Podcast Transcript If you measure the success of a lifeform by how long they manage to exist on Earth, then by far the most successful forms of life have been stromatolites. Stromatolites aren’t the sexiest form of life. They still exist on Earth today, but if you have seen them, you might never have known …
Podcast Transcript In 1996 two college students walking along the Columbia River in Washington State stumbled upon what turned out to be an ancient human skull. What they couldn’t have known was that their discovery would lead to a better understanding of how humans came to the Americas, as well as years of scientific, cultural, …
Podcast Transcript When most people think of Switzerland, they of small country embedded in the Alps that makes fine chocolates and is the home of the cuckoo clock. They have been neutral in European conflicts for almost 500 years and they serve as the headquarters for several international organizations. Yet, it was the Swiss who …
Podcast Transcript Every single day, the oceans of the world go through a cycle with two high tides and two low tides. For thousands of years, no one knew why the tides rose and fell, and even today, most people only have a vague idea of what drives the tides. They dictate the lives of many people …
Podcast Transcript Prior to the modern era, very few people traveled anywhere. It was rare for anyone to travel more than about 20 miles from where they were born. However, there were a few people who managed to travel quite extensively. In particular, there was one man in the 14th century who might have traveled more …
Podcast Transcript I’m sure all of you are familiar with Watergate. You also might be familiar with Gamergate, Contragate, Pizzagate, Partygate, Chinagate, Deflategate, Sandpapergate, and WinegateThere are dozens and dozens more of these scandals which have all been named with the suffix -gate. But why do scandals get affixed with -gate in the English language, and …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, humans have traveled on the water and have wondered if it was possible to travel under the water like a fish. The idea of underwater travel stuck around for centuries, but eventually, humans did figure out how to travel underwater, even if the first efforts were not successful. Learn more about …
Podcast Transcript On January 25, 1959, a group of 10 hikers set out in the middle of the Russian Winter on what was to be a two-week excursion into the wilderness. One of the hikers returned early. The other nine were never heard from again. Week’s later their bodies were found, and it spawned a mystery that …
Podcast Transcript If you have ever looked at a map of the Caribbean, you might have noticed that the tiny islands in the Lesser Antilles consist of a whole bunch of tiny, independent countries. All of these countries became independent around the same time, got their independence from the same country: Great Britain.Given their common history …