Cool Stuff Daily

An extra long episode, featuring the history of the M&M’s spokescandies and why we care about them so much. Plus, codebreakers have just decrypted over 50 lost letters from Mary, Queen of Scots. And another Valentine’s Day campaign to help you enact revenge on your ex––this time with a surprise scorpion. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: The History Of M&M's...

How the invention of photography changed the world in unintended ways. Plus, an American man whose prostate cancer caused him to speak with an Irish accent. And stick around to the end for a very important announcement about the podcast. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: 5 Unintended Consequences of Photography (Saturday Evening Post) A Man’s Prostate Cancer...

How the State of the Union address has changed in its 233 years. Plus, the “extinct” versions of SARS CoV-2 that are still circulating among animals. And, donate to the San Antonio Zoo and they’ll name a cockroach after your ex. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: The State of the Union address's history, explained (Vox) A Brief History of the State of the Uni...

SpaceX’s Starship rocket might be attempting its first-ever orbital launch next month. Plus, a look back at another space billionaire’s brief appearance in the soda wars with Virgin Cola. And a quick update on the AI Seinfeld cartoon. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Get ready: SpaceX Starship's first launch is for real (Mashable) SpaceX will attempt Starsh...

Scientists have uncovered a new form of ice. Plus, James Cameron hired a forensics team and some stunt performers to answer once and for all whether there was enough room for Jack on that door. And the podcaster who invented a new kind of pasta is back with two rare pasta types. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Shaking Ordinary Ice (Very Hard) Transformed I...

The AI-generated Seinfeld parody cartoon that never goes off the air. Plus, Netflix did not read the room when they announced the AI image generation in their latest anime short. And a smartwatch that stops working if you don’t keep the living organism inside of it alive. It’s a high-stakes Tamagotchi, and it has an intriguing purpose. Links: Watchmeforever (Twitch)  ‘Nothing, Forever’ Is An Endle...

The dodo bird is back, baby! Or at least lots of investors are betting on its return. But why is de-extincting animals the hot new thing and what does it mean for the future of conservation? Plus, Abraham Lincoln: Bartender. Another look at his motley early career and earliest speeches that still resonate today. Links: Why Bother Bringing Back the Dodo? (Wired) A de-extinction company is trying to...

Where did lorem ipsum come from? The answer turns out to be just as murky as the nonsense placeholder text itself. Plus, a new game that challenges you to guess when photos were taken. And the best family sitcom of the turn of the twenty-first century is getting a revival. Links: The hero(ine) who invented Lorem Ipsum may never be known. (Slate) Lorem ipsum translated: it remains Greek to me (The...

How scientists are deciding how we will tell time on the moon and beyond. Plus, a new Frog and Toad series from Apple TV+ has gay Twitter crossing their fingers. Links: What time is it on the Moon? (Nature) How living on Mars time taught me to slow down (NPR) NASA's Perseverance rover team will have to live on 'Mars time' after landing on the Red Planet (Space.com) Watchmaker With Time to Lose (NA...

Some wildly optimistic projects being funded by NASA––including more sustainable commercial aircrafts and self-growing bricks on Mars. Plus, a new Shakespearean theater company whose performances all take place inside one of the world’s most popular video games. Links: It’s Not Sci-Fi—NASA Is Funding These Mind-Blowing Projects (Wired)  NASA Selects Experimental Space Technology Concepts for Initi...

Is the huge increase in the price of eggs being caused by price-gouging and not avian flu? Plus, why we need to be paying attention to avian flu even beyond its relation to egg prices. And people are selling bottles of water from the recently-closed Splash Mountain on eBay. Links: November 2022 episode on egg and chicken prices (Cool Stuff Ride Home) High egg prices should be investigated, U.S. fa...

How Wikipedia editors are bringing more nuance into their decisions and what ripple effects that can have on a website that increasingly defines our shared reality. Plus, how do you refer to historical figures who may have been trans? And a veritable laundry list of attempted Wikipedia hoaxes––including the recent discovery of what is most likely Representative George Santos’ Wikipedia user bio fr...

The Doomsday Clock has ticked down even closer to midnight, but how useful of a mechanism is it? Plus, some good news on climate change. And a new Wordle spin-off for the Zillow-obsessed. Links: We are now 90 seconds to our doom (The Verge) Current Time - 2023 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Is It Time to Call Time on the Doomsday Clock? (Wired) Climate Clock The Climate Clock Now Ticks With a...

The Earth’s inner core has paused its spinning and reversed its course . Sounds alarming, but everything is fine. Plus, what medieval Christian monks, the OG hustle bros apparently, can teach us about distraction and routine. Links: Earth’s Inner Core Paused, Then Reversed Its Spin. This Is Fine. (NY Times) Earth's Inner Core May Right Now Be in The Process of Changing Direction (Science Alert) Ea...

How did whales get so big anyways? Plus, a new study claims coffee pods are more environmentally-friendly than regular filter coffee. Is it true? Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: The genes that made whales gigantic (Phys.org) Unlocking the Genes That Made Whales Into Giants (NY Times) For whales, study shows gigantism is in the genes (Reuters) Whales or dinosaurs: What are the biggest,...

A deep dive on marginalia. What is it, why should you do it, and how does it reveal the more joyful side of history’s most famous sadboy, Edgar Allan Poe? All that and more in this extended love letter to writing in books. Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Edgar Allan Poe on the Joy of Marginalia and What Handwriting Reveals about Character (The Marginalian)  Marginalia by Edgar Allan P...

Earth-like exoplanet discoveries galore, including some that could be habitable. Plus, a look back at the clandestine history of the CIA’s pigeon surveillance missions. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: NASA Just Discovered a Rare Earth-Sized Planet in a Habitable Zone (ScienceAlert) NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star (CBS News) NASA’s...

It looks like the ozone layer is on track to be restored in just a couple of decades. Plus, an opportunity to get paid for donating your stool samples. (Yes, really) And an examination of the nineteenth and twentieth century phenomenon of Tom Thumb Weddings, AKA elaborate fake weddings for small children. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Ozone layer may be restored in decades, UN repo...

Some projects that will help you suss out the truth in movies that claim to be “based on a true story.” Plus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most controversial speech. Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Thread about Selma and historical accuracy (Franklin Leonard, Twitter)  Reel history (The Guardian) Is Selma historically accurate? (The Guardian)  Based on a *True* True Story? (Informatio...

New findings from the JWST may push the origins of the universe’s earliest galaxies back millions of years. Plus, a huge rare earth deposit has been found in Sweden. And an Instagram-based library run out of the home of a famous Mexico City artist––with a bonus defense of owning books you haven’t read. Links: The James Webb Space Telescope Is Finding Too Many Early Galaxies (Sky and Telescope) The...

What exactly is an “atmospheric river,” why is it causing so much havoc in California right now, and what do these current storms mean for the future? Plus, NASA and Roscosmos have reached an agreement on how to bring three ISS crew members back to Earth following a coolant leak on a Soyuz spacecraft. Just don’t call it a rescue mission. Links: Why California Is Being Deluged by Atmospheric Rivers...

Were the first stone tools in the Americas made, not by ancient humans, but by monkeys? Plus, could color-changing cars be in our future? And will other nations follow New Zealand’s lead on banning cigarettes to future generations? Links: Monkeys – Not Humans – Made Ancient Sets of Stone Tools in Brazil, Study Finds (ScienceAlert)  Scientists prove that tools attributed to ancient humans were made...

A historic satellite launch in the United Kingdom ended in disappointment last night. Plus, how “y’all” left the south and its surprising possible origins in… seventeenth century England? Links: UK space industry mulls setback after satellite launch fails (AP) UK space launch: Historic Cornwall rocket launch ends in failure (BBC) Britain's satellite hopes undimmed by mission failure (Reuters) The...

A cave art discovery that could put the development of writing back thousands of years. Plus, one US state taking concrete steps against misinformation. And Benoit Blanc isn’t just playing Among Us, now he’s in it. Links: Amateur archaeologist helps crack Ice Age cave art code (BBC News) An Upper Palaeolithic Proto-writing System and Phenological Calendar (Cambridge Archaeological Journal) A Total...

How old is fast food? And to what extent was food actually healthier in the past, before our days of factory farming and artificial preservatives? A deep dive into the pros and cons of convenience food then and now. Links: A Plea for Culinary Modernism by Rachel Laudan, 2001  Thread and replies on the article (Jason Crawford, Twitter) 11/21/23 episode including a brief background on the baguette (...