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 every Wednesday.
1
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
2
How to talk to aliens
Scientists have been searching for aliens for decades.
22 min
3
Good Robot #4: Who, me?
What can we actually do as our world gets populated with more and more robots?
46 min
4
Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything
A simple parable about a drowning child sparks a moral revolution.
42 min
5
Good Robot #2: Everything is not awesome
When a robot does bad things, who is responsible?
50 min
6
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
7
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
8
Getting malaria on purpose
Dylan got malaria on purpose. And he thinks you should, too.
23 min
9
The problem with dreams
A neuroscientist argues that the focus on dreams has held back the scientific understanding of sleep.
26 min
10
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
11
How umami blew up taste
For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures.
33 min
12
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
13
Biopiracy
Genetic libraries are treasure troves of information about life from around the world.
25 min
14
Will AI ever ... feel?
Some scientists think an explosion of AI awareness and feeling might be just around the corner.
23 min
15
New year, new diet, live forever?
It’s that time of year again.
23 min
16
Mysteries we can’t stop thinking about
The wildest stories that never made it into our episodes.
23 min
17
Who let the wolves in?
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago.
21 min
18
Where to meet a Neanderthal
We know Neanderthals and early modern humans coupled up.
26 min
19
Pinky and the (lab-grown) Brain
It’s not great to be a lab rat.
18 min
20
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
21
Placebos work. Why?
For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they were taking them.
23 min
22
Why is horror so fun?
It makes sense that we run away from scary things.
17 min
23
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
24
Your gut’s feelings
How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us.
25 min
25
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