If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered. more

Brains On!® is a science podcast for curious kids and adults from American Public Media. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world sent in by listeners. Like, do dogs know they're dogs? Or, why do feet stink? Plus, we have mystery sounds for you to guess, songs for you to dance to, and lots of facts -- all checked by experts. more

Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us. more

Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org. more

Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists' obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life. more

New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength. If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ shortwave more

Learn something new every day!Everything Everywhere Daily is a daily podcast for Intellectually Curious People. Host Gary Arndt tells the stories of interesting people, places, and things from around the world and throughout history. Gary is an accomplished world traveler, travel photographer, and polymath. Topics covered include history, science, mathematics, anthropology, archeology, geography, and culture. Past history episodes have dealt with ancient Rome, Phoenicia, Persia, Greece, China, Egypt, and India. as well as historical leaders such as Julius Caesar, Emperor Augustus, Sparticus, and the Carthaginian general Hannibal.Geography episodes have covered Malta, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Monaco, Luxembourg, Vatican City, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Isle of Man, san marino, Namibia, the Golden Gate Bridge, Montenegro, and Greenland.Technology episodes have covered nanotechnology, aluminum, fingerprints, longitude, qwerty keyboards, morse code, the telegraph, radio, television, computer gaming, Episodes explaining the origin of holidays include Memorial Day, April Fool's Day, St. Patrick's Day, May Day, Christmas, Ramadan, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Canada Day, the Fourth of July, Famous people in history covered in the podcast include Salvador Dali, Jim Thorpe, Ada Lovelace, Jessie Owens, Robert Oppenheimer, Picasso, Isaac Newton, Attila the Hun, Lady Jane Grey, Cleopatra, Sun Yat Sen, Houdini, Tokyo Rose, William Shakespeare, Queen Boudica, Empress Livia, Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Sheba, Ramanujan, and Zheng He.  more

Who decides which snacks are in your office's vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. more

A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life's mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.If you're someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen. more

The story of technological progress is one of drama and intrigue, sudden insight and plain hard work. Let's explore technology's spectacular failures and many magnificent success stories.This content is in service of Houston Public Media's education mission and is sponsored by the University of Houston. It is not a product of our news team. more

Sam Webster Harris chronicles the complete history of innovation from the Stone Age to the modern day. Learn how transformative ideas build upon each other to change the world and shape the future of humanity. Every breakthrough that changes civilization begins with curiosity. From the first controlled fire to artificial intelligence. Follow the journey, step-by-step, tracing the evolution of human progress and society. On the way, uncovering the nerdy stories and fun facts behind world-changing inventions and the mental models that drive systemic change. Each episode is a deep dive into innovation patterns and the threads that shape our world: - From Leonardo Da Vinci dissecting human bodies to editing our own DNA - Maritime Navigation sets the course for Interstellar exploration - Hammurabi's legal code is relevant in algorithmic governance Modern revolutions in technology and the future of AI are a continuation of core needs of their human creators. Our desire for leverage shows up time and again in the history of civilization. Drawing insights from psychology, economics, and anthropology, we explore how change makers in history like Galileo, Newton, and Tesla didn't just discover big ideas. They transformed civilization itself. Their playbooks reveal timeless strategies for anyone seeking to understand how the world works. This isn't surface-level history. It's intellectual history told through narrative learning—connecting past invention stories to the future of technology, future of society, and patterns of history that will define the Anthropocene. Whether you're fascinated by the timeline of human history, founder stories, or the psychology of change, each episode delivers actionable mental models wrapped in engaging storytelling. Learn something new about human progress while discovering your own potential to change the world. For the intellectually curious seeking to understand innovation, drive progress, and glimpse the future of humanity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

Everyday Abundance explores the hidden histories behind everyday activities and the technologies we don't even know are technologies. Virginia Postrel and Charles C. Mann dive into the surprising stories behind everything from brushing your teeth to music and driving your car. Sponsored by the Abundance Institute. more

Welcome to Kids Learning Lab! In these short episodes we discuss fun topics like 'How do Airplanes Work?' or 'How do we See?' where kids can learn cool facts and interact with quizzes inside episodes. This show is 100% kid made, from writing to editing to recording to publishing to website editing, all made by Eshaan Buddhisagar, a 12 year old creator. https://kidslearninglab.com/about Make sure to share us with your friends and family to help support this 100% kid made podcast! Website: https://www.kidslearninglab.com Email: hello@kidslearninglab.com Enjoy! more

So...how does electricity work?Why not bury all power lines?Can I seriously not turn on my lights right now because of...squirrels!?No question is too dumb, so let us ask the experts for you!Cara Erwin & Daniel Posey host and speak to smart, specialized crew members within City Utilities of Springfield, MO. Discover more about your utilities, how they work and why squirrels are both cute and a serious problem. New episodes release every first and third Wednesday of each month.FIND US ON SOCIALFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityutilities.net/Twitter/X: https://x.com/cityutilitiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cityutilities/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cityutilities more

A podcast of deep, thorough explanations about physics, engineering, and technology

Explore how technology shows up in everyday life—often in ways you don't expect. Each episode unpacks real-world examples and explains the tech behind it in simple, relatable terms. No jargon, no hype—just clear stories about how the digital world works. Find out more at neradjacent.com. more

