Alle afleveringen
319 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
-
The wild orchid mystery
21 oktober 2026 · 26 min
More than just beautiful flowers, wild orchids have been confounding scientists for years. Our friends at Sidedoor — a podcast from the Smithsonian — set out to find a rare specimen for themselves. Lees meer
Guest: Lizzie Peabody, host of Sidedoor
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
An Alzheimer's breakthrough?
19 oktober 2026 · 28 min
The past few months have been full of Alzheimer's optimism: new ideas that could prevent the disease from taking hold, medications that seem to slow it down, and an experimental surgery that might even be able to reverse its progression. It's a lot of hype. Should we believe it? Lees meer
Guest: Dylan Scott, senior correspondent at Vox
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.
Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Talking with the dead
14 oktober 2026 · 36 min
“If only I could talk with them again.” It’s a common refrain for anyone who is grieving someone they love. Now, we can access technology like deadbots, or AI replicas of a lost loved one, to simulate those conversations, but at what cost? Maybe we’ve always had the capacity — within our own voices — to deepen conversations with the people we’re missing, even after they’re gone. Lees meer
GUESTS: University of Cambridge assistant professors Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska and Tomasz Hollanek, writer and psycholinguist Julie Sedivy.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help. Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling, or you can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What’s cooler than being cool?
12 oktober 2026 · 29 min
The future of quantum computing depends on getting way colder than ice cold — down to some of the coldest temperatures in the universe. The quest to build these super refrigerators takes us to nuclear bomb stockpiles, the moon, and … Party City? Lees meer
Guest: Zack Savitsky, science journalist, author of Cold Rush
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
How does music move us? (feat. Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath)
7 oktober 2026 · 32 min
Music can give us goosebumps. It can make us cry. It can make us move. How? Lees meer
Guests: Amelia Meath, songwriter and singer in Sylvan Esso; Elizabeth Margulis, director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University and author of On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What color is a tennis ball?
5 oktober 2026 · 28 min
Is it yellow? Is it green? Or what if, as one scientist argues, “there’s no such thing as a color?” Lees meer
Guest: Bevil Conway, visual artist and neuroscientist at the National Eye Institute
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The bodies buried in the bog
28 september 2026 · 26 min
When things fall into bogs, they sometimes wind up being beautifully preserved. This includes bodies, sometimes dating back thousands of years. We’re still trying to understand who was buried in the bogs and why. Lees meer
Guest: Anna North, journalist and author of Bog Queen
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What happened to the giant bugs?
23 september 2026 · 27 min
Once upon a time (around 300 million years ago), Earth was home to massive dragonfly-like insects and two meter long millipede-like creatures. Why did they die off? Lees meer
Guests: Ned Snelling, professor of experimental physiology at the University of Pretoria; Jon Harrison, professor of environmental physiology at Arizona State University
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Dark matter and the end of answers
21 september 2026 · 35 min
Five-sixths of all the matter in the universe is this invisible stuff called dark matter, and scientists barely understand what it is. So what happens if we can't answer arguably the biggest mystery in the universe? One physicist decided to quit because he started asking questions that went way beyond what he initially thought science was for. Lees meer
Guest: Joseph Howlett, reporter at Scientific American
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What happened before the big bang?
16 september 2026 · 26 min
It's a question that seems impossible to grapple with, but scientists won't take no for an answer. In this collaboration with Scientific American, we take on the big bang and a whole bunch of seemingly impossible questions. Lees meer
Guests: Rachel Feltman, host of the Science Quickly podcast; Sarah Scoles, senior contributor at Scientific American
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What's the oldest story ever told?
14 september 2026 · 27 min
An astrophysicist uses the motion of the stars to argue that a single story has been told for 100,000 years. A cognitive anthropologist has questions. Lees meer
Guests: Ray Norris, astrophysicist; Manvir Singh, cognitive anthropologist at the University of California, Davis
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Stopping the science that could stop the world
2 september 2026 · 36 min
When scientists write their own rules for life, how do they know what could go wrong before it’s too late? Lees meer
This is the final episode of our new three-part series, Life from Scratch.
Guests: Kate Adamala, associate professor at the University of Minnesota; David Relman, professor at Stanford University; John Glass, leader of the JCVI Synthetic Biology Group.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A breakthrough in synthetic life
31 augustus 2026 · 34 min
Synthetic biologist Kate Adamala has been making major headlines as her lab creates cells that feed, divide, and grow — all from nonliving parts. It may sound like sci-fi, but Kate believes that these “not quite alive” cells are key to a renewable future. Lees meer
This is the second episode of our new three-part series, Life from Scratch.
