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Unexplainable

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know…and then keeps on going. The Unexplainable team — Noam Hassenfeld, Julia Longoria, Byrd Pinkerton, and Meradith Hoddinott — tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn diving into the unknown. New episodes every Wednesday.

Tell us about a scientific mystery that fascinates you.

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The Unexplainable team includes Noam Hassenfeld, Byrd Pinkerton, Julia Longoria, Meradith Hoddinott, Cristian Ayala, and Jorge Just. The show is a production of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Show transcripts.

Songs from the podcast.

Unexplainable
How sensitive is Greenland’s ice to a warming world?How sensitive is Greenland’s ice to a warming world?
Podcast
Unexplainable

Rare samples of mud — yes mud — from deep below the ice sheet are giving scientists new insights into our changing climate.

By Byrd Pinkerton
Unexplainable
We’re hardwired for negativity. That doesn’t mean we’re doomed to it.We’re hardwired for negativity. That doesn’t mean we’re doomed to it.
Podcast
Unexplainable

Why focusing only on what’s broken blinds us to what’s fixable.

By Bryan Walsh
Unexplainable
Her scientific breakthrough could end morning sicknessHer scientific breakthrough could end morning sickness
Podcast
Unexplainable

If only the NIH would fund it.

By Julia Longoria
A wild project in Iceland could transform how we forecast volcanic eruptions
Podcast
Unexplainable

The most important part of a volcano is hidden deep underground.

By Byrd Pinkerton
Vox Press Room
Vox’s Unexplainable podcast expands to twice a weekVox’s Unexplainable podcast expands to twice a week
Podcast
Vox Press Room

The show, which tackles scientific mysteries and unanswered questions, will now publish on Mondays and Wednesdays.

By Vox Communications
Unexplainable
Sorry, we left an implant in your brainSorry, we left an implant in your brain
Podcast
Unexplainable

What happens if you get a life-changing device implanted…and the company that maintains it goes bankrupt?

By Julia Longoria
Unexplainable
The real quest for fake bloodThe real quest for fake blood
Podcast
Unexplainable

Lab-grown blood could save tens of thousands of lives. Is it possible?

By Noam Hassenfeld
The rise of artificial intelligence, explained
The AI revolution is here. Can we build a Good Robot?The AI revolution is here. Can we build a Good Robot?
Podcast
The rise of artificial intelligence, explained

The battle over artificial intelligence is just beginning.

By Bryan Walsh
Unexplainable
Why do we twitch in our sleep?Why do we twitch in our sleep?
Podcast
Unexplainable

A seemingly small question has shifted how scientists understand the relationship between the brain and the body.

By Noam Hassenfeld and Thomas Lu
Unexplainable
Why did we think Neanderthals weren’t smart?Why did we think Neanderthals weren’t smart?
Podcast
Unexplainable

Our earliest studies of Neanderthals were fundamentally flawed.

By Byrd Pinkerton
Should we put pig organs in humans? We asked an ethicist.
Podcast
Future Perfect

Xenotransplantation raises major moral questions — and not just about the pigs.

By Mandy Nguyen
Why do we love to scare ourselves?
Podcast
Unexplainable

This research group is studying our love for haunted houses ... at a haunted house.

By Byrd Pinkerton
Climate
Just how doomed is home insurance?Just how doomed is home insurance?
Podcast
Climate

Hurricanes like Milton and Helene are making it harder than ever to insure your home.

By Umair Irfan
Climate
Are we underestimating global warming?Are we underestimating global warming?
Podcast
Climate

Why climate scientists are so concerned about aerosols, not just greenhouse gasses.

By Umair Irfan
Unexplainable
How much can we actually control inflation?How much can we actually control inflation?
Podcast
Unexplainable

The mystery of inflation may be rooted in psychology.

By Noam Hassenfeld
Down to Earth
What’s a wild bat worth to you? This economist is asking.What’s a wild bat worth to you? This economist is asking.
Podcast
Down to Earth

Nature is priceless — but quantifying its value could help save it.

By Benji Jones and Byrd Pinkerton
Who’s the father? For these baby animals, one doesn’t exist.
Podcast
Unexplainable

More animals can occasionally reproduce asexually than scientists realized.

By Byrd Pinkerton
Unexplainable
Did trees kill the world?Did trees kill the world?
Podcast
Unexplainable

An ancient forest once tipped our planet’s climate into chaos.

By Meradith Hoddinott
Unexplainable
She’s been chasing solar eclipses for three decades. What’s she after?She’s been chasing solar eclipses for three decades. What’s she after?
Podcast
Unexplainable

This scientist has seen nearly 20 solar eclipses. She’s trying to solve a mystery that could help protect Earth.

By Noam Hassenfeld
17 astounding scientific mysteries that researchers can’t yet solve
Podcast
Unexplainable

What is the universe made out of? How should we define death? Where did dogs come from? And more!

By Brian Resnick
Unexplainable
Menstrual fluid’s underexplored medical treasuresMenstrual fluid’s underexplored medical treasures
Podcast
Unexplainable

From wound healing to disease diagnosis, “this stuff is like gold dust.”

By Byrd Pinkerton
10 ocean mysteries scientists haven’t solved yet
Podcast
Unexplainable

And the adventures scientists go on to better understand our enigmatic seas.

By Brian Resnick
Astronomers spotted something perplexing near the beginning of time
Podcast
Science

Monsters lurk in the background of James Webb Space Telescope images. Scientists are scrambling to make sense of them.

By Brian Resnick
Unexplainable
How to catch a scientific fraudHow to catch a scientific fraud
Podcast
Unexplainable

Elisabeth Bik has made a career of being a data vigilante. What should mainstream scientific journals learn from her?

By Byrd Pinkerton
10 of the biggest — and smallest — scientific mysteries
Podcast
Unexplainable

Some unanswered scientific questions loom out in the universe. Others reside in our homes.

By Brian Resnick
Runners can be disqualified for starting after the gun. What gives?
Podcast
Unexplainable

The rules of elite running say no one can start a race faster than 0.1 seconds. Scientists say that’s wrong.

By Brian Resnick and Noam Hassenfeld
11 unexplainable animal mysteries
Podcast
Unexplainable

Yes, one of them involves puppies.

By Brian Resnick
Unexplainable
Even the scientists who build AI can’t tell you how it worksEven the scientists who build AI can’t tell you how it works
Podcast
Unexplainable

“We built it, we trained it, but we don’t know what it’s doing.”

By Noam Hassenfeld
Is weed safe in pregnancy?
Podcast
Science

Harsh state policies imply it’s not — but what do the studies say?

By Keren Landman, MD
Unexplainable
4 unexplainable mysteries of pregnancy and parenting4 unexplainable mysteries of pregnancy and parenting
Podcast
Unexplainable

Why do we know so little about pregnancy — one of the most common experiences on Earth?

By Brian Resnick and Byrd Pinkerton
Unexplainable
What is life? Scientists still can’t agree.What is life? Scientists still can’t agree.
Podcast
Unexplainable

Science writer Carl Zimmer explains why this question has been so hard to answer.

By Brian Resnick
3 unexplainable mysteries of life on Earth
Podcast
Unexplainable

Earth, for all we know, is the only planet with life on it. But how did it start?

By Brian Resnick
Unexplainable
How Havana syndrome helps us rethink the brainHow Havana syndrome helps us rethink the brain
Podcast
Unexplainable

A neurologist explains how its weird symptoms can manifest via a common but misunderstood class of brain ailments.

By Noam Hassenfeld
How scientists discovered the universe is really freaking huge
Podcast
Unexplainable

Edwin Hubble’s name is everywhere in astronomy. Henrietta Leavitt’s should be too.

By Brian Resnick, Amanda Northrop and 1 more
The mystery of the mimic plant
Podcast
Down to Earth

There’s drama in the plant world — and a shape-shifting vine is at the center of it.

By Benji Jones
Science
Space is deadly. NASA’s Artemis mission will help us learn how to survive it.Space is deadly. NASA’s Artemis mission will help us learn how to survive it.
Podcast
Science

The rocket finally launched, equipped with scientific experiments to test how deep space affects our bodies.

By Neel Dhanesha
Unexplainable
A mountain, a tower, a thermos of molten salt. These are the batteries that could power our renewable future.A mountain, a tower, a thermos of molten salt. These are the batteries that could power our renewable future.
Podcast
Unexplainable

Climate change is pushing the power grid to the limit. Energy storage could help.

By Neel Dhanesha
Unexplainable
The mysterious rise of food allergiesThe mysterious rise of food allergies
Podcast
Unexplainable

More kids and adults are finding out that they can’t eat their favorite foods. Why?

By Umair Irfan
Down to Earth
The race to find 2,100 missing species before they go extinctThe race to find 2,100 missing species before they go extinct
Podcast
Down to Earth

Many animals aren’t endangered or extinct — they’re missing. Species detectives are trying to track them down.

By Benji Jones
What did dinosaurs actually sound like? Take a listen.
Podcast
Unexplainable

Two tubas, a chicken, and a low-pitched alligator: The weird ways scientists imagine dinosaur voices.

By Noam Hassenfeld