They wore bells, told jokes, and made kings laugh — but the true history of jesters is full of surprises. From ancient Egypt to medieval Europe, this episode explores the serious side of these so-called fools: their talents, their struggles, and the unique place they held in royal courts. A fascinating and family-friendly look at the wit, courage, and complexity behind the jester’s smile. This episode was prepared with the help of AI, and the content is written by OYLA authors. For a subscriptio...
Jul 07, 2025•7 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Have you ever heard of a town that started as a copyright trap and ended up on real maps? Welcome to the curious world of “paper towns”—fake streets, towns, and even mountain peaks added to maps to catch copycats. In this episode, we’ll tell the true story of Agloe, a fictional hamlet in New York that became real (if only briefly), and explore other oddities like Argleton in England and Mount Richard in Colorado. But it’s not just maps—dictionaries, encyclopedias, and even scientific papers hide...
Jun 30, 2025•10 min•Season 2Ep. 1
What are snowflakes? Is it true that no two are alike? On the 28th of January, 1887, the town of Fort Keogh in Montana was experiencing unusually heavy snowfall. A ranch owner named Matt Coleman became a witness to this unique natural phenomenon. Amidst the falling snowflakes, one attracted his attention above all the rest: it was nearly 16 inches wide and 8 inches thick! Even today, it still holds the status of the largest snowflake ever recorded. Such large flakes appear during warm winter wea...
Jan 23, 2024•10 min
Living in a city is very different from living in a rural area. But did you know that even climate and weather can drastically change as you enter a big city? Temperature, wind, and humidity in an urban environment are not the same as outside of it. Why is that? Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Jan 19, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Toothy ichthyosaurs, giant plesiosaurs, flying pterosaurs... What beasts could possibly be more terrifying? For one woman who spent her life among these fossilized giants, the problems of poverty, gender inequality, and theft of her life’s work proved to be much more ugly monsters than these. Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Jan 12, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The surgeon holds a scalpel, the archaeologist wields a pickaxe, the physicist can expose you to an electric shock, and the chemist possesses an entire set of tools in their laboratory. What does the philosopher have left? A metaphorical razor! And actually, this weapon is far more dangerous than it seems at first. Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!...
Dec 15, 2023•8 min•Season 1Ep. 7
What unites Newton’s laws, the Penrose triangle, Gaussian elimination, the Pythagorean theorem, Halley’s Comet, and the Fermi paradox? It should be obvious: they’re all things named after their discoverers... or so it seems. Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Dec 07, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Have you heard of the young woman who managed to trick all of England? Two centuries ago, the daughter of a simple shoemaker became a sensation among local aristocrats and visiting travelers alike all thanks to her ingenuity, acting skills, and innate talent for linguistics. Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Nov 24, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 5
“First, wash your hands, and then you may eat.” Sometimes this rule can be really annoying, but we have it for a reason. We wash our hands to minimize contact with pathogenic microorganisms. But imagine how people lived when they had no clue that microbes existed! And that was only a century and a half ago. Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!...
Nov 20, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 4
For decades, science fiction has captured our imaginations with terrifying plots of mind control and human subjugation. But who would have thought that the fungi that turned people into zombies in a popular game-turned-TV-series could be somewhat realistic? Parasitism and the manipulation of hosts are mechanisms not invented by science fiction writers but rather by... nature itself. There are numerous examples of one organism taking over the body and will of another. In this episode of the OYLA ...
Nov 03, 2023•8 min•Season 1Ep. 3
"Why is it dark at night?" asked Lily and Emma, sitting by the campfire under the starry sky. This same question has been pondered by scientists around the world for centuries. Turns out this simple question is not that simple! You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Oct 20, 2023•6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
It was once considered a fancy dish and cost six times more than a serving of fresh noodles. The story of its dramatic decline in status — from a luxury item to a student’s low-budget snack — is very curious indeed. Let’s dive right in! You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Oct 06, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Hey there! It's OYLA, your favorite science magazine for students, and we’re excited to announce the launch of our new podcast series. Now you can read and listen to your favorite stories about math, space, biology, and history wherever you go. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don't miss our latest episodes. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!
Oct 04, 2023•55 sec
