Six Pack of Facts

As Six Pack of Facts comes to an end (for now!), it's time to get a little cozy. It's time for some cookies and cocoa.Thanks for listening!Research LinksCookiesMashed — The Strange History Of The Oreo And Hydrox Cookie RivalryHistory — The Surprising Origins of the Fortune CookiePBS — The History of GingerbreadThe Spruce Eats — The History of GingerbreadCocoaThe Spruce Eats — An Abridged History of Hot ChocolateChocolate: Food of the Gods — Cornell UniversityMentalfloss — 13 Things You Might Not Know About Hot Chocolate

The "dirty snowballs" of the sky have dazzled humans with their tails for centuries, and some of them have traveled quite a distance to put on the show.CometsThe Planets — Comet FactsSpace.com — Halley's Comet: Facts About the Most Famous CometGuiness World Records — Longest measured comet tail   Oort CloudNASA — Oort CloudPhys.org — What is the Oort Cloud? 

In the final episode of our Spooky Suite, we're digging into 6 (...66) Halloween facts that are sure to scare the heck out of you. Or just mildly entertain you until the big night.Happy Halloween!Research LinksSmithsonian Magazine — The History of Trick-or-Treating Is Weirder Than You ThoughtHistory — SamhainNational Retail Federation — HalloweenIMDB — Hocus Pocus TriviaGood Housekeeping — 25 Fun and Scary Halloween Facts to Trick (or Treat) Your FriendsHistory — Halloween 2021

In the third episode of our Spooky Suite, we're getting sweet, savory, and (of course) a little spoooooky.

In the second episode of our Spooky Suite, we're gazing upward at the sky to indulge in a bit of lunar delight. Let me hear you howl...

Our Spooky Suite of Six Packs kicks off with a look into the arid sands of Egypt, the humid regions of ancient Peru and Chile, and the peaty bogs of Cheshire, England, followed by the bone-chilling afterlife revenge of the mummy's curse. Research LinksMummiesSmithsonian Magazine — What Have the World's Oldest Mummies Kept Under Wraps?Smithsonian — Egyptian MummiesThe Atlantic — Were the Mysterious Bog People Human Sacrifices?The Mummy's CurseNational Geographic — Curse of the MummyLive Science — What is the ancient Egyptian 'mummy's curse'?Independent — Curse of Tutankhamun exposed: The archaeologists lived into their seventies

Can you survive the blitzkrieg?Research LinksChessChess.com — ChaturangaMedium — What is an ELO Rating?Wired — Did a Computer Bug Help Deep Blue Beat Kasparov?CheckersCheckershistory.com — The Checkered History of CheckersThat's — Explainer: The Origin of 'Chinese Checkers' CNN — Karate, Wonton, Chow Fun: The end of 'chop suey' fontsNew York Times — Marion Tinsley, 68, Unmatched As Checkers Champion, Is Dead 

Get ready for a quick and acidic six pack of pickle facts.Research LinksPBS — History in a Jar: The Story of PicklesPickle Science: How to Master the Preserving Power of Acids — SeriousEatsHistoric UK — James ‘Paraffin' YoungThe Atlantic — The Mason Jar, RebornWilliam Shakespeare: The Complete Works — The Tempest

Schedule a cleaning from your dentist now (or should you?)  and get ready to go 'round and 'round and 'round.Research Links Cotton CandyNational Geographic — The Sticky-Sweet Story of Cotton CandyWordnik — A Brief History of Cotton Candy NamesFerris WheelsSmithsonian Magazine — The Brief History of the Ferris WheelThe Press of Atlantic City — Look back: Atlantic City's almost famous 'Somers Wheel'Mental Floss — 8 Amazing Ferris Wheels from Around the World

