Episodes

Jan. 13, 2021

Wed. 1/13 - Pablo Escobar's Hippos Are Out of Control

Pablo Escobar’s pet hippos have multiplied and are ravaging part of Colombia’s capital. An AI that can create very impressive and artistic images from text commands. Maybe a little too impressive. And a discovery in England …
Jan. 12, 2021

Tue. 1/12 - 16th Century Disease Prevention & Beer Can Archaeology

The sixteenth-century manual on containing the spread of disease that is eerily reminiscent of current COVID guidelines. Bitcoin millionaires who can’t access their digital wallets due to forgotten passwords. And the guy who…
Jan. 11, 2021

Mon. 1/11 - Tim Berners-Lee's Quest to Restore Balance to the Web

It’s time for two writers to pay up on a 25-year-old bet about whether tech would destroy civilization. Tim Berners-Lee’s new quest to transform the web into the one he envisioned when he created it. How the most recent COVI…
Jan. 8, 2021

Fri. 1/8 - What Folklore Can Teach Us About Conspiracy Theories

What folklorists can teach us about the structure and resilience of conspiracy theories. The genome of the platypus has been sequenced, and it’s just as weird as you’d expect. And a Swedish film festival that’s sending one p…
Jan. 7, 2021

Thu. 1/7 - Dude, IceBots on Mars!

A prototype for self-repairing planetary exploration robots made of ice. The surprising history of the word “dude.” And a new Danish children’s cartoon about the misadventures of a man with a huge dong. Yep. Sponsors: NordVP…
Jan. 6, 2021

Wed. 1/6 - The 60s Spy Satellite Helping Today's Environmental Scientists

Space missions to keep your eye on in 2021. How satellites built to spy on the Soviets have helped unravel environmental mysteries. Why the dark ages aren’t considered so dark anymore. And a completely perplexing auction fro…
Jan. 5, 2021

Tue. 1/5 - A Nanny Cam to Keep You On-Task?

People who are choosing to be surveilled by strangers and productivity nannies in order to stay on task while remote working. A 3D-printed hydrogel inspired by cephalopods that changes shape when exposed to light. And UK off…
Jan. 4, 2021

Mon. 1/4 - Time Confetti & the Quantum Internet

What “time confetti” is and how to stop spreading it everywhere. A new development in the teleportation of information that means good things for the possibility of quantum internet. And how TikTokers raised a million dollar…
Dec. 30, 2020

Wed. 12/30 - The Cognitive Case for Talking To Yourself

Why talking out loud to yourself is actually an important cognitive skill, or so I’m telling myself. A new population of blue whales with a distinct song was recently discovered in the Indian Ocean. And a new AI that will hi…
Dec. 29, 2020

Tue. 12/29 - How Humans Began to Read and Write

How is it that humans figured out how to read? New cosmological findings that may finally solve the Hubble tension. And, more monoliths continue to pop up, a look at two of the more interesting ones from this past week. Spon…
Dec. 28, 2020

Mon. 12/28 - What If 2020 Was Just One Big MMORPG?

How your brain takes out the trash while you sleep. The English man who crossed the Alps on a space hopper. And a subreddit where over half a million people pretend our world is just one big MMORPG. Sponsors: BitTrust IRA, W…
Dec. 23, 2020

Wed. 12/23 - Leave Out Porridge for Belligerent Elves on Christmas Eve

How Star Wars toys have changed over the years and why it may not be a good thing for kids. What if there were tons of alien civilizations elsewhere in the Milky Way but they’re all long since dead? And the Danish tradition …
Dec. 22, 2020

Tue. 12/22 - The Holy Pooper & the Curse of the Targeted Butt-flap PJs Ad

Down the rabbit hole of targeted marketing through the lens of some strange, butt-flap onesie pajamas for adults. Don’t trust the sea foam in Australia. And some Catalonian Christmas traditions that are pretty crappy. Sponso…
Dec. 21, 2020

Mon. 12/21 - How Will Movie Theaters Stay Afloat Post-Pandemic?

What will movie theaters look like in a post-pandemic world? And what do companies need to do to weather the storm? New research that suggests our early human ancestors could have hibernated. And the pyrotechnic German punch…
Dec. 18, 2020

Fri. 12/18 - The Business of X-Mas Trees & How COVID Changed Science

Some ways that COVID could change science forever––both good and bad. The business of Christmas trees and why we’re still seeing the effects of the Great Recession in tree prices today. And a site that plays ambient noise fr…
Dec. 17, 2020

Thu. 12/17 – Snowflake Toast & The Sound of a Perfect Fluid

Physicists have measured sound diffusion in a perfect fluid for the first time ever and created a surprisingly popular SoundCloud track. A bunch of new works are entering the public domain in just a few weeks. And the Kellog…
Dec. 16, 2020

Wed. 12/16 - What Pfizer Can Learn From Dippin’ Dots

Genetically-engineered pigs have gotten the all clear. Digging into the field of galactic archaeology. And how Dippin’ Dots can help us better understand the leading COVID-19 vaccines, and may play a role of their own. Spons…
Dec. 15, 2020

Tue. 12/15 – The Origins of the Emoticon

What are tone indicators? Where do they come from, how are they used, and a look at both the pre-internet history of tone indicators as well as the origin of the emoticon. And, a question for the ages, what was the deal with…
Dec. 14, 2020

Mon. 12/14 - How To Remember More of What You Read

Some practical tips to help you remember more of what you read. After 51 years, one of the Zodiac Killer’s ciphers has been solved. And Brussels sprouts kind of became cool in the last few years, and it’s not just because ba…
Dec. 11, 2020

Fri. 12/11 - How Our Homes Were Shaped By Epidemics + Hot Dr Pepper

The household features that were shaped by previous epidemics. An ethics committee has approved the French military to start making bionic soldiers. And hot Dr Pepper. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus FOUR additional free…
Dec. 10, 2020

Thu. 12/10 - Deepfake Santa & The Great Conjunction

The Great Conjunction is upon us. Learn when and how to see Saturn and Jupiter closer than they’ve visibly been in 800 years. The Austin, Texas pop-up bringing canceled Taco Bell menu items back to life. Advice from a Japane…
Dec. 9, 2020

Wed. 12/9 - Space Booze: It's... For Science

Why did a French company send a whole case of wine into space last year? And, if NASA technically bans alcohol, how come so many astronauts drink it and why are so many companies designing microgravity alcoholic beverage opt…
Dec. 8, 2020

Tue. 12/8 - Can We Pre-Design Vaccines For Future Pandemics?

The COVID vaccines headed for distribution were developed on the fastest timeline in the history of vaccines. But could we do it even quicker next time? Or even make the vaccine before an outbreak? Speaking of vaccines, Will…
Dec. 7, 2020

Mon. 12/7 - What It's Like Finding Buried Treasure in 2020

The finder of Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest has been revealed. Also, what does one do with actual buried treasure in the twenty-first century? A special delivery for the astronauts on board the International Space Station. H…