Unexplainable

A neuroscientist argues that the focus on dreams has held back the scientific understanding of sleep. So he took dreams out of the picture and uncovered a new potential connection between the mind and body. Guest: Mark Blumberg [https://blumberg.lab.uiowa.edu/], behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Iowa For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members [http://vox.com/members] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. What does this mean for the future of science? For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members [http://vox.com/members] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the Umami Mama), scientists finally accepted a fifth. Could there be even more? (First published in 2022.) Guests: Kumiko Ninomiya [https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2044-7248-4-13], biochemist and former director of the Umami Information Center; Gary Beauchamp [https://monell.org/gary-beauchamp/], former director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center; Sarah Tracy [https://sarahetracy.com/], historian of science; Camilla Arndal Andersen [https://www.ted.com/talks/camilla_arndal_andersen_what_happens_in_your_brain_when_you_taste_food], neuroscientist; Paul Breslin [https://nutrition.rutgers.edu/faculty/paul-breslin.html], professor at Rutgers University For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members [http://vox.com/members] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Some of the largest lakes in the world have been buried under miles of ice for millions of years. Is there life hiding down there? And if so, could life be found in even more extreme places … beyond our planet? Guest: John Priscu,  [https://www.montana.edu/priscu/PriscuCV.html]microbiologist at Montana State University For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members [http://vox.com/members] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Genetic libraries are treasure troves of information about life from around the world. They’re helping researchers develop everything from vaccines to crops to cosmetics. But who actually benefits from the discoveries scientists make using all this DNA and RNA? Guests: Benji Jones [https://www.vox.com/authors/benji-jones], environmental correspondent at Vox’s Future Perfect; Deborah Fuller [https://microbiology.washington.edu/people/faculty/deborah-fuller], professor of microbiology at the University of Washington For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts [http://vox.com/unxtranscripts] For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable [http://vox.com/unexplainable] And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com [unexplainable@vox.com] We read every email. Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members [http://vox.com/members] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]