Spooky Science Sisters
We're two scientists and sisters (in-law) bringing you a podcast about the science behind all things strange and unusual, from the natural to the supernatural! So, put on your critical thinking caps and join us every other week for some creepy conversation and lots of laughter.
Episodes
November 28, 2023 • 37 mins
Welcome to our fourth (!!!) volume of Halloween Listener Stories. Yes, we know it's almost a month after Halloween, but it's always Halloween in our hearts, right!? Listen to hear us try to debunk three creepy tales featuring a haunted (?) hotel room, mysterious nocturnal jewelry removals, and a phantom smell. Have your own story to share? Be sure to send it to us any time to hear it debunked next Halloween!
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October 31, 2023 • 70 mins
Let's talk about death, baby! Burying and memorializing the dead is typically thought of as a distinctly human (or at least hominid) act. In this episode, Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and history teacher, Amy Manlapas, to talk about what that has looked like for the last few hundred thousand years (we've been digging graves for a long time!). Starting with the 400,000 year old (and pre-burial-practices) Sima de los Huesos ...
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October 27, 2023 • 53 mins
Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and Professor for the History of Science at Kean University, Dr. Brian Regal, to talk about the O.G. spooky science - alchemy and its influences on science as we know it today. Although alchemists came to be associated with gold, mysticism, the Philosopher's Stone, and in some cases, fakery, many were careful experimentalists who made significant discoveries in the areas of metallurgy, chemistr...
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September 29, 2023 • 85 mins
Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and host of the Just the Zoo of Us and Spellbound & Gagged podcasts, Ellen Weatherford, to discuss the man, the moth!?, the legend - Mothman! Join us to hear all about the history and science behind one of America's coziest cryptids, and get our thoughts on important questions such as "Is Richard Gere actually Mothman," and, "is Florida the Carboniferous Period 2.0?"
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You can find Ellen on Ti...
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September 9, 2023 • 83 mins
It is time for our fifth round of Short & Spooky stories, which, according to The Fast and the Furious franchise naming scheme, must be called Short Five. This also means that we are bringing you five spooky stories and each one has to have some aspect including or related to the number five. There's a little bit of everything here from alien encounters, to haunted dolls, to cursed phone numbers, and more!
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Here is a link to the ...
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August 25, 2023 • 81 mins
Struggling to figure out who you are in this world? Never fear - there's a test for that! In fact, there's A LOT of them. In this episode, we discuss the historical origins of personality tests, and discuss two popular ones available today - the MBTI and the Big Five - with a focus on what's "real" and what's pseudoscience. You'll even get to hear our results!
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The free MBTI we took: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personali...
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August 9, 2023 • 57 mins
Several times throughout human history, people have experienced extreme events that made them believe their world might be coming to end. In this episode, we discuss two of these terrifying times, the Late Antique Little Ice Age that began around 536 CE, and the Dust Bowl that plagued American and Canadian prairies from 1930-1936. We then journey further back in time to discuss the mass extinction events that have occurred several ...
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July 7, 2023 • 77 mins
In this episode, Paige and Meagan are joined by Tanner and Taylor of the Beyond the Breakers podcast to talk about one of the worst environmental disasters in history - the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Because what's scarier than an enormous explosion on a deep-sea drilling platform and massive oil spill caused by the "gross negligence" and " willful misconduct" of one of the largest companies in the world?
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June 16, 2023 • 56 mins
Join us for a discussion on all things fairies (AKA faeries, fae, fay, Little People, Wee Folk, Fair Folk, etc. etc., etc.). Turns out, when it comes to Celtic and western European fairy lore, pretty much EVERYTHING comes down to the fae, and they are not having it with our human sh*t. From changelings, to banshees, to boggarts, to brownies - Holy Cow - it's all fairies!
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June 9, 2023 • 96 mins
In this episode, Meagan is joined by two Substitute Sisters - archaeologist and television producer, Annelise Baer, and the host of the podcast Digging Up Ancient Aliens (and also an archaeologist), Fredrik Trusohamn, to talk about everything Ancient Aliens. Our discussion includes the origins of the ancient astronauts hypothesis that inspired it, behind the scenes info from Annelise's time as a researcher for the show, and the not...
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May 3, 2023 • 77 mins
In this episode, Meagan is joined by Substitute Sisters Tyson Kemp and Jeremy Foster, both residents of Appalachia, to talk about the internet phenomenon that is Appalachian folklore. We discuss the history of the region, America's long-standing fascination with its folklore, and how stereotypes about Appalachia and its people have developed and evolved over the past 300 years.
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April 7, 2023 • 75 mins
It's time for our fifth installment of spooky true crime stories! This episode kicks off with a discussion about sensationalism surrounding the crimes of infamous serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett, AKA H.H. Holmes. We then recount the tale of the Hammersmith Ghost, who terrorized a small village on the outskirts of London for two months in the winter of 1803, and try to answer the question, "Is it murder if you thought you were ...
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March 24, 2023 • 70 mins
Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and astronomer Dr. Allison Kirkpatrick for a discussion on all things spooky (or, more accurately, completely terrifying) about space. We cover rogue black holes and planets, asteroid deflection, gamma ray bursts (oh hey Betelgeuse!), and the mysterious Great Attractor (is it God!?).
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February 24, 2023 • 68 mins
Word on the street is that triangles are the spookiest shape, so let's talk about some famous ones! Turns out, there are a whopping twelve triangle-shaped, paranormal regions across the globe. In this episode, we'll debunk the most popular of them all, the Bermuda Triangle, as well as triangles in Lake Michigan, off the coast of Japan, and even one on land in Massachusetts!
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February 6, 2023 • 80 mins
Dr. Rebecca Gibson joins Meagan for a discussion on robots, artificial intelligence, and simulation theory for our first ever Substitute Sister episode! We talk about why robots sometimes freak us out, why you shouldn't be too worried about an evil AI taking over the world, and why Meagan now thinks she might not be real.
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January 18, 2023 • 55 mins
Our fourth volume of Short & Spooky stories is here, and you know the drill! This episode features three stories that are too short for a full episode, but that we really want to share with you. In this installment, you can hear about recent Yellowstone volcano fearmongering, James Dean's cursed Porsche, and Benadryl-induced visions of the mysterious Hat Man.
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December 23, 2022 • 57 mins
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Good Yule, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays! We're glad you're here with us on the other side of the Long Night (i.e., the Winter Solstice). For this year's Christmas episode, we're talking about spooky, or just plain quirky, Christmas traditions primarily from across the pond. Listen to hear about the origins of Krampus, the villainization of Frau Perchta, the terrifying Gryla the ...
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November 23, 2022 • 83 mins
Join us for this discussion on Ancient Egypt, mummies, and a deep dive into the life and death of Tutankhamen (AKA King Tut), including the finding of his supposedly cursed tomb. For this episode, we are joined by archaeologist and producer Annelise Baer.
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You can find links to Annelise's work and social media on her website: https://annelisebaer.com/
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You can find our sources at spookysciencesisters.com. Promo in this episode ...
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October 31, 2022 • 28 mins
Happy Halloween! It's time for our THIRD (!!!) annual Halloween listener stories! Enjoy these three spooky stories sent to us from listeners and then let us know what you think of our explanations!
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You can find our sources at spookysciencesisters.com.
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While you’re here, we’d love it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel! There you’ll find extra video content related to the podcast, and Meagan will be going live from t...
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October 28, 2022 • 59 mins
We went to New Orleans for Paige's 30th birthday, and thought this was a perfect opportunity to tell you about some of the spookiest stories from one of America's spookiest cities! Listen to hear our take on the heinous crimes of Madame LaLaurie, the ghosts of Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar, and burial practices in the Big Easy.
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You can find our sources at spookysciencesisters.com.
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While you’re here, we’d love it if you could ...
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