24 03, 2023

Dad Jokes Are Good For Kids, And Here’s The Science That Says So (Cool Weird Awesome 978)

By |2023-03-24T07:55:17-04:00March 24, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Dad jokes may not be good jokes, but they may be good for us: a study from The British Psychological Society shows how telling a very simple, groan-inducing joke is a pretty complex process.

2 01, 2023

Rhnull, The Blood Type That Only A Handful Of People In The World Have (Cool Weird Awesome 918)

By |2023-01-02T09:06:03-05:00January 2, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Most people have O, A, B or AB type blood, but there are dozens of rarer blood types, including Rhnull, which is sometimes called "golden blood."

22 11, 2022

All Work And No Play Makes A Dull Bumblebee (Cool Weird Awesome 893)

By |2022-11-22T11:45:25-05:00November 22, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

This is maybe the most adorable scientific study of the year: researchers have been testing whether bumblebees like to play with toys… and they do!

18 04, 2022

Bats Who Randomly End Up Living Together Sometimes Become Friends (Cool Weird Awesome 757)

By |2022-04-18T06:40:22-04:00April 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

If you have any friends that you first met as a roommate or dorm neighbor at college, this show is for you. Research from Ohio State University finds bats can become close when they’re made to live together too.

18 03, 2022

This Vole Protects Itself From Predators By Cutting The Grass (Cool Weird Awesome 735)

By |2022-03-18T09:20:14-04:00March 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The Brandt’s vole has an interesting way to protect itself from predators overhead: a research project found that the little rodent cuts the grass so it can keep a lookout.

9 11, 2021

In A Million Years, Earth Could Be Home To Some Weird Creatures (Cool Weird Awesome 652)

By |2021-11-09T06:54:24-05:00November 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Vox recently asked scientists what they thought Earth life might be like in a million years. And the answers are pretty wild. Plus: today's the first day of a City Climb at Edge, a program in New York City where thrillseekers can climb until they’re close to the top of a skyscraper, over 1,200 feet up.

24 09, 2021

These Worms Have No Ears But They Hear Pretty Well Anyway (Cool Weird Awesome 620)

By |2021-09-24T08:02:04-04:00September 24, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

If you listen to our show, your ears are doing the work, unless you’re a certain type of roundworm that researchers have just shown can react to sound even though they don't have any ear-like organs. Plus: a crater on the moon has a new name in honor of the great Black explorer Matthew Henson. 

9 09, 2021

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

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

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. 

1 09, 2021

Fruit Flies Make Up Customized Songs To Impress Potential Mates (Cool Weird Awesome 603)

By |2021-09-01T07:17:20-04:00September 1, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Research from 2018 at Princeton University found that male fruit flies use their wings to improvise musical sounds to win the attention of females. I just wish they didn't try to do all of it in my house. Plus: a teen in the UK makes friends with a bee! 

17 08, 2021

The Guy Who Climbed Mount Hood To Drop Off A Morning Paper For His Friends (Cool Weird Awesome 592)

By |2021-08-17T09:35:52-04:00August 17, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Today in 1947, two men who had climbed Oregon's Mount Hood and stayed overnight woke up to find a surprise: a quart of milk and the morning newspaper. Who would climb a mountain just to leave those items? Plus: a study out of the University of Greenwich finds that bees get an actual buzz out of naturally-occurring caffeine.

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