Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know ... and then keeps right on going. This Vox podcast... more
What would an episode of Unexplainable have sounded like if it had been made in 100 CE? For more, go to... more
Can researchers decipher what people are thinking about just by looking at brain scans? With AI, they're getting closer. How... more
Something about modern life is leading to higher rates of nearsightedness across the world. What is it? To buy tickets to... more
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting... after the gun went off. Officials... more
Two scientists explain how AI might help us translate animal communication, and what we might learn from their squawks, chirps,... more
Sam Sanders, host of Vulture’s Into It podcast, is in the hot seat for a new episode of our game... more
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago. But how did wolves become... more
In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, and it... more
AI can often solve problems in unexpected, undesirable ways. So how can we make sure it does what we want,... more
AI has the potential to impact our society in dramatic ways, but researchers can’t explain precisely how it works or... more
A dog on its owner’s grave. A killer whale carrying around its dead calf. A goose that isolates when its... more
Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves? This episode... more
The Indus Valley civilization was one of the largest, most advanced civilizations in the ancient world. But we barely know... more
Awe is what takes our breath away when we face a sky full of stars or listen to a moving... more
Many states have extremely punitive policies around cannabis and pregnancy. But researchers don't actually have great data on cannabis's harms. For... more
Caring for a child seems to change parents’ brains. But what does that actually mean for how parents think and... more
Fetuses leave cells behind in their parents' bodies, where they braid themselves into tissues, and remain, for years. What are... more
2023 has been a record-setting year for tornadoes, and these storms came with barely any warning. So to better understand... more
Scientists are hard at work trying to bring back woolly mammoths (and dodos). But should they? And what would they... more
We did a live show! We talked about how one of our favorite episodes came together and how we went... more
Studies suggesting trees communicate through an elaborate underground fungal network have captured imaginations. It’s a beautiful idea, but the fantasy... more
This week, we tackle three listener questions — on sleepwalking, deja vu, and Earth’s magnetic field. Next time, we could... more
Scientists are digging into what makes something funny. We compare their notes with comedians — including Atsuko Okatsuka, Josh Johnson,... more
For every definition of life, there’s a creature that sends us right back to the drawing board. This is the third... more
How did life on Earth start? To help answer that, researchers are trying to create some life for themselves. This is... more
Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question... more
Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos? This episode originally ran on... more
Listeners told us that eating baby carrots or telling lies can bring on the hiccups. Burping or kissing can make... more
Last fall, a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid to test a way to avert a disaster on Earth. So... more
Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize... more
In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt made one of the most important discoveries in the history of astronomy: a yardstick... more
In the temperate rainforests of Chile, there is a vine that can shapeshift to copy the look of other plants.... more
Our game show is back! This week, Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, tries to guess which... more
How we feel emotionally may be influenced by unseen troves of microbial life that live inside us. Is it possible... more
Back in January, we spoke to a scientist at the National Ignition Facility about how close they were to achieving... more
How do animals know how to do things like spin a web or build a dam? A neuroscientist argues it's... more
Humans seem to be the only animals that cry from emotion. What makes our tears so special? For more, go to... more
NASA just launched the Artemis program, a series of missions that will eventually take humans back to the moon, and... more
A mountain, a tower, a thermos full of molten salt: These are the batteries that could power our renewable future. For... more
Death used to be fairly self-evident, but new technologies have forced us to ask: When is someone actually dead? And... more
Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious... more
In the past few decades, the rate of food allergies in both children and adults has dramatically increased. What’s causing... more
On the first episode of Vox’s new podcast, The Gray Area, host Sean Illing talks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about... more
For the first time, we get some answers. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and... more
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through... more
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting ... after the gun went off.... more
This past July, a bombshell report in Science magazine suggested that a key Alzheimer’s study might have contained manipulated evidence.... more
One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions... more
They probably didn’t roar like lions. Their real voices were likely much, much weirder. We asked scientists to help us... more
There's an old story scientists tell about human ovaries: that they are ticking clocks that only lose eggs, never gain... more
Where eels come from is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, in large part because scientists have never actually seen... more
People yawn when they’re bored, right? So then why do athletes yawn before races? And why do so many animals... more
A lava planet, life on other worlds, the very first starlight in the universe — the most powerful space telescope... more
Millions of Americans take dietary supplements — everything from vitamins and minerals to weight loss pills and probiotics. But because... more
Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a... more
Mars was once a very different planet, with rivers, lakes, and — potentially — life. NASA’s latest Mars rover is... more
In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, it's played... more
Was there a technologically advanced species living on Earth long before humans? And if one had existed, how would we... more
Insect populations are shrinking all over the world, and entomologists are buzzing with questions: Why is this happening? How quickly?... more
A groundbreaking study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. Today,... more
Dreams are weird, but can they be a scientific tool? Can they teach us anything about humanity? About ourselves? For more,... more
What are the scientific, family, and privacy implications? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and... more
Octopuses are largely solitary animals, but there have been rare times — notably in the movie My Octopus Teacher —... more
Most deep-water creatures are bioluminescent. Marine biologist Edie Widder has spent the last 40 years trying to figure out why. For... more
In the 1920s, the scientist Werner Heisenberg came up with a wild idea that broke reality as Western science knew... more
Why stop at five senses? Just how much of the world can we perceive? And how much is out there... more
Close your eyes and try to imagine an apple. Can you see anything? Aphantasia is the inability to see with... more
For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the... more
Dogs can smell cancer, Covid-19, and many other health problems in humans. Now, scientists are trying to duplicate these powers... more
Doctors can save the lives of premature infants, but the process is often painful. Luckily, a solution might be as... more
In the same way optical illusions trick our eyes, audio illusions can trick our ears. This raises a fundamental question:... more
Methane traps more than 80 times as much heat as CO2 over the short term. So we could make a... more
Can science help us predict whether a relationship will succeed? Or is it all just chaos? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s... more
What does it sound like on Mars? On Jupiter? Titan? This collaboration between the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz and the... more
Scientists are constantly searching for asteroids that could crash into Earth. But if they find one, will they be able... more
When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly... more
In 2017, researchers published an explosive finding: Sperm counts may be declining in some countries around the world. Media outlets... more
Scientists are closer than ever to harnessing fusion power — the same process that powers the sun — by essentially... more
Noam wrote an end-of-year song with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram, so we thought to drop it here as a... more
Most of the matter in the universe is dark matter, an invisible, untouchable, mysterious substance. Scientists don’t know what exactly... more
How can we solve the problem of ocean plastic if we don’t know where most of the plastic is? For more,... more
Until 1993, many researchers excluded women from clinical drug trials, leaving doctors in the dark about how new treatments work... more
Venus is the hottest, scariest planet in the solar system, but billions of years ago it may have been a... more
Will scientists ever fully understand the human brain? In their quest for knowledge, they’ve tried knives, magnets, computers, blood, and... more
Slime molds can navigate mazes, control robots, and make complicated decisions, all without a central nervous system. If this weird... more
Every year, thousands of marine mammals end up trapped on beaches, but it’s often hard to figure out why. It’s... more
Why do so many people think they can see and hear ghosts, and what does that say about our conscious... more
A recent study of tens of thousands of birds has shown that birds are growing smaller over time. It could... more
The Nobel Prize has rewarded some amazing discoveries. It’s also contributed to scientific tunnel vision. This week, how the Nobel... more
To look into deep space is to look back in time. With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space... more
After decades of planning, NASA is finally (finally!) set to launch the successor to the Hubble. The new Webb telescope... more
For decades, Alzheimer’s researchers have been stubbornly pursuing a single theory, but they’re starting to wonder: is this narrow focus... more
Several years after US diplomats in Cuba claimed they were attacked by an invisible weapon, similar incidents continue to be... more
Once upon a time, there were no anuses. These ingenious organs allowed our primordial ancestors to grow bigger and more... more
This common chronic condition — where tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body —... more
Two scientists. A billion-dollar wager. One unanswered question: Is the first human who will live to 150 already alive? The... more
Earlier this year, Nicole Yamase explored the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest place in the ocean, where few... more
8 minutes, 24 seconds. That’s the average amount of warning time people get before a tornado touches down. To do... more
Astronauts left something on the moon that could help unlock the origins of life itself. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a... more
An accidental discovery on a nighttime walk led one scientist and his team to wonder: How many mammals glow under... more
This common chronic condition — where tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body — is barely... more