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.
101
A stethoscope for the rainforest
Researchers planted microphones in a forest and walked away.
24 min
102
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
What’s up with the weird golden egg at the bottom of the ocean?
27 min
103
Something weird near the beginning of time
The James Webb Space Telescope launched two years ago, giving scientists a new view into the early universe.
19 min
104
The tallest mountains on Earth are ... undergro...
An expedition to Antarctica. Strange seismic readings. Clues to uncover a hidden part of our planet.
17 min
105
Weaponizing uncertainty
Our show celebrates uncertainty. But as environmental reporter Amy Westervelt explains, the concept also has a dark side.
22 min
106
Can we live in space?
NASA is planning for humans to live on the moon by 2040.
30 min
107
The ice cream effect
Decades of studies suggest that eating ice cream reduces diabetes risk. Could ice cream be ... good for you?
26 min
108
The data vigilantes
Data sleuths are working outside the system to keep science honest.
29 min
109
Trouble on Pickles Reef
Coral reefs are an essential ecosystem undeniably threatened by climate change.
24 min
110
Redefining death
This Halloween, we look at how technology is forcing us to ask: When is someone actually dead?
31 min
111
The Orcanizing
Over the last few years, orcas have been targeting boats, often leaving them stranded at sea.
19 min
112
Unexplainable or Not with Wyatt Cenac
Our game show is back!
31 min
113
Rogue waves
Towering walls of water sometimes appear in the ocean without warning or apparent cause.
25 min
114
Does garlic break magnets?
What would an episode of Unexplainable have sounded like if it had been made in 100 CE?
28 min
115
How to decode a thought
Can researchers decipher what people are thinking about just by looking at brain scans?
29 min
116
It’s getting harder to see
Something about modern life is leading to higher rates of nearsightedness across the world.
19 min
117
Jumping the gun
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting... after the gun went off.
31 min
118
Can we talk to animals?
Two scientists explain how AI might help us translate animal communication, and what we might learn from their squawks, chirps, songs, and chatter.
31 min
119
Unexplainable or Not: Beach day!
Sam Sanders, host of Vulture’s Into It podcast, is in the hot seat for a new episode of our game show.
27 min
120
Who let the wolves in?
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago.
22 min
121
Why do we have a moon?
In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours.
24 min
122
The Black Box: In AI we trust?
AI can often solve problems in unexpected, undesirable ways.
28 min
123
The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t underst...
AI has the potential to impact our society in dramatic ways, but researchers can’t explain precisely how it works or how it might evolve.
32 min
124
Do animals grieve?
A dog on its owner’s grave. A killer whale carrying around its dead calf. A goose that isolates when its mate dies.
24 min
125
Why do we dream?
Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool?
20 min