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Inspired by an Opening Arguments episode during the heartbeat bills, Dr. Nathan Thompson and soon-to-be-Dr. Rachel Feltman embarked on research where they collated "facts" from abortion legislation across the country and examined its medical/anatomical accuracy and misleadingness. Their work was published (read it here!) in the February 2025 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.
The Supreme Court hears a case centering on the FDA's denial of applications for nicotine-based vapes containing flavored liquid seen as addictive for young people. And, damaged lithium-ion batteries can cause deadly explosions. An algorithm could help detect when they're about to happen.Supreme Court Hears Case On FDA Regulation Of Flavored VapesOn Monday, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could change the Food and Drug Administration's power to regulate nicotine-based vapes. It revolves around the FDA's denial of applications from two vape companies that sell flavored liquids in their products, citing that the liquids presented a danger in addicting young people to nicotine. But a lower court rejected that denial, saying the agency was inconsistent in its approval process. The decision could impact the FDA's regulatory power to ban the sale of some of these vapes in the US.Ira Flatow is joined by Rachel Feltman, host of the Popular Science podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” to talk about the health implications of the case. They also discuss other top science stories of the week, including why there's been a large decrease in cervical cancer rates over the past decade, why Venus probably wasn't able to support ancient life (contradicting some hopeful theories), and new information about when humans might've started to wear clothing, thanks to some clues from lice.A Warning For When A Lithium-Ion Battery Is About To ExplodeLithium-ion batteries are used in all sorts of electronics, like smart phones, laptops, and e-bikes. That's because they can store a lot of energy in a small package. Unfortunately, this also means that when a battery is damaged, there's a lot of energy to expel, which can lead to explosions and fires.While there are no national statistics available, in New York City alone, there have been 733 fires started by lithium-ion batteries since 2019, which killed 29 people and injured 442. Most of these fires are a result of e-bike or scooter batteries catching fire.Now, researchers have trained AI algorithms to be able to better predict when a lithium-ion battery is about to explode. The battery makes a hissing sound two minutes before an explosion.Ira talks with two researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology about their work on the subject: Dr. Andy Tam, mechanical engineer in the Fire Research Division, and Dr. Anthony Putorti, fire protection engineer and leader of the Firefighting Technology Group.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Can pain… be pleasure? I was never one to experience a runner's high, or to enjoy ‘feeling the burn' after a workout. But are there ways—or times—when pain provides something extra, or even extraordinary? Leigh Cowart sets out to ask and to answer this very question. Sure, we might first think of masochism as something to do with sex—but it gets out of the bedroom plenty. Cowart talks about Black Plague flagellants, ballerinas dancing on broken bones, ice bathers, and competitive eaters choking down hot peppers while they cry. Why do people engage in masochism? What are the benefits and the costs? And what does masochism have to say about the human experience? Cowart gives us a fascinating, at times hilarious, exposition on something they (a science writer) chooses to experiment with as well. We follow Leigh on surprising journeys into the pain/pleasure matrix as they unravel how our minds and bodies find meaning and relief in pain. Call it a quirk in the programming. Call it sexy. Call it natural. Pain for pleasure certainly provides food for thought—and some awesome cocktail ideas, too, for that matter. And that's not all! Also joining us will be alum Rachel Feltman, as part of our Author's Hosting Authors events! You won't want to miss these two as they talk about the intimate details of our pain/pleasure sensory system. Episode was recorded live November 14, 2024. Website: https://brandyschillace.com/peculiar/ Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ixJJ2Y Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarBookClub/membership Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeculiarBookClub/streams Twitter: @peculiarBC
Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery discusses chicken intelligence and her experience raising a flock in New Hampshire. And, snapshots from over the years could provide researchers with valuable data about how penguin colonies have shifted.Chickens Have Friendships, Memories, And ReputationsChickens don't exactly have a reputation of being the sharpest creatures in the animal kingdom. Yet, talk to anyone who raises chickens and they'll tell you that they are far more intelligent and social than we often give them credit for. For example, chickens can recognize the faces of 100 other chickens and find their way home just days after birth.Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Sy Montgomery, author of the new book, What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird, about her own flock and what she's learned about chicken intelligence.Tourist Photos From Antarctica May Help Map Penguin ColoniesIf you're lucky enough to visit Antarctica, you'll probably aim to snag a classic photo—a colony of penguins, set against the chilly, barren landscape. But now, in addition to being a cherished memory, those pictures could turn out to be a valuable source of ecological data.Writing in the journal PLOS One, researchers describe a computer vision technique that uses elevation data combined with landscape features in photographs to allow the images to be positioned in a 3D rendering of the Antarctic landscape. And that allows scientists to map the precise boundaries of penguin colonies over time, even without knowing who held the camera or where the photographer was standing.Dr. Heather Lynch, the Institute for Advanced Computational Science Endowed Professor of Ecology & Evolution at Stony Brook University, joins guest host Rachel Feltman to discuss the technique, and the value in being able to extract scientific data from pictures stored in photo albums and museum archives.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
On Sunday, more than 50,000 athletes are expected to compete in the New York City Marathon, one of the largest, and most elite marathons in the world. Running a continuous 26.2 miles is a major physical challenge. But what exactly is happening in the body when running such a long distance?Joining guest host Rachel Feltman to answer questions from long-distance runners is Dr. Brandee Waite, Director of UC Davis Health Sports Medicine. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Waite has directed the medical care for multiple marathons and ultra-marathons, and has served as a team physician for USA Track & Field.Transcript for this segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Gender-affirming care is on the ballot in this presidential election. These treatments, which can include hormone therapy and surgeries, can be lifesaving for trans people. But they could be impacted by the results of this election.This year alone, states have considered 182 bills aimed at prohibiting gender-affirming care. It's become a central part of Donald Trump's campaign, which has stated that, if he is elected, he'll ask Congress to ban Medicare and Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care, and cut off federal funding to hospitals and clinics that do provide it.Guest host Rachel Feltman discusses what's at stake for gender-affirming care this election season with Dr. Logan Casey, director of policy research for the Movement Advancement Project, and Kate Steinle, chief clinical officer at FOLX Health.Transcript for this segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Two years ago, energy companies scrambled for offshore wind contracts. At a recent auction, the demand was significantly lower. Plus, artist Sarah Rosalena uses Indigenous weaving, ceramics, and sculpture practices to create art that challenges tech's future, in a segment from earlier this year.Maine Offshore Wind Auction Draws Few BidsOffshore wind is coming to the Gulf of Maine. Earlier this week, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held an auction for eight leases to develop wind projects off the coast of Maine. But companies bid on only half of the available leases.Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Casey Crownhart, senior climate reporter for MIT Technology Review about that and other top science news of the week including; bird flu found in pigs, AI's electronic waste problem, what's in your black plastic spatula, and giant rats fighting the illegal wildlife trade.An Artist Combines Indigenous Textiles With Modern TechWhen multidisciplinary artist Sarah Rosalena looks at a loom, she thinks about computer programming. “It's an extension of your body, being an algorithm,” she says.Rosalena, a Wixárika descendant and assistant professor of art at the University of California Santa Barbara, combines traditional Indigenous craft—weaving, beadmaking, pottery—with new technologies like AI, data visualization, and 3D-printing. And she also works with scientists to make these otherworldly creations come to life. She involved researchers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab to make 3D-printed pottery with simulated Martian clay. And she collaborated with the Mount Wilson Observatory to produce intricately beaded tapestries based on early-1900s glass plates captured by the observatory's telescope, which women mathematicians used to make astronomical calculations.And that's also a big focus for Rosalena: spotlighting the overlooked contributions women made to computer science and connecting it to how textiles are traditionally thought of as a woman-based craft. When she first started making this kind of art, Rosalena learned that the Jacquard loom—a textile advancement in the 1800s that operated on a binary punch card system which allowed for mass production of intricate designs—inspired computer science pioneer Ada Lovelace when she was developing the first computer program. “[They] have this looped history,” she says. “And when I weave or do beadwork, it's also recalling that relationship.”Read the rest at sciencefriday.com.Transcript for these segments will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
The ring would have gradually fallen to Earth as meteorites, correlating to a spike of impacts seen in the geological record. Also, a new AI tool can judge whether sand came from a beach, a river, a glacial deposit, or a wind-blown dune.Earth May Once Have Had A Ring Like SaturnHundreds of millions of years ago, Earth may have looked quite different when viewed from space: Scientists propose it may have had a Saturn-like ring, made up of lots of smaller asteroids.The new paper, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, proposes that this ring formed around 466 million years ago. A major source of evidence is a band of impact craters near the equator. The researchers also posit the ring would have shaded this equatorial area, possibly changing global temperatures and creating an icehouse period.Ira speaks to Rachel Feltman, host of the Popular Science podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” about this and other top science stories of the week, including how lizards use bubbles to “scuba dive” underwater, and ancient cave art that possibly shows a long-extinct species.An AI To Identify The Environment A Grain Of Sand Came FromIf you were given a bucket of sand and asked to determine where it came from, you'd probably have a hard time guessing if it was from a beach, a riverbank, the playground down the street, or a Saharan sand dune.There are experts who can make a guess at that sort of ID, using a categorization process that takes skill, a scanning electron microscope, and hours of time. Now, however, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they've developed an AI model that can quickly judge whether a sample of sand came from a beach, a river, a glacial deposit, or a wind-blown dune.That type of identification isn't just of interest to geologists. Sand is one of the world's most in-demand resources, second only to water in use. And different applications need different types of sand—for instance, making concrete and mortar requires angular sand for good adhesion and stability. These kinds of needs have given rise to illicit sand mining, sand theft, and sand smuggling. A way of rapidly identifying the origins of a sample of sand could be useful to investigators, or to companies seeking to ensure sustainability goals.Michael Hasson, a PhD candidate in Stanford's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, joins SciFri's Charles Bergquist to discuss the new SandAI, and the challenges of tracking grains of sand.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
A new study suggests that the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs may have originated from the outer parts of the solar system. And, invasive spotted lanternflies often lay eggs on vehicles and shipped goods. Now researchers are training dogs to sniff them out before they hatch.Asteroid That Killed The Dinosaurs Was A Carbon-Rich RockAround 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the Earth, blasted debris everywhere, plummeted the planet into cold darkness, and ended the age of dinosaurs. (Though birds survived, of course.)It might be the most famous disaster in our planet's history, but scientists still have plenty of questions about it. Like, what was the asteroid made of? And where did it come from? A new study in the journal Science offers up some long-awaited answers.Guest host Rachel Feltman speaks with study author Dr. Mario Fischer-Gödde, a geochemist at the University of Cologne in Germany.Training Dogs To Stop The Spread Of Spotted LanternfliesIn 10 years, the spotted lanternfly has gone from non-existent in the U.S. to being established in at least 16 states. They're quite distinct: The adults measure about an inch long, they've got striking red and black markings, and are, as the name suggests, spotted. And they've got a worrisome tendency to chow down on certain plants, including grapevines, and some fruit and hardwood trees.Spotted lanternflies are able to spread so effectively in part because they tend to lay eggs on things that travel from state to state: shipping supplies, vehicles, and lumber.There's a new tactic to detect spotted lanternfly eggs before they can hatch: training dogs to sniff them out. Guest host Rachel Feltman speaks to two researchers behind this project: Dr. Nathan Hall, director of the Canine Olfaction Research and Education Laboratory at Texas Tech in Lubbock, and Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, associate professor of applied animal welfare and behavior at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.Read the full story here.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Eels have fascinated humans for thousands of years, even captivating big thinkers like Aristotle and Freud. Despite having been around for some 200 million years, eels are still rather mysterious creatures. For example, scientists still aren't sure exactly how they spawn.But those unanswered questions haven't stopped humans from wanting to eat them. So much so that they're now endangered in some areas—and a lucrative criminal enterprise has risen up to poach baby eels from the wild.Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of Slippery Beast: A True Crime History, with Eels about her journey into the wild world of eels.Read an excerpt of Slippery Beast: A True Crime History, with Eels. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Did you know that almost every star you see in the night sky has at least one planet orbiting it?Here's something even wilder: There are some celestial bodies that look a lot like planets, but just float around freely in the cosmos, unattached to any particular star. They're called rogue worlds. With data from the James Webb Space Telescope, astrophysicists just identified six right here in our own Milky Way galaxy.So what can we learn from these rogue worlds? Can they teach us anything about how stars and planets are formed? Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with two authors of the recent study: Assistant Research Scientist Dr. Adam Langeveld, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, both of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
You might have noticed that the seasons don't quite behave like they used to. In some places, fall and spring seem to fly by, while winter and summer are much longer and feel more intense. This shift is known as season creep, where the timing of the seasons starts to shift.This phenomenon is mostly due to climate change creating temperature imbalances and throwing weather patterns off kilter year-round. And it can cause problems for plants and animals as their natural cycles fall out of sync. But what does it mean for human behavior?Seasonal Affective Disorder, often called seasonal depression, tends to hit during the cold, dark winter months. But as the seasons start changing more quickly and unpredictably, the shift could have a wide range of effects on us that we're only just beginning to understand.SciFri guest host Rachel Feltman is joined by Dr. Michael Varnum, social psychology area head and associate professor at Arizona State University, to discuss these questions.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Several states have reported cases of the rare but serious mosquito-borne illness eastern equine encephalitis. And, the new sci-fi movie "Slingshot," about an astronaut's mental breakdown, prompts questions about how to prepare humans for long-term space travel.Mosquito-Borne Diseases Are Spreading As Temperatures RiseThis week, a New Hampshire man died of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a rare but extremely serious disease caused by a mosquito-borne virus. Human cases of EEE have also been reported in Wisconsin, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont, causing some municipalities to step up mosquito control efforts or attempt to limit outdoor activities during peak mosquito times at dawn and dusk.Other mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise as well. Oropouche fever, a viral disease typically found in South America, has been spotted in the US—and in Brazil, health officials are reporting an 800% increase in the disease. Dengue fever, also spread by mosquitoes, has been increasing across Europe. Experts attribute all the surges to climate change, which has brought warmer, wetter weather that has allowed mosquito populations to thrive and expand their ranges.Sophie Bushwick of New Scientist joins guest host Rachel Feltman to talk about climate, mosquitoes, and disease, and how communities are trying to curb the spread. They also tackle other stories from the week in science, including a puzzling result in a dark matter search, how fruit flies change their threat perception during courtship, and investigations into how marmoset monkeys call each other by name.‘Slingshot' Imagines A Yearslong Space Mission Gone WrongThe new movie “Slingshot,” a sci-fi thriller about a yearslong mission to Saturn's moon Titan, is out in theaters today. It follows the crew members, played by Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, and Tomer Capone, as they start to unravel, highlighting how long, lonely missions can put astronauts' well-being in peril.While the movie is certainly a work of science fiction, it does remind us that a lot can go wrong in space, both physically and mentally. So as humans get closer to embarking on long missions to places like Mars and beyond, how are real space agencies thinking about keeping them happy and safe?Science Friday's digital producer of engagement Emma Gometz sat down with “Slingshot” director Mikael Håfström, and former NASA organizational psychologist Dr. Kelley Slack, to answer those questions and more.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Researchers developed a prototype of a space suit that could replace the high-absorbency diapers that astronauts wear on space walks. And, a bitcoin mine's cooling fans are so loud they rattle windows. Residents of Granbury, Texas, are having migraines, panic attacks, and hearing loss.A ‘Dune'-Inspired Space Suit To Turn Astronaut Pee Into WaterOn the International Space Station, resources are precious. That includes every single drop of water—which is why astronauts drink their own filtered and recycled pee. That might sound a little undignified, but things get worse when astronauts go out for a space walk. If nature comes calling, their only option is a super-strength diaper.Inspired by the stillsuits that recycle water in Frank Herbert's ‘Dune' series, researchers have come up with a way to keep astronauts clean, dry, and hydrated while they're hard at work. They've designed a system that turns astronauts' pee into nice, clean drinking water while they're suited up.The researchers reported on their prototype in the journal Frontiers in Space Technology. Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Sofia Etlin, a researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, about the inspiration behind the stillsuit and how it works.A Noisy Bitcoin Mine Is Causing A Health Crisis In A Texas TownFor the past several years, there's been constant hype about AI, bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies. We've learned that it takes a massive amount of energy, water, and other resources to run the data centers that make these technologies possible, putting climate goals at risk. But these buzzy technologies could have an impact on public health, too.Residents of the small town of Granbury, Texas, say bitcoin is more than just a figurative headache. Soon after a company opened up a bitcoin mine there a couple years ago, locals started experiencing excruciating migraines, hearing loss, nausea, panic attacks, and more. Several people even ended up in the emergency room. The culprit? Noise from the mine's cooling fans.Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Andrew Chow, technology correspondent at TIME, who investigated the health crisis in Granbury.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Many kids dream of becoming marine biologists. But even folks who commit fully to studying life in the sea face a lot of barriers to entry in this competitive field—especially if they aren't white and male.Jasmin Graham has an unparalleled passion for sharks, but a few years ago she started to feel that the traditional path in academia wasn't designed for her to succeed. Instead of giving up, she forged a path of her own. And now she's bringing other young researchers of color along with her.Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with marine biologist Jasmin Graham, co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) and author of Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Scientist.Read an excerpt of Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Scientist.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
“Twisters,” the long awaited follow-up to the 1996 movie “Twister” is out now. It's about a scientist (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who goes back to her home state of Oklahoma to try and stop a massive tornado outbreak from wreaking havoc on its citizens. On the way, she meets a quirky cast of storm chasers, and butts heads with a band of unorthodox “tornado wranglers” led by a YouTube personality (Glen Powell). “Twisters” delights in name-dropping tornado jargon, and its science advisory team said they hoped to make the movie as accurate as possible.The movie makes science thrilling, but it also shows the ways that tornadoes affect people's lives in the real world. For example, earlier this week, the Chicago area was hit with multiple tornadoes during a night of extreme weather, leaving thousands without power, and four tornadoes hit upstate New York, killing one person. This comes after a powerful, and some say unusual, tornado season in the Midwest. But just how tornadoes will continue to change is still unknown.Digital producer Emma Gometz talks with Dr. Bill Gallus, a meteorology professor at Iowa State University, to decode some of the science from “Twisters” and understand how real-life tornadoes are changing.Plus, on the International Space Station, resources are precious. That includes every single drop of water—which is why astronauts drink their own filtered and recycled pee. That might sound a little undignified, but things get worse when astronauts go out for a space walk. If nature comes calling, their only option is a super-strength diaper.Inspired by the stillsuits that recycle water in Frank Herbert's ‘Dune' series, researchers have come up with a way to keep astronauts clean, dry, and hydrated while they're hard at work. They've designed a system that turns astronauts' pee into nice, clean drinking water while they're suited up.The researchers reported on their prototype in the journal Frontiers in Space Technology. Guest host Rachel Feltman talks with Sofia Etlin, a researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, about the inspiration behind the stillsuit and how it works.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D. Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Those original segments were produced by Emma Gometz and Rasha Aridi. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you'd like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo to universe@sciencefriday.com.
