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.
476
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
477
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
478
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
479
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
480
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
481
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
482
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
483
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
484
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
485
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
486
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
487
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
488
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
489
Fri. 10/07 - When Novelty Halloween Songs Ruled...
What the heck is a flying purple people eater and why did that song about one stick around for so long? Plus, remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? Eight years later, we’ve got a look at just how big a difference it made. But is the new ALS treatment...
19 min
490
Thu. 10/06 - Jinkies! I Can't Believe Butter Is...
I’m back with another shortage report. This time? Butter. Plus, sleep tourism is apparently a thing now. And Velma from Scooby-Doo is officially super gay, for real this time. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first...
18 min
491
Wed. 10/05 - Bruce Willis Deepfake Deal is Fake...
It’s Nobel Prize week. With three prizes announced and three yet to come, here are the winners in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine. Plus, Bruce Willis did not sell the rights to his digital twin to a deepfake firm, but could someone...
17 min
492
Tue. 10/04 - Turns Out, Buttons Are Bad For Us
From the annals of “everyday objects our ancestors were once super concerned about”: electric push buttons. Like, on/off buttons on any basic device. And you know what, they kind of had a point. Plus, on its sixtieth anniversary let’s take a...
21 min
493
Mon. 10/03 - Can You Eat Crocs?
Answering the age old question: can you eat Crocs? Plus, why it is adults still get stress dreams about school even years after they leave. And a chance to stay at the Sanderson sisters cottage for all the die-hard Hocus Pocus fans out there....
17 min
494
Fri. 09/30 - The Real Warriors From 'The Woman ...
The real story of the Agoji warriors fictionalized in The Woman King. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration just dropped a new definition for the word “healthy.” And the very opposite of a nightmare on Elm Street. Sponsor: American Musical...
18 min
495
Thu. 09/29 - Are Lawns ALL Bad?
Lawns are terrible for the environment, but is ripping them out all together the right answer? Plus, why decorating your home for the holidays is, actually, really good for your health. And other facts I’m overhyping to justify the many decorative...
18 min
496
Wed. 09/27 - Could Changing Jupiter Make Earth ...
Could a change in Jupiter’s orbit make life on Earth more hospitable? Plus, behold the best GIFs of the 90s, uploaded a-fresh by internet strangers. And all the Taco Bell news that’s fit to print. Sponsor: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL...
17 min
497
Tue. 09/27 - Giant Invisible Otters
How close are we to some kind of invisibility cloak? Plus, when giant lion-sized otters roamed the land. Yes, the land. And Hasbro wants to make you into an action figure. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at for $20 off your next...
16 min
498
Mon. 09/26 - GIFs Are Dead, Long Live the GIF
Thanks to a court filing from the largest search engine of its kind, it’s official: GIFs are cringe. How did they fall so far? Plus, the Colorado River is drying up and part of the reason has to do with politicians ignoring the science one hundred...
19 min
499
Fri. 09/23 - Asteroid SMASH
Why is NASA slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid on Monday and what will we be able to see of the collision? Plus, a new low-cost, no-lab-required COVID-19 antibody test that could set the stage for more personalized vaccination plans. And a new...
20 min
500
Thu. 09/22 - Fall Is Here & Your Phone Is Dying
It’s the first day of fall. Or is it? Everything you need to know about the equinox, plus some seasonal music recommendations. An app you can only use when your phone’s battery is less than 5%. And why Queen Elizabeth II and other royal family...
19 min