Cool Stuff Daily
Cool Stuff Daily covers the most interesting and coolest stories in the world of 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
Mon. 02/06 - Drinking Virgin Cola on Mars
SpaceX’s Starship rocket might be attempting its first-ever orbital launch next month. Plus, a look back at another space billionaire’s brief appearance in the soda wars with Virgin Cola. And a quick update on the AI Seinfeld cartoon. Sponsors: ...
17 min
427
Fri. 02/03 - Ice, Ice, Pasta
Scientists have uncovered a new form of ice. Plus, James Cameron hired a forensics team and some stunt performers to answer once and for all whether there was enough room for Jack on that door. And the podcaster who invented a new kind of pasta is...
17 min
428
Thu. 02/02 - AI Seinfeld & Real-World Tamagotchi
The AI-generated Seinfeld parody cartoon that never goes off the air. Plus, Netflix did not read the room when they announced the AI image generation in their latest anime short. And a smartwatch that stops working if you don’t keep the living...
18 min
429
Wed. 02/01 - The Dodo Is Coming Back! ...is tha...
The dodo bird is back, baby! Or at least lots of investors are betting on its return. But why is de-extincting animals the hot new thing and what does it mean for the future of conservation? Plus, Abraham Lincoln: Bartender. Another look at his motley...
19 min
430
Tue. 01/31 - Lorem Ipsum? I Hardly Know 'Em! I ...
Where did lorem ipsum come from? The answer turns out to be just as murky as the nonsense placeholder text itself. Plus, a new game that challenges you to guess when photos were taken. And the best family sitcom of the turn of the twenty-first century...
19 min
431
Mon. 01/30 - What Time Is It On The Moon?
How scientists are deciding how we will tell time on the moon and beyond. Plus, a new Frog and Toad series from Apple TV+ has gay Twitter crossing their fingers. Links: (Nature) (NPR) (Space.com) (NASA JPL, 2004) (NASA) (The Atlantic, 2012) ...
17 min
432
Fri. 01/27 - Shakespeare for Gamers
Some wildly optimistic projects being funded by NASA––including more sustainable commercial aircrafts and self-growing bricks on Mars. Plus, a new Shakespearean theater company whose performances all take place inside one of the world’s most...
17 min
433
Thu. 01/26 - Eggflation: Price-Gouging on Eggs ...
Is the huge increase in the price of eggs being caused by price-gouging and not avian flu? Plus, why we need to be paying attention to avian flu even beyond its relation to egg prices. And people are selling bottles of water from the recently-closed...
15 min
434
Wed. 01/25 - Wikipedia as a Model for the Rest ...
How Wikipedia editors are bringing more nuance into their decisions and what ripple effects that can have on a website that increasingly defines our shared reality. Plus, how do you refer to historical figures who may have been trans? And a veritable...
20 min
435
Tue. 01/24 - 90 Seconds To Midnight
The Doomsday Clock has ticked down even closer to midnight, but how useful of a mechanism is it? Plus, some good news on climate change. And a new Wordle spin-off for the Zillow-obsessed. Links: (The Verge) (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) ...
17 min
436
Mon. 01/23 - The HustleCore of Medieval Monks (...
The Earth’s inner core has paused its spinning and reversed its course . Sounds alarming, but everything is fine. Plus, what medieval Christian monks, the OG hustle bros apparently, can teach us about distraction and routine. Links: (NY Times) ...
17 min
437
Fri. 01/20 - Are Coffee Pods MORE Environmental...
How did whales get so big anyways? Plus, a new study claims coffee pods are more environmentally-friendly than regular filter coffee. Is it true? Sponsor: ZocDoc, Links: (Phys.org) (NY Times) (Reuters) (Slate, 2014) (Cool Stuff Ride Home) ...
15 min
438
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
439
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
440
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
441
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
442
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
443
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
444
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
445
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
446
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
447
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
448
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
449
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
450
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