SciShow Tangents

Latest Episodes:

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 6 May 02, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on August 31, 2021 titled "Poopoopeepeepedia Episode 6."

Original Patreon description: Alternative name to this podcast that keeps changing: Hank's Hangover Corner! Poor guy was too hungover to be properly stumped but we hope you enjoy Hank's humble brag about his famous friends and their mysterious hangover cures.
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Summer Road Trip Compilation Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Summer is just around the corner, with all its golden-hued evenings, icy-cold treats, groovy music, and winding roads laden with promises of adventure. If you're heading out on an epic summer road trip, bring this Tangents compilation along for the ride and squeeze in some learning between roadside attractions and snack stops!

Episodes in this compilation:

S1 E14 - The Sun, original airdate: February 12, 2019

S2 E7 - Radio, original airdate: December 24, 2019

S2 E40 - Cars, original airdate: September 8, 2020

S3 E36 - Heat, original airdate: November 2, 2021

S4 E14 - Beaches, original airdate: June 14, 2022

Sources for each episode can be found in the descriptions of the original episodes on your preferred podcasting platform.

And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:

Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social @rhinoceri on Instagram

Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social @im_sam_schultz on Instagram

Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 5 Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on July 28, 2021 titled "Poopoopeepeepedia - Episode 5."

Original Patreon description: Hank faces the consequences of his bathroom humor titling by diving into the poopy waters of urine and feces!
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 4 Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on June 30, 2021 titled "Q and Bidet - Episode 4."

Original Patreon description: What popular songs does Ceri know? How stumped did she get by your science questions? Listen to this episode of Q and Bidet (I should mention Hank came up with that name all by himself) to find out!
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 3 Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on May 28, 2021 titled "Q and Play - Episode 3!"

Original Patreon description: We've named the Patreon podcast! Enjoy Sam trying to answer your science questions while Ceri and Hank give him encouraging/condescending smiles.
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 2 Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on April 30, 2021 titled "Tangents Bonus Episode #2."

Original Patreon description: Ceri and Hank answer your questions about the future of science!
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Bonus Backlog Bonanza - Ep. 1 Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

This bonus episode was originally posted on Patreon on March 26, 2021 titled "Tangents Bonus Episode #1!"

Original Patreon description: Hank, Sam, and Ceri answer your questions! Including: What happened to Chin Coins? Is there a scientific formula to a great joke? And how do non-newtonian fluids work? Featuring a snazzy new song by the one and only, Tuna!
SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents!
And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!
While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:
Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social
@rhinoceri on Instagram
Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social
@im_sam_schultz on Instagram
Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Back to the Future Compilation Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Stroll back in time to look ahead at the future with Tangents in this compilation of episodes investigating the science and innovations that have pushed humanity and technology ever on down the road of advancement!

Episodes in this compilation:

S1 E15 - Artificial Intelligence, original airdate: February 19, 2019

S2 E23 - Robots, original airdate: April 14, 2020 S4 E2 - Computers, original airdate: March 8, 2022

S4 E44 - Lasers, original airdate: February 28, 2023

S5 E29 - Machine Learning, original airdate: April 30, 2024

Sources for each episode can be found in the descriptions of the original episodes on your preferred podcasting platform.

SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode with the added bonus of seeing our faces!

And go to https://complexly.store/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on socials:

Ceri: @ceriley.bsky.social @rhinoceri on Instagram

Sam: @im-sam-schultz.bsky.social @im_sam_schultz on Instagram

Hank: @hankgreen on X

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Tangents Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

The day has arrived- this is our very last episode of Tangents ever! So of course, we had to talk about a topic that's near and dear to our hearts forever: Tangents. Ride down memory lane with us and returning original host Stefan Chin as we reminisce, try to remember what we've learned, and still learn new stuff in an episode that's the true encapsulation of everything we love about this show.

SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode with the added bonus of seeing our faces!

And go to https://store.dftba.com/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @im_sam_schultz Hank: @hankgreen

[This or That: SciShow or Tangents or Both]

Eyedrops to deliver a drug called pilocarpine

https://nerdfighteria.info/v/ekmb6KQahuk/

African crested rat with toxin-loaded fur

https://www.livescience.com/crested-rats-have-poison-fur.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/27/938878618/for-rats-that-coat-themselves-in-poison-these-rodents-are-surprisingly-cuddly

https://nerdfighteria.info/v/CQAVcAJQsEM/

Spleen cells creating splenunculi

https://nerdfighteria.info/v/3xXyBCckWsM

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/13/505349283/meet-the-spleen-the-strange-little-organ-that-can-multiply

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27226272/

Car transmission failures due to endangered species act

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/17/archives/transmission-problems-in-cars-linked-to-ban-on-whale-killing.html

https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/the-innovation-file-solving-a-whale-of-a-problem/

https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-the-jojoba-plant-saved-the-sperm-whale-1716719552

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/15/archives/oil-from-a-shrub-found-in-desert-may-save-the-sperm-whale.html

https://www.lubesngreases.com/magazine/whale-oil-biobased-and-bygone/

[The Gauntlet]

Preventing snails from growing external shells

https://www.wired.com/2010/10/snails-slugs-shell-evolution/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101011090229.htm

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1525-142X.2010.00433.x

Female mouse pee compound that decreases pain and increases stress in males

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi9366

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/953803

Niagara falls 1969 project

https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-geology/american-dry-falls/

https://slate.com/technology/2019/05/niagara-falls-june-1969-dewatering.html

https://m.ammoth.us/blog/2010/03/absent-rivers-ephemeral-parks/

Wolf puppies acting like domesticated dogs

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/824375

https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(19)30557-7

Ethyl mercaptan-sniffing animals

https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0894.pdf

https://bedfordaudubon.org/2016/01/07/turkey-vulture-and-black-vulture/

https://www.birdnote.org/podcasts/birdnote-daily/turkey-vultures-and-gas-pipelines

Ika-tako computer virus

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/japanese-virus

https://www.computerworld.com/article/1343317/hacker-s-p2p-virus-replaces-files-with-sea-creature-manga.html

Frogs that don’t have middle ears but can still hear

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1302218110

https://phys.org/news/2013-09-frogs-ears-mouth.html

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3023005/

[Ask the Science Couch]

Mathematical uses for tangents

https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/classes/calciii/TangentNormalVectors.aspx

http://www.braeunig.us/space/orbmech.htm

https://science.nasa.gov/learn/basics-of-space-flight/chapter4-1/

https://www.nasa.gov/ames-engineering/spaceflight-division/flight-dynamics/trajectory-design/

https://willkempartschool.com/compostional-mistakes-in-drawing/

[Butt One More Thing]

Young turquoise killifish gut microbes made old fish live longer

https://www.nature.com/news/young-poo-makes-aged-fish-l

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/120980v2

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

Cancer Revisit with Deboki Chakravarti Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

We're thrilled to be joined for a special return to the topic of Cancer by our own magnificent editorial assistant, Deboki Chakravarti! We cover a ton in this beefy episode, so grab a snack, get comfy, and prepare to dive deep on a topic that's well worth the revisit.

SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode with the added bonus of seeing our faces!

Head to www.patreon.com/SciShowTangents to find out how you can help support SciShow Tangents, and see all the cool perks you’ll get in return, like bonus episodes and a monthly newsletter! A big thank you to Patreon subscriber Garth Riley for helping to make the show possible!

And go to https://store.dftba.com/collections/scishow-tangents to buy some great Tangents merch!

Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions!

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @im_sam_schultz Hank: @hankgreen

[Truth or Fail]

Water-logged diaper scans

https://www.nist.gov/pml/about-pml/pml-working-you/pml-working-you-archives/fighting-cancer-diapers

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2017/11/how-disposable-diapers-can-improve-measurements-tumor-growth

Toothbrush cancer camera

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2022/09/22/why-billionaire-eric-schmidt-is-backing-a-high-school-senior-making-a-cancer-detecting-toothbrush-and-other-brilliant-teens/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/obstetrics-gynecology/news/a-substantial-step-toward-earlier-endometrial-cancer-detection/mac-20560620

Cancer-cell kleenex

https://www.statnews.com/2017/09/06/masspec-pen-cancer/