With a hint of magic and the lure of buried wisdom, Ancient Egypt has, like a mysterious and powerful magnet, for millennia pulled on the collective imagination of the West. But almost as gripping as the story of Egypt itself is the story of Egyptomania, the tale of how that fascination took hold, the bold adventurers who unearthed antiquities, the clashing empires that fought over these ancient prizes, and a pair of brilliant linguists who cracked the ancient code of the hieroglyphs.
Feb 23, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Mollusks cultivate underwater gardens, cuttlefish become invisible, and tiny fish run spas for predators. Meanwhile, some ingenious humans work to protect the underwater world that most of us rarely see. Photograph from UNDERWATER WILD by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck. Copyright © 2018, 2021 by Quivertree Publications. Reprinted by permission of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers LLC. All rights reserved.
Feb 16, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 2
When a comet crashes into Jupiter, the first to see it are amateurs at the Vatican Observatory in Rome, who can't restrain themselves from shouting and dancing. Far to the north, an aurora hunter backs into a freezing river in Iceland and barely notices his frigid feet. His eyes are on the skies. Miracles, mindfulness, and celestial wonder. Guest: Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., Director of the Vatican Observatory, "The Pope's Astronomer," and author of "Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night S...
Feb 09, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 1
A cancer survivor dispels the myths and stigmas of cancer survivorship. Nancy Frates, co-creator of the ALS ice bucket challenge, explains how the movement took off.
Feb 02, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Why the mishaps of the 1904 Olympic Marathon almost led to the event being banned in all future Olympic Games. Also, how world's fairs have changed the world.
Jan 26, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Trees conspire with each other to thwart seed predators. David Allen Sibley tries to answer essential birder questions: “What do birds do?” and “Why?”
Jan 25, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison dreamed of more than Model-Ts and lightbulbs.
Jan 24, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 22
How Hawaiian cowboys stunned Wyoming.
Jan 19, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 21
The benefits and hazards of fear. And, how to die in space.
Jan 18, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 20
How a formerly enslaved man in Kentucky worked with a former Confederate hero to win damages from a lynch mob, and how a formerly enslaved woman sued her former master, and won.
Jan 17, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Scorpions hear through their feet, navigate by the stars, and cannibalize each other. And, milking deadly snakes to make lifesaving anti-venom.
Jan 12, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 18
The secrets to making excellent pho at home; cooking with Italian grannies; and an introduction to the world's only sourdough library.
Jan 11, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 17
A delightful history of using personal ads to find love. And, when did diamonds become a girl's best friend?
Jan 10, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Pigments in every color that you can imagine.
Jan 05, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 15
The abyss of the deep sea is anything but lifeless!
Jan 04, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 14
For two POWs in WWI, a con was the only way to secure their freedom. And, Gregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised land.
Jan 03, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Whitman's poetry sheds light on human connections and national identity. Maps help us view history differently.
Dec 29, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 12
From "chili queens" to the founder of Taco Bell to the invention of Doritos, how America embraced Mexican food.
Dec 28, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Monuments and mummies alike provide insights to the distribution of power in ancient Egypt.
Dec 27, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The Santa Claus Association was supposed to help kids, but its founder was no saint. And, the myths behind the man Johnny Appleseed.
Dec 22, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Climate change, ice instruments, and lab-designed snowflakes.
Dec 21, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Christmas wouldn't be the same without Dickens. And, the railroads changed Christmas forever.
Dec 20, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Danielle Reed explores the wide genetic differences in taste buds, and a related topic, why COVID-19 causes some people to lose their sense of taste and smell. And, musician Annie Dickinson sees music in color.
Dec 15, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Federal law enforcement was weak at the beginning of the 20th century.
Dec 14, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Advances in cardiac surgery were pioneered by fearless heart surgeons, and some unsung heroes who assisted them.
Dec 13, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Jim Thorpe was known as the greatest athlete in the world.
Dec 10, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Preserving traditional and ancient arts.
Dec 09, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The wonders of these smart, social creatures.
Dec 08, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Join host Marcus Smith for conversations that invite you to discover, explore, and reengage with the wonders of the world around you. Find new episodes that will be available each week starting February 9th, 2022.
Dec 01, 2021•2 min
