logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
30m 39s

Hot pink flying squirrels

Vox
About this episode

An accidental discovery on a nighttime walk led one scientist and his team to wonder: How many mammals glow under ultraviolet light? The list keeps growing, but scientists still aren’t sure why these furry creatures glow.

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show.


Email us at unexplainable@vox.com. We read every email!

Also, we are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes about five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: vox.com/survey


Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Oct 8
Composing chaos
Terry Riley's "In C" is one of the most influential pieces of music of the last century...but you'll never hear it the same way twice. Guest: Evan Ziporyn, composer, clarinetist, and producer of "In C" For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fo ... Show More
27m 56s
Oct 6
Does Tylenol cause autism?
Donald Trump and RFK Jr. seem convinced that it does. But our friends at Science Vs say the data is far more complicated. Guest: Meryl Horn, senior producer at Science Vs For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... Show More
26m 56s
Oct 1
Real-life zombies
Zombies might seem like the stuff of horror movies, but there are lots of examples of parasites taking over bugs’ bodies and bending them to their will. Guest: Mindy Weisberger, author of Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control For show transcrip ... Show More
26m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
G: The World's Smartest Animal
This episode begins with a rant. This rant, in particular, comes from Dan Engber - a science writer who loves animals but despises animal intelligence research. Dan told us that so much of the way we study animals involves tests that we think show a human is smart ... not the ani ... Show More
50m 20s
Feb 2024
#390: Wormholes, Black Holes, and Blue Giants: Your Space Questions Answered
Are you ready to uncover the mind-bending secrets of our universe? Join us as we reveal the unexpected truth about the formation of habitable planets and the potential for multiple habitable worlds within a single solar system. You won't believe how many habitable planets could e ... Show More
53m 2s
Jan 2024
Distant Stars // Shooting Star Testing // NASA’s Deep Space Network | S27E06
🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/stuartgary or use the checkout code STUARTGARY. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌ The Space News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 6 *Distant stars spotted in the Magellanic Stream for the fir ... Show More
28m 51s
Feb 2024
S3 Ep 12: Friday Bonus & More Film Pitches
First up, some news about Rom’s unsolvable internet problems, the many varieties of fibre, Tom’s blood test, late night eating, boring sandwiches and using abacuses. Then it’s onto the main event as we read out more of our listener’s Wolf & Owl film pitches. Thank so much for you ... Show More
34m 34s
Feb 2024
Why do plants die in freezing weather?
#085 Rebroadcast Well here in Texas, we just suffered through an intense freeze. And many a plant became a casualty of the cold, but why? What's going on at the molecular level that causes freezing temperatures to be bad for many plants? And is talking about this even chemistry? ... Show More
27m 25s
Jan 2024
How to Keep Time: Time Tips From the Universe
Time can feel like a subjective experience—different at different points in our lives. It’s also a real, measurable thing. The universe may be too big to fully comprehend, but what we do know could help inform the ways we approach our understanding of ourselves, our purpose, and ... Show More
36m 24s
Jul 2021
Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch || Dear Therapists
Today it’s great to chat with Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch on the podcast. Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, which has sold over a million copies and is currently being adapted as a television series. In a ... Show More
57m 2s
Feb 2024
Listener Mail: Hasten Down the Wind
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
25m 54s
Feb 2024
Episode 109, All the Liveries
As we are under a week away from testing, all the liveries are out so what do we think of them. The evolution of the car launching videos and spectacles, favorite bromances on the grid and more. 
26m 3s
Jan 2024
The Mend is Nigh: Hannah Ritchie on How to Build a Sustainable Planet
Hannah Ritchie is the influential data scientist and researcher whose new book adds a rare glimpse of optimism to the conversation surrounding the future health of the climate. Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet asks us to l ... Show More
52m 3s