Animals
54 episodes
#6109: Anteater Biology, With an Actual Anteater
A donkey and a sloth finally interview their anteater producer about tongues, claws, and sixty million years of family resemblance.
#5877: A Sloth Diagnoses Human Civilization
One hundred thirty armed conflicts, a $100 barrel of oil, and a sloth on a branch in Jerusalem asking whether this is collapse or just another chap...
#5876: Sloth Leaf Medicine: What's Real and What Isn't
A serious look at sloth leaf medicine — the rotation, the Cecropia pharmacology, and the fur microbiome nobody was told about.
#5688: Can We Normalize Breaking Into Song in Public?
Daniel wants to sing in the sandwich line. Here's what the science says about group singing, embarrassment, and why we don't.
#5547: 53 Bird Strikes a Day: What Actually Happens
Bird strikes happen about 53 times a day in the U.S. — and the real story is far stranger than the flaming-engine footage.
#5337: The World's Weirdest Museums: Poop, Parasites, and Broken Hearts
From a Poozeum in Arizona to Tokyo's parasite museum, we explore the world's most oddly specific collections and the obsession behind them.
#5151: Why Dry Heat Is a Different Animal
Dry heat at 45°C can be survivable while humid 35°C kills. The physics of sweat, the limits of acclimatization, and what Bedouin trackers see in sand.
#4985: Kazakhstan's Wild Apple Forests and Futuristic Cities
Where every apple's DNA began and a capital built from scratch on the steppe.
#4743: What Spiders Are Actually in That Basement?
Two medically significant spiders in CT. One doesn't even live here. A practical guide to basement cobwebs.
#4728: Why Humans Love the Burn: Spicy Food and the Drive to Alter Consciousness
Why do humans love spicy food? The answer reveals something surprising about our relationship with altered states.
#4346: Pigeon Fortress: Removing Nests & Installing Netting in a Rental
How to safely remove pigeon nests and install balcony netting in a rental without losing your deposit.
#4288: Pigeons vs. Balconies: What Actually Works?
Why pigeons love your balcony and how to stop them — without fake owls or ultrasonic gadgets.
#4225: Pigeon Eviction 101: Netting, Cameras & Israeli Law
A Jerusalem balcony pigeon problem meets wildlife law, toddler safety, and Reolink surveillance.
#4217: How Military Dogs Work Beyond the Checkpoint
Dogs parachute from helicopters, clear buildings, and track scents hours old. Here's how they outperform drones.
#4216: What Percentage of Reality Are We Missing?
Humans detect 0.0035% of light and 0.14% of sound. What else are we missing?
#4214: How Homing Pigeons Still Beat Modern Tech
Pigeons flew through war zones for centuries — and some are still on the job today.
#4213: Pigeon on the Balcony: Law, Torah, and Biology
A pigeon nesting on a Jerusalem balcony raises legal, religious, and practical questions. Here's what Daniel needs to know.
#4128: What Is It Like to Be a Sloth?
A speculative deep dive into sloth consciousness — what the world actually looks, smells, and feels like through those eyes.
#3719: The 39-Millisecond Judgment: Resting Face Explained
Why a still photo can make anyone look hostile, and what sloths teach us about facial misreading.
#3662: Why UV Mosquito Traps Fail (And What Works)
UV traps mostly catch harmless bugs. Here’s what actually stops mosquitoes without harming your lungs.
#3643: What Anthropologists Actually Do (It’s Not What You Think)
Anthropology isn’t just studying humans—it’s a method. Here’s how ethnography works and where it’s practiced.
#3597: Building a Dream Guest Roster: Animals as Archetypes
What animals would make the best podcast guests? We map personalities to ravens, badgers, octopuses, and more.
#3582: The Sponge That Might Be Cheese: Dream Logic of Bikini Bottom
Why does a brainless sea sponge (or is it cheese?) live in a pineapple under the sea? We explore the unsettling worldbuilding of Bikini Bottom.
#3580: The Fish That Changed Israel's Coastline
From psychedelic bream to invading rabbitfish — a tour of Israel's underwater world and the dinner plate.