Forrest Galante, host of “Extinct or Alive” on Animal Planet, explains how to become an adventurer, survive extreme conditions, and find extinct animals. Then, you’ll learn about how “cryptomnesia” can make you plagiarize without realizing it.P

Fishing Science (w/ “Deadliest Catch” Captains Sig & Keith) and the Psychology of Sour Grapes

1 Apr 21st, 2020 11m 56s

Captains Keith Colburn and Sig Hansen from the award-winning documentary series “Deadliest Catch” share some surprising science lessons from the fishing world. Plus: learn about the psychology behind “sour grapes.”When people can't get somethin

Online Boomer Speak (w/ Gretchen McCulloch) and Is “Money Can’t Buy Happiness” True?

1 Aug 27th, 2019 8m 42s

Learn why the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” isn’t always true. Then, learn how different generations write differently online, with some help from internet linguist and author Gretchen McCulloch.Please support this episode’s sponsor! Get y

Is Internet Language Bad? (w/ Gretchen McCulloch) and How to Remember More Dreams

1 Aug 20th, 2019 8m 48s

Learn about what you can do to remember more of your dreams. You’ll also learn about the difference between internet language and regular language, in the first edition of our “Hashtag Tuesdays” mini-series with internet linguist Gretchen McCul

Communicate Like A Mind Reader

1 Jul 27th, 2017 41m 7s

Mind reading tricks can be unnerving, but they don't have to be as scary as some people think they are. Mentalist Jonathan Pritchard explains how he convinces people he can read minds by using the same psychological techniques employed by sales

Black Hole Firewall Hypothesis, Polio Vaccine History, and Double Rainbow Science

1 Apr 12th, 2019 9m 43s

Learn about why there’s no patent for the polio vaccine; a hypothesis that says a black hole would incinerate you; and what causes “Alexander’s band,” the dark strip of sky inside a double rainbow.Please support our sponsors! Get two months of

Laziness Isn’t What You Think (w/ Dr. Devon Price)

Dec 8th, 2020 13m 55s

Learn about how we know that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs. We’ll also talk to social psychologist and author Devon Price about how laziness might actually benefit us.The Epic Tale of the 5th Mass Extinction (Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary) by

Maps as Weapons and Art (w/ Justin Fornal and Emiliano Ruprah) and Fidgeting Explained

Nov 15th, 2019 11m 55s

Explorers Justin Fornal and Emiliano Ruprah from the Science Channel’s “Unexplained and Unexplored” discuss the surprising roles that maps have played throughout history. You’ll also learn about why people fidget.We're nominated for an award! P

Geoengineering, Artificial Sweeteners, Butterfly Mimicry

23 days ago 12m 47s

Today, you’ll learn about a potentially risky new idea to geoengineer our way out of extreme heat, bad news for fans of artificially sweetened drinks, and an incredible new discovery about butterflies. Geoengineering “Dehydrate the stratosph

Time Flies, Human Microbiome, Smartphone Death Predictor

Dec 15th, 2022 15m 54s

Today you’ll learn about how time flies as we age, how scientists are learning more and more about the microbiome within a human body, and the potential for a new phone app that can predict when you might die.Time Flies “Why Does 'Time Fly' As

Quitting Smoking, Over-Practicing, Bill Nye on Believing Science

1 Jan 7th, 2022 13m 41s

Learn how quitting smoking helps mental health; how to avoid over-practicing; and how to get people to believe science.Quitting smoking is good for your mental health, too by Steffie DruckerCochrane Review finds stopping smoking is linked to im

Introducing: Dogs 101

Dec 17th, 2021 41m 24s

From Animal Planet comes a new podcast, Dogs 101, where you'll get a rundown of all your favorite dog breeds. Check out the first episode, "Puppies" here.Is there a biological reason why humans are drawn to puppies? How long does a canine pregn

Cartoony Robots, Naloxone Myths, Why Dishwashers Dull Knives

Dec 10th, 2021 15m 50s

Learn why robots should look like cartoons; why more access to an opioid antidote doesn't make people think heroin is safe; and why dishwashers make knives less sharp.More from Ruth Aylett, professor of computer science at Heriot-Watt Universit

Why Limits Make You Lash Out, Cash vs Cards, Odds of Dying

Dec 8th, 2021 13m 12s

Learn why you act irrationally when your freedom is threatened; why you spend more with your credit card than you do when you use cash; and how statisticians calculate the probability of dying from something.The stories in this episode original

If Life Existed on Mars, How Would We Know?

Apr 12th, 2021 11m 45s

Learn about how atheists and believers have different moral compasses; how scientists will know if life ever existed on Mars; and how to persuade people to do what you want using the foot-in-the-door technique.Atheists and believers both have m

Small Talk Is Important, and Remote Workers Aren’t Getting Enough

Jan 25th, 2021 10m 10s

Learn about why small talk is important for coworkers during the workday; why gossip is actually pretty good for you; and how some frogs survive the winter by literally becoming “frogcicles.”Small talk during the workday is crucial, and remote

Disgusting Sights Literally Turn Your Stomach

Jan 15th, 2021 11m 37s

Learn about how disgusting sights literally turn your stomach; and why tattoos are permanent. Then, play along at home as we test your podcast knowledge in this month’s edition of the Curiosity Challenge trivia game.Disgusting sights literally

A New Discovery About That Weird “Aurora” Named STEVE

Jan 14th, 2021 13m 10s

Learn about a new discovery about STEVE, the weird streak of color in the Canadian skies; how a “wind phone” in Otsuchi, Japan, helped thousands cope with grief after losing their loved ones; and why we judge others more harshly than we judge o

Beat Stress with Laughter Yoga (w/ Madan Kataria, MD)

Jan 13th, 2021 12m 47s

Learn about the benefits of laughter yoga with the founder of the laughter club movement, Dr. Madan Kataria. You’ll also learn about a major breakthrough in the way scientists are searching for dark matter.This new dark-matter detection method

People Respond to Music Even When They Can’t Hear It

Jan 11th, 2021 12m 2s

Learn about why you can have an emotional reaction to music even when it’s not being played; how people have been performing brain surgery for thousands of years; and why some bathroom light switches are outside the room.People can have emotion

Swedish Death Cleaning Can Declutter Your Life

Jan 5th, 2021 9m 15s

Learn about how you can de-clutter your life with the Swedish concept of döstädning, or “death cleaning.” Then, learn about how Alfred Russel Wallace, the “other” scientist who discovered natural selection.Use Swedish Death Cleaning to Declutte

When Smokers Quit, Dormant Lung Cells Wake Up

Dec 31st, 2020 10m 28s

Learn about how quitting smoking may reawaken healthy cells; how researchers figured out how to tell the age of crime scene fingerprints to help investigators; and why you sometimes yawn while exercising or singing.Quitting smoking doesn’t just

Do People Think More in Words or Pictures?

Dec 30th, 2020 13m 10s

Learn about whether people think in words or in pictures; why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor.Whether People Think in Words or Pictures by Ashley Hamer (

The Stinky Science of the World’s Smelliest Fruit

Dec 29th, 2020 11m 8s

Learn about the shocking prevalence of torture scenes in movies; why durian, the world’s smelliest fruit, smells so bad; and where mold comes from.Torture is prevalent and effective in movies (but not in real life) by Kelsey DonkTorture Prevale

The Time Pi Was Almost Legally Changed to 3.2

Dec 23rd, 2020 14m 9s

Learn about how speed listening to podcasts (or "podfasting") affects our emotions; the health differences between white and brown rice; and the time pi was once almost legally changed to 3.2.Speed listening’s effects on emotion by Ashley Hamer