NO SUCH THING
iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research.
Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.
NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.
New episodes on Wednesdays.
For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.
And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail: (860) 325-0286.
Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.
NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.
New episodes on Wednesdays.
For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.
And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail: (860) 325-0286.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 25, 2025 • 44min
Should schools ban phones?
This week, we take a look into a rather divisive issue: school cell phone bans. With more and more states introducing legislature to ban mobile devices in schools, we take a look at the cases for and against the restrictions. Our guests today are Sabine Polak from the Phone-Free Schools Movement and Keri Rodrigues from the National Parents Union. For more, including links to some of the research cited in this episode, visit our website. Have an argument you want us to settle? Shoot us an email at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 21, 2025 • 38min
Can you cure picky eating? (w/ Search Engine)
In collaboration with our friends at Search Engine, we seek to find a cure for Manny's deep aversion to seafood, for the sake of our friendship. For more, visit www.nosuchthing.show. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, feel free to email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 11, 2025 • 27min
Should men sit when they pee?
This week, we bravely interrogate the male practice of standing while peeing. Why do we do it? And why stand when you can sit? We speak with urologist Gerald collins to find out if there are any hidden benefits to sitting while peeing. For more, visit www.nosuchthing.show. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, feel free to email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
29 snips
Feb 4, 2025 • 51min
Are suburban dogs happier than city dogs?
On this week’s episode we tackle a question Devan has been grappling with while living with a dog in the city: Are suburban dogs happier than city dogs? To find out, we spoke with one of the leading dog cognition experts, Alexandra Horowitz. She heads the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard and is the author of Inside of a Dog. The credit song is Big Dog by Maurice featuring Kenny Ning and Certain Self, who also provided additional music for this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 14, 2025 • 28min
Is Letterboxd ruining movies?
Letterboxd is a great tool for keeping track of movies and seeing what your friends and others are watching. But does constant logging, rating, and reviewing actually help us enjoy films? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ruud Jacobs, who actually researched the impact of consumer movie reviews, and professional movie critic Tasha Robinson. Dr. Jacobs' research can be found here, and you can hear Tasha on her own podcast, The Next Picture Show. For more, visit www.nosuchthing.showSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 snips
Jan 7, 2025 • 40min
Is it OK to wear outside clothes on your bed?
On this week’s episode, we tackle our first listener-submitted question: is it OK to wear outside clothes on your bed? Everyone has strong opinions, but what does the science say? We speak with microbiologist Dr. Lisa Cuchara of Quinnipiac University and ran a swab test to get some answers. For more, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. If you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 31, 2024 • 34min
NST Chat: 2024 Year in Review
This week, we take a break from our regular format to discuss some of our favorite things from the past year. This is the first of a new format we're calling NST Chats: loose, informal, and much more casual than our typical rigorous reporting, fine editing, and high-powered analysis. We promise to hit the ground running in 2025 with a return to our usual style, next Tuesday! NST Selects: 2024 Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music For more, visit www.nosuchthing.show. If you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 17, 2024 • 20min
Why are assassinations on the rise?
The past decade has seen a resurgence of political violence: January 6, multiple attempts on Trump’s life, and of course the killing of United Healthcare’s CEO are just a few notable examples. We spoke with University of Chicago Professor Robert A. Pape, who has studied political violence for decades, to understand this disturbing trend, the public’s reaction to it, and why he thinks it's here to stay. Read Pape’s New York Times Op-Ed: What the Glorification of Luigi Mangione Reveals About America For more, visit www.nosuchthing.show. If you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8 snips
Dec 10, 2024 • 36min
Do horses hate running?
What if this ONE thing we’ve always been told about horses isn’t true at all? What if it’s a lie we’ve told ourselves so that we can enjoy our horseback riding vacations and Kentucky Derbies without guilt? To answer this question we speak with Ren Hurst, a former professional horse trainer and author of “The Wisdom of Wilderness.” And we venture to New Jersey to spend some time with horses at the Bergen County Horse Rescue. The end credits music is "I’ve Always Been the First (to Say I Love you)" by Certain Self. For more, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. If you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 3, 2024 • 33min
Why are slurs making a comeback?
Certain taboo words have recently crept back into common use across private conversation, on social media, and in mainstream entertainment, seemingly all along the political spectrum. In this episode, we explore why slurs are making a comeback, featuring Business Insider deputy executive editor Mia de Graaf. Business Insider: The return of the slur For more, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. If you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
