What is this bizarre world that we’re living in where meteorologists are getting death threats from conspiracy theorists convinced they're controlling hurricanes, while actual climate science gets ignored? We explore the shocking discovery that plants literally scream when stressed (at frequencies we can't hear, but insects definitely can), and uncover the tragic tale of turnspit dogs - a breed we created specifically to be living kitchen appliances before making them extinct when we invented better technology. Plus, we take a reality check on Silicon Valley's latest obsession with "vibe coding" and AI utopian fantasies, and discover why humans are surprisingly good at rating the attractiveness of animal mating calls (even though we have no idea why). From weather warfare theories to screaming gardens, this episode proves that science is always stranger than the conspiracy theories - and infinitely more fascinating. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:11 Conspiracy Theories and Election Manipulation 04:40 Meteorologists Under Attack 14:59 Nature Sounds and Animal Communication 20:34 Plants in Distress and Insect Reactions 23:34 The Peculiar Job of Deafening Moths 25:47 Strange and Remarkable Dog Breeds 27:48 The Turnspit Dog: A Kitchen Helper 35:54 The Future of Technology and AI 38:56 Book Review: More Everything Forever More Everything Forever Book: https://amzn.to/3IGKfNG https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/13/pentagon-pizza-delivery-israel-iran-attack https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/rare-dog-breeds-you-never-knew-existed/ https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/turnspit-dogs.htm https://a-z-animals.com/animals/turnspit/ https://futurism.com/conspiracy-meteorologists-hurricanes https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/11/meteorologists-death-threats-hurricane-conspiracies-misinformation https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hurricane-milton-misinformation-meteorlogist-death-threats-1235130352/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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