News Sidequest Megafeed

News Sidequest - Remembering Margaret Hamilton / Halloween candy is up 71% / Your Keurig is doing something and nobody knows what

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who led the team that wrote the software guiding Apollo’s astronauts to the moon and coined the term “software engineering,” died September 30 at 90. Then: Halloween candy prices have risen 71% since 2021 — a 100-piece bag that cost $9.91 in 2021 now costs $16.96 — driven by cocoa deficits, sugar prices, and tariffs, with 80% of Halloween shoppers expecting to pay more this year. And an IT professional named Anthony discovered his parents’ Keurig K-Supreme SMART coffee maker had uploaded 1,008 gigabytes of data in 10 days and 9 hours — saturating their home Wi-Fi access point on its own. Most of the data apparently stayed on the local network. A reboot fixed it. Nobody knows what it was doing. Plus a passenger who stole an airport tug, the 844-pound alligator Snaggletooth, a woman who married 14 men to fund a gambling habit, and an STI that is becoming a drug-resistant superbug.

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Sidequests - The Reality of Modern Deployments and Military Leadership

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The USS Abraham Lincoln spent ten months at sea. It left port in peacetime and came home from a war, and port calls were ruled out because every nearby harbor was within range of Iran. Rich Kolko, a former Navy P-3 pilot and retired FBI agent, joins Keith Conrad to separate fact from viral photos. Kolko explains why the deployment's toughness was circumstantial rather than a failure of planning, and why social media is showing Americans what sailors have always gone through. He also weighs in on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's agenda, including cutting admirals and generals, creating a new autonomous warfare command, and bringing in outsiders to fix procurement. His verdict is that some ideas are overdue and others need a second look, but the drone war won't wait. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle, and so does the work.

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News Sidequest - Zoom calls at 30,000 feet are becoming a thing / Vegetables are half as nutritious as they were in the 1960s / Two thirds of Gen Z have tried psychics or spells to find love

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Starlink satellite internet is now on hundreds of planes across United, British Airways, Qatar, Air France and others, with speeds fast enough for actual Zoom calls — and some airlines are now explicitly allowing them, while passenger complaints are already mounting. Also: a new report from Deep Science Ventures finds that fruits and vegetables have lost 20 to 50% of key minerals since the 1960s due to declining soil quality and breeding crops for yield over nutrition — you now need to eat twice as many vegetables to get the same levels of potassium, magnesium, and copper. And a new DatingNews survey of 1,013 Americans finds 64% of Gen Z has tried manifestation, psychics, tarot cards, astrology, or love spells to improve their dating life — and 19% paid for a love spell, with Etsy offering them for as little as $2. Plus 10 birds in a traveler's underwear, a flight diverted for broken bathrooms, a Spirit Halloween planet, and a fake substitute teacher in Milwaukee.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Chicago Shakespeare Theater: One Set, Two Shows

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In both The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream, it snows on stage. That's a small piece of a much bigger puzzle for Wendy Stark Prey, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's director of production. Her job is to take everyone else's vision and figure out how to build it, night after night, without anyone slipping on stage.

Wendy talks about how she got into theater almost by accident, through speech and debate club, and how a costume background led her to run one of the largest costume shops in the country before eventually landing in production management. She explains how LED screens and projections are changing what's possible on stage, and why newer technology doesn't always mean a better show. She also covers the specific headaches of a theater that sits on Navy Pier, right on the lake, from HVAC systems that can ruin a scene to a live flame effect that needed sign-off from the Chicago Fire Department.

And she breaks down the real puzzle of this season: two plays, one set, one cast, and two production teams who each see it a little differently.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

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News Sidequest - Man turns 108 and has opinions about your diet / Parents are using AI to skip the school photo racket / Why we're hiding a skeleton in the Mackinac Island house

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Beryl Dillman, a retired educator who spent 50 years as a principal and professor, turned 108 in Eugene, Oregon last week — his family believes he may be the oldest living man in the state — and credits a clean diet, no alcohol, and his "good mind" for getting here. "As long as I've got my good mind, I can meet people," he said. Also: a TikTok creator named Carlie Bond went viral for photographing her three kids against a plain wall, uploading the images to ChatGPT with the prompt "make it look like a school picture," and posting the results — drawing a wave of parents sharing their own cost-saving AI school photo hacks, with some also using AI to remove watermarks from proof photos they didn't pay for, which legal experts note is copyright infringement. And a story about a wallet found after 51 years in a home renovation — which is a perfect jumping-off point for the Mackinac Island house, the skeleton in the wall, and what you'd want to leave behind for whoever comes after you. Plus the Sasquatch calling competition, the $30 painting that sold for $1.35 million, MIT's stellar cannibalism observation, and the Jefferson DNA study.

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Sidequests - The Great Chicago Fire: The Cow, the Comet, and the City That Burned

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Everyone knows how the Great Chicago Fire started. The problem is, that story probably isn't true.

On October 8, 1871, a fire tore through Chicago and destroyed one of the fastest-growing cities in America. The official explanation became legend. But the real story — the one historians eventually uncovered — is far more interesting, and far stranger, than the version most people learned.

In this episode of Sidequests, we look at what actually happened that night, why the myth took hold so completely, and one wild theory that might just change how you think about the whole event.

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News Sidequest - Are babies conscious? Researchers think yes, and much earlier than we assumed / Breakfast is the new first date / What happens to your relationships when you stop drinking

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The New York Times published a piece this week synthesizing the latest research on infant consciousness — and the scientific consensus is shifting toward yes, with growing evidence that some form of conscious experience is present at birth or even in late pregnancy, long before anyone can ask a baby what it's thinking. Also: a Kellogg's survey of Australian singles finds 64% are open to breakfast or coffee as a first date, with 54% saying dating is harder than it used to be and 66% saying apps have drained the authenticity out of it — and with average first date costs now hitting $252 for millennials, a $15 eggs benedict is looking strategic. And the Washington Post profiled what actually happens to marriages and friendships when one person stops drinking — and the pattern is consistent, well-documented, and more complicated than most people anticipate. Plus a British Airways 28,000-foot drop, a 6-carat diamond found in Arkansas, whisky aging in orbit, and chimp friendship dynamics.

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News Sidequest - Being a reader is now a dating green flag / Artery plaque is showing up in people under 30 who feel perfectly healthy / The space station might win the Nobel Peace Prize

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Washington Post profiled the growing trend of readers treating non-readers as a dealbreaker — including a new dating app called Readme built specifically for bibliophiles — with Bumble data finding that straight women are 66% more likely to swipe right if a man lists reading as a hobby, and 75% of people across genders finding readers more attractive. Also: a major international study published in The New England Journal of Medicine examined more than 16,800 healthy adults aged 18 to 70 with no known cardiovascular disease and found artery plaque in 57.1% of them — including about 1 in 13 adults under 30. And the Nobel Peace Prize is being announced this Friday, October 9th, with the International Space Station emerging as a genuine top contender — a symbol of continuous international scientific cooperation between the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada through 25 years of wars, elections, and geopolitical turbulence. Plus the Red Lobster fake emergency, the $128K ATM finder, phantom phone vibrations, and the Florida beach paying you to vacation.

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News Sidequest - Americans stopped believing in college / McDonald's AI decides how much your Big Mac costs — and you'd be surprised how much it varies / 1 in 8 cancers worldwide are caused by infections you can prevent

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Gallup released new data today showing only 31% of Americans say a college education is "very important" — down from 70% in 2013, and the lowest reading since the question was first asked in 1978. Only 12% say college is affordable. Also: a Reuters investigation finds McDonald's has been using an AI pricing engine since at least 2019 to calculate the "optimal price" for every menu item at every restaurant based on what customers in that area are willing to pay — the same Big Mac costs $5.69 at one Fresno store and $6.89 two miles away — and the company once recommended an $18 Big Mac meal at a highway rest stop. And the International Agency for Research on Cancer published a Lancet Oncology analysis finding that 2.3 million cancer cases worldwide in 2024 — one in eight — were caused by infections including H. pylori, HPV, hepatitis B, and Epstein-Barr virus, most of which are preventable with vaccines or treatment. Plus the TSA peanut butter reminder, the escaped auction cow, the dog finding lost children, and a sausage recall.

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News Sidequest - Tinder just reinvented the group hangout / 93% of household plastics contain hazardous chemicals / No more drugstore passport photos

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Tinder launched Group Hangouts today — groups of 3 to 15 friends create a shared profile, discover other groups, and if both groups like each other, get a shared chat to plan an in-person outing. Testing in Australia found a 40% acceptance rate and women were 2.2 times more likely to like a group profile than a one-on-one. Also: the Environmental Justice Foundation published "Poison Plastics," finding that 93% of known plastic chemicals in everyday products — water bottles, kitchenware, clothing, toys — are classified as high-risk to human health, and more than 50% of those chemicals aren't regulated by any major jurisdiction. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that beginning next year, Americans can apply for their first passport entirely online through America.gov — taking their own photo on a smartphone, uploading it, paying online, and tracking the application in real time. "No printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo, no appointment, no line, no middleman." Plus the shark in the New Jersey flood, the whale sinking the yacht, flesh-eating bacteria, and the TSA standing mandate.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Learning by Doing

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Edward Hall is the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and this fall he's directing two Shakespeare plays at the same time with the same company of actors. He has no directing degree. He learned the job by doing it.

Edward tells the story of how he got here: acting at university in Leeds, drama school in North London, and borrowing about fifteen hundred pounds to take a new play to Edinburgh. His big break came at a small theater outside London, where he was handed Othello, and that led to Propeller, the company he ran for twenty years. Along the way we get a Henry V that took the audience outside to invade France, complete with a real horse.

He also talks about directing radio, television, and video games, why Shakespeare should be treated as a modern writer and not a museum piece, what it's like to put "the punk next to the pinstripe" on Chicago's stages, and what he hopes audiences take home from A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

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News Sidequest - Nobody's coming over anymore / The cost of hobbies is going up and people are spending anyway / Scientists heard a planet's magnetic field for the first time

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Derek Thompson published a piece today finding that the share of Americans who host friends or family at home at least monthly has fallen from 42% in 1975 to 12% in 2026 — a 70% collapse in 50 years. Critically, it's not because people are out doing other things: everyone is home. They're just not inviting anyone over. Also: Bank of America card data finds hobby spending rose 7.9% year over year in August — twice the rate of transactions — as people shift from expensive travel toward at-home activities, but funflation means the at-home alternatives are also getting pricier. And astronomers using the MeerKAT radio array in South Africa have detected radio waves coming directly from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant 63 light-years from Earth, giving scientists the first direct measurement of an exoplanet's magnetic field. Plus the Alberta rat crisis, the DIY self-driving car mods, the Lunatic wrong-way driver, and a moose on a New York highway.

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Sidequests - Fifteen Days to Leave a War

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 01:13:54 GMT

The United States spent twenty years in Afghanistan and about fifteen days leaving. Documentary filmmaker Michael Pack joins Keith Conrad to discuss his new Wall Street Journal film, The Path to Zero, which traces the decisions that turned a planned withdrawal into the chaos of August 2021. Those decisions include a Doha agreement the Taliban had already broken, military advice that went unheeded, the abandonment of Bagram Air Base, and an evacuation announced far too late. Pack explains why the blame belongs to more than one administration, what "moral injury" means for the Marines who worked the Kabul airport gates, and why the belief in a reformed "Taliban 2.0" may be repeating itself in the war with Iran. Enemies usually tell you who they are. The hard part is believing them.

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News Sidequest - The midlife sabbatical sounds great — here's what actually gets in the way / Early retirement is quietly hurting your brain / The case for screaming until you feel better

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Washington Post published a guide to midlife sabbaticals today, and the advice is genuinely sound — extended breaks in your late 30s and 40s reduce burnout, restore perspective, and often lead to more purposeful career decisions. The financial math, however, is another story. Also: a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia following 2,418 people from the Health and Retirement Study finds early retirement, extended time outside the workforce, and unstable employment are all linked to measurably weaker memory and cognition later in life — and for women, early retirement equates to roughly six years of memory deficits. And Bloomberg profiled the rage retreat movement, which ranges from free scream clubs to island forest getaways, with Kristina McMenamin running RAGEher events right here in Chicago. Plus the world's oldest peace treaty, the Texas bathroom car crash, the Popeyes condom lawsuit, and a tractor house demolition.

