Unexplainable
Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps on going. Host Noam Hassenfeld and an all-star team of reporters — Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, and Mandy Nguyen — tackle scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
Episodes
July 24, 2024 • 25 mins
It’s possible that the entire observable universe is inside a black hole. All we need to do to find out is … build a gigantic particle collider around the moon.
Guest: James Beacham, particle physicist at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
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July 17, 2024 • 21 mins
Send this episode to the person who constantly hounds you not to slouch.
Guest: Beth Linker, author of “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America”
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
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July 10, 2024 • 36 mins
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? (Updated from 2022)
Guest: Dr. Andrew Gallup
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: ...
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July 3, 2024 • 26 mins
Can a physicist predict our messy economy by building an enormous simulation of the entire world?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
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June 26, 2024 • 30 mins
Inflation is one of the most significant issues shaping the 2024 election. But how much can we actually do to control it?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
Learn more abo...
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June 19, 2024 • 23 mins
It’s hard to figure out the economic value of a wild bat or any other part of the natural world, but some scientists argue that this kind of calculation could help protect our environment.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your a...
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June 12, 2024 • 28 mins
Seventy-five percent of the seafloor remains unmapped and unexplored, but the first few glimpses scientists have gotten of the ocean’s depths have completely revolutionized our understanding of the planet.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Please...
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June 5, 2024 • 28 mins
If you just stood up and shouted, “It’s Mount Everest, duh!” then take a seat. Not only is Everest’s official height constantly changing, but three other mountains might actually be king of the hill.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Please take ...
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May 22, 2024 • 26 mins
Way back when forests first evolved on Earth … they might have triggered one of the biggest mass extinctions in the history of the planet. What can we learn from this ancient climate apocalypse?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Please take a sec...
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May 15, 2024 • 37 mins
From blood transfusions to enzyme boosters, our friends at Science Vs dive into the latest research on the search for the fountain of youth.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: vox.com/givepodcasts
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! v...
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May 8, 2024 • 20 mins
A snake. A shark. They got pregnant with no male involved. In fact, scientists are finding more and more species that can reproduce on their own. What’s going on?
Note: We mention that a stingray named Charlotte might be pregnant via parthenogenesis. It has since been announced that she was not pregnant, but ill.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplaina...
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May 1, 2024 • 18 mins
Itch used to be understood as a mild form of pain, but scientists are learning this sense is more than just skin deep. How deep does it go?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: vox.com/givepodcasts
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vo...
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April 24, 2024 • 25 mins
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?” (Updated from 2023)
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
Vox is also currently running a series called Home Planet, which is all about celebrating Earth in the face of climate change: vox.com/homeplan...
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April 17, 2024 • 28 mins
A cell is alive. So is a leaf and so is a tree. But what about the forest they’re a part of? Is that forest alive? And what about the planet that forest grows on? Is Earth alive? Science writer Ferris Jabr says: Yes.
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
Vox is also currently running a series called Home Planet, which is all about celebrating Earth in the face of climate cha...
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April 10, 2024 • 40 mins
The researcher who popularized the idea of the alpha wolf has spent decades trying to take it back. Our friends over at Pablo Torre Finds Out try to uncover how science got it wrong.
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 ...
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April 3, 2024 • 19 mins
Solar storms can wreak havoc on power grids, satellites, even astronauts — but scientists still struggle to predict them. One possible way forward? Chasing eclipses.
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/givep...
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March 27, 2024 • 27 mins
Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world. Maybe it’s painting. Or writing. Or playing the piano. Now imagine you wake up one day and you just can’t do it. You’re not sick. You’re not injured. But that one thing is impossible.
It’s called the yips, and even the most talented people in the world experience it. What could cause them to lose their superpowers? And is there anything they can do to get ...
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March 20, 2024 • 24 mins
Diagnosing diseases such as endometriosis can require difficult steps, like surgery. But researchers are hoping to use menstrual fluid to make detecting the condition much easier.
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...
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March 13, 2024 • 18 mins
Periods and menstrual fluid have long been overlooked by scientists. Now, researchers are starting to suspect they might be sources of medical treasure.
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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March 6, 2024 • 26 mins
Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we know? (Updated from 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 abo...
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