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.
1
A magical world at the ocean’s edge
In coastal California, researchers grapple with potentially losing a landscape they love.
34 min
2
Ruff translation
We love our pets.
28 min
3
Sick of “morning” sickness
If pregnant people need to eat for two, why do so many of us puke morning, noon, and night?
29 min
4
Your bug roommates
Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs.
24 min
5
Why I left the NIH
Francis Collins oversaw some of the most revolutionary science of the last few decades at the National Institutes of Health.
36 min
6
Mostly dead is slightly alive
When bringing people to the edge of death is your day job.
16 min
7
We don't understand yogurt
Many physicists dream of coming up with a unified theory of the universe.
16 min
8
The musical structure of the universe
If matter is a result of vibration, what causes the vibration?
49 min
9
How to beat roulette
You’ll need your best friend, a computer in your shoe, and a working knowledge of physics.
17 min
10
Is climate change really making hurricanes worse?
The answer isn’t as clear as you might think.
17 min
11
Are we sure about fluoride?
Florida just became the second state to ban fluoride from its water system, which has made some public health experts pretty angry.
26 min
12
The man who walked butterflies on a leash
Static electricity plays an invisible role in the natural world, and it may even help insects pollinate plants.
22 min
13
Imagine a sunset, now imagine you can't
Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye.
21 min
14
An imaginary planet that feels extremely real
Scavengers Reign, the Emmy-winning Netflix show, has done something most sci-fi shows or movies struggle to do.
21 min
15
The view from inside a volcano
The magma chambers at the heart of volcanoes are very deep and very hot.
21 min
16
Who are you calling a Neanderthal?
Rumors of Neanderthal brutishness have been greatly exaggerated.
15 min
17
Sorry, we left an implant in your brain
What happens when you get a life-changing device implanted into your body... and then the company that maintains it goes bankrupt?
31 min
18
Blood farm
Tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year if hospitals had more blood.
23 min
19
Moon genes
We know life on Earth wouldn't be possible without the moon.
21 min
20
How to stop your hiccups
Listeners told us that eating baby carrots or telling lies can bring on the hiccups.
27 min
21
A new way to listen
We have an exciting announcement!
2 min
22
Intraterrestrials
Deep inside the mud at the bottom of the ocean, scientists have found life that is so unusual they’ve had to create new branches on the tree of life to put it on.
21 min
23
How to talk to aliens
Scientists have been searching for aliens for decades.
22 min
24
Good Robot #4: Who, me?
What can we actually do as our world gets populated with more and more robots?
46 min
25
Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything
A simple parable about a drowning child sparks a moral revolution.
42 min