Episodes

June 24, 2022

Fri. 06/24 - The Creatures That Live & Mate On Our Faces

The facts on how risky public bathrooms actually are when it comes to germs and disease transmission. Plus, the secret lives of skin mites––a bevy of new findings on the microscopic creatures that live on our faces. And, as a chaser, animal ASMR.
June 23, 2022

Thu. 06/23 - The "Anti-Hunger" Molecule Formed By Intense Workouts

A newly-identified molecule may explain why some workouts make you super hungry and others leave you without an appetite at all. Plus, a spectacular planetary conjunction is on display this weekend––how to catch sight of five planets at once. Researchers have a new theory for why all those fish fel…
June 22, 2022

Wed. 06/22 - Pinocchio, Fascism, & Guillermo del Toro

A deep dive into the origins, values, and many adaptations of The Adventures of Pinocchio––including how Guillermo del Toro’s dark upcoming stop motion animation could be the truest to the original yet. Plus, the mystery of eight thousand Iron Age frog skeletons found in a mass burial site in Engla…
June 21, 2022

Tue. 06/21 - Queerness in Colonial Williamsburg

More and more countries are banning single-use plastics, but what alternatives are available? One team of scientists have developed an antimicrobial spray that could replace plastic food packaging. Plus, how Colonial Williamsburg is working to incorporate more of its queer past.
June 20, 2022

Mon. 06/20 - Peecycling

Would you use your own pee in your garden? Or donate it to a local farm? Some folks around the world see it as the future of fertilization. Plus, some scientists want to rename summer “danger season.” And astronomers have discovered a new multiplanet system not too far away with two Earth-sized roc…
June 17, 2022

Fri. 06/17 - Space-Based Solar Power

Ahead of Juneteenth, a reminder of what emancipation did and didn’t do. Plus, a newly discovered group of polar bears who are able to survive on less sea ice than should be possible. And a promising milestone achieved in the field of space-based solar power.
June 16, 2022

Thu. 06/16 - An AI RBG

The Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more, but will it ever find anything as huge as the Higgs boson again? Plus, an AI model that’s turning Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words into a magic eight ball. Beyoncé has announced a new album and Beavis and Butt-Head are about to do the whole univers…
June 15, 2022

Wed. 06/15 - Is This the Origin of the Black Death?

A new lead on the origin of the Black Death. Plus, monkeypox will soon––thankfully––be getting a new name. And Internet Explorer is being put to rest today. RIP.
June 14, 2022

Tue. 06/14 - The Once and Future Mall

The history and future of the design of the American shopping mall. Plus, a new test that can more accurately assess your immunity to COVID-19. And Coca-Cola is releasing a new Jack & Coke canned cocktail. Meanwhile, fans have created a “healthy Coke” hack, which I tried out in the Cool Stuff Ride …
June 13, 2022

Mon. 06/13 - Why You Can't Remember Books You Read

Why is it so hard to remember details from books we’ve read and TV shows we’ve watched? Plus, why is food cooked outside on an open flame so dang delicious? And, vaccines for American children under the age of five may finally finally be coming.
June 10, 2022

Fri. 06/10 - COVID-Sniffing Dogs & Delayed Positive Test Results

Why are some people experiencing delayed positive tests from COVID-19? And, new tests on the block, from expensive at-home hubs to COVID-sniffing dogs. Plus, a proposal in the UK to raise the legal purchase age for cigarettes every year. And the newest US quarter has just dropped, featuring Cheroke…
June 9, 2022

Thu. 06/09 - Heat Waves May Get Names, Like Hurricanes

Heat waves in the future could come with their own names, and we might be able to keep safe from them thanks to advances in smart window technology. Plus, Europe’s largest ever land dinosaur has just been discovered. And why Wendy’s is temporarily retiring their vanilla Frosty’s.
June 8, 2022

Wed. 06/08 - So Long, Sit-Ups

Has the sit-up been canceled? Plus, the century-long history of growing nonnative plants in Antarctica and how it will help astronauts fill their bellies when they fly to the moon and beyond. And, why mice are afraid of bananas.
June 7, 2022

Tue. 06/07 - Humans' Unique Sleep Patternzzzzzz

Why is it that humans get less sleep than all other primates? And are “short sleepers” really a thing? Plus, “mountains” of sugar have been discovered all over the world, hiding beneath meadows of seagrass. And, bad news for plant parents, new findings explain why plants apparently get super stress…
June 6, 2022

Mon. 06/06 - Gummi Bears: A 100 Year Look Back

It’s the hundredth anniversary of the humble gummy bear, but did you know they’ve only been in America since the 80s? Plus, could one source of water ice on the moon be ancient volcanoes? And, something strange is afoot in the reproductive lives of cockroaches.
June 3, 2022

Fri. 06/03 - This Is Your Voice On Mars

Some wild animal species might be evolving four times faster than we thought. Plus, what your voice would sound like on Mars. And the summer job in Wisconsin that makes teenagers jump off a moving boat to deliver mail.
June 2, 2022

Thu. 06/02 - How To OutHorse Your Email

Turns out your liver is quite a bit younger than expected. Plus, people with food allergies may be at a lower risk of catching COVID-19. Iceland’s new campaign to help you rein in your work-life balance while on vacation. And, in very serious news, we seem to be running out of googly eyes and Taco …
June 1, 2022

Wed. 06/01 - Self-Cloning Plant the New Biggest on Earth

A new contender for the world's largest plant is bigger than Cincinnati and named after Posiedon. Plus, a round-up of everything launching into space this weekend. And, fresh on the heels of the new Baz Lehrman biopic, the company that owns Elvis’ likeness is trying to shut down all the Elvis-theme…
May 31, 2022

Tue. 05/31 - Unionized Ghosts, Cat Burglars, & Quantum Bubbles

A supremely weird “trivia” cartoon on Netflix. Plus, physicists made bubbles of gas atoms colder than space . And why the Buzzfeed News’ union contract includes legal protection against ghosts.
May 30, 2022

Mon. 05/30 - Angry Angry Hamsters

Scientists accidentally created super aggressive mutant hamsters. Meanwhile other scientists have devised a method for pulling drinking water out of thin air with a super affordable thin gel. Different strokes for different folks. And tonight’s possible meteor storm, which could produce thousands o…
May 27, 2022

Fri. 05/27 - Viruses Are Behaving Weirdly

Why viruses are starting to act in unexpected ways. Plus, the Sex Pistols re-rerelease “God Save the Queen” just in time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and at least one DIY collective is running an anti-jubilee punk festival. And some follow-up’s to previous stories, including those ABBA-tar holo…
May 26, 2022

Thu. 05/26 - Winnie the Pooh: Horror Villain

The first human genome from a victim of the eruption in ancient Pompeii has been sequenced. Plus, a global mushroom art scavenger hunt is afoot. And Winnie the Pooh is joining the gritty origin story bandwagon with a new horror take on the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood.
May 25, 2022

Wed. 05/25 - Don't Forget To Take Your Daily Tomato

Why NASA is sending a bunch of brewer’s yeast up to space on Artemis 1. Plus, scientists have created genetically-edited tomatoes pumped up with vitamin D. And a COVID-19 memorial that will be purposefully burnt down on Saturday.
May 24, 2022

Tue. 05/24 - Monkeypox: How Concerned Should We Be?

Everything you need to know about monkeypox––what is it, how is it spread, and how concerned should we be? Plus, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is returning to Earth on Wednesday, after just a few hiccups on its first successful trip to the ISS. And Coca-Cola is introducing new bottle caps that you …