Ever wondered why we park in driveways but drive on parkways? Or why there's a light in the fridge, but the freezer is left in the dark? These are the little mysteries of everyday life that are impossible to measure or evaluate with simple numbers.We spend our lives looking for answers to these questions, yet we rarely think to ask them out loud because they seem too trivial for an encyclopedia and too baffling for a dictionary. They are the puzzles that keep you up at night, like why you look up when you're thinking or how a tiny pill 'knows' exactly where your pain is.In this collection, we dive into the quirks of language, science, and human behavior that we've all noticed but never quite questioned—until now: Common questions people never think to ask. more

Why Is It Like That? is a curiosity podcast hosted by designer, social scientist and sustainability provocateur Leyla Acaroglu. Each episode takes you on a wild ride through science, design, innovation, nature, and the quirks of everyday life. In every episode, Leyla sits down with fascinating thinkers — scientists, designers, explorers, philosophers, and innovators — to unravel counterintuitive questions about the world around us. Expect surprising insights, humour, and more as she digs into the big and small things that shape our lives and our planet. Curious, thought-provoking, and always entertaining, Why Is It Like That? invites you to see the world differently, one question at a time. more

A 'here's what's really happening' take on science. Understand deep concepts intuitively, and relate them to important broader perspectives.Support the Show.https://www.youtube.com/@ScienceinPerspective more

Have you ever looked at a common object and wondered: How did this actually get here? Welcome to The Hidden Life of Things, a weekly journey into the extraordinary biographies of the ordinary objects and systems that shape our world. Hosted by Aleksandra, each episode peels back the layers of history, science, and human error behind the things we take for granted.Each short episode explores how simple inventions gave us permission to think, move, and dream in ways our ancestors never could.New episodes drop every Tuesday.History isn't just found in museums ... it's in your kitchen, your pocket, and your hands.Follow and hit the bell icon to look a little closer. more

Curious by Design is a podcast about how things get built, and why they end up the way they do. Every product, city, system, and business is the result of a series of choices. Some intentional. Some accidental. Some brilliant. Some… less so. Hosted by Jason Hardwick, this show explores the thinking behind the work: the history, the tradeoffs, the constraints, and the invisible decisions that shape the world around us. From design and engineering to culture, technology, and everyday systems we take for granted, each episode pulls on a single thread and follows it deeper than expected. This isn't a how-to podcast. It's a why-did-they-do-that podcast. If you've ever looked at something and wondered how it came to be—or how it could've been designed better, you're in the right place. Welcome to Curious by Design . more

First Principles is the podcast that deconstructs the complex, invisible systems shaping our modern world. Ever wonder how a social media algorithm works, how AI really thinks, or how GPS knows your exact location? Each episode, we break down one concept from its fundamental truths, giving you clarity without the technical jargon. If you're curious about the tech you use every day and want to finally understand it, this is your starting point. more

Big questions. Simple answers. With jokes. Ever wondered why we sleep , what electricity actually is , how airplanes fly , or why Pluto got fired as a planet ? Welcome to Explain It Like I'm 5 —the podcast that tackles life's biggest, weirdest, most wonderfully human questions… and makes them make sense. Hosted by Alex, each episode breaks down a complex topic—from science, history, politics, and technology to philosophy, emotions, and everyday 'wait… what?' moments —into an easy, entertaining, and curiosity-sparking conversation you could share with a five-year-old… or your most confused adult friend. 💡 Topics include: What Is AI? Why Do We Poop? How Does the Stock Market Work? What Is DNA? Can Animals Talk? Why Do We Fight Over Beliefs? What Is the Internet Made Of? How Did We Go from Dinosaurs to TikTok? …and 50+ more questions you didn't know you were dying to understand. Whether you're 5, 15, or 105, this podcast is your fun, friendly, no-intimidation zone to learn how the world works—one wildly interesting question at a time. 🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. Perfect for curious kids, overthinking adults, teachers, students, and anyone who loves learning without lectures. more

Unraveling the technology that affects us all but that few of us understand, in a format to give you a basic understanding in the time it takes to drive to and from the grocery store. more

Can a normal guy learn engineering — not from textbooks, but from the people who live it?That's the challenge.I'm Justin Schnor, and I'm setting out to learn how the world is actually built — one factory, one robot, and one engineer at a time.I'm diving headfirst into the world of modern manufacturing — where technology, creativity, and human problem-solving collide.Along the way, real engineers are teaching me their craft: how to think, design, and build like they do.👊 Because learning how the world is built might just change the way you see it. more

This podcast is on how things work out in the world using the basics of physics

Everyday Science Explained explores the fascinating science hidden in ordinary moments of daily life. From simple household activities to natural phenomena we often overlook, this podcast breaks down complex ideas into clear, engaging stories—making science approachable, practical, and meaningful for everyone. more

Everyday Explained: Your daily 20-minute dive into the fascinating hows and whys of the world around you. From water towers to mountain formation, discover something new, five days a week! more

Have you ever felt confused when you ask an expert a question, and they respond with a bunch of words that you've never heard before? Do you wonder if you really need to call a professional to fix that? Hey, How Does That Work is the weekly podcast that explains the devices and machines that allow us to live our modern lives. The podcast offers tips and tricks to diagnose and fix them yourself. Hosted by Elliot Naughton, we explore the everyday household devices that ease our lives. As a self proclaimed nerd and titled engineer, I understand how annoying it is to search on the internet for how something works just to get pages full of jargon. Through years of studying and research I have discovered not only how things work, but also how to break it down. If you're looking to understand more about things you use every day, or how to fix them, Hey, How Does That Work offers you explanations with just the right level of depth. So if you're ready to try and do it yourself, tune into Hey, How Does that Work. more