Episodes

Sept. 7, 2022

Wed. 09/07 - The Haunting of Loab: AI's First Cryptid

The podcast gets possessed by the AI art world’s first cryptid. Meet, Loab––a woman haunting every AI generated image she is summoned to with some of the goriest scenes you’ll find this side of Halloween. What does Loab tell us about AI generated art and our relationship to truth and reality online…
Sept. 6, 2022

Tue. 09/06 - The Science Tooth Fairy & the Vampire Skeleton

How analyzing baby teeth might be able to facilitate early intervention for childhood adversity. Plus, archaeologists have found the skeleton of a seventeenth century woman accused of being a vampire. And yet another Artemis update, including why the latest scrubbed launch attempt can kind of be bl…
Sept. 2, 2022

Fri. 09/02 - Crappy Musicians Profiting From Kids’ Alexa Commands

The musicians getting paid anytime a preschooler makes a poop joke at an Alexa device. Plus, why Labor Day is a cursed weekend for movie releases. And the Artemis I launch is officially maybe happening on Saturday.
Sept. 1, 2022

Thu. 09/01 - Littlefoot's Ancestor Is Oldest Ever Dino Found In Africa

One of the biggest ever and one of the smallest ever sauropods, both discovered recently and both helping us learn more about where and why dinosaurs traveled millions of years ago. Plus, the latest on the soon-to-be-available omicron booster shots. Dolly Parton’s new Doggy Parton line, a Taco Bell…
Aug. 31, 2022

Wed. 08/31 - The World Bog Snorkeling Championships

The official trailer for the slasher horror version of Winnie the Pooh dropped and, I think I actually want to watch the whole movie now? Plus, the latest update on when Artemis I will actually be launching and what happened at the scrubbed launch on Monday. And the World Bog Snorkeling Championshi…
Aug. 30, 2022

Tue. 08/30 - Big Kale's Big Lie

The surprising history of how kale became so popular so quickly back in 2014, and how both Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A were partially responsible––but not because they actually included kale on their menus. It’s a tale of lawsuits, publicity campaigns, bloated markets, and one very big kalespiracy.
Aug. 29, 2022

Mon. 08/29 - Why Artemis I Didn't Launch

The Artemis I launch was scrubbed early this morning Here’s why the highly-anticipated launch didn’t get off the ground. Plus, rabies vaccines are raining down across the nation. And a new classic author version of Street Fighter.
Aug. 26, 2022

Fri. 08/26 - Prebunking Conspiratorial Thinking

Google ran a study using its own pre-roll ads to try to pre-bunk people before they fall for conspiracy theories. Plus, scientists have found the first-ever evidence of carbon dioxide in a planet’s atmosphere beyond our solar system. And the curious case of the one song that used to crash any lapto…
Aug. 25, 2022

Fri. 08/25 - The Fantasy of History

Invented traditions. Reimagined visions of the past. History is never free from our present-day biases, but the way we talk about the past often says more about us than the past itself. From the Disneyification of the Middle Ages to the aristocratic invention of Santa Claus in 1800s New York City, …
Aug. 24, 2022

Wed. 08/24 - Nimcels and Doppelgängers

The world of nimcels––what are they and where do they fit in online? Plus, the genetic similarities between unrelated doppelgängers. And gummy bears made out of wind turbines.
Aug. 23, 2022

Tue. 08/23 - Omicron Boosters & Original Antigenic Sin

Omicron-specific COVID boosters are coming to the US soon. How much of a difference will they make to immunity? Well, it’s complicated. Plus, NASA says Artemis I is go for launch. Here’s everything to know about the big event on Monday. And MoviePass is officially coming back from the dead next mon…
Aug. 22, 2022

Mon. 08/22 - They've Got 57 Varieties, But Tomato's The Only One

A dive into the viscous depths of the unshakeable ketchup bottle and its 57 different origin stories. Plus, NASA released the sound of an actual black hole. And expected and unexpected chicken wing news.
Aug. 19, 2022

Fri. 08/19 - Competitive Lifesaving & Mullet Champions

Competitive lifesaving and the USA Mullet Championships. Just a couple of niche competitions to kick off your weekend with. Plus, a possible new method for removing those pernicious “forever chemicals” from rain water.
Aug. 18, 2022

Thu. 08/18 - Ancient Butt-less Sea Creature NOT a Human Ancestor

Could a century-old vaccine help protect against future epidemics? Plus, it turns out our oldest ancestor is not a half a billion year old sea creature with a mouth but no butt. And next month, the first Native American woman will be going to space.
Aug. 17, 2022

Wed. 08/17 - Elektronik Supersonik

American Airlines has signed up for a supersonic boost. Plus, how to find the sweetest watermelon, and a brief history of the fruit. And Papa Johns is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks… and coincidentally that seems to be the same strategy they used for their newest menu item, just…
Aug. 16, 2022

Tue. 08/16 - De-Extincting Tasmanian Tigers

The team trying to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction is doing a trial run with Tasmanian tigers, funded in part by the Hemsworth brothers. Plus, NASA’s megarocket that will return humans to the moon and, perhaps one day take humans to Mars, has begun its four mile journey to the launch …
Aug. 15, 2022

Mon. 08/15 - Exy McExoplanet

This one weird baking trick could make your cookies healthier and decrease waste in your home. Plus, the not-quite-net-positive potential in Greenland’s melting Arctic ice cover. Your chance to officially name an exoplanet. And a new law requiring New York museums to disclose if artworks on display…
Aug. 12, 2022

Fri. 08/12 - Micro-Robots Brushing Your Teeth?

Could chewing gum and micro-robots replace your toothbrush? Plus, a Lord Byron-themed RPG. And get paid to indulge in every pumpkin-spiced item at Trader Joe’s.
Aug. 11, 2022

Thu. 08/11 - Bog Butter Blogs & Predator's Food Vlog

The science and history of bog butter–––still edible butter buried in Irish bogs thousands of years ago. Plus, the first-ever feature film dubbed entirely in the Comanche language, and more cool takeaways from the latest Predator installment. A Lyme disease vaccine has just entered its final stage …
Aug. 10, 2022

Wed. 08/10 - Mary Shelley & the Cryogenic Tabloid Star

The story of the 197-year-old frozen gentleman–––a tale that will take us from unprecedented weather events and the 19th century version of misinformation to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, a 1980s medical miracle, and brief shout-out to the OG velocipede. Plus, Austrian Burger King say you’re abnorma…
Aug. 9, 2022

Tue. 08/09 - Excel eSports Championships

The exciting world of Excel eSports. Plus, a Native American tribe who has had their land returned to them after 350 years. The top scientist who caused a big stir with a tiny bit of sausage. And a group of spiders that have been named after David Bowie.
Aug. 8, 2022

Mon. 08/08 - Do We REALLY Need Mosquitoes?

What would happen if we just Thanos-snapped all the mosquitoes out of existence? Would there be significantly adverse effects? Plus, from heat indexes to physiology, why the same temperature can feel so different in two different places, or even at different times of the year.
Aug. 5, 2022

Fri. 08/05 - Your Brain On Horror

Let’s talk about your brain on horror movies. Plus, Mark Cuban wants to turn a Texas town into Jurassic Park. And a virtual map that lets you see what your town looked like millions of years ago.
Aug. 4, 2022

Thu. 08/04 - The Hazy History of the IPA

A deep dive into the history of the IPA. What exactly is an IPA anyways? How did it get its name? And why did it become so ubiquitous over the last decade? Plus a very brief look at South Korea’s first-ever moon mission, launching this evening.