Bird people and deep space shrapnel
Two mysteries we can't stop thinking about: Is lightning actually caused by cosmic rays? And why don't birds play chess? Articles featured: “What Causes Lightning?” by Charlie Wood (also featured o...
22 Juni 27min
Should we really kill all the lanternflies?
When an invasive bug landed on the East Coast, people embraced the order to squish it to death. But what has all that squishing done to us? Guests: Julie Urban, professor in the entomology department...
17 Juni 32min
Sean tries raw milk
Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained, recently went on a dairy adventure. Noam talks to Sean about what he learned, and about why raw milk is gaining popularity, even though there are signific...
15 Juni 31min
The disaster problem
Climate change is making hurricanes, floods, and wildfires harder to prepare for just as confidence in the government’s disaster response is collapsing. Our friends at On the Media explore how FEMA be...
8 Juni 1h
The lost Lyme vaccine
Vijay Sikand is a family doctor in the Connecticut town that gave Lyme disease its name. When a pharmaceutical company came to town to test a vaccine, he built a career and a community around the tria...
3 Juni 38min
The cells we share
Fetuses leave cells behind in their parents' bodies, where they braid themselves into tissues, and remain, for years. What are they doing in there? (Originally aired in 2023) Guests: Amy Boddy, Ass...
1 Juni 36min
The man who bet against humanity — and lost
Paul Ehrlich was famous for predicting a population explosion that would destroy the planet, but he didn't count on human ingenuity. Guest: Bryan Walsh, Vox senior editorial director This episode wa...
20 Maj 16min
