Episodes

July 15, 2021

Thu. 07/15 - NASA, Don’t Flub on Hubble Trouble

It’s not mind reading, but a man’s ability to convey words is partially restored through electrodes and machine learning; NASA carefully prepares to press Control-Alt-Delete on the Hubble Space Telescope; look to the skies, the Perseids are coming; inexplicable black ice worms emerge by the billion…
July 14, 2021

Wed. 07/14 - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet ETAOIN SHRDLU TK TK TK

It’s all greeked to me, some new history about the old text “lorem ipsum”; Europa may hide its secrets more deeply than previously thought; and a man happily discovers 160 bowling bowls under his house.
July 13, 2021

Tue. 07/13 - A Cache of Metal Type Found in Korea

Archeologists dig up a massive cache of 15th century metal printing type in South Korea, a baby beaver is born in Exmoor, what if ice cream but also macaroni and cheese, a video-game breaks records and may indicate a sales bubble, and Nic Cage’s Pig: probably good?
July 12, 2021

Mon. 07/12 - The Heliopause That Refreshes

Houseplants became Instagram models in 2020 driving sales up by billions and overwhelming mail-order and garden-supply stores; we know a lot more about the bulbous shape of the sun’s shield against the ravages of the interstellar medium due to data gathered over a decade; and creators learn more ab…
July 8, 2021

Thu. 07/08 - Will We Still Own Things In the Future?

New findings in the debate about whether the dinosaurs were actually already in a sharp decline before the asteroid hit the Earth. A rumination on private ownership and how, by 2030, we might not own anything at all, just subscribe to services. And an upcoming Pride and Prejudice-themed reality dat…
July 7, 2021

Wed. 07/07 - Algae Beer, Lead-Poisoned Emperors, & mRNA Flu Vaccines

Could lead poisoning have led to the fall of Rome? The Australian craft brewery using algae to offset their carbon emissions. And Moderna has started human trials of their mRNA flu vaccine.
July 6, 2021

Tue. 07/06 - Is the 4-Day Workweek Actually Happening This Time?

Why do we have a five-day work week and could changes from the pandemic be enough to finally implement the long held fantasy of the four-day work week? Are we looking at a passwordless login landscape in our near future? And vinyl is more popular than CDs, but could disruptions to supply and demand…
July 2, 2021

Fri. 07/02 - The Restaurant Taco Bell Lifted Their Taco Recipe From

The restaurant that inspired Taco Bell, its larger legacy, and the question of authenticity. Plus, the new species of beetle that was discovered in some fossilized dinosaur dung. And the communities of people who devote their time to uncovering the mystery of dogman.
July 1, 2021

Thu. 07/01 - How to Stop A/C's from Warming the Planet

This week has proven we need air conditioners more than ever, but we also need them to be better than ever. Here are some of the innovations being considered. Plus, one of the women from the secret Mercury 13 program at 1960s NASA is finally getting the chance to go to space this month. And the UAE…
June 30, 2021

Wed. 06/30 - Why 1980s Nostalgia Films Won't Die

What’s with the on-going trend of horror films and TV shows being set in the 1980s? Is sunscreen worse in the United States compared to Europe? And one of the sports returning to the Olympics next month has a deadly precedent.
June 29, 2021

Tue. 06/29 - The Underground McDonald's DIY Recipe Guide for Recreating 1960s Menu Items

Why exactly were McDonald’s french fries so good back in the day? Why did they change and can the secret original recipe be recreated? Plus, a new sort of post-post-punk subgenre is emerging in the post-Brexit United Kingdom. And, a completely pointless but wonderful website I discovered last week.
June 28, 2021

Mon. 06/28 - A New Extinct Human Species? The Giant Skull Everyone's Talking About

As promised on Friday, more information on the so-called Dragon Man––the recently unveiled 140,000-year-old skull that may be a new species of extinct human. The science behind why all your in-person coffee dates since reopening have been so awkward. And a first-of-its-kind study puts a number on t…
June 25, 2021

Fri. 06/25 - 20,000 Years Ago, A Different Coronavirus Epidemic Hit Humanity

Researchers have found evidence of a coronavirus epidemic from 20,000 years ago. A new blood test that can detect fifty different types of cancer. And what the lowercase “i” in Apple products stands for and why they stopped using it.
June 24, 2021

Thu. 06/24 - Astronauts' Dirty Laundry

The growing attempts to put flavor back into our produce because, yes, apparently it left. An update on the lumber industry and what it could mean for the economy overall. And the surprisingly strange things astronauts have done with their dirty laundry, plus the introduction of NASA Tide.
June 23, 2021

Wed. 06/23 - How to Recover from "Zoom Body" + A Big Ol' Comet's a-Comin'

A very big and very strange comet-ish object has entered our solar system. Some tips to help your body recover from a year of virtual learning, working, and socializing. And the two badass twelve-year-old girls going to the Tokyo Olympics for skateboarding.
June 22, 2021

Tue. 06/22 - Smart Slime, Supermoons, & Upcycled Food Scraps

How a single-celled yellow slime is changing the way scientists think about intelligence. A new upcycled food label that would let you know when your food has been made with food scraps that would’ve otherwise gone to waste. And everything you need to know about this week’s Strawberry Supermoon.
June 21, 2021

Mon. 06/21 - How the Pandemic Reshaped the Home of the Future

What will our homes look like in the future and how much has the pandemic shaped that vision? Plus, why are humans so thirsty? And, Brian Eno has found a home for hundreds of his previously unreleased songs.
June 18, 2021

Fri. 06/18 - Are There Dinosaur Teeth on the Moon?

A new species of giant rhino might be the largest land mammal that ever walked the earth. Did you know there are probably dinosaur teeth on the moon? For real. The Girl Scouts have millions of leftover cookies and we must do our part by eating as many as we can. And China sent its first crewed miss…
June 17, 2021

Thu. 06/17 - Top 10 Best Homes for Extraterrestrial Life & the 20-5-3 Rule

A ranking of the top ten best places in our solar system to find extraterrestrial life. Plus, you know about the food pyramid, but what about the nature pyramid? Also called the 20-5-3 rule. And, I guess we have to talk about that Jeff-Bezos-Eating-the-Mona-Lisa petition.
June 16, 2021

Wed. 06/16 - How Xerox & Some Dalmatians Saved Disney

How Juneteenth has evolved over the years from its origins in Texas, and its reception today. How the Xerox machine (and several dozen dalmatian puppies) saved Disney Animation Studios from closing up shop. And a portal for exploring the cosmos… on Google Chrome.
June 15, 2021

Tue. 06/15 - A Lunar Telescope Built From Moon Dust

A new report from fifty of the world’s leading scientists on the need to combine solutions for combatting the climate crisis and our planet’s rapidly declining biodiversity. California’s historically low water levels may have inadvertently helped solve the case of a missing plane that crashed fifty…
June 14, 2021

Mon. 06/14 - The Full Tale of the Man Nearly Eaten By a Whale on Friday

The full story of the man who was swallowed by a humpback whale on Friday and lived to tell the tale. Calories. Who’s responsible for their inclusion in the world of nutrition? Some weird highlights from the history of this controversial measurement. And the growing need for a bill of neuro-rights.
June 11, 2021

Fri. 06/11 - Why Are Tornado Warnings So Inaccurate & Last Minute?

Thanks to a new study that sequenced the genomes of several types of wild melons, we may now know the origins of the watermelon… but we still don’t know how tornadoes are formed. And that’s a problem. Plus, in a bid to continue dominating all Halloween-themed playlists, Danny Elfman released a new …
June 10, 2021

Thu. 06/10 - The 1920s Transgender Clinic Destroyed By the Nazis

A new method of carbon capture that would turn carbon dioxide from the ocean into rocks. Mosquitos beefed up with virus-fighting bacteria have proven even more effective at preventing dengue fever than expected. And the often forgotten history of a turn of the century scientist way ahead of his tim…