Cool Stuff Daily

How close are we to some kind of invisibility cloak? Plus, when giant lion-sized otters roamed the land. Yes, the land. And Hasbro wants to make you into an action figure. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Ind...

Thanks to a court filing from the largest search engine of its kind, it’s official: GIFs are cringe. How did they fall so far? Plus, the Colorado River is drying up and part of the reason has to do with politicians ignoring the science one hundred years ago. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 I A...

Why is NASA slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid on Monday and what will we be able to see of the collision? Plus, a new low-cost, no-lab-required COVID-19 antibody test that could set the stage for more personalized vaccination plans. And a new drill rap duo, made up of old white British men. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed...

It’s the first day of fall. Or is it? Everything you need to know about the equinox, plus some seasonal music recommendations. An app you can only use when your phone’s battery is less than 5%. And why Queen Elizabeth II and other royal family members are buried in lead-lined coffins. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500...

Scientists have conducted an ant census. Or at least that’s what I’m calling it. And the total number they came up with is out of this world. Plus, the return of the Shortage Report. This time? Craft beer. Its cause? An extinct volcano. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Get a...

How did Saturn get its jaunty tilt and cool rings? A new study says it could’ve been caused by an hither-to-unknown ancient moon that got torn apart by its planet. Plus, new findings on just how much misinformation is being spread around TikTok. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Inde...

It’s not all about the asteroid. Some scientists are still debating what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct and a new study provides some interesting evidence for the role of volcanoes in the mass extinction event. Plus, we know concrete isn’t great for keeping buildings cool, but just how bad is it? And what other greener methods did its adoption stamp out that could be revived? Sponsors: Indeed,...

From informing the bees to muting self-checkout machines, the many shades of mourning––and not––in the United Kingdom. And, from ice cream prescribed with chemotherapy to synchronized heart beats signaling romantic attraction –– here are the winners of the 2022 Ig Nobel Prizes. Sponsors: Bambee, Schedule a conversation at bambee.com/cool BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/C...

China has discovered a new lunar mineral––and more dispatches from space, including the asteroid NASA is intentionally crashing into next week. Plus, a trans DIY retelling of The Joker that got pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after just one screening. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Bambee, Schedule a conversation at bambee.com/coo...

Several major publishing houses are suing the Internet Archive. Why? And what could the ramifications of the lawsuit have on the archive and on digital access to knowledge more broadly? Sponsors: Bambee, Schedule a conversation at bambee.com/cool BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: Could the Internet Archive go out like Napster? (Slate) Publishers Worry as E...

We’re approaching overpopulation. Or we’re in danger of population decline. It depends who you ask. As we prepare to pass eight billion humans on Earth, a look at the history of population anxiety and thoughts about where we go from here. Plus, a visually-appealing compostable alternative to Keurig Cups and Nespresso pods. And a vital Muppet-related update. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your f...

Is the most American of all fruits finally going to get its time to shine? And, no, NASA did not officially ask the public to name the probe to Uranus, but they could one day and, if and when they do, the internet will be ready. Sponsors: Bambee, Schedule a conversation at bambee.com/cool BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: Pawpaws are America’s hidden edibl...

Merriam-Webster has added 370 words to the dictionary, but it’s not enough to keep up with the changing pace of language on the internet, especially as we increasingly communicate with imagery and in-jokes that transcend single word definitions. Plus, why more and more fast food chains are ditching dining areas, and what that means for our options for communal gathering. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a fr...

Hail is getting bigger and becoming more common to more areas, but we still know relatively little about it. Plus, a possibly complete dinosaur skeleton with intact fossilized skin has been discovered in Alberta. And a brief historical perspective on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as some of the names King Charles III could have chosen to go by instead. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at...

Meet, Loab––a woman haunting every AI generated image she is summoned to with some of the goriest scenes you’ll find this side of Halloween. What does Loab tell us about AI generated art and our relationship to truth and reality online––especially when it comes to horrible stories that are so unbelievable, you might just have to believe them. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to...

How analyzing baby teeth might be able to facilitate early intervention for childhood adversity. Plus, archaeologists have found the skeleton of a seventeenth century woman accused of being a vampire. And yet another Artemis update, including why the latest scrubbed launch attempt can kind of be blamed on the Space Shuttle. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Indeed, Get a free $75 cr...

The musicians getting paid anytime a preschooler makes a poop joke at an Alexa device. Plus, why Labor Day is a cursed weekend for movie releases. And the Artemis I launch is officially maybe happening on Saturday. Sponsors: Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90  Bette...

One of the biggest ever and one of the smallest ever sauropods, both discovered recently and both helping us learn more about where and why dinosaurs traveled millions of years ago. Plus, the latest on the soon-to-be-available omicron booster shots. Dolly Parton’s new Doggy Parton line, a Taco Bell-hosted metaverse wedding, and an update on the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Tik Tok Musical. Sponsors: Be...

The official trailer for the slasher horror version of Winnie the Pooh dropped and, I think I actually want to watch the whole movie now? Plus, the latest update on when Artemis I will actually be launching and what happened at the scrubbed launch on Monday. And the World Bog Snorkeling Championships. Sponsors: Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problem...

The surprising history of how kale became so popular so quickly back in 2014, and how both Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A were partially responsible––but not because they actually included kale on their menus. It’s a tale of lawsuits, publicity campaigns, bloated markets, and one very big kalespiracy. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Kolide, Got Slack? Got...

The Artemis I launch was scrubbed early this morning Here’s why the highly-anticipated launch didn’t get off the ground. Plus, rabies vaccines are raining down across the nation. And a new classic author version of Street Fighter. Sponsors: Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.c...

Google ran a study using its own pre-roll ads to try to prebunk people before they fall for conspiracy theories. Plus, scientists have found the first-ever evidence of carbon dioxide in a planet’s atmosphere beyond our solar system. And the curious case of the one song that used to crash any laptop it played on. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job cr...

Invented traditions. Reimagined visions of the past. History is never free from our present-day biases, but the way we talk about the past often says more about us than the past itself. From the Disneyification of the Middle Ages to the aristocratic invention of Santa Claus in 1800s New York City, let’s talk about how pervading myths reveal the values of those who created them and continue to affe...

The world of nimcels––what are they and where do they fit in online? Plus, the genetic similarities between unrelated doppelgängers. And gummy bears made out of wind turbines. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews at Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: What is a Niche...

Omicron-specific COVID boosters are coming to the US soon. How much of a difference will they make to immunity? Well, it’s complicated. Plus, NASA says Artemis I is go for launch. Here’s everything to know about the big event on Monday. And MoviePass is officially coming back from the dead next month. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS...