Yesterday

From the Vault: Dinner with King Tut, with Sam Kean

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with Sam Kean about his new book “Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations.” (originally published 7/3/2025)See omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More

43m 56s

Jul 31

Weirdhouse Cinema: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss 1953’s “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” a pivotal entry in the history of giant monster movies directed by Eugène Lourié and with effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. It stars Paul Hibschmid, Paula Raymond and Cecil K ... Show More

1h 23m

Jul 30

The Shocking Vastness of Prairie , Part 1

In this series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the vast North American grasslands of which poet William Cullen Bryant wrote, “These are the gardens of the desert, these the unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, for which the speech of England has no name — ... Show More

1h 11m

May 2021

Ancient Polynesia: Pioneers of the Pacific

Despite sporadic food sources and the dangers of the deep sea, the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean have been home to Polynesians for more than a millennium. But what was life like for the first people to venture between Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island, to name a few? In ... Show More

31m 19s

May 2024

Polynesian Exploration

Modern genetics tells us that the residents of the far-flung Polynesian islands are one of the most closely related people in the world. But, thanks to the exploration of their ancestors, they’re also the most widely dispersed. Polynesian exploration of the Pacific has been compa ... Show More

50m 58s

Jan 2024

First Polynesians

<p>In small wooden canoes and with just the stars for navigation, how did the first Polynesians conquer the largest ocean on earth? For centuries this has perplexed scholars and anthropologists. The Polynesian Triangle is drawn by connecting the points of Hawaii, New Zealand, and ... Show More

38m 35s

Nov 2001

Oceanography

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the science of Oceanography. In 1870 Jules Verne described the deep ocean in 2,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He wrote: “The sea is an immense desert where man is never alone for he feels life, quivering around him on every side.” This was actually clo ... Show More

28m 9s

Nov 2024

How to sail like Moana

To celebrate the release of Moana 2, coming soon to cinemas, Dan and Stevie go on a journey to Polynesia to find out how thousands of islands thousands of miles apart were settled without the use of typical instruments using a technique known as wayfinding... See omnystudio.com/l ... Show More

20m 14s

May 2023

She Sails the Seas Without Maps or Compasses

For nearly 50 years, a group of Hawaiians have been sailing on traditional voyaging canoes using the methods that early Polynesian explorers relied on to navigate the Pacific Ocean—without maps and modern instruments, and relying on the stars, ocean waves, birds, and other natura ... Show More

36m 48s

Apr 2024

Andrés Reséndez, "Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery" (Mariner Books, 2022)

The Pacific Ocean is twice the size of the Atlantic, and while humans have been traversing its current-driven maritime highways for thousands of years, its sheer scale proved an obstacle to early European imperial powers. Enter Lope Martin, a forgotten Afro-Portuguese ship pilot ... Show More

1h 8m

Dec 2022

A deep dive into oceanography

We're taking a look at our planet's oceans, and seeing how and where the important work into studying our seas takes place, as well as finding out how the data collected by marine expeditions translates to research that informs our climate and conservation efforts. Like this podc ... Show More

30m 41s

Oct 2025

The First Hawaiians

Tristan Hughes goes on an exploration of Hawaii's earliest settlers, guided by the insights of Dr. Patrick Kirch, a leading expert on Hawaiian archeology. From the arrival of Polynesians around AD 1000, using sophisticated double-hull canoes, to their unique agricultural practice ... Show More

51m 57s

Nov 2022

A Love Letter To The Ocean (2021)

Original broadcast date: June 11, 2021. Oceans cover nearly 75% of the Earth. While they seem vast and frightening, they're also enchanting and whimsical. This hour, TED speakers dive into stories of connection — and even love — in the sea. Guests include adventurer Catherine Moh ... Show More

50m 3s

From the Vault: Pacific Navigation, Part...