Monsters: Not Just for Halloween

On this show, we’ve been talking about uncertainty from a variety of different angles. We’ve heard how uncertainty can be a spark for creativity and scientific discovery. We’ve discussed how uncertainty can go unseen and make science really difficult. And we’ve explored some of t ... Show More

Science is an iterative process. Progress comes from people coming up with ideas that are sort of right and then new evidence and ideas coming in to update them to become even more correct. Underlying this process is a willingness by scientists to accept that they might be wrong ... Show More

Today’s episode of Uncertain is about the ways that studies can leave us overconfident and how “just-so stories” can make us feel overly certain about results that are still a work in progress. And sometimes studies get misleading results because of random error or weird samples ... Show More

It seems the unavoidable fate of all terrifying monsters, doesn’t it? We reduce the most horrifying creatures of myth, legend and folklore to an adorable kids costume or a mega-cute illustration. Why can’t we help ourselves? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and ... Show More

<p>It seems the unavoidable fate of all terrifying monsters, doesn’t it? We reduce the most horrifying creatures of myth, legend and folklore to an adorable kids costume or a mega-cute illustration. Why can’t we help ourselves? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert a ... Show More

<p>Demons, spooky spirits, devils, fallen angles, hungry ghosts: every culture has them. And West Virginia University Religious Studies professor, demonologist and history buff Dr. Alyssa Beall runs down how humans have used myths and stories to explain the feelings that make our ... Show More

Grrarr! We find scientific theories about the existence of popular monsters such as cyclops, unicorns, and the Loch Ness monster. We do some unnecessarily extensive research on how exactly would mermaids make merbabies, and sexy vampire lore. Also: monster body part quiz, what "G ... Show More

Halftober Monsterfest is about to get even weirder. Explore the basics of incubus and succubus myths, a few international variants and the possible biological, psychological and neurological explanations for these paranormal encounters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/ ... Show More

Strange presences walk the shore before the coming of the storm. Terrible forms move in its wake. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss a wide selection of ghosts and monsters connected to destructive weather patterns. (originally published 10 ... Show More

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the relationship between knots and monsters… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

This Halloween, Robert and Joe take a seasonal tradition in a new direction with Grimoire of Horror, in which they’ll each present a horror short-story of note and discuss its connections to science and culture at large. In this volume, they discuss Clark Ashton Smith's "The Make ... Show More