The Story Collider

This week, we’re teaming up with Silenced Science Stories , a volunteer project that shines a light on scientists whose work has been derailed by federal budget cuts and mass firings. In this episode, both of our storytellers share deeply personal accounts of how these political decisions upended their work—and the science itself. Part 1: When an epidemiologist dedicated to preventing violence aga...

This week, in honor of Halloween, we're presenting two classic stories about facing fears for science. Part 1:  As a newly minted PhD student in geology, Erik Klemetti starts to question his decisions when Aucanquilcha, a 20,000-foot volcano in Chile, proves difficult to tame. Part 2:  Explorer George Kourounis finds himself growing increasingly anxious as he prepares to enter a fiery si...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers learn the hard way that getting high doesn’t always mean having a good time. Part 1: At his friend’s bachelor party, Andrew McGill joins in on a mushroom trip that quickly spirals out of control. Part 2: In an attempt to calm his nerves about going on an Alaskan cruise, Will Clegg turns to marijuana. Andrew McGill is a storyteller born and raised in...

In honor of OCD Awareness Week, this episode features two deeply personal stories about living with obsessive compulsive disorder. Part 1: For Hannah Hedelius, a classmate’s hiccups trigger an overwhelming reaction she can’t hold back. Part 2: As a graduate student, Rachel Hostetler begins to realize that her intrusive thoughts may be more than just regular stress. Hannah Hedelius was born and rai...

In this week’s episode, we wade into the bloody (and sometimes gory) side of science. Part 1: Shawn Musgrave wants to donate blood, but runs headfirst into the FDA’s lifetime ban on gay men as donors. Part 2: While working with the condor recovery program, Molly Astell opens a freezer to find every researcher’s nightmare. Shawn Musgrave is a lawyer, journalist, lawyer-who-represents-journalists, a...

In this week’s episode, our storytellers face life-or-death moments they’ll never forget. Part 1: On a trip to Colombia for a research conference, biologist Stephanie Galla must rely on her fight-or-flight instincts when she is cornered by a mugger with a knife. Part 2: An ordinary day takes a shocking turn when Kim Weaver is struck by lightning. Stephanie Galla is an Assistant Professor in avian...

This week we present two classic stories from people who had hypotheses.  Part 1: Teaching sixth grade science becomes much more difficult when Xochitl Garcia's students start hypothesizing that fire is alive.  Part 2: When journalist John Rennie is assigned to cover an entomological society event where insects are served as food, he sees an opportunity to face his fear of bugs.  Xo...

In this week’s episode, we’re featuring two powerful stories born from our education program. Part 1: As an undergraduate with no “real” science experience, Molly Magid is thrilled to join a research project studying how bats fly—until she discovers the bats refuse to cooperate. Part 2: As a child, Léa Souccar and her father explore the wreckage in the aftermath of a devastating bombing. Molly Mag...

In this week’s episode, we explore how creativity, humor, and connection can be powerful tools for mental health and healing. Part 1: When anxiety starts taking over her life, Jude Treder-Wolff signs up for an improv class. Part 2: Counselor Belinda Arriaga and emergency medicine doctor Nancy Ewen join forces to collect scientific evidence of the power of culturally responsive mental health care....

In this week’s episode, both storytellers face the challenge of evicting some very unwelcome guests. Part 1: While housesitting for her uncle, JiJi Lee’s peaceful stay takes a chaotic turn when a squirrel breaks in. Part 2: When a serious mold infestation takes over the university campus, Joshua Wilson is tasked with eliminating it. JiJi Lee is a comedy writer and performer. She has contributed to...

This week we present two classic stories about people struggling with their identity. Part 1: When science journalist Katherine Wu interviews a scientist about a new facial recognition algorithm, the conversation turns more personal than she expected. Part 2: Hurricane Katrina gives Mary Annaise Heglar a new perspective on both her grandfather and home state. Katherine J. Wu is a Boston-based scie...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers transform into someone they admire—one quite literally, the other more figuratively. Part 1: While juggling climate science studies and a budding comedy career, Rollie Williams finds an unexpected niche impersonating his environmental hero, Al Gore. Part 2: Scott Acton longs to follow in Hemingway’s footsteps, but when his English teacher squashes h...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are pushed out of their comfort zones—and challenged to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Part 1: As someone who always likes to play it safe, psychologist Kenneth Carter sets out to understand what makes thrill-seekers tick. Part 2: Philosophy professor Rob Reich is frustrated that so many new Stanford students are headed straight into com...

In this week’s episode, we explore what pushes someone to steal, and how it feels to be the one robbed. Part 1: With a potential cancer diagnosis looming and his health insurance about to vanish, David Crabb finds an envelope stuffed with $100 bills. Part 2: When Zakiya Whatley bonds with another student in grad school, it feels like the start of a lifelong friendship – but turns out there's more...

This week’s episode dives into one of the most personal decisions many women face: whether or not to have children. Part 1: When a piece of her IUD breaks off, Bailey Swilley’s spirals about her choice never to have children. Part 2:  Christel Bartelse takes an unconventional approach to figure out if she wants to be a mother or not. Bailey Swilley is a writer and comedian based in Brooklyn....

This week, we’re presenting stories about the struggle to find acceptance — whether it’s at Space Camp or in the United States of America. Part 1: Computer scientist LaShana Lewis’s childhood dream of attending Space Camp starts to feel far away — until she gets the Christmas surprise of a lifetime. Part 2: When Guizella Rocabado leaves her home in Bolivia to pursue her education in the United Sta...

In this week’s episode, we’re getting into the weeds—literally—with two stories about how gardens and green spaces can take root in our lives in unexpected ways. Part 1: Feeling lonely after a move to New York City, Kofi Thomas finds connection, purpose, and community through a neighborhood garden. Part 2: As he fights to stay sober, Michael Hudgins throws himself into an unusual form of therapy:...

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society at Georgia Tech – features two powerful stories from individuals whose lives have been shaped by brain-computer interfaces. Part 1: As his Parkinson’s symptoms worsen and medications take a toll, Brandan Mehaffie faces a life-altering decision: continue down a difficult path or undergo...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of well-intentioned choices gone wrong. Part 1: In fourth grade, Ro Moran is thrilled to be trusted with the class pet iguana, Iggy, for the night. But by morning, something is very wrong. Part 2: As an exchange student studying superconducting oxides, Karoline Mueller tries to save money by gold-coating a cheap crucible instead of using...

To close out Pride Month this week, we're sharing a special best of episode featuring stories about coming out in science!  Part 1: Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students. Charlie Cook is a non-binary white settler on ancestral, unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They are a museum science interpreter with a BFA in Original Works from Cornish Co...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers use a scientific lens to examine their worst relationships. Part 1: Carlos Maza uses the plague to analyze his brutal breakup. Part 2: Panagiota Vogdou refuses to see her boyfriend as toxic until a stranger on the bus tells her to go to therapy. Carlos Maza is a video journalist focusing on misinformation, media bias, and propaganda. He is the Direc...

In celebration of Pride Month, we’re sharing two stories about coming out with the help of science. Part 1: After years of struggling with their gender identity, Parker Sublette finds inspiration in marine life. Part 2: Bullied as a kid for the sound of his voice, Garret Glinka begins to reclaim his confidence thanks to biology class. Parker Sublette is a comedian and speculative fiction writer li...

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Challenging Pseudoscience, at the Royal Institution , with support from the Open Society Foundation—features two storytellers who share just how easy it is to fall for scientific misinformation, and how difficult it can be to find your way back. Part 1: When Lydia Greene’s infant daughter has a troubling reaction to a routine vaccine and her...

To kick off our big 15 year anniversary celebration, we’re re-sharing two stories from the storytellers you, the fans, voted as your favorite stories. And the best part? You can see these storytellers, along with the other fan favorites, take the stage live on June 3, 2025, at Caveat in New York City during our special anniversary show and fundraiser. Learn more and grab your tickets here. Part 1:...

Some relationships stand the test of time—others unravel. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what it means to heal, let go, and move forward. Part 1: Stuck in a monsoon on Kauai, Belinda Fu unintentionally ruins a friendship with a classmate. Part 2: Matt Storrs blames a dinosaur scientist’s theory for the end of his marriage. Belinda Fu, MD, (“theImprovDoc”) is a physician,...