The Improbable Story of Martin Guerre
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like most 16th-century French peasants, Martin Guerre’s life seemed likely to be lost to history. ...
Selects: How Moss Works
19 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Think you have moss figured out? You probably don't. Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as ...
The Ins and Outs of Albinism
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dive into the science behind the genetic condition albinism, which is not pronounced how yo...
Short Stuff: Cassowary
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is home to a kind of bird that is the second largest in the world and can kill a human bei...
Leeches: Oh Hell No!
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leeches are pretty creepy. They feed on blood, they stick to you body. We get it. But they're also p...
Selects: The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who wants fresh honey? We do! Learn all about the ancient art of beekeeping today in this classic ep...
Littering: Not Cool
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The history of litter is in lock step with the history of disposable packaging. Learn all about this...
Short Stuff: Schmidt Stinging Pain Index
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to know how the pain from that yellowjacket sting on your arm compares to stings from ot...
The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The largest ever kidnapping case in the United States went down in the small town of Chowchilla, CA....
Selects: What's the Deal With Staring?
05 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gazing too long upon another person is almost universally viewed as anywhere from impolite to hostil...
How the Nobel Peace Prize Works
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Nobel Peace Prize is perhaps the most prestigious award in the world, yet there are plenty of ot...
Short Stuff: Firewalking
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s pretty amazing to see a human walk over a bed of hot coals – until you learn the physics be...
How Tacos Work
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Taco Tuesday! If you like eating tacos, you’re going to love learning all about them in thi...
Selects: How Sloths Work
29 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows sloths are super slow, but do you know they’re slow because their bodies produce an...
How Forgiveness Works
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For most of history, forgiveness fell under the domain of religion. But in the 1980s science started...
Short Stuff: Arctic Fox
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Arctic Fox is one of the cutest critters on the planet. It also has an amazing ability to surviv...
Tug of War
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tug of War is a simple display of strength, but is there more to it than that? Listen in to find out...
Selects: How SETI Works
22 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
SETI stands for 'search for extraterrestrial intelligence,' and the term is used to describe both th...
How Classified Information Works
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The government loves to mark just about any information as secret, which wouldn’t be a big deal if...
Short Stuff: Jaywalking
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jaywalking is a crime. Sort of. But why? Learn all about this weird law today. Learn more about you...
Rock Paper Scissors: Decider of Things
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rock Paper Scissors is a child's game. But it's more than that if you can believe it, and it has a p...
Selects: Project Azorian: The CIA's Super 70s Mission To Steal A Sunken Soviet Sub
15 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1974 the CIA undertook one of its most brazen operations – secretly raising a sunken Soviet sub...
What were the black codes?
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The black codes were proposed laws that basically tried to keep a form of slavery alive and well aft...
Short Stuff: Fortune Cookies
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you thought you knew about fortune cookies is wrong. Learn all the right stuff in this ep...
The Circleville Poison Pen Letters Mystery
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For 20 years, a tiny town in Ohio was held enrapt by the prolific author of a series of unhinged let...
Selects: Carl Sagan: American Hero
08 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Carl Sagan was the world's first mainstream media super scientist, capapble of breaking down complex...
Ants! Part 2!
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The exciting conclusion of Ants Part 2! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodca...
Short Stuff: The Casket Racket
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
And you thought we were done with talking about funeral homes. Well guess again! Learn more about y...
Ants! Part 1!
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ants are pretty much amazing. So we're gonna spend two episodes talking all about them. Please enjoy...
Selects: Horoscopes: Written in the Stars?
01 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of people read their daily horoscopes, but does anyone really take stock in them? Turns out th...
Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No, we didn’t find another international distress signal we forgot to mention in our Mayday! Short...
Short Stuff: Traffic Signals
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The history of traffic signals is way more interesting than you might think. Trust us. Learn more...
Unsung Heroes of the Court
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Attorneys and judges get all the press. What about bailiffs, court reporters and sketch artists? Yea...
