Learn about why metals, fruit, and vegetables spark in the microwave, and the 1-3-5 method for arranging your to-do list. Plus, hear a couple lesser-known stories from the 20th-century space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with some help from a special guest, Dr. David Warmflash.

Learn about why you probably like talking to strangers more than you think (and why you should do it more often); how to discover your personal strengths; and the words with the most definitions in the English language, according to The Guinness Book of Records.

Learn about how the Toxo parasite manipulates mice to get into cats; how the trial by fire was a surprisingly accurate test of guilt; and a trick for figuring out how to spend your money that’s easier than budgeting.

Learn how a man wrote sentences using only his mind; how popular song lyrics got simpler; and the bitterness of Bitrex.

Learn about why younger kids don’t understand sarcasm; a 24,000 year old living worm; and Betelgeuse’s “Great Dimming.”

Learn about why a predicted increase in phytoplankton is good news for our environment; how researchers can detect evidence of climate change from just one day of global weather conditions; and how Pablo Escobar's hippos became an invasive species in Colombia.

Learn about whether being too clean makes kids sick; an ancient coronavirus epidemic; and a black hole-neutron star merger.

Learn about the RLR gene editing tool; Victorian-era emoji; and why “night shift” screen settings don’t help you sleep.

Learn about an easy way to catch someone in a lie; a possible scientific explanation for why your vestibular system may be to blame for out-of-body experiences; and the healthiest way to prepare broccoli, according to science.

Learn about how scientists just measured the quickest event ever recorded; how tiny remoras (suckerfish) stay stuck to fast-moving whales; and why being too busy could be killing your creativity.

Learn about the Moses Illusion, which shows how your brain processes information; why urine is yellow; and how watching horror movies can help reduce anxiety.

Learn about how doctors on Earth diagnosed and treated an astronaut’s medical problem in space for the first time; a new study that explains why whales are so big, but not bigger; and a Stanford technique for getting better at picking creative ideas.

In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:

In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:

Learn about the scientific reason why Australia has bubblegum pink lakes; why immortality is mathematically impossible; and how often you should wash your sheets, towels, and basically everything you own.