Episodes

How an innocent trip to the library could give you arsenic poisoning. Plus, a new pterosaur fossil seems to confirm the prehistoric reptiles had some pretty cool feathers. And, how would you like to meditate with Yoda and Chewbacca?

Canada has become the first country to release census data on their trans and nonbinary population. Plus, a new study showing how the climate emergency could fuel future pandemics. And, in lighter news, some MIT engineers 3D printed a new device to study why Oreos rarely split the cream filling evenly when you twist them apart.

The moon has a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation going on that astronomers have never been able to definitively explain, but a new study suggests it could be the result of a massive impact four billion years ago. Plus, yoga for your eyes? What is it and does it actually do anything? And the US is officially saying good riddance to incandescent light bulbs.

How the CIA funded that 1954 animated adaptation of Animal Farm as part of their anti-communist propaganda campaign. Plus, the woman who found out she’d been missing a chunk of her brain for most of her life without realizing. And why more and more rivers are being granted legal personhood.

The secret, anti-monopolist history of the Monopoly board game. Plus, why we’re all having trouble remembering things right now, and how we can strengthen our memories going forward.

Why did some cultures develop tastes for particularly spicy foods and others didn’t? Plus, the Museum of Endangered Sounds. And an upcoming documentary from Alex Winter about radicalization on social media.

Introducing the sport of extreme sitting. Plus, a new study that suggests fungi might be communicating with each other via electrical impulses. And, Sir David Attenborough has been named Champion of the Earth.

The story of a self-described mad scientist who gave a microwave the soul of his childhood imaginary friend using AI, and then it tried to kill him. Plus, texting etiquette from Emily Post’s great-great-grandchildren.

A doctor was beamed up to the ISS in the first-ever holoportation to space. Plus, a new chopsticks invention that makes your food taste salty without adding any salt. And inside the world of a professional scream artist.

Why indie booksellers went from hating Barnes & Noble to defending it, and what that means for the future of publishing. Plus, a look at inflation through the lens of the Big Mac Index.

In a more serious take on yesterday’s musings, how is the pandemic and modern technology changing how we communicate about and understand time? Plus, speaking of time, why do Passover and Easter sometimes occur so far apart from one another? Let’s talk about the messy world of human-constructed calendars and natural cycles. And that startup trying to slingshot satellites into space has officially booked a test launch with NASA.

Should we be measuring time differently now that we spend more time with digital technology than nature? Paul Ford has some suggestions. Plus, how the heck is AriZona Iced Tea still just 99 cents and not playing any nefarious shrinkflation games like the other guys? And a new study analyzing the personality profile of absolute a-holes.

A very big comet. How sewage monitoring could transform public health beyond just its applications for COVID-19. Plus, libraries are relinquishing local library card requirements for eBooks in a bid to fight back against book bans. And a new National Park annual pass that won’t be valid for 150 years.

How social media has created a Tower of Babel-like fragmentation of society. Plus, the infrastructure secrets behind a new-to-the-US reality show starring some very busy toddlers. And the brewing beef between Spirit Halloween and the King of Halloween.

The Maryland man livetweeting his bout of dysentery––don’t worry, he’s okay. Plus, scientists have managed to de-age human skin cells by thirty years. And an implausible NASA artifact was taken back to space this weekend by one of the Axiom Space private astronauts.

We turn back the clocks to 1997 for a history of the song “Barbie Girl” and a look at its influence on music. Plus, the Neolithic origins of Short King Spring. And mark your calendars for the Great North American Solar Eclipse.

An impressively well-preserved dinosaur leg fossil has been found that could be the first-ever fossil evidence of the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Plus, Amtrak is stirring up some beef with their Twitch streams. And a new dream job opening: counting penguins in Antarctica.

Some libraries cancel late fees, others get Interpol involved for missing manuscripts. Either way, missing books can become fascinating treasures when they’re finally returned. Plus, Hubble has spotted a rare planet in the earliest phase of formation. And the United Kingdom has announced plans to mint its own NFT.

How to have the best odds of becoming a fossil after you die. Plus, the creators of the viral Marcel the Shell videos secretly made a feature-length film that’s coming out this summer. And a few other recommendations you can stream right now.

Six million people and counting are creating a piece of artwork together right now in a reminder that sometimes we can have nice things on the internet. Plus, birds are laying their eggs almost a whole month earlier than they used to. And some sounds from Ukraine’s musical resistance to Russia.

The human genome has finally been completely sequenced––twenty-two years after the initial “essentially” complete version was published. Plus, in another early 2000s follow-up, the “Star Wars Kid” breaks his silence two decades later.

New findings indicate that Pluto’s ice volcanoes are even weirder than we previously thought. Plus, a killer parasite is wiping out an entire species of ant in Texas… but actually it’s kind of a net positive. And US citizens will soon be able to select an X gender marker on their passport.

Could alpaca antibodies one day provide treatment for COVID-19? Plus, the Hubble telescope has spotted the oldest star ever seen by humans, by a long shot. The European Union is cracking down on fast fashion. And the scammers trying to turn prayers in NFTs.

Artist Jeff Koons’ next sculpture installation? On the moon. Plus, it’s not just you. Seasonal allergies really are worse this year. And, the Northern Lights might be visible Wednesday night in parts of the northern US and Canada, with bonus rockets being blasted into them by NASA.