It's the Best of Everything! The episode where we look at the topics that YOU thought were our best from the past year, and chat some behind the scenes about them! It's a great place to start and a great time to brush up on things you may have forgotten. Images we Talk About: Etching from the Great Moon Hoax Bumble Bee Ocelli Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:51) The Vitamin Saga (00:20:55) Why is the Sky Blue? (00:33:19) Speech Disfluency (00:53:11) The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 (01:09:07) Supe...
Jun 04, 2026•2 hr
You may know the polygraph is junk science, but what is the real science of lying and what wild turns did the polygraph take to get to today? And how old is dentistry? If ancient cave men didn't brush why do I have to? Well it turns out for good reason, and some fascinating dental science. ALSO SEE US LIVE IN LONDON!!! LETSLEARNEVERYTHING.COM/LIVE Images we Talk About: Mackenzie's First Polygraph Ancient Teeth Image Dentistry Tool 1 Dentistry Tool 2 Dentistry Tool 3 Dentistry Tool 4 Timestamps: ...
May 21, 2026•1 hr 58 min
It's that time of year to vote for the Best Of Everything! https://www.letslearneverything.com/vote Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn
May 20, 2026•3 min
Are there more carnivores in the ocean than land? Yes! But... why? And what does that teach us about how we study ecosystems? And what constitutes a collection? Well it goes way back in time, and can cover anything and everything interesting, and maybe even teach us about ourselves and each other. Images we Talk About: Giraffe Biomass Pyramid 1 Biomass Pyramid 2 Dolphin Tiger Purple Otter Skull Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:30) The Marine Carnivore Conundrum (00:56:33) Collecting (01:51:34...
May 07, 2026•1 hr 59 min
Caroline's Frogs campaign and our improv class were some of our favorite bonus episodes we've done, so we wanted to share a sample of what they sound like! If your interest is piqued, you can hear the rest AND support the show at www.LetsLearnEverything.com/join Sources: JSTOR: Portmaneau Origins Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn...
Apr 30, 2026•58 min
Folks we're halfway through the MaxFunDrive! And to keep the celebration we have Tom chatting behinds the scenes with other Max Fun hosts! For all the details about MFD perks, the livestream, and how to support the show, go to LetsLearnEverything.com ! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:26) Casters on Casters Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn...
Apr 27, 2026•23 min
What is the Anthropocene? No really, who came up with it, when does it start, and why does that matter? Well it involves nuance, scientific beef, and a surprising amount of freaky little guys. And we all know of some sound effects we love, but what is their history, where are the weird places they've shown up, and what can they teach us about art? Images we Talk About: The International Chronostratigraphic Chart Opabinia Graptolite Sound Effect Rooms Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4 Pictu...
Apr 23, 2026•2 hr 26 min
IT'S THE MAX FUN DRIVE!!! We kickoff with a crossover "Casters on Casters" with Ella chatting behinds the scenes with other Max Fun hosts! For all the details about MFD perks, the livestream, and how to support the show, go to LetsLearnEverything.com ! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:40) Casters on Casters Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn...
Apr 20, 2026•26 min
Why aren't mushroom animals? Why is this mushroom growing out of a frog?? WHAT KIND OF MUSHROOM IS TOAD?!?! Well Sage the Bad Naturalist is here to answer all our festering fungus questions! Things we Talk About: Sponge Lifecycle Fungus Lifecycle Mushroom Growing out of Frog Bunashimeji Mushroom Blewit Mushroom Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:50) Why Aren't Fungi Animals (00:24:55) This is Planet Chitin (00:30:01) The Frog Mushroom Mystery (00:52:47) Questions for Sage (01:19:16) Outro Suppo...
Apr 09, 2026•1 hr 23 min
Why are there so many vitamins, what even IS a vitamin?? Well Tom finally understands, and takes us on a tour through their infuriating past. And how did the cheerful fairy we know and love today, evolve into its current form? Well we'll only tell if you can answer our riddles three and- or you can just listen to the episode. Things we Talk About: James Lind Scurvy Painting The Various Vitamin Bs Vitamin Map Brownie First Fairy Image Cicely Mary Barker Fairies Cottingley Fairies 1 Cottingley Fai...
Mar 26, 2026•1 hr 55 min
For episode 101, we're challenging ourselves to make a technically family friendly, swear free episode! Why is the sky blue? Well it turns out it took a lot of science to understand why! And what is speech disfluency? Well it's like... um... you'll see! Images we Talk About: Green Flash Sunset Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:43) Why is the Sky Blue (00:54:28) Speech Disfluency (01:40:45) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: it’s like playing moza...
