Episodes

Feb. 10, 2022

Thu. 02/10 - Valentine's Meat Juice

A possible third planet has been spotted orbiting Proxima Centauri. Plus, a new record has been set by a nuclear fusion lab in the UK. And, just in time for the holiday, a brief history of Valentine’s Meat Juice.
Feb. 9, 2022

Wed. 02/09 - 300 y/o Arctic Sponges Found Surviving on Fossilized Worms

The mysterious century-old sponges somehow surviving on a dead underwater mountain near the North Pole. Plus, doctors in Canada can now prescribe patients annual passes to National Parks. And SpaceX is set to lose 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites it launched last week due to a geomagnetic storm.
Feb. 8, 2022

Tue. 02/08 - Wine Bricks To The Rescue + Decoding Dickens & Digital Dollars

Is a national digital currency coming to the US? And what would that look like? Plus, coders have teamed up with scholars of British literature to decode Charles Dickens’s secret notes. And the very clever wine bricks from the Prohibition Era that helped keep the wine industry afloat.
Feb. 7, 2022

Mon. 02/07 - How Many Micromorts Is Listening To This Podcast?

Micromorts, the unit of measurement that predicts your risk of death. How effective are they and how could we make it more effective, especially with regards to the pandemic? Plus, why Washington state is building highway overpasses for cougars. And two rappers who have been added to the Super Bowl…
Feb. 4, 2022

Fri. 02/04 - The "Eminently Boycottable" Olympics

The Olympic Games have officially begun––how to reconcile excitement for the sports and the spectacle with the reality of the situation. Plus, controversy is brewing over the remains of Captain Cook’s ship the HMS Endeavour. And choose your fighter: 3D-printed vegan meatballs or Build-A-Bear’s sult…
Feb. 3, 2022

Thu. 02/03 - Where Did Numbers Come From?

When did we start counting? Are numbers just a modern human concept? Plus, we have more details about the impending end of the International Space Station as focus turns ever-more to the moon and Mars. And a new search engine that only gives you one result and it’s always a book that was published …
Feb. 2, 2022

Wed. 02/02 - How Many Weeks of Winter When the Groundhog Dies?

How does your brain know when you’ve had enough to drink each time you take a sip of water? Plus, a Groundhog Day tragedy, how North America came to celebrate this wacky holiday, and what it’s future might look like in lieu of the climate emergency. And finally, the Pope’s personal playlist.
Feb. 1, 2022

Tue. 02/01 - 2,500 Subway Cars Under the Sea

The New York City subway cars taking on a second job on the ocean floor. Plus, a successful drone created using Leonardo da Vinci’s aerial screw design. And crows in Sweden are being trained to pick up litter.
Jan. 31, 2022

Mon. 01/31 - I Want a Christmas Moon Tree & A Shot of Spikevax

The lost history of moon trees. Not quite as exciting as it sounds, but still really cool. Plus, the lineup of new emojis that just dropped on iOS 15.4––as well as a new study showing how emoji use can be an early detector of remote work burnout. And Moderna’s HIV vaccine has entered human trials.
Jan. 28, 2022

Fri. 01/28 - Why the Metaverse Doesn't Have Legs

Catalonia is set to pardon a thousand people who were condemned for witchcraft four hundred years ago. Plus, a mysterious object discovered in our galaxy has astronomers a bit stumped. And why don’t avatars in the metaverse have legs?
Jan. 27, 2022

Thu. 01/27 - The History of “sus” is… pretty sus

What’s up with the drastically different predictions for this weekend’s Nor’easter, and how is snowfall measured anyways? Plus, the sus-prisingly long history of the term “sus.” And, sometimes pre-ordering a book does not mean you’ll get it right on the publication date. Like when the shipping cont…
Jan. 26, 2022

Wed. 01/26 - Dun, Dun, Duuuuun!

Is there liquid water under Mars ice cap or isn’t there? Recent studies have claimed both. And what about an underground ocean on Saturn’s death star moon? Here’s all of your space water updates. Plus, the origins of the melodramatic “dun dun duuuun” sound. And, and old SpaceX rocket stage is on tr…
Jan. 25, 2022

Tue. 01/25 - Extreme Ironing: Can You Take The Heat?

A look into the world of extreme ironing. Plus, how China has been making strides in controlling the weather by shooting rockets at clouds. And, a much more low-key opportunity to help NASA collect data about real, non-modified clouds.
Jan. 24, 2022

Mon. 01/24 - Why Do Americans Eat So Much Peanut Butter?

The James Webb Space Telescope has officially reached its destination. What can we expect next? And why do Americans eat so much more peanut butter than anyone else? A bit of history on this National Peanut Butter Day.
Jan. 21, 2022

Fri. 01/21 - False Bananas & Sexy Skeletons

How a new technique for 3D printing metal could revolutionize manufacturing. Plus, the great potential of the false banana. And archeology’s “sexual revolution.”
Jan. 20, 2022

Thu. 01/20 - A Film Studio IN SPACE

Some reassurance from the experts that being bad at Wordle is not a sign you’re less smart than everyone else. Plus, the International Space Station is getting a film studio and sports arena. No word yet if Space Jam 3 will be shooting there. And how officials around the world have continued to suc…
Jan. 19, 2022

Wed. 01/19 - No Fries, Pricey Lumber, & Fake Soup

From french fries to snow plows, the global shortages continue. But are we starting to see the beginning of a whole new world for workers and the supply chain? Plus, you know what kind of soup you can never be short of? The kind that doesn’t exist. And, what’s going on with the 5G rollout at US air…
Jan. 18, 2022

Tue. 01/18 - tl;dr idk (and that's ok)

Choosing to remain in the dark; on the power of “deliberate ignorance.” Plus, AI that can make academic articles more comprehensible, and one site in particular that took off last week. And a new browser-based history game that I at least can’t stop playing.
Jan. 17, 2022

Mon. 01/17 - What's In a Name? From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to MLK

The thought leaders who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, his childhood name change, what to make of his legacy, and more. Also today, what caused the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga over the weekend? And gather up your silver bullets, it’s a Full Wolf Moon tonight.
Jan. 14, 2022

Fri. 01/14 - The Internet's (and French Dressing's) Identity Crisis

What is slow internet and is it a thing we should still be striving towards? What about slow email? Plus, in some very pressing news, the US Food & Drug Administration has officially deregulated French dressing. And Welsh scientists have determined that masks make people look more attractive.
Jan. 13, 2022

Thu. 01/13 - Un-distilled Non-Whiskey & the King of No One

The growing market for non-alcoholic beers, and a new “undistilled non-whiskey” that’s arrived just in time for Dry January. Plus, the search for a new king of a tiny island. And, the debate over “ghost flights” is heating up in Europe.
Jan. 12, 2022

Wed. 01/12 - Go Ahead and Listen To This Episode at 1.5x Speed

The real physics of Wile E. Coyote’s 10 billion volt electromagnet. Plus, cannabis can prevent SARS CoV-2 from spreading. Technically. And does listening to this podcast at double speed decrease your comprehension?
Jan. 11, 2022

Tue. 01/11 - Wordle Wordle Everywhere

A human has received a genetically-altered pig’s heart in a transplant for the first time ever. Plus, China’s lunar lander found water on the moon. And a look into the origins and phenomenon of Wordle.
Jan. 10, 2022

Mon. 01/10 - Deep Space Tardigrades

Scientists are working on a plan to shoot tardigrades into interstellar space on lasers. Plus, the James Webb Space Telescope is so-far going better than anyone had dared to imagine. And alpaca’s favorite new year snack: Christmas trees.