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.
626
Wed. 06/16 - How Xerox & Some Dalmatians Saved ...
How Juneteenth has evolved over the years from its origins in Texas, and its reception today. How the Xerox machine (and several dozen dalmatian puppies) saved Disney Animation Studios from closing up shop. And a portal for exploring the cosmos… on...
15 min
627
Tue. 06/15 - A Lunar Telescope Built From Moon ...
A new report from fifty of the world’s leading experts on the need to combine solutions for combatting the climate crisis and our planet’s rapidly declining biodiversity. California’s historically low water levels may have inadvertently helped...
15 min
628
Mon. 06/14 - The Full Tale of the Man Nearly Ea...
The full story of the man who was swallowed by a humpback whale on Friday and lived to tell the tale. Calories. Who’s responsible for their inclusion in the world of nutrition? Some weird highlights from the history of this controversial...
18 min
629
Fri. 06/11 - Why Are Tornado Warnings So Inaccu...
Thanks to a new study that sequenced the genomes of several types of wild melons, we now have a better idea of the origins of the watermelon… but we still don’t know how tornadoes are formed. And that’s a problem. Plus, in a bid to continue...
16 min
630
Thu. 06/10 - The 1920s Transgender Clinic Destr...
A new method of carbon capture that would turn carbon dioxide from the ocean into rocks. Mosquitos beefed up with virus-fighting bacteria have proven even more effective at preventing dengue fever than expected. And the often forgotten history of a...
17 min
631
Wed. 06/09 - Millions Lack a "Mind's Eye" & We'...
Why some people don’t have a mind’s eye and others can visualize things in incredible detail. Watermelons on Mars and human-animal hybrid babies born across the world––neither of those are true, but if you read two of the biggest newspapers in...
17 min
632
Tue. 06/08 - New Giant Dinosaur, Same Boring Ce...
New ocean just dropped. And a new dinosaur species. Big release day. All about the fifth ocean and one of the newest, largest dinosaurs. Plus, what a new cereal says about current marketing trends, the state of cereal as a whole, fan-franchise...
19 min
633
Mon. 06/07 - Squids In Space & Why Vaccine Lott...
SpaceX just delivered a bunch of tardigrades and baby squids to the International Space Station. New research finding pupil size is an indicator of intelligence. And why it seems like vaccine lotteries are actually working. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a...
18 min
634
Fri. 06/04 - Shark-pocalypse & Extinct Flu Stra...
COVID-19 precautions largely prevented outbreaks of the flu this past winter, and they also may have caused two types of flu viruses to go extinct. Spinking of extinction, sharks apparently lost 90% of their population 19 million years ago and never...
18 min
635
Thu. 06/03 - Why Unique People Are More Attractive
What if your pick-up truck could power your whole neighborhood? That’s the potential people are imagining with the new Ford F-150 Lightning. The science behind why unique people are more attractive. And updates from the annual State of NASA address,...
20 min
636
Wed. 06/02 - John Steinbeck's Unpublished Werew...
John Steinbeck’s secret unpublished werewolf novel that his estate doesn’t want you to read. Lithuania built a portal to Poland and more may soon follow. And set your alarms for the “ring of fire” solar eclipse next week. Links: (NY Times) ...
15 min
637
Tue. 06/01 - Bacteria Saves Michelangelo Works ...
Five hundred years later the Medicis continue to ruin Michelangelo’s artworks, but fortunately some bacteria are on the scene to restore his works to their former glory. The new naming scheme for COVID-19 variants. And the story of Allandale,...
15 min
638
Fri. 05/28 - Rural Oregon Tries to Become Great...
Seven counties in the US state of Oregon have now voted to leave their state behind and merge with neighboring Idaho. Could this actually work? A new English dictionary of Ancient Greek fully and explicitly makes up for the modesty of its previous...
17 min
639
Thu. 05/27 - Naked Mole Rats: The Key to Slowin...
Potentially good news for longterm COVID-19 immunity. Pizza farms, not just a figment of my imagination, apparently they’re a real and wonderful thing. And the story of a naked mole rat named Joe who just won’t die, and what he could mean for...
16 min
640
Wed. 05/26 - You Signed Up For a Vaccine Waitli...
Dr. B was the most well-known nationwide vaccine finder in the US. But did anyone actually end up getting their vaccine through the service? Plus, the artist raising awareness about the gender gap on the moon, Disneyland’s $100 sandwich and the...
17 min
641
Tue. 05/25 - Do Ovens Dream of Frozen Pizza?
The flavorful history of frozen pizza. We check in on how the pandemic continues to affect our dreams. And meet the dude actually taking advantage of Krispy Kreme’s free donut a day offer for vaccinated people. Links: (Tedium) (NY Times) (CBC) ...
17 min
642
Mon. 05/24 - Big Wind Energy & Tech-Savvy Lesso...
The latest floating wind farm technology and the part of the US that could make the biggest difference when it comes to offshore wind energy. What we can learn from the Amish about how we use technology. Links: (NY Mag) (The Verge) (Psyche) (Ars...
17 min
643
Fri. 05/21 - The Cicadas Are Turning Into Disme...
The Brood X cicadas have reemerged and are losing their butts due to a zombie-inducing fungus. Bald eagles are reemerging from the brink of extinction, causing a new trend in puppy fashion: incredibly punk spiky vests. And one of the best fictional...
17 min
644
Thu. 05/20 - How The Sun Could Spoil NASA's Tri...
Why the sun is about to get quite temperamental and how that could spell danger for NASA’s upcoming lunar mission. In other sun news, the case for turning airports into giant solar farms. And a website that will help make your Twitter timeline a bit...
15 min
645
Wed. 05/19 - Is Carbon Neutral Gasoline Coming?
A promising method for producing carbon-neutral gasoline from, basically, thin air. The strange story of the very first ransomware attack. And the surprisingly long history of bizarre ice cream flavors. Sponsor: Skillshare, Get a free trial of...
15 min
646
Tue. 05/18 - Why Mammals Don't Have Neon or Iri...
What’s next now that China has officially landed their first rover on Mars? How come us mammals don’t have bright, fluorescent plumage like birds or cool neon stripes like bugs? A panel of scientists weighs in. And the little-known detail that...
18 min
647
Mon. 05/17 - The Historical Mix-Up That Led to ...
The microscopic error with major implications that seems to have delayed public health officials in acknowledging the aerosol transmission of COVID-19. Why Shrek continues to endure as a touchstone of internet culture and how it changed the game for...
19 min
648
Fri. 05/14 - Using Nostalgia to Combat Boring S...
What a new lawsuit against TikTok says about the rights of actors who lend their likeness to AI and similar projects. How nostalgia could help you make connections when you return to the office. And what is even the point of wasps? Sponsors: America...
17 min
649
Thu. 05/13 - I'll Have What She's Having: The D...
How Netflix’s new top ten lists actually work, some other features they’re testing out, and what their findings mean for the future of algorithmic recommendations. Plus, how drones are helping change what we thought we knew about great white...
15 min
650
Wed. 05/12 - How Epidemiologists Are Approachin...
A look at how epidemiologists are approaching their personal returns to everyday life. How Denmark has quadrupled their cardiac arrest survival rate and whether the same system could be adopted in other nations. And a program that will make your...
16 min