Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Cabeza de Vaca prompts a conversation about private drones and home insurance. Skippy shares terrifying first-hand experience with the consequences of 'off-label' drug use. In an email about Philadelphia bombing civilians, Ryan inspires future episodes on the abuse of state power. Ben, Matt and Noel receive an official warning against their discourse on the nature of sandwiches. All this and more...

Imagine a stunning amount of biodiversity amid one of the most densely-populated nations in the modern world. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel continue an exploration into what Western science deems "cryptids of India." Spoiler: Ben solves a few mysteries, and gives you the clues to solve a few more as you listen along at home. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmilla...

What if you could travel outside your body at will, sending your consciousness across the planet and beyond? While it may sound like a tale of science fiction to some, the phenomenon known as remote viewing was the subject intense government scrutiny for years. Join the guys as they interview physicist and author Russell Targ, creator of the new film Third Eye Spies, to learn more about his experi...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange secures "freedom" in Australia. The Pentagon planned a massive anti-vaccination scheme to discredit China. The US Surgeon General wants warning labels on social media. Private health companies get busted peddling medicine -- and some folks are going to jail. All this and more in this week's Strange News segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static...

Every Presidential election brings with it a virtual army of advisors, donors, academics, think tanks and policy wonks. They're often full of ideas about how the country should be run -- and they spend a great deal of time and money trying to sell their messages. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore one of the most controversial policy bibles in modern-day America: a set of proposals k...

Higher education offers millions of people the opportunity to pursue their dreams and make meaningful contributions to civilization -- but it often doesn't come cheap. At $1.5 trillion, the student loan debt in the United States alone is worth more than the value of Facebook and Microsoft combined. So how did we get here? Why do so many people believe the government and private financial interests...

For the vast majority of humans, freeports don't really matter, nor impact their lives. But make now mistake: for the well-heeled and criminals alike, these international storage sites can provide mission-critical loopholes for money laundering, tax dodging and more. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the strange, international web of conspiracies surrounding these obscure -- and t...

On Thursday, February 5, 1987, two men were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping six children and transporting them to Tallahassee, Florida. While the children were reportedly filthy and hungry, initial reports of abuse didn’t hold up. The mothers confirmed they knew the men, and the charges were eventually dropped. But this isn’t how the story ends -- instead, this is where the story of the Finder...

Smart phones have fundamentally changed the world -- at times, it's difficult to imagine life without one of these handy computers. There's a world of people you can call, a universe of information at your fingertips and millions of specialized programs to make everyday life that much easier. In fact, it sounds too good to be true... and, according to some critics, that might just be the case. So...

Do you live near a mysterious cavern, pit, or abandoned mine? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the wide world of mysterious holes, spanning the globe from the remote wilds of Canada all the way down to Antarctica. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A real estate expert weighs in on the discussion of proprietary valuation/pricing software. A conversation about the failed Superconducting Super Collider in Texas. C shares a first-hand account of life in the Two by Two spiritual movement. The favorite poop joke of the week -- and more -- all in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com...

What if you could take a pill, an injection, or a series of substances to make you fundamentally smarter? To gift yourself with eidetic memory, superior reasoning skills, and higher cognitive function? In the second part of this continuing series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the bleeding edge science, grifts and innovation within the world of nootropics -- better known as 'smart drugs.' They don't...

The Black Panther Party For Self-defense was founded in Oakland, California in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. They originally wanted to protect local residents from police brutality. One prominent Black Panther activist, Fred Hampton, was killed during an FBI/Chicago Police Force raid on December 4th, 1969. Officially speaking, his death was an unfortunate accident. However, 50 years later m...

The state of Missouri has set a date for the execution of Marcellus Williams -- despite emerging evidence overwhelmingly indicating his innocence (and the prosecutor who wants to reverse the conviction). A Baby Reindeer update. Banana giant Chiquita is once again in court -- this time for funding the far-right paramilitary/terrorist organization AUC. Over in California, a 71 year-old man has been...

Global civilization depends on the power of flight. Yet over the past few decades, planes seem to keep disappearing or meeting with disaster. In tonight's episode, the guys give a 2024 update on missing planes, as well as the theories surrounding what went wrong. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Brett the Hitman shares a bizarre story about Ticketmaster, Taylor Swift and Paris. Tree Forts shares the mystery of TwinRay in Ashland, Oregon. Chickenado explores the stuff Big Chicken doesn't want you to know. Plus: Is a Big Mac technically lasagna? All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-sh...

Reality is philosophically terrifying. What is it, exactly? Where does it come from? Why are we, humans and everyone else, stuck within this thing no one seems to understand? In this special episode, Matt and the one they call Ben wrestle with the nature of existence in the face of new, so-called "virtual environments." They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib...

The nation of China recently made international news by successfully completing an unmanned landing on the far side of Earth’s moon, marking a pivotal point in the resurgent space race. So why do some observers believe there’s more to the story? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta's water disaster prompts a conversation about the conspiracies that led to it and the larger threat of crumbling infrastructure across the US. Google's AI search is pretty terrible. One company may be to blame for America's soaring rent prices. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-sho...

An email hips the guys to the global conspiracy of the Atlas Network -- a think tank that creates think tanks. Fun Crusher looks for more information on allegations of a serial murderer in Austin. Wayne makes a great point about Ben and Matt's earlier 'get out of trouble with scopolamine' idea. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://s...

Death is one of humanity's great unifiers. Before the dawn of recorded history our species and others like it venerated, feared and honored the dead. The practice of commemorating our loved ones continues today -- and it's become a big business. Join the guys as they delve deeper into the fact, fiction and controversy of the funeral industry to determine whether or not a secret monopoly is at play...

Years after his death, Charles Manson remains one of the most infamous cult leaders in US history. While the mainstream public seems pretty satisfied with the official narrative, people still struggle to understand how Manson could have held such an iron grip on the minds of his followers. To some researchers, he wasn't acting alone. Instead, he had help from some world-class experts in mind contr...

In recent history more and more analysts have been concerned about the rise of privately-owned, multinational corporations wielding the type of geopolitical power once relegated to states and nations. These concerns usually name drop the best known large companies, such as Nestle, Unilever, Halliburton and so on -- but many more companies operate just as effectively in relative obscurity. Tune in...

Why is North Korea sending balloons filled with trash and poop over the border? A new poll reveals most Americans consider fast food a luxury. A former mayor in South Dakota is charged with three murders. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Trolls! These mythical creatures are -- nowadays -- beloved. Most folks think of trolls as creatures of myth, up there with the minotaur, the kraken, the selkie. And yet. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the history of troll folklore, ultimately separating fact from fiction and posing a fascinating question: What if troll legends are an oral remnant of early encounters with a pre...