Episodes

March 16, 2021

Tue. 03/16 - Daylight Saving Time? Not in this house!

How St. Patrick’s Day, as we know it now, is kind of more of an Irish-American holiday than a purely Irish one. More of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been uncovered in Israel for the first time in sixty years. And the family who ...
March 15, 2021

Mon. 03/15 - Brood X and Self-Sabotaging Zoom Calls

Brood X is coming: what you need to know about your soon-to-be neighbors. A new discovery in Spain has led to questions about the true role of women in the Bronze Age. The science behind why, once you pop, the fun just don’t ...
March 12, 2021

Fri. 03/12 - A Sperm Bank on the Moon

The proposal to create a “modern ark” aka scientists want to store sperm and eggs in lava tubes on the moon as a back-up plan in case we accidentally destroy the earth. A new tool that could help us spot deepfakes. And how be...
March 11, 2021

Thu. 03/11 - Is This Ancient Biblical Forgery Actually Real?

It was written off as a forgery in 1883, but now it’s being reconsidered as the oldest known Biblical manuscript. Also, how the pandemic has affected the names people are choosing for their babies. And how a lake in Turkey ma...
March 10, 2021

Wed. 03/10 - A Year of the Pandemic WITHOUT the Internet

Reflections from a man who quit using the internet right before the pandemic started. A meteorite older than Earth was discovered in the Sahara Desert. And playable music videos? How film and music are pulling more and more f...
March 9, 2021

Tue. 03/09 - Could Aliens' Pollution Help Us Find Them?

Can we find extraterrestrial civilizations by searching the cosmos for their pollutants? Are humans hard-wired to be productive? And what can we learn about leisure from hunter-gatherer societies? Plus, a big uh-oh from HBO M...
March 8, 2021

Mon. 03/08 - Replacing The Simpsons Cast with AI Voice "Actors?"

Could The Simpsons replace their entire cast with AI replicas? A look at the scientific, artistic, and legal possibilities. Researchers have discovered an interesting trait in green tree frogs that they’re describing as built...
March 5, 2021

Fri. 03/05 - A Physical Warp Drive Is Now Possible, Scientists Say

Will warp drive ever be possible? These scientists say they’ve created the first physical model for how it could work. A lookback at the Star Wars immunization PSAs of the 1970s. And a potential new type of COVID-19 test that...
March 4, 2021

Thu. 03/04 - Will NFTs Change How We Buy Music & Movies?

Will NFTs bring about an economic and creative revolution for artists and change the way we buy our media? Kings of Leon are willing to give it a shot. A small village in Iceland is making a big bid for Oscar glory. And anoth...
March 3, 2021

Wed. 03/03 - Life Lessons From Cats

Cuttlefish have passed a test designed for small human children. Polaroid has made a pen that draws in edible 3D candy. What we can learn from cats about being happier and more content with life. And a website that translates...
March 2, 2021

Tue. 03/02 - Light-Up Tattoos For You and Your Avocado

Scientists have created light-up OLED tattoos that could tell you when to put on sunscreen or when your avocados have gone bad. The Twitter account tracking Geneva Convention violations in video games. And good news: scientis...
March 1, 2021

Mon. 03/01 - The Future: Fast Vaccines and Slow Social Media?

How the RNA-based platform used for some of the COVID-19 vaccines is already changing the game for other diseases. Plus, “I got vaccinated” stickers and selfie stations are starting to pop up. And an app that’s bringing back ...
Feb. 26, 2021

Fri. 02/26 - Is Mr. Potato Head Non-fungible?

Delving into the world of crypto art and non-fungible tokens. A history of Mr. Potato Head, or, I’m sorry, just Potato Head? And a few links to help you chill out this weekend. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text ko...
Feb. 25, 2021

Thu. 02/25 - The Anti-Marie Kondo & Radical Keeping

How to make your clothes last longer and practice the art of “radical keeping” according to “the anti-Marie Kondo.” A segment about #Buttergate in Canada that’s not really about Buttergate afterall. And a browser extension th...
Feb. 24, 2021

Wed. 02/24 - How Childhood Illness Can Shape Future Immune Response

How the flu you had as a kid could shape your immune response to future flu viruses. A bunch of videos have been going viral showing snow not melting when held up against a flame, but it’s not a conspiracy. It’s science. And ...
Feb. 23, 2021

Tue. 02/23 - The History (and Erasure) of Black Brewers

Beer culture is perceived as overwhelmingly white, but its history and its present is not. A historical look at the erasure of Black brewers. The impact of pandemic boredom on the economy. And a new app that will put David At...
Feb. 22, 2021

Mon. 02/22 - Two-Way Dream Communication

Scientists have tapped deeper into the depths of our dreams by achieving two-way communication with lucid dreamers. Why were there so many serial killers between 1970 and 2000? And what stopped them? And space is getting more...
Feb. 19, 2021

Fri. 02/19 - Green Oranges, Pink Margarine, & Grey Salmon: A Brief History of Dyed Foods in the U.S.

A history of how the US government started deciding what color our food is allowed to be. Could lab-grown wood disrupt the lumber industry? And, The Muppet Show has been released from the Disney Vault. Sponsors: OurCrowd, our...
Feb. 18, 2021

Thu. 02/18 - Improving Twitter with an 1800s Etiquette Handbook

The Los Angeles musician who helped design the microphones on the Perseverance rover that will hopefully give us our first-ever audio recordings of Mars. Can a 19th century etiquette book make Twitter bearable? And what some ...
Feb. 17, 2021

Wed. 02/17 - How Perseverance Could Pave the Way for Humans on Mars

A historical defense of arranging book collections by color. Scientists have sequenced the oldest DNA ever found and made some mammoth discoveries in the process. And NASA’s Perseverance rover is set to touch down on Mars tom...
Feb. 16, 2021

Tue. 02/16 - Del Monte Engineered Pink Pineapples for Instagram

The new fruit taking over Instagram. Why the winter storm sweeping the US is causing an energy crisis, especially in Texas. And a new-ish game that lets you take a virtual vacation with your friends. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get...
Feb. 15, 2021

Mon. 02/15 - The Impactor That Killed the Dinosaurs: A New Theory

Scientists in Antarctica accidentally discovered animal life beneath an ice shelf half a mile deep. An app that lets you tune into live radio stations all over the world. A new study that challenges the long held theory about...
Feb. 12, 2021

Fri. 02/12 - He Made a Guitar Out of His Uncle's Skeleton

The story of how two brothers gamed the YouTube system thirteen years ago and have since used that method to raise nearly 14 million dollars for charity. An interactive site that simulates the audio experience of being at you...
Feb. 11, 2021

Thu. 02/11 - Myspace is back!

How the UK variant of Sars-CoV-2 may have evolved inside just one human. Some dating apps are adding video components, but it’s just another case of modern tech “inventing” something that has already existed for decades. Let’...