Unexplainable podcast

Unexplainable

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  Vox  

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps on going. Host Noam Hassenfeld and an all-star team of reporters — Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, and Mandy Nguyen — tackle scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps on going. Host Noam Hassenfeld and an all-star team of reporters — Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, and Mandy Nguyen — tackle scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

 

#182

What’s hiding under the Antarctic ice?

Some of the largest lakes in the world have been buried under miles of ice for millions of... more

22 Jan 2025

25 MINS

25:46

22 Jan 2025


#181

Biopiracy

Genetic libraries are treasure troves of information about life from around the world. The... more

15 Jan 2025

30 MINS

30:14

15 Jan 2025


#180

Will AI ever ... feel?

Some scientists think an explosion of AI awareness and feeling might be just around the co... more

08 Jan 2025

28 MINS

28:03

08 Jan 2025


#179

New year, new diet, live forever?

It’s that time of year again. If you’re changing things up, there’s a lot of diets out the... more

01 Jan 2025

27 MINS

27:48

01 Jan 2025


#178

Mysteries we can’t stop thinking about

The wildest stories that never made it into our episodes. Until now. Guests: [Amy Boddy] (... more

18 Dec 2024

27 MINS

27:38

18 Dec 2024


#177

Who let the wolves in?

Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years... more

11 Dec 2024

26 MINS

26:14

11 Dec 2024


#176

Where to meet a Neanderthal

We know Neanderthals and early modern humans coupled up. But when did they meet, exactly? ... more

04 Dec 2024

31 MINS

31:19

04 Dec 2024


#175

Pinky and the (lab-grown) Brain

It’s not great to be a lab rat. And it turns out, lab rats might not be that great for sci... more

20 Nov 2024

22 MINS

22:52

20 Nov 2024


#174

Why are there lefties and righties?

This week on Unexplainable or Not, we’ve got three scientific mysteries all about left and... more

13 Nov 2024

29 MINS

29:50

13 Nov 2024


#173

Placebos work. Why?

For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they wer... more

06 Nov 2024

27 MINS

27:57

06 Nov 2024


#172

Why is horror so fun?

It makes sense that we run away from scary things. That’s a good way to stay alive. But wh... more

30 Oct 2024

21 MINS

21:51

30 Oct 2024


#171

Are psychedelics breaking science?

Drugs like ecstasy and mushrooms have shown promise as mental health treatments, but they’... more

23 Oct 2024

26 MINS

26:40

23 Oct 2024


#170

Your gut’s feelings

How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live ins... more

16 Oct 2024

30 MINS

30:09

16 Oct 2024


#169

Is insurance doomed?

As the world gets warmer and storms get worse, insurance companies are jacking up rates — ... more

09 Oct 2024

30 MINS

30:59

09 Oct 2024


#168

My animal heart

Doctors have started transplanting animal organs into people, hoping this experimental pro... more

02 Oct 2024

27 MINS

27:20

02 Oct 2024


#167

How hot could the world get?

Scientists have lots of ways to try to answer that question, and lots of different predict... more

25 Sep 2024

25 MINS

25:58

25 Sep 2024


#166

Should you be eating poison oak?

Probably not. But Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz decided to try anyway, putting... more

18 Sep 2024

30 MINS

30:40

18 Sep 2024


#165

Dark oxygen could rewrite Earth’s history

Scientists just discovered oxygen being produced without sunlight — without photosynthesis... more

11 Sep 2024

25 MINS

25:28

11 Sep 2024


#164

You're lost in the wilderness. Now what?

For decades, search and rescue teams followed an accepted playbook. Now, scientists are he... more

28 Aug 2024

24 MINS

24:04

28 Aug 2024


#163

Viral dark matter

With antibiotic resistance on the rise, some scientists are turning to viruses as a medica... more

21 Aug 2024

25 MINS

25:56

21 Aug 2024


#162

The good virus

Our bodies are teeming with viruses. But some of them, called phages, might play a really ... more

14 Aug 2024

21 MINS

21:56

14 Aug 2024


#161

Ecstasy therapy

The FDA is about to announce whether it’s going to approve MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. O... more

07 Aug 2024

32 MINS

32:18

07 Aug 2024