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.
376
Fri. 06/17 - Space-Based Solar Power
Ahead of Juneteenth, a reminder of what emancipation did and didn’t do. Plus, a newly discovered group of polar bears who are able to survive on less sea ice than should be possible. And a promising milestone achieved in the field of space-based...
19 min
377
Thu. 06/16 - An AI RBG
The Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more, but will it ever find anything as huge as the Higgs boson again? Plus, an AI model that’s turning Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words into a magic eight ball. Beyoncé has announced a new album and...
15 min
378
Wed. 06/15 - Is This the Origin of the Black De...
A new lead on the origin of the Black Death. Plus, monkeypox will soon––thankfully––be getting a new name. And Internet Explorer is being put to rest today. RIP. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription I Am Bio, Subscribe at ...
17 min
379
Tue. 06/14 - The Once and Future Mall
The history and future of the design of the American shopping mall. Plus, a new test that can more accurately assess your immunity to COVID-19. And Coca-Cola is releasing a new Jack & Coke canned cocktail. Meanwhile, fans have created a “healthy...
19 min
380
Mon. 06/13 - Why You Can't Remember Books You Read
Why is it so hard to remember details from books we’ve read and TV shows we’ve watched? Plus, why is food cooked outside on an open flame so dang delicious? And, vaccines for American children under the age of five may finally finally be coming....
18 min
381
Fri. 06/10 - COVID-Sniffing Dogs & Delayed Posi...
Why are some people experiencing delayed positive tests from COVID-19? And, new tests on the block, from expensive at-home hubs to COVID-sniffing dogs. Plus, a proposal in the UK to raise the legal purchase age for cigarettes by a year, every year....
17 min
382
Thu. 06/09 - Heat Waves May Get Names, Like Hur...
Heat waves in the future could come with their own names, and we might be able to keep safe from them thanks to advances in smart window technology. Plus, Europe’s largest ever land dinosaur has just been discovered. And why Wendy’s is temporarily...
17 min
383
Wed. 06/08 - So Long, Sit-Ups
Has the sit-up been canceled? Plus, the century-long history of growing nonnative plants in Antarctica and how it will help astronauts fill their bellies when they fly to the moon and beyond. And, why mice are afraid of bananas. Sponsor: Indeed, Get...
16 min
384
Tue. 06/07 - Humans' Unique Sleep Patternzzzzzz
Why is it that humans get less sleep than all other primates? And are “short sleepers” really a thing? Plus, “mountains” of sugar have been discovered all over the world, hiding beneath meadows of seagrass. And, bad news for plant parents, new...
16 min
385
Mon. 06/06 - Gummi Bears: A 100 Year Look Back
It’s the hundredth anniversary of the humble gummy bear, but did you know they’ve only been in America since the 80s? Plus, could one source of water ice on the moon be ancient volcanoes? And, something strange is afoot in the reproductive lives...
15 min
386
Fri. 06/03 - This Is Your Voice On Mars
Some wild animal species might be evolving four times faster than we thought. Plus, what your voice would sound like on Mars. And the summer job in Wisconsin that makes teenagers jump off a moving boat to deliver mail. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day...
15 min
387
Thu. 06/02 - How To OutHorse Your Email
Turns out your liver is quite a bit younger than expected. Plus, people with food allergies may be at a lower risk of catching COVID-19. Iceland’s new campaign to help you rein in your work-life balance while on vacation. And, in very serious news,...
18 min
388
Wed. 06/01 - Self-Cloning Plant the New Biggest...
A new contender for the world's largest plant is bigger than Cincinnati and named after Posiedon. Plus, a round-up of everything launching into space this weekend. And, fresh on the heels of the new Baz Lehrman biopic, the company that owns Elvis’...
18 min
389
Tue. 05/31 - Unionized Ghosts, Cat Burglars, & ...
A supremely weird “trivia” cartoon on Netflix. Plus, physicists made bubbles of gas atoms colder than space . And why the Buzzfeed News’ union contract includes legal protection against ghosts. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at ...
16 min
390
Mon. 05/30 - Angry Angry Hamsters
Scientists accidentally created super aggressive mutant hamsters. Meanwhile other scientists have devised a method for pulling drinking water out of thin air with a super affordable thin gel. Different strokes for different folks. And tonight’s...
15 min
391
Fri. 05/27 - Viruses Are Behaving Weirdly
Why viruses are starting to act in unexpected ways. Plus, the Sex Pistols re-rerelease “God Save the Queen” just in time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and at least one DIY collective is running an anti-jubilee punk festival. And some...
19 min
392
Thu. 05/26 - Winnie the Pooh: Horror Villain
The first human genome from a victim of the eruption in ancient Pompeii has been sequenced. Plus, a global mushroom art scavenger hunt is afoot. And Winnie the Pooh is joining the gritty origin story bandwagon with a new horror take on the residents...
18 min
393
Wed. 05/25 - Don't Forget To Take Your Daily To...
Why NASA is sending a bunch of brewer’s yeast up to space on Artemis 1. Plus, scientists have created genetically-edited tomatoes pumped up with vitamin D. And a COVID-19 memorial that will be purposefully burnt down on Saturday. Sponsors: Calm,...
14 min
394
Tue. 05/24 - Monkeypox: How Concerned Should We...
Everything you need to know about monkeypox––what is it, how is it spread, and how concerned should we be? Plus, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is returning to Earth on Wednesday, after just a few hiccups on its first successful trip to the ISS....
23 min
395
Mon. 05/23 - The Forest At The Bottom Of A Sink...
The ancient forest that was discovered at the bottom of a giant sinkhole in China. Plus, a moth species not seen since 1912 was found in the luggage of a passenger at the Detroit airport. And the first patient has been injected with an experimental...
16 min
396
Fri. 05/20 - 1930s Shopping Cart Haters
The history of the humble shopping cart, and why people absolutely did not like them when they first came out. Plus, a parasite that might make you more attractive—but like, don’t try it. And a tiny pub in an English village that stood up to...
14 min
397
Thu. 05/19 - In Defense of "Like"
Why do we judge each other so harshly for saying “like,” even though most of us say it way more often than we’d admit to? Plus, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is launching mere hours after recording… probably. Here’s everything you need to...
15 min
398
Wed. 05/18 - Music Made From DNA Sequences
The history and future of making music out of DNA sequences, particle vibrations, and more. Plus, a new study indicates that cats recognize the names of their cat friends and their human roommates; they’re just ignoring you because they want to, not...
15 min
399
Tue. 05/17 - Telepathic Pizza Delivery & Algae ...
Scientists created a microcomputer powered by photosynthetic algae. Plus, a smart pacifier that could monitor the health of premature babies in the NICU. And Domino’s has teamed up with the Hawkins National Laboratory for a new app that lets you...
16 min
400
Mon. 05/16 - Plants Grown In Moon Dust
Plants have successfully been grown in moon dust for the first time. Plus, McDonald’s is officially closing all of their restaurants in Russia––why that’s a big deal. A new site that will tell you how much your current home, or one you’re...
16 min