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guests: Kate Adamala, associate professor at the University of Minnesota
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Life from scratch
26 augustus 2026 · 30 min
Scientists stripped a cell down to its most essential genes in order to find out what makes life...alive. What they found was more bizarre than they could have imagined. Lees meer
This is the first episode of our new three-part series, Life from Scratch.
Guests: Kate Adamala, associate professor at the University of Minnesota; John Glass, leader of the JCVI Synthetic Biology Group.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The idea of a song
24 augustus 2026 · 44 min
A few hundred milliseconds are often all you need to recognize a song, but a lot of recent hits have moved away from intros. Our friends at Switched on Pop (along with the National's Aaron Dessner) break down how song intros can shape our perception and what we lose when they disappear. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guests: Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan, hosts of Switched on Pop; Aaron Dessner, producer, songwriter, and member of the National; Grace Spelman, music writer
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why can’t I remember being a baby?
19 augustus 2026 · 27 min
And if babies forget their earliest experiences, do they still matter? Lees meer
This episode is a collaboration with Vox's Explain It to Me podcast
Guests: Kristin Ohlson, writer; Tristan Yates, cognitive psychologist at Columbia University; Dana Suskind, professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Can these corals take the heat?
17 augustus 2026 · 31 min
Warming waters are an existential threat to coral reefs, and for people who want to restore them. But in the Republic of Palau, researchers are testing out an approach to help restored reefs survive hotter temperatures — before it's too late. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guests: Benji Jones, senior environmental correspondent at Vox
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why Hank Green takes pseudoscience seriously
10 augustus 2026 · 27 min
Dismissing pseudoscience is too easy. Understanding why it spreads so quickly is harder. It can teach us why real science works and how to spot the difference between the two. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guest: Hank Green, creator of SciShow and Crash Course, co-host of Vlogbrothers
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts For more, go to 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: vox.com/members Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
A trip to the twilight reefs
5 augustus 2026 · 40 min
Down beneath the waves, where the light starts to fade, there's an ecosystem scientists don't fully understand. About a decade ago, some researchers left structures in this mysterious world and let them grow encrusted with life. Now they're pulling them back up again and unwrapping them like scientific presents.Guests: Luiz Rocha, ichthyology curator at the California Academy of Sciences, along with Johanna Loacker, Lynn Bonomo, Chris Meyer, Sarah Tweedt, Tito Monteiro da Cruz Lotufo, Emily Rutkowski, Yara Tibirica, Daniel Eisenhauer, Terry Gosliner, and Chrissy PiotrowskiFor show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com Lees meer
We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The hidden world that birds see
3 augustus 2026 · 28 min
Birds navigate using Earth’s magnetic field, but scientists still don’t know how they actually sense it. Called the holy grail of sensory biology, magnetoreception offers a window into the thousands of unique sensory worlds animals experience. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guest: Ed Yong, author of An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The Godzilla El Niño
29 juli 2026 · 44 min
This global weather phenomenon could help make 2027 the hottest year on record. Our friends at The Gray Area explore what the upcoming El Niño season could reveal about the future of our climate. Lees meer
Guests: Sean Illing, host of The Gray Area; David Wallace-Wells, New York Times climate writer
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
An argument for the sun
27 juli 2026 · 31 min
It can be hard to know how to interact with the sun. Some people have swung to opposite ends of the spectrum — either over-tanning or avoiding the sun entirely. But what would a middle ground look like? Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guest: Rowan Jacobsen, author of In Defense of Sunlight
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What the Odyssey is hiding
22 juli 2026 · 25 min
The Late Bronze Age, when the Trojan War supposedly took place, was way more modern than Homer made it seem. But around 1177 BCE, a vast network of interconnected societies suddenly collapsed. What caused arguably the greatest societal collapse in the history of the world? Hint: It's a lot more complicated than the "Sea Peoples." Lees meer
Guest: Eric Cline, professor at George Washington University and author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
Dinosaur mysteries with Riley Black
20 juli 2026 · 32 min
How do we know what we know about dinosaurs? Riley Black takes us back to the Mesozoic Era and explains how paleontologists piece together the lives of dinosaurs from often fragmentary clues. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guest: Riley Black, science writer, amateur paleontologist, and consultant for the Jurassic World franchise.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
When doctors don't know what's wrong
15 juli 2026 · 32 min
A 2015 review found that most people in the US will experience a diagnostic error in their lifetime. Some of those errors are less devastating than others, but how can we help people get better answers about their health? One family's search for answers with a mystifying illness highlights a different approach to diagnosis.Guest: Alexandra Sifferlin, author of The Elusive Body: Patients, Doctors, and the Diagnosis Crisis and deputy science editor at the New York TimesFor show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Lees meer -
Are you a lyric person or a music person?
