Millions of Americans take dietary supplements — everything from vitamins and minerals to weight loss pills and probiotics. But because supplements are loosely regulated in the US, their makers don't have to prove that they work, or even that they are safe.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a lot like Earth, complete with an ocean of water. So, how did Venus go to hell? And could Earth be next?This is the final episode of our four-part series, Lost Worlds, and it originally ran on December 1, 2021.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mars was once a very different planet, with rivers, lakes, and — potentially — life. NASA’s latest Mars rover is on a mission to find traces of past life. What happens if it does?This is the third episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, it's played a huge role in shaping our planet. But how did we get it? Every possible story points to cataclysm.This is the second episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we know?This is the first episode of our new four-part series, Lost Worlds.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Insect populations are shrinking all over the world, and entomologists are buzzing with questions: Why is this happening? How quickly? And, most concerningly, what does it mean for food supplies or even life as we know it?For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A groundbreaking study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. Today, Explained breaks down the science and asks: Is it too good to be true?For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves?For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the scientific, family, and privacy implications?For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Octopuses are largely solitary animals, but there have been rare times — notably in the movie My Octopus Teacher — where they seem to have become comfortable around humans. But is it really possible to be friends with an octopus?For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices