Podcast: Glyphosate causes seizures? Fatigue and brain toxins; Why parents turn ‘anti-vaxx’

• Glyphosate causes dangerous convulsions in animals—and maybe humans? Wild headlines again advance ideological agenda over evidence

A new wave of glyphosate controversy erupted on social media last week following the release of a study alleging the herbicide can cause convulsions. The study’s press release and subsequent news articles implied that the results were found “in animals,” though the study was actually conducted with worms. The researchers exposed them to glyphosate—then shocked them to induce convulsions. Suffice it to say that the paper offers no evidence that the weedkiller poses a serious risk to humans.

• Tired from studying? Thinking hard actually causes buildup of toxins in your brain

Recent research indicates that intellectually taxing activities, like studying, writing or reading, may cause potentially toxic byproducts to build up in the part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. The results challenge previous theories suggesting that fatigue was an “illusion” the brain creates to encourage us to engage in less mentally rigorous activities. In broad strokes, that hypothesis is correct; fatigue exists to modify our behavior, but it appears to stem from a functional alteration in brain activity.

• ‘I found my people’: The path some parents travel to become anti-vaxxers

Many parents fed up with pandemic-related school closures and mask mandates have gone from criticizing these specific policies to embracing unsubstantiated allegations about the dangers of vaccination more generally. Contrary to the idea that certain political ideologies are more anti-vaccine, the stories of these parents suggest that people shift their political views and support candidates, Republicans or Democrats, who they believe will protect their civil liberties.

Recommended resource for this episode:

Think Straight, An Owner’s Manual For The Mind