Cool Stuff Daily

A new report from fifty of the world’s leading experts on the need to combine solutions for combatting the climate crisis and our planet’s rapidly declining biodiversity. California’s historically low water levels may have inadvertently helped solve the case of a missing plane that crashed fifty-six years ago. And an update on that telescope NASA is now planning to construct on the far side of the...

The full story of the man who was swallowed by a humpback whale on Friday and lived to tell the tale. Calories. Who’s responsible for their inclusion in the world of nutrition? Some weird highlights from the history of this controversial measurement. And the growing need for a bill of neuro-rights. Sponsors: Credit Karma, creditkarma.com/podcast UTEP Connect, Apply at online.utep.edu or call UTEP...

Thanks to a new study that sequenced the genomes of several types of wild melons, we now have a better idea of the origins of the watermelon… but we still don’t know how tornadoes are formed. And that’s a problem. Plus, in a bid to continue dominating all Halloween-themed playlists, Danny Elfman released a new punk rock album today, his first since 1994. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at I...

A new method of carbon capture that would turn carbon dioxide from the ocean into rocks. Mosquitos beefed up with virus-fighting bacteria have proven even more effective at preventing dengue fever than expected. And the often forgotten history of a turn of the century scientist way ahead of his time and his groundbreaking gender and sexuality clinic that was destroyed by the Nazis. Sponsor: Indeed...

Why some people don’t have a mind’s eye and others can visualize things in incredible detail. Watermelons on Mars and human-animal hybrid babies born across the world––neither of those are true, but if you read two of the biggest newspapers in the US, you might have been led to believe they are. And El Salvador has become the first country to officially recognize bitcoin as currency. Sponsor: Inde...

New ocean just dropped. And a new dinosaur species. Big release day. All about the fifth ocean and one of the newest, largest dinosaurs. Plus, what a new cereal says about current marketing trends, the state of cereal as a whole, fan-franchise relationships, and the contemporary fusion of ancient folklore. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: There's a new ocean now...

SpaceX just delivered a bunch of tardigrades and baby squids to the International Space Station. New research finding pupil size is an indicator of intelligence. And why it seems like vaccine lotteries are actually working. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Why NASA Is Blasting Water Bears And Bobtail Squid Into Space (NPR) NASA Squid In SpaceX Mission To Interna...

COVID-19 precautions largely prevented outbreaks of the flu this past winter, and they also may have caused two types of flu viruses to go extinct. Spinking of extinction, sharks apparently lost 90% of their population 19 million years ago and never fully recovered. And what day-to-day life is like for the first team to arrive at the Tokyo Olympic campus. Links: Flu virus became less diverse, simp...

What if your pick-up truck could power your whole neighborhood? That’s the potential people are imagining with the new Ford F-150 Lightning. The science behind why unique people are more attractive. And updates from the annual State of NASA address, including the latest planet they’ll be returning to. Links: Can Millions of New Ford F-150 Trucks Become a Clean-Energy Storage Grid? (Curbed) 2022 Fo...

John Steinbeck’s secret unpublished werewolf novel that his estate doesn’t want you to read. Lithuania built a portal to Poland and more may soon follow. And set your alarms for the “ring of fire” solar eclipse next week. Links: Yes, Steinbeck Wrote a Werewolf Novel. Don’t Expect to Read It. (NY Times) John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel (The Guardian) Jo...

Five hundred years later the Medicis continue to ruin Michelangelo’s artworks, but fortunately some bacteria are on the scene to restore his works to their former glory. The new naming scheme for COVID-19 variants. And the story of Allandale, Texas––once the only village in the entire world to be fully air conditioned. Links: Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. (NY Times) Bacteria g...

Seven counties in the US state of Oregon have now voted to leave their state behind and merge with neighboring Idaho. Could this actually work? A new English dictionary of Ancient Greek fully and explicitly makes up for the modesty of its previous Victorian translators. And the best way to cook a hot dog. Links: Oregon's Rural Counties Search for Representation With Idaho (Business Insider) Don Ka...

Potentially good news for longterm COVID-19 immunity. Pizza farms, not just a figment of my imagination, apparently they’re a real and wonderful thing. And the story of a naked mole rat named Joe who just won’t die, and what he could mean for human longevity. Links: Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find (NY Times) Vaccinated COVID-19 survivors may be immune for life, a...

Dr. B was the most well-known nationwide vaccine finder in the US. But did anyone actually end up getting their vaccine through the service? Plus, the artist raising awareness about the gender gap on the moon, Disneyland’s $100 sandwich and the newest Willy Wonka on the block. Links: Vaccine waitlist Dr. B collected data from millions. But how many did it help? (MIT Technology Review) We Know What...

The flavorful history of frozen pizza. We check in on how the pandemic continues to affect our dreams. And meet the dude actually taking advantage of Krispy Kreme’s free donut a day offer for vaccinated people. Links: Frozen Pizza History: Ready To Heat, Nearly Ready To Eat (Tedium) Pizza Was the Restaurant Hero of 2020 (NY Times) Frozen pizza sales are red hot and expected to outlast the pandemic...

The latest floating wind farm technology and the part of the US that could make the biggest difference when it comes to offshore wind energy. What we can learn from the Amish about how we use technology. Links: Why the Northeast Could Be America's New Energy Capital Wind farms rivaling the output of coal (NY Mag) GE's designs controls for offshore wind turbines to ride the waves (The Verge) To be...

The Brood X cicadas have reemerged and are losing their butts due to a zombie-inducing fungus. Bald eagles are reemerging from the brink of extinction, causing a new trend in puppy fashion: incredibly punk spiky vests. And one of the best fictional bands, Mouse Rat, has reemerged from the Pit to produce an actual real album coming later this summer. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premiu...

Why the sun is about to get quite temperamental and how that could spell danger for NASA’s upcoming lunar mission. In other sun news, the case for turning airports into giant solar farms. And a website that will help make your Twitter timeline a bit more pleasant––if you’re okay with taking a rather extreme route. Sponsor: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke...

A promising method for producing carbon-neutral gasoline from, basically, thin air. The strange story of the very first ransomware attack. And the surprisingly long history of bizarre ice cream flavors. Sponsor: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: How to Make Carbon-Neutral Gasoline Out of Thin Air (NY Magazine) The bizarre story of the inventor of ra...

What’s next now that China has officially landed their first rover on Mars? How come us mammals don’t have bright, fluorescent plumage like birds or cool neon stripes like bugs? A panel of scientists weighs in. And the little-known detail that makes the real-life story of the Brontë sisters even more goth and tragic than it already was. Sponsor: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership a...

The microscopic error with major implications that seems to have delayed public health officials in acknowledging the aerosol transmission of COVID-19. Why Shrek continues to endure as a touchstone of internet culture and how it changed the game for animated films. And a quick look at two new video games doing some good in the world. Sponsor: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at s...

What a new lawsuit against TikTok says about the rights of actors who lend their likeness to AI and similar projects. How nostalgia could help you make connections when you return to the office. And what is even the point of wasps? Sponsors: America Dissected, americadissected.com Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Actor says TikTok used her voice without permission for vi...

How Netflix’s new top ten lists actually work, some other features they’re testing out, and what their findings mean for the future of algorithmic recommendations. Plus, how drones are helping change what we thought we knew about great white sharks––in both good ways and bad. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews America Dissected, americadissected.com Links: The Real Stor...

A look at how epidemiologists are approaching their personal returns to everyday life. How Denmark has quadrupled their cardiac arrest survival rate and whether the same system could be adopted in other nations. And a program that will make your website inaccessible to visitors every night, all in the name of improving health and wellbeing. Sponsors: America Dissected, americadissected.com Indeed,...

A new book digs into the origins of Amazon’s Alexa and allegedly reveals the woman who provided the voice for their original virtual assistant. A teenage wannabe influencer from France is set to be Italy’s next queen. Didn’t think Italy had royal leaders anymore? You’re right. And someone should tell this noble family that. And, screw the free donuts and half-hearted store coupons we have as incen...