Episodes

Oct. 28, 2020

Wed. 10/28 - 2020's Best Game Is a Cursed Real Estate Listing

A look back at one hundred years ago when women ruled a notorious wild west town. Some thoughts on the effects of technology on our ability to remember our thoughts in the long-term. And the internet is calling it the best g…
Oct. 27, 2020

Tue. 10/27 - Kazakhstan Is Very Nice, But Venus Is Not

Throwing cold water on that whole signs-of-life-on-Venus news. A new travel guide to haunted hotels, based on bad Tripadvisor reviews. A study looking into why we don’t click or comment on certain posts online. And Kazakhsta…
Oct. 26, 2020

Mon. 10/26 - Water on the Moon & Oreo’s Arctic Vault

NASA’s big announcement has been revealed: there is way more water on the moon than we thought. An update on the murder hornet situation. Oreo has built a vault in Norway to preserve a stash of Oreos in case that Election Da…
Oct. 23, 2020

Fri. 10/23 - The Bat Who Went To Space

Do Venus Flytraps have a short-term memory? A new interactive database of every lifeform that’s ever gone into space from Earth. The Seattle bar that made a pandemic-safe pinball machine. And Burger King is getting in on the…
Oct. 22, 2020

Thu. 10/22 - The Rare Tree Needed for a COVID-19 Vaccine

What does root beer have to do with a potential COVID-19 vaccine? A deep dive on that connection. A peek into the world of people who grow giant vegetables. And the Iowa woman who had her cat successfully cloned. Sponsors: F…
Oct. 21, 2020

Wed. 10/21 - Co-Working On A Ferris Wheel

Today is International Pronoun Day so here are some historical facts about pronouns. Scientists have discovered a previously unknown organ in the human body. And forget about WeWork, a Japanese amusement park has offered up …
Oct. 20, 2020

Tue. 10/20 - Tardigrade Sunscreen & Cursed Twinkies

Tardigrade sunscreen. Coming soon? How to enjoy a socially-distanced holiday season. Some promising methods for upcycling plastic into more valuable materials. And the curious case of the extremely moldy Twinkie. Sponsors: F…
Oct. 19, 2020

Mon. 10/19 - The Moon Is Getting a Nokia Cellular Network

The fourteen-year-old Texan who may have just made an important discovery for potential COVID-19 treatments. An update on the safety and new norms surrounding air travel. Nokia is building a mobile network on the moon. And t…
Oct. 16, 2020

Fri. 10/16 - Will Plastic Bubbles Save Live Music? The Flaming Lips Think So.

More and more humans these days have an extra artery. The 2020 Tony Award nominations and the very strange case of Mr. Aaron Tveit. A calculator that will tell you how much time you’re wasting in your day not listening to po…
Oct. 15, 2020

Thu. 10/15 – 50/50 Odds We Live In a Simulation, New Study Finds

A new study puts our odds of living in a simulation at about 50-50. So, that’s a thing. There has been a second sighting of a person on a jetpack flying through LAX’s flight path. And tips to curb your phone habit, adapted f…
Oct. 14, 2020

Wed. 10/14 - Can Virtual Public Parks Save Democracy?

A thought-provoking proposal from Eli Pariser on how we can fix the broken parts of the internet by creating digital public parks. NASA drops their latest single: the sounds of the Milky Way. And how to make your own AR jack…
Oct. 13, 2020

Tue. 10/13 - A Star Spaghettified By a Black Hole (Yes, that's the technical term)

What’s up with all those merpeople and sea monsters on old maps? Why Peru opened up Machu Picchu after seven months for one single man to visit. The supermassive black hole that spaghettified a star. And the Anti-Ad Ad Club …
Oct. 12, 2020

Mon. 10/12 - The Indigenous Practice of Controlled Burning to Prevent Wildfires

It’s Indigenous People’s Day today. How and when did this start becoming a thing? How west coast governments are finally turning to tribal leaders for assistance preventing wildfires. A serious collaboration between Weird Al…
Oct. 9, 2020

Fri. 10/09 - What OS Do They Use In Space?

What kind of operating system do they use in space? The science behind cocktails, to up your at-home mixology game. The 22-year-old responsible for the most viral beats on Tiktok. And the Connecticut mayor who isn’t taking a…
Oct. 8, 2020

Thu. 10/08 – 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Wrote About Evolution

The Islamic scholars who beat Darwin to the punch by about a thousand years. A cool site for finding new books to read. The world’s largest ouija board. And naked celebrities teaching us about naked ballots. Links: A Thousan…
Oct. 7, 2020

Wed. 10/07 - Paid to Gate-Crash Funerals

The twenty-four possible super-habitable planets that could be better than Earth. The man you can pay to gatecrash your funeral. The perfect conclusion to the skateboarding cranberry juice trend, and what the heck that trend…
Oct. 6, 2020

Tue. 10/06 - Asbestos: The Secret Weapon Against Climate Change?

How the pandemic is changing our taste in music. The most ironic thing that could happen to a newly-published book titled Word Perfect . How asbestos might actually be a weapon against the climate crisis. And a Rocky Horror …
Oct. 5, 2020

Mon. 10/05 - Vending Machine Operators Are Trending

Archaeologists have found evidence of neurons in the brain of a Mount Vesuvius victim that basically turned to glass. The latest entrepreneurial trend of the pandemic taking off, in part thanks to influencers? Vending machin…
Oct. 2, 2020

Fri. 10/02 - Witchy Ingredients Aren't What They Seem

It turns out crows have some skills we once thought were unique to humans. Breaking down what exactly ingredients like “eye of newt” and “tongue of dog” actually are. And Neil Cicierega’s latest mash-up album, Mouth Dreams, …
Oct. 1, 2020

Thu. 10/01 - The Earth Does NOT Have a Black Hole Inside It... Right?

Why are people saying there’s a black hole at the center of the Earth? The Irish Supreme Court declares that Subway’s bread is not actually bread. The surprising controllers the US Navy uses for its subway periscopes. And wi…
Sept. 30, 2020

Wed. 09/30 - Edward Hopper Copied Others in Early Paintings

A guide to the lunar spectacles in October. Some tips for improving communication when wearing masks. The surprising discovery that some of Edward Hopper’s early works were copied. And the wearable social-distancing tech all…
Sept. 29, 2020

Tue. 09/29 - The Dark Origins of Nike's "Just Do It" Slogan

A Halloween rocket launch. A brief peek into the history of book burnings in honor of Banned Books Week. The surprising and grim origins of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan. More water has been found on Mars. And the return of Fat…
Sept. 28, 2020

Mon. 09/28 - Time Travel, Biomedical Tattoos, & Satanic Tea

An undergrad has proven that paradox-free time travel is indeed possible. If you thought email newsletters were ubiquitous now, let me introduce you to the world of 1930s mimeograph newsletters. The emerging field of biomedi…
Sept. 25, 2020

Fri. 09/25 - Making Millions on Face Masks

The face mask economy––how everyone from high fashion designers to mom and pop shops on Etsy met the demand, and where they go from here. The origins of the phrase “jack of all trades.” Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to fun…