With a heavy heart and in honour of our good friend Mr. Dr. Greg Bole we present a very special episode: "The End." The process and smells of dying, semelparity, animal grief, famous last words, weird wills, and Greg's final plans and wishes.

Fanfare Finale

Mar 28th, 2016 3h 29m

Almost six years to the day of our first ever podcast, Mike, Toren, Joe and Kevin are bringing their journey through the absolute worst the world of science, history, and pop culture has to offer to an end. Veteran Guestpert Dr. Rob joins us fo

Elephants, Part 2 of 2

Mar 21st, 2016 1h 5m

The caustic look at elephants continues with elephant attacks, beehive fences, Jumbo, Topsy's execution, plus news and pop culture!

Elephants, Part 1 of 2

Mar 15th, 2016 1h 22m

Yvonne Morrin joins Kevin, Toren, and Joe to talk elephants, starting with a mammoth pop-quiz and a ton of caustic elephacts: musth, the Phajaan ritual, and elephant artificial insemination. Part 1 of 2.

Droughts

Mar 8th, 2016 1h 14m

Caustic Hosts Joe, Toren, and Kevin get thirsty discussing the causes and effects of droughts including tumblefirenados, the Syrian Civil War, Indian and Chinese famines, the California Water Wars, Lake Karachay, a super-dry extremophile, the h

Killer Plants

Feb 29th, 2016 1h 14m

Carnivorous plants, strangling kelp, giant hogweed, gympie-gympie, falling saguaros, manchineel trees, coconuts, and more!

Caligula, Part 2 of 2

Feb 22nd, 2016 50m 32s

Kevin, Joe, and Toren conclude Caligula's history, an exploration of explanations for his behavior, plus pop culture!Music: "The Killing Type" by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

Caligula, Part 1 of 2

Feb 15th, 2016 1h 3m

Kevin, Toren, and Joe discuss Evil Dude in History Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, aka "Caligula". Part 1 of 2 -- the early years and rise to power.

Arson

Feb 8th, 2016 1h 13m

Allan Newell rejoins the hosts with his firefighter helmet on to discuss the seven motives of arsonists, Herostratus, the Happy Land Fire, the Clarence Roberts mystery, the Sydney Ghost Train Fire, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Co

Libraries

Feb 1st, 2016 1h 21m

Joe, Toren, and Kevin "check out" the caustic side of libraries, including both Melvil Dewey's classification system and the man himself, the librarian who took over China, librarian sex habits, "for sex see librarian", the Brave Sage of Timbuk

Mines (Warfare)

Jan 25th, 2016 1h 17m

Toren, Kevin, and Joe discuss mines of every description including naval mines, helicopter mines, fougasses, nuclear mines, the Camp Bonifas Golf Course and mine-detecting flowers. Plus what to expect when you step on a blast mine.

Running, Part 2 of 2

Jan 19th, 2016 54m 56s

The podcast marathon continues as Dr. Katie, Joe, Toren, and Kevin talk about the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Canadian Death Race, Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope, and Oscar Pistorius' career and deadly Valentine.

Running, Part 1 of 2

Jan 12th, 2016 57m 54s

Dr. Katie Marshall is back with Joe, Toren, and Kevin to talk about the horrors of running. They compare human and animal running speeds, the horrors the running inflicts on your body (plus some benefits), the man vs. horse marathon, the beer m

Fungus

Jan 4th, 2016 1h 3m

Season seven of Caustic Soda begins with pathogenic fungi, prototaxites, spelunker’s lung, fungal eye and yeast infections, magic mushrooms, the death suit, and cordyceps. Plus news and pop culture!

New Year

Dec 28th, 2015 1h 33m

Joe, Toren, and Kevin ring in the end of another season of Caustic Soda with a look at the arbitrary time of year we chose as the end. We'll look at how calendars work, new year around the world and in history, plus the dangers of drunk walking

Special Blend with Adam Pateman

Dec 21st, 2015 1h 13m

Comedian Adam Pateman joins us to discuss diving accidents, dead whale carcasses, losing one's sense of smell, cannibalism on the Franklin Expedition, a doomed expedition to Africa, plus which is the lesser of two evils - being sprayed with sku

Kidneys

Dec 15th, 2015 1h 19m

Dr. Rob is back for for a Caustic Anatomy Class on kidneys! We'll cover kidney disease, hear Toren's own kidney stone story in full detail, the largest kidney stones ever reported, kidney stones in history, the effects of kidney-blows, plus new

Vigilantes

Dec 8th, 2015 1h 24m

Vigiles, Sombra Negra, Jonathan Idema, Bernhard Goetz, The Lavender Panthers, the Fierce Missouri Bald Knobbers and Anonymous hacktivism, and more!

Hurricanes, Part 2 of 2

Nov 30th, 2015 50m 10s

Our caustic look at hurricanes concludes with hurricane hunters, Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan, the insultingly nitpicky appearance of the 1970 Bhola Cyclone In The News, plus pop culture! Part 2 of 2.

Hurricanes, Part 1 of 2

Nov 23rd, 2015 1h

Kevin, Toren, and Joe are back to talk about Big Wind: hurricanes! We'll cover the biggest and most destructive ever, including the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, plus a Public Service Announcement, the Great Hurricane of 1780, and Galveston, Texas

Hippos

Nov 16th, 2015 1h 6m

Hippo attacks and how to avoid them, hippo castration, hippo ranching, hippo news and pop culture.

Epilepsy

Nov 9th, 2015 1h 27m

Dr. Rob Tarzwell is back with Joe, Kevin, and Toren to discuss epilepsy. We'll look at the science of the condition, what to do if you witness a seizure, notable epileptics in history, a seizure while falling 10,000 feet, plus news and pop cult

Golems

Oct 31st, 2015 1h 22m

Author Don Debrandt joins Toren, Kevin, and Joe to discuss golems of all varieties in our 2015 Hallowe'en special.

Time Travel, Live at VCON 40

Oct 26th, 2015 1h 10m

While Toren and Kevin were at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival, Joe was at VCON 40 talking "Time Travel" with Eric Fell, Barbara Beall, Joe Haldeman and Mr. Dr. Greg Bole!

Special Blend with Jeffrey Combs Live at HPL Film Festival

Oct 19th, 2015 57m 29s

Celebrated actor Jeffrey (Re-Animator, Star Trek DS9) Combs joins Toren, Kevin and guest-host Warren Banks to talk bad books, space warfare, ghosts, film set accidents, plus a very special Lesser of Two Evils!