Unexplainable

Unexplainable

Vox
Science Life Sciences Natural Sciences
en
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.

Episodes (226)

Unexplainable

Ice Sheet Time Machine

August 27, 2025 31m
The US military carved a tiny city into the Greenland ice sheet. What they found, and lost, and found again, and what it tells us about climate change.

Guests: Paul Bierman, geoscientist at the...
Unexplainable

Animals in the year 20202025

August 25, 2025 27m
What do scientists think animals might be like millions of years from now? (First published in 2021)

Guests: Benji Jones, senior correspondent at Vox; David Willard, ornithologist at Chicago's Field...
Unexplainable

Nightmare at the end of the universe

August 18, 2025 26m
Dark energy is the strange stuff that makes up the vast majority of the universe and will ultimately lead to the end of everything. Unless it doesn't exist at all.

Guests: Adam Riess, astrophysicist...
Unexplainable

Life in plastic — not fantastic?

August 13, 2025 29m
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?

Guest: Annie Lowrey, Atlantic writer and author of I fought...
Unexplainable

When waves go rogue

August 06, 2025 28m
Towering walls of water sometimes appear in the ocean without warning or apparent cause. What drives their terrifying power? (First published in 2023)

Guest: Ton van der Bremer, associate professor...
Unexplainable

Good news for people who love bad news

August 04, 2025 28m
Good news can be hard to find, especially when our brains — and the media — are biased against it.

Guest: Bryan Walsh, senior editorial director of Vox, and author of the Good News newsletter

This...
Unexplainable

12 tiny worlds

July 30, 2025 35m
If you went back 500 million years and re-ran evolution, would life be totally different today?

Guests: Richard Lenski and Zachary Blount, evolutionary biologists at Michigan State...
Unexplainable

How good was Michael Jordan, really?

July 28, 2025 45m
It's easy to assume there is objective truth in basketball stats. A clear story of what happened in the past. But our friends at Pablo Torre Finds Out uncovered something that throws an entire era...
Unexplainable

One weird trick to get unlimited clean energy

July 23, 2025 23m
Is a solution to climate change…pouring water on hot rocks?

Guest: Dylan Matthews, Senior Correspondent at Vox's Future Perfect

This episode was made in partnership with Vox's Future Perfect...
Unexplainable

Who taught beavers to build dams?

July 21, 2025 29m
How does any animal know what to do? A neuroscientist argues it's not “instinct.” Something bigger is going on. (First published in 2022)

Guest: Mark Blumberg, behavioral neuroscientist at the...
Unexplainable

The disease we let win

July 16, 2025 32m
We have a cure for tuberculosis. Why does it still kill over a million people every year?

GUEST: John Green, podcaster, YouTube creator and award-winning author of Everything is Tuberculosis and...
Unexplainable

Science! Tell me what to eat!

July 14, 2025 58m
Figuring out the perfect healthy diet remains stubbornly out of reach. Our friends at Gastropod ask: Why?

Guests: Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, co-hosts of Gastropod

For show transcripts, go to...
Unexplainable

A magical world at the ocean’s edge

July 02, 2025 36m
In coastal California, researchers grapple with potentially losing a landscape they love.

Guests: Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California...
Unexplainable

Ruff translation

June 30, 2025 31m
We love our pets. And think we understand them. Are we fooling ourselves?

Guests: ⁠Alexandra Horowitz⁠, dog cognition researcher at Barnard College; ⁠Holly Molinaro⁠, animal welfare...
Unexplainable

Sick of “morning” sickness

June 25, 2025 31m
If pregnant people need to eat for two, why do so many of us puke morning, noon, and night?

Guests: Marlena Fejzo, Ph.D., geneticist, and Research Director at the HER Foundation.

For show...
Unexplainable

Your bug roommates

June 23, 2025 26m
Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize that some of our creepy, crawly housemates actually have a lot to teach us. (First...
Unexplainable

Why I left the NIH

June 18, 2025 38m
Francis Collins oversaw some of the most revolutionary science of the last few decades at the National Institutes of Health. A few months ago, he suddenly resigned.

One of America's foremost...
Unexplainable

Mostly dead is slightly alive

June 16, 2025 18m
When bringing people to the edge of death is your day job.

Guest: Adam Richman, perfusionist at the Mayo Clinic⁠ and Unexplainable listener.

For show transcripts, go to...
Unexplainable

We don't understand yogurt

June 11, 2025 18m
Many physicists dream of coming up with a unified theory of the universe. Rae Robertson-Anderson dreams of understanding ranch dressing, shampoo, and scrambled eggs.

Guests: Rae Robertson-Anderson,...
Unexplainable

The musical structure of the universe

June 09, 2025 53m
If matter is a result of vibration, what causes the vibration? Our friends at The Gray Area ask, “Is the universe behaving like an instrument?”

Guest: Stephon Alexander, theoretical physicist at...
Unexplainable

How to beat roulette

June 04, 2025 19m
You’ll need your best friend, a computer in your shoe, and a working knowledge of physics.

Guest: Doyne Farmer, Director of Complexity Economics at Oxford

For show transcripts, go to...
Unexplainable

Is climate change really making hurricanes worse?

June 02, 2025 20m
The answer isn’t as clear as you might think. And because of drastic cuts to climate science funding, this question might be getting even harder to solve.

Guest: Umair Irfan, Vox climate science...
Unexplainable

Are we sure about fluoride?

May 21, 2025 29m
Florida just became the second state to ban fluoride from its water system, which has made some public health experts pretty angry. Just how risky is fluoride really, and why is it so hard for us to...
Unexplainable

The man who walked butterflies on a leash

May 19, 2025 24m
Static electricity plays an invisible role in the natural world, and it may even help insects pollinate plants. To understand this hidden force, scientists have jumped through some pretty weird...
Unexplainable

Imagine a sunset, now imagine you can't

May 14, 2025 23m
Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye. And its discovery has made scientists ask a surprising question: What is the mind’s eye even for? (First published in 2022.)

