Here’s A Tiny Fish That Can Make Sounds As Loud As A Jet Engine (Cool Weird Awesome 1202)

Danionella cerebrum is a completely transparent fish that's only 10-12 millimeters long. And researchers have just figured out how it can produce sounds that reach 140 dB or higher.

By |2024-03-13T07:38:59-04:00March 13, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

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

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.

By |2024-03-24T09:32:51-04:00March 24, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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

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."

By |2023-11-29T09:13:17-05:00January 2, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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

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!

By |2023-11-22T08:08:38-05:00November 22, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

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

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.

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

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

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.

By |2024-03-18T08:03:24-04:00March 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

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

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.

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

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

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. 

By |2021-09-24T08:02:04-04:00September 24, 2021|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: , , , , , |

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

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! 

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