Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

The True Story of Tsantsas, or "Shrunken Heads"

Have you ever heard the story of "shrunken heads"? In the West, a ton of people sadly associate this with their own self-centric pop-culture experiences. However -- as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode -- the ancient practice of creating tsantsas is far more fascinating than any nostalgia reference. Tune in to learn the true conspiracy behind the popularity of "shrunken heads". They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ [https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CLASSIC: The Mystery of the Bronze Age Collapse

It's 2026. Fellow Conspiracy Realists, stuff is getting weird. This inspires Ben, Matt and Noel to return to a Classic episode about the last time a civilization fell: Sometime between between c. 1250 - c. 1150 BCE, civilization as we knew it simply... collapsed. Once-thriving empires fell one after another. Trade routes disintegrated. Literacy plummeted. Mysterious raiders from the sea pillaged city after city. In less than a century, the known world became a distant dream. So what exactly happened? Perhaps more disturbingly, what can the Bronze Age collapse tell us about the modern day? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ [https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Strange News: Venezuela, Food Conspiracies, and More

Oh, come on! We take a couple weeks off for the holidays, and the world goes nuts? Ben, Matt and Noel welcome you back to the first strange news segment of 2026. Tune in as the guys explore the unfolding chaos in Venezuela and abroad, the debate about the McRib, Uncle Sam's new interest in Russia's shadow fleet -- and so much more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ [https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Great US Brain Drain

Well, folks, the results are in: 2025 was a rough year for American science. Massive funding cuts to research and development aren't just slowing the pace of innovation -- they're also sending thousands of the nation's best and brightest out of the country... and straight into the arms of nations that would love to have them. What does this mean for the future? What does this mean for the families affected? Perhaps most importantly: Why is Uncle Sam hamstringing science in the first place? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the new era of Brain Drain. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ [https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CLASSIC: Poltergeists: Fact and Fiction

In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous civilizations throughout history. Some stories are proven hoaxes. But others, the true believers argue, are more difficult to explain. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ [https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.