Guests: Alice...
Unexplainable

An imaginary planet that feels extremely real

May 12, 2025 24m
Scavengers Reign, the Emmy-winning Netflix show, has done something most sci-fi shows or movies struggle to do. Build a world that feels truly alien.

Guests: ⁠⁠Joe Bennett⁠⁠, co-creator of...
Unexplainable

The view from inside a volcano

May 07, 2025 23m
The magma chambers at the heart of volcanoes are very deep and very hot. So naturally, some researchers want to build an observatory in one.

Guests: Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the...
Unexplainable

Who are you calling a Neanderthal?

May 05, 2025 18m
Rumors of Neanderthal brutishness have been greatly exaggerated.

Guest: Paige Madison, science writer

For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠

For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Sorry, we left an implant in your brain

April 30, 2025 33m
What happens when you get a life-changing device implanted into your body... and then the company that maintains it goes bankrupt?

Guests: Jennifer French, Executive Director and Founder of...
Unexplainable

Blood farm

April 23, 2025 25m
Tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year if hospitals had more blood. So scientists are racing to understand how this living fluid does what it does in order to one day grow it from...
Unexplainable

Moon genes

April 16, 2025 24m
We know life on Earth wouldn't be possible without the moon. Now scientists are finding the moon might even be influencing our biology on a molecular level.

Guest: Rebecca Boyle, science journalist...
Unexplainable

How to stop your hiccups

April 09, 2025 30m
Listeners told us that eating baby carrots or telling lies can bring on the hiccups. Burping or kissing can make them stop. Um, what? (First published in 2023.)

Guests: Tyler Cymet, chair of medicine...
Unexplainable

A new way to listen

April 07, 2025 2m
We have an exciting announcement! Vox Members now get access to ad-free podcasts. If you sign up, you’ll get unlimited access to reporting on vox.com, exclusive newsletters, and all of our podcasts —...
Unexplainable

Intraterrestrials

April 02, 2025 24m
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. These life forms are...
Unexplainable

How to talk to aliens

March 26, 2025 24m
Scientists have been searching for aliens for decades. But if we ever do get a signal someday, how will we communicate back? And will anyone out there be able to understand us?

Guests: Doug Vakoch,...
Good Robot #4: Who, me?

Good Robot #4: Who, me?

March 22, 2025 49m
What can we actually do as our world gets populated with more and more robots? How can we take control? Can we take control?

This is the final episode of our four-part series about the stories...
Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything

Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything

March 19, 2025 45m
A simple parable about a drowning child sparks a moral revolution. Is building AI the way to do the most good in the world?

This is the third episode of our new four-part series about the stories...
Good Robot #2: Everything is not awesome

Good Robot #2: Everything is not awesome

March 15, 2025 53m
When a robot does bad things, who is responsible? A group of technologists sounds the alarm about the ways AI is already harming us today. Are their concerns being taken seriously?
This is the second...
Good Robot #1: The magic intelligence in the sky

Good Robot #1: The magic intelligence in the sky

March 12, 2025 49m
Before AI became a mainstream obsession, one thinker sounded the alarm about its catastrophic potential. So why are so many billionaires and tech leaders worried about… paper clips?
This is the first...
Unexplainable

A strange signal from space

March 05, 2025 34m
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...
Unexplainable

Getting malaria on purpose

February 26, 2025 26m
Dylan got malaria on purpose. And he thinks you should, too.
Guest: Dylan Matthews, senior correspondent at Vox’s Future Perfect
This episode was made in partnership with Vox’s Future...
Unexplainable

The problem with dreams

February 19, 2025 28m
A neuroscientist argues that the focus on dreams has held back the scientific understanding of sleep. So he took dreams out of the picture and uncovered a new potential connection between the mind and...
Unexplainable

Is science in danger?

February 12, 2025 23m
Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. What does this mean for the future of...
Unexplainable

How umami blew up taste

February 05, 2025 36m
For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the Umami Mama), scientists finally accepted a fifth. Could there be even...
Unexplainable

What’s hiding under the Antarctic ice?

January 22, 2025 23m
Some of the largest lakes in the world have been buried under miles of ice for millions of years. Is there life hiding down there? And if so, could life be found in even more extreme places … beyond...
Unexplainable

Biopiracy

January 15, 2025 28m
Genetic libraries are treasure troves of information about life from around the world. They’re helping researchers develop everything from vaccines to crops to cosmetics. But who actually benefits...
Unexplainable

Will AI ever ... feel?

January 08, 2025 26m
Some scientists think an explosion of AI awareness and feeling might be just around the corner. Others think it’s impossible for an AI to ever become conscious. How will we know?
Guest: Oshan Jarow,...
Unexplainable

New year, new diet, live forever?

January 01, 2025 25m
It’s that time of year again. If you’re changing things up, there’s a lot of diets out there that claim to help you live longer. Our friends at Today, Explained ask: How much of this is real and how...
Unexplainable

Mysteries we can’t stop thinking about

December 18, 2024 25m
The wildest stories that never made it into our episodes. Until now.
Guests: Amy Boddy, anthropological scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Jayme Locke, transplant surgeon at the...
Unexplainable

Who let the wolves in?

December 11, 2024 24m
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago. But how did wolves become dogs? To find the answer, scientists have to play with a lot of puppies....
Unexplainable

Where to meet a Neanderthal

December 04, 2024 29m
We know Neanderthals and early modern humans coupled up. But when did they meet, exactly? And where? Some fossilized smoke and a baby tooth might hold clues.
Guest: Adam Cole of HowTown
For show...
Unexplainable

Pinky and the (lab-grown) Brain

November 20, 2024 20m
It’s not great to be a lab rat. And it turns out, lab rats might not be that great for science either. Could the future be little lab-grown brain clumps?
Guests: Rachel Nuwer, science journalist; Lisa...
Unexplainable

Why are there lefties and righties?

November 13, 2024 27m
This week on Unexplainable or Not, we’ve got three scientific mysteries all about left and right. Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox’s new podcast Explain It to Me, is going to guess which of them has been...
Unexplainable

Placebos work. Why?

November 06, 2024 25m
For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they were taking them. Not anymore: You can give patients placebos, tell them they’re on sugar pills, and they still...
Unexplainable

Why is horror so fun?

October 30, 2024 19m
It makes sense that we run away from scary things. That’s a good way to stay alive. But why do some people also love scary things? Why do people gravitate toward horror?
Guests: Mathias Clasen and...
Unexplainable

Are psychedelics breaking science?

October 23, 2024 24m
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.
Guests: Jonathan Lambert, science...
Unexplainable

Your gut’s feelings

October 16, 2024 28m
How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us. Is it possible to harness this gut power? (First published in 2022)
Guests: Michael Gershon, professor...
Unexplainable

Is insurance doomed?

October 09, 2024 28m
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?
Guests: Umair Irfan, correspondent at...
Unexplainable

My animal heart

October 02, 2024 25m
Doctors have started transplanting animal organs into people, hoping this experimental procedure could one day solve an organ shortage crisis that kills 17 Americans every day. Is this really the...
Unexplainable

How hot could the world get?

September 25, 2024 23m
Scientists have lots of ways to try to answer that question, and lots of different predictions. So how do they figure out one set of numbers we can all work with?
Guests: Umair Irfan, correspondent at...
Unexplainable

Should you be eating poison oak?

September 18, 2024 28m
Probably not. But Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz decided to try anyway, putting his body — and specifically his butt — on the line to answer a seemingly straightforward question: Is it...
Unexplainable

Dark oxygen could rewrite Earth’s history

September 11, 2024 23m
Scientists just discovered oxygen being produced without sunlight — without photosynthesis — at the bottom of the ocean. This “dark oxygen” could fundamentally change the story we tell of life on...
Unexplainable

You're lost in the wilderness. Now what?

August 28, 2024 22m
For decades, search and rescue teams followed an accepted playbook. Now, scientists are helping them reimagine how to find lost people.
Guests: Robert Koester, author of Lost Person Behavior, and Paul...
Unexplainable

Viral dark matter

August 21, 2024 23m
With antibiotic resistance on the rise, some scientists are turning to viruses as a medical tool. But we barely know anything about the bacteria-eating viruses all around us. (First published in...
Unexplainable

The good virus

August 14, 2024 19m
Our bodies are teeming with viruses. But some of them, called phages, might play a really important role in keeping us healthy.
Guest: Tom Ireland, author of The Good Virus
For show transcripts, go to...
Unexplainable

Ecstasy therapy

August 07, 2024 30m
The FDA is about to announce whether it’s going to approve MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. Our friends at Today, Explained explore what this kind of therapy looks like, and why it’s so...
Unexplainable

What did dinosaurs sound like?

July 31, 2024 38m
They probably didn’t roar like lions. Their real voices were likely much, much weirder. We asked scientists to help us re-create these strange, extinct sounds. (First published in 2022)
Guests:...
Unexplainable

Do we live inside an enormous black hole?

July 24, 2024 25m
It’s possible that the entire observable universe is inside a black hole. All we need to do to find out is … build a gigantic particle collider around the moon.
Guest: James Beacham, particle...
Unexplainable

Is good posture actually good?

July 17, 2024 21m
Send this episode to the person who constantly hounds you not to slouch.
Guest: Beth Linker, author of “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America”
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For...
Unexplainable

Why do we yawn?

July 10, 2024 36m
People yawn when they’re bored, right? So then why do athletes yawn before races? And why do so many animals yawn? … And why does reading this paragraph make you more likely to yawn? (Updated from...
Unexplainable

Embracing economic chaos

July 03, 2024 26m
Can a physicist predict our messy economy by building an enormous simulation of the entire world?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please...
Unexplainable

We still don’t really know how inflation works

June 26, 2024 30m
Inflation is one of the most significant issues shaping the 2024 election. But how much can we actually do to control it?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Can you put a price on nature?

June 19, 2024 23m
It’s hard to figure out the economic value of a wild bat or any other part of the natural world, but some scientists argue that this kind of calculation could help protect our environment.
For show...
Unexplainable

The deepest spot in the ocean

June 12, 2024 28m
Seventy-five percent of the seafloor remains unmapped and unexplored, but the first few glimpses scientists have gotten of the ocean’s depths have completely revolutionized our understanding of the...
Unexplainable

What’s the tallest mountain in the world?

June 05, 2024 28m
If you just stood up and shouted, “It’s Mount Everest, duh!” then take a seat. Not only is Everest’s official height constantly changing, but three other mountains might actually be king of the...
Unexplainable

Did trees kill the world?

May 22, 2024 26m
Way back when forests first evolved on Earth … they might have triggered one of the biggest mass extinctions in the history of the planet. What can we learn from this ancient climate apocalypse?
For...
Unexplainable

Can we stop aging?

May 15, 2024 37m
From blood transfusions to enzyme boosters, our friends at Science Vs dive into the latest research on the search for the fountain of youth.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For...
Unexplainable

Who's the daddy? There isn't one.

May 08, 2024 20m
A snake. A shark. They got pregnant with no male involved. In fact, scientists are finding more and more species that can reproduce on their own. What’s going on?
Note: We mention that a stingray...
Unexplainable

Itch hunt

May 01, 2024 18m
Itch used to be understood as a mild form of pain, but scientists are learning this sense is more than just skin deep. How deep does it go?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more,...
Unexplainable

How did Earth get its water?

April 24, 2024 25m
Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?” (Updated from...
Unexplainable

Is Earth alive?

April 17, 2024 28m
A cell is alive. So is a leaf and so is a tree. But what about the forest they’re a part of? Is that forest alive? And what about the planet that forest grows on? Is Earth alive? Science writer Ferris...
Unexplainable

The alpha myth

April 10, 2024 40m
The researcher who popularized the idea of the alpha wolf has spent decades trying to take it back. Our friends over at Pablo Torre Finds Out try to uncover how science got it wrong.
For more, go...
Unexplainable

The eclipse chasers

April 03, 2024 19m
Solar storms can wreak havoc on power grids, satellites, even astronauts — but scientists still struggle to predict them. One possible way forward? Chasing eclipses.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

The Yips

March 27, 2024 27m
Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world. Maybe it’s painting. Or writing. Or playing the piano. Now imagine you wake up one day and you just can’t do it. You’re not...
Unexplainable

The bleeding edge, part two

March 20, 2024 24m
Diagnosing diseases such as endometriosis can require difficult steps, like surgery. But researchers are hoping to use menstrual fluid to make detecting the condition much easier.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

The bleeding edge

March 13, 2024 18m
Periods and menstrual fluid have long been overlooked by scientists. Now, researchers are starting to suspect they might be sources of medical treasure.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Aliens from Earth?

March 06, 2024 26m
Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we know? (Updated from 2022)
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a...
Unexplainable

How scientists are searching for aliens

February 28, 2024 16m
They’re not looking for UFOs or decoding government secrets. They’re doing something much simpler.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read...
Unexplainable

A universal virus-killer?

February 21, 2024 24m
Airborne diseases kill millions of people a year, despite available antibiotics and vaccines. But scientists think there might be another solution to fighting these diseases, one that harnesses the...
Unexplainable

Why do we cry?

February 14, 2024 24m
Humans seem to be the only animals that cry from emotion. This Valentine’s Day, we’re wondering: What makes our tears so special? (Updated from 2022)
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s...
Unexplainable

Should you quit Diet Coke?

February 07, 2024 25m
Safety questions have haunted aspartame — the no-calorie sweetener used in many diet soft drinks and other low-calorie products — since its invention. Some answers exist, but should we trust them if...
Unexplainable

The case for cursing

January 31, 2024 27m
Can swearing make you stronger?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.
Also, email us!...
Unexplainable

The math problem that could break the internet

January 24, 2024 38m
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken? (Updated from 2022)
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Garbage patch kids

January 17, 2024 20m
Scientists didn’t think it was possible for life to thrive in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Then, they found some anemones ... and some huge questions about entire new ecosystems built on...
Unexplainable

A stethoscope for the rainforest

January 10, 2024 26m
Researchers planted microphones in a forest and walked away. Listening back could help heal rainforest ecosystems.
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

January 03, 2024 30m
What’s up with the weird golden egg at the bottom of the ocean? How do eggs actually choose sperm? Hit sports podcast host Pablo Torre tries to guess which of these mysteries has actually been solved...
Unexplainable

Something weird near the beginning of time

December 20, 2023 21m
The James Webb Space Telescope launched two years ago, giving scientists a new view into the early universe. Now, it's revealed a big new cosmic mystery.
For show transcripts, go to...
Unexplainable

The tallest mountains on Earth are ... underground?

December 13, 2023 19m
An expedition to Antarctica. Strange seismic readings. Clues to uncover a hidden part of our planet.
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Weaponizing uncertainty

December 06, 2023 25m
Our show celebrates uncertainty. But as environmental reporter Amy Westervelt explains, the concept also has a dark side.
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Can we live in space?

November 29, 2023 32m
NASA is planning for humans to live on the moon by 2040. But how much space can the human body handle? (Updated from 2022)
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

The ice cream effect

November 15, 2023 29m
Decades of studies suggest that eating ice cream reduces diabetes risk. Could ice cream be ... good for you? And what does “good for you” mean?
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For...
Unexplainable

The data vigilantes

November 08, 2023 31m
Data sleuths are working outside the system to keep science honest. But is there a better way to prevent scientific misconduct and fraud?
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more,...
Unexplainable

Trouble on Pickles Reef

November 01, 2023 26m
Coral reefs are an essential ecosystem undeniably threatened by climate change. Can scientists breed a stronger coral for the future?
For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Redefining death

October 25, 2023 33m
This Halloween, we look at how technology is forcing us to ask: When is someone actually dead? And we look into research that is raising a further question: Could death someday be reversible?
This...
Unexplainable

The Orcanizing

October 18, 2023 22m
Over the last few years, orcas have been targeting boats, often leaving them stranded at sea. Are these orcas trying to attack humans, or is there something more mysterious going on?
For show...
Unexplainable

Unexplainable or Not with Wyatt Cenac

October 04, 2023 34m
Our game show is back! This time, comedian Wyatt Cenac is in the hot seat in front of a live audience. Can he guess which climate mystery has been solved and which ones are still unexplainable?
For...
Unexplainable

Rogue waves

September 27, 2023 28m
Towering walls of water sometimes appear in the ocean without warning or apparent cause. What drives their terrifying power?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view...
Unexplainable

Does garlic break magnets?

September 20, 2023 30m
What would an episode of Unexplainable have sounded like if it had been made in 100 CE?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the...
Unexplainable

How to decode a thought

September 13, 2023 31m
Can researchers decipher what people are thinking about just by looking at brain scans? With AI, they're getting closer. How far can they go, and what does it mean for privacy?
To buy tickets to our...
Unexplainable

It’s getting harder to see

August 30, 2023 20m
Something about modern life is leading to higher rates of nearsightedness across the world. What is it?
To buy tickets to our upcoming live show in New York, go to http://vox.com/unexplainablelive
For...
Unexplainable

Jumping the gun

August 23, 2023 33m
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting... after the gun went off. Officials said she started faster than humanly possible. How can...
Unexplainable

Can we talk to animals?