It's time to hunker down with your best natural armor and be amazed by these reptilian and mammalian champions.Also, don't paint turtles!Research LinksTurtlesLive Science — Turtle FactsHow Stuff Works — Can a Turtle Outgrow Its Shell?Chattahoochee Nature Center — A Turtle's Shell Is More Than Its HomeThe Dodo — Meet Jonathan, The Oldest-Known Animal In The WorldGuinness World Records — Introducing Jonathan, the world's oldest animal on land at 187 years old ArmadillosOne Kind Planet — ArmadilloNew York Times — Armadillos Can Transmit Leprosy to Humans, Federal Researchers ConfirmCDC — Hansen's DiseaseTreehugger — 13 Things You Didn't Know About Armadillos

One core is a molten, magnetic, churning hellzone. The other core is... not. But they're more similar than you might think?Ok, not really. But it's still fun, right?Research LinksEarth's Corehttps://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/core/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/earth-magnetic-field-flip-north-south-poles-scienceCherrieshttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82858/13-sweet-facts-about-cherrieshttps://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/in-praise-of-luxardo-cherries-articleGuide to Cultivated Plants — A. T. G. Elzebroekhttps://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/cherry-tree-myth/ 

My mom always said I was a... fungi.That's it. That's the show note.MushroomsModern Farmer — Truffle Hunting Has Gone to the DogsACT Gov — Death Cap MushroomBBC — The Largest Living Thing on Earth is a Humungous Fungus MarioDK Oldies — Why Did Mario Eat Mushrooms?MarioWiki — MushroomsGameRant — The Mushroom Man: 10 Weird Things You Didn't Know About Toad

We're going back to spaaaaaace to dig into two of the universe's most impressive heavyweights. Research LinksNeutron Starshttps://www.space.com/22180-neutron-stars.htmlhttps://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/five-extreme-facts-about-neutron-starshttps://www.space.com/solar-system-fate-when-sun-dieshttps://earthsky.org/space/video-sciencecast-neutron-star-pulsar-to-magnetar/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2tfllMPIfABlack Holeshttps://www.livescience.com/black-holes.htmlhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2018/11/03/ask-ethan-how-do-black-holes-actually-evaporate/?sh=31ecab624a1fhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pAnRKD4raY

BOOM! This episode is dog-friendly and I guarantee you'll finish it with every fingers intact.Research Linkshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/14-fun-facts-about-fireworks-180951957/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7XHc27R0fshttps://www.livescience.com/63468-fireworks-history.html

I've sold out to BIG ADVERTISING. ...not really, but this episode does have a ton of cool facts about stuff you've undoubtedly been manipulated by as a consumer. Fun!Research LinksLogoshttps://time.com/2904290/10-oldest-company-logos/https://creativemarket.com/blog/the-35-nike-logo-and-the-woman-who-designed-ithttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61633/histories-and-stories-behind-8-movie-studio-logosJingleshttps://money.howstuffworks.com/commercial-jingle.htmlhttps://www.cracked.com/blog/5-jingles-that-were-secretly-written-by-celebrities

It's time for an audio tropical getaway! Hang ten and ride the smooth waves of these pineapple and coconut facts.Research Links Pineappleshttps://sciencemeetsfood.org/bromelain-in-pineapple/https://whatscookingamerica.net/Cake/pineapplecake.htmhttps://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/pineapples.htmlhttps://www.lovebigisland.com/quick-and-remarkable-facts-about-hawaii/pineapple/Coconutshttps://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/coconuts.htmlhttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/08/15/139638930/saved-by-the-coconut-water-parsing-coconut-waters-medical-claimshttps://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/puerto-ricos-national-drink-pina-coladahttps://www.forbes.com/sites/chelseadavis/2019/07/10/this-is-where-the-pia-colada-was-born/?sh=2e00e0732957

Six facts up. Six facts down. It's a new of episode! A deliciously knowledge quenching flight of facts all about the upcoming summer solstice. Are you ready for summer (facts)?Research LinksAlmanac — Summer Solstice 2021: The First Day Of SummerMentalfloss — 15 Facts About the Summer Solstice

It's time for a visit to the beach and trip back in time to the Middle Ages. Do you think knights wore their armor as sunscreen?Research LinksSandNature.com — What is Sand Made of? History.Sand Atlas — Sand TypesHowStuffWorks — How Sand Dunes WorkNPR — Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky?CastlesHowStuffWorks — How Castles WorkExploring Castles — Castle Designs Through History: From Simple Mounds to Fairytale MajestyKiwico — The Science Behind: Sandcastle Building

This week, it’s all about fun in the sun. Throw your shades on the grab your board, we’re talking UV rays and tides.Research LinksUV RaysLiveScience — What Is Electromagnetic Radiation?James Lincoln (YouTube) — Johann Ritter Ultraviolet Light DiscoveryUniversity of Iowa Health Care — What Is the Difference Between UVA and UVB Rays?FDA —Ultraviolent (UV) RadiationHard Medical School — The Science Of SunscreenTidesNOAA — TidesNOAA — What Are Tides?Sciencing — The Four Different Types of TidesU.S. Harbors — Amazing Facts About the Tide

This week, it’s ecstasy and agony. We’re exploring the gamut of human emotion and digging into some hilarious and sad facts about crying and laughter. Research Links CryingCleveland Clinic — Why We Cry and What Tears Are Made OfMental Floss — 7 Teary Facts About the Science of CryingThe Cut — Why Do We Cry to Express Feeling Overwhelmed?LaughingNPR — Dozens Of Animals Laugh Too, Study ShowsScience Daily — Fake Laughter Doesn't Fool the Brain, Research RevealsThe Conversation — The Evolutionary Origins of Laughter Are Rooted More in Survival Than Enjoyment

I hope you’re prepared for your mouth to water because we’re digging into two foods — one sweet, the other tart, both delicious. It’s time for strawberries and rhubarb.Research LinksStrawberriesThe University of Vermont — History of the StrawberrySF Gate — The Difference Between Everbearing and Day-Neutral StrawberriesLiveScience — Why Are Bananas Berries, but Strawberries Aren't?RhubarbAtlas Obscura — How Alaska Became Home to Humongous RhubarbNational Geographic — Does Rhubarb Deserve Its Killer Reputation?

Delicious history, luminous science, and smoke wishes to the gods.Happy Birthday to Theo!Research LinksCakeHow Stuff Works — How Cakes WorkFood Timline — FAQs: CakesFolklore Thursday — A Brief Tour of European Wedding Cake TraditionsToday’s Bride — The History of the Wedding Cake and Wedding Cake TopperThe Takeout — Candles, Wishes, and the History Behind our Birthday Cake TraditionsCandlesCandles.org ­— HistoryCandles.org — Candle ScienceSciencing — Candlepower Vs. Lumens

Under pressure? Go fly a kite.Thanks to Beth J. for the topic request!Research LinksKitesSports Fitness — The Most Interesting Guinness World Records For Kite FlyingAmerican Kitefliers Association — History of KitesWikipedia — Kite ExperimentPressure SystemsLive Science — Atmospheric Pressure: Definition & FactsUCAR — The Highs and Lows of Air PressureNOAA — What Is Bombogenesis?WIRED — June 11, 1644: The Barometer Gets Its First Practical Airing

From thousands of years to just minutes, the world is made up of organisms that stretch across all timespans. Research LinksLong LifespansNational Ocean Service — How Long Do Greenland Sharks Live?LiveScience — What’s the Oldest Living Organism?National Geographic — “Immortal” Jellyfish Swam World’s OceansMayflySmithsonian Channel — This Swarm of Mayflies is Big Enough to Fool Weather SatellitesWikipedia — Mayfly

Happy Earth Day! This week we’re turning back the clock… like, REALLY turning back the clock to discuss the birth of our humble-on-a-universal-scale-but-magnificent-nonetheless planet and the day that celebrates it. It’s time for the birth of the Earth and Earth Day.Find a local Earth Day event! Research LinksThe Birth of the EarthNASA — Solar SystemSmithsonian Magazine — How Did Water Come to Earth?Phys.org — How Was the Earth Formed?Earth DayMental Floss — 10 Fascinating Facts About Earth DayEarthDay.org — The History of Earth Day

