Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Episodes
Listener Mail: The Airbag Black Market, Thermostat Shenanigans, and the Case of the Somerton Man
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A caller prompts a conversation about the booming black market for airbags. It seems some power companies are using smart thermometers to mess with th...
Banks Are Buying Your Neighborhood, Part I
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Across the United States, would-be homebuyers are telling a similar story: after weeks or months of searching, they finally find a home they can affor...
CLASSIC: Sports Conspiracies, Part I
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Could it be possible that your favorite sports are fixed? Join the guys as they interview Brian Tuohy, author of The Fix is In, on the murky connectio...
Strange News: Fast Food Founder Buys Everyone Lottery Tickets, Holes in the Ocean Floor, Scary Algorithm Predicts Crime with 90% Accuracy
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The founder of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers buys a lottery ticket for all 50,000 of his employees. Observers are baffled by a series of mysterious h...
The Great Bitcoin Crash
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To some, Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies are the future of finance, deregulated and free from the problems of the existing financial others. To c...
Listener Mail: Make More Poor, Banks Buy Your Neighborhood, The Future of Infrastructure
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Poppy Hotdog asks whether the recent Supreme Court comes from an ulterior motive. Conspiracy Realists share experiences with a brutal -- at times cons...
Is LaMDA alive? Part II
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, Google engineer Blake Lemoine made international news with his claims that the company's creation LaMDA - Launguage Model for Dialogue Appli...
CLASSIC: Cannibalism: Fact and Fiction
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cannibalism is an ancient taboo, but how often has it actually occurred? Join the guys in this classic episode as they explore the grisly rumors and f...
Strange News: Amazon is Snitching, Heists in LA, and "Mutant" Soldiers in Ukraine?
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has been giving Ring videos to law enforcement, without the consent of the owners. Someone in LA stole millions' dollars worth of jewelry from ...
Is LaMDA alive? Part I
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, Google engineer Blake Lemoine made international news with his claims that the company's creation LaMDA - Launguage Model for Dialogue Appli...
STDWYTK Presents: The Tale of the University Six, Part II
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Bill, Mark and Neil receive a series of new packages seeming to, for the first time, reveal the true fate of the infamous Universi...
CLASSIC: Human Experimentation: MIT and Cereal
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Did the Quaker Oats company really do experiments on children? Join Matt and Ben as they dig into the checkered past of this cereal monolith.They don'...
Strange News: Oklahoma Murderer Implicates Bigfoot, Shinzo Abe Assassinated, People Blame Terrible Events on CERN
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A man in Oklahoma claims he committed murder to prevent the victim from summoning Bigfoot. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is assassinated. ...
Alien State, with MJ Banias
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How can we better understand the growing, mainstream interest in UFOs? In this interview, Ben, Matt and Noel are joined by MJ Banias, host of Alien St...
Listener Mail: Permaculture, the US vs. the Hague, and an Amazon Conspiracy
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is permaculture, exactly? Why does the US have a law allowing them to invade the Hague? Anonymous sources reach out to Ben to ask about a strange...
CLASSIC: Is Sesame Credit Dangerous?
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What if you had a credit score that measured more than just your wallet? What if it took into account your political leanings, Internet traffic, and s...
STDWYTK Presents: The Tale of the University Six, Part I
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Bill, Mark and Neil receive a strange package with no return address only to find it contains a mysterious video that may, for the...
Strange News: The Georgia Guidestones, Gentleminions, Plastic-Eating Worms, Bladder Surgery and Botox
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The gang reacts to the news about the partial destruction -- and then total demolition -- of the Georgia Guidestones. People get various medical opera...
CLASSIC: Did Teresita Basa avenge her own death?
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Months after the murder of Teresita Basa, her former coworker began falling into trances, a voice identifying itself as Teresita issuing from her mout...
Listener Mail: Cartels and Animals, Blood Donation Bans, A Cult Called the Body
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alexandra looks for more information on a cult called the Body. On Instagram, Jessica explores the strange stories of cartels and exotic animals. Trav...
