Part-Time Genius

There are the things you accidentally bury, and then there’s everything on this list. Will, Mango and Gabe discuss the weirdest facts they've unearthed about things that have been unearthed. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will and Mango have their good pal AJ Jacobs on the program to talk about his new book Thanks a Thousand, where he decided to thank the thousands of people who made his cup of coffee possible. Along the way they hear stories of "the Elon Musk of coffee lid design," how gratitude can help you sleep better, and why Jonas Salk was kind of a terrible person. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the most heavy metal apples out there, to the reason New York City transitioned from a New Orange to the Big Apple, to the insane lengths Japanese farmers go to to grow the perfect apple, Will and Mango pluck some the best apple stories they can find. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which airport should you hang out at if you want to meet a mini-horse? Why is the art in the Denver Airport so evil? And are TSA agents more likely to search you if you're carrying an Almanac? Will and Mango investigate. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we square dance in class? Where did Madonna learn to vogue? Did David Bowie actually inspire Michael Jackson's dance moves? And what does the Chicken Dance have to do with skiing? Will and Mango get to the bottom of the biggest dance mysteries. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, maybe some of these tricks aren't that genius (building your office on a giant Lazy Susan, for instance). Dig in as Will and Mango investigate the tricks artists have used to claw their way out of creative slumps. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does a female camel need to see a gross neck bubble before she'll swipe right? Why do bald eagles need to hug it out before they decide they're right for one another? And what do tennis grunts have to do with any of this? Will and Mango take a look at the world's strangest dating techniques, all plucked from Animalia. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your time machine got jammed in the past, what would you need to rebuild all of modern civilization? Mango sits down with Ryan North, author of the new book How to Invent Everything, to talk about how to make soap, why leeches were pretty useful for a very short period, how to invent a better horse harness, and why windmills just might be superior to waterwheels. Oh, and how to understand all of Western religion and philosophy through high-fives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of the new show, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, Will and Mango revisit some of their favorite questions: What is Quantum Teleportation? Are we all swimming in Dark Matter? And why are scientists so obsessed with smashing particles together? And we've got astrophysicist Daniel Whiteson, co-author of the wonderful new book We Have No Idea, ready to answer them all. Buckle up!Daniel & Jorge Explain the Universe starts September 25th. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will and Mango pester their pal Nick with all their whale questions: Why are whales so large? How do they sustain those massive bodies? And also-- why do they have belly buttons? Featuring Nick Pyenson, author of Spying on Whales and curator of marine mammal fossils for the Smithsonian. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.