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.
426
Thu. 01/19 - Edgar Allan Poe Wrote In His Books...
A deep dive on marginalia. What is it, why should you do it, and how does it reveal the more joyful side of history’s most famous sadboy, Edgar Allan Poe? All that and more in this extended love letter to writing in books. Sponsor: ZocDoc, Links:...
19 min
427
Wed. 01/18 - The CIA's Spy-Pigeons
Earth-like exoplanet discoveries galore, including some that could be habitable. Plus, a look back at the clandestine history of the CIA’s pigeon surveillance missions. Sponsors: ZocDoc, Links: (ScienceAlert) (CBS News) (NASA) (The Verge) ...
16 min
428
Tue. 01/17 - Fake Marrying Kids To Each Other, ...
It looks like the ozone layer is on track to be restored in just a couple of decades. Plus, an opportunity to get paid for donating your stool samples. (Yes, really) And an examination of the nineteenth and twentieth century phenomenon of Tom Thumb...
19 min
429
Mon. 01/16 - Dr. King's Most Controversial Speech
Some projects that will help you suss out the truth in movies that claim to be “based on a true story.” Plus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most controversial speech. Sponsor: ZocDoc, Links: (Franklin Leonard, Twitter) (The Guardian) ...
16 min
430
Fri. 01/13 - Surprisingly Old Galaxies & the Fu...
New findings from the JWST may push the origins of the universe’s earliest galaxies back millions of years. Plus, a huge rare earth deposit has been found in Sweden. And an Instagram-based library run out of the home of a famous Mexico City...
23 min
431
Thu. 01/12 - A Giant River Falling From the Sky
What exactly is an “atmospheric river,” why is it causing so much havoc in California right now, and what do these current storms mean for the future? Plus, NASA and Roscosmos have reached an agreement on how to bring three ISS crew members back...
16 min
432
Wed. 01/11 - Earliest Human Tools Just Monkey B...
Were the first stone tools in the Americas made, not by ancient humans, but by monkeys? Plus, could color-changing cars be in our future? And will other nations follow New Zealand’s lead on banning cigarettes to future generations? Links: ...
17 min
433
Tue. 01/10 - Is "Y'All" Actually... British?
A historic satellite launch in the United Kingdom ended in disappointment last night. Plus, how “y’all” left the south and its surprising possible origins in… seventeenth century England? Links: (AP) (BBC) (Reuters) (Ars Technica) ...
19 min
434
Mon. 01/09 - Amateur Discovery May Rewrite Huma...
A cave art discovery that could put the development of writing back thousands of years. Plus, one US state taking concrete steps against misinformation. And Benoit Blanc isn’t just playing Among Us, now he’s in it. Links: (BBC News) (Cambridge...
16 min
435
Fri. 01/06 - Food Has Always Been Dangerous
How old is fast food? And to what extent was food actually healthier in the past, before our days of factory farming and artificial preservatives? A deep dive into the pros and cons of convenience food then and now. Links: by Rachel Laudan,...
17 min
436
Thu. 01/05 - A Vaccine For The Queen Bee
A vaccine for bees. Plus, the Japanese government will pay families to leave Tokyo. And a device that doesn’t let you type “LOL” unless you actually laughed out loud. Links: (The Guardian) (IFL Science) (Bee Informed) (FDA) (NPR, 2020) ...
16 min
437
Wed. 01/04 - A Global Vault of Frozen Stool Sam...
Could a poop vault become joining the Svalbard Global Seed Vault's new neighbor? Some scientists think could be a pretty crappy move. Plus, the US congressman who’s slated to be sworn in on a Superman comic. And the History of the World, Part Two....
17 min
438
Tue. 01/03 - A New Space Race? And Gregor Mende...
Are we at the beginning of a new space race? NASA Administrator Bill Nelson thinks so. Plus, why father of genetics Gregor Mendel’s skeleton was dug up last year. And a chance to read history’s most famous diarist’s words in real time over the...
18 min
439
Thu. 12/29 - BEST OF: Witchy Beer-Makers, CIA-F...
Our final lookback on some of the best segments from the past few years. From 2021, how beer-making used to be considered women’s work, and also may have popularized some of the popular symbols, like broomsticks and pointed hats, that we associate...
25 min
440
Wed. 12/28 - BEST OF: Crossing the Ocean W/O a ...
Today from the Cool Stuff Ride Home archives, how Polynesian voyagers navigated the oceans without compasses or maps, and how a new generation is bringing back those traditional skills. Plus, Waffle House’s earnest and hilarious record label. And,...
25 min
441
Tue. 12/27 - BEST OF: Gendered Food, The Brontë...
We kick off the final week of the year with a look back at some of the show’s best segments. So for today, from the archives, we’ve got how and why food itself became gendered––y’know, men eat red meat, women eat salads. Women watch their...
26 min
442
Thu. 12/22 - Where Did "Jingle Bells, Batman Sm...
We dive into the origins and enduring popularity of that most classic of Christmas Carols, “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” Plus, Stephen Spielberg has officially apologized to sharks for Jaws. And a note on our holiday programming. Sponsor: Rocket...
19 min
443
Wed. 12/21 - Entire South Korean Population Wil...
What are solstices and seasons like on other planets? Plus, why everyone in South Korea is about to become a year or two younger. And Lionel Messi’s celebratory Instagram photos have become the most-liked social media post of all-time. Sponsors: ...
15 min
444
Tue. 12/20 - Wind Power for Human Habitats on M...
Could wind be the dark horse in the hunt for power sources for human habitats on Mars? Plus, the first-ever recording of a dust devil on Mars, and a goodbye to a beloved Martian explorer. And Google unveils the most-searched word of the year. I’ll...
17 min
445
Mon. 12/19 - The Story Behind Those Wooden Cast...
Everything you never wondered about those wooden castle-like playgrounds of Gen X and Millennials’ youths. Plus, how a nano-thin layer of gold could finally be the cure to the dreaded glasses fog of our COVID masking era. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up...
17 min
446
Fri. 12/16 - Bots Doing Business With Bots
An AI chatbot that can negotiate with customer service chatbots to lower your bills, cancel your subscriptions, and more. Plus, the reason why chocolate sometimes gets that white sort of chalky sheen on it. And, a segment from the archives about the...
15 min
447
Thu. 12/15 - How Sci-Fi Impacts Real-World Inno...
The interplay between science fiction and real-world scientific innovations––from space travel to fusion energy. Plus, a replay of a classic Cool Stuff Ride Home segment on Krampus with an update on some risqué depictions of the Yuletide rogue...
22 min
448
Wed. 12/14 - Why Thousands of Street Lights Are...
Why some street lights across the US and Canada have been turning purple, and what it says about the larger effects of the supply chain on our cityscapes. Plus, the emus that were banned from a bar in Queensland have returned with a surprise. And New...
15 min
449
Tue. 12/13 - The Enduring Power of "Silent Night"
The origins and significance of the song “Silent Night.” Plus, an update on the US’s fusion energy breakthrough. And Los Angeles County’s first-ever unicorn license has been issued. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at Rocket...
19 min
450
Mon. 12/12 - A "Major Breakthrough" on Fusion E...
A big fusion energy announcement is coming in the morning, but just how “big” will it really be? Plus, a collection of disappearing and extinct sounds. And how the climate emergency is coming for one trendy fruit. Sponsors: Indeed, Shopify, Sign...
16 min