When a crush of football fans killed 97 people in England in 1989, police and officials engaged in a massive cover-up to blame it on drunken fans. Today we tell that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Until 2007, the largest single corporate bankruptcy was Enron, a $67 billion energy trading company. Its decline was breathtaking, and while it’s a fascinating story of corporate malfeasance and greed, it’s also about the lives of ruined workers. Learn all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The sort of commune of Freetown Christiania in Denmark may not be what it used to be, but it's still true to many of its original values. Learn all about this unique neighborhood today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fear is different than being scared, most notably because fear is generally a negative thing and being scared can cause an enjoyable thrill. We'll get into the difference in today's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Even though curses aren’t real – and we go to great pains to make that clear – they are pretty interesting, especially ones you haven’t heard of before. So we dug deep and found some of the curses that don’t always hog the spotlight for this fun episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It’s a pretty safe assumption that people have been born with birthmarks since humanity began, and between then and now we’ve come up with some wacky, even dangerous, explanations for them – even a few that survive still today. Learn all about them in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Since the age of Descartes, science has put all of its eggs in the basket of determinism, the idea that with accurate enough measurements any aspect of the universe could be predicted. But the universe, it turns out, is not so tidy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's a confusing part of climate change when it seems winter is as cold as ever, but as global temperatures creep ever so slightly higher, a cascade of catastrophic events will almost surely follow. The ball is in humanity's court. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You could be forgiven for thinking the story behind elastics was boring. You’d still be wrong, though. The story of what’s holding up your underwear is a global drama, replete with war, industrial espionage, colonialism, destitute inventors – everything! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You know the rule that says the simplest explanation is probably the correct one? That’s called a razor and it’s meant to guide logic. But over time it’s become a broadsword used to disprove opposing arguments. Learn how to spot a faux skeptic in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many people - including some scientists - don't fully understand it. Learn about the basis of how we explore our world in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosts explore the Big Bang theory, clarifying that it describes the rapid expansion of the early universe rather than an explosion or its absolute genesis. They discuss the historical observations by Doppler and Hubble, the supporting evidence like cosmic microwave background radiation, and the incredibly fast events in the first fractions of a second. The episode culminates with an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, who shares his perspectives on scientific discovery, the challenges of unifying quantum physics and general relativity, and the critical role of data and collaboration in advancing our understanding of the cosmos.
It’s easy to think of people in the distant past as kinda dumb for believing things like that mice could spontaneously generate from old grain. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll find there was a sensibility to the odd beliefs that came before science. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The world's energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working on what could solve the world's energy and climate change woes for centuries to come - nuclear fusion. Learn about building stars on Earth in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Delve into the fascinating world of X-rays, from Wilhelm Röntgen's serendipitous discovery in 1895 to their indispensable role in modern medicine. Learn the core physics of how X-ray photons interact with matter to reveal our internal structures, and understand the mechanics behind X-ray machines and advanced imaging techniques like CT scans. The episode also highlights the importance of responsible use, detailing the health risks of radiation exposure while weighing X-rays against more invasive medical alternatives.
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to two totally untrained, non-chemists who are fully unqualified to explain how the periodic table works nervously explain how the periodic table works, then this episode is for you. Chemistry majors, be warned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chuck loved M*A*S*H. Josh didn't. Listen in as they fight to the death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does singing make you happy? Yes, yes it does. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You can make a pretty good case that the rise of opinion “news” and filter bubbles on cable tv created the current cultural and political schism that plagues American society. How did it start? Where did it come from? And what the heck can we do about it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Back in the day, broadcasters were bound by law to provide contrasting opinions on political matters. Why? Because of the Fairness Doctrine. What happened to it? Listen to this classic episode and find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today we dive into the unremorseful life of NYC Subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Harvesting rainwater has tons of upsides and not many downsides – you just need to take a few precautions first. Don’t miss this episode, which features some Josh Math™. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
They say that smiling requires fewer muscles than frowning, so why not smile? That doesn’t seem to be true, or at least unproven, and there is lots more about smiling that will keep you glued to your earbuds in this fun episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Josh and Chuck delve into the world of 911 in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The disaster at Three Mile Island thankfully did not cost any lives directly, but the notion that it didn't harm people is very much up in the air. Learn all about the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the United States today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1955, the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance motor race took a very dark turn when a terrible accident on the track continued into the crowd. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Van Gogh lived a troubled life and did not garner attention as a painter until after his death by suicide. Today we dive into this complicated journey as an artist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The question of Shakespeare's authorship has been around since at least the mid-1800s. Is there anything to it? In this classic episode, we dig in to this dense topic to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From 1968 to 1972 Howard Hughes holed up in a suite in the Desert Inn casino in Las Vegas. Addicted to morphine and living on candy bars and milk, he was in bad shape. When he was told to leave, he bought the hotel and stayed. Soon he owned half of Vegas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does knuckle cracking give you arthritis? It doesn't appear to. But that doesn't mean it's harmless. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
