq Kaplan, Robert Woo, and Ken Reid about his groundbreaking work on how dreams can affect learning and memory. He also tells us about what happens when people with amnesia play Tetris. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick.

Live from the Boston Comedy Festival! Harvard's Dr. Terrence Capellini tells us about the evolution of the human skeleton, how to spot a cave man, and why we all have "pelvic girdles." Featuring panelists Ted Alexandro, Myq Kaplan, and Jo Firestone. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick. With a musical interlude, "Caveman Mousetrap" from the album "Please Be Seated" by Micah Sherman and Myq Kaplan.

It's a special Thanksgiving episode with Brown University's Dr. Thomas Roberts. He's the world's leading expert on turkey locomotion. Listen as Dr. Roberts talks turkeys on a treadmill, robot legs, and Thanksgiving with Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Myq Kaplan (Netflix's "Small, Dork, and Handsome") and Jo Firestone (Broad City). Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick.

Live from the Bay Area Science Festival! Dr. Claire Simeone works at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA. She's the first scientist to study painkillers for dolphins and she helps comedians Myq Kaplan, Anna Drezen, and Nato Green learn all about her research on seals, whales, and other marine mammals. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick. This episode is sponsored by HotelTonight.