A cave art discovery that could put the development of writing back thousands of years. Plus, one US state taking concrete steps against misinformation. And Benoit Blanc isn’t just playing Among Us, now he’s in it. Links: Amateur archaeologist helps crack Ice Age cave art code (BBC News) An Upper Palaeolithic Proto-writing System and Phenological Calendar (Cambridge Archaeological Journal) A Total Amateur May Have Just Rewritten Human History With Bombshell Discovery (Vice) The Tower of Babel, E...
Jan 09, 2023•18 min
How old is fast food? And to what extent was food actually healthier in the past, before our days of factory farming and artificial preservatives? A deep dive into the pros and cons of convenience food then and now. Links: A Plea for Culinary Modernism by Rachel Laudan, 2001 Thread and replies on the article (Jason Crawford, Twitter) 11/21/23 episode including a brief background on the baguette (Cool Stuff Ride Home) 01/29/21 episode on the Pompeii snack bar (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Maintenance Ph...
Jan 06, 2023•19 min
A vaccine for bees. Plus, the Japanese government will pay families to leave Tokyo. And a device that doesn’t let you type “LOL” unless you actually laughed out loud. Links: US government approves use of world’s first vaccine for honeybees (The Guardian) World-First Vaccine For Honeybees Gets Approved In The US (IFL Science) United States Honey Bee Colony Losses 2021-2022: Preliminary Results From The Bee Informed Partnership (Bee Informed) Helping Agriculture's Helpful Honey Bees (FDA) Why Are ...
Jan 05, 2023•18 min
Could a poop vault become joining the Svalbard Global Seed Vault's new neighbor? Some scientists think could be a pretty crappy move. Plus, the US congressman who’s slated to be sworn in on a Superman comic. And the History of the World, Part Two. Links: The “disappearing” human microbiome — and the fraught push to preserve it (Inverse) A Mass Extinction Is Taking Place in the Human Gut (WIRED) The Invisible Extinction EXPLAINER: How the House of Representatives elects a speaker (AP) Kevin McCar...
Jan 04, 2023•19 min
Are we at the beginning of a new space race? NASA Administrator Bill Nelson thinks so. Plus, why father of genetics Gregor Mendel’s skeleton was dug up last year. And a chance to read history’s most famous diarist’s words in real time over the next decade. Links: ‘We better watch out’: NASA boss sounds alarm on Chinese moon ambitions (Politico) China sets out clear and independent long-term vision for space (Space News) ‘We’re in a space race’: Nasa sounds alarm at Chinese designs on moon (The G...
Jan 03, 2023•20 min
Our final lookback on some of the best segments from the past few years. From 2021, how beer-making used to be considered women’s work, and also may have popularized some of the popular symbols, like broomsticks and pointed hats, that we associate with witches today. Plus, why the CIA covertly funded the British cartoon adaptation of Animal Farm in the 1950s. And, as 2022 comes to a close, a look back at one man’s predictions for this year, written from his perspective in 1922. Links: Fri. 03/12...
Dec 29, 2022•28 min
Today from the Cool Stuff Ride Home archives, how Polynesian voyagers navigated the oceans without compasses or maps, and how a new generation is bringing back those traditional skills. Plus, Waffle House’s earnest and hilarious record label. And, looking at “The Dress” seven years on––did that viral moment lay the groundwork for the climate of misinformation today? Links: Mon. 07/11/22 - Sailing Without a Map, or Compass, or Anything (Cool Stuff Ride Home) This woman navigated a 3,000-mile Paci...
Dec 28, 2022•27 min
We kick off the final week of the year with a look back at some of the show’s best segments. So for today, from the archives, we’ve got how and why food itself became gendered––y’know, men eat red meat, women eat salads. Women watch their weight and men eat huge portions of the most ridiculous Mountain Dew-laced Dorito monstrosities they can come up with. Plus, what would happen if we just… killed all the mosquitos on the planet? And, from 2021, the little-known reason that all the Brontës died ...
Dec 27, 2022•28 min
We dive into the origins and enduring popularity of that most classic of Christmas Carols, “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” Plus, Stephen Spielberg has officially apologized to sharks for Jaws. And a note on our holiday programming. Sponsor: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells: The History of a Children's Classic (CBR) I Asked 64,182 People About “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. Here's What I Found Out. (Tom Scott, YouTube) T...
Dec 22, 2022•22 min
What are solstices and seasons like on other planets? Plus, why everyone in South Korea is about to become a year or two younger. And Lionel Messi’s celebratory Instagram photos have become the most-liked social media post of all-time. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Give Thanks for the Winter Solstice. You Might Not Be Here Without It. (NY Times) Winter solstice 2022 brings the longest night of the year to Northern Hemisphere (Space.c...
Dec 21, 2022•17 min
Could wind be the dark horse in the hunt for power sources for human habitats on Mars? Plus, the first-ever recording of a dust devil on Mars, and a goodbye to a beloved Martian explorer. And Google unveils the most-searched word of the year. I’ll give you a hint: it’s a six-letter word about five-letter words that sold to the New York Times for a “low seven figures.” Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: NASA says wind could power human mis...
Dec 20, 2022•20 min
Everything you never wondered about those wooden castle-like playgrounds of Gen X and Millennials’ youths. Plus, how a nano-thin layer of gold could finally be the cure to the dreaded glasses fog of our COVID masking era. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: If you remember this playground, your childhood was awesome (Hopes and Fears) The dangerous playgrounds of 1900s through vintage ph...
Dec 20, 2022•20 min
An AI chatbot that can negotiate with customer service chatbots to lower your bills, cancel your subscriptions, and more. Plus, the reason why chocolate sometimes gets that white sort of chalky sheen on it. And, a segment from the archives about the science behind some reindeers’ color-changing eyes, real red-nosed reindeer, and the origins of that famous song. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/c...
Dec 16, 2022•17 min
The interplay between science fiction and real-world scientific innovations––from space travel to fusion energy. Plus, a replay of a classic Cool Stuff Ride Home segment on Krampus with an update on some risqué depictions of the Yuletide rogue that have been making the rounds online this year. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: How Science Fiction Movies Prepared Us for the Nuclear Fus...
Dec 15, 2022•24 min
Why some street lights across the US and Canada have been turning purple, and what it says about the larger effects of the supply chain on our cityscapes. Plus, the emus that were banned from a bar in Queensland have returned with a surprise. And New Zealand’s parliament just passed a lifetime ban on smoking for the youngest members of Gen Z and beyond. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Link...
Dec 14, 2022•17 min
The origins and significance of the song “Silent Night.” Plus, an update on the US’s fusion energy breakthrough. And Los Angeles County’s first-ever unicorn license has been issued. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: The humble origins of 'Silent Night' (The Conversation) History of the Song (Silent Night Association) Christmas carols (BBC) Skulls, salt and snow: 200 years of 'Silent N...
Dec 13, 2022•21 min
A big fusion energy announcement is coming in the morning, but just how “big” will it really be? Plus, a collection of disappearing and extinct sounds. And how the climate emergency is coming for one trendy fruit. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Fusion energy breakthrough by US scientists boosts clean power hopes (Financial Times) Fusion energy, the 'holy grail' of clean power, a step closer to reality (Washington Post) U.S. to a...
Dec 12, 2022•19 min
A browser button proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1997 that could’ve changed the web as we know it… or could it? Plus, eight artists from the around the world are officially going on a trip around the moon thanks to a controversial Japanese billionaire. And Hot Pockets just launched a line of cargo shorts with actual hot pockets. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Tim Berners-Lee’s “Oh, Yeah...
