Episode 29: Pope Francis has sh*t for brains 10/29/14

Halloween is just around the corner, and all the signs of the devil abound: the world's longest snake experiences a virgin birth, the Pope endorses science yet again, evidence of starquakes is found, snobby foodies praise McDonalds as fine cuisine, and prolonged exposure to cat poop appears to alter human behavior.   http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/virgin-birth-confirmed-world-s-longest-snake-species   http://www.iflscience.com/brain/pope-endorses-scientific-account-origins   http://www.iflscience.com/space/magnetar-storm-reveals-evidence-starquakes   http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/23/358324106/don-t-mock-these-organic-food-experts-for-praising-mcdonald-s?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2047   http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/lincoln-mkc-moment-to-think/the-art-and-science-of-our-senses/153/   http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-horrible-anger-you-feel-at-hearing-someone-chewing-is-called-misophonia   http://m.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/   http://m.livescience.com/48121-curiosity-boosts-memory-learning.html?cmpid=514627_20141003_32807856   http://www.npr.org/2014/10/05/353919711/dolphins-adorable-playful-not-as-smart-as-you-might-think?sc=tw   http://iphone.sciencealert.com.au/news/20142609-26244.html   http://www.iflscience.com/brain/scientists-convert-human-skin-cells-directly-brain-cells   http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-bucket-full-of-this-material-can-absorb-all-the-oxygen-in-a-room   http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/optimism-is-the-enemy-of-action/380834/   http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/10/04/351187049/q-a-plumbing-the-mysteries-of-the-teenage-brain   http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/10/03/taking-a-fairy-tales-emotional-temperature/#.VFGwOYvF-yO   http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/02/the-science-of-soul-mates-xkcd/