Spooky Science Lab

In this episode, Nick takes us back in time to the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in modern history. Not only did it kill tens of thousands and lead to unimaginable devastation, it also changed the Earth's climate in ways that still affect us over one hundred years later. Then, Dave drops us off on Io, Jupiter's innermost moon and one of the deadliest spots in the solar system...

In this episode, Nick brings us back to the ocean to visit one of its most bizarre inhabitants, the jellyfish. Some have tentacles over 100 feet long, others have a sting that can kill a human being in under five minutes, but most fascinating of all are the ones who've achieved immortality. Then, Dave asks one of the most difficult questions in science: If a catastrophic, world-ending event was on the way, who would you choose...

In this episode, Nick takes us to the deepest ocean depths to meet the alien-looking anglerfish and its bizarre, disturbing mating habits. Think you've been on weird dates? You haven't seen anything yet! Then, Dave ponders what teleportation would be like in the real world. Star Trek makes it look easy, but what would it entail to break you down into atoms and reassemble you somewhere else? Provided you survived the exper...

In this episode, Nick introduces listeners to the horrifying horsehair worm, a water-dwelling parasitic organism whose brutal lifecycle puts its insect host through hell, culminating in the worm's unique ability to compel its host to drown itself. Then, Dave asks the question, "How many planets are there in our solar system?" The answer might seem simple to you, but throughout history the number has fluctuated wildly...

In this episode, Nick explores Lazarus Syndrome, a rare occurrence where people who are declared dead suddenly and mysteriously wake up hours later, sometimes just minutes away from being embalmed. The dead are rising, but this isn't a zombie movie, it's real life! Then, Dave introduces us to cerebral organoids, lab-grown living human brain cells in petri dishes. These mini-brains are capable of learning, including how to...

In this episode, Nick shrinks Dave to the size of a bacterium and sends him into the savage battlefield of the human immune system, a breathtaking biological enterprise that's second in complexity only to the human brain. Then, Dave takes us to the very edge of the universe, where something unknown lurks beyond observable space, emitting such an immense gravitational pull that this mysterious celestial body is believed to be t...

In this episode, Nick gets too close for comfort to a tree the Guinness Book of World Records called "the deadliest tree in the world." With poisonous fruit, toxic bark, and lethal sap, there's no doubt the manchineel tree wants you dead. Only one creature can survive in its branches, but you'll never guess what it is. Then, Dave takes a deep dive into the deep Earth, where there's no light, intense pressur...

In this episode, Nick recounts the true story of a young Australian man in the peak of health who, in 2010, ate a common garden slug on a dare. What followed was a swift and brutal physical deterioration, eventually putting him into a coma. But slugs aren't poisonous, so what happened? The answer will shock you! Then, Dave takes us on a guided tour of several fascinating and spooky exoplanets, strange and completely alien worl...

In this episode, Nick recounts the bizarre events that befell the small coastal city of Capitola, California in 1961, when thousands of seabirds attacked the city, an incident eerily similar to Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie The Birds, yet this happened two years before the movie. What caused the birds to swarm Capitola and peck madly at its residents, and could it happen again? Then, Dave tells the sad story of American serv...

In this episode, Nick leads us deep into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to the remains of the deadly reactor itself, where a most unexpected organism has made its home. Not only is it resistant to the radiation bombarding it, it appears to be feeding on radiation to grow and reproduce. Then, Dave takes us on a journey to the Phoenix Cluster, a massive and beautiful collection of galaxies billions of light years from Earth. Yet someth...

In this episode, Nick explores the strange and spooky phenomenon of bog mummies in northern Europe. How are they so well preserved after thousands of years, and what dark, deadly secret do they share? Then, Dave examines what intelligent alien life might look like should we ever encounter them. The answer might surprise you!

This episode was recorded before a live audience at the Flying Fox Tavern in Queens, NY, on Septemb...

In the final episode of Season 1, Nick tells the story of a massive herd of earthworms discovered in the shape of a perfect spiral on the ground--a "wormnado"--and examines what could have caused this seemingly impossible phenomenon. Does it have anything to do with a rare phase of the moon known as the "Worm Moon"? Then, Dave looks into the "Dark Forest Hypothesis," which tackles the question, if the ...

Nick introduces us to the busy, relentless world of leafcutter ants, who spend their whole lives  harvesting leaves from the forest to bring back to their nest and feed to the fungus that lives there. These tiny, six-legged personal chefs live to serve the fungus, which raises the question: Who's in charge? Then, Dave discusses the theory of "panspermia," which suggests that life on Earth might have started in outer ...

Nick shrinks Dave and drops him inside a Venus flytrap to explore what happens to the prey of this fascinating carnivorous plant.  Don't worry, it's for science! Then, Dave looks into the infamous Tunguska Event of 1908, when a colossal explosion blasted the snowy Siberian landscape. The cause of the explosion has long been a mystery, but have scientists finally discovered the answer?

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/...

Join Nick in a return to the watery deep to meet the creature with the fastest draw on Earth -- the pistol shrimp, a cannibalistic predator with a surprising secret! Then, Dave teleports Nick into outer space without a spacesuit to study exactly how and why you would die in the vast expanse between planets, and what would happen to your body over time. Don't worry, it's for science!

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/sp...

Dive under the sea to encounter a crustacean assassin, the mantis shrimp! Nick explains why this creature has the best eyesight of any animal on the planet, and why it isn't actually a shrimp. Stick around to hear Dave discuss the Multiverse, which it turns out was not just invented for the movies but might actually be real--and potentially the answer to one of the biggest questions in theoretical physics!

Merch: https://www.te...

In this episode, Nick changes Dave into a caterpillar and puts him in a chrysalis to study his intense, disturbing transformation into a butterfly and Dave takes us on a tour of our galactic neighborhood to introduce us to some of the strangest stars in the night sky!

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices...

In this episode, Nick discusses the horrors that parasitoid wasp larvae inflict on common orb-weaver spiders and Dave explains how there could be a black hole growing at the center of our sun -- a black hole we'll never see until it's too late!

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer D...

In this episode, Nick examines the bizarre behavior of caterpillars impregnated with wasp larvae and Dave uses a shrink ray on Nick again to continue exploring the mysterious miniature world all around us!

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnall...