Cargoism: Science, Desire and the Cargo Cults
During the Second World War, Melanesian islanders encountered the vast, commercial systems of Allied and Japanese forces. Cargo Cults sprang up in the wake of such contact, typified by deification and...
5 Apr 201656min
The Unsettling Depths of Bird Intelligence
Just what are the upper limits of avian cognitive ability? Various studies reveal how certain bird species engage in mental time travel, tool use, self recognition, theory of mind and even meta-cognit...
31 Mar 20161h 11min
Hyper-Real Religion: Pastafarianism and Beyond
When does a protest religion become an actual faith? What happens when purely fictional modes of belief leak off the page or screen? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss modern religious movements, the...
29 Mar 20161h 11min
Wound Mouth of the Undying Hydra
Behold a tentacled, immortal predator with a wound for a mouth. No, this isn't the product of a horror writer's fever dream, but rather a denizen of the natural world. In this episode of Stuff to Blow...
24 Mar 201644min
Wicked Problems
How do you solve a problem like crime, poverty or climate change? The answer, like the problem itself, is elusive and amorphous. These are not "tame problems," but "wicked problems" -- conundrums that...
22 Mar 201658min
Beekeeping, Ancient Egypt and the Tears of Re
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, enter a kingdom within a kingdom: the remarkable honey-and-wax monarchy within a beehive and the organizational complexity of ancient Egypt. Join Robert and...
17 Mar 20161h 14min
Creepypasta 2: Disturbing Smiles & Lidless Eyes
You asked for it, you got it. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian return to the Creepypasta files and discuss some actual science behind the "Jeff the Killer" tale of muti...
16 Mar 20161h 1min
Sex Cannibals of the Animal Kingdom
Sexual cannibalism is a rarity in the natural world, and scientists are still attempting to understand the act as practiced by mostly arachnids and insects. Why consume your mate after or during sexua...
10 Mar 201656min
