S4 Ep 2. Friends (Central Perk Science)

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This episode is 'The one where...' we did a live show on the science behind Friends at science festivals in Wrexham and Swansea.

We ask the kind of questions about the 00's favourite sitcom that you never knew you needed answers to. What would happen to your body if you actually spent all your money on coffee in Central Perk? How do they put the smell in gas? Can you whiten your teeth so much that they glow in the dark? Were Ross and Rachel on a break? Lets find out…

Join us for 18 pages (FRONT AND BACK!) as we explore the science behind one of the world's most popular sitcoms, Friends.

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Episode References (if you fancy some extra reading)

Chittka, L. and Peng, F., 2013. Caffeine boosts bees' memories. Science, 339(6124), pp.1157-1159.
Collins, R.L., Elliott, M.N., Berry, S.H., Kanouse, D.E. and Hunter, S.B. (2003) Entertainment television as a healthy sex educator: The impact of condom-efficacy information in an episode of Friends. Pediatrics, 112(5), pp.1115-1121.
Edmonds, P. The weird world of lobster sex. National Geographic. Available from: The Weird World of Lobster Sex (nationalgeographic.com)
Glow Dental (2020) How bright should you whiten your teeth? [9 June] Available from: How White Is Too White? A Guide to Teeth Whitening From Glow Dental (glowdentalnyc.com)
Grossi, B., Iriarte-Díaz, J., Larach, O., Canals, M. and Vásquez, R.A. (2014) Walking like dinosaurs: chickens with artificial tails provide clues about non-avian theropod locomotion. PloS one, 9(2), p.e88458.
Leonard, T.K., Watson, R.R. and Mohs, M.E. (1987) The effects of caffeine on various body systems: a review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 87(8), pp.1048-1053.
Mandel, L. (2017) Why we need friends, according to a scientist. An evolutionary biology explains the real reason for friendship. [8 March] Available from: Why We Need Friends, According To A Scientist | The FADER
Martini, M., Bufalari, I., Stazi, M.A. and Aglioti, S.M. (2015) Is that me or my twin? Lack of self-face recognition advantage in identical twins. PLoS One, 10(4), p.e0120900.
Rosner, D. (2005) Why plants make caffeine. [2 March] Available from: Why Plants Make Caffeine | Science Features | Naked Scientists (thenakedscientists.com)
Sabater, V. (2021) 3 types of friendship, according to Aristotle. [15 November] Available from: 3 Types of Friendship, According to Aristotle - Exploring your mind
Seth, Y. (2017) Who was the lead character in Friends? The data science answer. [29 December] Available from: Who was the lead character in Friends? The Data Science Answer – Let the Machines Learn (wordpress.com)
Smith, M. (2018) The one where we did a poll on Friends. [31 January] Available from: The one where we did a poll on Friends | YouGov
Thomson, J.D., Draguleasa, M.A. and Tan, M.G. (2015) Flowers with caffeinated nectar receive more pollination. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 9(1), pp.1-7.
Wikipedia (2021) Nicomachean ethics. Available from: Nicomachean Ethics - Wikipedia

S4 Ep 2. Friends (Central Perk Science)

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