Academic Journals: Corruption and Conspiracy
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Academic journals are vital to the advancement of science -- and the advancement of scientists' careers. These subject-specific periodicals play a hug...
CLASSIC: Wikileaks and the DNC
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016 Wikileaks released a cache of internal emails from the Democratic National Committee. "Unnamed experts" trace this event back to Russian hacke...
Strange News: Japanese Drug Loopholes, Mysterious Deaths in the Bahamas, Someone Crashed into the Moon (and No One Will Admit It)
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A loophole allows for legal cannabis-like substances in Japan. Unexplained deaths plague the Bahamas and South Africa. Ghislaine Maxwell receives a 20...
Alternate Reality Gaming, with Jeff Hull
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is the nature of reality? How much of it is objective -- and how much a matter of the ways in which we encounter the world around us? In today's ...
CLASSIC: Banks, Drugs and Money: Part 2
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the conclusion of their two part interview with Robert Mazur, the guys explore the ins and outs of money laundering. Tune in to learn how dirty mon...
Wagner: Russia's "Shadow Army"
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Wagner Group is sometimes described as a paramilitary group, a private military company, or a loose group of mercenaries working directly for Russ...
CLASSIC: Banks, Drugs and Money: Part 1
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first part of this two-episode series, the guys interview the legendary US Customs and Drug Enforcement agent Robert Mazur. Using the cover ide...
Strange News: Surviving a Kidnapping, Puppet Arrested in DC, China Aims to Censor All Social Media
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A quick-thinking Florida man stops his own kidnapping, prompting a conversation about how to handle these and similar situations. Triumph the Insult C...
Messiahs, Abuse and Espionage: Adnan Oktar’s Sex Cult
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you live in the US, you may not have heard of Adnan Oktar. Yet if you live in Turkey or practice Islam, you’re almost certainly familiar with cha...
Listener Mail: Real-life Telekinesis (Sort of), Hatchet Drones and Immunology
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jasper writes in with an excellent explanation of how cancer works -- and how cancerous cells can be stopped. Tall Pockets relays an interesting encou...
Cautionary Tales, with Tim Harford
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can history teach us about the present? How can the average person use critical thinking to avoid being taken in by slick infographics and ardent...
CLASSIC: Could someone erase the world's debt?
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Modern civilization relies on the concept of debt. Wars are fought over it, loves lost and revolutions launched. So what would happen if, one day, it ...
Strange News: Is LaMDA alive? Cartel Corruption, Predatory Banking in Utah
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Google employee Blake Lemoine is on leave after going public with his belief that the company's "Language Models for Dialog Applications," or LaMDA, i...
The Rare Earth Metals Gold Rush
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It may sound hard to believe, but a great deal of Earth's modern electronics -- everything from jets to your smartphone -- depend on just a few substa...
Listener Mail: Fish in Florida are on Drugs, A Disturbing Rash of Brain Tumors in New Jersey
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An instagram user hips the guys to a bizarre, frightening study of fish off the coast of Florida -- they're testing positive for pharmaceutical drugs,...
The Hazards of Standardized Testing
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Each and every year, billions of children take some form of standardized tests. In theory these tests help measure how much a child has learned, allow...
CLASSIC: Free Wifi: Gambling with Your Privacy
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Public wifi can be an enormously convenient thing -- it helps people dodge data charges in coffee shops, airports and other places around the globe. B...
Strange News: Historic Cancer Breakthrough, and a Company Decides Not To Put Drones in Schools
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The CEO of Axon thought he had a solution to mass shootings in schools: putting taser-equipped drones in public facilities. Axon's ethics board resign...
How To Citizen, with Baratunde Thurston
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most Americans can agree that society isn't perfect -- in fact, most people in other parts of the world can say the same about their own societies. Bu...
