The Atlas Obscura Podcast
SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 16, 2024 • 19min
The Complaint Tablet of Ea-Nasir (Winter Wonder Classic)
Turns out, complaining about bad service really is as old as time. Hear the story of an ancient Babylonian clay tablet that has launched a slew of modern memes. Click here for more.
Jan 15, 2024 • 17min
Dmanisi (Winter Wonder Classic)
An archeological site in the country of Georgia, which features the oldest, human skull fossils found outside of Africa, challenges what we think we know about our deep past.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dmanisi-hominins-brain-shape
Jan 12, 2024 • 11min
Monkey Island (Winter Wonder Classic)
An island off the coast of Puerto Rico is home to more than 1500 imported monkeys, which have been studied by researchers for decades.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cayo-santiago-monkey-island
Jan 11, 2024 • 18min
Cranes of the DMZ (Winter Wonder Classic)
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea has become an accidental bird sanctuary for one of the world’s most endangered crane species. Learn more about the International Crane Foundation at savingcranes.org.
Jan 10, 2024 • 16min
Mafra Palace Library Bats (Winter Wonder Classic)
A grand library in Portugal has some unexpected nighttime caretakers -- tiny bats. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mafra-palace-library-bats
Jan 9, 2024 • 16min
Parrots of Green-Wood Cemetery (Winter Wonder Classic)
These Argentinian parrots have made an unlikely home in a Brooklyn, NY cemetery.
Jan 8, 2024 • 15min
Luomus Spiders (Winter Wonder Classic)
Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki has had an infestation of Chilean recluse spiders for more than 50 years.
Jan 5, 2024 • 16min
Micropia (Winter Wonder Classic)
Take a trip to Micropia, the world’s only museum dedicated to microscopic organisms and learn about our invisible life companions.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/micropia
Jan 4, 2024 • 18min
Milky Seas (Winter Wonder Classic)
Join host Dylan Thuras, a satellite scientist, and a ship captain in search of gigantic swaths of bioluminescence that radiate up from the surface of the sea over thousands of square miles.
Jan 3, 2024 • 15min
Laguna Del Diamante (Winter Wonder Classic)
A toxic lake high in the Andes mountains in Argentina is home to microbes that provide a window to our planet’s past — and a key to securing its future.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laguna-del-diamante