13 juli 2026 · 33 min
When people listen to songs, why do some people pay more attention to the music, and some people pay more attention to the lyrics? The answer goes way deeper than you might think — to the heart of what it means to hear anything at all. Lees meer
To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!
Guests: Charlie Harding, host of the Switched on Pop podcast; Dominique Vuvan, professor at Skidmore CollegeFor show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Big news!
9 juli 2026 · 3 min
Unexplainable is coming to Netflix! Starting Monday, July 13. Lees meer
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Are we all living in an enormous black hole?
6 juli 2026 · 26 min
It’s possible that the entire observable universe is inside a black hole. All we need to do in order to find out is … build a gigantic particle collider around the moon. (Originally aired in 2024) Lees meer
Guest: James Beacham, particle physicist at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Risky business
29 juni 2026 · 30 min
As the world gets warmer and storms get worse, insurance companies are jacking up rates or refusing to cover homeowners altogether. Is the future uninsurable? (Originally aired in 2024). Lees meer
Guests: Umair Irfan, climate reporter; Karen Clark, co-founder and CEO of Karen Clark & Company; Joe Skuba, VP at The Gray Insurance Company; and Carolyn Kousky, Associate VP at Environmental Defense Fund
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A period piece
24 juni 2026 · 20 min
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) Lees meer
Guest: Jemma Evans, biologist
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
Bird people and deep space shrapnel
22 juni 2026 · 27 min
Two mysteries we can't stop thinking about: Is lightning actually caused by cosmic rays? And why don't birds play chess? Lees meer
Articles featured: “What Causes Lightning?” by Charlie Wood (also featured on The Quanta Podcast) and “Empire of flight” by Antone Martinho-Truswell.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Should we really kill all the lanternflies?
17 juni 2026 · 33 min
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? Lees meer
Guests: Julie Urban, professor in the entomology department at Penn State; Chelsea Batavia, community engagement coordinator with a PhD in forestry
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Sean tries raw milk
15 juni 2026 · 32 min
Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained, 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. Lees meer
Guest: Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A new species in New York
10 juni 2026 · 26 min
Around 90% of life on Earth is unknown. Can Benji find a new species in his backyard? Lees meer
Guests: Benji Jones, Vox senior correspondent, and the NYC species project.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The disaster problem
8 juni 2026 · 1 uur
Climate change is making hurricanes, floods, and wildfires harder to prepare for just as confidence in the government’s disaster response is collapsing. Our friends at On the Media explore how FEMA became a target of conspiracy theories, political attacks, and a growing crisis of trust. Lees meer
Guests: Eloise Blondiau, senior producer at On The Media; Micah Loewinger, co-host of On the Media
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The lost Lyme vaccine
3 juni 2026 · 38 min
Vijay Sikand is a family doctor in the Connecticut town that gave Lyme disease its name. When a pharmaceutical company came to town to test a vaccine, he built a career and a community around the trial. Then the Lyme vaccine became a cautionary tale. Lees meer
Guest: Vijay Sikand, MD, family medicine and pediatrics
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The cells we share
1 juni 2026 · 36 min
Fetuses leave cells behind in their parents' bodies, where they braid themselves into tissues, and remain, for years. What are they doing in there? (Originally aired in 2023) Lees meer
Guests: Amy Boddy, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Lee Nelson, Professor Emeritus at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The man who bet against humanity — and lost
20 mei 2026 · 17 min
Paul Ehrlich was famous for predicting a population explosion that would destroy the planet, but he didn't count on human ingenuity. Lees meer
Guest: Bryan Walsh, Vox senior editorial director
This episode was made in partnership with Vox’s Future Perfect team.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The aftermath
18 mei 2026 · 42 min
What would life look like after a global nuclear war? Would underground bunkers work? What would we do for food? What about radioactive snow?! In this episode of Are We Doomed?, reporter Ben Bradford tries to find out. Lees meer
Guest: Ben Bradford, host of Are We Doomed?
