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    Life Sciences

    Unexplainable – Vox

    Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps right on going. This Vox podcast explores scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and all the things we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes every Wednesday.

    Advertise

    Copyright: © 2021 Vox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved

    • Apple Podcasts
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    Latest Episodes:
    What's so funny? Mar 22, 2023

    Scientists are digging into what makes something funny. We compare their notes with comedians — including Atsuko Okatsuka, Josh Johnson, Dulcé Sloan, and Chris Fleming.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Origins: The meaning of “life” Mar 15, 2023

    For every definition of life, there’s a creature that sends us right back to the drawing board.

    This is the third episode in our three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and boundaries of life on Earth.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Origins: The first living thing Mar 08, 2023

    How did life on Earth start? To help answer that, researchers are trying to create some life for themselves.

    This is the second episode in our three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and boundaries of life on Earth.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Origins: How did Earth get its water? Mar 01, 2023

    Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?”

    This is the first episode in our new three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and boundaries of life on Earth.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    What is love? Feb 15, 2023

    Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos?

    This episode originally ran on February 9, 2022.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Why we hiccup Feb 08, 2023

    Listeners told us that eating baby carrots or telling lies can bring on the hiccups. Burping or kissing can make them stop. Um, what?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    We booped an asteroid Feb 01, 2023

    Last fall, a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid to test a way to avert a disaster on Earth. So are we safe now?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Your creepy, crawly roommates Jan 25, 2023

    Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize that some of our tiny roommates actually have a lot to teach us.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Henrietta Leavitt and the end of the universe Jan 18, 2023

    In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt made one of the most important discoveries in the history of astronomy: a yardstick to measure distances to faraway stars. Using this tool, scientists eventually transformed our understanding of the universe. They realized space was expanding, that this expansion was accelerating, and that ultimately, everything will end.

    This episode originally ran on June 30, 2021.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Plants with eyes? Jan 11, 2023

    In the temperate rainforests of Chile, there is a vine that can shapeshift to copy the look of other plants. But how? Can it... see them? Or is something weirder happening?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Unexplainable or Not: Bikes, planes, ice skates Jan 04, 2023

    Our game show is back! This week, Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, tries to guess which of these three mysteries of movement have been solved and which are still unexplainable.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Your gut's feelings Dec 21, 2022

    How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us. Is it possible to harness this gut power?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Nuclear fusion breaks through Dec 14, 2022

    Back in January, we spoke to a scientist at the National Ignition Facility about how close they were to achieving what’s been called “one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century.” This week, they announced they’ve finally done it.

    A version of this episode originally ran on January 5, 2022.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Basic instinct Dec 07, 2022

    How do animals know how to do things like spin a web or build a dam? A neuroscientist argues it's not “instinct.” Something bigger is going on.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Why we cry Nov 30, 2022

    Humans seem to be the only animals that cry from emotion. What makes our tears so special?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Can we live in space? Nov 16, 2022

    NASA just launched the Artemis program, a series of missions that will eventually take humans back to the moon, and beyond. But can humans actually survive in space long-term?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Holding on to power Nov 09, 2022

    A mountain, a tower, a thermos full of molten salt: These are the batteries that could power our renewable future.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Redefining death Nov 02, 2022

    Death used to be fairly self-evident, but new technologies have forced us to ask: When is someone actually dead? And now, new research is raising a further question: Could death someday be reversible?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Talking to ghosts Oct 26, 2022

    Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious experience of the world? This episode originally ran on October 27, 2021.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Why is everyone getting food allergies? Oct 19, 2022

    In the past few decades, the rate of food allergies in both children and adults has dramatically increased. What’s causing this rise, and what can we do about it?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Introducing The Gray Area Oct 15, 2022

    On the first episode of Vox’s new podcast, The Gray Area, host Sean Illing talks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about the limits of both politics and science.

    Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3Cxl1KD

    Listen and follow on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3er7Mn2

    Listen and follow elsewhere: https://bit.ly/3yFt5b8

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Let’s play Unexplainable or Not Oct 05, 2022

    For the first time, we get some answers.


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    The math problem that could break the internet Sep 28, 2022

    Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Jumping the gun Sep 21, 2022

    At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting ... after the gun went off. Officials said she started faster than humanly possible. How can that be?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    An Alzheimer's uproar Sep 14, 2022

    This past July, a bombshell report in Science magazine suggested that a key Alzheimer’s study might have contained manipulated evidence. What does this mean for over a decade's worth of research? And where does the field go from here?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Salamander search party Aug 31, 2022

    One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions of years. But one is missing.

    This episode was reported by Benji Jones and Mandy Nguyen, who produced the episode. Editing from Meradith Hoddinott, Katherine Wells, Brian Resnick, and Noam Hassenfeld, who scored the episode. Mixing and sound design from Cristian Ayala. Fact-checking from Richard Sima.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    What did dinosaurs sound like? Aug 24, 2022

    They probably didn’t roar like lions. Their real voices were likely much, much weirder. We asked scientists to help us recreate these strange, extinct sounds.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Can ovaries make new eggs? Aug 17, 2022

    There's an old story scientists tell about human ovaries: that they are ticking clocks that only lose eggs, never gain them. Now that story might be changing, opening the door to new treatments for infertility and menopause.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Will the eel (slim, shady) please have sex? Aug 10, 2022

    Where eels come from is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, in large part because scientists have never actually seen them reproduce in the wild. Gastropod explains why eels are somehow still so mysterious.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Yawn baby yawn Jul 27, 2022

    People yawn when they’re bored, right? So then why do athletes yawn before races? And why do so many animals yawn? … And why does reading this paragraph make you more likely to yawn?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    What’s the James Webb telescope searching for? Jul 20, 2022

    A lava planet, life on other worlds, the very first starlight in the universe — the most powerful space telescope ever built is ready to reveal many mysteries of the cosmos.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Vitamin X Jul 13, 2022

    Millions of Americans take dietary supplements — everything from vitamins and minerals to weight loss pills and probiotics. But because supplements are loosely regulated in the US, their makers don't have to prove that they work, or even that they are safe.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Lost Worlds: What killed Venus? Jun 29, 2022

    Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a lot like Earth, complete with an ocean of water. So, how did Venus go to hell? And could Earth be next?

    This is the final episode of our four-part series, Lost Worlds, and it originally ran on December 1, 2021.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Lost Worlds: Life on Mars? Jun 22, 2022

    Mars was once a very different planet, with rivers, lakes, and — potentially — life. NASA’s latest Mars rover is on a mission to find traces of past life. What happens if it does?

    This is the third episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Lost Worlds: Why do we have a moon? Jun 15, 2022

    In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, it's played a huge role in shaping our planet. But how did we get it? Every possible story points to cataclysm.

    This is the second episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Lost Worlds: Aliens from Earth? Jun 08, 2022

    Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we know?

    This is the first episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Dropping like flies May 25, 2022

    Insect populations are shrinking all over the world, and entomologists are buzzing with questions: Why is this happening? How quickly? And, most concerningly, what does it mean for food supplies or even life as we know it?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Is telepathy real? May 18, 2022

    A groundbreaking study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. Today, Explained breaks down the science and asks: Is it too good to be true?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Why do we dream? May 11, 2022

    Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves?


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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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    Should I take a DNA ancestry test? May 04, 2022

    What are the scientific, family, and privacy implications?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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    My octopus friend? Apr 27, 2022

    Octopuses are largely solitary animals, but there have been rare times — notably in the movie My Octopus Teacher — where they seem to have become comfortable around humans. But is it really possible to be friends with an octopus?

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Glow in the dark ocean Apr 20, 2022

    Most deep-water creatures are bioluminescent. Marine biologist Edie Widder has spent the last 40 years trying to figure out why.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    When reality broke Apr 13, 2022

    In the 1920s, the scientist Werner Heisenberg came up with a wild idea that broke reality as Western science knew it. And it's still unsettling to think about. Benjamin Labatut's recent book, When We Cease to Understand the World, makes readers feel the aftershocks of the revelation, asking, "What's real?"

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Making Sense: The sixth sense Apr 06, 2022

    Why stop at five senses? Just how much of the world can we perceive? And how much is out there that’s still out of reach, hiding in the dark?

    This is the sixth and final episode of our six-part series, Making Sense.

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

    It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

    Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

    We read every email.

    Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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    Making Sense: Sight unseen Mar 30, 2022

    Close your eyes and try to imagine an apple. Can you see anything? Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye. Since it was discovered, scientists have been asking the question: What is the mind’s eye even for?

    This is the fifth episode of our six-part series, Making Sense.

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

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    Making Sense: The Umami Mama Mar 23, 2022

    For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the Umami Mama), scientists finally accepted a fifth. So could there be even more?

    This is the fourth episode of our six-part series, Making Sense.

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

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    Making Sense: No one nose Mar 16, 2022

    Dogs can smell cancer, Covid-19, and many other health problems in humans. Now, scientists are trying to duplicate these powers in robotic sniffers. But there’s a big challenge here: Scientists don’t really understand how smell works. This is the third episode of our six-part series, Making Sense, and it originally ran on March 10, 2021.

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    Making Sense: The healing power of touch Mar 09, 2022

    Doctors can save the lives of premature infants, but the process is often painful. Luckily, a solution might be as simple as a parent’s loving touch.

    This is the second episode of our new six-part series, Making Sense.

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

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    Making Sense: How sound becomes hearing Mar 02, 2022

    In the same way optical illusions trick our eyes, audio illusions can trick our ears. This raises a fundamental question: What is hearing, and how much of it is made up by our brains?

    This is the first episode of our new six-part series, Making Sense.

    You can find more of Diana Deutsch’s auditory illusions at https://bit.ly/3Mdh6H4, Matthew Winn's research at http://www.mattwinn.com/Research.html, and Mike Chorost's writing at https://michaelchorost.com

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    The methane hunters Feb 16, 2022

    Methane traps more than 80 times as much heat as CO2 over the short term. So we could make a real difference on climate change this decade if we could stop leaking so much methane into the atmosphere. But before researchers and regulators can figure out how to do that, the methane hunters need to find the leaks.

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

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    What is love? Feb 09, 2022

    Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos?

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

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    A sonic tour of the solar system Feb 02, 2022

    What does it sound like on Mars? On Jupiter? Titan? This collaboration between the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz and the composer Melodysheep imagines the soundscapes of other worlds.

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    Finding asteroids before they find us Jan 26, 2022

    Scientists are constantly searching for asteroids that could crash into Earth. But if they find one, will they be able to do anything about it? NASA has launched a spaceship that will slam into an asteroid to find out.

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

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    Skeleton Lake Jan 19, 2022

    When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion. This episode originally ran on March 24, 2021.

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    Are humans running out of sperm? Jan 12, 2022

    In 2017, researchers published an explosive finding: Sperm counts may be declining in some countries around the world. Media outlets began worrying about a potential Spermageddon, but other researchers have pumped the brakes. Because scientists know surprisingly little about sperm.

    Also, Noam created a list on the Hark podcast app where he talked about some of his favorite bitesize moments of the show so far. And it’s easy to share with friends! https://bit.ly/3tib6pd

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    The quest to build a star Jan 05, 2022

    Scientists are closer than ever to harnessing fusion power — the same process that powers the sun — by essentially making a small star here on Earth. Fusion could give humanity its best shot at solving the climate crisis, but the technology has yet to be perfected and would require billions more in investments. Is it worth the bet?

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

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    BONUS: The 2021 song Dec 31, 2021

    Noam wrote an end-of-year song with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram, so we thought to drop it here as a little end-of-year surprise.


    Lyrics:


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    Then the second the year’d begun

    We had an insurrection


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    Then the second the year’d begun

    We had an insurrection


    Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see

    We might have started too optimistically

    So if we keep our expectations low

    Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible


    Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see

    We might have started too optimistically

    So if we keep our expectations low

    Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible


    Dial back to when the year had begun

    We were looking forward to the end of hibernation

    But it didn’t even last a week

    No it didn’t even last a week, mm-hmm


    On the sixth day of 2021

    Vanilla Isis tried to flip the election

    But looking back we can’t agree

    On the facts, no, we can’t agree, mm-mm


    Pretty soon we were signing up for shots (shots!)

    Talking about shots (shots!)

    Shots shots shots (shots!)

    Everyone was a pharma fan

    With the Pfizer fam, the Moderna clan (J&J)


    But we should have known Delta would happen

    Most of humanity not getting vaxxed and

    Fourth wave — fifth wave, in rhythm

    That’s one more wave than feminism!


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    But according to Joe Ro-gun

    You should take Ivermectin


    Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see

    We might have started too optimistically

    But if we keep our expectations low

    Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible


    A booster, I’m not sure I need it.

    Dune on the IMAX, I seen it.

    Back to the good life, I dreamed it. (Arrakis)

    Wake up, reality, don’t fit.


    Hope you don’t need a house or a condo (a condo)

    Hope you don’t need a trip to Toronto (Toronto)

    Hope you don’t need some gas for your Durango (Durango)

    Hope you don’t need a can of dried mangos (dried mangos)


    Everyone is feeling frustration

    Quitting jobs — the Great Resignation

    Blaming Biden for rising inflation

    While billionaires shoot off to space, racing


    Did we fix the grid in Texas? (yes)

    Figure out how wide the Suez is? (yes)

    Don’t ask me

    All I see on TV

    It's just fights on Critical Race Theory


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    Moving onto issue number one:

    Whether to allow abortions!


