Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Mon. 08/01 - Early Europeans Drank Milk Despite Lactose Intolerance; Ancient Humans, They're Just Like Us! Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

The first major study of its kind sheds new light on the evolution of all you mutants who can digest dairy. Plus, engineers at MIT have developed a wearable sticker that can see inside your body. And, was George Jetson born over the weekend?

Sponsor:

Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90

Links:

How Humans’ Ability to Digest Milk Evolved from Famine and Disease (Scientific American)
Early Europeans Could Not Tolerate Milk but Drank It Anyway, Study Finds (NY Times)
MIT engineers develop stickers that can see inside the body (MIT News)
MIT Engineers Develop Ultrasound Stickers That Can See Inside the Body (SciTech Daily)
Fine, let's actually work out whether George Jetson will be born tomorrow (A/V Club)
Was George Jetson Born in 2022? (Snopes)
Wikipedia suspends edits to its 'recession' page (NPR)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fri. 07/29 - Shark Attacks, Moon Caves, & Murder Hornets Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

How likely are you really to get bit by a shark and do some of those cliché comparisons still hold up as waters warm and shark sightings seem to be on the rise? Plus, future lunar explorers could enjoy year round sweater weather in moon caves. And murder hornets are getting a new name.

Sponsors:

Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90
Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

Sharks vs. vending machines: Which kills more people yearly? (Slate)
Sharks Are Spotted Off Long Island. Scientists Say Don’t Panic. (NY Times)
Here's What's More Likely to Happen to You Than Winning the Mega Millions (Gizmodo)
Strange Moon Pits Could Have Temperatures Comfortable Enough For Humans to Live In (ScienceAlert)
UCLA scientists discover places on the moon where it’s always ‘sweater weather’ (UCLA)
NASA’s LRO Finds Lunar Pits Harbor Comfortable Temperatures (NASA)
Congress Sneaks NASA Authorization Bill Into CHIPS, Approves Moon-to-Mars Program (Gizmodo)
Why murder hornets are getting a new name (National Geographic)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thu. 07/28 - No, This Isn't Scientific Evidence for the Loch Ness Monster Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Why a new discovery about plesiosaurs has gotten everyone talking about the Loch Ness Monster. Plus, the oldest DNA from a horse domesticated in America might have solved a centuries-old mystery. And the scoop on that thirteen-eyed anthropomorphic oyster mascot from Halifax.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews
Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90

Links:

Freshwater Plesiosaur Discovery Is Amazing But Does Not Make Nessie “Plausible” (IFL Science)
Existence of Loch Ness Monster 'plausible' after discovery of fossils in North Africa (The Scotsman)
African fossils show 'monster' could have lived in Loch Ness (BBC)
Plesiosaur fossils found in the Sahara suggest they weren’t just marine animals (University of Bath)
What were marine reptiles doing in a 100 million year old river? (Nick Longrich)
Oldest DNA from domesticated American horse lends credence to shipwreck folklore (ScienceDaily)
Oldest DNA from domesticated American horse lends credence to shipwreck folklore (Florida Museum of Natural History)
Beloved Chincoteague ponies' mythical origins may be real (National Geographic)
An Exclusive Interview With The Nightmare Oyster Mascot That Went Viral (BuzzFeed News)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wed. 07/27 - Netflix "Lucas-ing" Stranger Things Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

Cryptographers have identified the first known secure global communication system, in the form of nineteenth century newspaper ads. Plus, a fourth patient has been effectively cured of HIV. And Netflix is retroactively editing Stranger Things. The edits are not as big a deal as they seem, but the fact that Netflix can implement them so easily raises bigger questions about the future of arts and entertainment.

Sponsors:

Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90
Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tue. 07/26 - The Best Failed Inventions Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Let’s take a visit to the Museum of Failure. Plus, robot spider zombies. Not a new comic book series, but an actual experiment from mechanical engineers in Texas. And the Earth’s earliest animal predator has been named after David Attenborough.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews
Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90

Links:

Museum of Failure thread (Trung Phan, Twitter)
Museum of Failure
Scientists Are Turning Dead Spiders Into 'Necrobots' And We Are So Creeped Out (ScienceAlert)
'Necrobotic' spiders: Manipulating dead spiders' legs with a puff of air to serve as grabbers (Phys.org)
Researchers Turn Dead Spiders Into 'Necrobotic' Grippers (CNET)
‘Earliest animal predator’ named after David Attenborough (NBC News)
Ancient fossil is earliest known animal predator (BBC)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mon. 07/25 - When Did NASA Logos Become Fashionable? Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

The world’s first verified image of Mormonism founder Joseph Smith has been found… but it’s not convincing everyone just yet. And how did the NASA logo become so ubiquitous in clothing from fashion runways to rural Walmarts?

Sponsors:

Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90
Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

Mormon founder Joseph Smith's photo discovered by descendant after nearly 180 years (Religion News Service)
At long last, a photo of Mormon founder Joseph Smith emerges (Salt Lake Tribune)
Photo of Joseph Smith? Descendant claims to find daguerreotype image (Deseret News)
Murder Among the Mormons | Official Trailer (Netflix, YouTube)
Why everyone's wearing NASA-branded clothes (CNN)
How Did NASA Hoodie Become a Trend? (Champion Hoodie)
Sometimes it seems that everyone on Earth is wearing a NASA T-shirt (Washington Post)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fri. 07/22 – Home Depot's Got (Giant) Crabs Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Why do we laugh and what causes us to do so? Was laughing at one point an evolutionary advantage? Plus, the reason for a mysterious pink glow over a small Australian town on Wednesday. And the latest contender in Home Depot’s line of extremely large yard decorations.

Sponsor:

Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool

Links:

What's So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh (Scientific American)
Mysterious pink glow in sky over Australian town revealed to be from local cannabis facility (The Guardian)
Heat, drought - now snakes? That's what messed up a North Texas city's water pressure Wednesday (ABC, WFAA)
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Walked So Their Colossal Crustacean Could Walk Sideways (The Mary Sue)
Sarah Michelle Gellar Set for Teen Wolf Spinoff at Paramount+ (Consequence)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thu. 07/21 - TikTok is Oozing Pink Sauce Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

A product that could help you hear the person you’re trying to have a conversation with in a loud, crowded room. Plus, a follow-up on why Unicode is adding so many more colored hearts in the next emoji drop. There was more to the story than I thought. And why everyone online is making horrifying memes about something called Pink Sauce.

Sponsor:

Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool

Links:

Hearing aids that read your brain will know who you want to hear (MIT Technology Review)
The Past and Future of Flag Emoji (Unicode)
TikTok's pink sauce is taking over the internet. What's going on? (Mashable)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wed. 07/20 - Real-Life Quidditch Changes Its Name Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

The real-life sport inspired by quidditch has announced their new name––and I have a lot of thoughts. Plus, a few companies in Japan have introduced standing “nap boxes” into their offices. And on the anniversary of the moon landing, NASA has announced the launch windows for the kick-off mission of our return to the moon.

Sponsors:

Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool
Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90

Links:

Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from Harry Potter author (NPR)
Quidditch changes its name to distance itself from 'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling (NBC News)
Broomsticks Stay, but Not the Name: Quidditch Becomes ‘Quadball’ (NY Times)
IQA European Games livestream (IQA, YouTube)
How to Sleep Upright? Japan Comes Up With ‘Nap Box’ for Office Workers (Bloomberg)
Standing Nap Boxes Exist and They Look So Uncomfortable (Nerdist)
NASA just announced an ambitious date to launch its megarocket to the moon (Mashable)
NASA to Discuss Status of Artemis I Moon Mission (NASA)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tue. 07/19 - DIY 4 Lyfe & Death Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Three species frozen in time within one single piece of amber. Plus, the DIYers building their own coffins. And Costco has promised not to raise the price of their rotisserie chickens, but is that a good thing?

Sponsors:

Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90
Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool

Links: