3+ day, 23+ hour ago   (408+ words) Published Sep 9, 2026 9:00 AM EDT FACT: Hector the tickle robot is real, and they’re spectacular FACT: How prickly ash and chili pepper combine to create a fascinating taste explosion This week’s episode features special guest Priya Mani. She’s a food historian,…...

6+ day, 18+ hour ago   (291+ words) Published Sep 6, 2026 2:00 PM EDT Between 20 and 30 percent of Americans bite their nails, according to The Cleveland Clinic. Why? Among other reasons, nail biting “often has a self-soothing quality—in fact, it provides a sense of calm—so people may use…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (310+ words) Published Sep 2, 2026 11:16 AM EDT One of a smartwatch’s main selling points can be its ability to track the calories burned while exercising. But similar to the health tech industry’s “10,000 steps” selling point, new research strongly suggests a wearable’s workout assessment…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (410+ words) Published Aug 31, 2026 5:43 PM EDT Editor’s note: This story was originally published in July 2015 What makes a gadget worth wearing? Apple is betting it knows better than anyone, and today they’ll likely reveal the final details of the Apple Watch–the…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (133+ words) Published Aug 31, 2026 1:08 PM EDT “We have traditionally had to make a choice between cooling performance and appearance,” Adelaide University materials engineer Jun Ma and study co-author said in a statement. “Our research shows that we can have both. We can…...

2+ week, 19+ hour ago   (644+ words) Published Aug 29, 2026 1:00 PM EDT Do you take your shoes off when you enter your home? If not, I think you’re disgusting (sorry, not sorry, I’m Canadian)! But you’re not here to learn where people do and don’t take off shoes....

2+ week, 3+ day ago   (480+ words) Published Aug 26, 2026 9:00 AM EDT Longtime listeners (and readers) already know that I love naked mole rats. More importantly, you already know that naked mole rats are freaky. They’re basically impervious to pain and seemingly immune to cancer. They’re mysteriously cold-blooded....

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (326+ words) Published Aug 24, 2026 9:00 AM EDT Our DNA stores a remarkable amount of information. A single gram contains about 215 million gigabytes of data on everything from our eye color to the shape of our feet. Now, scientists are harnessing this storage power…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (320+ words) Published Aug 23, 2026 10:04 AM EDT Whether it’s the belly, armpits, or feet, many people are ticklish at least somewhere on their body. Nevertheless, scientists have paid little attention to the silly sensation. As such, two researchers took it upon themselves to…...

3+ week, 19+ hour ago   (386+ words) Published Aug 22, 2026 1:19 PM EDT You put your toothbrush in your mouth. You store it in your bathroom, near your toilet. If that’s something you’d rather not think about, I understand. In 2015, a grad student at Quinnipiac University found fecal matter…...