logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
26m 10s

S3 E3: A New(clear) Hope

FOXTOPUS INK
About this episode

The horrifying devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved the destructive capabilities of nuclear power. But, in the aftermath of World War II, we started to experiment with how we could use atomic energy for good. It was the dawn of a new era in science, and, in that spirit, thousands of men arrived in Idaho, including the men whose deaths would later signify the difficulty of achieving this atomic America.

*Become a premium subscriber to Wild Thing! Premium subscribers get each new episode early, and exclusive access to all bonus episodes, not to mention the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting the show. Go to https://wildthing.supportingcast.fm/ to find out more!

*Season 3 of Wild Thing is produced by Laura Krantz and Scott Carney. Editing by Alicia Lincoln. Music and mixing by Louis Weeks.

*Find us on social media - @wildthingpod - and on our website https://wildthingpodcast.com/

Up next
Oct 16
The Saucy Side of Sasquatch—S1 Bonus Interview
**THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT MATERIAL**Wild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! We talk to Virginia Wade, author of a series of Bigfoot erotica books, about the saucier side of Sasquatch. 
18m 39s
Oct 2
Revisiting Harry & the Hendersons—S1 Bonus Interview
Wild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! We hear from William Dear—director of "Harry & the Hendersons"—about how he tried to capture the magic of Bigfoot on the big screen. 
15m 48s
Sep 18
Remembering Jeff Meldrum—S1 Bonus Interview
On September 10, 2025, Jeff Meldrum passed away after a battle with brain cancer. I interviewed him multiple times for the first season of Wild Thing and he was incredibly generous with his time and extremely patient in answering my questions about Bigfoot. In memory of him, I’ve ... Show More
13m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Science Of ‘The Last Of Us’ Fungi, New U.S. Nuclear Power. Feb 3, 2023, Part 1
<p>Wind And Solar Were Europe’s Top Energy Sources In 2022</p> <p>The European Union reached a major renewable energy milestone in 2022. For the first time, <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/wind-solar-europe-2022/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sci ... Show More
47m 15s
Nov 2023
40 Years Of Sounding The Alarm On Nuclear Winter
<p>This week holds anniversaries for two important milestones in nuclear warfare. On November 1, 1952, the United States detonated a massive hydrogen bomb in the Marshall Islands. The new weapon vaporized a whole island, leaving behind a mile-wide crater. That bomb was around 700 ... Show More
18m 19s
Aug 10
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings
In May 1945, the Second World War ended in Europe, but Japan refused to surrender - despite seemingly facing inevitable defeat. So, confronted by the prospect of drawn-out and costly fighting, Washington sought to bring the conflict in the East to an end as quickly as possible. M ... Show More
56m 33s
Jul 2024
Annie Jacobsen
Many of you will have been waiting for this podcast after my brief review of Annie Jacobsen’s new book Nuclear War: A Scenario on Critical Mass. I took advantage of our discussion to flesh out some of the harrowing details of her remarkable fictional account of a plausible 72 min ... Show More
1h 29m
Aug 5
Was the Nuclear Bomb Inevitable? With Frank Close
Use code SQUARED at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/squared --- How did the most powerful force in history begin with a faint smudge on a photographic plate? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to physicist and award-winnin ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2019
Episode 34: From the Archive - Margaret Mead
<p>In this never-before-released archival lecture from 1974, anthropologist Margaret Mead discusses the lives of women from prehistoric through modern times.</p> <p><strong>Show Notes</strong></p> <p>The Leakey Foundation is 50 years old this year, and we're celebrating this mile ... Show More
51m 41s
Mar 2025
Will We Survive The Future? (with John Green!)
Just because our ancestors have made it through every major period of upheaval in the Earth’s history so far doesn't mean that our survival through future changes is guaranteed. Humans have become a force of nature, but will we survive ourselves?--Eons is a production of Complexl ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 2023
Satsuki Takahashi, "Fukushima Futures: Survival Stories in a Repeatedly Ruined Seascape" (U Washington Press, 2023)
Both before and after the 2011 "Triple Disaster" of earthquake, tidal wave, and consequent meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, anthropologist Satsuki Takahashi visited nearby communities, collecting accounts of life and livelihoods along the industrialized seas ... Show More
53m 1s
Aug 12
73. Destroying the Nazi Nuclear Program: Saving the World From War (Ep 2)
Who was the Nazi General who called the Allied Gunnerside mission “the most splendid coup I have seen?” How did the Norwegians stop the Nazis' nuclear program for good? And how did one commando use a large amount of laxatives to save his mother's life? Operation Gunnerside was a ... Show More
41m 18s
Feb 2025
Measles Outbreaks, Asteroid Risks and Fish Friends
The black hole at the center of our galaxy is emitting near-constant, random light. The European Space Agency has approved astronaut candidate John McFall, making McFall the first physically disabled candidate to be cleared to fly. The risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth rose ... Show More
7m 20s