logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
27m 56s

Dire Wolves! They're Back?

SPOTIFY STUDIOS
About this episode
This year there was huge news when scientists at the company called Collosal brought back the dire wolf! Some say these cute, white pups are not really dire wolves, but that didn't stop a huge media buzz. One of the wolves even made the cover of TIME Magazine … with the line "He's a dire wolf. The first to exist in 10,000 years. Endangered species could be c ... Show More
Up next
Nov 20
Never Put Meatballs on Spaghetti, with Samin Nosrat
Every day we’re all doing a little bit of chemistry: when we bake potatoes, add a little salt to our pasta, or even bake a box cake. And award-winning chef Samin Nosrat just loves to nerd out over all this. She's the author of the best-selling book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and has ... Show More
55m 49s
Nov 13
AI: Is It Ruining the Environment?
The internet is abuzz with accusations that artificial intelligence is using up tons of energy and water. People are even protesting the building of new AI data centers, saying they’ll put a huge strain on local resources. But some AI defenders say that this fear is overblown and ... Show More
38m 23s
Nov 6
Seed Oils: Should You Switch to Butter?
We’ve been told that foods like butter and bacon are bad for us — because they're packed with saturated fats. And top dogs in nutrition say that a better option is vegetable oil, like canola oil. But lots of people, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are saying hold o ... Show More
43m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
The startup that cried dire wolf
Colossal says it's brought the dire wolf back from extinction — but the accuracy of that claim and the ethics of de-extinction are in question. This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir ... Show More
26 m
Dec 2024
Who let the wolves in?
Dogs were the first domesticated animal in history, emerging from wolves some 20,000 years ago. But how did wolves become dogs? To find the answer, scientists have to play with a lot of puppies. (First published in 2023.) Guest: Kathryn Lord, evolutionary biology researcher at UM ... Show More
24m 14s
Apr 2025
Comment le “loup terrible” est-il revenu à la vie ?
Non, ce n’est pas un scénario de science-fiction. Et pourtant, en 2025, une start-up américaine de génie génétique, Colossal Biosciences, affirme avoir réussi l’impensable : ressusciter une créature disparue depuis des millénaires, le loup terrible ou Canis dirus. Ce prédateur em ... Show More
2m 18s
Jun 2025
Can AI help us speak with wolves? | Jeffrey T. Reed
<p>Why do wolves howl? With the help of AI, we're getting closer to an answer. Linguist and software engineer Jeffrey T. Reed shares his research on wolf sounds in the wild, revealing the surprisingly complex range of vocalizations — barks, yelps, whimpers, even teeth clacking — ... Show More
12m 8s
Dec 2024
No Regrets Coyote
<p>Coyotes are a sort of goldilocks animal. They can be active during the day, <i>and</i> at night. They can hunt in groups, or survive solo. They’re wolfish enough to survive in the wild, dog-like enough to blossom in the big city.  </p><p>That adaptability has arguably made coy ... Show More
31m 20s
Dec 2024
The New Conservationists: Thanks to Conservation Efforts, Pandas, Wolves and Panthers Are Making a Comeback (Part 4)
Tens of thousands of animal species are facing extinction, mostly because of human activity. But thanks to conservationists, there are some animals that are making a comeback. This is part four of “The New Conservationists,” a four-part series about the evolving world of animal c ... Show More
23m 25s
Oct 2020
The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Beginner)
Check out the Halloween live stream on 31st October at 3pm Greenwich Mean Time! Every day, Lyman looks after the sheep in the field. George comes to annoy him, and Lyman wants George to leave. So he says that there is a wolf, and George runs away. The hunters come, but really th ... Show More
23m 7s
Dec 2024
#394 — Bringing Back the Mammoth
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Ben Lamm about his work at Colossal Biosciences. They discuss his efforts to de-extinct the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo; the difference between Colossal's approach and Jurassic Park; the details of resurrecting the mammoth ... Show More
23m 12s
Oct 2024
Weekly: The gruesome story of the Viking skeleton found in a well
Episode 273 The mystery of “Well Man”, an ancient cold case, has just been solved. A Norse saga tells that in 1197, in the midst of a Viking raid, warriors dumped a body in a well inside a castle. Over 800 years later, archeologists recovered a body from that very well – but didn ... Show More
22m 17s