The Last Show with David Cooper

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.Segments0:26 Introduction1:10 The Science Appliance with Dan Riskin and special guest13:06 The Science Appliance with Dan Riskin, cont'd24:46 David and Dan Riskin with a wild revelation34:50 Noemi Oberhauser44:19 Tony Five52:46 Tony Five, cont'd with the sexy pen pal1:04:43 Dani's Crime Den1:14:51 Mark Fitzpatrick1:24:44 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.)

David talks about his "mood of the day." Then, top stories: People stuck on an amusement park ride; and Emus on the loose (that's "ee-MOOS"). David's cat Tomato makes an appearance. After that, UK-based foreign correspondent Tony Five discusses upcoming travels. Sexual health and consent educator Samantha Bitty tackles the question, "How do I know if I'm polyamorous?" on Sex, Etc. Dr. Natalie Spadafora shares her research showing students are ruder now in the classroom than they were before the pandemic. Elaine Hoan describes the findings from her excellently named paper showing women like being single more than men.

David's top stories: Macaques on the loose; Airport raccoon drops from ceiling; and Bear costume insurance fraud. Foreign correspondent Tony Five and David share their dreams. Toronto-based comedian Natalie Norman hosts Sex Smells. (Self-explanatory, they talk about sexual attraction based on smell.) After that it's Francis Syms for Cyber Slice with Syms, covering unfair decisions by AI potentially making us indifferent to bad behavior. Finally, it's Taylor Swift content. (You're welcome, producer Dani – resident Swiftie). It's lecturer Dr. Chris Koenig-Woodyard on Taylor visiting Toronto followed by economist Moshe Lander on "Swiftonomics."

The show begins with The Science Appliance with Dan Riskin. (Sign up for Dan's newsletter here.) Dan proposes that everything we thought we learned about Uranus might be wrong, and discusses how AI's progress could be slowing. After that, it's Conspiracy Corner with conspiracy theory expert Nathan Radke. (Check out Nathan's podcast The Uncover Up Conspiracy Cast.) Nathan paints the picture of how we got to the current testimony before congress that the US is running secret UAP programs. Jingle-based contributor and foreign correspondent Tony Five and David chat about Thanksgiving. Psychology research professor Dr. Galena Rhoades goes over age gaps in relationships. Marketing professor David Soberman talks about toy company Mattel's pornography-based faux pas.

Foreign correspondent Tony Five discusses his character Blanta. David shares how Tony accidentally interviewed a... bad person. (Don't worry, the interview never made it to air.) After that, It's Time For Technology Time with Carmi Levy and he and David chat about the unfortunate news about the voice actor famous for 'You've Got Mail!', new technology for Amazon delivery drivers, and more. Author Diana McCallum tells us about her new book, Sex Lives of Superheroes. Marketing and psychology professor Sam Maglio goes over his study showing missed deadlines lead people to judge work more harshly. Estate lawyer Jonathan Ng educates us on what happens to your pets when you pass on.

In this showForeign correspondent Tony FiveTherapy Thursdays on a Wednesday with Gary DirenfeldMarketing professor Leonard Berry – Do no harm: Researchers help doctors identify words they should never say to patientsBehavioural addiction professor Dr. Mark Griffiths – I research sexual perversions and paraphilias - here's what we’ve learned about themCybersecurity expert Francis Syms on cyber crime.