Selects: How Tipping Works
25 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tipping is commonly expected in some places, such as U.S. restaurants. Yet this practice varies acro...
SYSK’s 2021 Glad Tidings Bonanza Holiday Special
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck’s holiday mojo has returned and they’re back in the saddle to rustle up some holi...
Short Stuff: Christmas Cards
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You ever thought about where those cards you send out during the holidays came from? Prepare to do j...
How Snowmen (And Snowwomen) Work
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The details may vary but building snowmen is pretty much universal where there’s snow. Humans have...
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
18 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...
Kidney Stones: No! Please, NO!
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kidney stones are widely considered the most painful affliction a person can endure, even worse than...
Short Stuff: Charity Tips
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the end of the year so we thought we might give you some advice on how to better pick out a cha...
Palm Trees: Technically, Giant Plants
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Palm trees. You see them all over the world and for good reason. There are more than 2,500 varieties...
Selects: How the Terracotta Army Works
11 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1974, Chinese farmers discovered the first of what would number 7,000 terracotta soldiers meant t...
What's the deal with blue people?
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The famous blue people of Kentucky are no longer blue. But why were they like that in the first plac...
Short Stuff: Funny Bone
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hitting your funny bone doesn’t just hurt, it feels really weird too. That’s because you’re no...
Why Do Great Flood Myths Seem To Be Universal?
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If look into the mythology of just about any culture in the world, you will find a myth about a grea...
Selects: What Is Collective Hysteria?
04 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the history of the world, there have been many cases of what is known as collective hyste...
Your Gut Is Also A Brain
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Your gut – not your spare tire, but your digestive tract – is deceptively smart. Not only does i...
Short Stuff: SINA
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1950s a group dedicated to clothing animals out of a sense or morality gained momentum. “A ...
The Twisted History of Dentistry
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you think going to the dentist now is not fun, just wait until you hear about what they did in th...
Selects: Why Do Lefties Exist?
27 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For at least the last 200,000 years, between 10-15% of the human population are left-handed and this...
Python-a-palooza!
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pythons are big snakes. Really big. But there's more to them than their size. Learn all about these ...
Short Stuff: Mayday!
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Say it three times and help may arrive. But where did "Mayday!" come from? Listen in to find out. ...
The Apache Wars
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
America’s longest-running war was between the US government and the loosely-confederated groups we...
Selects: How Hoarding Works
20 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You may be familiar with compulsive hoarding from TV, but something that’s often missing from thos...
Why Is DC Not A State?
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The residents of Washington, D.C., the capital of the oldest democracy in the world, are not allowed...
Short Stuff: The Paper Dress Fad
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There was a brief period when it was highly on trend to wear a super short dress made out of paper. ...
Hot Dog!(s)
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No, there aren’t snouts and anuses in your hot dogs, so go ahead and chow down. There are, however...
Selects: How Feng Shui Works
13 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Feng Shui is an Asian concept that strives to unlock your chi by how your home or office is arranged...
The Flannan Isles Mystery
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1900 three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace from a deserted island in Scotlan...
Short Stuff: Your Dirty Bed
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is your bed dirty? You bet it is. Are chimpanzee beds dirty? Not as dirty as yours! Learn more abou...
What are blue laws?
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blue laws are laws that restrict certain activities on certain days. Are they antiquated? Yes! Are t...
Selects: The Stories Behind A Few Food Fads
06 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
America loves to go nuts over new food trends and it turns out that the 20th century was a boon time...
The Rock Ampersand Roll Hall of Fame
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cleveland rocks! So said the city of Cleveland when they lobbied for the "Rock Hall" way back in 198...
Short Stuff: Friendly Floatees
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1992 more than 28,000 rubber ducks got loose in the ocean and began a decades-long experiment in ...
How mRNA Vaccines Work
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The two mRNA Covid vaccines are the first vaccines to come out of a new field of immunology and repr...
Selects: What is folklore?