    Yeah it wasn’t just what we hoped to see

    We might have started too optimistically

    But if we keep our expectations low

    Maybe the world won’t seem so terrible


    I just want to be free

    Of thinking about Covid-19

    I just want to see

    Something done about global warming


    And I still don’t get NFT’s

    Can’t understand crypto currency and

    And we can’t agree on anything

    But at least we got together to free Britney

    (Oh baby baby)


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    Then the second as the year’d begun

    We had an insurrection


    And people lied about the last election

    And made it harder to vote in elections

    At least we don’t have another election

    Wait, I think there’s another election...


    2021, it was gonna be fun

    Get a couple shots and then you’re done

    Then the second we thought we’d won

    We’re learning how to say "Omicron"


    Guess you never know what’s gonna come through

    Making plans for things you’ll never do

    But take it from a brown guy (and a Jew)

    There’s always 2022.


    This song was written and performed by Sean Rameswaram and Noam Hassenfeld, produced by Noam, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and features additional vocals from Christina Animashaun.


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

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    The building blocks of the universe Dec 22, 2021

    Most of the matter in the universe is dark matter, an invisible, untouchable, mysterious substance. Scientists don’t know what exactly dark matter is, despite decades of searching. But recently, they got a new clue in the form of an extremely tiny dancer.

    This episode is a remix of two prior episodes of Unexplainable, which has been airing on broadcast radio through a partnership with American Public Media.


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    99% of ocean plastic is missing Dec 15, 2021

    How can we solve the problem of ocean plastic if we don’t know where most of the plastic is?

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    How medicine mansplained women’s health Dec 08, 2021

    Until 1993, many researchers excluded women from clinical drug trials, leaving doctors in the dark about how new treatments work in more than half the population. This is the story of why that happened, the women who fought to change it, and what we still don’t know about how sex and gender affect health.

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    How Venus went to hell Dec 01, 2021

    Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a lot like Earth, complete with an ocean of water. So, what killed Venus? And could Earth be next?

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    Mind readers Nov 17, 2021

    Will scientists ever fully understand the human brain? In their quest for knowledge, they’ve tried knives, magnets, computers, blood, and even a good metaphor.

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    A brainless yellow goo that does math Nov 10, 2021

    Slime molds can navigate mazes, control robots, and make complicated decisions, all without a central nervous system. If this weird gooey blob can think, does that mean scientists are thinking about intelligence all wrong?

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    Why whales get beached Nov 03, 2021

    Every year, thousands of marine mammals end up trapped on beaches, but it’s often hard to figure out why. It’s even harder to figure out how much humans are to blame.

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    Talking to ghosts Oct 27, 2021

    Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious experience of the world?

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    Honey, we shrunk the birds Oct 20, 2021

    A recent study of tens of thousands of birds has shown that birds are growing smaller over time. It could be due to climate change, and if so, we ought to consider: How else might humans be altering the literal shape of life on Earth — now and in the future?

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    Nobel Prize 2.0 Oct 06, 2021

    The Nobel Prize has rewarded some amazing discoveries. It’s also contributed to scientific tunnel vision. This week, how the Nobel impacted our understanding of an enormous cosmic mystery, and what a new and improved Nobel Prize could look like.

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    The James Webb Time Machine Sep 29, 2021

    To look into deep space is to look back in time. With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists hope to see “cosmic dawn,” a period long ago when the first starlight transformed the universe. But what happened before cosmic dawn? The Webb can’t tell us, though future telescopes could.

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    The James Webb Space Telescope Sep 22, 2021

    After decades of planning, NASA is finally (finally!) set to launch the successor to the Hubble. The new Webb telescope will be a paradigm shift for astronomy, exploring places in the cosmos that have been completely invisible to us until now. But first, it has to safely reach a point nearly a million miles away from the Earth.

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    What causes Alzheimer’s? Sep 15, 2021

    For decades, Alzheimer’s researchers have been stubbornly pursuing a single theory, but they’re starting to wonder: is this narrow focus the reason we still don’t have a cure?

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    Havana syndrome Sep 01, 2021

    Several years after US diplomats in Cuba claimed they were attacked by an invisible weapon, similar incidents continue to be reported around the world. Scientists haven’t been able to determine a definitive cause, but the possibilities point toward something just as mysterious as the illness itself: the inner workings of the human brain.

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    Getting to the bottom of butts Aug 25, 2021

    Once upon a time, there were no anuses. These ingenious organs allowed our primordial ancestors to grow bigger and more complex, but scientists still don’t understand how they evolved. And they’re still grasping at a mystery that literally surrounds it: Why is the human butt so big?

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    The mysteries of endometriosis Aug 18, 2021

    This common chronic condition — where tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body — is barely understood. So why is a condition so prevalent and painful still so unknown? It has a lot to do with who gets to ask research questions.


