Learn about whether our ancient ancestors were healthier than we are; why Neptune is sometimes further away from the sun than Pluto; and how to know if you’re an echoist, which is the polar opposite of a narcissist.

Learn why more humans are growing an extra artery; emotional hangovers; and the drawbacks of energy-efficient LED streetlamps.

The electric zap is caused by more than just dry air.

Learn about how researchers study how we mentally represent our relationships with special guest Vivian Zayas, Director of the Personality, Attachment, and Control Laboratory at Cornell University. Plus, learn about a regimen you can follow to help you pursue your passion — despite your day job.

Learn how people survive plane crashes; why and how your spleen can multiply into accessory spleens; and why people still use fax machines.

Learn about counterfactual curiosity; the first entanglement-based quantum network; and Rome’s remarkable Cloaca Maxima.

Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains how we know that climate change is caused by humans. Then, learn about why there’s no such thing as “common sense.”

Learn about the evolutionary reason why older people wake up early; new research that could explain why hot water can freeze faster than cold water; and the truth behind the recapitulation theory that embryos repeat evolution.

Learn about whether you can actually feel a storm coming in your bones; an 18th-century woman who convinced doctors she was giving birth to rabbits; the 2 main reasons why everything takes longer than you think it will; and why barber shop poles are red, white and blue.

Learn about the scientific reasons why people either love or hate horror movies; the surprising way life expectancy affects population growth; and, where you can catch the Orionids meteor shower this weekend.

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 you should never wash raw chicken; the story behind a place called The Island of the Colorblind; and the forgotten campaign to create a 13-month calendar.

Improved sleep quality can help improve your mood.

Kids get grounded for swearing, and bad words are banned from television... but why is that the case if most adults swear anyway? Linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen says that swearing can be funny, cathartic, and even useful! In this rated-PG episode, he explains how the science of swearing can help us understand how our brains process language, and what the worst words tell us about our culture. And the episode is squeaky clean: no swearing included!

Learn about whether parasites can turn us into zombies, why awkward silences are so awkward, and why bubbles form in boiling water.