Things were pretty different hundreds of millions of years ago, and although we haven’t quite mastered time travel yet, fossils give a glimpse into our prehistoric Earth. So, let’s look back at some incredible — and incredibly weird in some cases — extinct fauna and flora.Research LinksAnimalsAll That’s Interesting — The Glyptodon Was A Prehistoric Armadillo So Big That Early Humans Used Its Shells For SheltersNatural History Museum — What Was Megatherium? Earth Archives — The Biggest Insect Ever Was a Huge "Dragonfly"Smithsonian Magazine — Scientists Reveal What May Be the Largest Flying Bird EverBBC — Giant Sea Scorpion Claw UnearthedNational Geographic — Buzzsaw Jaw Helicoprion Was a Freaky RatfishPlantsBernheim Arboretum and Natural Forest — Vanishing Acts: The Franklin TreeThe Environmentor ­— 7 Facts About Sigillaria, One Of The Weirdest Trees To Ever LiveSmithsonian Magazine — Long Before Trees Overtook the Land, Earth Was Covered by Giant Mushrooms

It's a treat for your ears this episode (another very springy one to boot). Let's talk the tweety tweets of bird songs and the thing that makes it all possible — sound.Research LinksBird SongsThe Cornell Lab — All About Bird SongBBC — Tweet Top 10: Strangest Sounding BirdsThe Conversation — Lyrebirds Mimicking Chainsaws: Fact or Lie?ABC News — Lyrebird Legends Abound, but Not All the Stories Are True. Let's Sort Fact From FictionYouTube — Lyrebird: The Best Songbird EverYouTube — Lyrebird Mimics Construction SoundsYouTube — World’s Weirdest Bird Sounds – Part TwoSoundNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders  — How is Sound Measured?Popular Science — Ranked: The Loudest Sounds Ever MeasuredThoughtCo. — Can a Planet Make a Sound in Space?

With spring springing soon, this episode is all about nature . The forecast is in, and it’s looking like… rain and tulips. Research LinksRainNASA — Anatomy of a RaindropSmithsonian Magazine — What Makes Rain Smell So Good?How Stuff Works — Does It Rain on Other Planets?TulipsHistory — The Real Story Behind the 17th-Century ‘Tulip Mania’ Financial CrashAmsterdam Tulip Museum - Broken Tulips: The Beautiful CurseYouTube — The History of the Tulip | Short Animation

Get ready to hit the court for some hoops and to have your minds blown by math — it’s March Madness and extreme numbers. Research LinksMarch MadnessNCAA — March Madness History – The Ultimate GuideWikipedia — 1939 NCAA Basketball Championship GameNew York Daily News — The Triumph & Tragedy of the 1950 City College Grand SlamNCAA — The Absurd Odds of a Perfect NCAA BracketExtreme NumbersEssential Tuition — Googolplex - How big is big?Vox — The Mind-Bendy Weirdness of the Number Zero, ExplainedStuff — Think of a Very, Very, Small Number…

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the Irish holiday, let's dive into the stuff many a leprechaun has guarded and the nitrogenated wonder of the Emerald Isle. It’s time for gold and Guinness.Source LinksGoldFinancial Times — Scientists Discover the Origins of Gold in SpaceNASA — Gold CoatingHistory — Did Pirates Really Bury Their Treasure?GuinnessGuinness — Archive Fact Sheet: The History of GuinnessGuinness — Six Steps to Pour the Perfect Pint of GuinnessHow Stuff Works — Ridiculous History: How an Irish Beer Became the Authority on World Records

March 15 is right around the corner and you know what that means — the Ides are upon us! But is this date really cursed in some way? Let’s get into the infamous date and the title that helped make it so.Research LinksThe Ides of MarchHistory — Beware the Ides of March. But Why?Smithsonian Magazine — Top Ten Reasons to Beware the Ides of MarchPsychology Today — Being Amused by ApopheniaCaesarHistory — The Ides of MarchWikipedia — CaesarHistory of the Caesar Salad

