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.
326
Thu. 09/01 - Littlefoot's Ancestor Is Oldest Ev...
One of the biggest ever and one of the smallest ever sauropods, both discovered recently and both helping us learn more about where and why dinosaurs traveled millions of years ago. Plus, the latest on the soon-to-be-available omicron booster shots....
17 min
327
Wed. 08/31 - The World Bog Snorkeling Champions...
The official trailer for the slasher horror version of Winnie the Pooh dropped and, I think I actually want to watch the whole movie now? Plus, the latest update on when Artemis I will actually be launching and what happened at the scrubbed launch on...
16 min
328
Tue. 08/30 - Big Kale's Big Lie
The surprising history of how kale became so popular so quickly back in 2014, and how both Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A were partially responsible––but not because they actually included kale on their menus. It’s a tale of lawsuits, publicity...
17 min
329
Mon. 08/29 - Why Artemis I Didn't Launch
The Artemis I launch was scrubbed early this morning Here’s why the highly-anticipated launch didn’t get off the ground. Plus, rabies vaccines are raining down across the nation. And a new classic author version of Street Fighter. Sponsors: ...
14 min
330
Fri. 08/26 - Prebunking Conspiratorial Thinking
Google ran a study using its own pre-roll ads to try to prebunk people before they fall for conspiracy theories. Plus, scientists have found the first-ever evidence of carbon dioxide in a planet’s atmosphere beyond our solar system. And the curious...
16 min
331
Thu. 08/25 - The Fantasy of History
Invented traditions. Reimagined visions of the past. History is never free from our present-day biases, but the way we talk about the past often says more about us than the past itself. From the Disneyification of the Middle Ages to the aristocratic...
18 min
332
Wed. 08/24 - Nimcels and Doppelgängers
The world of nimcels––what are they and where do they fit in online? Plus, the genetic similarities between unrelated doppelgängers. And gummy bears made out of wind turbines. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in...
18 min
333
Tue. 08/23 - Omicron Boosters & Original Antige...
Omicron-specific COVID boosters are coming to the US soon. How much of a difference will they make to immunity? Well, it’s complicated. Plus, NASA says Artemis I is go for launch. Here’s everything to know about the big event on Monday. And...
16 min
334
Mon. 08/22 - They've Got 57 Varieties, But Toma...
A dive into the viscous depths of the unshakeable ketchup bottle and its 57 different origin stories. Plus, NASA released the sound of an actual black hole. And expected and unexpected chicken wing news. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS...
17 min
335
Fri. 08/19 - Competitive Lifesaving & Mullet Ch...
Competitive lifesaving and the USA Mullet Championships. Just a couple of niche competitions to kick off your weekend with. Plus, a possible new method for removing those pernicious “forever chemicals” from rain water. Sponsors: Kolide, Got...
15 min
336
Thu. 08/18 - Ancient Butt-less Sea Creature NOT...
Could a century-old vaccine help protect against future epidemics? Plus, it turns out our oldest ancestor is not a half a billion year old sea creature with a mouth but no butt. And next month, the first Native American woman will be going to space....
16 min
337
Wed. 08/17 - Elektronik Supersonik
American Airlines has signed up for a supersonic boost. Plus, how to find the sweetest watermelon, and a brief history of the fruit. And Papa Johns is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks… and coincidentally that seems to be the same...
17 min
338
Tue. 08/16 - De-Extincting Tasmanian Tigers
The team trying to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction is doing a trial run with Tasmanian tigers, funded in part by the Hemsworth brothers. Plus, NASA’s megarocket that will return humans to the moon and, perhaps one day take humans to...
16 min
339
Mon. 08/15 - Exy McExoplanet
This one weird baking trick could make your cookies healthier and decrease waste in your home. Plus, the not-quite-net-positive potential in Greenland’s melting Arctic ice cover. Your chance to officially name an exoplanet. And a new law requiring...
15 min
340
Fri. 08/12 - Micro-Robots Brushing Your Teeth?
Could chewing gum and micro-robots replace your toothbrush? Plus, a Lord Byron-themed RPG. And get paid to indulge in every pumpkin-spiced item at Trader Joe’s. Sponsors: Bambee, Schedule a conversation at Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn...
15 min
341
Thu. 08/11 - Bog Butter Blogs & Predator's Food...
The science and history of bog butter–––still edible butter buried in Irish bogs thousands of years ago. Plus, the first-ever feature film dubbed entirely in the Comanche language, and more cool takeaways from the latest Predator installment. A...
18 min
342
Wed. 08/10 - Mary Shelley & the Cryogenic Tablo...
The story of the 197-year-old frozen gentleman–––a tale that will take us from unprecedented weather events and the 19th century version of misinformation to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, a 1980s medical miracle, and brief shout-out to the OG...
18 min
343
Tue. 08/09 - Excel eSports Championships
The exciting world of Excel eSports. Plus, a Native American tribe who has had their land returned to them after 350 years. The top scientist who caused a big stir with a tiny bit of sausage. And a group of spiders that have been named after David...
16 min
344
Mon. 08/08 - Do We REALLY Need Mosquitoes?
What would happen if we just Thanos-snapped all the mosquitoes out of existence? Would there be significantly adverse effects? Plus, from heat indexes to physiology, why the same temperature can feel so different in two different places, or even at...
15 min
345
Fri. 08/05 - Your Brain On Horror
Let’s talk about your brain on horror movies. Plus, Mark Cuban wants to turn a Texas town into Jurassic Park. And a virtual map that lets you see what your town looked like millions of years ago. Sponsor: Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide:...
17 min
346
Thu. 08/04 - The Hazy History of the IPA
A deep dive into the history of the IPA. What exactly is an IPA anyways? How did it get its name? And why did it become so ubiquitous over the last decade? Plus a very brief look at South Korea’s first-ever moon mission, launching this evening....
15 min
347
Wed. 08/03 - Cheese Baths
Cheese baths––a nineteenth century fad coming back in style. Plus, Shaun the Sheep is officially going to the moon later this month, alongside 10,000 other trinkets. And a volcano has erupted near the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, but all seems...
17 min
348
Tue. 08/02 - Smell-O-Vision Meets VR
Virtual Reality doesn’t stink. And that’s kind of a problem. Why virtual smell could take the VR experience to the next level. Plus, a paper battery that’s activated by adding water. And you could get paid $100K a year to sit on your couch and...
17 min
349
Mon. 08/01 - Early Europeans Drank Milk Despite...
The first major study of its kind sheds new light on the evolution of all you mutants who can digest dairy. Plus, engineers at MIT have developed a wearable sticker that can see inside your body. And, was George Jetson born over the weekend? Sponsor: ...
17 min
350
Fri. 07/29 - Shark Attacks, Moon Caves, & Murde...
How likely are you really to get bit by a shark and do some of those cliché comparisons still hold up as waters warm and shark sightings seem to be on the rise? Plus, future lunar explorers could enjoy year round sweater weather in moon caves. And...
16 min