Mariachi: The Rodney Dangerfield of Music
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mariachi bands have a bad rap as nothing more than "restaurant music." But there is a rich and long ...
Selects: Desert Survival: Josh and Chuck Save Your Tookus
13 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The chances are pretty low that you’ll find yourself lost in the desert, but on the off chance you...
The Origins of Breakfast Foods
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who doesn't love breakfast? But do you know where most of the typical breakfast foods come from? Wel...
Short Stuff: The Berners Street Hoax
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A full 200 years on, we're still talking about one of the most sweeping hoaxes of all time. See omn...
What's the deal with energy drinks?
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck hates them, Josh has flirted with them. Energy drinks. Listen in to learn all about this canne...
Selects: How Droughts Work
06 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Droughts can be an inevitable feature of a local climate or a catastrophic result of human meddling....
Thrill to the Stunning Bicameral Mind Hypothesis
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Julian Jaynes came up with a stunning hypothesis in 1976, that human consciousness only...
Short Stuff: Divorcing Your Parents
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It really happens! But most people call it emancipation of a minor. Either way, there's some interes...
Silly String: Disaster in a Can
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a while since we tackled a classic toy, so here we go with all you ever wanted to know abo...
Selects: Some Movies That Changed Filmmaking
30 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this e...
How Menstruation Works
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two dudes talking about menstruation? You bet! And there’s no way you could be any more nervous to...
Short Stuff: The Mars Rock with Signs of Life?
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1996, real-deal NASA scientists announced they had discovered signs of ancient microbial life in ...
Where Did Human Intelligence Come From?
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We humans are smart, to be sure, but if we’re so smart then how come we can’t figure how we got ...
Selects: What's the misery index?
23 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Economists love their data because somewhere in the numbers lies the answer to the ills of the count...
Googie: The Architecture of the Space Age
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You may not have heard of it, but you’ve definitely seen it before – 50s buildings with bright, ...
Short Stuff: Death from Astral Projection
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1975, yoga enthusiast Robert Antoszczyk retired to his room in a group house in Ann Arbor, MI to ...
Supernovae: Best Around, Case Closed
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Face it, supernovae are the most interesting phenomena in the universe. Black holes are cool, but di...
Selects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
16 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s bad enough when the government knows you’re alive – there are taxes to pay, laws to be fo...
Why Bowling is Awesome
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bowling is awesome. It just is. And if you don't think so, maybe take a listen to today's episode. ...
Short Stuff: Catatumbo Lightning
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Catatumbo lightning is one of nature's most amazing displays of showiness, with strikes occurring 28...
Mangroves: Nature's Best Tree?
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mangroves are incredible survivors and adapters. They're also amazing at lessening the impact of tro...
Selects: How Ayahuasca Works
09 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One day in the Amazon Basin, a shaman put together a plant containing DMT with a vine that allows th...
The Maya Civilization
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After inspiration from Chuck's recent trip to the Yucatan, the fellas dive into the Maya Civilizatio...
Short Stuff: Alligator Gar
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The alligator gar is one scary looking fish. Learn all about these monsters in today's episode.See o...
How Ultraprocessed Foods Work
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ultraprocessed is a new term for junk food, but it means much more than that – it’s also a cauti...
Selects: How Freak Shows Worked
02 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with a physical disformity...
A Dispassionate Review of Roe v Wade
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Given the landmark undoing of Roe v Wade, Chuck and Josh lay out all the relevant facts of the 1973 ...
Short Stuff: What did we use before infant formula?
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's an infant formula shortage. But infant formula is relatively new. So what did we do before i...
How Alien Contact Might Work
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If we ever found evidence of intelligent alien life (or they found us) what would we say? Who would ...
Selects: Chiggers: The Phantom Menace
25 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. ...
What's up with bariatric surgery?
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bariatric surgery can also be called weight loss surgery. Some people think it's a highly underused ...
Short Stuff: Do Fish Get Thirsty?
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of the greatest questions we’ve ever heard, answered (in a roundabout way).See omnystudio.com/...