Last month, the first psychedelic therapy treatment came before the Food and Drug Administration for a vote. It entailed using MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, to treat PTSD.MDMA therapy has looked promising as a treatment for PTSD and other mental health conditions in some studies. But the FDA scientific advisory panel that evaluated this treatment voted overwhelmingly against approving it.Many of the arguments against approval had less to do with MDMA itself than with the methodology of the clinical trials done by Lykos Therapeutics, formerly the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS. The FDA panel was presented with allegations of misconduct and incongruous data, including a letter by trial participant Sarah McNamee.McNamee, who joined the trial for treatment of PTSD, is also a licensed psychotherapist and researcher of trauma and psychotherapy at McGill University in Montreal. She joins guest host Rachel Feltman alongside Dr. Eiko Fried, a methodologist and psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, to discuss the decision.If you or someone you know is struggling with PTSD or other mental health conditions, call 988 for the suicide and crisis lifeline.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
The foot-long meteor passed through the Earth's atmosphere near the Statue of Liberty. Don't worry, it was fine. Also, the follow-up to the 1996 movie “Twister” is a whirlwind of tornado science. A weather expert decodes its lingo—and real-life tornado trends.A Small Meteor Blazes Over New York CityTuesday morning, some New York area residents heard a loud boom and saw a daytime fireball streaking overhead. According to observers, a small meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere over New York City, passed by the Statue of Liberty, and proceeded west to New Jersey, moving at some 38,000 miles per hour. Meteor experts said that the object, estimated to be around a foot in size, posed no threat, as debris from an object that small would have burned up before reaching the ground.Science Friday's Charles Bergquist joins guest host Rachel Feltman to talk about the overhead display, and about other science news from the week, including a newly planned mission to fly by a near-Earth asteroid. They'll also talk about a new pool of data for human genetics research, efforts to predict rogue waves, and the challenges of making food taste right in orbit.The Tornado Science To Know Before Seeing ‘Twisters'“Twisters,” the long awaited follow-up to the 1996 movie “Twister” drops in theaters today, July 19. It's about a scientist (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who goes back to her home state of Oklahoma to try and stop a massive tornado outbreak from wreaking havoc on its citizens. On the way, she meets a quirky cast of storm chasers, and butts heads with a band of unorthodox “tornado wranglers” led by a YouTube personality (Glen Powell). “Twisters” delights in name-dropping tornado jargon, and its science advisory team said they hoped to make the movie as accurate as possible.The movie makes science thrilling, but it also shows the ways that tornadoes affect people's lives in the real world. For example, earlier this week, the Chicago area was hit with multiple tornadoes during a night of extreme weather, leaving thousands without power, and four tornadoes hit upstate New York, killing one person. This comes after a powerful, and some say unusual, tornado season in the Midwest. But just how tornadoes will continue to change is still unknown.Digital producer Emma Gometz talks with Dr. Bill Gallus, a meteorology professor at Iowa State University, to decode some of the science from “Twisters” and understand how real-life tornadoes are changing.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Moiya is joined by writer Rachel Feltman to imagine a beautiful but foreboding world. They end up with a genre-bending world full of people convinced they have magical powers. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Rachel Feltman is a science and technology writer, editor, and host of the weirdest thing I learned this week podcast. Follow Rachel on X @RachelFeltman and check out her website rachelfeltman.com MESSAGES Help us out on the Multitude survey at multitude.productions/survey HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore FIND US ONLINE patreon: patreon.com/exolorepod twitter: twitter.com/ExolorePod instagram: instagram.com/exolorepod website: exolorepod.com subreddit: reddit.com/r/ExolorePod CREDITS Music: https://www.purple-planet.com Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/ ABOUT US How would you like to swim in an ocean ruled by matriarchal squid, or fly over a planet as it rotates with a swarm of migrating wasps? No, it's not the latest VR craze (... yet); it's Exolore! Exolore helps you imagine other worlds with the help of facts and science. Every other week, host Dr. Moiya McTier invites experts to build a world from scratch or sits down with a fiction fan to dive deep into their favorite worlds. Every episode will make you laugh, go "huh?" and appreciate how special our world really is. Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.
China's Chang'e 6 return capsule landed in Mongolia, carrying samples from the far side of the moon. Also, Paris has invested $1.5B in cleaning up the Seine for open-water swimming events, but recent tests indicate it's not yet safe.A Sample From The Far Side Of The Moon Lands On EarthThis week, the return capsule from China's Chang'e 6 lunar mission returned to Earth, touching down in a remote part of Inner Mongolia. Inside were dust and rock samples collected from the far side of the moon. Researchers hope that the samples could shed light on both the moon's formation, and conditions in the ancient solar system.Rachel Feltman, host of the podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” joins guest host Anna Rothschild to talk about the mission and other stories form the week in science, including a CDC warning about dengue fever, a trans-oceanic butterfly flight, and the possibility of seeing a stellar nova in the coming weeks.Will The Seine Be Clean Enough For Olympic Swimmers?The Paris Summer Olympics are fast approaching. Opening ceremonies for the games kick off on July 26. And all eyes are on the notoriously polluted River Seine. Due to aging infrastructure, sewage has sometimes flowed directly into it. For the past 100 years swimming in the river was banned. Now, the French government has spent roughly $1.5 billion to upgrade sewage treatment in Paris in order for athletes to be able to swim in the Seine.Earlier this week, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo was set to take a dip in the river to prove its cleanliness. In protest some Parisians threatened to poop in the Seine to show their dislike of the disruptions and high price tag of the Games.The dip was postponed until after upcoming elections, but recent water quality tests indicate that the river is not yet safe to swim in.Guest host Anna Rothschild talks about the current state of the river with Dr. Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a water testing company based in Paris, France.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Get ready to join us for our virtual film club, the MidMountain Motion Picture Possum Passel, at 1pm on June 16 by learning more about co-host Katie "Magdalene" Hanzalik's Spring 2024 Fellowship and meeting the rest of that Cohort: The Laurel Hells Ramblers, The Timber Bridges, alexis sāga, John Henry Williams, Rachel Feltman & Amy Fuchshofen!Hear Katie's MidMountain exit interview and about the murder ballad gender transition song rising gothic mountain bluegrass band The Laurel Hells Ramblers' finished writing at MidMountain in this episode, including a snippet of the song's premiere here back in March!Plus, learn about the open call MidMountain is running through July 29, 2024: We're curating a zine, gallery show, and arts festival for October focusing on reclaiming the Appalachian Murder Ballad genre, folk music too long dominated by regressive and misogynistic gender norms that celebrate violence against women, in conjunction with a themed Fall 2024 Fellowship Cohort that will be offered free lodging at MidMountain Retreat from October 1-October 13. More information at midmountain.org/murderballadFind a link to the MidMountain Discord and the Google Meet for our Motion Picture Possum Passel discussion of Fando y Lis on June 16 at 1pm on our website at midmountain.org/ourconnectedculture
A recent study looked into life-threatening Acanthamoeba infections, and a few deaths, linked to the use of tap water with devices like neti pots. And, in ‘The Balanced Brain,' Dr. Camilla Nord explores the neuroscience behind mental health, and how our brains deal with life's challenges.Scientists Warn Against Nasal Rinsing With Unboiled Tap WaterResearchers at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention published a study Wednesday that examined 10 cases of life-threatening Acanthamoeba infections that occurred after people cleaned their sinuses with neti pots, squeeze bottles, or other nasal rinsing devices. In most of these cases, which occurred in immunocompromised individuals over the span of a few decades, individuals had used tap water for nasal rinsing.Tap water, while generally safe to drink, is not sterile. Microorganisms and germs live in distribution systems and pipes that the water travels through, and Acanthamoeba amebae was the main link between the 10 cases, three of which resulted in death.Although contracting the Acanthamoeba pathogen is extremely rare, many people are unaware of the unsterile nature of tap water and use it for their sinuses, according to a survey study published last year. A third of participants incorrectly believed U.S. tap water is sterile, and almost two-thirds assumed it was safe to rinse your sinuses with it.The CDC and FDA recommend using distilled or sterile water for nasal rinsing. If you want to use tap water, they recommend boiling it for three to five minutes and allowing it to cool. While slightly more time consuming, it is an effective way to get sterile water.Rachel Feltman, host of “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” joins Ira to talk about this story and other news in science this week, including a new study that links microplastics in the human body to increased risk of heart disease and death, why the U.S. maternal mortality rate might be inflated, and why cicadas produce high-speed jets of urine.How Your Brain Constructs Your Mental HealthIf you've ever struggled with a mental health issue like anxiety or depression, or know someone who has, it's pretty clear that what works for one person might not work for another. Antidepressants only work in about 50-60% of patients. Meditation or yoga may be a gamechanger for some people, but ineffective for others.Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have made huge advances in our understanding of the human brain. How can we use the latest neuroscience research to help improve our mental well-being? And what is the relationship between physical and mental health?To answer those questions and more, SciFri producer Shoshannah Buxbaum talks with Dr. Camilla Nord, director of the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge and author of the new book The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health.Read an excerpt of The Balanced Brain at sciencefriday.com.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
