Celebrate the quirky HaLearn Days with a delightful mix of fun facts! Discover the bizarre Brussels sprout tradition and the playful behavior of animals during solar eclipses. Laugh along as the hosts delve into the wacky emu wars and the surprising truths about rats driving tiny cars. Explore the strange world of microbial exchanges during kisses and the evolution of iconic horror movie masks. Plus, enjoy reflections on Santa’s influence on kids and the comedic complexities of modern text messaging. Join in for laughter and learning!
The hosts opt for a minimalist holiday special, prioritizing one engaging fun fact over more extravagant options, showcasing their evolution in formatting episodes.
Through playful banter and the ghost of podcast past, they emphasize the joy of sharing knowledge and the importance of connection among the hosts.
They explore intriguing animal behaviors, such as frogs singing during eclipses, highlighting their enthusiasm for scientific observation and the unpredictable nature of wildlife.
Deep dives
Minimalist Holiday Fun Facts
The episode suggests a new minimalist approach for the holiday special, opting for one fun fact instead of more extravagant options like Christmas carols. The hosts debate the best way to utilize the wealth of fun facts they have accumulated over time and express a desire to share them despite the shift in format. This humorous exchange about fun facts reflects their ongoing commitment to making learning enjoyable. The hosts also playfully explore cultural differences, such as whether the phrase 'bah humbug' still resonates in Britain.
The Ghostly Lesson of Sharing
The concept of the 'ghost of podcast past' makes an appearance to remind the host, Ella, about the significance of sharing fun facts with the audience. As they humorously navigate this spooky concept, Ella expresses her reluctance to embrace it, leading to further banter amongst the group. This playful ghostly visit serves as a comedic vehicle to emphasize the importance of connection and the joy derived from sharing knowledge. The dynamic between the hosts showcases their chemistry and how they enhance each other's storytelling.
Traditional Gift Exchange with a Twist
As part of their holiday tradition, the hosts exchange fun facts wrapped up as gifts, adding an element of surprise and anticipation to the episode. This unique method of presenting facts allows for engaging storytelling and encourages listeners to participate in the sharing experience. The atmosphere of excitement is palpable as they unwrap the 'gifts' and discuss the various fun facts, illustrating their individual personalities and interests. This traditional act of gift-giving is coupled with laughter and playful competition, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the episode.
Animal Behavior During Eclipses
One of the fun facts shared is that frogs tend to sing during solar eclipses, which leads to a discussion about animal behavior in relation to natural phenomena. The hosts delve into the science behind animal reactions to sudden changes in light and temperature, exhibiting curiosity about the unpredictable nature of animals. They explore the difficulty of studying such behaviors during rare events like eclipses, emphasizing the unique opportunity eclipses present for scientific observation. The conversation captures the hosts' enthusiasm for learning and sharing intriguing facts about the natural world.
The Evolution of Communication
The episode explores various fascinating historical facts, including the first text message sent via SMS, which read 'Merry Christmas.' This fact leads to a discussion about the development of mobile technology and how communication has evolved over the years. The hosts reflect on how the first text message marked a significant milestone in technology, contrasting it with today's instant communication methods. This exploration highlights the essence of how language and technology interact over time, capturing the nostalgia of early digital communication.
Unconventional Tastes and Human Connection
A surprising fact brought up is that taste receptors are found not only on the tongue but throughout the body, including the testicles and urethra. This revelation sparks a humorous dialogue among the hosts as they discuss the implications and oddities of this fact. They connect this scientific insight to broader themes of human experience and interaction, emphasizing the unique ways in which our bodies relate to the world. This body-related fun fact captures the playful essence of the episode while promoting an understanding of the human body and its complexities.
It's the HaLearn Days!! We've gathered a whole bunch of fun facts from each other and from friends of the show to share the gift of laughter and learning!
Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:07:57) Part 1 (00:59:11) Part 2 (01:37:06) Outro
We also learn about: The Christmas Brussel Sprout Tradition, put christ back in halearn days, Where the Dog Ran, eclipses are more of a “huh?” moment, you might hear a frog during an eclipse - or more likely a science communicator, the turkey helicopter truth is stranger than fiction, giraffes can’t walk up anything steeper than 20 degrees, topography is important for giraffe reserves, the emu wars, Anatidaephobia, gotta define intimate, I eat and talk with tongue, our most liked tweet was from a jetlag hat, there’s nothing in the rules that says a wormhole can’t exist and a dog can’t play basketball, we got a rejection on our preprint from St Nicholas, Michel Foucault’s Elf on a Shelf, the scale of believability, when we stopped believing in santa, “Santa knows I can’t speak german”, the child psychology of Santa, William Shatner’s Halloween mask, Sleierton’s Betty Boop ghost mask, Tom finds out he’s driving a rat experiment car, the yuletide tradition of rats, rats would rather drive longer route to get food, alright “Tom Lum”, rice crispies and taco sauce, bingo bingo prison industrial complex! it’s very human to want to have tasty food, the places I would least like to have taste receptors, taste receptors and buds are different, we just discovered them on our tongues first and called them taste receptors, really our tongue has testicle and urethra receptors, screen-based phones, electronic purgatory, we will all get old, and as we say on the podcast: every year another vagina, should all our fun facts be forgot and never brought to mind, we’ll raise a cup of kindness yet, for everything.