Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

It may sound hard to believe, but a great deal of Earth's modern electronics -- everything from jets to your smartphone -- depend on just a few substances, things called rare earth metals, or rare earth elements. While you might not hear about them too often, they're one of the hottest commodities on the planet. As you check out today's episode, countries, companies, and a few very powerful people...

An instagram user hips the guys to a bizarre, frightening study of fish off the coast of Florida -- they're testing positive for pharmaceutical drugs, in huge amounts. A caller asks for more information on a little-understood spike in brain tumors in New Jersey. Ben and Matt share phone calls from across the United States responding to recent episodes. All this and more in this week's listener mai...

Each and every year, billions of children take some form of standardized tests. In theory these tests help measure how much a child has learned, allowing educators to gauge each kid's progress. Yet standardized testing in the US has a troubling origin story, one that's not often talked about. Tune in to learn more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuf...

Public wifi can be an enormously convenient thing -- it helps people dodge data charges in coffee shops, airports and other places around the globe. But how safe is it? Tune in to learn more. 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.

The CEO of Axon thought he had a solution to mass shootings in schools: putting taser-equipped drones in public facilities. Axon's ethics board resigned, but the story's not over yet. Researchers reveal an unprecedented finding -- it seems a new drug has completely eliminated all traces of a very specific type of cancer. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don't want you to read ou...

Most Americans can agree that society isn't perfect -- in fact, most people in other parts of the world can say the same about their own societies. But how can we attempt to address these issues? Is there genuinely a conspiracy between the world's wealthiest people to keep the disadvantaged divided? This week, the guys welcome special guest, author, comedian and philosopher Baratunde Thurston to e...

For the majority of human history, a failing vital organ was a death sentence. Yet hard-won lessons from countless tragic medical experiments have given modern humans the amazing ability to swap a failing organ from a healthy one, often with good odds of surviving the operation. So where do the organs come from? Is there really any truth to the rumors of an illegal organ trade? They don't want you...

For some, outsourcing is perfectly fine -- for others, it's dangerous. In today's episode, the guys dive into the ins and outs of outsourcing, from the advantages to the drawbacks... to the conspiracies and corruption surrounding it. 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.

For millennia humankind has dreamed of reaching the heavens, and in recent decades several countries have begun turning these dreams into reality. Yet the path to the stars isn't all altruism and noble scientific advancement -- in fact, human activities in space have often been shrouded in secrecy, and the practice continues today. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.co...

Brazen thieves make off with priceless religious artifacts in Brooklyn. AI pushes the boundaries of art. Recent sleuthing reveals the US government has a collection of contingency plans for any imaginable number of apocalyptic scenarios. Congress has no idea what they are -- which means American voters have no say in what might go down. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don't wan...

Past and current philosophers often argue the future of humanity is found not on Earth, but in the stars. In recent decades, private entities have pushed the boundaries of technology, achieving milestones once relegated to the scope of state-level powers. As organizations like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin reach historic breakthroughs, more and more people wonder: Should humanity's explo...

Like many inventors, Thomas Midgeley Jr. was certainly driven -- but he seemed driven to constantly create increasingly dangerous, deadly substances. As more and more Americans become concerned about various Supreme Court rulings being overturned, people across the country are trying to figure out just what happens when a trigger law goes into effect. All this and more in this week's listener mail...

When Dr. Charles Scudder and Joey Odom moved to a remote location in rural Georgia, they sought to create their own, personal paradise — complete with drugs, sex and occult symbolism. Locals agreed the men were eccentric, but, by all accounts, friendly and non-threatening. They seemed set to continue living out their strange social experiment in peace — until one violent day changed ev...

How reliable are your memories? Is it possible that, somehow, history is changing? People around the world believe the past isn't as static as it might appear. Join the guys as they delve into the strange phenomenon known as the Mandela effect, touching on allegations of the multiverse, conspiracies and the tricky nature of memory. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.co...

Digital product placement may be the future of cinema. Police in Highland Park seize a building an demand two cars as payment. The UN and multiple experts warn the planet that we have about 9-10 weeks before global food supplies reach a critical shortage. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-r...

By almost every metric imaginable, China is a huge country -- and its government works around the clock to control the flow of domestic and international information. As Hollywood studios become increasingly dependent on profits from the Chinese market, they're forced to obey China's exacting guidelines regarding what can or can not be shown on screen. In today's episode, the guys explore the evol...

Have you ever searched for something online, only to find an eerily related series of ads popping up at each website you visit afterward? If so, you've encountered the Brave New World of targeted online advertising. But is it a force for good? For ill? Join the guys and special guest Jonathan Strickland as they explore the facts, fiction and controversy surrounding online ads. They don't want you...

As speculation over multiple reports of bizarre phenomena in the sky grows at an unprecedented pace, the United State Congress recently held a public hearing on the nature of UFOs. In today's interview, the guys sit down with returning guest Jeremy Corbell for an insider's view on the nature of the hearing, the substance of the things Congress did (or did not) address, as well as what this hearing...

Look -- up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ...chemtrail? You've probably heard of these allegedly poisonous strips of stuff streaking across the sky, but what are they, exactly? Tune in to learn more in this classic episode. 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.

Recent studies indicate fecal microbial transplantation may mitigate age-related disorders... and no one's sure how it works. In Canada, a self-declared Queen is in hot water for telling people not to pay utility bills. A Congressional investigation reveals a conspiracy between the largest meat producers in the United States. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don't want you to re...

Memory is, when you think about it, a super power. The ability to relive past experiences can help inform and shape our decisions about the present and the future. Yet memory is unfortunately, surprisingly malleable. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the art of changing memories -- and why some people spend a lot of time attempting to control what people and society think of as "his...

Multiple bodies surface as drought lowers Lake Mead to unprecedented levels -- and locals seem sure more will be uncovered. Uhura prompts a conversation about lucid dreaming techniques. Chance hips the gang to the strange story of Paul Amadeus Dienach. All this and more in this week's listener mail. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-rea...

In 2014 a group of people looking for their missing coworker stumbled across a run-down building in Ibadan's Soka forest. While they didn't find their coworker, they did find a horrific scene: multiple body parts, personal possessions, decaying corpses, and people alive -- barely -- in chains. It appeared someone had been kidnapping and butchering innocents... but that's just the beginning of the...

For decades Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed to investigate paranormal phenomena, confronting the forces of darkness with the power of faith. They've inspired numerous films and become a part of American folklore -- so how much of their story is true? 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 informat...

Three tourists were found dead at Bahamas resort, and a woman was also airlifted to Miami-area hospital. A copy of the infamous 'Wicked Bible' was just found in New Zealand. In an historically unprecedented leak, an anonymous source revealed what appears to be a US Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don't want you to read our bo...