The Appalachian Trail: A Heckuva Hike
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A few short years after the hiking trails from Maine to Georgia were connected into the world’s lo...
Selects: How Steadicams Work
18 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There have been many inventions that have advanced filmmaking, but maybe none as important as the st...
What were the IRA hunger strikes?
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1980s, imprisoned IRA members went on a prolonged hunger strike, leading to the death o...
Short Stuff: HR8 Gun Legislation
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dive into HR8, a gun bill supported by 90% of Americans that will likely never get through ...
How Wind Works
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Beloved egghead Buckminster Fuller said the wind doesn’t blow, it sucks. And he was pretty muc...
Selects: How Drowning Works
11 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of thousands of people drown around the world every year, and yet it can be easily prevente...
The 4-minute Mile: Greatest Sports Story?
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody thought the 4-minute mile was humanly possible, until it was. The story of how it happened is...
Short Stuff: Cleveland’s Infamous 10-Cent Beer Night
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1974, the Cleveland (then Indians) baseball club held an unlimited 10 cent beer promotion to attr...
How Freedom of the Press Works
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Countries around the world – capitalist democracies to communist unitary states – guaran...
Selects: How Satanism Works
04 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Satanism may be the most misunderstood "religion" in the world. Part of that is because there are, a...
Kidney Donation: You Could Be A Saint!
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kidneys are one of the few organs that you can donate while you’re alive. And the vast majorit...
Short Stuff: Happy Foods!
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some foods make you happy. But they aren't necessarily comfort foods. You know what they call that? ...
The Scintillating World of Interest Rates
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the Fed raises interest rates a half point, the world market reacts. But why does this tiny per...
Selects: Waterbeds: The Sexiest Bed?
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Waterbeds came and went pretty quickly in the United States, but despite their marketing as sex beds...
The Myth of Absinthe
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Absinthe makes you hallucinate and possibly even have a seizure, right? Nope. It's all a part of the...
Short Stuff: Do people move in predictable directions?
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Depending on where you are in the world, you either have an instinct to go left or right when enteri...
Cats: Invasive Species?
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck wade into dangerous waters with the debate over just how destructive cats are for loc...
Selects: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, five friends set out for home from a basketball game. The next day, their car was discovere...
What's in a surname?
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Surnames are way more interesting that you think, trust us. Just hit play and prepare to be wowed.Se...
Short Stuff: Artificial Banana Flavor
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the Watermelon episode, Chuck and Josh stumbled into a bit of little-known history about why arti...
Squirrels, Ahoy!
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Squirrels are rodents, sure, but they’re rodents with personalities the size of Las Vegas and ...
Selects: How Lizzie Borden Worked
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody knows how many whacks Lizzie Borden gave her mother and father with that axe, but there is...
Rhinoplasty, aka Nose Jobs
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nose jobs have been around a lot longer than you think. And the process is pretty interesting. Tune ...
Short Stuff: Fainting At The Sight Of Blood
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As many as 15% of people faint when they see blood! And it’s not just blood that gets them. It...
What are land acknowledgments?
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Land acknowledgements are all the rage in some parts of the world. But they also open a can of worms...
Selects: How Champagne Works
07 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sure we can all agree that champagne is probably the greatest thing humans have or ever will invent,...
Marcus Garvey: Black Moses
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of the more controversial black leaders, Marcus Garvey divided black and white Americans with hi...
Short Stuff: Shar Pei
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dive into the lovable folds of the Shar Pei.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
The Mystery of Coal
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a mystery afoot! Almost all of the coal we use around the world was created in the sam...
Selects: How Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA
30 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. ...
Understudies: Hardest Workers on Broadway?
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being an understudy is far more challenging than simply learning the lines of a lead actor in case o...
Short Stuff: Smelly Homes
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does your house smell? No? What if we told you it’s impossible for you to know whether i...
“Postmodernism:”
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Selects: The Baffling Case of the Body On Somerton Beach
23 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since his corpse was found in 1948, wearing a nice suit in summer on an Australian beach, an unident...
Just Say No to... Bottled Water
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bottled water is huge business, and terrible for the environment. But where did this all start? List...
Short Stuff: Salute the Grilled Cheese
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we pay tribute to the comfiest of comfort food, the grilled cheese sandwich.See omnystudio.com...
The Christine Collins Story
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Christine Collins' son disappeared in 1928, she thought that was the worst that could happen. &...
Selects: What happens to abandoned mines?
16 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know there are as many as 500,000 abandoned mines in the US, but the federal government know...
How Mensa Works
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us know Mensa’s a smart people club. And that Geena Davis is a member. But did you kno...
Short Stuff: Animal Politicians
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Small towns around the world have a longstanding tradition of nominating – and voting for &nda...
The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever been to Philadelphia then you've probably walked right by a Toynbee Tile embedded in ...
Selects: A Partial History of Action Figures
09 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots ...
The Delightful History of Pubs
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Chuck and Josh dive into the wonderful history of the public house. So pull up a...
Short Stuff: The Church Choir That Didn't Explode
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps the most amazing coincidence ever documented took place when a church in a tiny town in Nebr...
Watermelons: Nature's Gift to the World
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out most people love watermelons. Why? Because they're delicious. And they also have a pretty ...
Selects: How No-fly Zones Work
02 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
They have become such a ubiquitous tool used by the UN and NATO to intervene in international crises...
What’s NATO All About?
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
NATO formed at a time when Russia threatened Europe as a potential invader. Then the Soviet Union br...
Short Stuff: Greenbrier Bunker
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Greenbrier Bunker was a secret nuclear hideout for Congress, until it wasn't. Once it was expose...
How Light Pollution Works
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial light at night, aka light pollution, affects almost everyone on Earth. And not just peopl...
Selects: The Tylenol Murders, Part II
26 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The panic that began in Chicago spreads and begins to change the world. The investigation into the m...
Selects: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
26 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On one terrible day in Chicago in 1982, seven people died suddenly and mysteriously. In just a matte...
The Truth Behind Cage-Free and Free-Range
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’d think terms like cage-free and free-range means the chickens we eat are frolicking happi...
Short Stuff: Magnet Fishing
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Magnet fishing has nothing to do with fish. It's more like metal detecting in waterways. Please enjo...
Why was Titicut Follies banned?
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Titicut Follies is a documentary made famous by its banning. But why was it banned? And what was it ...
Selects: How Hate Works
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hate is generally defined as an extreme hostility to something or someone, usually stemming from fea...
How Rewilding Works
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A big new push toward nature conservation (and saving the planet) is based on a simple premise: remo...
Short Stuff: Nose Breathing
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nose breathing > mouth breathing for many reasons. Listen and learn!See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Operation Northwoods: The False Flag Op That Never Was
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is presumably some very dark, very depressing stuff in the annals of America’s secret hi...
Selects: A Brief Overview of Punk Rock
12 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Punk rock really needs about 10 episodes to do it justice, but we'll try and tackle anyway. Learn al...
Aleister Crowley: Blowhard Narcissist?
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Aleister Crowley was known as the "wickedest man in the world." But was he really just a blowhard na...
Short Stuff: Great Smog of London
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1952 London was gripped by a acrid smog that settled throughout the city so thickly residents cou...
Behold, National Parks!
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The National Park system is one of America's great achievements. We'll take you on a journey, from s...
Selects: How Tabloids Work
05 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Having started as an egalitarian answer to 19th-century newspapers, tabloids came to peddle shock an...
How Effective Altruism Works
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A branch of philanthropy led by philosophers is dedicated to finding the most impactful ways to help...
Short Stuff: Friends of Dorothy
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The gay community had to use code not too many years ago and one way they identified was as “Frien...
What's the deal with phantom pain?
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Phantom pain is when you sense pain from a lost limb. We don't entirely know how why, but we have so...
Selects: Is the Pied Piper About a Real Historic Tragedy?
26 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the German town of Hameln a tragedy that took place on a specific date in 1284 and befell specifi...
How Mindfulness Works
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What has become a buzz word for corporate retreats and a way to get a discount on your health insura...