Unexplainable

Latest Episodes:

The Twilight Zone of the ocean Apr 21, 2021

Every day, untold numbers of strange organisms rise from the middle of the ocean to its surface. They may be playing a crucial role in slowing climate change, so scientists are struggling to understand this migration ... before it’s too late.

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

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The viral ghosts of long Covid Apr 14, 2021

Scientists don’t understand why so many people suffer from Covid-19 symptoms for months, well after they stop testing positive. But that’s just the start of the mystery. There are other diseases that cast these long shadows, and they point to a major blind spot in medicine.

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

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Is a ton of psychology just ... wrong? Apr 07, 2021

A decade ago, psychologists realized much of their science was fatally flawed, calling untold numbers of studies into question. Now, some young psychologists are trying to rebuild the foundations of their field. Can they succeed?

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It’s ball lightning! Mar 31, 2021

For millennia, people have been reporting stories of mysterious spheres of light that glow, crackle, and hover eerily during thunderstorms. They’ve been spotted in people’s homes, and are even said to be able to pass through windows. No one knows how ball lightning forms — but that’s not stopping scientists from attempting to recreate it in their labs.

For further reading, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

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Skeleton Lake Mar 24, 2021

When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion.

For further reading, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

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Journey Toward the Center of the Earth Mar 17, 2021

Sixty years ago, geologists tried to drill down through the Earth’s crust to pull up a piece of the Earth’s mantle. Their mission didn’t go exactly as planned. But it sowed the seeds for a new field of science that’s helped us rewrite not only the history of the planet, but, potentially, our definitions of life itself.

The documentaries featured in this episode are "The First Deep Ocean Drilling: Mohole, Phase 1" and "Project Mohole: Report No. 1."

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No one nose Mar 10, 2021

Believe it or not, scientists still don't know how the sense of smell works. But they're looking at how powerful it is - dogs can actually sniff out cancer and many other diseases - and they're trying to figure out how to reverse engineer it. In fact, one MIT scientist may have built a robot nose ... without completely understanding how his invention works.

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Show transcript and articles at: http://vox.com/unexplainable

Article on quantum nose theory: https://bit.ly/3clurfs

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Most of the universe is missing Mar 10, 2021

Scientists all over the world are searching for dark matter: an invisible, untouchable substance that holds our universe together. But they haven't found it. Are they chasing a ghost?

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Show transcript and articles (including one about why we made this show now): http://vox.com/unexplainable

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Introducing Unexplainable Feb 19, 2021

Scientists don’t know what 95% of the universe is made of. They don’t know how a bike stays up. They don’t even really know how the nose works. Join us every Wednesday on Unexplainable for deep dives into the unknown, because what we don’t know is awesome. New episodes March 10th.

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