CLASSIC: Crime, Kidnapping and Organs: The Red Market
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the majority of human history, a failing vital organ was a death sentence. Yet hard-won lessons from countless tragic medical experiments have giv...
The Dangers of Outsourcing
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For some, outsourcing is perfectly fine -- for others, it's dangerous. In today's episode, the guys dive into the ins and outs of outsourcing, from th...
CLASSIC: Are there secret space programs?
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia humankind has dreamed of reaching the heavens, and in recent decades several countries have begun turning these dreams into reality. Yet...
Strange News: Uncle Sam's Top Secret Plans Exposed (Sort of), AI Cartoons, A Brutal Religious Heist
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brazen thieves make off with priceless religious artifacts in Brooklyn. AI pushes the boundaries of art. Recent sleuthing reveals the US government ha...
The Future of Private Space Travel
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Past and current philosophers often argue the future of humanity is found not on Earth, but in the stars. In recent decades, private entities have pus...
Listener Mail: The "Most Dangerous Man" and the Looming Threat of Trigger Laws
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like many inventors, Thomas Midgeley Jr. was certainly driven -- but he seemed driven to constantly create increasingly dangerous, deadly substances. ...
The Corpsewood Manor Murders
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Dr. Charles Scudder and Joey Odom moved to a remote location in rural Georgia, they sought to create their own, personal paradise — complet...
CLASSIC: Berenstein or Berenstain? The Mandela Effect
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How reliable are your memories? Is it possible that, somehow, history is changing? People around the world believe the past isn't as static as it migh...
Strange News: Digital Product Placement, Cop Car Corruption, and The Why People Are Hoarding Food
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Digital product placement may be the future of cinema. Police in Highland Park seize a building an demand two cars as payment. The UN and multiple exp...
Censorship in China
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
By almost every metric imaginable, China is a huge country -- and its government works around the clock to control the flow of domestic and internatio...
CLASSIC: You're Worth About A Dollar: Targeted Online Ads
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever searched for something online, only to find an eerily related series of ads popping up at each website you visit afterward? If so, you'v...
Congress and UFOs: A Conversation with Jeremy Corbell
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As speculation over multiple reports of bizarre phenomena in the sky grows at an unprecedented pace, the United State Congress recently held a public ...
CLASSIC: Chemtrails
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Look -- up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ...chemtrail? You've probably heard of these allegedly poisonous strips of stuff streaking ac...
Strange News: Poop Transplants Make You "Younger," Canada's QAnon Queen, A Meaty Conspiracy
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recent studies indicate fecal microbial transplantation may mitigate age-related disorders... and no one's sure how it works. In Canada, a self-declar...
How to Change People's Memories
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Memory is, when you think about it, a super power. The ability to relive past experiences can help inform and shape our decisions about the present an...
Listener Mail: Why the Mob Hates Drought, Lucid Dreaming, and Time Travel
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple bodies surface as drought lowers Lake Mead to unprecedented levels -- and locals seem sure more will be uncovered. Uhura prompts a conversati...
Nigeria's "Forest of Horror"
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2014 a group of people looking for their missing coworker stumbled across a run-down building in Ibadan's Soka forest. While they didn't find their...
CLASSIC: Ghosthunters: The Warrens
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed to investigate paranormal phenomena, confronting the forces of darkness with the power of faith. They've in...
Strange News: Mysterious Deaths in the Bahamas, a Wicked Bible, A Supreme Court Leak
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three tourists were found dead at Bahamas resort, and a woman was also airlifted to Miami-area hospital. A copy of the infamous 'Wicked Bible' was jus...
Wealthy People vs. Taxes
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It happens every year as tax season comes around in the US. Numerous media outlets publish excoriating investigations of wealthy corporations and indi...
Listener Mail: Union Edition
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's listener mail, the gang shares stories from Conspiracy Realists across the planet, each of whom weighs in with their own experiences re...
The Love Canal Tragedy
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You may not have heard of Love Canal, but it remains one of the most disturbing environmental tragedies (and cover-ups) in US history. In today's epis...
