Cool Stuff Ride Home
Covering the most interesting and coolest stories that you may have missed around the world in about 15 minutes a day. Cool Stuff Ride Home looks at science, progress, life-hacks, memes, exciting art, and hope. This is the antidote to depressing headlines. Smart stuff in podcast form. Cool news, as a service.
Hosted by Reggie Risseeuw and Marques Pfaff.
276
Mon. 11/14 - Polar Night, Midnight Sun, & Fruit...
Polar Night and Midnight Sun. What’s it like living in a place that stays absolutely pitch black for two and half months, and what can we learn from the people who live there? Plus, a new emergency alert system in the US to let you know when an...
17 min
277
Fri. 11/11 - VR Special Effects Made Live TV D...
How tech from shows like The Mandalorian is now being used in live election coverage on TV. Plus, an enormous tunnel has been uncovered beneath an Egyptian temple and some think it could lead to Cleopatra’s tomb. And Netflix is starting to...
15 min
278
Thu. 11/10 - Can I Get One Large Algae, Please?
Is algae the secret to feeding our growing world? Plus, new evidence for a sixth mass extinction that occurred even earlier than the Big Five. And some prescient thoughts on democracy from fifty years ago, courtesy of the creator of Charlie Brown....
15 min
279
Wed. 11/09 - Ballpoint Pens Killed the Cursive ...
Could the ballpoint pen be just as responsible for the death of cursive handwriting as the computer? Plus, lab-grown blood has been injected into two patients in a world-first clinical trial. And, would you attend a Zoom meeting in a movie theater?...
17 min
280
Tue. 11/08 - 3D Printing Human Organs In Space
From a 3D bioprinter for human tissues to pumpkin spice cappuccinos, here’s the cargo being delivered on board the S.S. Sally Ride tomorrow to the International Space Station. Plus, this time it’s not just in your head, the New York Times really...
17 min
281
Mon. 11/07 - The Uncertain Future of Social Med...
On TikTok, Twitter, and more broadly how social media has changed us, how we might finally be approaching a tipping point in how we use it, and the ways in which our devices play just as large a role as the algorithms. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe...
24 min
282
Fri. 11/04 - Music to Prevent Nightmares
Could a musical cue played while you’re asleep help prevent nightmares? Plus, a round-up of science news from this month in history. And the US government might be getting an official Space Bureau. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month...
15 min
283
Thu. 11/03 - How the World Series Led To the Te...
A deep dive into two major events that led to the television boom, and a question of what that has meant for the artifice and theatricality of live events. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at Links: (The Conversation) ...
15 min
284
Wed. 11/02 - Cornhole Controversy
2022 has been the year of cheating. The latest scandal to rock a niche community? BagGate at the American Cornhole League World Championships. Plus, Collins Dictionary has declared “permacrisis” their word of the year. And an exciting update for...
15 min
285
Tue. 11/01 - Dracula: A Tale of Misinformation?
Why does Dracula still resonate with audiences over a century later? The disease narrative is one possible reason, but there’s another less-discussed theory too. Plus, one team of scientists have detected traces of an ancient ocean on Mars. And a...
14 min
286
Mon. 10/31 - Queen Victoria's Halloween Ragers
Dispatches from the Recreational Fear Lab on why being scared might be a healthy thing. And the raucous Halloween parties Queen Victoria used to throw in Scotland. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at Indeed, Links: (Slate) ...
16 min
287
Fri. 10/28 - Best Of: Candy Corn, Witches, & Sp...
In our first-ever "Best Of" episode, we look back at the history of candy corn. How did this contentious candy come to be, why does it persist when so many people hate it, and does it really contain bug secretions? Plus, a segment from 2020, were...
26 min
288
Thu. 10/27 - This Is Your Brain On Books
Can the books we read permanently change our brains? Or at least impact our values over a lifetime? Two studies that used undergrads as guinea pigs attempt to quantify the effects of powerful books on our brains. Plus, the upcoming election night...
15 min
289
Wed. 10/26 - Men Eat Red Meat, Women Eat Salads...
How and why did food become so gendered? Y’know, men eat red meat and women eat salads. When did those associations begin? Plus, according to new evolutionary findings, animals might have begun to vocalize to each other even before they had ears....
17 min
290
Tue. 10/25 - Parkour Activists
Why marigolds are so prevalent in cultural celebrations around the world this time of year. Plus, how insect swarms affect atmospheric electricity. And the parkour athletes turned environmental activists. Sponsors: Indeed, American Musical Supply,...
16 min
291
Mon. 10/24 - Eau de Witchcraft
Why scents and fragrances have been so strongly associated with witchcraft throughout time and how those associations influence witchcraft, feminism, and misogyny today. Plus, a wild bison has been born in England for the first time in thousands of...
17 min
292
Thu. 10/20 - How the Black Death Changed Our Genes
How the Black Death changed the course of human evolution. Plus, the exoplanet with a marshmallow-like atmosphere. And IKEA is testing out autonomous delivery vehicles. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at Links: (ScienceAlert) ...
16 min
293
Wed. 10/19 - The Rise of Human Composting, a Bu...
A look into the growing movement of human composting as a funeral option. Plus, Anna May Wong quarters start shipping in the US on Monday. And two iconic movies with intriguing reboots on the horizon. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at ...
17 min
294
Tue. 10/18 - How Quickly Would Vampires Make Hu...
Could vampires exist, mathematically speaking? Plus, an update on COVID variants of concern as we head into winter. And the United Kingdom has ruled that GIFs are still relevant and Meta can’t hog them all. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial...
17 min
295
Mon. 10/17 - The AI Chatbot Running for Office ...
NASA isn’t the only one who may launch a rocket to the moon next month. Plus, a Danish political party led by an AI chatbot that’s running for office. A new horror film that’s causing people to faint and puke in theaters. And, bringing all new...
17 min
296
Fri. 10/14 - CIA-Funded Woolly Mammoths
The FCC has just proposed new rules to combat space junk. Plus, remember the company trying to bring back the woolly mammoth? The CIA just invested in them. Plus, a previously unheard Queen song, featuring Freddie Mercury’s vocals, was just...
18 min
297
Thu. 10/13 - Warhol & Prince & Galileo & Elvis.
A Supreme Court case involving Prince and Andy Warhol that could have huge implications on the future of art. Plus, a new book by Galileo just dropped. And a song sung by 100,000 people who didn’t know they were singing together. Sponsor: Indeed, ...
17 min
298
Wed. 10/12 - Space Age Clam Slam
The verdict on that asteroid NASA hit with a spacecraft last month. Plus, Tom Cruise’s latest plan to make history in space. And the latest Cards Against Humanity expansion pack that you can only buy at Target, and which is submerged within a jar of...
19 min
299
Tue. 10/11 - The Ghost of Halloween Candy Panic...
Another Halloween, another candy tampering panic. While these panics rarely––if ever––bear fruit, poisoned candy and concerns around it have a longer history than you might suspect. Plus, a voter fraud scandal has rocked the wholesome Fat Bear...
17 min
300
Mon. 10/10 - Cyborg Cockroaches Are Here To Sav...
Just in time for Halloween, we’ve got cyborg cockroaches. As terrifying as it sounds though, they might actually end up saving our lives. Plus, a round-up of recommendations for celebrating Indigenous People today and everyday. And an upcoming...
16 min