The man who walked butterflies on a leash
Unexplainable19 Touko 2025

The man who walked butterflies on a leash

Static electricity plays an invisible role in the natural world, and it may even help insects pollinate plants. To understand this hidden force, scientists have jumped through some pretty weird experimental hoops — and “walked” butterflies through literal hoops. Guests: Sam England, postdoctoral researcher at Berlin's National History Museum; Benji Jones, Vox's environmental correspondent To read more about this experiment, Benji recommends this great article from Quanta Magazine, where he first encountered Sam's work. For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/members⁠ Help us plan for the future of Unexplainable by filling out a brief survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠voxmedia.com/survey⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Solve me a river

Solve me a river

This week on Unexplainable or Not, Sally Helm, the newest member of our team, tries to figure out what's killing mussels, why rivers suddenly change course, and what the longest river in the world is....

29 Loka 202537min

This episode is haunted and spooky

This episode is haunted and spooky

Now why would you click on something like this? What's wrong with you?! Why are you — and so many other people — into scary stuff? Two scientists are trying to find out. (Originally aired in 2024) ...

27 Loka 202519min

Consider the shrimp

Consider the shrimp

Killing two people is worse than killing one. What about 440 billion crustaceans? Adapted from Dylan Matthews's essay on Vox.com. This story is part of a series supported by Animal Charity Evaluators...

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When talent vanishes overnight

When talent vanishes overnight

Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world. Maybe it’s painting. Or writing. Or playing baseball. Now, imagine you wake up one day, and you just can’t do it. You’re ...

20 Loka 202528min

Composing chaos

Composing chaos

Terry Riley's "In C" is one of the most influential pieces of music of the last century...but you'll never hear it the same way twice. Guest: Evan Ziporyn, composer, clarinetist, and producer of "In ...

8 Loka 202527min

Does Tylenol cause autism?

Does Tylenol cause autism?

Donald Trump and RFK Jr. seem convinced that it does. But our friends at Science Vs say the data is far more complicated. Guest: Meryl Horn, senior producer at Science Vs For show transcripts, go ...

6 Loka 202526min

Real-life zombies

Real-life zombies

Zombies might seem like the stuff of horror movies, but there are lots of examples of parasites taking over bugs’ bodies and bending them to their will. Guest: Mindy Weisberger, author of Rise of t...

1 Loka 202526min

How to change your personality

How to change your personality

Who are you, really? Our friends at The Gray Area ask whether it's really possible to change. Guest: ⁠Olga Khazan⁠, author of Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change For show...

29 Syys 202539min

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