CLASSIC: Who was the Original Night Stalker?
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From 1979 to 1986, an unknown serial killer assaulted and murdered at least 10 people. As of 2016, he was still uncaught. So who was he? Is it possibl...
Strange News: Water Crisis, A Mysterious Death, Nationwide Food Supply Disasters
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Across the country, a series of bizarre disasters -- from fires to outright plane crashes -- prompts public speculation that someone, somewhere, may b...
Serial Killers On The Loose: 2022, Part II
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It sounds like something straight out of a noir film -- an unidentified killer goes on a murder spree and vanishes, taunting the cops before disappear...
CLASSIC: What are Jinn?
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Forget everything you learned about 'genies' from Aladdin - tales of the Jinn, also called Djinn, are ancient and not at all as family-friendly as Dis...
Serial Killers On The Loose: 2022, Part I
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It sounds like something straight out of a noir film -- an unidentified killer goes on a murder spree and vanishes, taunting the cops before disappear...
CLASSIC: Money, Mystery and Millionaires: The Panama Papers
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard of shell companies, tax havens and offshore trusts. But how common are they? How many people use these techniques as a way to sq...
Strange News: Russian Oligarchs are Endangered, Musk Buys Twitter and a Man Threatens Merriam-Webster
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Deaths of 2 Russian oligarchs within 48 hours add to wave of executives found dead in ‘suspicious’ circumstances. Elon Musk's acquisition ...
Nazi Billionaires, with David de Jong
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the days before and during World War II, German tycoons make billions off the horrors of the Third Reich -- and largely got away with profiting fro...
Listener Mail: Alien Pregnancy, What Happens to Your Medical Info, and the Corpsewood Manor Murders
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An anonymous healthcare professional outlines the ways in which your own medical info may be used against you. S emails to follow up on vaccine questi...
The Strange Story of Ong’s Hat
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The legend sounds like something out of The Twilight Zone. A group of renegade Ivy League scientists gather in secret, in a small, abandoned town, to ...
CLASSIC: Missing in National Parks
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015 alone more than 300 million people visited the US national park system. Some stayed for a few hours, others for a few days - and, occasionally...
Strange News: Google Unblurs Russian Sites, Infowars Files Bankruptcy, Self-driving Car on the Lam
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tech giant Google has reportedly unblurred several formerly secret Russian military sites on Google Maps. A self-driving car in San Francisco attempts...
The Vampire Tunnels of Springfield, Missouri
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every town has its own rumors, tall tales and legends, and Springfield, Missouri is no exception. This idyllic American city is home to US Highway 66,...
Listener Mail: Rampant Phishing Scams, Alternative Funeral Rites, Cannabis and the World of Dreams
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Samurai provides a heartbreaking experience with body brokers, prompting an exploration of unique, alternative funeral rites. Colonel Buffington descr...
What’s the deal with tinfoil?
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, almost everyone knows the trope of the tinfoil hat -- it's common in all sorts of fiction, often meant as visual shorthand to indicate the p...
CLASSIC: Beyond Flint: The Looming Lead Crisis
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's in the water in Flint? Did city officials really cover up a potentially deadly situation? Tune in as Ben, Matt and Noel look into the Stuff The...
Strange News: Alien Pregnancies, COVID Scams, Fake Federal Agents
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A report released by the Pentagon appears to indicate at least one witness in an alleged alien abduction believes she became pregnant as a result. Two...
The Lonnie Zamora Incident
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In April of 1964, a police officer in New Mexico named Lonnie Zamora halted a high speed chase when he saw something strange fall from the sky. As he ...
Listener Mail: The Killenworth Mansion, the Strange Story of Marcus Hutchins, the Problem with Medical Implants
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brett from Facebook hips the gang to the story of Marcus Hutchins, a hacker who singlehandedly saved the internet. Justin responds to Ben's earlier qu...
