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.
576
Wed. 06/01 - Self-Cloning Plant the New Biggest...
A new contender for the world's largest plant is bigger than Cincinnati and named after Posiedon. Plus, a round-up of everything launching into space this weekend. And, fresh on the heels of the new Baz Lehrman biopic, the company that owns Elvis’...
18 min
577
Tue. 05/31 - Unionized Ghosts, Cat Burglars, & ...
A supremely weird “trivia” cartoon on Netflix. Plus, physicists made bubbles of gas atoms colder than space . And why the Buzzfeed News’ union contract includes legal protection against ghosts. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at ...
16 min
578
Mon. 05/30 - Angry Angry Hamsters
Scientists accidentally created super aggressive mutant hamsters. Meanwhile other scientists have devised a method for pulling drinking water out of thin air with a super affordable thin gel. Different strokes for different folks. And tonight’s...
15 min
579
Fri. 05/27 - Viruses Are Behaving Weirdly
Why viruses are starting to act in unexpected ways. Plus, the Sex Pistols re-rerelease “God Save the Queen” just in time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and at least one DIY collective is running an anti-jubilee punk festival. And some...
19 min
580
Thu. 05/26 - Winnie the Pooh: Horror Villain
The first human genome from a victim of the eruption in ancient Pompeii has been sequenced. Plus, a global mushroom art scavenger hunt is afoot. And Winnie the Pooh is joining the gritty origin story bandwagon with a new horror take on the residents...
18 min
581
Wed. 05/25 - Don't Forget To Take Your Daily To...
Why NASA is sending a bunch of brewer’s yeast up to space on Artemis 1. Plus, scientists have created genetically-edited tomatoes pumped up with vitamin D. And a COVID-19 memorial that will be purposefully burnt down on Saturday. Sponsors: Calm,...
14 min
582
Tue. 05/24 - Monkeypox: How Concerned Should We...
Everything you need to know about monkeypox––what is it, how is it spread, and how concerned should we be? Plus, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is returning to Earth on Wednesday, after just a few hiccups on its first successful trip to the ISS....
23 min
583
Mon. 05/23 - The Forest At The Bottom Of A Sink...
The ancient forest that was discovered at the bottom of a giant sinkhole in China. Plus, a moth species not seen since 1912 was found in the luggage of a passenger at the Detroit airport. And the first patient has been injected with an experimental...
16 min
584
Fri. 05/20 - 1930s Shopping Cart Haters
The history of the humble shopping cart, and why people absolutely did not like them when they first came out. Plus, a parasite that might make you more attractive—but like, don’t try it. And a tiny pub in an English village that stood up to...
14 min
585
Thu. 05/19 - In Defense of "Like"
Why do we judge each other so harshly for saying “like,” even though most of us say it way more often than we’d admit to? Plus, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is launching mere hours after recording… probably. Here’s everything you need to...
15 min
586
Wed. 05/18 - Music Made From DNA Sequences
The history and future of making music out of DNA sequences, particle vibrations, and more. Plus, a new study indicates that cats recognize the names of their cat friends and their human roommates; they’re just ignoring you because they want to, not...
15 min
587
Tue. 05/17 - Telepathic Pizza Delivery & Algae ...
Scientists created a microcomputer powered by photosynthetic algae. Plus, a smart pacifier that could monitor the health of premature babies in the NICU. And Domino’s has teamed up with the Hawkins National Laboratory for a new app that lets you...
16 min
588
Mon. 05/16 - Plants Grown In Moon Dust
Plants have successfully been grown in moon dust for the first time. Plus, McDonald’s is officially closing all of their restaurants in Russia––why that’s a big deal. A new site that will tell you how much your current home, or one you’re...
16 min
589
Fri. 05/13 - The Multiverse: A Balm, A Mirror, ...
A deep dive into the multiverse––what it actually is, why it’s become such a popular trope, what its popularity says about where we’re at as a society right now, how it mirrors our relationship to the internet, and why, despite some cynical...
16 min
590
Thu. 05/12 - 1st Image of Milky Way Black Hole ...
Everything you need to know about the just-released first-ever image of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Plus, is there sight after death? No. But kind of. And, in the most predictable news of the day, Dolly Parton is starring in a Doja...
17 min
591
Wed. 05/11 - Love, Sleep, & Dinosaurs: The Thre...
How data can help us find happiness in romantic relationships, or at least tell us why we’re dating all wrong. Plus, it turns out sleep-deprivation can affect how we see other people. And a new website for finding and reporting dinosaur sightings in...
16 min
592
Tue. 05/10 - How Hollywood Changed In The Summe...
How the summer of 1982 changed movies forever––for better or worse. Plus, a study justifying why teenagers suck at listening to their parents. And, how to watch this weekend’s total eclipse of the moon. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show,...
15 min
593
Mon. 05/09 - The Real-Life Inspiration Behind '...
How the 50’s sci-fi horror film The Blob was actually a ripped-from-the-headlines story. Plus, potential cancer treatments involving magnets and dirt. And would you undergo a fecal transplant to reverse signs of aging? It could be an option in the...
15 min
594
Fri. 05/06 - Dickens and the Rise of Creepy Clowns
How much can we blame Charles Dickens for the persisting archetype of creepy clowns? Who and what other cultural factors over the centuries contributed to so many people being whigged out by clowns? Plus, we now know the (general) location of...
23 min
595
Thu. 05/05 - Is Original Pop Culture Going Exti...
A deep dive into the question of whether pop culture has become completely dominated by franchises and the same superstars; and, if so, how new that phenomenon actually is and, if it’s really a bad thing in the end. Sponsors: Outer, Get $300 off...
16 min
596
Wed. 05/04 - Margaret Thatcher's Empire Strikes...
Did Margaret Thatcher play a role in the origins of Star Wars Day? Plus, why human hibernation for long-distance space travel might not actually be worth it. And a redone Bob Dylan recording on an all-new analog medium, coming this Friday. Sponsors: ...
16 min
597
Tue. 05/03 - Why Can't The US Have Weird Chip F...
Why doesn’t the US get all the cool chip flavors that other countries do? Plus, scientists have figured out a way to breakdown plastic in just a few days, instead of over centuries. And why a bunch of creepy dolls keeping washing ashore along the...
15 min
598
Mon. 05/02 - Waste More Time
Why it’s time for you to waste time. Plus, a café in Tokyo that doesn’t let people leave until they’ve successfully hit their writing goals. And a possibly sustainable use for the ungodly amounts of disposable masks we’ve thrown out in the...
18 min
599
Fri. 04/29 - Books That Kill: Arsenic-Laced Cov...
How an innocent trip to the library could give you arsenic poisoning. Plus, a new pterosaur fossil seems to confirm the prehistoric reptiles had some pretty cool feathers. And, how would you like to meditate with Yoda and Chewbacca? Sponsors: I Am...
15 min
600
Thu. 04/28 - Oreology: The Science of Oreos
Canada has become the first country to release census data on their trans and nonbinary population. Plus, a new study showing how the climate emergency could fuel future pandemics. And, in lighter news, some MIT engineers 3D printed a new device to...
16 min