Zenobia and the Roman Empire

Haile Selassie wasn't just the last emperor of Ethiopia -- he is also hailed as a messiah. In this classic episode from 2011, previous hosts Deblina and Sarah explore the astonishing life of Haile Sel...

28 Dec 201928min

On this casual Friday chat, Tracy and Holly share their thoughts on the history of aspirin, as well as the amazing churches carved from stone in Ethiopia. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...

27 Dec 201910min

The complex at Lalibela was excavated from volcanic rock about 700 years ago, and has been in continuous use since then. It's connected to the overall history of Christianity in Ethiopia -- different ...

25 Dec 201935min

Just a little Christmas Eve cheer for our listeners as everyone keeps an eye out for Santa! It's our 2017 episode about how NORAD started tracking Santa. There’s some myth-busting here, and maybe the ...

24 Dec 201932min

From its natural base substance, salicin, to the invention of its synthetic derivative form that we still use, the story of aspirin has its own controversy and conflict, including whether the proper c...

23 Dec 201929min

This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina continues the bushranger discussion. After 1853, many bushrangers were native-born. Ben Hall seemed on track for a peaceful life until two wrong...

21 Dec 201917min

It's easy to marvel at the work of scientists, both in terms of the scientific concepts themselves and in the ways scientists behave. Both of those things, as well as foreign language verb tense, feat...

20 Dec 201911min

Helium and humankind's understanding of it sits at the earliest intersection of astronomy and chemistry. The story of its discovery also features two scientists who were working on similar ideas concu...

18 Dec 201930min