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
The accidental rise of Botox
One of the deadliest poisons known to man is now used to treat wrinkles, migraines, and even, maybe, depression. How did that happen?
26 min
2
Who are we to fight the alchemy?
Many alchemical texts are full of bizarre, metaphorical language. But what if there's interesting science hiding behind some of those metaphors?
29 min
3
Snow day!
Grab some hot cocoa and a warm blanket and let’s talk about the tiny crystals that fall from the sky.
26 min
4
My brain made me do it
A man committed a crime. He admitted it. Then something alarming showed up on an image of his brain.
24 min
5
The Codfather
How many fish are in the sea? It's a question that has had enormous consequences for the fishing community in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
36 min
6
Stress ages us on a cellular level
It's no secret that stress isn't good for you… But just how bad is it?
12 min
7
The Amazing Extremophiles
In the dark depths of the Gowanus canal, strange lifeforms lurk...
23 min
8
Everyone does it. Why can’t I?
I’m about to burst.
37 min
9
Mysterious objects near the beginning of time
Astronomers are putting together a new picture of the early universe.
23 min
10
Cloud atlas
It’s surprisingly hard to predict how clouds form, move, and change, but it’s essential to try.
26 min
11
What's good sound?
Every hand-crafted instrument from violin maker Michael Doran holds its own unexplainable questions.
23 min
12
No data, just vibes
There's been a real rollback of one of the US government's most fundamental tasks: gathering data.
20 min
13
It's not all bad
Things in the news have been feeling kind of…bleak, so we called in some reinforcements.
22 min
14
Superbabies?
Parents are supposed to provide the best life possible for their kids, right?
23 min
15
The G-word
Is geoengineering the answer to the climate crisis?
24 min
16
Who's afraid of big, bad Yellowstone?
Yellowstone can be a deadly place... but not for the reasons you might think.
20 min
17
Vitamin C and the common cold
A two-time Nobel Prize-winning scientist changed chemistry, biology, and the politics of science.
29 min
18
Your moments of silence (The Sound Barrier #5)
This episode is a follow-up to The Sound Barrier series, which explores our brain's relationship to sound. In our third episode of the series, we asked listeners to try to experience silence and record what they heard.
29 min
19
Diary of a teenage brain, part 2
As our brains develop throughout our childhood and teens, they form connections and then prune back the ones that aren't used. What can we learn from them?
24 min
20
Diary of a teenage brain
What's going on in teens' heads?
26 min
21
The trees of death
Way back when forests first evolved on Earth... they might have triggered one of the biggest mass extinctions in the history of the planet.
24 min
22
That's no moon...
It's a quasi-moon.
18 min
23
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
24
Is animal grief real?
These behaviors in animals may look like human mourning, but should scientists call them "grief"?
23 min
25
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