Condensed Soup

Harvard has announced that going forward, fewer "A"s will be given in class.  ... Do you remember your college GPA? (I don't.) CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Harvard College will limit the number of students who can receive A grades (Edward Helmore, The Guardian, May 20, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Billie Jean King, 82, has broken glass ceilings, been honored by presidents, and has forged the path for countless American athletes. And now, she's a high school graduate.  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Billie Jean King graduates from college at age 82 after leaving for tennis: 'Yeah baby, only 61 years!' (Roque Planas, The Guardian, May 19, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast c...

Piggy banks are showing up on the Texas shore. We know what happens when pigs fly, but swimming? CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity The mystery of floating piggy banks washing ashore along the Texas coast (CNN Newsource, May 16, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Toxic mushrooms are causing serious problems in California. Foragers, you have been warned! CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Deadly mushroom poisonings in California mark record US outbreak (Anthony Thompson, USA Today, May 16, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

It's not your imagination! A new fish species has been confirmed, and it's been named after Mr. Snuffleupagus. This episode has been re-recorded and updated to fix some corrupted audio in the original release. Thank you to Victor in San Diego for the heads up! CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Meet the tiny fish that looks like Mr. Snuffleupagus (Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, May...

Yesterday, we talked the beige-ification of modern life. Today, we'll explore how that relates to the films we watch. Note: at one point I reference The Devil Wears Prada and I run out of time to connect the dots. The answers are in the article linked below! :-) CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity 9 injured after escalator malfunction at Broadway theater where 'Wicked' is performing (ABC7...

Scientists have determined that jazz and classical music are evolving into more simple forms. What does this mean for singers?  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Jazz and classical music have become simpler, a new study finds (Payal Dhar, ScienceNews, May 12, 2026) The World is Literally Getting Less Colorful, New Analysis Finds (Jessica Stillman, Inc., Feb 5, 2021) The devil wears Prad...

A sign of the times -- Japanese snack company Calbee, a mainstay of Asian snacking, has announced its switch to monochromatic packaging due to ink shortages from the Iran war.  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Japanese snack packages turning black-and-white as Iran war depletes ink supply (NPR / AP, May 13, 2026) Why Potato Chips Are Not As Unhealthy As You Think (Missy Wilkinson, Thri...

It's hard to find good news these days, but we're trying out here! Today: a group of people come together to provide shoes for a teen with a rare growth syndrome.  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Teen with rare Weaver-Smith syndrome gets custom-designed shoes to fit her size 22 feet (Demetrios Sanders, WXYZ, Mar 5, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This e...

One of the world's most magical sights is bioluminescent algae. Should we be able to harness its power?  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Bioluminescent algae's blue light harnessed to make 3D-printed shapes (Chris Baraniuk, The Guardian, May 6, 2026) Where to see the world's brightest bioluminescent tides (Lena-Marie Müller, National Geographic, Mar 14, 2025) Living Light: Bioluminesc...

We're a little crazy for sweet corn around here, both on the dining table and the dessert bar. And now we have a shucking hack! CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Corn creme brûlée from chef Craig Koketsu (CBS News, May 13, 2017) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a hotel room.

You say tomato, and I say, PROVE IT! A newly proposed class action suit calls out Cento on 'tomato fraud.' CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Popular Italian food manufacturer sued over alleged 'tomato fraud' (Greta Cross, USA Today, May 7, 2026) Food manufacturer Cento is committing 'tomato fraud,' lawsuit alleges (Mary Cunningham, CBS News, May 7, 2026) Why Everyone Swears by San Marza...

Some elephants have a fancy new home at the San Diego Zoo! There's even a live stream for you to check.  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity US will start revoking passports for thousands of parents who owe child support, AP learns (Matthew Lee, AP, May 7, 2026) San Diego Zoo launches Elephant Valley live camera (Ben Hooper, UPI, Apr 30, 2026) San Diego Zoo Safari Park Celebrates Official...

