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.
701
Tue. 10/12 - Why Do We Casually Kill Spiders Wi...
What is it that makes spiders so frightening to us, and why do most of us kill them without sparing a second thought? Plus, a Scottish nightclub that’s using the body heat of their dancing patrons to heat and cool the venue. And Prince Charles,...
14 min
702
Mon. 10/11 - The Very Intense Miss Navajo Natio...
It’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day. More and more local governments are making it official, but why did we start celebrating Columbus Day to begin with? Plus, the impressive and gnarly competition to be crowned Miss Navajo Nation. And the history of...
21 min
703
Fri. 10/08 - Is The Nobel Prize Bad For Science?
The winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been announced! As well as the winners in Chemistry and Literature. More on each winner, as well as a question about whether we really need the Nobel Prize. Plus, the remnants of the oldest Black church in the...
17 min
704
Thu. 10/07 - It's Like Venmo, But For the Post ...
The WHO has officially approved the first-ever malaria vaccine. The United States Postal Service is trying out being a bank. And the story of a white-naped crane named Walnut who fell in love with a human named Crowe. Sponsor: Novo, Links: (NY...
17 min
705
Wed. 10/06 - "Corpse Medicine," Brain Implants,...
A Russian film crew have arrived on the International Space Station to shoot the first-ever feature length film in space. A woman has received a brain implant that is successfully treating her depression by painlessly zapping her hundreds of times a...
17 min
706
Tue. 10/05 - The Facebook Outage Revealed a Gri...
Are we prepared to reckon with how much of the world came to a stop when Facebook went down yesterday? Plus, thanks to a new discovery, you may soon be able to find out if you had an identical twin in the womb using just a simple cheek swab. And...
17 min
707
Mon. 10/04 - Thor's Antiviral COVID-19 Pill & S...
The sexist history of the rollerboard suitcases. Plus, the facts about Merck’s new COVID-19 antiviral pill, including its connection to Thor. And the return of Nick Lutsko’s absurdist Spirit Halloween music videos. Sponsor: Novo, Links: (Ars...
15 min
708
Fri. 10/01 - Edibles In Your Kid's Trick-Or-Tre...
The persisting myth of tampered-with and tainted trick-or-treat candy, and why it’s an urban legend that will never die. Plus, how we humans produce speech and a website that shows you both the beautiful engineering and the chaos of our mouths. And...
14 min
709
Thu. 09/30 - Chinese Takeout Boxes Are American...
The very American history of the Chinese takeout box, and a look at the new “Americancore” trend. Plus, archaeologists have uncovered a hidden neighborhood in the ancient Maya city of Tikal that sheds new light on the imperialism of the...
17 min
710
Wed. 09/29 - When Humans Die On Mars, What Will...
What will happen to the bodies of people who die on Mars? Plus, AI has indicated that a famous painting at the National Gallery might be a phoney. And festival-goers at Glastonbury are endangering rare eels with their drug-addled refusal to use public...
17 min
711
Tue. 09/28 - Are Climate Companies Reliving the...
Could removing methane from the atmosphere be a viable strategy for slowing global warming? And are all of these disparate new ideas and strategies to solve the climate crisis going to lead to real solutions? Plus, pulling back the curtain on the...
16 min
712
Mon. 09/27 - 900 Year Old Cosmic Mystery: Offic...
How 19th century New Yorkers took advantage of a loophole in the strict drinking laws and ended up creating the world’s worst sandwich. Plus, a supernova that’s been missing since the twelfth century has been found! And how a young woman on Tiktok...
16 min
713
Fri. 09/24 - Ancient Teens Shake Up History of ...
Ancient footprints discovered in New Mexico are shaking up what we thought we knew about when humans first arrived in the Americas. Plus, how much plastic do we unknowingly ingest each year? The answer is probably more than you’re comfortable with,...
20 min
714
Thu. 09/23 - Birds Are Real (and Got Louder Dur...
The dark side of the history of epidemiology. Plus, a study that proves, yes actually, birds were louder and more numerous during lockdown. And two women in their hundreds who have lived incredible lives and refuse to quit doing what they love....
17 min
715
Wed. 09/22 - The Wonders of Fall, and the Cosmos
Sharing some reflections, some poetry, and a bit of a historical context on what it is that makes fall strike such a strong chord with so many of us, in honor of this first day of fall. And a look at NASA’s upcoming Lucy mission to Jupiter’s...
17 min
716
Tue. 09/21 - Making 26,000 People Out of 20: Te...
How Ted Lasso filled a whole stadium for a crowd scene during the pandemic, and how advances, especially in AI, are beginning to change filmmaking. Plus, a Colorado man has won a yearlong treasure hunt for golden tickets, making him the new owner of a...
16 min
717
Mon. 09/20 - Poison Ivy Vaccines & A Mosh Pit H...
The history and science of mosh pits. Exciting developments in the treatment of poison ivy reactions, including a possible vaccine. And how to catch tonight’s Harvest Moon, and why we call it that. Sponsors: Novo, Raycon, Get 15% off at Links: ...
15 min
718
Fri. 09/17 - Night-Lunch and the Origin of Food...
The history and future of food trucks, and a look at the old tradition of “night lunch.” The visually-striking lanternfly that eastern US states are begging people to kill. And why you may not be getting that book you ordered anytime soon....
15 min
719
Thu. 09/16 - Jane Austen's Advice for Social Me...
How the social lives of the characters from Jane Austen’s novels are analogous to our digital ones today, and what we can learn from them about being over-stimulated. Plus, a study illustrating how we could build bases on Mars out of astronaut...
18 min
720
Wed. 09/15 - Civilian? Amateur? Private? Whatev...
SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian crew is blasting off tonight in Cape Canaveral. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic launch. Plus, the Māori Party in New Zealand has introduced a petition to rename the country its Māori...
16 min
721
Tue. 09/14 - Steve Wozniak's New Space Company
How gas stations actually make money, and their prospects for the future. Steve Wozniak says Don’t Mess With Space. And, a timeless question for the ages: how many s’mores could you make from the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters?...
17 min
722
Mon. 09/13 - De-Extinct Woolly Mammoths & Potty...
Could woolly mammoths help slow the effects of the climate emergency? It’s not just a theoretical question. One entrepreneur is betting on it, and working to bring woolly mammoths back from extinction to prove it. Lorde has re-released part of her...
15 min
723
Fri. 09/10 - The Mystery of Blue Moon Ice Cream
What exactly is blue moon-flavored ice cream and where did it come from? Plus, NASA is planning to purposefully hit an asteroid with a spacecraft, more on why and when. And this year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners have been announced! Links: (Atlas...
16 min
724
Thu. 09/09 - Roof Panels That Cool Your Home, N...
Forget air conditioners, give me radiative cooling panels on my roof! That’s what I hope I’ll be saying a few years from now. Plus, a new species of giant carnivorous dinosaur with shark-like teeth has been identified. And Moderna has announced...
15 min
725
Wed. 09/08 - What Happens When You Get Struck B...
What it’s actually like getting struck by lightning, and the community of survivors helping each other cope. Plus, another team of scientists say they have achieved a crucial and record-breaking milestone in the quest for clean fusion power. And an...
19 min