Episodes

Aug. 3, 2022

Wed. 08/03 - Cheese Baths

Cheese baths––a nineteenth century fad coming back in style. Plus, Shaun the Sheep is officially going to the moon later this month, alongside 10,000 other trinkets. And a volcano has erupted near the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, but all seems to be under control.
Aug. 2, 2022

Tue. 08/02 - Smell-O-Vision Meets VR

Virtual Reality doesn’t stink. And that’s kind of a problem. Why virtual smell could take the VR experience to the next level. Plus, a paper battery that’s activated by adding water. And you could get paid $100K a year to sit on your couch and eat candy.
Aug. 1, 2022

Mon. 08/01 - Early Europeans Drank Milk Despite Lactose Intolerance; Ancient Humans, They're Just Like Us!

The first major study of its kind sheds new light on the evolution of all you mutants who can digest dairy. Plus, engineers at MIT have developed a wearable sticker that can see inside your body. And, was George Jetson born over the weekend?
July 29, 2022

Fri. 07/29 - Shark Attacks, Moon Caves, & Murder Hornets

How likely are you really to get bit by a shark and do some of those cliché comparisons still hold up as waters warm and shark sightings seem to be on the rise? Plus, future lunar explorers could enjoy year round sweater weather in moon caves. And murder hornets are getting a new name.
July 28, 2022

Thu. 07/28 - No, This Isn't Scientific Evidence for the Loch Ness Monster

Why a new discovery about plesiosaurs has gotten everyone talking about the Loch Ness Monster. Plus, the oldest DNA from a horse domesticated in America might have solved a centuries-old mystery. And the scoop on that thirteen-eyed anthropomorphic oyster mascot from Halifax.
July 27, 2022

Wed. 07/27 - Netflix "Lucas-ing" Stranger Things

Cryptographers have identified the first known secure global communication system, in the form of nineteenth century newspaper ads. Plus, a fourth patient has been effectively cured of HIV. And Netflix is retroactively editing Stranger Things. The edits are not as big a deal as they seem, but the f…
July 26, 2022

Tue. 07/26 - The Best Failed Inventions

Let’s take a visit to the Museum of Failure. Plus, robot spider zombies. Not a new comic book series, but an actual experiment from mechanical engineers in Texas. And the Earth’s earliest animal predator has been named after David Attenborough.
July 25, 2022

Mon. 07/25 - When Did NASA Logos Become Fashionable?

The world’s first verified image of Mormonism founder Joseph Smith has been found… but it’s not convincing everyone just yet. And how did the NASA logo become so ubiquitous in clothing from fashion runways to rural Walmarts?
July 22, 2022

Fri. 07/22 – Home Depot's Got (Giant) Crabs

Why do we laugh and what causes us to do so? Was laughing at one point an evolutionary advantage? Plus, the reason for a mysterious pink glow over a small Australian town on Wednesday. And the latest contender in Home Depot’s line of extremely large yard decorations.
July 21, 2022

Thu. 07/21 - TikTok is Oozing Pink Sauce

A product that could help you hear the person you’re trying to have a conversation with in a loud, crowded room. Plus, a follow-up on why Unicode is adding so many more colored hearts in the next emoji drop. There was more to the story than I thought. And why everyone online is making horrifying me…
July 20, 2022

Wed. 07/20 - Real-Life Quidditch Changes Its Name

The real-life sport inspired by quidditch has announced their new name––and I have a lot of thoughts. Plus, a few companies in Japan have introduced standing “nap boxes” into their offices. And on the anniversary of the moon landing, NASA has announced the launch windows for the kick-off mission of…
July 19, 2022

Tue. 07/19 - DIY 4 Lyfe & Death

Three species frozen in time within one single piece of amber. Plus, the DIYers building their own coffins. And Costco has promised not to raise the price of their rotisserie chickens, but is that a good thing?
July 18, 2022

Mon. 07/18 - An Experiential Peek Into 2050's Weather

Heatwaves around the world are so extreme this week that one of them matches a projected forecast for 2050. Plus, MIT engineers have found a more efficient method for boiling water. And the winners of the World Emoji Awards as well as all the new emojis drafted to hit Unicode 15 in September.
July 13, 2022

Wed. 07/13 - When Coal Was "Un-American"

What can the slow and timid adoption of coal in the US tell us about the transition to solar and wind power? Plus, this newly-discovered dinosaur sheds some light on why T-Rexes had those tiny li’l arms. And, when cities welcome physical monuments to fictional pop culture characters.
July 12, 2022

Tue. 07/12 - Spikes, Blobs, & Bubbles: Explaining the JWST Images

The JWST images are here! But what are we actually looking at? Plus, could gene editing put an end to cholesterol-related disease? And Cat Power is planning to perform a cover of an entire Bob Dylan concert at the original venue where he performed it.
July 11, 2022

Mon. 07/11 - Sailing Without a Map, or Compass, or Anything

Could an MIT idea to ease the climate crisis by blowing up giant sun-blocking bubbles in space actually work? Plus, the Polynesian voyagers who are reviving ancient seafaring techniques and traversing thousands of miles across the ocean without maps or modern technology. And a cool little interacti…
July 8, 2022

Fri. 07/08 - The Breakfast Episode

Welcome to our accidental breakfast episode. First, how did orange juice become our go-to breakfast beverage of choice? Plus, Waffle House’s in-house record label. And, someone’s been eating their Wheatie’s, how major sports tournaments are using AI to improve the game and the fan experience
July 7, 2022

Thu. 07/07 - Sports Leagues IN SPACE

In 1972, a team of international researchers used computer modeling to assess and warn us about the potential collapse of human civilization. Fifty years later, how does their assessment add up and have we heeded their warning? Plus, we’ve got space tourists. Now it’s time for astroletes. Why sport…
July 6, 2022

Wed. 07/06 - Big Mouth Billy Bass

We take a deep dive into the freshwater lake origins of Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing fish, and his riptide success in the early 2000s. And, in other peak scientific innovation news, the Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more and already discovered three new exotic particles.
July 5, 2022

Tue. 07/05 - The Rise of #Gentleminions

Could the historic flooding at Yellowstone National Park be a positive thing in the long term? Plus, new findings into long COVID-caused brain fog. And why some movie theaters are banning formal attire.
June 30, 2022

Thu. 06/30 - The Kid Who Invented Popsicles... Allegedly

The murky history of Popsicles, and freeze pops or Otter Pops or whatever you call them. Plus, those skin mites that live on your face might be able to reveal your geographic ancestry. And the Canadian radio station that only plays one song by Rage Against the Machine now.
June 29, 2022

Wed. 06/29 - Did "The Dress" Foreshadow Fake News?

Remember the photo of that blue and black dress, or I’m sorry, white and gold dress? It turns out at least one neuroscientist conducted an official study of people’s perceptions about it, and his findings could have larger ramifications on our seemingly increasing inability to communicate and under…
June 28, 2022

Tue. 06/28 - The Return of the Moon Age

NASA’s Artemis mission returning us to the moon has officially begun… sort of. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s first step towards establishing a base in lunar orbit. Plus, why do so many of us love logging the books we read and movies we watch on tracking apps, and at what cost?
June 27, 2022

Mon. 06/27 - Why Friends Smell Alike

Do groups of friends all smell alike? Plus, an astonishingly well-preserved 30,000 year old woolly mammoth baby was just discovered. And we finally have photographic evidence of that mysterious rocket stage that hit the moon in March.