It's a hot one (or is it?) this week. The sometimes fiery, sometimes icy, sometimes destructive, sometimes life-bringing awe of volcanoes and one of their most infamous victims. Research LinksVolcanoesThe Conversation — Comets or Volcanoes? Scientists Are Changing Their Minds About How the Earth’s Water Got HereSpace.com — Olympus Mons: Giant Mountain of MarsForbes — This Is The Wonderfully Weird Science Behind Ice VolcanoesPompeiiHistory.com — PompeiiSmithsonian Magazine — Resurrecting Pompeii

Now here's a tricky-to-see episode! Welcome to the color-changing (and sometimes sticky) world of chameleons and camouflage. Research Links:ChameleonsMentalfloss — 10 Colorful Facts About ChameleonsNational Geographic — Chameleons’ Secret Hunting Weapon: Super-Sticky MucusNational Geographic — New Chameleon Species May be World’s Smallest ReptileCamouflageNational Geographic — Before and After: See Animals Change Their Coats for WinterThe Conversation — Motion Dazzle: Spotting the Patterns That Help Animals Outsmart Predators on the RunBritannica — The Occurrence Of Mimicry Among Plants And Animals

It's a battle of red and yellow! A condiment thunderdome! A sauce showdown! ...you get the picture. It's time for ketchup and mustard.Research Links:Sources:History — The Surprisingly Ancient History of KetchupMental Floss — From Inedible to Indispensable: When a Quack Doctor Touted Tomatoes as a Medical Cure-AllLet’s Talk Science ­— Why Is Ketchup So Hard to Pour?Sources:Alimentarium — Mustard As a CondimentA Measured Life — Hello Again! Plus The Science of MustardMental Floss (YouTube) — Food History: Ketchup and Mustard

An arrow is nocked, and the aim is true. It's all about aRchery and the hearT on this lovely episode.Research Links:ArcheryUntamed Science — Physics of Archery: The Science ExplainedSmarterEveryDay (Youtube) — The Archer's Paradox in SLOW MOTION - Smarter Every Day 136Time — Cherubic Cupid Is Everywhere on Valentine’s Day. Here’s Why That Famous Embodiment of Desire Is a ChildThe HeartNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute — How the Heart WorksNational Wildlife Federation — Amazing Animals HeartsNC State — 10 Amazing Animal Heart FactsHarvard — When Love and Science Double Date

It's all about pink, pink, pink, PINK this episode. Flamingos — both the natural and plastic kind — and the chewy joy of bubble gum.Research Links:FlamingosMentalfloss — 15 Fascinating Flamingo FactsCleveland Clinic — Can Eating Too Many Carrots Turn Your Skin Orange?Livescience — Animal Sex: How Flamingos Do ItBritannica — Why Are Flamingos Pink?Smithsonian Magazine — The Tacky History of the Pink FlamingoBubble GumThoughtCo. — The Invention and History of Bubble GumScience World — Ever Wonder About Bubble Gum?Food&Wine — How Gum and Baseball Cards Became Intertwined

It's time to get sweet and sticky.Research LinksSugarWikipedia — SugarDiscover Magazine — 20 Things You Didn’t Know About… SugarSaveur — The Illustrated History of How Sugar Conquered the WorldNASA — First Detection of Sugars in Meteorites Gives Clues to Origin of LifeHoneyFood52 — The History of HoneySmithsonian Magazine — The Science Behind Honey’s Eternal Shelf LifeNational Honey Board ­— Honey Color and FlavorCNN — The Proven Health Benefits of Honey

If you've ever been to a sleepover, there's a good chance you've tried to summon Bloody Mary. And that means you're pretty familiar with both topics of this week's six pack.Research LinksMirrorsWashington Post — Dear Science: Why is everything backward in a mirror?Live Science — Who Invented the Mirror?Brown — The Rise of the Mirror as CommonplacePsychology Today — Monsters in the Mirror: No Really, Literal MonstersBloody MaryHistory — What Inspired Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Gruesome Nickname?History — 8 Things You Might Not Know About Mary IDifford’s Guide — Bloody Mary Cocktails – How to Make & History

