Episodes

Oct. 11, 2022

Tue. 10/11 - The Ghost of Halloween Candy Panics Past

Another Halloween, another candy tampering panic. While these panics rarely––if ever––bear fruit, poisoned candy and concerns around it have a longer history than you might suspect. Plus, a voter fraud scandal has rocked the wholesome Fat Bear Week contest.
Oct. 10, 2022

Mon. 10/10 - Cyborg Cockroaches Are Here To Save the Day

Just in time for Halloween, we’ve got cyborg cockroaches. As terrifying as it sounds though, they might actually end up saving our lives. Plus, a round-up of recommendations for celebrating Indigenous People today and everyday. And an upcoming slasher horror version of The Grinch.
Oct. 7, 2022

Fri. 10/07 - When Novelty Halloween Songs Ruled The Billboard Charts

What the heck is a flying purple people eater and why did that song about one stick around for so long? Plus, remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? Eight years later, we’ve got a look at just how big a difference it made. But is the new ALS treatment the challenge helped fund as great as it seems?
Oct. 6, 2022

Thu. 10/06 - Jinkies! I Can't Believe Butter Is So Expensive

I’m back with another shortage report. This time? Butter. Plus, sleep tourism is apparently a thing now. And Velma from Scooby-Doo is officially super gay, for real this time.
Oct. 5, 2022

Wed. 10/05 - Bruce Willis Deepfake Deal is Fake, But Others Could Be Coming

It’s Nobel Prize week. With three prizes announced and three yet to come, here are the winners in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine. Plus, Bruce Willis did not sell the rights to his digital twin to a deepfake firm, but could someone choose to do so eventually? More on the murky world …
Oct. 4, 2022

Tue. 10/04 - Turns Out, Buttons Are Bad For Us

From the annals of “everyday objects our ancestors were once super concerned about”: electric push buttons. Like, on/off buttons on any basic device. And you know what, they kind of had a point. Plus, on its sixtieth anniversary let’s take a look at one of more pernicious predictions The Jetsons ac…
Oct. 3, 2022

Mon. 10/03 - Can You Eat Crocs?

Answering the age old question: can you eat Crocs? Plus, why it is adults still get stress dreams about school even years after they leave. And a chance to stay at the Sanderson sisters cottage for all the die-hard Hocus Pocus fans out there.
Sept. 30, 2022

Fri. 09/30 - The Real Warriors From 'The Woman King'

The real story of the Agoji warriors fictionalized in The Woman King. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration just dropped a new definition for the word “healthy.” And the very opposite of a nightmare on Elm Street.
Sept. 29, 2022

Thu. 09/29 - Are Lawns ALL Bad?

Lawns are terrible for the environment, but is ripping them out all together the right answer? Plus, why decorating your home for the holidays is, actually, really good for your health. And other facts I’m overhyping to justify the many decorative gourds in my house… And a very popular discontinued…
Sept. 28, 2022

Wed. 09/27 - Could Changing Jupiter Make Earth Better?

Could a change in Jupiter’s orbit make life on Earth more hospitable? Plus, behold the best GIFs of the 90s, uploaded a-fresh by internet strangers. And all the Taco Bell news that’s fit to print.
Sept. 27, 2022

Tue. 09/27 - Giant Invisible Otters

How close are we to some kind of invisibility cloak? Plus, when giant lion-sized otters roamed the land. Yes, the land. And Hasbro wants to make you into an action figure.
Sept. 26, 2022

Mon. 09/26 - GIFs Are Dead, Long Live the GIF

Thanks to a court filing from the largest search engine of its kind, it’s official: GIFs are cringe. How did they fall so far? Plus, the Colorado River is drying up and part of the reason has to do with politicians ignoring the science one hundred years ago.
Sept. 23, 2022

Fri. 09/23 - Asteroid SMASH

Why is NASA slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid on Monday and what will we be able to see of the collision? Plus, a new low-cost, no-lab-required COVID-19 antibody test that could set the stage for more personalized vaccination plans. And a new drill rap duo, made up of old white British men.
Sept. 22, 2022

Thu. 09/22 - Fall Is Here & Your Phone Is Dying

It’s the first day of fall. Or is it? Everything you need to know about the equinox, plus some seasonal music recommendations. An app you can only use when your phone’s battery is less than 5%. And why Queen Elizabeth II and other royal family members are buried in lead-lined coffins.
Sept. 21, 2022

Wed. 09/21 - What is this? A podcast for ANTS?!

Scientists have conducted an ant census. Or at least that’s what I’m calling it. And the total number they came up with is out of this world. Plus, the return of the Shortage Report. This time? Craft beer. Its cause? An extinct volcano.
Sept. 20, 2022

Tue. 09/20 - The Lost Moon of Saturn

How did Saturn get its jaunty tilt and cool rings? A new study says it could’ve been caused by an hither-to-unknown ancient moon that got torn apart by its planet. Plus, new findings on just how much misinformation is being spread around TikTok.
Sept. 19, 2022

Mon. 09/19 - Did Volcanoes Kill the Dinosaurs?

It’s not all about the asteroid. Some scientists are still debating what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct and a new study provides some interesting evidence for the role of volcanoes in the mass extinction event. Plus, we know concrete isn’t great for keeping buildings cool, but just how bad is i…
Sept. 16, 2022

Fri. 09/16 - What Is Going On In England?

From informing the bees to muting self-checkout machines, the many shades of mourning––and not––in the United Kingdom. And, from ice cream prescribed with chemotherapy to synchronized heart beats signaling romantic attraction –– here are the winners of the 2022 Ig Nobel Prizes.
Sept. 15, 2022

Thu. 09/15 - The People's Joker & Lunar Crystals

China has discovered a new lunar mineral––and more dispatches from space, including the asteroid NASA is intentionally crashing into next week. Plus, a trans DIY retelling of The Joker that got pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after just one screening.
Sept. 14, 2022

Wed. 09/14 - The Dream of the 90s Is Alive on the Internet Archive… But For How Much Longer?

Several major publishing houses are suing the Internet Archive. Why? And what could the ramifications of the lawsuit have on the archive and on digital access to knowledge more broadly?
Sept. 13, 2022

Tue. 09/13 - Too Many or Too Few Humans?

We’re approaching overpopulation. Or we’re in danger of population decline. It depends who you ask. As we prepare to pass eight billion humans on Earth, a look at the history of population anxiety and thoughts about where we go from here. Plus, a visually-appealing compostable alternative to Keurig…
Sept. 12, 2022

Mon. 09/12 - Not Your Papa’s Pawpaw

Is the most American of all fruits finally going to get its time to shine? And, no, NASA did not officially ask the public to name the probe to Uranus, but they could one day and, if and when they do, the internet will be ready.
Sept. 9, 2022

Fri. 09/09 - Garbled Nonsense: When Filter Bubbles Collide

Merriam-Webster has added 370 words to the dictionary, but it’s not enough to keep up with the changing pace of language on the internet, especially as we increasingly communicate with imagery and in-jokes that transcend single word definitions. Plus, why more and more fast food chains are ditching…
Sept. 8, 2022

Thu. 09/08 - All Hail Big Hail

Hail is getting bigger and becoming more common to more areas, but we still know relatively little about it. Plus, a possibly complete dinosaur skeleton with intact fossilized skin has been discovered in Alberta. And a brief historical perspective on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as so…