Dan Riskin: The Spider Car - January 25, 2026

A podcast-only special of The Last Show with science man, bat biologist, and generally affable individual Dan Riskin. Dan sits down at David's apartment in New York to tape The Science Appliance. Dan recounts his recent travels to Australia heavily featuring a most terrifying 'spider car' – and it's worse than you think. After that, Dan covers the following science news stories: Study shows orange pigments in redheads prevent cellular damage; The sequel paradox: Research shows less innovation sells more tickets, but only at first; and Podcasts won't slow your driving reactions, but phone calls (even hands-free) will. David talks about grandma-style pizza. Dan practices his microphone technique by shouting the word 'echidna'. ⁠⁠⁠Sign up for Dan's weekly science newsletter The Bat Signal⁠ by clicking here⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices