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.
1
That's no moon...
It's a quasi-moon.
18 min
2
Lost on the road to enlightenment
So many of us have been told that meditation can make us less stressed, more productive, and happier. But for a small group of people, it has a dark side.
32 min
3
Is animal grief real?
These behaviors in animals may look like human mourning, but should scientists call them "grief"?
23 min
4
The Sound Barrier #4: Listen to the universe
When Wanda Diáz-Merced lost her sight as a college student, she thought her dreams of becoming an astronomer were over — until she learned to listen to space instead.
34 min
5
The Sound Barrier #3: What does silence sound l...
A scientist asked people to sit in a silent room for 15 minutes.
29 min
6
The Sound Barrier #2: The noise that isn't there
Almost 15% of adults suffer from a persistent, often intolerable sound... that is literally just in their heads. Why does the brain do this to us?
31 min
7
The Sound Barrier #1: The myth of hearing
Just like optical illusions trick our eyes, audio illusions can trick our ears.
37 min
8
Solve me a river
This week on Unexplainable or Not, Sally Helm, the newest member of our team, tries to figure out what's killing mussels, why rivers suddenly change course, and what the longest river in the world is.
34 min
9
This episode is haunted and spooky
Now why would you click on something like this?
17 min
10
Consider the shrimp
Killing two people is worse than killing one.
21 min
11
When talent vanishes overnight
Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world.
26 min
12
Composing chaos
Terry Riley's "In C" is one of the most influential pieces of music of the last century...but you'll never hear it the same way twice.
25 min
13
Does Tylenol cause autism?
Donald Trump and RFK Jr. seem convinced that it does. But our friends at Science Vs say the data is far more complicated.
24 min
14
Real-life zombies
Zombies might seem like the stuff of horror movies, but there are lots of examples of parasites taking over bugs’ bodies and bending them to their will.
24 min
15
How to change your personality
Who are you, really?
35 min
16
What’s A
The centuries-old international battle over the real sound of a musical note.
24 min
17
Did we find signs of life on Mars?
NASA found a Martian rock that might have traces of ancient life.
31 min
18
The metabolism myth
Recent research — and one surprising season of The Biggest Loser — has scientists wondering whether some of the most basic things they know about metabolism are wrong.
27 min
19
The Vagina Voyages
Join our friends at The Longest Shortest Time for a deep dive into the misunderstood world of vaginas.
36 min
20
A rabbi and the Lorax walk into a bar...
How the bedtime stories we grew up with inspire the stories we tell now.
19 min
21
Is a little alcohol bad for you?
We spoke to two researchers who disagree about the answer to this question.
26 min
22
Ice Sheet Time Machine
The US military carved a tiny city into the Greenland ice sheet.
29 min
23
Animals in the year 20202025
What do scientists think animals might be like millions of years from now?
24 min
24
Nightmare at the end of the universe
Dark energy is the strange stuff that makes up the vast majority of the universe and will ultimately lead to the end of everything.
23 min
25
Life in plastic — not fantastic?
Much of our modern world is made of plastic, but as more signs point to its dangers to human health, what can we even do about it?
27 min