NO SUCH THING

For this episode, we make our way back into the bathroom as we go deep on showering. How often should you actually shower? What’s the proper way to do it? Do you actually need to wash your legs every time? How long should your shower last? Should you be using a loofah — or are they actually bad for you? Our guests this week are Katherine Ashenberg, author of The Dirty on Clean: An Unsa...

On today's episode, we're putting on our true crime hats to get to the bottom of what happens to properties after high-profile murders occur inside of them. We talk to journalist Catherine Fenollosa, who shared with us her interview with Randall Bell, A.K.A. the “Master of Disaster.” For decades, it’s been Randall’s job to manage and help sell the property where these kind...

So everyone knows Taylor Swift is one of the most popular musicians of all time, but how does she stack up to giants of the past like Michael Jackson and The Beatles? No matter how many reports of new chart records, we can’t shake the feeling that someone like MJ just had a larger cultural impact worldwide. This week, we crunch the numbers to see the true size of the Swiftdom we live in. Our...

Hey, folks. This week, NO SUCH THING is hosting Origin Stories, a new podcast from Campside Media. Each week, veteran journalist Matthew Shaer talks to a different writer or director about the creation of a work close to their own hearts, and this episode is the perfect example. Palestinian filmmaker Yousef Srouji is the creator of the critically-acclaimed documentary "Three Promises," which uses...

This week, we’re asking: what do you do when your favorite artist becomes a self-proclaimed N*zi? And we dive into the new documentary In Whose Name? , which claims to show Kanye in a new light.  Don't forget to cast your votes for the Signal Awards. We've been nominated for : Best Buddy Podcast and Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact for our episode about Online Pedophile Hun...

Why does it seem so common that modern sculptures of iconic figures look so bad? Soccer star Ronaldo, NBA legend Dwyane Wade, and even the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. have been frankly disgraced by sub-par and strange renditions. Is creating a great statue a lost art, or are we being unfair? This week, we talk to a real sculptor to find out.  Our guest this week is John Belardo .&n...

What is therapy exactly, and what is it supposed to do? How do you know if you need therapy? If you’re in therapy, how do you know if it’s working? NO SUCH THING talks to Lilly Kaplan , therapist and author of the Reality Test newsletter, who gracefully demystifies the practice of therapy for us and answers a barrage of questions. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at&nbsp...

Why do some people seem to suffer the ills of foodborne illness at an alarming frequency, while others cruise through rare steaks unimpeded? In this episode, we bravely (or foolishly) ask: does food poisoning actually exist? This week, we talk to food safety experts to find out what food poisoning actually is, where it comes from, and what  you can do to avoid it. Also discussed: Did your fam...

This week, we’re turning our attention to our weather apps. Are they getting worse? Are Trump’s DOGE cuts to blame? Why don’t we use feels like as the default temp? And what does the percentage of precipitation (PoP) actually mean? Then, we answer a listener's question on how Spotify’s shuffle feature actually works. Check out Heather McCalden’s “The Observable...

This week we settle your dumb arguments. Yup, it’s mailbag time. We’ll argue about the RIGHT way to load a dishwasher, revisit a right-wing conspiracy theory about cat litter in schools, solve an intersection conundrum involving a funeral procession and a school bus, and finally reveal how this beautiful friendship actually began. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at mann...

In this episode, Manny, Noah, and Devan revive a debate from almost a decade ago, albeit with modern framing: if you're in a relationship, and you're romancing an AI chatbot, should that be considered cheating? They chat to Tatum Hunter, tech reporter for the Washington Post, and couples therapist Jeff Guenther, better known as Therapy Jeff. And finally, they decide to try it for themselves, and g...

You might remember To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen, but now streamers are making their own version, and they’re a lot more violent. New York Times reporter Aric Toler takes us inside the world of modern-day “pedophile hunters,” while Stefan Turkheimer, VP of Public Policy at RAINN , shares what justice could—and should—look like for survivors. Check out Aric's v...

This week, we take a deep dive into the frustrating conundrum of the kids menu. Why would a restaurant show me they’re capable of making a delicious and adorably small offering of chicken nuggets, only to restrict it to those fortunate to be 12 years old or younger? Are these restrictions an economic necessity, a moralizing judgment, or something else? We speak with a few industry insiders t...

On this episode, we discuss the fatigue people have been feeling around franchise movies, particularly the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But where did franchise movies come from, and how did virtually all of Hollywood become so fixated on this kind of film? Walt Hickey, author of You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything , walks us through the weeds on this, and gets to the bottom o...

Today’s episode was inspired by Susan Dominus’ new book “ The Family Dynamic .” The book profiles six families with multiple successful siblings and analyzes the factors that have contributed to their success.  Subscribe to our newsletter for updates and bonus content: www.nosuchthing.show   Have a question you want us to tackle? Email us: mannynoahdevan@gmail.com...

There’s a wild stat that’s floated around basketball circles for a long time: A 7-foot (or taller) American man has a 17% likelihood of being an NBA player. Are there hundreds of Victor Wembanyamas and Yao Mings walking among us? This week, we try to find out if this statistic holds true, and along the way we learn how extremely rare it is to be so tall, why the number of seven-footers...

Many of you called our hotline and sent emails seeking our advice, and we are here to help. From party invitation etiquette, to a coupon fiasco straight out of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, the boys give their takes and dole out some help. And for more, check out our newsletter at  www.nosuchthing.show . If you have a question you want us to answer or want to be featured in our next advice...

It’s not just nostalgia or low-res photos—there may actually be biological and cultural reasons why people in the past looked so old. To get to the bottom of it, I spoke with Dr. Caroline Hudson , a facial plastic surgeon based in Chicago and co-author of Analysis and Assessment of Facial Aging .  To see the images we reference, check out our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show . W...

Some conspiracy theories are fun, but many end up being dark and concerning. When someone is in too deep, what would it take to pull them out of the rabbit hole? Journalist Zach Mack ventured to find out in his show, Alternate Realities over at NPR, and on today's episode, he debriefs us. Listen to Zach's show Alternate Realities on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . And for more, check out our newslette...

Our whole lives, we’ve been told the pullout or withdrawal method is not a legitimate form of birth control and a fast-track way to becoming a parent. Some have even referred to it as the pull-and-pray method. But reproductive health researcher Andréa Becker makes the argument that the pullout method “ is not the enemy of public health it’s been made out to be ” if d...

Most people have experienced the creepy feeling of getting ads that feel a little bit too targeted, for products they haven’t ever searched for but have maybe talked about IRL. With Amazon announcing a rollback on privacy protections, and the Trump administration ramping up mass surveillance as a scare tactic, it might be time to take stock of what privacy even means anymore. With some help...

Today’s episode is about RFK Jr., a man who has a completely baffling political trajectory. How does a guy go from “champion of the environment” to joining the most anti-environment administration ever? Thanks to our guest, Derek Beres , that pipeline becomes much clearer, as RFK Jr’s worldview has a lot of overlap with science that is at best, shoddy, and at worst, straigh...

We just got back from a little weekend trip, which got us thinking once again about how confusing and terrible it is to deal with the TSA. Despite all their yelling—the TSA does not make it clear about what you can or cannot bring on a plane, or what items you actually have to take out of your bag. So I spoke with Darryl Campbell, an aviation safety writer for The Verge and author of Fatal A...

This week, we tackle movie theater photographers, black coffee, dirty jeans, trebuchets, and more as we answer questions submitted by listeners. For more, check out our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show , and if you have an argument you want us to settle, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com . We’ll be off next week, so take advantage of the free time by leaving us a five-star rating wherev...

This week, we investigate a shocking conspiracy theory that might explain why Dasani stands out among the titans of bottled water, with the help of water sommelier Martin Riese and Tap Score CEO Johnny Pujol.  For more, check out our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show , and if you have an argument you want us to settle, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com . See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...