Dec 09, 2022•18 min
As we go the first Christmas in over half a century without a network TV airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas, an extended reflection on its staying power, unexpected success, and how CBS originally wished they could get out of having to air it at all because they thought it was so bad. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Links: Charlie Brown Christmas Special: An Inside Job (The Atlantic) Peanuts ...
Dec 08, 2022•26 min
How less-confusing food labeling––and perhaps more food-based curriculum in schools––can mitigate the huge problem of food waste. Plus, a new web-based simulator that will show you exactly how screwed you are if an asteroid hits your hometown. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Expiration Dates Are Meaningless (The Atlantic) Thanksgiving Dinner Will Result in 305 Million Pounds of Food Was...
Dec 07, 2022•19 min
Candles will play stunt double for actors in a new staging of Shakespeare’s most violent play. Plus, we take a detour down the path of Shakespearean conspiracies. And, in other news, the moon just got its own infrastructure package. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Links: Candles take the brunt in gore-free production of Titus Andronicus (The Guardian) Shakespeare by Bill Bryson The Year of Lea...
Dec 06, 2022•19 min
2023 is going to be a big year for the public domain, and especially for one estate who will finally be losing control of a character they’ve tried their very best to wring every last dollar from for over a century. Plus, Oxford English Dictionary officially declared “goblin mode” as their word of the year. And Saturday Night Live finally did something I’ve been wanting them to do for twenty years. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off you...
Dec 05, 2022•20 min
AriZona Iced Tea is joining the hard beverage movement. Pepsi is joining… Big Milk? And scientists have got some new, practical tips for training your body to wake up earlier and actually alert. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: AriZona Celebrates the Launch of Boozy Teas With a Totally Tubular '90s Pop-Up (AdWeek) Har...
Dec 02, 2022•20 min
Was Mars once hit with an asteroid on the scale of Earth’s own dino-killer? Plus, what if there was a device that listened to your farts and let you know when you should go see a doctor? And the USDA program that’s recognizing indigenous food ways. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: Mars Had an Ancient Asteroid Impact Like the One Tha...
Dec 01, 2022•19 min
A dive into the design behind Spotify Wrapped, and some of the new features this years––including the Myers-Briggsification of your personal listening data. Plus, the baguette was just granted UNESCO world heritage status! Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: How Spotify’s Wrapped campaign for 2022 came together (It’s Nice That) Get to ...
Nov 30, 2022•20 min
Drought and inflation are making it a tough year for Christmas trees. Plus, Japan has had to abandon what would’ve been their first-ever lunar landing, but a private Japanese company launching a lander tomorrow might still fulfill that milestone for the nation. And a round-up of the weirdest movies coming out next year, including the true story of Cocaine Bear. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://...
Nov 29, 2022•17 min
The world’s largest active volcano has begun erupting for the first time in four decades. Plus, “monkeypox” has officially been renamed “mpox.” And insurance company State Farm has just released a jazz album. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano erupts for first time in 38 years (Washingt...
Nov 28, 2022•17 min
New Zealand is set to vote on lowering the voting age to 16. Scientists have added four new prefixes to the metric system. And a peek inside the wide world of Monster Energy drink collection and trading communities. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Supreme Court rules in favour of lowering voting age to 16 in case by ‘Make it 16′ group (New Zealand Herald) New Zealand lawmakers will vote on...
Nov 22, 2022•20 min
Could the “tripledemic” be tamped down slightly by the viruses interfering with and preventing each other from spiking in the same place at the same time? Plus, public libraries in the US and Canada have been launching their own streaming platforms featuring local musicians. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Competition between respiratory viruses may hold off a ‘tripledemic’ this winter (Sc...
Nov 21, 2022•17 min
What’s the deal with those giant turkey legs they serve at renaissance fairs and Disney World? Plus, Coors Light has just launched a color-changing nail polish that lets you know when your beer is cold enough to drink. And Cambridge Dictionary’s perplexing choice of a word of the year that most Brits have never heard of. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Meaty-oric Rise...
Nov 18, 2022•19 min
