Episode Archive

More than 1500 episodes* on just about any kind of thing you can think of. Collectively, we call it “stuff.” There’s definitely something in here that will pique your interest.

*We did the math once and listening every minute of every day, it would take more than a month to make it through the catalog. And what a month that would be!

The Silurian Hypothesis

May 16, 2024 49 min

The idea that we aren’t the first advanced civilization to live on Earth sounds like a fringe theory, but it raises a good question: How can we be so sure that a civilization didn’t arise and die on Earth so long ago that any trace of it has been erased?

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Short Stuff: Zambonis!

May 15, 2024 13 min

Even the dullest hockey game is worth seeing when the Zamboni comes out to resurface the ice.

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NYC Trash: A study in persistence

May 14, 2024 50 min

Taking care of 12,000 tons of residential trash every day is a hard job. But how does that even work? Listen in to marvel at the NYC sanitation system.

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Selects: How Stuttering Works

May 11, 2024 50 min

Despite as much as one percent of the adult population having the condition, science doesn't actually know how stuttering works. The best it's come up with so far: there seems to be an issue between the physical process of speaking and the thought process that underlies it. Find out what science means by this in this classic episode.

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10 - Yes, 10! - Dumb Criminals

May 9, 2024 45 min

Sometimes you just have to turn it off for a while – all the thinking, and overthinking, analyzing, and figuring out. Sometimes it’s nice to just breathe through your mouth and talk about dumb things criminals do for an episode.

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Short Stuff: Titanic Survivors!

May 8, 2024 16 min

We all know the story of the Titanic and the tragedy of lives lost. So hey, let's talk about the survivors for a change!

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Misophonia: More Than an Annoyance

May 7, 2024 47 min

Misophonia is a condition in which certain sounds trigger people in very negative ways that can really disrupt someone's life. Listen in today to learn all about this fairly recently recognized condition.

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Selects: The Legends of Lost Nazi Gold

May 4, 2024 46 min

As if being murdering SOBs weren’t enough, the Nazis were also thieving rats. During WWII, they stole billons in gold from countries they overran and moved it to Germany. But at the end of the war, only part of it was recovered. Where’s the rest? Find out the extent of our knowledge in this classic episode.

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Atomic Clocks, Ahoy!

May 2, 2024 51 min

The only thing more complicated than an atomic clock is researching how they work and then figuring out how to explain it to other people. But believe us, they are fascinating. Even if you don’t care about clocks or atoms you’ll still like this episode.   

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Short Stuff: Getting Winded

May 1, 2024 11 min

Getting the wind knocked out of you is scary, but passes quickly. Learn exactly what's happening with all that today.

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