August 16, 2023 34m
Two scientists explain how AI might help us translate animal communication, and what we might learn from their squawks, chirps, songs, and chatter. This episode was recorded live at the Aspen Ideas...
Unexplainable

Unexplainable or Not: Beach day!

August 09, 2023 29m
Sam Sanders, host of Vulture’s Into It podcast, is in the hot seat for a new episode of our game show. Can he guess which sandy mystery has been solved and which ones are still unexplainable? 
For...
Unexplainable

Who let the wolves in?

August 02, 2023 24m
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago. But how did wolves become dogs? To find the answer, scientists have to play with a lot of puppies.
For...
Unexplainable

Why do we have a moon?

July 26, 2023 27m
In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, and it has played a huge role in shaping our planet. But how did we get it? Every possible story...
The Black Box: In AI we trust?

The Black Box: In AI we trust?

July 19, 2023 30m
AI can often solve problems in unexpected, undesirable ways. So how can we make sure it does what we want, the way we want? And what happens if we can’t?
This is the second episode of our new two-part...
The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it

The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it

July 12, 2023 34m
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. Will they ever understand it?
This is the first episode of our...
Unexplainable

Do animals grieve?

June 28, 2023 26m
A dog on its owner’s grave. A killer whale carrying around its dead calf. A goose that isolates when its mate dies. These behaviors in animals may look like human mourning, but should scientists call...
Unexplainable

Why do we dream?

June 21, 2023 23m
Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves?

This episode originally ran on April 12, 2022.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Cracking the Indus code

June 14, 2023 24m
The Indus Valley civilization was one of the largest, most advanced civilizations in the ancient world. But we barely know anything about them, in large part because we haven’t been able to decipher...
Unexplainable

Awestruck

June 07, 2023 24m
Awe is what takes our breath away when we face a sky full of stars or listen to a moving piece of music. But scientists are still trying to pin down why we feel such a powerful emotion, and whether...
Expecting: Weed and pregnancy

Expecting: Weed and pregnancy

May 24, 2023 30m
Many states have extremely punitive policies around cannabis and pregnancy. But researchers don't actually have great data on cannabis's harms.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a...
Expecting: Baby brain

Expecting: Baby brain

May 17, 2023 27m
Caring for a child seems to change parents’ brains. But what does that actually mean for how parents think and experience the world?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to...
Expecting: Pregnancy souvenirs

Expecting: Pregnancy souvenirs

May 10, 2023 36m
Fetuses leave cells behind in their parents' bodies, where they braid themselves into tissues, and remain, for years. What are they doing in there?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a...
Unexplainable

The tornado problem

May 03, 2023 24m
2023 has been a record-setting year for tornadoes, and these storms came with barely any warning. So to better understand tornadoes, scientists might need to confront more of these storms...
Unexplainable

How to resurrect a mammoth

April 26, 2023 32m
Scientists are hard at work trying to bring back woolly mammoths (and dodos). But should they? And what would they actually be bringing back?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great...
Unexplainable

Live show, dead dinosaurs

April 19, 2023 37m
We did a live show! We talked about how one of our favorite episodes came together and how we went about creating (somewhat) accurate dinosaur sounds.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s...
Unexplainable

Talking trees

April 12, 2023 23m
Studies suggesting trees communicate through an elaborate underground fungal network have captured imaginations. It’s a beautiful idea, but the fantasy may have gotten ahead of the science.
For more,...
Unexplainable

Your questions, unexplained

April 05, 2023 27m
This week, we tackle three listener questions — on sleepwalking, deja vu, and Earth’s magnetic field. Next time, we could be (not) answering yours. Email us at unexplainable@vox.com, or fill out this...
Unexplainable

What's so funny?

March 22, 2023 19m
Scientists are digging into what makes something funny. We compare their notes with comedians — including Atsuko Okatsuka, Josh Johnson, Dulcé Sloan, and Chris Fleming.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Origins: The meaning of “life”

March 15, 2023 25m
For every definition of life, there’s a creature that sends us right back to the drawing board.
This is the third episode in our three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and boundaries of life...
Unexplainable

Origins: The first living thing

March 08, 2023 28m
How did life on Earth start? To help answer that, researchers are trying to create some life for themselves.
This is the second episode in our three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and...
Unexplainable

Origins: How did Earth get its water?

March 01, 2023 26m
Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?”
This is the first...
Unexplainable

What is love?

February 15, 2023 33m
Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos?
This episode originally ran on February 9, 2022.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great...
Unexplainable

Why we hiccup

February 08, 2023 29m
Listeners told us that eating baby carrots or telling lies can bring on the hiccups. Burping or kissing can make them stop. Um, what?

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place...
Unexplainable

We booped an asteroid

February 01, 2023 22m
Last fall, a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid to test a way to avert a disaster on Earth. So are we safe now?

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show...
Unexplainable

Your creepy, crawly roommates

January 25, 2023 26m
Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize that some of our tiny roommates actually have a lot to teach us. 
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Henrietta Leavitt and the end of the universe

January 18, 2023 31m
In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt made one of the most important discoveries in the history of astronomy: a yardstick to measure distances to faraway stars. Using this tool, scientists eventually...
Unexplainable

Plants with eyes?

January 11, 2023 27m
In the temperate rainforests of Chile, there is a vine that can shapeshift to copy the look of other plants. But how? Can it... see them? Or is something weirder happening?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Unexplainable or Not: Bikes, planes, ice skates

January 04, 2023 29m
Our game show is back! This week, Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, tries to guess which of these three mysteries of movement have been solved and which are still...
Unexplainable

Your gut's feelings

December 21, 2022 28m
How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us. Is it possible to harness this gut power?

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great...
Unexplainable

Nuclear fusion breaks through

December 14, 2022 29m
Back in January, we spoke to a scientist at the National Ignition Facility about how close they were to achieving what’s been called “one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century.”...
Unexplainable

Basic instinct

December 07, 2022 28m
How do animals know how to do things like spin a web or build a dam? A neuroscientist argues it's not “instinct.” Something bigger is going on.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a...
Unexplainable

Why we cry

November 30, 2022 23m
Humans seem to be the only animals that cry from emotion. What makes our tears so special?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about...
Unexplainable

Can we live in space?

November 16, 2022 31m
NASA just launched the Artemis program, a series of missions that will eventually take humans back to the moon, and beyond. But can humans actually survive in space long-term?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Holding on to power

November 09, 2022 30m
A mountain, a tower, a thermos full of molten salt: These are the batteries that could power our renewable future.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show...
Unexplainable

Redefining death

November 02, 2022 33m
Death used to be fairly self-evident, but new technologies have forced us to ask: When is someone actually dead? And now, new research is raising a further question: Could death someday be...
Talking to ghosts

Talking to ghosts

October 26, 2022 31m
Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious experience of the world? This episode originally ran on October 27, 2021.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Why is everyone getting food allergies?

October 19, 2022 25m
In the past few decades, the rate of food allergies in both children and adults has dramatically increased. What’s causing this rise, and what can we do about it?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Introducing The Gray Area

October 15, 2022 54m
On the first episode of Vox’s new podcast, The Gray Area, host Sean Illing talks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about the limits of both politics and science.
Listen and follow on Apple...
Unexplainable

Let’s play Unexplainable or Not

October 05, 2022 28m
For the first time, we get some answers.

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.
Also, email us!...
Unexplainable

The math problem that could break the internet

September 28, 2022 37m
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Jumping the gun

September 21, 2022 32m
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting ... after the gun went off. Officials said she started faster than humanly possible. How can that...
Unexplainable

An Alzheimer's uproar

September 14, 2022 36m
This past July, a bombshell report in Science magazine suggested that a key Alzheimer’s study might have contained manipulated evidence. What does this mean for over a decade's worth of research? And...
Unexplainable

Salamander search party

August 31, 2022 27m
One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions of years. But one is missing.
This episode was reported by Benji Jones and...
Unexplainable

What did dinosaurs sound like?

August 24, 2022 38m
They probably didn’t roar like lions. Their real voices were likely much, much weirder. We asked scientists to help us recreate these strange, extinct sounds.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Can ovaries make new eggs?

August 17, 2022 28m
There's an old story scientists tell about human ovaries: that they are ticking clocks that only lose eggs, never gain them. Now that story might be changing, opening the door to new treatments for...
Unexplainable

Will the eel (slim, shady) please have sex?

August 10, 2022 46m
Where eels come from is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, in large part because scientists have never actually seen them reproduce in the wild. Gastropod explains why eels are somehow still...
Unexplainable

Yawn baby yawn

July 27, 2022 37m
People yawn when they’re bored, right? So then why do athletes yawn before races? And why do so many animals yawn? … And why does reading this paragraph make you more likely to yawn?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

What’s the James Webb telescope searching for?

July 20, 2022 48m
A lava planet, life on other worlds, the very first starlight in the universe — the most powerful space telescope ever built is ready to reveal many mysteries of the cosmos.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Vitamin X

July 13, 2022 34m
Millions of Americans take dietary supplements — everything from vitamins and minerals to weight loss pills and probiotics. But because supplements are loosely regulated in the US, their makers don't...
Lost Worlds: What killed Venus?

Lost Worlds: What killed Venus?

June 29, 2022 28m
Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a lot like Earth, complete with an ocean of water. So, how did Venus go to hell? And could Earth...
Lost Worlds: Life on Mars?

Lost Worlds: Life on Mars?

June 22, 2022 30m
Mars was once a very different planet, with rivers, lakes, and — potentially — life. NASA’s latest Mars rover is on a mission to find traces of past life. What happens if it does?
This is the third...
Lost Worlds: Why do we have a moon?

Lost Worlds: Why do we have a moon?

June 15, 2022 26m
In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, it's played a huge role in shaping our planet. But how did we get it? Every possible story points...
Lost Worlds: Aliens from Earth?

Lost Worlds: Aliens from Earth?

June 08, 2022 26m
Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we know?
This is the first episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.
For...
Unexplainable

Dropping like flies

May 25, 2022 26m
Insect populations are shrinking all over the world, and entomologists are buzzing with questions: Why is this happening? How quickly? And, most concerningly, what does it mean for food supplies or...
Unexplainable

Is telepathy real?

May 18, 2022 25m
A groundbreaking study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. Today, Explained breaks down the science and asks: Is it too good to be true?

For...
Unexplainable

Why do we dream?

May 11, 2022 23m
Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves?

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show...
Unexplainable

Should I take a DNA ancestry test?

May 04, 2022 28m
What are the scientific, family, and privacy implications?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.
Also,...
Unexplainable

My octopus friend?