Mar 12, 2026•1 hr 46 min
Tom & Ella are out sick! So enjoy this recast of when Tom was healthy and on SciShow Tangents! OR enjoy our 2 hours on the Project 4 Awesome livestream , basically a video podcast! OR check out all our other stuff at https://www.LetsLearnEverything.com/ Thanks for your patience y'all! - Tom, Ella, & Caroline Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn...
Feb 26, 2026•53 min
You asked, and we finally answered, today we are Finally, actually learning everything! Something that is definitely possible and easy to do. Caroline covers infinity, which can include basically anything, Ella covers what everything is made of, and Tom does the rest! Simple, right? Images we Talk About: Cantor's Diagonal Argument The Bullet Cluster Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:28) Infinity (00:49:09) What's Everything Made Of? (01:29:52) Everything Else (02:08:54) Outro Support us with a...
Feb 12, 2026•2 hr 17 min
The author, historian, and person of many fascinations Iszi Lawrence teaches us how to get into ancient Egyptian heaven! Plus we learn about a bit of everything else from dinosaurs to medieval almond milk! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:14) Getting Into Ancient Egyptian Heaven (00:45:31) Questions for Iszi (01:08:59) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Images we talk about: Anurognathus The Tring Tiles We also learn about: Todays question is how to take on two atta...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 15 min
While we take some time to rest and plan out the new year, enjoy our episode of Escape This Podcast as the three of us use cleverness and chaos to solve this escape room! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:05) The Escape Room (01:20:19) Puzzle Talk Back Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Images we talk about: The Spa Controls The Spa Sign Ring Toss The Spa Sign with Sun The Full Room Write Up Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximu...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 51 min
It's the new year! Which means it's time to learn about the most interesting thing... ourselves?? We answer YOUR questions with OUR answers, so learn a bit more about us, science, and the show! Links we Talk About: Our Top Songs Playlist Magnetic Fields Tiny Desk Anni DiRusso Tiny Desk Doechii Tiny Desk Dr.Cal Whale Cancer TikTok Timestamps: (00:07:06) Welcome to the Q&A (00:31:45) Science (00:52:28) Fun (01:04:26) Making the Podcast (01:27:06) Personal (01:45:55) Outro Support us with a Max...
Jan 01, 2026•1 hr 49 min
The HaLearnDays are here!! And with it come learning, laughs, and fun facts from us and friends of the show, as well as a few surprise new friends! Images we Talk About: Bat Carrying Bristol Stool Chart Lego Head Diagram The Praise the Lord Show Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:08:10) Bats (00:19:45) Livingston's Body (00:25:18) Pi & PIE (00:34:45) Lego Head Passage (00:44:02) Bird Brains (00:56:04) Tomatoes (01:10:35) Alpha-gal (01:16:27) Rice to Riches (01:26:37) Mission Impossible & B...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 48 min
What are the most EXTREME lifeforms on Earth, and how are they surprisingly important to study? And what is the long yet recent history of astrology, and why do we reach for it? Things we Talk About: The Seal Stream Sea lion running Paper Clipping: Female Astrologer Paper Clipping: Suffragette Books Paper Clipping: WW2 and Astrology Paper Clipping: Pimms Ad Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:23) Extremophiles (00:57:55) Astrology (01:43:59) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our D...
Dec 04, 2025•2 hr 3 min
http://www.LetsLearnEverything.com/q It's time to submit your questions for our annual Q&A episode! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinlearn
Dec 01, 2025•3 min
What, when, where, why, and how... do we sneeze? There's a surprising amount of mystery to the thing we do all the time, and a lot to learn about! And how many parables and metaphors that we use are actually true? Let's actually dig in to the research and bust some myths!! I mean... break some... falsehoods!! Images we Talk About: The Rat Diagram Caseids Diplodocus Bones Plane Diagram Moai Walking Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:26) Sneezing (00:57:55) Parable Mythbusters (01:43:59) Outro Su...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 51 min
How have animals adapted to the digging lifestyle, and can that help us explain the Devil's Corkscrew? And what are the various ways movies can be censored across the world, and what does that tell us about the world itself? Images we Talk About: The Devil's Corkscrew Mole Skeleton Comparison Mole Digging Video Monitor Lizard Burrow Monitor Lizard Burrows Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:30) Fossoriality (00:52:58) Movie Censorship (01:36:53) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join o...
Nov 06, 2025•1 hr 42 min
It's the podcast's birthday!! So Tom has a few ideas he wants to pitch to Caroline and Ella... but first! Ella and Caroline finally revisit the topics they promised! What are the WILD stories behind the race to discover new elements, and what are the real nuancy nuances of craftivism? Images we Talk About: William Morris' Print Terrero's Hankie Hankie Given to Terrero Madres de Plaza de Mayo Pussyhat Tom's Gifts Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:43) Superheavy Elements 2 (01:17:58) Craftivism ...
Oct 23, 2025•2 hr 22 min
We know ghosts aren't real, but what is real is the way our brains make us imagine the creepy things that go bump in the night. What about our psychology makes it so easy to be spooked? And we've all heard of costumes and pumpkin carving, but what are the weirdest old Halloween traditions, and what can we take into our own traditions? Things we Talk About: Mooney Faces Games for Halloween Snap Dragon Video 1 Snap Dragon Video 2 Caramel Pronunciation Map Mischief Night Map Cabbage Card 1 Cabbage ...
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 41 min
Wait... ELLA is doing a math topic?? Not only that but she finds the beauty in searching for answers among the toughest math problems. Then, friend of the show Ellen Weatherford takes us through a tour of video game controllers. My favorite is the- wait how did we end up talking about World War 2?? Images we Talk About: Tesseract Gif Tennis for Two Controllers Magnavox Odyssey Game.com Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:05) Unsolved Math Problems (00:54:47) Video Game Controllers (01:46:42) Out...
Sep 25, 2025•1 hr 54 min
What does chemistry have to do with computers? Well it might just be the best way to understand what's actually going on inside a CPU! And how could there have been a moon hoax back in 1835? Well it involves cosmic pluralism and Edgar Allen Poe so buckle up! Images we Talk About: Vaccuum Tubes in Computers The First Integrated Circuit Another early Integrated Circuit Prototype People Etching a Circuit Mask TED How are Microchips Made Video Etching from the Great Moon Hoax Timestamps: (00:00:00) ...
Sep 11, 2025•1 hr 55 min
Is pointing rude? I'm sure it's a simple question with a simple answer that won't completely break our brains in rethinking all we take for granted about gesture. Also, what is Lauren’s holy grail lost media of gesture studies? Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:01) Is Pointing Rude? (00:48:11) Questions for Lauren (01:25:26) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: Diverse but incredibly niche interests is the sweet spot, studying the holes in emoji, T...
Aug 28, 2025•1 hr 29 min
How strange are octopuses really? We're going to be debunking some claims, then rebunking them with some real, amazing facts about our fellow earthlings. And what the history of the paralympics? What can we learn from its attempts and its failures and its importance in sports? See Tom's Science Game Show in NYC! Things we Talk About: Octopus Virus Diagram Snail Nervous System Diagram Octopus Maze Image Video of Octopus Opening a Jar Video of Octopus Camouflage Paralympics Ad Timestamps: (00:00:0...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 47 min
Blood! We all have it, but how much do we know about it? And more importantly, what was the journey of understanding to get there? And just how deep can the history of these peculiar percussion instruments go? Well we'll be criss-crossing across the planet today to find out! Images we Talk About: The Quijada Son Jarocho Quijada Video The Clapper The Clapper in Performance Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:35) Understanding Blood (00:49:38) Peculiar Percussion (01:24:41) Outro Support us with a...
Jul 31, 2025•1 hr 30 min
Chances are you know what a placebo is, but... how does it really work? And what can its evolution teach us about science, medicine, and ethics? And how much art can fit a tiny postage stamp? Well enough to fill a whole history of debate, drama, and ducks. Images we Talk About: Drafts of England's First Stamp Sydney Views Stamp The Train Stamp 2025 Duck Stamp Winners McBroom's Spite Duck Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:20) The Evolution of Placebos (00:57:13) Postage Stamp Art (01:41:17) Out...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 47 min
Just how complicated can animal mating rituals be, and why did they even evolve them at all? And why is true crime Everywhere, and what can we learn from breaking down what makes it feel so icky? Also see Tom's new Game Show in NYC this Sunday! www.OurFindingsShow.com Things we Talk About: Deathwatch Beetle Red-Winged Blackbird House Finch Lesser Florican Video Dance Analysis Video 1 Dance Analysis Video 2 Cruell Step-Dames Carolina Buddies Murder Ballad Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:04) M...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 51 min
