

Unexplainable
Vox
Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know…and then keeps on going. The Unexplainable team — Noam Hassenfeld, Julia Longoria, Byrd Pinkerton, and Meradith Hoddinott — tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn diving into the unknown. New episodes Mondays and Wednesdays.From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
Mentioned books

4 snips
Oct 5, 2022 • 29min
Let’s play Unexplainable or Not
For the first time, we get some answers.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

11 snips
Sep 28, 2022 • 38min
The math problem that could break the internet
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken?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

Sep 21, 2022 • 33min
Jumping the gun
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting ... after the gun went off. Officials said she started faster than humanly possible. How can that be?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

4 snips
Sep 14, 2022 • 37min
An Alzheimer's uproar
This past July, a bombshell report in Science magazine suggested that a key Alzheimer’s study might have contained manipulated evidence. What does this mean for over a decade's worth of research? And where does the field go from here?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

Aug 31, 2022 • 27min
Salamander search party
One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions of years. But one is missing.This episode was reported by Benji Jones and Mandy Nguyen, who produced the episode. Editing from Meradith Hoddinott, Katherine Wells, Brian Resnick, and Noam Hassenfeld, who scored the episode. Mixing and sound design from Cristian Ayala. Fact-checking from Richard Sima.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

17 snips
Aug 24, 2022 • 39min
What did dinosaurs sound like?
They probably didn’t roar like lions. Their real voices were likely much, much weirder. We asked scientists to help us recreate these strange, extinct sounds.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

Aug 17, 2022 • 29min
Can ovaries make new eggs?
There's an old story scientists tell about human ovaries: that they are ticking clocks that only lose eggs, never gain them. Now that story might be changing, opening the door to new treatments for infertility and menopause.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

9 snips
Aug 10, 2022 • 47min
Will the eel (slim, shady) please have sex?
Where eels come from is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, in large part because scientists have never actually seen them reproduce in the wild. Gastropod explains why eels are somehow still so mysterious.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

Jul 27, 2022 • 37min
Yawn baby yawn
Andrew Gallup, a psychology professor at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, dives deep into the fascinating world of yawning. He unpacks why athletes yawn before races and explores its biological roles across species. Discussion includes how yawning may help regulate brain temperature and even enhance alertness. Plus, the podcast investigates contagious yawning and its ties to empathy and social dynamics, revealing this seemingly mundane behavior as a crucial part of both human and animal communities.

4 snips
Jul 20, 2022 • 49min
What’s the James Webb telescope searching for?
Explore the groundbreaking discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope, from stunning images of distant galaxies to the extreme lava planet K2-141b. Delve into the potential for extraterrestrial life and the cosmic history of the universe, observing ancient starlight as researchers contemplate our place in it. The podcast also highlights future innovations in space observation and reflects on humanity's connection to the cosmos, reminding us that we are all made of stardust.