April 27, 2022 24m
Octopuses are largely solitary animals, but there have been rare times — notably in the movie My Octopus Teacher — where they seem to have become comfortable around humans. But is it really possible...
Unexplainable

Glow in the dark ocean

April 20, 2022 30m
Most deep-water creatures are bioluminescent. Marine biologist Edie Widder has spent the last 40 years trying to figure out why.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view...
Unexplainable

When reality broke

April 13, 2022 25m
In the 1920s, the scientist Werner Heisenberg came up with a wild idea that broke reality as Western science knew it. And it's still unsettling to think about. Benjamin Labatut's recent book, When We...
Making Sense: The sixth sense

Making Sense: The sixth sense

April 06, 2022 26m
Why stop at five senses? Just how much of the world can we perceive? And how much is out there that’s still out of reach, hiding in the dark?
This is the sixth and final episode of our six-part...
Making Sense: Sight unseen

Making Sense: Sight unseen

March 30, 2022 24m
Close your eyes and try to imagine an apple. Can you see anything? Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye. Since it was discovered, scientists have been asking the question: What is...
Making Sense: The Umami Mama

Making Sense: The Umami Mama

March 23, 2022 37m
For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the Umami Mama), scientists finally accepted a fifth. So could there be even...
Making Sense: No one nose

Making Sense: No one nose

March 16, 2022 29m
Dogs can smell cancer, Covid-19, and many other health problems in humans. Now, scientists are trying to duplicate these powers in robotic sniffers. But there’s a big challenge here: Scientists don’t...
Making Sense: The healing power of touch

Making Sense: The healing power of touch

March 09, 2022 28m
Doctors can save the lives of premature infants, but the process is often painful. Luckily, a solution might be as simple as a parent’s loving touch.
This is the second episode of our new six-part...
Making Sense: How sound becomes hearing

Making Sense: How sound becomes hearing

March 02, 2022 40m
In the same way optical illusions trick our eyes, audio illusions can trick our ears. This raises a fundamental question: What is hearing, and how much of it is made up by our brains?
This is the...
Unexplainable

The methane hunters

February 16, 2022 22m
Methane traps more than 80 times as much heat as CO2 over the short term. So we could make a real difference on climate change this decade if we could stop leaking so much methane into the atmosphere....
Unexplainable

What is love?

February 09, 2022 32m
Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about...
Unexplainable

A sonic tour of the solar system

February 02, 2022 21m
What does it sound like on Mars? On Jupiter? Titan? This collaboration between the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz and the composer Melodysheep imagines the soundscapes of other worlds.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Finding asteroids before they find us

January 26, 2022 30m
Scientists are constantly searching for asteroids that could crash into Earth. But if they find one, will they be able to do anything about it? NASA has launched a spaceship that will slam into an...
Unexplainable

Skeleton Lake

January 19, 2022 28m
When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion. This episode originally ran on March 24, 2021.
For more,...
Unexplainable

Are humans running out of sperm?

January 12, 2022 27m
In 2017, researchers published an explosive finding: Sperm counts may be declining in some countries around the world. Media outlets began worrying about a potential Spermageddon, but other...
Unexplainable

The quest to build a star

January 05, 2022 28m
Scientists are closer than ever to harnessing fusion power — the same process that powers the sun — by essentially making a small star here on Earth. Fusion could give humanity its best shot at...
Unexplainable

BONUS: The 2021 song

December 31, 2021 5m
Noam wrote an end-of-year song with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram, so we thought to drop it here as a little end-of-year surprise.

Lyrics:

2021, it was gonna be fun
Get a couple shots and...
Unexplainable

The building blocks of the universe

December 22, 2021 53m
Most of the matter in the universe is dark matter, an invisible, untouchable, mysterious substance. Scientists don’t know what exactly dark matter is, despite decades of searching. But recently, they...
Unexplainable

99% of ocean plastic is missing

December 15, 2021 29m
How can we solve the problem of ocean plastic if we don’t know where most of the plastic is?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more...
Unexplainable

How medicine mansplained women’s health

December 08, 2021 25m
Until 1993, many researchers excluded women from clinical drug trials, leaving doctors in the dark about how new treatments work in more than half the population. This is the story of why that...
Unexplainable

How Venus went to hell

December 01, 2021 27m
Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a lot like Earth, complete with an ocean of water. So, what killed Venus? And could Earth be...
Unexplainable

Mind readers

November 17, 2021 32m
Will scientists ever fully understand the human brain? In their quest for knowledge, they’ve tried knives, magnets, computers, blood, and even a good metaphor.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

A brainless yellow goo that does math

November 10, 2021 25m
Slime molds can navigate mazes, control robots, and make complicated decisions, all without a central nervous system. If this weird gooey blob can think, does that mean scientists are thinking about...
Unexplainable

Why whales get beached

November 03, 2021 21m
Every year, thousands of marine mammals end up trapped on beaches, but it’s often hard to figure out why. It’s even harder to figure out how much humans are to blame.
For more, go to...
Talking to ghosts

Talking to ghosts

October 27, 2021 31m
Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious experience of the world?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to sign up...
Unexplainable

Honey, we shrunk the birds

October 20, 2021 27m
A recent study of tens of thousands of birds has shown that birds are growing smaller over time. It could be due to climate change, and if so, we ought to consider: How else might humans be altering...
Unexplainable

Nobel Prize 2.0

October 06, 2021 25m
The Nobel Prize has rewarded some amazing discoveries. It’s also contributed to scientific tunnel vision. This week, how the Nobel impacted our understanding of an enormous cosmic mystery, and what a...
Unexplainable

The James Webb Time Machine

September 29, 2021 28m
To look into deep space is to look back in time. With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists hope to see “cosmic dawn,” a period long ago when the first starlight...
Unexplainable

The James Webb Space Telescope

September 22, 2021 26m
After decades of planning, NASA is finally (finally!) set to launch the successor to the Hubble. The new Webb telescope will be a paradigm shift for astronomy, exploring places in the cosmos that have...
Unexplainable

What causes Alzheimer’s?

September 15, 2021 30m
For decades, Alzheimer’s researchers have been stubbornly pursuing a single theory, but they’re starting to wonder: is this narrow focus the reason we still don’t have a cure?
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

Havana syndrome

September 01, 2021 28m
Several years after US diplomats in Cuba claimed they were attacked by an invisible weapon, similar incidents continue to be reported around the world. Scientists haven’t been able to determine a...
Unexplainable

Getting to the bottom of butts

August 25, 2021 25m
Once upon a time, there were no anuses. These ingenious organs allowed our primordial ancestors to grow bigger and more complex, but scientists still don’t understand how they evolved. And they’re...
Unexplainable

The mysteries of endometriosis

August 18, 2021 30m
This common chronic condition — where tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body — is barely understood. So why is a condition so prevalent and painful still so...
Unexplainable

A 150-year-old human

August 11, 2021 29m
Two scientists. A billion-dollar wager. One unanswered question: Is the first human who will live to 150 already alive? The technology to make that happen may already be in development. But if it...
Unexplainable

How low can you go?

August 04, 2021 27m
Earlier this year, Nicole Yamase explored the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest place in the ocean, where few people have ever been. The rest of the seafloor is almost as mysterious — 80...
Unexplainable

The tornado problem

July 28, 2021 24m
8 minutes, 24 seconds. That’s the average amount of warning time people get before a tornado touches down. To do better, and to understand tornadoes, scientists need to confront more of these storms,...
Unexplainable

Moon poop

July 21, 2021 24m
Astronauts left something on the moon that could help unlock the origins of life itself.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show...
Unexplainable

Hot pink flying squirrels

July 14, 2021 29m
An accidental discovery on a nighttime walk led one scientist and his team to wonder: How many mammals glow under ultraviolet light? The list keeps growing, but scientists still aren’t sure why these...
Unexplainable

Henrietta Leavitt and the end of the universe

June 30, 2021 31m
In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt made one of the most important discoveries in the history of astronomy: a yardstick to measure distances to faraway stars. Using this tool, scientists eventually...
Unexplainable

How do animals know where to go?

June 23, 2021 27m
As part of a massive new global tracking project, scientists are monitoring animals from a receiver on the International Space Station, mapping the incredible, previously unknown journeys that animals...
Unexplainable

Invasion of the jumping worms

June 16, 2021 25m
These worms are fast, they’re mysterious, and they’re quickly changing North American ecosystems. How worried should we be about global worming?
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a...
Unexplainable

The many heights of Mount Everest

June 09, 2021 28m
How tall is the world’s tallest mountain? The answer is surprisingly tricky, which means that Everest’s official height is constantly changing. In fact, depending on the type of measurement scientists...
Unexplainable

Unexplainable Flying Objects

June 02, 2021 32m
UFOs are real, but that doesn’t mean they’re aliens. Today, Explained, Vox's daily news podcast, tells the story of America's longstanding relationship with UFOs and what we might learn from an...
Unexplainable

The hunt for a new Pluto

May 26, 2021 32m
Something strange is going on at the outer reaches of the solar system. One astronomer thinks it might be a Neptune-sized ninth planet, and he’s on a quest to find it.
That search is happening at an...
Unexplainable

Cloudy with a chance of chaos

May 19, 2021 28m
It’s surprisingly hard to predict how clouds form, move, and change, but it’s essential to try. Because how clouds react to a warming world helps determine how hot our future will be.
For more, go to...
Unexplainable

A new force of nature?

May 12, 2021 24m
Last month, physicists at Fermilab in Illinois found that tiny subatomic particles called muons were wobbling strangely. This small observation could transform the future of particle physics,...
Unexplainable

Placebos work. Why?

May 05, 2021 25m
For decades, scientists thought that placebos only worked if patients didn’t know they were taking them. Not anymore: You can give patients placebos, tell them they’re on sugar pills, and they still...
A virus that could heal people

A virus that could heal people

April 28, 2021 23m
In 2016, the UN declared antibiotic-resistant bacteria the “greatest and most urgent global risk.” Our best hope just might be phages, or viruses that attack bacteria. Phages’ potential is enormous,...
The Twilight Zone of the ocean

The Twilight Zone of the ocean

April 21, 2021 26m
Every day, untold numbers of strange organisms rise from the middle of the ocean to its surface. They may be playing a crucial role in slowing climate change, so scientists are struggling to...
Unexplainable

The viral ghosts of long Covid

April 14, 2021 25m
Scientists don’t understand why so many people suffer from Covid-19 symptoms for months, well after they stop testing positive. But that’s just the start of the mystery. There are other diseases that...
Unexplainable

Is a ton of psychology just ... wrong?

April 07, 2021 29m
A decade ago, psychologists realized much of their science was fatally flawed, calling untold numbers of studies into question. Now, some young psychologists are trying to rebuild the foundations of...
Unexplainable

It’s ball lightning!

March 31, 2021 26m
For millennia, people have been reporting stories of mysterious spheres of light that glow, crackle, and hover eerily during thunderstorms. They’ve been spotted in people’s homes, and are even said to...
Unexplainable

Skeleton Lake

March 24, 2021 27m
When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion.
*This episode has been updated. In the original version,...
Unexplainable

Journey Toward the Center of the Earth

March 17, 2021 28m
Sixty years ago, geologists tried to drill down through the Earth’s crust to pull up a piece of the Earth’s mantle. Their mission didn’t go exactly as planned. But it sowed the seeds for a new field...
Unexplainable

No one nose

March 10, 2021 29m
Believe it or not, scientists still don't know how the sense of smell works. But they're looking at how powerful it is - dogs can actually sniff out cancer and many other diseases - and they're trying...
Unexplainable

Most of the universe is missing

March 10, 2021 33m
Scientists all over the world are searching for dark matter: an invisible, untouchable substance that holds our universe together. But they haven't found it. Are they chasing a ghost?
For further...
Unexplainable

Introducing Unexplainable

February 19, 2021 2m
Scientists don’t know what 95% of the universe is made of. They don’t know how a bike stays up. They don’t even really know how the nose works. Join us every Wednesday on Unexplainable for deep dives...

About this Podcast

Copyright
© 2021 Vox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Language
en
Categories
Science, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences