Cool Stuff Daily

Heatwaves around the world are so extreme this week that one of them matches a projected forecast for 2050. Plus, MIT engineers have found a more efficient method for boiling water. And the winners of the World Emoji Awards as well as all the new emojis drafted to hit Unicode 15 in September. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: De...

What can the slow and timid adoption of coal in the US tell us about the transition to solar and wind power? Plus, this newly-discovered dinosaur sheds some light on why T-Rexes had those tiny li’l arms. And, when cities welcome physical monuments to fictional pop culture characters. Sponsors: Kolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging you...

The JWST images are here! But what are we actually looking at? Plus, could gene editing put an end to cholesterol-related disease? And Cat Power is planning to perform a cover of an entire Bob Dylan concert at the original venue where he performed it. 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...

Could an MIT idea to ease the climate crisis by blowing up giant sun-blocking bubbles in space actually work? Plus, the Polynesian voyagers who are reviving ancient seafaring techniques and traversing thousands of miles across the ocean without maps or modern technology. And a cool little interactive Easter egg from the latest season of Stranger Things. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium S...

Welcome to our accidental breakfast episode. First, how did orange juice become our go-to breakfast beverage of choice? Plus, Waffle House’s in-house record label. And, someone’s been eating their Wheatie’s, how major sports tournaments are using AI to improve the game and the fan experience. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s...

In 1972, a team of international researchers used computer modeling to assess and warn us about the potential collapse of human civilization. Fifty years later, how does their assessment add up and have we heeded their warning? Plus, we’ve got space tourists. Now it’s time for astroletes. Why sports might be the next big thing in space. And Spotify Pie. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium S...

We take a deep dive into the freshwater lake origins of Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing fish, and his riptide success in the early 2000s. And, in other peak scientific innovation news, the Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more and already discovered three new exotic particles. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription calm.com/coolstuff Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial...

Could the historic flooding at Yellowstone National Park be a positive thing in the long term? Plus, new findings into long COVID-caused brain fog. And why some movie theaters are banning formal attire. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription calm.com/coolstuff I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: Historic Yellowstone flooding brings renewal despite destruction (National G...

The murky history of Popsicles, and freeze pops or Otter Pops or whatever you call them. Plus, those skin mites that live on your face might be able to reveal your geographic ancestry. And the Canadian radio station that only plays one song by Rage Against the Machine now. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: The Accidental In...

Remember the photo of that blue and black dress, or I’m sorry, white and gold dress? It turns out at least one neuroscientist conducted an official study of people’s perceptions about it, and his findings could have larger ramifications on our seemingly increasing inability to communicate and understand each other when it comes to fundamental social issues. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org...

NASA’s Artemis mission returning us to the moon has officially begun… sort of. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s first step towards establishing a base in lunar orbit. Plus, why do so many of us love logging the books we read and movies we watch on tracking apps, and at what cost? Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast L...

Do groups of friends all smell alike? Plus, an astonishingly well-preserved 30,000 year old woolly mammoth baby was just discovered. And we finally have photographic evidence of that mysterious rocket stage that hit the moon in March. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Friends smell like one another (The Economist) People Ma...

The facts on how risky public bathrooms actually are when it comes to germs and disease transmission. Plus, the secret lives of skin mites––a bevy of new findings on the microscopic creatures that live on our faces. And, as a chaser, animal ASMR. 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 Shopi...

A newly-identified molecule may explain why some workouts make you super hungry and others leave you without an appetite at all. Plus, a spectacular planetary conjunction is on display this weekend––how to catch sight of five planets at once. Researchers have a new theory for why all those fish fell from the sky in Texas last year. And a new J.R.R. Tolkien book is coming out in November. Sort of....

A deep dive into the origins, values, and many adaptations of The Adventures of Pinocchio––including how Guillermo del Toro’s dark upcoming stop motion animation could be the truest to the original yet. Plus, the mystery of eight thousand Iron Age frog skeletons found in a mass burial site in England. And, it’s Fat Bear Summer at Katmai National Park. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS e...

More and more countries are banning single-use plastics, but what alternatives are available? One team of scientists have developed an antimicrobial spray that could replace plastic food packaging. Plus, how Colonial Williamsburg is working to incorporate more of its queer past. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra...

Would you use your own pee in your garden? Or donate it to a local farm? Some folks around the world see it as the future of fertilization. Plus, some scientists want to rename summer “danger season.” And astronomers have discovered a new multiplanet system not too far away with two Earth-sized rocky planets. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credi...

Ahead of Juneteenth, a reminder of what emancipation did and didn’t do. Plus, a newly discovered group of polar bears who are able to survive on less sea ice than should be possible. And a promising milestone achieved in the field of space-based solar power. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription calm.com/coolstuff I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: Juneteenth celebrate...

The Large Hadron Collider has been booted up once more, but will it ever find anything as huge as the Higgs boson again? Plus, an AI model that’s turning Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words into a magic eight ball. Beyoncé has announced a new album and Beavis and Butt-Head are about to do the whole universe. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription cal...

A new lead on the origin of the Black Death. Plus, monkeypox will soon––thankfully––be getting a new name. And Internet Explorer is being put to rest today. RIP. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription calm.com/coolstuff I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: The Most Likely Origin of The Black Death Was Finally Revealed in an Unexpected Place (ScienceAlert) Scientists Revea...

The history and future of the design of the American shopping mall. Plus, a new test that can more accurately assess your immunity to COVID-19. And Coca-Cola is releasing a new Jack & Coke canned cocktail. Meanwhile, fans have created a “healthy Coke” hack, which I tried out in the Cool Stuff Ride Home’s first official taste test. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Calm, Get 40% off...

Why is it so hard to remember details from books we’ve read and TV shows we’ve watched? Plus, why is food cooked outside on an open flame so dang delicious? And, vaccines for American children under the age of five may finally finally be coming. Sponsors: Calm, Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription calm.com/coolstuff I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: Why do we forget books we've read...

Why are some people experiencing delayed positive tests from COVID-19? And, new tests on the block, from expensive at-home hubs to COVID-sniffing dogs. Plus, a proposal in the UK to raise the legal purchase age for cigarettes by a year, every year. And the newest US quarter has just dropped, featuring Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn...

Heat waves in the future could come with their own names, and we might be able to keep safe from them thanks to advances in smart window technology. Plus, Europe’s largest ever land dinosaur has just been discovered. And why Wendy’s is temporarily retiring their vanilla Frosty’s. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit PLUS earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Inter...

Has the sit-up been canceled? Plus, the century-long history of growing nonnative plants in Antarctica and how it will help astronauts fill their bellies when they fly to the moon and beyond. And, why mice are afraid of bananas. Sponsor: 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 Links: The Death of the...