The Last Show with David Cooper

David's top stories: Banana costumes held ransom by russian mob; and Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year. Foreign correspondent Tony Five and David discuss the impact of being a picky eater, and then try out something new: Uncle Agony. Costa Manolchev at the University of Exeter Business School shares coping strategies for dealing with workplace bullying. Futurist Nikolas Badminton conveys his view on 2025 being the Year of Hope. The sexy penpal returns with Tony Five.Segments(00:26) Introduction(01:49) Banana costumes held ransom by russian mob(05:33) Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year(09:08) Tony Five(19:26) Tony Five, cont'd(29:58) Tony Five, cont'd(41:53) Costa Manolchev(51:36) Costa Manolchev, cont'd(1:03:04) Nikolas Badminton(1:13:49) Tony Five with the sexy penpal(1:22:20) Sign-off

David and foreign correspondent Tony Five describe their Thanksgiving in New York City. After that, it's "back to the basics" with a condom crash-course with sexual health and consent educator Samantha Bitty on Sex, Et Cetera. Astrobiologist and professor Sarah Rugheimer explores the question of whether Mars could one day be hospitable to human life. Optometry and vision professor Lyndon Jones talks about continuous drug delivery by a new kind of contact lens. Workplace resilience expert Allison Graham shares how 2025 is set to bring a potential manager crash.Segments(00:26) Introduction(01:59) Tony Five(09:44) Tony Five, cont'd(20:37) Samantha Bitty(30:44) Samantha Bitty, cont'd(41:56) Sarah Rugheimer(52:31) Sarah Rugheimer, cont'd(1:02:51) Lyndon Jones(1:13:36) Allison Graham(1:24:13) Sign-off

David and foreign correspondent Tony Five do a sign-off before their week of 2024 Thanksgiving festivities.

The show begins with The Science Appliance with Dr. Daniel K. Riskin. David surprises Dan with a special guest, and they cover naming a Canadian lunar rover and why some bugs are so shiny. David and Dan discover in real-time a wild revelation about Dan's feet. (Subscribe to Dr. Riskin's newsletter here.) British musician Noemi Oberhauser discusses men wanting her for her apartment overlooking a football stadium. Foreign correspondent Tony Five completes his reporting from Gdansk, Poland. The sexy pen pal returns. Producer Dani joins us for Dani's Crime Den and shares silly crime stories of the day. Biological sciences professor Mark Fitzpatrick talks about traits we inherit from our parents.Segments(00:26) Introduction(01:10) The Science Appliance with Dan Riskin and special guest(13:06) The Science Appliance with Dan Riskin, cont'd(24:46) David and Dan Riskin with a wild revelation(34:50) Noemi Oberhauser(44:19) Tony Five(52:46) Tony Five, cont'd with the sexy pen pal(1:04:43) Dani's Crime Den(1:14:51) Mark Fitzpatrick(1:24:44) Sign-off

David opens by covering a deadly spider breeding season with Emma Teni, spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park. Foreign correspondent Tony Five continues his reporting from Gdansk, Poland. After that, It's Time for Technology Time with expert Carmi Levy, and he and David chat about Twitter/X's fall and Bluesky's rise. Dr. Jason Dyck outlines how a weight-loss drug was found to shrink heart muscle in mice and human cells. Raina Zhang at NYU Stern shares how unfair decisions by AI could make us indifferent to bad behavior by humans. Natalia Kononov explains her research showing that being kind can boost your attractiveness.

David reads some fan emails and DMs. Top stories: Swedish bananaphobia; and The potato cartel. After that, it's Therapy Thursdays on a Wednesday with Gary Direnfeld. Gary treats us to his odyssey of getting new Internet, then the two cover the topic of tiny spats or microfights. Foreign correspondent Tony Five does some real foreign corresponding and joins the show reporting live from Gdansk, Poland. Workplace expert Cal Jungwirth walks through someone getting in trouble for posting that they hated Mondays online. Registered nutritionist Lianne Phillipson talks about the nutrition and diet of astronauts on the International Space Station. (Check out Lianne's podcast EAT THIS with Lianne.)