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.
551
Fri. 07/08 - The Breakfast Episode
Welcome to our accidental breakfast episode. First, how did orange juice become our go-to breakfast beverage of choice? Plus, Waffle House’s in-house record label. And, someone’s been eating their Wheatie’s, how major sports tournaments are...
20 min
552
Thu. 07/07 - Sports Leagues IN SPACE
In 1972, a team of international researchers used computer modeling to assess and warn us about the potential collapse of human civilization. Fifty years later, how does their assessment add up and have we heeded their warning? Plus, we’ve got space...
17 min
553
Wed. 07/06 - Big Mouth Billy Bass
We take a deep dive into the freshwater lake origins of Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing fish, and his riptide success in the early 2000s. And, in other peak scientific innovation news, the Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more and...
16 min
554
Tue. 07/05 - The Rise of #Gentleminions
Could the historic flooding at Yellowstone National Park be a positive thing in the long term? Plus, new findings into long COVID-caused brain fog. And why some movie theaters are banning formal attire. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium...
17 min
555
Thu. 06/30 - The Kid Who Invented Popsicles... ...
The murky history of Popsicles, and freeze pops or Otter Pops or whatever you call them. Plus, those skin mites that live on your face might be able to reveal your geographic ancestry. And the Canadian radio station that only plays one song by Rage...
16 min
556
Wed. 06/29 - Did "The Dress" Foreshadow Fake News?
Remember the photo of that blue and black dress, or I’m sorry, white and gold dress? It turns out at least one neuroscientist conducted an official study of people’s perceptions about it, and his findings could have larger ramifications on our...
15 min
557
Tue. 06/28 - The Return of the Moon Age
NASA’s Artemis mission returning us to the moon has officially begun… sort of. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s first step towards establishing a base in lunar orbit. Plus, why do so many of us love logging the books we read...
16 min
558
Mon. 06/27 - Why Friends Smell Alike
Do groups of friends all smell alike? Plus, an astonishingly well-preserved 30,000 year old woolly mammoth baby was just discovered. And we finally have photographic evidence of that mysterious rocket stage that hit the moon in March. Sponsors: I Am...
15 min
559
Fri. 06/24 - The Creatures That Live & Mate On ...
The facts on how risky public bathrooms actually are when it comes to germs and disease transmission. Plus, the secret lives of skin mites––a bevy of new findings on the microscopic creatures that live on our faces. And, as a chaser, animal ASMR....
13 min
560
Thu. 06/23 - The "Anti-Hunger" Molecule Formed ...
A newly-identified molecule may explain why some workouts make you super hungry and others leave you without an appetite at all. Plus, a spectacular planetary conjunction is on display this weekend––how to catch sight of five planets at once....
15 min
561
Wed. 06/22 - Pinocchio, Fascism, & Guillermo de...
A deep dive into the origins, values, and many adaptations of The Adventures of Pinocchio––including how Guillermo del Toro’s dark upcoming stop motion animation could be the truest to the original yet. Plus, the mystery of eight thousand Iron...
19 min
562
Tue. 06/21 - Queerness in Colonial Williamsburg
More and more countries are banning single-use plastics, but what alternatives are available? One team of scientists have developed an antimicrobial spray that could replace plastic food packaging. Plus, how Colonial Williamsburg is working to...
16 min
563
Mon. 06/20 - Peecycling
Would you use your own pee in your garden? Or donate it to a local farm? Some folks around the world see it as the future of fertilization. Plus, some scientists want to rename summer “danger season.” And astronomers have discovered a new...
15 min
564
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
565
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
566
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
567
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
568
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
569
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
570
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
571
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
572
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
573
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
574
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
575
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