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A better Black Death story
13 mei 2026 · 32 min
What happens when researchers reexamine some of the basic facts about the Black Death? They start rewriting history and rethinking blame. Lees meer
Guests: Hannah Barker, professor at Arizona State University; Ulf Büntgen, professor at the University of Cambridge; Martin Bauch, historian at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/membersThank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The hunt for a lost species
11 mei 2026 · 28 min
One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions of years. But one is missing. (Originally aired in 2022) Lees meer
Guests: Benji Jones, Vox senior correspondent; Andy Gluesenkamp, Conservation biologist and herpetologist (a reptiles and amphibians guy)
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Dark matter music
29 april 2026 · 34 min
Pioneering musicians Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno released their latest album Liminal by broadcasting it from a 50-foot microwave antenna. Noam talks to Beatie about why “dark matter music” was the perfect sound to beam into deep space, and how music can take us places that are even harder to reach. Lees meer
Guest: Beatie Wolfe, composer and conceptual artist
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
I glow, therefore I am
27 april 2026 · 28 min
Today on the show: a double feature — two mysteries in one episode. First, it seems like all living things emit a faint glow that disappears when they die. Then, is the International Space Station ... too clean? Lees meer
Guests: Daniel Oblak, professor of physics at the University of Calgary; Rodolfo Antonio Salido Benítez, scientist at SPT Labtech
Links: Daniel's paper with mouse and leaf images; Rodolfo's paper on the ISS
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Is everything inflammation?
22 april 2026 · 32 min
To hear some people tell it — especially people on TikTok — inflammation is the root of all disease. It's... not that simple. But inflammation does have a lot to teach us about why modern life can make us feel so bad, and even what we might be able to do about it. Lees meer
Guest: Dylan Scott, senior correspondent at Vox
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A show about nothing
20 april 2026 · 28 min
A few months ago, we put out an episode about what silence sounds like, and it caught the attention of Rob Rosenthal, who hosts a podcast called Sound School about the craft of audio storytelling. So he called up host Noam Hassenfeld to ask him a question he couldn't stop thinking about: How do you make something that sounds like nothing?Host: Rob Rosenthal, host of Sound School PodcastGuest: Noam Hassenfeld Lees meer
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The Hitchhiking Microbe’s Guide to the Galaxy
15 april 2026 · 26 min
Can microbes travel through space on meteorites? It’s an idea called “lithopanspermia,” and to work out if it’s even feasible, some researchers decided to shoot microbes — with a gun. Lees meer
Guests: K.T. Ramesh, professor of science and engineering at Johns Hopkins University; Lily Zhao, mechanical engineer at Johns Hopkins University
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why did we go back to the moon?
13 april 2026 · 32 min
For the first time in over 50 years, humans have gone to the moon and back. And this time, NASA says we're going to stay. NASA's planning for more missions, a permanent moon base, and even a mission to Mars. But there's a pretty big question hanging over all these dreams: Can humans survive in space long enough to make them happen?(A version of this episode originally aired in 2022, with the launch of Artemis I.) Lees meer
Guests: Anne McClain, NASA Astronaut; Scott Kelly, former NASA Astronaut; Rebecca Boyle, science writer, Jonathan Jiang, NASA astrophysicist
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Is male birth control finally here?
1 april 2026 · 28 min
Typically, the burden of birth control falls on whoever has a uterus, but it seems like that might change — and soon! Lees meer
Guest: Annalisa Merelli, contributing writer at STAT.
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show.
Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Mi Vickicito
30 maart 2026 · 19 min
Host Julia Longoria signs off from Unexplainable with one final question: Why does her grandma love Vicks VapoRub so much? A version of this episode originally aired on WNYC’s Only Human podcast. Lees meer
For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable
It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show.
Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com
We read every email.
Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Casey gets his voice back
25 maart 2026 · 37 min
Casey Harrell is a goofy, lighthearted chatterbox whose love for language helped him become an accomplished environmental activist. In 2020, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and slowly began losing the ability to speak. He sang his last song to his infant daughter and fell into silence. But, now, with the help of 256 microelectrodes implanted directly into his motor cortex, he’s learning to talk once more. It isn’t easy. Lees meer
Guests: Casey Harrell and Levana Saxon. You can donate to their GoFundMe here.
For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
For more, go to 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: vox.com/members
Thank you!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices