That's Absurd Please Elaborate

This week, Trace digs into whether life could’ve ever gotten its start somewhere else—say, Mars, for example—quickly pointing out that our lovely planet's existence is already pretty insane on its own. Meanwhile, Julian takes a simple “why hot things glow red” question and follows it straight through Max Planck to the idea of whether the universe itself has a maximum possible temperature. Naturall...

If you’ve been itching for a cross-country trip, you could just book a flight like a normal person… but where’s the fun in that? This week, Julian (heroically) avoids talking about aviation and instead explores his second-favorite mode of transportation: a Mazda Miata outfitted with two Ferrari engines bolted to the sides. Yes, it has training wheels. No, that does not pass inspection. Meanwhile,...

This week on the pod, Julian makes a groundbreaking discovery: contrary to popular belief, humans and squid are, in fact, very different animals. One species commonly needs glasses, and the other…sometimes may also need glasses? Meanwhile, Trace tries to figure out if sound could travel slower in the dark, and the answer is yes! As long as you’re okay with being instantly vaporized. 😊 QUESTIONS J...

This week, Trace turns a completely normal human behavior into a full-blown scientific investigation, uncovering how airflow, temperature, and mouth geometry can make you feel like you’re secretly developing budget-tier superpowers. Meanwhile, Julian takes a bold step forward for both science and dairy by stress-testing the limits of cheese in a scenario it was never meant to survive. Along the wa...

Hi all! As I'm sure those of you with the patience to sit through the end credits know, the show is edited and produced by Kyle Sisk. Kyle is the glue holding this podcast together, taking the loose collection of pocket lint that makes up the brains of the two hosts and stitching it together into a beautiful audio tapestry. Without Kyle there truly would be no show. How do we know this? Because th...

Hey all! This week, we're rebroadcasting a very memorable TAPE episode from last June to give ourselves a bit of a break: Julian's flight school classes started up again in full force and Trace is traveling back and forth to Brazil to visit his partner while they're undergoing their IVF journey. Don't you fret, though, because this episode contains ⚡️SHOCKING⚡️ and 🪽SOARING🪽 content! Trace tri...

.... . .-.. .-.. --- / .- -. -.. / .-- . .-.. -.-. --- -- . / - --- / .- -. --- - .... . .-. / .-- .. .-.. -.. / . .--. .. ... --- -.. . / --- ..-. / - .... .- - .----. ... / .- -... ... ..- .-. -.. / .--. .-.. . .- ... . / . .-.. .- -... --- .-. .- - . In this episode, we learn that Julian will never be employed as a telegraph operator, but he might have a future as a Soviet janitor named Ivan wh...

This week, Trace takes a closer look at one of the boldest maneuvers in pirate cinema: whether a determined crowd could actually flip something the size of an aircraft carrier by running from one side to the other like in the documentary “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Meanwhile, Julian investigates the logistics of purchasing the Sun—who exactly you’d pay for it, what ownership might legally mean, an...

This week, we’re rewriting the rules of life, starting at the molecular level and ending 250 miles above Earth. Julian digs into what would happen if our genetic code were triple-stranded like the Time Lords from Doctor Who. Except, TNA does exist (just not the way you think), and triple-stranded DNA isn’t possible… or is it? Meanwhile, all-star guest and fart-gun connoisseur Lieven Scheire phones...

This week on the most serious, most dramatic podcast ever recorded, Trace finally takes Archimedes up on his little boast: “Give me a lever and I can move the world.” Bold claim from a man who’s never seen a 1999 Toyota Corolla. Meanwhile, Julian enters the stickiest thought experiment imaginable—yep, even stickier than trying to eat a spoonful of peanut butter with absolutely nothing to wash it d...

This week, Julian—hoping to crown the true MVP of the animal kingdom—drafts the ultimate basketball beast, while Trace turns up the heat to find out whether we’re actually sweating in hot showers and, more deliciously, how many workouts it would take to perfectly season an omelette with his own hard-earned salt. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DWARF 3 SMART TELESCOPE https://link.thatsabsurdshow.com/dwarf Tr...

In this emergency rerun episode, Trace’s quest for answers takes him to a magical fantasy land of wizards, frozen keys, and bodily fluids. Meanwhile Julian discovers that there are about 3 degrees of separation between chickpeas and dynamite. Yes, really. P.S. Turns out pipes have strong opinions about podcasting schedules...mine burst. 🫠 We’re drying out and will be back next week with a brand-n...

Both Julian and Trace did ‘a journalism’ this week! First, Julian learns that electricity is NOT magic (but will kill you) by calling a relative who makes lightning in a lab. Then, TracecalledaprofessorfromUCLAtoseehowmuchspacethatwouldsave. Turnsoutnotthatmuch. AlsoitmakesEVERYTHINGsomuchhardertoread. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DWARF 3 SMART TELESCOPE https://link.thatsabsurdshow.com/dwarf Trace really...

This week Julian hunts the medical mysteries behind the mystical unicorn horn, and Trace reads a loooooooot of government regulations looking to get tripped up by one tiny thing. QUESTIONS Julian: "How would we go about assessing the medical properties of unicorn horn?" from Matt Trace: "How tall does an object have to be to be tripped over?" from Bryanna Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's...

Anyone who’s ever had to educate a talking donkey would know, onions have layers (just like ogres). But, just like in the story with the giant, green, scottish (?) ogre — it’s important to remember the lessons behind the fables! Like the tortoise and the hare, which reminds us that even if the tortoise doesn’t win the race, it’ll outlive a rabbit by several decades. Take that RABBIT. QUESTIONS Jul...

This week Julian takes a pleasant trip down to his local Egyptian library and tries to save it from burning to the ground and dramatically altering the course of history. And returning guest host Ralph Crewe explores the solar system in the most macabre way possible! QUESTIONS Julian: "If the library of Alexandria was never destroyed, how technologically advanced would we actually be today?" from...

It’s our first episode of the new year! Welcome to 2026! In this, wild episode Trace (recording from his parent’s sun room) explores the chemistry and power of the lasagna battery. Then, Julian flies off the handle about helicopters as a gift for himself for his birthday (Happy Birthday, Julian! 🎂) QUESTIONS Julian: "Can a helicopter fly upside down? AND could it land SAFELY upside down on it's r...

Like Boromir said, "It is a gift! Let us use it against them!" The internet has been taken over by #lofi girls, so we commissioned an artist to turn Julian and Trace into our own #lofigirl for the holidays! (Is it a lofi girl? are we lofi guys? We're honestly not sure. Either way, we did it!!) We love you all! Thanks for making 2025 such an amazing year (for our little community) even though it wa...

Support your giving goals this holiday season! Go to GiveDirectly.org/Absurd and get a 100% match by Giving Multiplier! (Don't dilly-dally this match is only until the end of the year!) This episode aired around Easter, prompting us to ask: where does that weird Bunny get all the eggs? And why are there eggs in the first place? Guest Yasmin Khan (The Young Turks) has an answer. Meanwhile, Julian e...

If your life had a soundtrack what would it be? Up-tempo action music? Epic orchestral swells? Romantic… xylophones? Are xylophones romantic? We don’t know, we’re podcasters, not EGOT-winning music producers of screen and stage. Maybe it’s a good thing you can’t hear what’s in our heads… aside from on this show where we say everything in our heads, obviously. In this episode Trace explores what it...

We did another live show!! I’m not sure how we convinced the Bay Area Science Festival that we are a legitimate podcast, but, hey, people actually showed up to watch the show in-person in San Francisco. We had an extremely tight window, and are famously (infamously?) long-winded, so in this episode special guest Dr Wallace Marshall ponders the nightmare of giant tardigrades, and Trace looks into t...

Happy American Turkey Consumption Day! 🦃 In honor of the national holiday we've let Kyle out of his editing dungeon and let him celebrate with his family. We're doing the same, and we hope those of you who are celebrating have a beautiful holiday. We're thankful for YOU, not just saying that, we put time and effort into this ridiculous show, and y'all keep showing up week after week. That means s...

If we say: Making whoopee. Polishing the broomstick. The pickle tickle. Shagging. Enjoying Taco Tuesday. Parking the beef bus in Tuna Town. Waxing the carrot. Boinking. Glazing donuts. Going downtown. … I think you get what we mean (right?) This week, special guest Danielle probes the terrible scenario where ‘Doing Taxes’ was more like actually filing financial paperwork than going for a roll in t...

You know what's passé? Chemical rockets. Powering a space ship by harnessing the expanding gasses of a controlled explosion and shooting off to parts unknown guided only by fire, math, and spite for the force of gravity? Yawn. What if instead you got like, 40 cyclists with thighs as big as tree trunks that just won't quit, stuck them on some stationary bikes, and used them to power your spaceship...

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over my quaint and curious human egg, forgotten I should stretch my leg— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door “Though thy egg be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from a non-avian shore— Tell m...