The Story Collider

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society at Georgia Tech – features two powerful stories from individuals whose lives have been shaped by brain-computer interfaces.

Part 1: As his Parkinson’s symptoms worsen and medications take a toll, Brandan Mehaffie faces a life-altering decision: continue down a difficult path or undergo brain surgery to implant a...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of well-intentioned choices gone wrong.

Part 1: In fourth grade, Ro Moran is thrilled to be trusted with the class pet iguana, Iggy, for the night. But by morning, something is very wrong.

Part 2: As an exchange student studying superconducting oxides, Karoline Mueller tries to save money by gold-coating a cheap crucible instead of using a solid gold one.

Ro is an...

To close out Pride Month this week, we're sharing a special best of episode featuring stories about coming out in science! 

Part 1: Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students.

Charlie Cook is a non-binary white settler on ancestral, unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They are a museum science interpreter with a BFA in Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts.

Part 2:...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers use a scientific lens to examine their worst relationships.

Part 1: Carlos Maza uses the plague to analyze his brutal breakup.

Part 2: Panagiota Vogdou refuses to see her boyfriend as toxic until a stranger on the bus tells her to go to therapy.

Carlos Maza is a video journalist focusing on misinformation, media bias, and propaganda. He is the Director of Video at Media ...

In celebration of Pride Month, we’re sharing two stories about coming out with the help of science.

Part 1: After years of struggling with their gender identity, Parker Sublette finds inspiration in marine life.

Part 2: Bullied as a kid for the sound of his voice, Garret Glinka begins to reclaim his confidence thanks to biology class.

Parker Sublette is a comedian and speculative fiction writer living in Brooklyn, New Y...

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Challenging Pseudoscience, at the Royal Institution, with support from the Open Society Foundation—features two storytellers who share just how easy it is to fall for scientific misinformation, and how difficult it can be to find your way back.

Part 1: When Lydia Greene’s infant daughter has a troubling reaction to a routine vaccine and her concerns are dismissed by ...

To kick off our big 15 year anniversary celebration, we’re re-sharing two stories from the storytellers you, the fans, voted as your favorite stories. And the best part? You can see these storytellers, along with the other fan favorites, take the stage live on June 3, 2025, at Caveat in New York City during our special anniversary show and fundraiser. Learn more and grab your tickets here.

Part 1: Maryam Zaringhalam's sche...

Some relationships stand the test of time—others unravel. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what it means to heal, let go, and move forward.

Part 1: Stuck in a monsoon on Kauai, Belinda Fu unintentionally ruins a friendship with a classmate.

Part 2: Matt Storrs blames a dinosaur scientist’s theory for the end of his marriage.

Belinda Fu, MD, (“theImprovDoc”) is a physician, educator, and performin...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers become extremely fixated on something very specific.

Part 1: After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list.

Part 2: As an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies.

Jenna Dioguardi is an Obie & Drama Desk-award winning performe...

In honor of Mother’s Day, both of our storytellers share stories about their unique relationships with their moms.

Part 1: Rita Rigano always had a complicated relationship with her mother, and it becomes even more fraught when her mother’s dementia worsens.

Part 2: In the midst of writing her PhD dissertation, Jordyn Rice embarks on one last road trip with her mother, who is dying of lung cancer.

Rita Rigano is a NYC-...

In this week’s episode, Thomas Dixon and Rachel Robinson manage to build a friendship, despite not remembering the exact moments they shared.

Thomas Dixon is the author of "I'm Sorry... That's Awesome!: Inventing a Solution for Memory Loss", and the inventor of ME.mory (a digital memory mobile application/service). Thomas was running when struck by a car and injured so badly that he nearly died. His episodic memory (specif...

This week we present two stories from people who stood up against a system eager to tear them down.

Part 1: After a car crash alters Emily Winn's life forever, she must relive the trauma when she testifies in a deposition.

Part 2: Geneticist C. Brandon Ogbunu contemplates the role race has played in his academic career after he is confronted by the police.

Dr. Emily Winn-Nuñez is a data scientist based in Brooklyn, NY where...

In this week’s episode, both our storytellers’ lives are altered by an unexpected mishap.

Part 1: When teenage Ron Hart accidentally walks through a glass door, he lands in the ER on the worst possible day: a tornado drill.

Part 2: After a car accident leaves all of her teeth bent inward, Di Cai begins to rethink her life as a scientist.

Ron Hart is a television writer, a Moth GrandSlam Champion, and a recovering mascot.

...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of persistence and beating the odds in order to pursue their scientific dreams.

Part 1: Determined to become an academic, Rajyashree Sen must take on a broken system to secure a spot in a PhD program in Vienna.

Part 2: Josh Barber dreams of studying fish, but when his father goes to jail and his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, he’s left to care for his ni...

Some people are meant to be together—but in this week’s episode, our storytellers discover they’re definitely not a match made in heaven.

Part 1: When Mark Pitzer gets splashed with methyl cyanide, he turns to his new girlfriend in hopes of comfort.

Part 2: Hoping to impress his scientist date, Adam Selbst plans the perfect outing: the Central Park Squirrel Census.

Mark Pitzer, Ph.D. is a Neuroscientist at the University of ...

This week, we present two stories about confronting threats -- whether it’s actual physical danger or a threat to your career.

Part 1: Climate scientist Kim Cobb is exploring a cave in Borneo when rocks begin to fall.

Part 2: Neurobiologist Lyl Tomlinson is startled when he's accused of stealing cocaine from his former lab.

Kim Cobb is a researcher who uses corals and cave stalagmites to probe the mechanisms of past, present,...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers struggle to get the right words out.

Part 1: After living with a stutter all her life, Sara Street thinks coding might be the solution to her communication problems.

Part 2: Electrical engineer Anna Fox longs to share her work with her family, but struggles with how to explain it.

Sara Street has lived in Idaho for seven years with her mom and dad after moving from Texas in ...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what happens when belief systems collide—and how science and empathy can help bridge the divide.

Part 1: Neuroscientist Lauren Vetere is excited to see if real life will mimic science at an interfaith event.

Part 2: Growing up as a devout Jew, Fred Gould’s relationship with God is shaken by existential philosophy and science.

Lauren Vetere is a neuroscientist, writer, a...

Is who we are shaped more by nature or nurture? It's a question science has grappled with for years. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers dive into their family histories to explore how the people and experiences that came before them continue to shape who they are today.

Part 1: As a teenager, Mark Pagan worries that having an old dad is affecting his social development.

Part 2: Curious about his DNA, Christophe...