There has been a boom of syphilis cases, including a 180% increase in congenital syphilis cases, despite other STI levels staying stable. Also, the world's largest deep-sea reef stretches for hundreds of miles in near-freezing waters and total darkness, but it's bustling with life.Syphilis Cases Are Up 80% Since 2018Syphilis is rearing its ugly head again in the United States. A new report on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a shocking statistic: Cases of syphilis are up by nearly 80% among adults since 2018. Congenital syphilis cases, which occur when an infection is passed from parent to child during pregnancy, are up by more than 180%.Strangely, cases of other STIs have stayed about the same or decreased in the same timeframe. Rachel Feltman, host of “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” joins Ira to talk about this and other science stories from the week, including the first cases of transmitted Alzheimer's disease, and why closing the toilet seat doesn't keep aerosolized viruses from contaminating other bathroom surfaces.Revealing The Largest Deep-Sea Coral Reef In The WorldScientists recently discovered the largest known deep-sea coral reef in the world. It's called Million Mounds, and it stretches from Miami, Florida, to Charleston, South Carolina, covering around 6.4 million acres of the seafloor.Unlike the colorful reefs found in sunlit tropical waters, this one is mostly made up of a stony coral that's usually found from about 650 to 3,300 feet underwater—depths where it's very cold and pitch black.Ira Flatow talks with Dr. Erik Cordes, marine biologist and professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who collaborated on the study. They discuss what makes deep-sea corals different from those found in shallower waters, why it's important to map them, and what it's like to visit one in a submarine.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. To stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
What Causes Red Wine Headaches? It May Be QuercetinIt's a common experience: After a glass or two of red wine, relaxation can turn into a pounding headache. This isn't the same thing as a hangover, as the dreaded red wine headache kicks in between 30 minutes and three hours after imbibing.For years, there have been different theories about what causes this phenomenon. But neither sulfites or tannins have been proven to be the culprit. A new theory published in the journal Scientific Reports posits that quercetin, an antioxidant in grape skins, could create a toxic byproduct that leads to headaches.Dr. Morris Levin is one of the authors on this paper. He's the director of the Headache Center at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, and has spent his career treating patients for migraines and other headache experiences. But Levin says there's not nearly enough funding for headache research as a whole, which leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the origins and meanings of this common ailment.Levin joins guest host Flora Lichtman to discuss red wine headaches, as well as the remaining mysteries of headaches.Worsening Wildfires Are Undoing Air Quality Progress In The USThe Western US has seen both more frequent and more intense wildfires over the past couple decades, leading to lower air quality and increased deaths in the region between 2000 and 2020, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal. While the EPA has made progress in improving air quality in the country, those gains are being undone by smoke from wildfires.The study looked at particulate matter called PM2.5 and a toxic component of it, black carbon. The researchers found that after years of trending downward nationally, the concentration of PM2.5–and the proportion of black carbon within it–began to increase in the West in 2010. This shift was linked to an increase of 670 premature deaths per year in the region.Joining Ira to talk about this and other science news of the week is Rachel Feltman, host of the podcast The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. They also discuss a surprise found in the oldest known mosquito fossil, why a national plastic bag recycling program was shut down, and why dwarf planet Eris' surface is a little squishy. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. To stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
What To Expect From Hurricane SeasonWe're approaching the peak of hurricane season, which is usually around mid-September. It's that time of year when it feels like there's a new storm every week, and we blow through the alphabet trying to name them. This week, Hurricane Idalia made landfall around Florida's Big Bend as a Category 3 storm, which caused a few fatalities, left hundreds of thousands of people without power, and some without homes. So what do we know about Idalia, and what can we expect from the rest of the hurricane season?Ira talks with Rachel Feltman, editor at large at Popular Science, about hurricane season and other science news of the week. They chat about what we're learning from India's lunar rover, a three-inch roundworm pulled out of someone's brain, a new study about public health and air pollution, heavy metals in marijuana products, what an ancient Egyptian mummy smells like, and a turtle named Tally, who is far from home. The Surgeon General Warns About An Epidemic Of LonelinessThe early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were lonely for many, upending their social lives. But loneliness pre-dates COVID, especially among young people. In a recent advisory, the United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that the negative health effects of loneliness and isolation are comparable to smoking daily. Despite being more technologically connected than ever before, the Surgeon General's Office is also raising concerns about the harms of social media on youth mental health.Ira sits down for a conversation with the United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, about the intersection of youth mental health, social media, and loneliness. Dr. Murthy outlines both public policy and community interventions that can help strengthen America's emotional well being and social connections. Keeping Tabs On Tick BitesIf you live in the Midwest or Northeast, you're probably aware of an issue that's gotten worse over the years: ticks, and the illnesses they can spread, including Lyme Disease and Alpha-gal syndrome.Scientists are still trying to learn more about how and where ticks are spreading. That's where The Tick App comes in. It's a community science effort where you can log your tick encounter and help scientists learn more about tick-borne disease. Science Friday digital producer Emma Gometz sat down with Ira to talk about her recent article profiling the app, and the scientists behind forms of tick monitoring research. To stay updated on all-things-science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
We have a new podcast! It's called Universe Of Art, and it's all about artists who use science to bring their creations to the next level. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Oceans Are Getting Hotter—And Greener It's hot out there, and more so than normal July weather. It's estimated that more than 100 million Americans are under heat watches, warnings, and advisories, spanning the west coast and southern states. Not only is the land hot, but the oceans are, too. The water temperature near the Florida Keys this week reached 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit, just shy of the record for global ocean temperature. A warmer climate is having some visual effects on our oceans, too. The color of the ocean surface near the equator has gotten greener. The culprit? Phytoplankton, which are full of the pigment chlorophyll. Joining Ira to talk about these stories and other science news of the week is Rachel Feltman, Editor at Large for Popular Science and host of the podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Understanding The Reasons For The Mental Health Crisis In Youth You've probably read the headlines about a spike in youth suicide rates, or about how social media and screen time are exacerbating teen anxiety and depression. Or maybe you read about the shortage of services for kids who need mental health treatment, waiting in emergency rooms for inpatient beds to open up. And of course the pandemic accelerated all of these issues, leaving kids who might have been already struggling without the support of friends and teachers in their school communities. Ira takes a closer look at what's driving these trends with Dr. Patricia Ibeziako, associate chief for clinical services in the department of psychiatry and behavioral services at the Boston Children's Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Tami Benton, psychiatrist-in-chief in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Rewriting Sharks' Big, Bad Reputation… For Kids It's that time of year when sharks are on our minds. Summer is filled with Shark Week content, viral reports of attacks, and shrieks on the beach when someone spots a fin in the water… from a dolphin. But sharks don't deserve this bad reputation. They are beautiful, fascinating, and—more than anything—the Earth needs them. A new children's book called “Mother of Sharks,” by Melissa Cristina Márquez, aims to teach kids exactly that. Ira talks with Márquez, a shark scientist and wildlife educator, about the book, shark conservation, and why she loves sharks so much. To stay updated on all-things-science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Can Science Find An Antidote to Americium? With some poisons, there's an antidote — something you can take to block the effects of the poison, or to help remove it from your body. But when the harmful chemical is a radioactive element, options are limited. Iodine pills can be used to help block radioactive iodine I131 from being absorbed by the thyroid, but there aren't many other drugs that can help deal with contamination with other radioactive substances. One of the two existing medications can only be delivered via IV in a clinic. This week, the NIH announced the start of an early clinical trial for an oral drug delivered as a tablet that could potentially be used to bind and remove radioactive elements including plutonium, uranium and neptunium from the body. Rachel Feltman, editor at large at Popular Science, joins Ira to talk about that trial and other stories from the week in science, including an experimental universal flu vaccine, research into the amount of trace DNA humans shed every day, and an update on the planet Saturn's moon count. Debunking Common Myths About Being Fat Weight loss is big business. Americans spend roughly $60 billion each year trying to lose weight, forking over cash for supplements, diet plans, and gym memberships. Yet somewhere between 90 to 95% of diets fail. Much of what we think we know about the relationship between weight and health is based on a series of assumptions that don't always match up with the latest science. Science Friday producer, Shoshannah Buxbaum talks with Aubrey Gordon, co-host of the podcast Maintenance Phase and author of the recent book “You Just Need To Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People, about the history of the Body Mass Index or BMI. She discusses why the word “obesity” is tangled up in stereotypes about fat people, the flaws in commonly cited mortality statistics, and how anti-fat bias translates into worse healthcare for fat people. Read an excerpt of “You Just Need To Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People here. What To Do When 500-1,000 Crows Roost In Your Neighborhood Laura Young was at a breaking point when she submitted a post titled “Request: Make 500-1,000 crows leave my street alone” to the subreddit r/lifeprotips in January. “I think you can tell that I was feeling very frustrated and running out of options and I clearly needed help,” she said. Starting last October, Laura's neighborhood in Baltimore was the site of a massive crow roost. And unlike past years' roosts, which usually only last a few weeks with a few dozen crows, this one showed no signs of leaving. “The numbers that they've attracted ever since then are unbelievable,” she said. “I mean, we're at the point where it is frightening to walk out at night.” According to Laura, hundreds of them filled the trees in the park outside her apartment. “And they're all screaming,” she said. “It is loud enough to wake you up indoors with all the windows closed. I don't think anyone on my block has slept past 6:00am in three months.” There was the noise, and then there was the poop: coating the streets, the buildings, and the cars. “It is just disgusting. I've never spent so much money on car washes in my entire life,” she laughed. To read the rest, visit sciencefriday.com. To stay updated on all-things-science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Your Plants Are Trying to Tell You They're Thirsty Spring is in the air, with flowers blooming and gardens starting. Most people with a green thumb will know a droopy plant is a signal that it needs water. But new research has found another way that plants will signal that they're thirsty: emitting staccato popping sounds, too high pitched for the human ears. Elsewhere in the world of science journalism, an argument has been made that elephants have self-domesticated. If true, this would make these gentle giants only the third creature to have done this, alongside humans and bonobos. Joining Ira to talk about these stories and other science stories of the week is Rachel Feltman, host of the podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week” and editor at large of Popular Science. Your Future COVID-19 Vaccine May Come Through Your Nose The nose knows about COVID-19 infection. It is the entrance to the immune system, after all. The nose's position as one of our first lines of defense has many experts in favor of developing COVID-19 nasal sprays, with the thought that it may replace the needle jabs we've come to expect. The development of nasal vaccines comes at a time when many Americans are anxiously awaiting if the government will approve additional COVID-19 boosters. The bivalent boosters have been out for more than six months, and there have been reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will recommend an additional dose for some Americans this spring. Joining Ira to give us the latest on nasal sprays, boosters, and answering some listener questions is Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, immunobiologist at Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut. Make It Easier To Be Green. Show Frogs Some Love Frogs have been called the equivalent of the canary in the coalmine, harbingers for the health of our environment. When frogs go silent, something is amiss. So we're going to spend some time talking about why frogs are so important and how you can better support your neighborly amphibians. One idea? Build a toad abode and welcome them in. Plus, there's another way to help frogs and toads—and that's by lending your eyes and your ears to the scientists who study them. April is Citizen Science Month, so we're kicking things off with a toad-ally cool project called FrogWatch. It relies on volunteers from across the country to record frog calls and report them to FrogWatch's database. Ira talks with Dr. Itzue Caviedes-Solis, assistant professor at Swarthmore College, about making outdoor spaces more frog-friendly. Then, he chats with Carrie Bassett, National FrogWatch USA coordinator and education mission manager at the Akron Zoo, about how volunteers can lend their eyes and ears to help scientists study frogs. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Jacob Balshin (comedian) joins the show with what may be the best Block Tale in show history, a 15-minute epic saga in where Jacob plays a memorial show for a fellow comedian at a gas station run by "Barb", a wild, 60 year-old showrunner who doesn't like how the show goes and makes Jacob pay with a block. It's a tale that truly has to be heard to be believed. As for what you'll hear on the rest of the show, we get into KFC Double Downs, cotton candy, gaslighting, and an extended meditation on Ontario's finest bulk food chain, Bulk Barn. Plus, we discuss Jacob showing up to a show and discovering someone he matched with on Tinder was also on the bill, a famous Lady Gaga interview, and Stefan brings us a big Joey update. A colossus of an update, if you will. If you want a colossus of content, head on over to patreon.com/blockedparty, where $5/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month, PLUS our entire, massive back catalogue. Last week, Rachel Feltman joined us to learn about Popular Mechanics for Kids, and this week, Bryan Quinby joins the show to talk about a very special POD Kast block with John: the lead singer of Disturbed, David Draiman. Plus we got merch discounts, an exclusive Discord, the $100 Club with lots of fun bonuses, and MORE! So support the show and get tons of cool stuff TODAY! Jacob Balshin is a comedian whose debut album, "30 and Breathing Funny" comes out on April 18th. You can follow Jacob on Instagram at @jacobbalshin and on TikTok at @dinkbalshin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's been 226 episodes and we somehow have only just now arrived at our first-ever online gaming block, as Ben Fawcett (Popcorn for Dinner, Not Even a Show) joins us to detail how he broke the "unwritten rules" of FIFA online and ended up having to block a guy for pestering him about it. After Producer Dan's vacation, it's our first episode in 2.5 weeks and we shake off the rust by getting into university newspapers, Cards Against Humanity, mythical birds, and Dan gives us all the details about his vacation and by that we mean, he tells about his really bad farts when he got back. Plus, we chat about NBA player Josh Hart's social media presence, weird guys on Capitalism Twitter, and Hugh Grant's memorable Oscars' red carpet performance. If you want us to roll out the red carpet for you, head on over to patreon.com/blockedparty, where $5/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. This week, our friend Rachel Feltman returns to the show to dissect the Canadian kids' show Popular Mechanics for Kids, and we've got a very special Cullen the Herd coming up next week you're gonna love. We also have merch discounts for every single donor, good for our GREAT new merch designed by Graydon Speace over on our merch page at merch.blockedparty.com. Check it out! Ben Fawcett is a comedian who you can hear on the new podcast sitcom Popcorn for Dinner, written and produced by previous guest Maddy Kelly. You can also hear him on the Not Even a Show podcast on Chris James' patreon. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @banntheintern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part Seven: Escape from the Garden In our final episode, Daphne hastens to outpace her stalker, uncovering alarming details. As Daphne returns to a familiar haunt, old acquaintances are reprised and danger comes calling. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part Six: There's a Storm Brewing After six years of dormancy, Daphne's antagonists resurface with renewed vigor. Political and civil unrest expose troublesome correlations. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part Five: Let's Make a Deal Daphne digs deep and takes some unique advice about her problems, resulting in a surprising agreement. She embarks on a new chapter, while a global health crisis looms. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part Four: A Pretty Okay Species While Daphne bravely explores new depths, we hear some different perspectives on her dilemma. Daphne comes face-to-face with a remarkable figure. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part Three: A Pivotal Moment Daphne's stalker and the rats push boundaries, and Daphne meets an ally and an opponent. As our hero ponders whether it is too late to fix her escalating problems, she witnesses a tragedy. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part Two: There's Always a Gap Daphne moves into a new home, meets a mysterious cast of characters, and receives the flagship letter from her stalker… accompanied by some other intruders. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Part One: Of Mice and Men After many years of relative peace, Daphne finds herself in the midst of two familiar antagonists: her stalker and a rodent infestation. We revisit the origins of her long relationship to both. CW: Contains adult content including descriptions and instances of stalking and violence. If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. FEATURING Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karen Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman “The Rat King” Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Executive Produced & Assisted by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Follow Shrill: SHRILL SITE: https://theshrillcollective.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theshrillcollective/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShrillCollective/ Be sure to follow, rate, and share “The Rat King” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
The Rat King is a serialized, thriller, fiction podcast that weaves magical realism with urban mythology. As Daphne attempts to disentangle herself from her stalker, she must confront the infestations along her path. “The Rat King” is an original audio drama by L.R. Wild, produced by The Shrill Collective. Written by L.R. Wild Produced by The Shrill Collective Directed by Chelsea Feltman and Ash Croce Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Brando Kress Music Composed, Recorded, and Produced by Chelsea Feltman, Tim Leonard, and Brando Kress Cover Art & Logo by Samantha Ferello Executive Produced & Production Assistance by Kristina Cole, Ash Croce, Lynda DeFuria, Chelsea Feltman, & Allison Wilkes-Bourland Marketing & Socials by Lynda DeFuria Special Thanks to Tim Leonard, Wes Bourland, Max Zimbert, Monique Morgan, Laura Anastor-Walters, Maureen and Bob Croce, Rachel Feltman, Tessa Faye, Michele Torchia, and Tay Burch Featuring: Stephanie LaVardera, Kelly Grago, Daniel Van Thomas, Fernando Vieira, Karan Laven, Richard Fisher, Dina Laura, Sheree Wichard, Al Pagano, and Rachel Feltman Trailer VO featuring Kristina Cole If you or someone you know is being stalked, or is a survivor of domestic or sexual abuse, help is available. Go to https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ for resources. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shrill-collective/message
Let's talk about sex, baby. Let's talk about birds and bees. Let's talk about all the slime molds and the algae that can be, let's talk about sex. This week we are talking about the history of sex, where it came from, what it is, who has it, and why people are always trying to tell others they are not allowed to do it. We're getting down and dirty with Rachel Feltman and their new book, Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex.
Join host Dr. Brandy Schillace for a rollicking, myth-busting history of sex with Rachel Feltman, author of Been There, Done That! In true book-club style, you will meet the author and participate in the discussion–so come with questions! Join us, too, for the PopCult Quizzer with host Davey Berris, where science fact meets science fiction. Episode was recorded live on October 13th, 2022. To join future broadcasts check out our Book Club schedule at https://brandyschillace.com/peculiar/. Follow us on Twitter (@peculiarBC), Facebook (facebook.com/groups/peculiarbooksclub), Instragram (@thepeculiarbookclub), and Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/c/PeculiarBookClub)!
There's a lot of talk these days about the best way to "detox" your bod. But the real secret to it all was inside you all along. -- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AskPopSciPod Hosted by Rachel Feltman: https://twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: https://twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq Art by Katie Belloff: https://twitter.com/Katie_Bellz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How does a book come together? We speak with Rachel Feltman, author of Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex, about the evolution of her book, from first inklings to years of research to organization to completion. She explains how she answered the burning question, “How do I make this a book and not just a pile of words?” Her secrets include A 500-mile ride on a tandem bike, a morning routine, a great agent and editor, the willingness to turn in her “hottest garbage,” and a three-word mantra that will help jumpstart every creative process. Rachel Feltman’s first paying gig was organizing a bookshelf full of textbooks on vulvar disease at the age of seven, and she never looked back. She’s the Executive Editor of Popular Science and hosts PopSci’s podcast The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. In 2014, Feltman founded the Washington Post’s Speaking of Science blog, known for headlines such as “You probably have herpes, but that’s really okay,” and “Uranus might be full of surprises.” Feltman studied environmental science at Simon’s Rock and has a master’s in science reporting from NYU. She’s a musician, an actress, and the stepmom of a very spry 14-year-old cat.Rachel’s website https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/rachel-feltman/been-there-done-that/9781668605042/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe
On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel's new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?” In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think. Recommendations: Shannon: Spindrift seltzer Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel's new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?” In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think. Recommendations: Shannon: Spindrift seltzer Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel's new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?” In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think. Recommendations: Shannon: Spindrift seltzer Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel's new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?” In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think. Recommendations: Shannon: Spindrift seltzer Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel's new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?” In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think. Recommendations: Shannon: Spindrift seltzer Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Americans' Knowledge Of Reproductive Health Is Limited As the nation awaits a momentous Supreme Court decision that could overturn or severely limit the 1973 Roe V. Wade opinion on abortion, a new poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found serious gaps in Americans' understanding of certain scientific aspects of reproductive health. For instance, the poll found that while medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., fewer than three in ten U.S. adults (27%) say they have heard of the medication abortion pill known as mifepristone—though that number is up slightly from a 2019 poll, which found that 21% of adults had heard of the medication. And even among those who had heard of it, poll respondents were unsure over when and how it was used, or how to obtain the drug. Rachel Feltman, executive editor at Popular Science, joins John Dankosky to talk about the poll findings and other stories from the week in science—including an experimental drug for rectal cancer, an ancient jawbone of a polar bear, an EU ruling regarding charging ports for electronic devices, and a micrometeorite ding on the shiny mirror of the recently-launched JWST. Some Doctors Want To Change How Race Is Used In Medicine Several months ago, a lab technologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital mixed the blood components of two people: Alphonso Harried, who needed a kidney, and Pat Holterman-Hommes, who hoped to give him one. The goal was to see whether Harried's body would instantly see Holterman-Hommes' organ as a major threat and attack it before surgeons could finish a transplant. To do that, the technologist mixed in fluorescent tags that would glow if Harried's immune defense forces would latch onto the donor's cells in preparation for an attack. If, after a few hours, the machine found lots of glowing, it meant the kidney transplant would be doomed. It stayed dark: They were a match.“I was floored,” said Harried. Both recipient and donor were a little surprised. Harried is Black. Holterman-Hommes is white. Could a white person donate a kidney to a Black person? Would race get in the way of their plans? Both families admitted those kinds of questions were flitting around in their heads, even though they know, deep down, that “it's more about your blood type—and all of our blood is red,” as Holterman-Hommes put it. Read more at sciencefriday.com. How A $2 Billion U.S. Plan To Save Salmon In The Northwest Is Failing CARSON, Wash.—The fish were on their way to be executed. One minute, they were swimming around a concrete pond. The next, they were being dumped onto a stainless steel table set on an incline. Hook-nosed and wide-eyed, they thrashed and thumped their way down the table toward an air-powered guillotine. Hoses hanging from steel girders flushed blood through the grated metal floor. Hatchery workers in splattered chest waders gutted globs of bright orange eggs from the dead females and dropped them into buckets, then doused them first with a stream of sperm taken from the dead males and then with an iodine disinfectant. The fertilized eggs were trucked around the corner to an incubation building where over 200 stacked plastic trays held more than a million salmon eggs. Once hatched, they would fatten and mature in rectangular concrete tanks sunk into the ground, safe from the perils of the wild, until it was time to make their journey to the ocean. Read more at sciencefriday.com. How A Facebook Group Helps People Identify Mysterious Mushrooms Mushroom season has begun. A wide variety of fungi are sprouting up in forests and yards, especially after a heavy rainstorm. While wild mushrooms are generally safe to touch, eating mysterious fungi is a terrible idea. But, sometimes a child or a dog gobbles up an unknown species. In order to determine if it's poisonous or not, you'll need an expert opinion—quickly. That's why Kerry Woodfield helped start a Facebook group to help people correctly identify poisonous mushrooms and plants. She recruited over 200 botanists and mycologists from all over the world to volunteer their time. In the past few years, the group has mushroomed to over 130,000 members. Guest host John Dankosky talks with Woodfield, co-founder of the Facebook group, Poisons Help; Emergency Identification For Mushrooms & Plants and foraging instructor at Wild Food UK. She discusses why she decided to start the group, its role within the poison control system, and how to talk to the kids in your life about poisonous plants and mushrooms. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Scientists Found The Biggest Known Plant On Earth This week, an underwater seagrass meadow claimed the title for the world's largest plant. This organism sprawls across 77 square miles of shallow ocean and has survived 4,500 years. To accomplish this, it kept cloning itself and created identical offshoots to spread along the sand. The ocean has changed wildly over the last 4,500 years, yet this plant has survived. Researchers believe that cloning itself may have helped the plant adapt to a changing ocean, offering hope that seagrass meadows may be more resilient than expected in the face of climate change. Sophie Bushwick, a technology editor at Scientific American, joins Ira to talk about how this mighty meadow persisted for millennia and what it tells scientists about climate change. Sophie and Ira also discuss other stories from this week in science, including what countries are most responsible for fueling the extinction of wildlife, what a well-preserved fossil tell us about the sex lives of ancient trilobites, why male mice are terrified of bananas, the creation of a flea-sized robot that walks like a crab, and how scientists developed an algorithm to pinpoint the whereabouts of unknown asteroids. Building A Better Battery… Using Plastic? The lithium-ion battery in your cell phone, laptop, or electric car is a crucial component of the modern world. These batteries can charge quickly, and pack a lot of power into a small space. But they're also expensive, require mining scarce lithium, and need to be handled carefully. Other battery technologies have issues as well. For example, the heavy lead-acid battery that starts your car is quite reliable—but lead has its own environmental and health costs. That's why PolyJoule, a startup company based near Boston, is trying to create a new kind of battery, somewhere on the performance curve between those old lead-acid batteries and lithium-ion cells. Their technology relies not on a metal, but on polymer plastics. Read more at sciencefriday.com. Bug Off: Why Mosquitoes Have An Annoyingly Amazing Sense Of Smell Mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find their next meal: us. So what would happen if you tweaked their smell so that humans smell really gross to them? That's what Dr. Chris Potter and his lab recently tried to do—they changed the neurons responsible for the insect's smell detection, so that in the presence of animal odors, their olfactory systems would be overwhelmed. Instead of smelling like a nice meal, mosquitoes would be repelled by the scent of humans, like if you were stuck in a small room with someone wearing too much cologne. This method worked in Drosophila, the common fruit fly, so Potter and his team were hopeful that would also be the case for mosquitoes. Instead, the experiment didn't go as planned. Because finding a blood meal is so important for mosquitoes, those little buggers evolved backups for their backup receptors. When Potter turned one pathway off, another one kicked in. Ira talks with Dr. Chris Potter, an associate professor of neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland, about his findings, and why we can never quite get mosquitoes to bug off. So You Think You Know About Sex When it comes to sex, there's really no such thing as normal. What was once considered taboo, sometimes goes mainstream. And some things considered new have been around as long as sex itself, like birth control, abortion, and sexually transmitted infections. All that and more is contained in the new book, Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex, by Rachel Feltman, executive editor of Popular Science, based in New York City. Radio producer Shoshannah Buxbaum talks with author Rachel Feltman about queer animals, crocodile dung contraception, ancient STIs, what led to the United States' original abortion ban, and more. Processing Postpartum With AI And Synthetic Breast Milk Art One of Ani Liu's strengths as an artist is her ability to process emotion through different scientific mediums: machine learning, chemistry, 3D-printing. The result is often visceral: she's used organic chemistry to concoct perfumes that smell like people emotionally close to her and engineered a device that enables the wearer to control the direction of swimming sperm with their mind. And at her new exhibition—next to a 3D-printed sculpture of a pig's uterus—lies 328 feet of clear tubing with a milky-white substance pumped through it, a commentary on pumping breast milk as a new parent. “I wanted to use my own breast milk, but it wouldn't be stable for the duration of the show,” she said. Liu became a parent shortly before the pandemic, and she channeled that experience into a new show called “Ecologies of Care,” to process her postpartum period and the communities in her life that helped her through that time. “I hope that this can allow new parents to bond and maybe feel less lonely,” she said. “In making it, I was questioning how do we create better communities of care? I made all of this work before the formula shortage, before our reproductive rights were even more under threat. When I look at this, I'm hoping that you see this particular slice of love and labor.” Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Rachel Feltman (author) joins the show to talk about that frightening yet seminal moment in every 11 year-old's life: when they have their first online crush reciprocated and then immediately panic and block them. Rachel runs us through the whole tale as we revisit summer camp all over again. Speaking of seminal life moments, the countdown is on for John and Becca's wedding and we discuss Dan and Stefan's fashion choices for the upcoming affair and wonder who might be the wedding's "fashion wild card" of the evening. You might be surprised by the answer! We also get into Crocs charms, wedding gifts, niche TikTok, burlesque, and Stefan introduces us to a great moment in sports commentary history. If you want to be a part of more great moments in history, you can support the show by becoming a patron over at patreon.com/blockedparty. Not only will you be helping out the Blocked Boys, but you'll also get a ton of great stuff, as $5/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. This week, Molly Lambert joins us for a mailbag episode and the VOD from John's BP Bachelor Party will also go live. Plus we've got the $100 Club with top-secret benefits, merch discounts, a great Discord, and more! So help us, help you today. Rachel Feltman is an author and podcaster whose new book "Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex" is available now. You can also listen to her podcast, "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week" wherever you get your pods. You can follow her on Twitter at @rachelfeltman.
In today's episode, DB talks to Rachel Feltman, author of "Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex." They talk about Rachel's favorite kinky facts from throughout history and play weird sex facts trivia! --- Sex Ed with DB, Season 6 Team: Creator, Executive Producer, Sound Engineer, and Host: Danielle Bezalel (DB) Co-Producer and Communications Lead: Cathren Cohen Website: Evie Plumb --- Sex Ed with DB, Season 6 is Sponsored by: Clone-A-Willy, Lion's Den, Fun Factory, Uberlube, Beducated (http://beducate.me/bg2151-sexed-podcast), and Exsens. --- Love Sex Ed with DB? Email us at sexedwithdb@gmail.com. --- About the podcast: Sex Ed with DB is a feminist podcast bringing you all the sex ed you never got through unique and entertaining storytelling, centering LGBTQ+ and BIPOC experts. We discuss topics such as birth control, pleasure, LGBTQ+ health and rights, abortion, consent, BDSM, sex and disabilitity, HIV, sex in the media, and more. --- Follow Sex Ed with DB on: Instagram: @sexedwithdbpodcast TikTok: @sexedwithdb Twitter: @sexedwithdb Facebook: @edwithdb ---
The James Webb Telescope Releases Its First Focused Image This week eager astronomers got an update on the progress of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched last December. After a long period of tweaking and alignment, all 18 mirrors of the massive orbiting scope are now in focus. In a briefing this week, Marshall Perrin, the Webb deputy telescope scientist, said that the team had achieved diffraction limited alignment of the telescope. “The images are focused as finely as the laws of physics allow,” he said. “This is as sharp an image as you can get from a telescope of this size.” Although actual scientific images from the scope are still months away, the initial test images had astronomers buzzing. Rachel Feltman, executive editor at Popular Science, joins Ira to talk about the progress on JWST, and other stories from the week in science, including plans to launch a quantum entanglement experiment to the International Space Station, an update on the COVID-19 epidemic, and a new report looking at the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They'll also tackle the habits of spiders that hunt in packs, and the finding that a galloping gait may have started beneath the ocean's waves. The Climate Crisis Is Driving New Home Improvements A lot of the changes that need to happen to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius need to happen at a huge, international level. But nearly a fifth of carbon emissions in the U.S. come from our homes. Are there things we can do at home to help the climate crisis? And how effective are individual actions? Threshold is a podcast telling stories about our changing environment. And as their fourth season explores what it will take for the world to keep global warming under the crucial 1.5 benchmark, reporter Nick Mott explores what individuals can do to decarbonize their homes. Mott talks to Ira Flatow about his own home improvement project, in a preview of Threshold's next episode. From Succulents To Bugs: Exploring Wildlife Crime The world of science is surprisingly ripe with true crime stories. Consider case number one: Deep in South Africa's Northern Cape, a rare and tiny succulent grows: the Conophytum. Demand for succulents skyrocketed during the pandemic, as more and more people got into the plant keeping hobby. But these succulents only grow in very specific conditions, and poachers will go to great lengths to nab them. The story is the subject of a recent investigation published in National Geographic. Or case two: It's 2018, and a theft has occurred at the Philadelphia Insectarium, a bug museum and education center. In a daring daylight raid, thousands of creatures were taken from the insectarium—right under the nose of the CEO. No one has ever been charged with a crime. This bizarre big story quickly made the rounds of local and national news, which left out the most interesting details, including a surprise ending. The new documentary series “Bug Out” takes us through the twists and turns of this story, from retracing the events of the day of the heist, to a deep look at the illegal international insect trade. The four episodes of “Bug Out” are available to watch now on IMDB TV and Prime Video. Joining Ira to chat about these wildlife true crime stories are Dina Fine Maron, senior wildlife crime reporter for National Geographic and Ben Feldman, director and executive producer of “Bug Out.”
This episode celebrates our latest digital issue going live! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Arielle Duhaime-Ross—host of Vice's A Show About Animals and Vice News Reports—joins the show this week! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Kiley Watson: www.twitter.com/SaraKileyWatson Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Season 5 of The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week was recorded using the Shure MV7 podcast kit. The kit includes a Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod, so everything you need to get recording straight away is included—that's super-helpful if you're a creator who's buying their first mic set up. Check it out at www.shure.com/popsci. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
A Spike In Winter COVID Cases Begins The United States reached a grim milestone this week: 800,000 total deaths from COVID-19. A winter spike in COVID cases is beginning across the country. And Omicron is making up an increasing share of new cases. Early data shows that the new variant is likely more transmissible than previous ones. Joining guest host John Dankosky to discuss this and other science news this week is Rachel Feltman, Executive Editor of Popular Science and host of the podcast, The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. They also discuss cracks in the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica and a new species of millipede with 1,036 legs. The Webb Telescope Is Counting Down To Liftoff If current plans hold, the James Webb Space Telescope may launch from French Guiana late next week, no earlier than December 24. After the launch, the telescope must travel for over a month and a million miles to reach its final destination, an orbit at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. There, it will try to stay in the same position relative to the Earth and Sun, and position the telescope's heat shield to block out unwanted infrared signals. The mission has been over 20 years in the making. In 1996, astronomers first proposed a next-generation space telescope capable of observing the universe in infrared light, which would be more capable of seeing through dust and gas clouds. The project has been plagued by a series of delays and shifting timelines—but at long last, the telescope is at its launch site, on top of an European Space Agency rocket, and awaiting liftoff. Dr. Amber Straughn, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Deputy Project Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Science Communications, joins John Dankosky to talk about the upcoming launch and why the new telescope has astronomers excited. Black Protestant Clergy Are Effectively Encouraging Vaccines For many people in or adjacent to the Christian faith, Christmas is one of the only times of year they go to church. But even though attendance has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people in the U.S. still attend church in person or virtually at least once a month. Research from the Pew Research Center has found that some of these regular church attendees are much more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to people who only attend a few times a year. The study found that this was the case in historically Black Protestant churches—in large part because clergy members in these churches are much more likely to encourage members to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Joining guest host John Dankosky to talk through this data, and the role historically Black Protestant churches play in public health education, is Greg Smith, associate director of religion research at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C, and pastor Gil Monrose, leader of the Historic Mount Zion Church of God in Brooklyn, New York. What Is Causing Maine's Puffins To Physically Shrink? The ocean islands off the coast of Maine are home to the Atlantic puffin, a peculiar and charismatic bird. This cold-weather species loves to hang out on rocky shores, chomping down on little fish. But like many species, these puffins are threatened by climate change. Rapid warming in the Gulf of Maine has changed the food available in their habitat, creating a bizarre problem of “micro-puffins”: members of the species 40 to 50% smaller than normal, due to malnutrition. Joining guest host John Dankosky to discuss the long history of oscillating puffin populations, and what's being done to get them back to a healthy size, is Fred Bever, reporter at Maine Public Radio in Portland, Maine.
