Bird people and deep space shrapnel

A period piece

Periods and menstrual fluid have long been overlooked by scientists. Now, researchers are starting to suspect they might be sources of medical treasure. (Originally aired in 2024) Guest: Jemma Evans, biologist For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG]⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠ [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠ [http://vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership]⁠vox.com/members⁠ [http://vox.com/members]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership] Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Bird people and deep space shrapnel

Two mysteries we can't stop thinking about: Is lightning actually caused by cosmic rays? And why don't birds play chess? Articles featured: “What Causes Lightning?” [https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-causes-lightning-the-answer-keeps-getting-more-interesting-20260506/] by Charlie Wood (also featured on The Quanta Podcast [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BVlUb7jEf3KnXJNo9VWVW?si=NDdVN90dR5Ct7jiEioYLjQ&nd=1&dlsi=e9f8504b3ed149b2]) and “Empire of flight [https://aeon.co/essays/why-birds-dont-buy-bentleys-and-we-humans-will-never-fly]” by Antone Martinho-Truswell. For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG]⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠ [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠ [http://vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership]⁠vox.com/members⁠ [http://vox.com/members]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership] Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Should we really kill all the lanternflies?

When an invasive bug landed on the East Coast, people embraced the order to squish it to death. But what has all that squishing done to us? Guests: Julie Urban [https://ento.psu.edu/directory/jmu2], professor in the entomology department at Penn State; Chelsea Batavia [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-batavia-74622221], community engagement coordinator with a PhD in forestry For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG]⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠ [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠ [http://vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership]⁠vox.com/members⁠ [http://vox.com/members]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership] Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Sean tries raw milk

Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained [https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast], recently went on a dairy adventure. Noam talks to Sean about what he learned, and about why raw milk is gaining popularity, even though there are significant health risks. Guest: Sean Rameswaram [https://www.vox.com/authors/sean-rameswaram], co-host of Today, Explained For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG]⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠ [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠ [http://vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership]⁠vox.com/members⁠ [http://vox.com/members]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership] Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

A new species in New York

Around 90% of life on Earth is unknown. Can Benji find a new species in his backyard? Guests: Benji Jones [https://www.vox.com/authors/benji-jones], Vox senior correspondent, and the NYC species project [https://www.vox.com/climate/489471/nyc-species-project]. For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG]⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠ [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠ [http://vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/unexplainable]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership]⁠vox.com/members⁠ [http://vox.com/members]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.vox.com/support-membership] Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]