An Algorithm Is Opening A Window Into The Many Moods Of Pigs (Cool Weird Awesome 730)

Researchers in Europe have built an algorithm that can decode the sounds of pigs to figure out what they’re feeling, whether it's happy, concerned, curious, anxious or just sort of hanging out.

By |2024-03-01T08:50:38-05:00March 11, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Back Off, Or This Octopus May Throw Something At You (Cool Weird Awesome 609)

Social distancing is a thing in the octopus world. According to new research out of the University of Sydney, some females will tell males to back off by throwing stuff at them. Plus: it was this week in 2019 that a drunk feral pig in western Australia picked a fight with a cow, which is probably one of the weirdest sentences of the week. 

By |2021-09-09T09:52:13-04:00September 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

The Guy Who Collected The “Sound Of Kmart’s Glory Days” (Cool Weird Awesome 486)

People like to collect all kinds of things, but Mark Davis had a collection that even he thought was a little unusual: cassettes containing the music and announcements that K-Mart stores used to play over their speaker systems, complete with announcements from "KMRT - K-Mart Radio." Plus: on National Pig Day, a story about a pig in the 70s who had an unusual job.

By |2024-03-01T08:53:51-05:00March 1, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Pigs Can Be Video Gamers (Cool Weird Awesome 481)

It's true, a researcher at Purdue University and her team trained four pigs on how to use a joystick and play a video game. Pigs are pretty smart, after all. Plus: if you're in need of hugs these days but aren't able to get them safely from other humans, the robot named HuggieBot 2.0 might be able to help.

By |2024-02-22T07:05:26-05:00February 22, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Nanoparticles Can Eat Plaque And Clear Arteries (Cool Weird Awesome 232)

Sounds like good news for the millions affected by heart disease: a nanoparticle that can target the plaque inside those blood vessels and actually reduce it! Plus: an animal rescue in Leesville, SC, needs piggy cuddlers!

By |2024-02-06T09:26:53-05:00February 6, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Pigs Are On A Mission To Save Hazelnuts (Cool Weird Awesome 176)

The nefarious filbertworm is trying to infest our hazelnut supply! Researchers at the University of Oregon think the solution might lie with pigs. Plus: the Ebo is a little ball-shaped robot that will play with your cat when you're not home.

By |2024-03-01T08:49:34-05:00November 21, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

What Time Was Like Before Time Zones (Cool Weird Awesome 173)

November 18, 1883 is when railroads across the United States adopted a uniform system of time, more or less getting all of us in sync with each other. But what was time like before then? Plus: Japan has had cat cafes, hedgehog cafes and bunny cafes. Now there's a minipig cafe!

By |2021-05-04T10:28:39-04:00November 18, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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