Mary Roach—author of incredible books like Gulp, Bonk, Spook, and most recently, Fuzz—joins the show this week! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/schodosh Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Season 5 of The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week was recorded using the Shure MV7 podcast kit. The kit includes a Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod, so everything you need to get recording straight away is included—that's super-helpful if you're a creator who's buying their first mic set up. Check it out at www.shure.com/popsci. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Actor and famous Schitt's Creek impersonator Michael Judson Berry joins the show this week! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Kiley Watson: www.twitter.com/SaraKileyWatson Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Season 5 of The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week was recorded using the Shure MV7 podcast kit. The kit includes a Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod, so everything you need to get recording straight away is included—that's super-helpful if you're a creator who's buying their first mic set up. Check it out at www.shure.com/popsci. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
SEASON 5 IS HERE! The weirdest things we learned this week range from REAL ectoplasm to how many licks it (allegedly) takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/schodosh Claire Maldarelli: www.twitter.com/camaldarelli Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Sure, you can't literally smell IN space. But what if you could? Just how stinky is it out there? -- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AskPopSciPod Hosted by Rachel Feltman: https://twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: https://twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq Art by Katie Belloff: https://twitter.com/Katie_Bellz --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/askusanythingbypopsci/support
This episode celebrates our latest digital issue going live! The weirdest things we learned this week range from a swapping blood with the Pope to the dramatic origins of the Monopoly board game. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Buy your Weirdest Thing virtual live show tickets here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/the-weirdest-thing-i-learned-this-week-livestream-9-21-2021 Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Producer Jess Boddy joins Rachel for a listener voicemail Q&A episode! The weirdest things we learned this week range from a killer creek to naked mole rat facts at breakfast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Buy your Weirdest Thing virtual live show tickets here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/the-weirdest-thing-i-learned-this-week-livestream-9-21-2021 Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Buy your Weirdest Thing virtual live show tickets here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/the-weirdest-thing-i-learned-this-week-livestream-9-21-2021 The live show is Tuesday, September 21st, at 7pm EST. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Buy your Weirdest Thing virtual live show tickets here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/the-weirdest-thing-i-learned-this-week-livestream-9-21-2021 The live show is Tuesday, September 21st, at 7pm EST. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Producer Jess Boddy joins Rachel for a listener voicemail Q&A episode! The weirdest things we learned this week range from dangerous pumpkin launching to an Illinoisan scorpion. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
The weirdest things we learned this week range from gold medals for art to underwater hockey. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/schodosh Claire Maldarelli: www.twitter.com/camaldarelli Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
The weirdest things we learned this week range from flying cats to breathing through your butt. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Purbita Saha: www.twitter.com/hahabita Sara Kiley Watson: www.twitter.com/SaraKileyWatson Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Writer and game designer Jonathan Sims joins the show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from bees telling time to death by apple core. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/schodosh Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Comedian and writer Josh Gondelman joins the show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from dogs cooking in kitchens to chickens laying eggs inside of themselves. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/schodosh Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Rachel Feltman and her cohost have given Popular Science a personality with this podcast, and it is decidedly not "but-actually-guy." Angela Chen profiles Feltman's journey to building a loyal audience for her show highlighting the decisions that made it more authentic.This was one of the original batch of stories for Timber that focused on podcaster profiles and audience building.See photos and read more of Angela's work at Timber.fm.
The weirdest things we learned this week range from vertically sleeping whales to fake motion sickness cures. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Purbita Saha: www.twitter.com/hahabita Corinne Iozzio: www.twitter.com/CorinneIOZO Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/popular-science/support
Popular Science has compiled a list of seven mysterious sounds that science has yet to solve. Everything from odd cannon-like sounds near upstate New York's Seneca Lake, to weird radio transmissions coming from Russia, to singing sand in the desert, which could be a result of grains of sand rolling down the dunes. To go through some of these unknown audio mysteries, we speak to Rachel Feltman, articles editor at Popular Science Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
More news on the thousands of lawsuits brought forth by state and local governments hoping to hold drug manufacturers accountable for the opioid crisis. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family are in talks to settle the cases in a deal valued between $10 and $12 billion. Sara Randazzo, reporter for the WSJ, joins us with details on the deal. Next, the doorbell-camera company Ring has quietly partnered with more than 400 police forces across the country to gain access to homeowners' cameras forming a “new neighborhood watch.” Privacy experts have sounded alarms on giving police more surveillance access and contributing to an endless stream of suspicion. Drew Harwell, AI reporter for the Washington Post, joins us for more on the rapid growth of this program. Finally, the CDC is investigating the link between vaping and a mysterious lung disease in teens and young adults. Health officials are looking into 193 cases in 22 states that all have one commonality, all the patients reported vaping in the weeks and months before they got sick. There has also been one death linked to e-cigarettes. Rachel Feltman, articles editor for Popular Science, joins us for what to know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
In the first case to go to trial of more than 2,000 lawsuits brought on by state and local governments seeking to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for contributing to an opioid-addiction crisis, Johnson and Johnson must pay $572 million dollars to Oklahoma for creating a public nuisance, exaggerating the benefits of painkillers and minimizing addiction risks. Daniel Siegal, senior trials reporter at Law360, joins us for what this ruling means. Next, the Lungs of the World are burning. The Amazon rainforest is burning at an unprecedented rate with over 40,000 fires in the Amazon this year. These fires are not wildfires or caused by climate change, instead they set by farmers and ranchers clearing existing farmland and increased deforestation. Rachel Feltman, editor at Popular Science, joins us for what to know about these fires. Finally, it was all a hoax! Last week fear spread in Lancaster, California that a sniper could be on the loose targeting police. Sheriff Deputy Angel Reinosa put out a call for help that he had been shot which led to a huge police presence and manhunt for the shooter. But cracks almost immediately began to show in the deputy's story until he admitted he made it up. Hannah Knowles, reporter for the Washington Post, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Tanks, flyovers and fireworks! President Trump is planning a Fourth of July Celebration that he says will be “like no other.” Trump will deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial which is not a usual occurrence for an American president and critics will be watching to see if he politicizes the event. My producer Miranda joins us for all the details you need to know. Next, along with all the fireworks, there will be plenty of grilling going on and you should grill anything you want to your hearts content. But some top chefs have weighed in on foods you should never grill and we got the list. Shockingly burgers and some other grill staples make that list! It is all about preserving fat and flavor. Kate Krader, food editor at Bloomberg News, joins us for the Do Not Grill List. Finally, the FDA has named 16 brands of dog food that have been linked to canine heart disease. The FDA isn't suggesting that pet owners stop feeding their dogs these brands just yet, but some vets are advising against “grain free” foods. Rachel Feltman, science editor at Popular Science, joins us for what pet owner should know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Jo Cameron is the woman who feels no pain. Jo is now 71 and scientists are just finding out why she has gone through her whole life experiencing very little pain. She would often cut herself or burn herself and wouldn't notice until she saw blood or smelled burning flesh. Rachel Feltman, editor at Popular Science, joins us for what makes Jo Cameron feel no pain, a gene mutation that scientists hope could help others in the future. Next, these measles cases are getting out of hand. The number of cases so far this year is nearing the total for all of 2018 with six states reporting outbreaks. It has become such a public health hazard that Rockland County, NY has banned unvaccinated minors from entering public spaces for 30 days. Rachel Becker, reporter at the Verge, joins us for why the measles have gotten out of control and why these types of bans may become more common. Finally, a follow up to the lawsuit against Monsanto and its parent company Bayer. Edwin Hardeman claimed that years of using their Roundup weedkiller gave him non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A jury decided that the product did give him cancer, and they also just decided Bayer was liable in the case and owes him $80 million. Sara Randazzo, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to wrap up the case. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
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