30 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is folklore? Turns out it's just about anything you can think of that's shared by more than two...
2021 Halloween Spooktacular!
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dim the lights and join Josh and Chuck for their annual spooky Halloween story reading. Learn mor...
Short Stuff: Most Haunted House in England
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1930s paranormal investigator declared Borley Rectory the “most haunted house in England”...
Salem Witchcraft Trials: More Bonkers Than You Know
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Looking back 300 years on, it’s easy to overgeneralize why the Salem Villagers decided to persecut...
Selects: Will We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects?
23 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evid...
Harry Houdini: More than Magic
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Harry Houdini was a master magician. He was also a movie star. And an inventor. And an aviator. List...
Short Stuff: Bloody Mary
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of Short Stuff we may accidentally conjure a deadly spirt, so look out! Learn more ...
Heat Waves!
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Heat waves are one of the easiest natural disasters to overlook yet they kill more people in the US ...
Selects: Why is Venice so wet?
16 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Venice, Italy has a problem. It's sinking, and the water around it is rising. Thankfully, some engin...
Noise Pollution: Arrrgh!
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever found your blood pressure rising because some guy down the street doesn’t know ho...
Short Stuff: Jack O'Lanterns and Sleepy Hollow
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We launch our spooky October episodes with a little bit on Jack O' Lanterns and Sleepy Hollow. Lear...
Venus Flytraps: Plant or Monster?
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After looking into the Venus Flytrap, we quickly moved it to the top of our favorite plant list. Par...
Selects: How X-Rays Work
09 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medica...
The Tale of the Church of the SubGenius
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Church of the SubGenius is a religion, but really a parody of religion. Learn all about this gro...
Short Stuff: Dingoes!
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are dingoes dogs? Not really? Then what are they? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad-c...
Research Bias: Sort It Out, Science
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a sticky issue scientists have to deal with – science is carried out by humans. We human...
Selects: How Empathy Works
02 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either ...
All About Alligators
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here at SYSK, we love alligators? Why? Because they're basically living dinosaurs. Dive in (metaphor...
Short Stuff: Exploring Irish Monk
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a long-standing legend that an Irish monk was the first European to sail to America - in 5...
How Numerology Works
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The premise of numerology - that numbers are responsible for our destinies and personalities - is pl...
Selects: Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy
25 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old ...
The Statue of Liberty
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You've seen her there in NY Harbor, standing tall. But do you know the story of how she came to be? ...
Short Stuff: Lake Erie's Rights
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The good people of Toledo, OH are leading the environmental pack by giving legal rights to Lake Erie...
How Mail Order Marriages Work
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody knows mail order marriages are at best a last resort for jerks looking to boss a foreign s...
Selects: How Free Speech Works
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment does...
What's the deal with crash testing?
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Crash testing has been around since the 1930s, but only got serious in the 1970s. Today we dive in a...
Short Stuff: The Javelina
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pigs, hogs, boars and javelinas. What's the difference? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ...
How Embalming Works
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Death Suite continues! In this installment, Josh and Chuck go over what it takes to preserve a h...
Selects: Southerners Aren't Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm
11 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a ...
How the Magna Carta Worked
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1215 at Runnymede (doo dah, doo dah) the nobles and the king agreed to end a rebellion against th...
Short Stuff: Chameleons
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's short stuff, we bust a few myths about cute little chameleons. Learn more about your ad-...
The Creepy Legacy of the Hotel Cecil
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Hotel Cecil in downtown Los Angeles has had no less than 16 unnatural deaths, from suicides to m...
Selects: How Temper Tantrums Work
04 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When your kid boils over in the grocery store, it can be tough to stay calm and ignore it, but that'...
Criminal Records: No Thanks!
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And you thought our crime and punishment suite was finished. Not yet it isn't! Not before we cover c...
Short Stuff: Handwashing vs Dishwashers
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck finally put to rest the age old debate over which is better – and learn a little ab...