Unexplainable

Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?” (Updated from 2023) For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1bMXuLuyy3zTLCnblKVWUBq4Gd84PY8sG] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] Vox is also currently running a series called Home Planet, which is all about celebrating Earth in the face of climate change: vox.com/homeplanet [http://vox.com/homeplanet] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: vox.com/givepodcasts [https://www.vox.com/pages/support-now?utm_campaign=contribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=podcast] Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey [https://voxmedia.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_80NiOhwtezB9wy2] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

A cell is alive. So is a leaf and so is a tree. But what about the forest they’re a part of? Is that forest alive? And what about the planet that forest grows on? Is Earth alive? Science writer Ferris Jabr says: Yes. For show transcripts, go to bit.ly/unx-transcripts [http://bit.ly/unx-transcripts] For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] Vox is also currently running a series called Home Planet, which is all about celebrating Earth in the face of climate change: http://vox.com/homeplanet [http://vox.com/homeplanet] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts [http://bit.ly/givepodcasts] Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey [http://vox.com/podcastsurvey] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The researcher who popularized the idea of the alpha wolf has spent decades trying to take it back. Our friends over at Pablo Torre Finds Out try to uncover how science got it wrong. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts [http://bit.ly/givepodcasts] Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey [http://vox.com/podcastsurvey] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Solar storms can wreak havoc on power grids, satellites, even astronauts — but scientists still struggle to predict them. One possible way forward? Chasing eclipses. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts [http://bit.ly/givepodcasts] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world. Maybe it’s painting. Or writing. Or playing the piano. Now imagine you wake up one day and you just can’t do it. You’re not sick. You’re not injured. But that one thing is impossible. It’s called the yips, and even the most talented people in the world experience it. What could cause them to lose their superpowers? And is there anything they can do to get them back? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts [http://bit.ly/givepodcasts] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]