An electrical fire has shuttered The Book of Mormon on Broadway -- so it's a perfect time for some dressing room tales about fire hazards..! CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Electrical fire will keep the Broadway theater that hosts 'The Book of Mormon' closed through May 17 (AP, May 6, 2026) Broadway's The Book of Mormon Cancels More Performances After Theatre Fire (Diep Tran, Logan Cu...

Formula 1 drivers have to withstand a lot of force during races. If you're suffering from 'tech neck,' that might be very good news. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Why the workouts of Formula 1 drivers might help computer users with 'tech neck' (James Ellingworth, AP, Apr 29, 2026) How to Prevent and Fix 'Tech Neck' (New York-Presbyterian Health, Jun 10, 2025) Instagram: @condensedso...

Spirit Airlines continues to disrupt the airspace! TikToker Hunter Peterson thinks crowdfunding is the answer. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity TikToker proposes 'let's buy Spirit Airlines.' Thousands want in (Greta Cross and Zach Richter, USA Today, May 4, 2026) Let's Buy Spirit Air (accessed May 4, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recor...

Captain Jon Jackson was set celebrate his retirement flight on Spirit Airlines, but when the carrier suddenly shut down, Southwest stepped in.  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Southwest Honors Spirit Captain After His Retirement Flight Was Axed (Abid Habib, Simple Flying, May 3, 2025) Instagram:  @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.  

A pig statue has gone missing, joining the ranks of other illustrious missing art. Can we rehome it?  CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Have you seen Sir Hamalot? This town hopes to find missing pig statue (Saleen Martin, USA Today, May 1, 2026) A Stolen Roman Statue Sat in an American Museum for 58 Years. Until One Bizarre Clue Gave It Away. (Michael Natale, Popular Mechanics, Apr 28,...

Do shoes need to cover your feet to be a shoe? And do our feet need shoes at all? Ask some weightlifters. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity The toes are out, literally. Internet reacts to Chanel's unique sandal (Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, Apr 30, 2026) The Reason Why Some Top Fitness Pros Actually Prefer to Train Barefoot (Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, Jun 24, 2025) Instagram: @conden...

The Met Gala's 2026 theme is Costume Art -- so we take a little trip down memory lane, and some of my favorite costumes I've worn.  Met Gala 2026 theme and dress code, explained (KiMi Robinson, USA Today, Apr 30, 2026) Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Met Gala (Vogue, Apr 20, 2026) CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This...

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States! You can order a commemorative passport. But you don't have to. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Trump portrait to appear in limited 250th anniversary US passports (Kathleen Wong, USA Today, Apr 28, 2026) Far from the original in Philadelphia, these fans hunt for the Liberty Bell replica in each state (Allen G. Breed, AP, Apr 2...

We all know the shoes can make the outfit. But can they win you a race? They may have just helped Sabastian Sawe break the 2-hour barrier at the London Marathon. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity These are the shoes Sabastian Sawe wore to run sub-2 at the 2026 London Marathon (Ben Hobson, Runner's World, Apr 26, 2026) How super shoes — and Sabastian Sawe — redefined the limits of the ma...

Have you ever breezed onto an airplane with zero luggage? Just a purse and a dream? It's a rush. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy nutrition! Join the community or just say hello ⬇️ Instagram:  @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Spirit Airlines may be going bankrupt. Wanna buy an airline together? Asking for the taxpayers.  Ultra-cheap Spirit tickets raise a risky question for travelers (Zach Richter, USA Today, Apr 24, 2026) U.S. considers using Defense Production Act for Spirit bailout (Allyson Versprille and Bloomberg, Fortune, Apr 25, 2026) Trump says he's considering buying Spirit Airlines 'at the right price.' It mi...

Jell-o is a famous American sweet treat brand, but did you know it could also quantify sports fan excitement? The new Jell-ometer is here. JELL-O Introduces the JELL-OMETER: the World's First-Ever Device to Quantifiably Measure Fan Intensity (BusinessWire, Apr 7, 2026) Giant Jell-O measures crowd volume in wobbles (Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science / Yahoo, Apr 7, 2026) 9 Fun Things You Didn't Know A...