Odds and Evens, Part 2

In this sinister episode from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss different folkloric and legendary monsters tied to mine shafts and mining...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Walrus Ghost from the spooky 1932 Fleischer Studios Betty Boop animated short "Minnie the Moocher."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In this sinister episode from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss different folkloric and legendary monsters tied to mine shafts and mining...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Often in life, we find ourselves wrestling with a decision. But in running these mental calculations, there's something we rarely consider about the future: we might not be the same person when we get there. This week, philosopher L.A. Paul explores how life-altering events resha ... Show More

Human brains don’t just perceive reality—they invent it. In this episode of Science Quickly, cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Yon speaks with host Rachel Feltman about how perception is an active process of prediction in which the brain constructs theories about the world that can ... Show More

You've got 10 minutes with Einstein. What do you talk about? Black holes? Time travel?Why not gambling? The Art of War? Contemporary parenting?Some of the best conversations happen when we find ourselves outside of our comfort zones, thrust into unfamiliar, unexpected territory.S ... Show More

It's not easy for most of us to receive negative feedback. Even when the person delivering that feedback is constructive and reasonable, we often feel the urge to defend ourselves. This week, we look at the psychology of defensiveness with neuroscientist Emily Falk. We'll explore ... Show More

In our 501st episode, Michael Shermer takes a moment to reflect on his long journey with skepticism and what he learned recording half a thousand episodes of this podcast. He shares his thoughts on what it means for something to be truly “real” by comparing our personal experienc ... Show More

Why do we always fall for surprise endings? It turns out that our capacity to be easily fooled in books and movies is made possible by a handful of predictable mental shortcuts. We talk this week with Vera Tobin, one of the world's first cognitive scientists to study plot twists. ... Show More

The idea of being driven by a calling goes back centuries. It was the language used to describe religious people who were called to the priesthood. Today, millions of people in secular professions yearn to be similarly galvanized by their work. This week, researcher Jennifer Tost ... Show More

As we go through life, we’re constantly trying to figure out what other people are thinking and feeling. Psychologist Liane Young says this ability to assess other people’s thoughts ​is an extraordinary feat of cognition. This week, in a favorite episode from our archives, we exp ... Show More

Dean Ripa painted with Salvador Dali, sung with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra, and bonded with William Burroughs. But his true passion was collecting, handling, and studying the world's most venemous snakes. Ripa's Seprentarium in Wilmington, North Carolina was the site of captivating ... Show More