Every Little Thing

Caller Leña had COVID-19 last October and temporarily lost her sense of smell. As it started to come back, she noticed something strange — fruity things smelled like burnt hair and condoms. Where are Leña’s mystery smells coming from? Rhinologist Simon Gane fills us in on COVID-related smell loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We asked you to share your fail tales, and you delivered. Now we need your help picking a winner. Thanks to Erica, Dallas, Ryan, Mary, Nasja, David, Samantha, and everyone who called to share their worst moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Earth is surrounded by a halo of trash — defunct satellites, discarded fuel tanks, one of Elon Musk’s Teslas. Listener Ryan wants to know: Does any of it ever fall down to Earth? ELT talks trash with Lottie Williams, the only person known to have been hit by falling space debris, and Ted Muelhaupt, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Study at The Aerospace Corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s spring-cleaning time! To help get you in the mood, we’re dusting off an episode from our archive. Cleaning expert Jolie Kerr tells us when it’s OK to use your own saliva as a cleaning agent, and addresses some listener “cleanspiracies” like: Will vodka clean my clothes? For more cleaning tips, check out Jolie’s podcast Ask a Clean Person. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Paige heard a rumor: we only breathe through one nostril. Can it be true? ELT gets an answer from someone in the nose — rhinologist Simon Gane. Plus, Science Vs. host Wendy Zukerman joins Flora for an important wombat-butt update. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Malik wants to know how wolves became pugs, poodles, and chihuahuas. Zooarchaeologist Angela Perri digs up the answers. Special thanks to Michael Worboys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Charlotte has been rewatching “The Sopranos” and the punches keep hitting her ear. Why do Hollywood wallops sound so punched up? Foley artist and Emmy Award-winning sound editor Joanna Fang shares her punch recipe. Plus, do real-life investigators actually connect the dots with red string and thumbtacks? Retired FBI agent Jerri Williams solves the evidence-board mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Malenia wants to know how her favorite word game came to be. It turns out it took a while for Scrabble to score big. Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak, fills in the blanks. Plus, can you beat Flora's most embarrassing story? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes this week. A few years ago, listener Annie asked ELT to settle a longstanding family debate: exactly how old is Winnie-the-Pooh? To hunt down an answer, we consult with professional age-guesser Ben Ramey, bear biologist Rae Wynn-Grant, and Sarah Shea, a professor who has studied this question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Taylor was making a medieval stew when she noticed a prominent ingredient was missing from the recipe: potatoes. Potato biologist Maria Scurrah and journalist Charles Mann explain the potato’s twisting route to stewpot domination. Special thanks to Graham Thiele, Bruce Owen, Alan Covey, and Gary Urton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices