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.
526
Wed. 09/14 - The Dream of the 90s Is Alive on t...
Several major publishing houses are suing the Internet Archive. Why? And what could the ramifications of the lawsuit have on the archive and on digital access to knowledge more broadly? Sponsors: Bambee, Schedule a conversation at BetterHelp, Get...
20 min
527
Tue. 09/13 - Too Many or Too Few Humans?
We’re approaching overpopulation. Or we’re in danger of population decline. It depends who you ask. As we prepare to pass eight billion humans on Earth, a look at the history of population anxiety and thoughts about where we go from here. Plus, a...
16 min
528
Mon. 09/12 - Not Your Papa’s Pawpaw
Is the most American of all fruits finally going to get its time to shine? And, no, NASA did not officially ask the public to name the probe to Uranus, but they could one day and, if and when they do, the internet will be ready. Sponsors: Bambee,...
18 min
529
Fri. 09/09 - Garbled Nonsense: When Filter Bubb...
Merriam-Webster has added 370 words to the dictionary, but it’s not enough to keep up with the changing pace of language on the internet, especially as we increasingly communicate with imagery and in-jokes that transcend single word definitions....
20 min
530
Thu. 09/08 - All Hail Big Hail
Hail is getting bigger and becoming more common to more areas, but we still know relatively little about it. Plus, a possibly complete dinosaur skeleton with intact fossilized skin has been discovered in Alberta. And a brief historical perspective on...
15 min
531
Wed. 09/07 - The Haunting of Loab: AI's First C...
Meet, Loab––a woman haunting every AI generated image she is summoned to with some of the goriest scenes you’ll find this side of Halloween. What does Loab tell us about AI generated art and our relationship to truth and reality...
20 min
532
Tue. 09/06 - The Science Tooth Fairy & the Vamp...
How analyzing baby teeth might be able to facilitate early intervention for childhood adversity. Plus, archaeologists have found the skeleton of a seventeenth century woman accused of being a vampire. And yet another Artemis update, including why the...
19 min
533
Fri. 09/02 - Crappy Musicians Profiting From Ki...
The musicians getting paid anytime a preschooler makes a poop joke at an Alexa device. Plus, why Labor Day is a cursed weekend for movie releases. And the Artemis I launch is officially maybe happening on Saturday. Sponsors: Kolide, Got Slack? Got...
18 min
534
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
535
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
536
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
537
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
538
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
539
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
540
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
541
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
542
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
543
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
544
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
545
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
546
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
547
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
548
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
549
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
550
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