Unexplainable
Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know…and then keeps on going. The Unexplainable team — Noam Hassenfeld, Julia Longoria, Byrd Pinkerton, and Meradith Hoddinott — tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn diving into the unknown. New episodes Mondays and Wednesdays.
From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
51
Good Robot #1: The magic intelligence in the sky
Before AI became a mainstream obsession, one thinker sounded the alarm about its catastrophic potential.
46 min
52
A strange signal from space
This week on Unexplainable or Not, the newest member of our team, Julia Longoria, tries to figure out which of three scientific mysteries about the sea, the land, and the sky has actually been solved.
32 min
53
Getting malaria on purpose
Dylan got malaria on purpose. And he thinks you should, too.
23 min
54
The problem with dreams
A neuroscientist argues that the focus on dreams has held back the scientific understanding of sleep.
26 min
55
Is science in danger?
Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid.
21 min
56
How umami blew up taste
For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures.
33 min
57
What’s hiding under the Antarctic ice?
Some of the largest lakes in the world have been buried under miles of ice for millions of years.
21 min
58
Biopiracy
Genetic libraries are treasure troves of information about life from around the world.
25 min
59
Will AI ever ... feel?
Some scientists think an explosion of AI awareness and feeling might be just around the corner.
23 min
60
New year, new diet, live forever?
It’s that time of year again.
23 min
61
Mysteries we can’t stop thinking about
The wildest stories that never made it into our episodes.
23 min
62
Who let the wolves in?
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago.
21 min
63
Where to meet a Neanderthal
We know Neanderthals and early modern humans coupled up.
26 min
64
Pinky and the (lab-grown) Brain
It’s not great to be a lab rat.
18 min
65
Why are there lefties and righties?
This week on Unexplainable or Not, we’ve got three scientific mysteries all about left and right.
25 min
66
Placebos work. Why?
For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they were taking them.
23 min
67
Why is horror so fun?
It makes sense that we run away from scary things.
17 min
68
Are psychedelics breaking science?
Drugs like ecstasy and mushrooms have shown promise as mental health treatments, but they’re also exposing some major cracks in how scientists study the brain.
22 min
69
Your gut’s feelings
How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us.
25 min
70
Is insurance doomed?
As the world gets warmer and storms get worse, insurance companies are jacking up rates — or refusing to cover homeowners altogether. Is the future uninsurable?
26 min
71
My animal heart
Doctors have started transplanting animal organs into people, hoping this experimental procedure could one day solve an organ shortage crisis that kills 17 Americans every day.
22 min
72
How hot could the world get?
Scientists have lots of ways to try to answer that question, and lots of different predictions.
21 min
73
Should you be eating poison oak?
Probably not.
26 min
74
Dark oxygen could rewrite Earth’s history
Scientists just discovered oxygen being produced without sunlight — without photosynthesis — at the bottom of the ocean.
20 min
75
You're lost in the wilderness. Now what?
For decades, search and rescue teams followed an accepted playbook.
19 min