Smiling Can Make You Happier, Maybe Nobody Likes Black Coffee or Beer, and Entropy 101
Learn about the weird science behind why people like the taste of black coffee; how entropy keeps time flowing forward; and how smiling really can make you feel happier.In this podcast, Cody Gough and
How to Tell What Life Hacks Are Worth Trying (w/ Joseph Reagle) and Microwaves for Cooling
Learn about how to tell whether a life hack is worth trying from a special guest: Professor Joseph M. Reagle Jr., author of the new book “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents.&r
Reduce Arachnophobia with Spider-Man, Biggest Volcano Eruption Ever, and 100-Point Plan
Learn about how watching Spider-Man may reduce arachnophobia; how the biggest volcano eruption in history may have made one of the world’s most classic horror stories possible; and a 100-point p
Drying Laundry to Make It Soft, Why Sad People Listen to Sad Music, and Fossilist Mary Anni
Learn about Mary Anning, the famed female fossil hunter history almost forgot; why sad people seek out sad music; and how you can get your air-dried laundry as soft as your machine-dried laundry.In th
Mentally Representing Our Relationships (w/ Vivian Zayas) and a Passion Pursuit Regimen
Learn about how researchers study how we mentally represent our relationships with special guest Vivian Zayas, Director of the Personality, Attachment, and Control Laboratory at Cornell University. Pl
Why Humans Built Cities in the First Place and What They Looked Like (w/ Monica L. Smith)
Learn about what the first cities looked like — and why humans built them — from author Monica L. Smith, an archaeologist and professor in the department of anthropology at UCLA. Then, lea
Pill Colors Influence Their Effectiveness, Bizarre Quark-Gluon Plasma Traits, and CEO Hobbi
Learn about how the color of pills influences how well they’ll work on you; the weird things scientists are learning about a substance that made up the early universe; and the science behind why
Science’s Replication Crisis (w/ Joseph M. Reagle, Jr.) and Why Squinting Helps You See
Learn about the replication crisis facing researchers in the social and life sciences from a special guest: Professor Joseph M. Reagle Jr., author of the new book “Hacking Life: Systematized Liv
Birth Order Doesn’t Matter, Your Liver Grows and Shrinks Overnight, and Von Neumann Probes
Learn about how we could use machines to explore the universe; when and why your liver shrinks and grows dramatically; and what science says about how much your birth order really mat
Why Smells Trigger Vivid Memories, Test Your Impostor Syndrome, and Trees Without Rings
Learn about why smells trigger such vivid memories; why an ancient tree is changing our understanding of how trees evolved; and how you can find out if you suffer from impostor syndrome, along with wa
How to Be a Better With Journalist Celeste Headlee
We could all get better at conversing with our fellow humans. It’s just so easy these days to hide behind our screens, and when we’re finally face to face with actual people, we’re often talking too m
Finding Life on Eyeball Planets, Our Shrinking Collective Attention Span, and Deep Work Ski
Learn about why our collective attention span is shrinking; how you can increase your productivity by building “deep work” skills; and why eyeball planets may be our best bet for finding a
Mother’s Day Origins, How Poor Vision Survived Natural Selection, and Muon Facts
Learn about what scientists know about the muon; how poor vision evolved; and why the founder of Mother’s Day Anna Jarvis regretted inventing it.In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer disc
Sickness Makes You Antisocial, Fruit Fly Facts (w/ Stephanie Mohr), and a Sting Pain Index
Learn about where fruit flies come from and what they do from special guest Stephanie Mohr, author of “First in Fly: Drosophila Research and Biological You’ll also learn
Best Position for Sleep, Better Learning by Arguing, and Universal Language of Honey Bees
Learn about new research that can help us understand and save the bees; the best sleeping position, according to science; and how you can learn learn something better by arguing with yourself.In this
Moviegoers Blink in Sync, Rain on the Sun, and Why Flamingos Stand on One Leg
Learn about a new discovery about rain on the sun; why flamingos stand on one leg; and why you blink the way you do when you’re watching a movie.In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer disc