27 01, 2023

Electric Cutlery Can Make Food Taste Saltier Without Being Saltier (Cool Weird Awesome 937)

By |2023-01-27T09:04:07-05:00January 27, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

If you’re trying to eat healthier in the new year, maybe by cutting back on salt, here’s something that might help: cutlery that can make food seem saltier without the added salt.

28 07, 2022

There’s A Plastic-Free Food Wrap You Kind Of Spray On (Cool Weird Awesome 820)

By |2022-07-28T10:55:50-04:00July 28, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Plastic food wrap is useful stuff, but not eco-friendly. Now Rutgers University has a green alternative, and it’s not exactly wrap. You kind of spray it on.

25 07, 2022

Tenino, Washington, The Town That Makes Its Own Money Out Of Wood (Cool Weird Awesome 817)

By |2022-07-25T09:22:36-04:00July 25, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Digital currencies are having a rough 2022, but one alternative currency has been doing pretty well for itself lately. That’s the wooden money made in Tenino, Washington.

3 01, 2022

What Exactly Is A Calorie And Why Do So Many People Loathe Them Every January? (Cool Weird Awesome 685)

By |2023-01-02T08:57:40-05:00January 3, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

One of the classic changes people try to make at this time of year, for better or for worse, is trying to cut calories. But what are calories, exactly, and where did the measurement come from?

7 09, 2021

Yuan Longping Developed The Rice That Fed Millions (Cool Weird Awesome 607)

By |2021-09-07T08:50:32-04:00September 7, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Yuan Longping, born today in 1930, was known as the Father of Hybrid Rice, and his work saved countless people from famine and starvation. Here's more of his story. Plus: a school in New Zealand has an unusual crossing guard: a chicken in a safety vest named Henry! 

9 06, 2021

Shape-Shifting Pasta Could Be The Next Big Sustainable Thing (Cool Weird Awesome 553)

By |2021-06-09T08:36:44-04:00June 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

We use a lot of energy to ship goods, but it's not always very efficient. With pasta, for example, most of what we're shipping is the air in the box. So a team at Carnegie Mellon University found a way to make flat-packed pasta that changes shape as it cooks. Plus: the New York Times briefly published a story that claimed "Fields of Watermelon Found on Mars, Police Say." It was almost certainly a test page, but still, maybe the Mars rover should do a quick check. 

3 03, 2021

Order A Cold Sandwich And You May Be More Likely To Get Sides, Too (Cool Weird Awesome 488)

By |2021-03-03T08:25:58-05:00March 3, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

A study out of Rutgers University-Camden finds people who order cold sandwiches instead of hot ones also pick up chips, cookies and other sides much more often. Why? Plus: today in 1912, an unusual performance of a classic opera outside one of the great wonders of the world.

17 09, 2020

Put This Sensor On Your Food And See If It’s Safe To Eat (Cool Weird Awesome 383)

By |2021-02-04T10:32:41-05:00September 17, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

A sensor developed at MIT uses a set of microneedles to push through packaging and determine whether the food inside is safe to eat, which could prevent food waste and help head off outbreaks of salmonella. Plus: did you know China is apparently home to several thousand glass footbridges, where you can walk across and see what's underneath?

7 08, 2020

Alice Coachman Raised The Bar For Team USA (Cool Weird Awesome 354)

By |2020-08-07T07:46:11-04:00August 7, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

We don’t have the Olympic Games right now, but we can still mark a big Olympic moment that happened on this day in 1948: the day Alice Coachman became the first Black woman to win Olympic gold. Plus: a chocolate company and an engineer say they've redesigned the chocolate chip. Is it more efficient? I don't know, but I'll be happy to test it out.

7 11, 2019

Even For Meringue This Meringue Is Light (Cool Weird Awesome 166)

By |2019-11-07T06:41:45-05:00November 7, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

This meringue is just about the lightest dessert ever made. Based on the lightest substance in the world, Aerogel, it's about 96 percent air and a serving weighs about a gram. We guarantee you won’t think it's too filling. Plus: the story of a light-emitting fungus gnat in Brazil, which is maybe not as appetizing as the first story.

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