    Correction, August 18: An earlier version of this episode implied that the tissue involved in endometriosis is the same as the endometrium, which lines the uterus. It is similar tissue, but not identical.

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    A 150-year-old human Aug 11, 2021

    Two scientists. A billion-dollar wager. One unanswered question: Is the first human who will live to 150 already alive? The technology to make that happen may already be in development. But if it works, there will be new, unsettling questions for humankind to answer.

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    How low can you go? Aug 04, 2021

    Earlier this year, Nicole Yamase explored the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest place in the ocean, where few people have ever been. The rest of the seafloor is almost as mysterious — 80 percent remains unmapped — but the few glimpses scientists have gotten have completely revolutionized our understanding of the planet.


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    The tornado problem Jul 28, 2021

    8 minutes, 24 seconds. That’s the average amount of warning time people get before a tornado touches down. To do better, and to understand tornadoes, scientists need to confront more of these storms, head on.

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    Moon poop Jul 21, 2021

    Astronauts left something on the moon that could help unlock the origins of life itself.

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    Hot pink flying squirrels Jul 14, 2021

    An accidental discovery on a nighttime walk led one scientist and his team to wonder: How many mammals glow under ultraviolet light? The list keeps growing, but scientists still aren’t sure why these furry creatures glow.

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    Henrietta Leavitt and the end of the universe Jun 30, 2021

    In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt made one of the most important discoveries in the history of astronomy: a yardstick to measure distances to faraway stars. Using this tool, scientists eventually transformed our understanding of the universe. They realized space was expanding, that this expansion was accelerating, and that ultimately, everything will end.


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    How do animals know where to go? Jun 23, 2021

    As part of a massive new global tracking project, scientists are monitoring animals from a receiver on the International Space Station, mapping the incredible, previously unknown journeys that animals undertake. They’re beginning to tackle questions like how far do animals actually move? And how in the world do they know where they’re going?

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    Invasion of the jumping worms Jun 16, 2021

    These worms are fast, they’re mysterious, and they’re quickly changing North American ecosystems. How worried should we be about global worming?

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    The many heights of Mount Everest Jun 09, 2021

    How tall is the world’s tallest mountain? The answer is surprisingly tricky, which means that Everest’s official height is constantly changing. In fact, depending on the type of measurement scientists use, Everest may not be the tallest mountain in the world.

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    Unexplainable Flying Objects Jun 02, 2021

    UFOs are real, but that doesn’t mean they’re aliens. Today, Explained, Vox's daily news podcast, tells the story of America's longstanding relationship with UFOs and what we might learn from an upcoming government report.

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    The hunt for a new Pluto May 26, 2021

    Something strange is going on at the outer reaches of the solar system. One astronomer thinks it might be a Neptune-sized ninth planet, and he’s on a quest to find it.

    That search is happening at an enormous telescope on the summit of Maunakea, a dormant Hawaiian volcano with a long astronomical and cultural history. But many Native Hawaiian scientists are asking: What’s lost in the pursuit of larger and larger telescopes?

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

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    Cloudy with a chance of chaos May 19, 2021

    It’s surprisingly hard to predict how clouds form, move, and change, but it’s essential to try. Because how clouds react to a warming world helps determine how hot our future will be.

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

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    A new force of nature? May 12, 2021

    Last month, physicists at Fermilab in Illinois found that tiny subatomic particles called muons were wobbling strangely. This small observation could transform the future of particle physics, potentially pointing toward undiscovered particles or maybe even a new force of nature.

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

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    Placebos work. Why? May 05, 2021

    For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they were taking them. Not anymore: You can give patients placebos, tell them they’re on sugar pills, and they still might feel better. No one is sure how this works, but it raises a question: Should doctors embrace placebos in mainstream medicine?

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

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    A virus that could heal people Apr 28, 2021

    In 2016, the UN declared antibiotic-resistant bacteria the “greatest and most urgent global risk.” Our best hope just might be phages, or viruses that attack bacteria. Phages’ potential is enormous, but so is everything we don’t know about them.

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

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    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

    It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show.

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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

    It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show.

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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?

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

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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.

    *This episode has been updated. In the original version, we mixed up carbon isotopes with carbon isotope ratios.


    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."


    For further reading, sign up for our newsletter here:

    http://vox.com/unexplainable-newsletter

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    http://vox.com/unexplainable

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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.

    For further reading, sign up for our newsletter here: http://vox.com/unexplainable-newsletter

    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?

    For further reading, sign up for our newsletter here: http://vox.com/unexplainable-newsletter

    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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