Cody Cassidy is back to talk about how soap was invented. You’ll also learn about a bias that makes people believe poor people have thicker skin, and how good anxiety can help you get things done.

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.

Learn about how quadruple-helix DNA could help us fight cancer; how diversity improves technology, with materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez; and how cats domesticated themselves.

Learn about a new theory for the uncanny valley effect and the Door to Hell, a giant fiery pit that’s been burning since 1971. We’ll also answer a listener question about how drug and alcohol tolerance works.

Learn about how punctuation and exclamation points are stressing people out; why ice might be stopping us from discovering an alien civilization; and Transnistria: a country that doesn’t exist!

Learn about how people become less narcissistic as they get older; how it’s possible that we can see a single photon with the naked eye; and, new research that says cigarette smokers won’t crave more food if they quit smoking.

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

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names.

This normal-looking reptile may be the largest animal that ever existed.

Genetics may not just be the only thing to help with athletic ability.

You may want to hit the pool to drop the pounds.

Learn about why it’s okay to put play before work; a surprising reason why pirates may have worn eyepatches; and how life bounced back surprisingly quickly after the asteroid killed the dinosaurs.

There are a few key ingredients are needed for life to exist.

Learn about why getting your wisdom teeth removed might be pointless; Lise Meitner, the forgotten female physicist who helped us figure out nuclear power; and the 4-7-8 breathing technique to help you fall asleep faster.

Learn about why a rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced towards other people; how studying a salamander that can regrow lost limbs could help us figure out how to help humans heal faster; and hormonal changes that happen in dads-to-be.