We're getting sticky and hairy this week. Sounds disgusting, but it's actually really interesting! ...and a little disgusting. Thanks to Carla S. for the topic request.Research LinksTar PitsUniversity of California Museum of Paleontology — The La Brea Tar PitsScience Buzz — Bubble, Bubble, Oil and… Bacteria!La Brea Tar Pits — La Brea Tar Pits and Hancock ParkUSA Today — The History of the Pitch Lake in TrinidadWikipedia — Pitch LakeWoolly MammothsLiveScience — The Last Woolly Mammoths on Earth Dad Disastrous DNAHistory — Were Humans Responsible for Killing Off the Woolly Mammoth?Can We Bring Back Mammoths From Extinction? Probably Not — Here’s Why

Happy 2021! Let's celebrate with the first ever listener request. We're all about walls -- both Great and cosmic -- this week.Thanks to Brooke V. for the request! Interesting in hearing about a topic? Send an email to sixpackoffacts@gmail.com.Research LinksGreat Wall of ChinaHistory — Great Wall of ChinaMentalfloss — 15 Colossal Facts About the Great Wall of ChinaSmithsonian Magazine — Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great WallGalactic WallsSwinburne Astronomy Online — Galactic FilamentsGoddard Space Flight Center — Sheets and VoidsSpace.com — Here’s How Colossal Galaxy Clusters Reveal Dark Matter SecretsESA — What is the Universe Made Of?

Breakin' the what?! Breakin' the law!This six pack runs a little longer than usual, but it's a holiday! Rules bend on holidays (or something like that).Tick tock and pop pop — dive into the mind-numbing scale of time itself and the effervescent fun of champagne. Happy New Year!Research LinksTimeExactly What Is Time? — Units of MeasurementInstitute of Advanced Studies of the University of Sao Paulo — When a Day Lasted Only 4 HoursSpace.com — Meet the Zeptosecond, the Shortest Unit of Time Ever MeasuredWikipedia — Cosmic CalendarChampagneHistory — Champagne: A Bubbly HistoryWikipedia — SabrageNPR — Does Champagne Actually Get You Drunk Faster?

Stocking stuffer facts abound in this quick episode featuring mouthwatering and refreshing facts about chocolate and mint.Research Links:ChocolateNational Confectioners Associates — Fun Facts About ChocolateLive Science — Chocolate Facts, Effects & HistoryInvestopedia — The 4 Countries That Produce the Most ChocolateMintGreek Legends and Myths — The Naiad Minthe in Greek MythologyEater — A Brief History of Mint, from Air Freshener to Breath FreshenerJSTOR Daily — Plant of the Month: Mint

Is it bright or is that just Alex's technicolored podcast coat?Research Links:LightCosmos — What Is Light?Space.com — How Fast Does Light Travel? | The Speed of LightWikipedia — BioluminescenceHealth & Safety International — Miners Lamp History from Flame to ‘the Davy Lamp’ to ElectricColorTED — What Is Color?Smithsonian Magazine — The World Has Millions of Colors. Why Do We Only Name a Few?Lit Hub — Color or Fruit? On the Unlikely Etymology of “Orange”

Let it snow and roll those bones — it's a look at snowflakes and dice on this edition of Six Pack of Facts.Research LinksSnowflakes:Forbes — Ask Ethan: Could You Have Two Perfectly Identical Snowflakes?NOAA — How Do Snowflakes Form? Get the Science Behind SnowSnowcrystals.com (Caltech) — A Guide to SnowflakesMentalfloss — 15 Incredibly Cool Facts About SnowDice:Popular Mechanics — How Do You Know if Dice Are Really Fair? Math.Wired — The Mind-Boggling Challenge of Designing 120-Sided DiceThe Atlantic — The Shape of Ancient Dice Suggests Shifting Beliefs in Fate and Chance

We're taking hot and cold to their extremes in this episode. How cold can things really get? How hot can things really get? The answers are almost certainly colder and hotter than you can imagine. Research Links:Absolute ZeroLivescience — Kelvin Temperature Scale: Facts and HistoryStandford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — The Uncertainty PrincipleSciShow — Absolute Zero: Absolute Awesome (YouTube)NASA — Fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave BackgroundESA — Coldest Place in the Universe?MIT News — MIT team achieves coldest temperature everAbsolute HotPBS — Absolute Hot

