Episodes

March 21, 2022

Mon. 03/21 - Squid Tech to Prevent Human Sunburns

How to appear effortlessly charming to new people you meet. Plus, using squid technology to protect humans from the sun. And a new generation of search apps that search everything you touch on your devices.
March 18, 2022

Fri. 03/18 - What Do We Lose By Keeping The Lights On?

Should we be making a greater effort to reduce light pollution? Plus, scientists are trying to use murder hornets’ own sexual behavior to eradicate them. And an app that will help you safely find and eat roadkill.
March 17, 2022

Thu. 03/17 - Why Are Movies So Long These Days?

Why have movies gotten so long recently? Plus, the startups working to develop lab-created chocolate. And a nightmarish creature from Texas to rival all the hype around those giant Joro spiders.
March 16, 2022

Wed. 03/16 - Permanent Daylight Saving Time?

How Prohibition was far more global and far more progressive than it’s often portrayed. And, is the United States about to stay in Daylight Saving Time forever?
March 15, 2022

Tue. 03/15 - Solar Storms & Subvariants, But It's All Fine

Subvariants, spikes, and sewers. A few indicators remind us that we’re not quite out of the woods yet when it comes to COVID. Plus, a new method that shows how any person can be trained to harness the creativity inside of themselves. And what it means that the sun is getting more and more active.
March 14, 2022

Mon. 03/14 - Why COVID Causes Loss of Smell and How To (Maybe) Get It Back

How many digits of pi is the right amount to use? Plus, what actually causes people to lose their sense of smell when they get COVID? And how can you work to recover yours if you lost it? And, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson is going to space.
March 11, 2022

Fri. 03/11 - Abe Lincoln: Telegraph Influencer

Abraham Lincoln was a telegraph power-user, and the one thousand telegrams he sent during his presidency might have helped the US win the Civil War. Plus, an app that can diagnose rare diseases just by scanning a child’s face. And, ten thousand people in New Orleans were without power for hours due…
March 10, 2022

Thu. 03/10 - We Need To Talk About The Spiders

The giant yellow spiders set to invade the eastern seaboard of North America are… not as scary as the internet is making them seem. Plus, the Smithsonian is returning a number of artworks to Nigeria. And President Biden is considering a digital currency for the US.
March 9, 2022

Wed. 03/09 - Why Has "Z" Become a Pro-War Symbol?

One of the most famous shipwrecks has finally been discovered at the bottom of a sea in Antarctica. Plus, why the letter “Z” has become a Russian pro-war symbol. And, post-punk Alvin and the Chipmunks.
March 8, 2022

Tue. 03/08 - Diamonds Are the Air's Best Friend

Giving all new meaning to “taking a leaf out of their book,” medieval literature scholars have adopted ecological models to quantify lost works of fiction. Plus, what if you could create diamonds out of thin air? And, had a rough day? Let some kindergarteners give you a pep talk.
March 7, 2022

Mon. 03/07 - Why Have Some Of Us Never Gotten COVID?

After two years, why have some of us never gotten COVID? Plus, the surprisingly artistic and wonderful Squirrel Census. And a volcanic rock in Japan rumored to contain a thousand-year-old demonic spirit has just been found split in two. Nbd.
March 4, 2022

Fri. 03/04 - How Hybrid Work Could Change Cities & the Workforce

Is it possible for ocean cleanup programs to do more harm than good? And how might offices, cities, and the nature of work itself change if––as looks increasingly likely––many office jobs never return to fully on-site work. Plus, the latest Wordle-style game recommendation.
March 3, 2022

Thu. 03/03 - Designing Gotham: Batman's Universal Hometown

A look at how the design of Gotham City has changed throughout each incarnation of Batman, reflecting the soul and vengeance of the caped crusader. Plus, the technicolor array of blood throughout the animal kingdom. And, your chance to take your name to the moon. Not in an investing sense. Like, li…
March 2, 2022

Wed. 03/02 - Death to Plastic

175 nations have agreed to craft a legally binding treaty to reel in the world’s out-of-control plastic problem. Plus, remember that rocket booster no one is taking responsibility for? It’s still hitting the moon on Friday. Here’s what it might be able to tell us. And, a Beetlejuice sequel might fi…
March 1, 2022

Tue. 03/01 - Dino Drama: Should Tyrannosaurus Be Split Into Three Species?

Is the tyrannosaurus rex going to be broken up into three species? Plus, we’ve talked a lot about meat alternatives, but now it’s time for: dairy milk alternatives. No, not oat or almond. Actual dairy milk but without the use of animals. And, finally a study that says going for a walk is bad for yo…
Feb. 28, 2022

Mon. 02/28 - Pres. Zelensky's Uncanny Comedy Career & the Perils of Idol-worship

That thing you’re looking at right now, it’s already fifteen seconds in the past. Plus, new findings from Apple and Harvard’s giant period-tracking study. And, before emerging as a wartime president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a prolific career as a comedian. Here’s a rundown of some of the wildest cl…
Feb. 25, 2022

Fri. 02/25 - The Meme Accounts Behind Misinformation

The meme accounts behind some of the spread of misinformation already this week, as well as some guidance for seeking out and sharing accurate information. Plus, seals that are being recruited by scientists to spy on whales. And the latest vaccine seeking authorization.
Feb. 24, 2022

Thu. 02/24 - The Little-Known Women Who Saved Millions of Children

The too-little-known story of the creation of the whooping cough vaccine. Plus, the remarkable initiatives in Taiwan that are helping keep the country clean with a little help from Beethoven. A new Netflix docuseries that uses AI to recreate Andy Warhol’s voice reading his diaries. And a note on th…
Feb. 23, 2022

Wed. 02/23 - I'm Feeling Lucky

Why does Google still have the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button? And what do the ways Google Search has changed mean for us as a society? Plus, a proposed global library of underwater audio with a perfect name, and what fish are usually “talking” about when they communicate acoustically. And finally, Kra…
Feb. 22, 2022

Tue. 02/22 - Hot Jupiter Is Raining Gems

The mysteries of people with super color vision. Plus, a Hot Jupiter that rains gems. And Hank the Tank, the furry 500 pound dumpster diving home invader taking California by storm.
Feb. 21, 2022

Mon. 02/21 - Emo Poet & Wrestling Champ Abe Lincoln

Hundreds of birds dropped from the sky in northern Mexico. Why it happened and two brothers in India who heal birds who have suffered a similar fate. Plus: wrestler. Poet. Mattress King? The semi-true extracurriculars of Abraham Lincoln. And some recommendations for Brad Neely Appreciation Day.
Feb. 18, 2022

Fri. 02/18 - Did the Index Destroy How We Read? Will eBooks?

How a medieval hatred of indexes mirrors debates today about how search engines are changing our brains. Plus, a round-up of the unceasing Wordle news and spin-offs. A thousand Porsches are on fire in the middle of the Atlantic. And how about a caffeinated doughnut with your space-themed Coca-Cola?
Feb. 17, 2022

Thu. 02/17 - The Origins and Physics of Luge

The history and the science of luge, bobsledding, and skeleton. Plus, a new study has found that the US’s corn-based ethanol is worse for the climate than regular gasoline. And a bit of a pop culture round-up, including some new releases to look forward to this Record Store Day.
Feb. 16, 2022

Wed. 02/16 - EPCOT 2.0? Disney's New Residential Housing Communities

A new startup that is working on making steaks and chicken breasts out of thin air. Plus, the first woman has seemingly been cured of HIV. And Disney is developing a new round of residential communities around the US.