AI Summary
5 min readThe internet went into a frenzy over a bizarre theory: the San Francisco 49ers’ relentless string of injuries is caused by a massive electrical substation looming over their practice field. The idea was that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from the substation were weakening players’ tendons and ligaments, making them snap like rubber bands. But when the podcast Science Vs teamed up with Pablo Torre Finds Out to investigate, they uncovered something the viral posts missed—and it wasn’t just that the science was shaky. The entire timeline that made the theory seem plausible turned out to be built on a mistake.
The Man Behind the Theory
The theory originated with Peter Anthony Cowan, a former hacker turned wellness entrepreneur who grew up a casual 49ers fan. After hearing a radio interview where ex-49er John Feliciano joked that the team’s practice field’s proximity to a substation might explain the injuries, Cowan became obsessed. He had long worried that EMFs from everyday sources like Wi-Fi routers were causing his own unexplained health issues—panic attacks, insomnia, and shakes—which he attributed to oxidative stress. He reasoned that if EMFs could increase oxidative stress in the body, they might weaken collagen, the protein that gives tendons and ligaments their strength. That, in turn, could make athletes more prone to catastrophic tears like the ones that had der
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Science Vs
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:11) **The Viral Mystery: Are EMF Waves from a Substation Injuring the 49ers?** - Wendy Zuckerman introduces the bizarre conspiracy theory that an electrical substation next to the San Francisco 49ers' practice facility is causing the team's high rate of injuries.
- 2 (04:20) **The Origin Story: A Musician and a Hacker Named Peter** - The investigation begins by tracing the theory back to its creator, Peter Cowan, a former hacker and musician who is deeply concerned about EMFs.
- 3 (17:23) **Peter's Hypothesis: Oxidative Stress and Weakened Collagen** - Peter explains his scientific reasoning, arguing that EMFs create oxidative stress, which in turn damages collagen, the protein crucial for strong tendons and ligaments.
- 4 (23:48) **The Expert Weighs In: Ken Karipidis on EMF Safety** - The hosts bring in Dr. Ken Karipidis, a top expert on non-ionizing radiation, to evaluate the actual danger of the EMF levels measured by Peter.
- 5 (29:35) **The Cell Study Problem: Cherry-Picking and Conflicting Data** - The investigation delves into the scientific studies Peter uses to support his oxidative stress theory, revealing a major flaw: they are mostly done on cells in a dish, not humans.
- 6 (32:19) **Grading the Human Studies: Rubbish and Missing Numbers** - The hosts examine the two human studies Peter provided, finding them to be deeply flawed and unreliable.
- 7 (38:36) **The Ironic Twist: EMFs Can Heal Collagen** - Ken reveals a surprising fact: when EMFs are pulsed in a specific way, they are actually used therapeutically to *improve* collagen and heal injuries, not damage them.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Is an electrical substation contributing to injuries on the San Francisco 49ers?? A bunch of people on the internet seem to think so, claiming that electromagnetic field waves could be to blame for players getting hurt. We partner with the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists at Pablo Torre Finds Out to get to the bottom of it. We talk to Peter Cowan, Dr. Ken Karipidis, and Dr. Zachary Binney.
Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/SVPTFO49ERSEMF
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Chris Tumminello and Bradley Campbell, with help from the rest of the Pablo Torre Finds Out team and the Science Vs team: Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the executive producer. Fact checking by Marlowe Starling. Video editing and sound mix by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode including Dr. Joachim Schüz, Dr. Alexandra von Meier, Nekane Sandoval Diez, Prof. Eva Monsma, Dr. Dan Baaken, Professor Frank de Vocht, Professor David Carpenter, Professor Beatrice Golomb, Professor Rodney Croft, Dr. Mitchell Newberry, Professor Tony Blazevich, and Dr. Andrew Ross. Special thanks to Srishti Prabha, the San Jose Public Library, as well as Humdinger Studios in Melbourne, and Wolff Island Studios in New York City.
Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Find us on YouTube at ScienceVsPodcast, TikTok at @wendyzuk and Instagram at Science_Vs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from this podcast
Science Vs →