Union Busters, Part II: The Present and the Future
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While they're not as common as they once were, labor unions are back in the news as employees of companies like Amazon, Starbucks and more choose to o...
CLASSIC: The Fermi Paradox: Where the heck are all the aliens?
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Given the sheer size of the universe, it's overwhelmingly likely that some form of alien life exists - so where the heck are they? Tune in to this cla...
Strange News: Russian War Crimes, Population Decline, the Rise of Male Birth Control
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US and multiple eyewitnesses state Russia is actively committing war crimes. The pandemic led to a baby bust, rather than a baby boom. The rise of...
Union Busters, Part I: An Origin Story
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While they're not as common as they once were, labor unions are back in the news as employees of companies like Amazon, Starbucks and more choose to o...
Listener Mail: Eastman Explosions in Tennessee, The Dangers of Being Prepared, Hank's Episode Ideas
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A recent mishap in Kingsport, Tennessee highlights a long history of brushes with industrial disaster. Riding around with a gas mask in Idaho just mig...
How many nukes are out there?
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How many nuclear weapons exist? Since the days of the Manhattan Project, nuclear weaponry has redefined war -- and the global order. So how many nucle...
CLASSIC: Technology and the Occult
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the guys welcome returning special guest Damien Patrick Williams (aka @Wolven) as they explore the bizarre confluence of the occult a...
Strange News: Declassified UAP Report Released, An Odd Workplace 'Benefit,' and Gangs Infiltrate LA Law Enforcement
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out UFOs are real. Declassified documents make Uncle Sam sound even shadier. A company attempts to alleviate workplace woes by giving all employ...
Body Brokers
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever known someone who donated their body to science? On paper, it's an extraordinarily noble act. Yet in the US, this form of donation is ch...
Listener Mail: Trouble at the Post Office, the Center of the Universe, and the Halifax Toe Tickler
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why do so many people have a problem with the current leader of the US Postal Service? What's it like to visit the Center of the Universe (the Tulsa v...
The Return of Lucky Yates
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's grab-bag interview, the guys catch up with actor, comedian and returning guest Lucky Yates. Tune in as they explore conspiracies, catch up ...
CLASSIC: Alchemy | with Damien Patrick Williams
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's classic episode, the gang joins forces with special guest Damien Patrick Williams (aka @Wolven) as they explore the origins of alchemy, as ...
Strange News: Bringing Brains Back From The Dead, Deep Fake Update, Benzene Is In Everything
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists partially resurrect the brains of long-dead pigs, paving the way for potentially astonishing (and terrifying) breakthroughs in neuroscience...
Back From the Dead: the Future of De-Extinction
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the world struggles through an ongoing mass extinction, scientists across the planet are getting closer and closer to bringing entire species back ...
Listener Mail: The Government's 'Secret Internet,' Night Drones, Sonic Booms and Sky Trumpets
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does the US government have a secret internet? Who's out there flying drones at night? How can we explain sonic booms and sky trumpets? All this and m...
The Hunt For the Tasmanian Tiger
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last known thylacines, or Tasmanian tigers, passed away in captivity in the 1930s. Yet ever since that time, people in Tasmania and the Australian...
CLASSIC: Flat Earth Update
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In ancient days civilizations across the world believed Earth was some sort of plane, a flat space in the absolute center of the universe. In recent d...
Strange News: De-Extinction, AI Avatars in Politics, and Digging the World's Deepest Hole
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Humanity is closer than ever before to bringing back extinct species, from the mammoth to the dodo and the Tasmanian Tiger. In South Korea, the Presid...
CLASSIC: The Rise of the Superbug
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's true - scientists around the world are increasingly concerned that antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, leading to a future filled with un...
Listener Mail: The Center of the Universe, The Fraud Triangle, and the Tricky Business of Counting Nukes
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's going on at the Center of the Universe in Tulsa, OK? How does the fraud triangle help us understand when people are likely to commit crime? Wha...