It's Thanksgiving week, and that means a pair of delicious topics to inhale. From the tiny and tart berries to more gobbles than you can handle, cranberries and turkey is on the SPOF menu.Research Links:CranberriesNational Geographic — Cranberries, a Thanksgiving Staple, Were a Native American SuperfoodAmerican Phytopathological Society — Cranberries: The Most Intriguing Native North American FruitNational Geographic — The U.S. cranberry harvest explained in four chartsWisconsin Cranberries — About CranberriesThe New Yorker — The Great Cranberry Scare of 1959TurkeysMentalfloss — 32 Facts About Turkeys to Gobble Right UpHealthline ­— Color-Changing Turkey Wattles Inspire New Toxin and Germ DetectorNational Audobon Society — Wild Fact About Wild Turkeys: They Come in a Cornucopia of ColorsThe New York Times — Thanksgiving, the Julia Child Way

If you've spent any time cooking, the Maillard Reaction has almost certainly been your best friend more than a few times. And popcorn? Well, popcorn is just delightful. Duh.Research Links:The Maillard ReactionReactions (YouTube) — Why the Maillard Reaction Makes Everything DeliciousFDFchannel — The Maillard ReactionKhymos — Speeding Up the Maillard ReactionPopcornWikipedia ­— PopcornScientific American — Explore the “POP” in PopcornNational Geographic — Ancient Popcorn Found—Made 2,000 Years Earlier Than Thought in Peru

It's the dawn of a new generation! ...of video games, at least. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are officially here. What better time to look back at some fascinating facts and stories from the two gaming giants?Research Links:PlayStationArsTechnica — The World’s Only Known Nintendo PlayStation Has Sold for $300,000IGN — History of the PlayStationThe Verge — Japanese Ps4s Can Now Use The X Button To Select, But Why Couldn’t They Do That Already?The Verge — Japanese PS4s can now use the X button to select, but why couldn’t they do that already?Universe Today — Studying Black Holes Using a PlayStation 3CNET — Sony folds up Folding@home PS3 project after 100M hoursPCMag — 20 Years Later: How Concerns About Weaponized Consoles Almost Sunk the PlayStation 2XboxIGN — Xbox Creator Reveals Origin of Why Xbox Branding is Green - Podcast UnlockedIGN — 3 Xbox Bosses Share Secrets of the Console's Past - Podcast Unlocked 201

Caves. They're dark. They're dank. They're full of interesting stuff. Speleothems are the rock giants of these environments, and echolocation is what critters use to make sure they don't bonk into them. A perfect pair, don't you think?Research Links:SpeleothemsBritannica - Stalactite and StalagmiteNational Park Service - How Stalactites and Stalagmites FormNew York Times - How Stalagmites Get Their ShapesEcholocationNational Park Service – EcholocationPhys.org - Just like bats, humans can use echolocationThe Royal Society Publishing - Extremely high frequency sensitivity in a ‘simple’ earIncredible Bats (YouTube) - Bat EcholocationGizmodo - Moths Rub Their Genitals Together to Jam Bat Sonar

Halloween is upon us, and you know what that means...It's time to get spoooooooky.Vampires — at least how they’re portrayed in horror movies— are not real. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real-world maladies that helped inspire and grow the myth of a bloodsucking night stalker.Premature burials, on the other hand, were — and are — very real. And so, so terrifying. People have created some incredible devices in hopes of avoiding the fate… but that hasn’t stopped poor souls from being placed in the Earth a bit too early…Research Links:VampiresNational Geographic - The Blood Truth About VampiresBBC - The Real-Life Diseases That Spread the Vampire MythMayo Clinic - PorphyriaWikipedia - Mercy Brown Vampire IncidentPremature BurialNew England Historical Society - When Fears of Premature Burial Stalked the LandMental Floss - 4 People Who Were Buried Alive (And How They Got Out)Smithsonian Magazine - People Feared Being Buried Alive So Much They Invented These Special Safety Coffins