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News Sidequest - Young Americans are dying at historic rates / The little thing that keeps you going / Why adults cut off their parents

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Virginia Commonwealth University analysis published in The Milbank Quarterly finds death rates for Americans aged 25-44 jumped 71.2% between 2010 and 2021 — the largest surge of any age group — with drug overdoses multiplying sevenfold since 1999, suicides up 40%, and the US now ranking 38th in global life expectancy. Also: Newser reports on research analyzing Reddit threads from people who pulled back from suicidal thoughts, and the finding is consistent with the UC Berkeley Big Joy Project: small, specific, daily moments of joy — not grand interventions — are what kept people going. And new data from Cornell's Karl Pillemer finds 27% of Americans are estranged from at least one family member, YouGov found 38% as of 2025, and the debate over why it's happening is genuinely contested. Plus a second crane falling on the Florida home, a suspect biting a police dog, the racehorse renamed from Austrian Painter, and a Boeing software glitch.

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News Sidequest - One in five couples think they got it wrong / Mankeeping is burning out the women who do it / Weird Al Yankovic now has an asteroid

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Talker Research survey of 2,000 adults finds only 41% of single Americans are confident they'll find "the one" — and 20% of people already in relationships say their current partner isn't their true love. The average person has mistaken someone for "the one" twice before. Also: Stanford researchers have formally defined "mankeeping" — the emotional and social labor women perform to compensate for men's shrinking social networks — and a new psychology study confirms it's linked to measurably higher burnout and lower relationship satisfaction. And the International Astronomical Union officially approved naming asteroid 14331, a mile-wide rock in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, Alyankovic — joining Dollyparton, Freddiemercury, Aretha, Elvis, and the Beatles in the celestial hall of fame. Plus a drone dispute murder-for-hire, Sweden's rude campaign, the raw chicken stalker, and teens recycling 2,675 pounds of sports balls.

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Sidequests - The Man Who Single-Handedly Stopped World War III

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Just after midnight on September 26, 1983, a Soviet early-warning system reported that nuclear war had begun. One officer had minutes to decide whether to believe it. What he chose — and why — may be the most consequential individual decision of the Cold War. This episode of Sidequests tells the full story of that night: what was actually happening in the world that made the moment so dangerous, what the officer saw and how he reasoned through it, what had actually gone wrong with the system, and why the version of this story that made him famous gets the most important detail wrong — in a way that makes the truth considerably more interesting.

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News Sidequest - Why time feels faster as you get older — and what you can do about it / Loneliness costs nearly six years of healthy life / Joachim Lanham

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new synthesis of research published September 23 in StudyFinds finds three competing theories for why time accelerates with age — and confirms that the popular "pile of memories" explanation describes the pattern but doesn't cause it. The actual culprit appears to be neural dedifferentiation: older brains log fewer distinct mental "events" per unit of time. Also: a Tulane University study of 277,489 adults published in Nature Communications finds that men who are both lonely and socially isolated lose nearly 5.8 years of life free from depression and anxiety, and healthy lifestyle choices mitigate the physical risks of isolation but do almost nothing to protect against the psychological damage of loneliness itself. And Joachim Lanham, a 24-year-old Norwegian man who called himself a "transcontinental inline skater" on Instagram, was on day 22 of rollerblading from New York to Los Angeles when he was struck by an SUV near Salina, Kansas, left in a ditch, and died on September 11 with his brother holding his hand.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Two Plays, One Theater

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is turning 40, and this fall it's doing something it has never done before: staging two Shakespeare plays at once, with the same company of 14 actors. A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale will run in repertory, and someone has to make the calendar work.

That someone is Kimberly Motes, executive director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She started the job in October 2023. In this episode, Kimberly explains how she went from high school theater kid to Kennedy Center intern to running one of Chicago's biggest stages. She also covers how a season gets planned, why her job is a lot like running a ballpark, and what it takes to keep about 440 people on the payroll and one very ambitious double-header on track.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

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News Sidequest - 54% of Americans are running on a full brain / Your brain is actually two organs squished together / America is losing a generation of scientists

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans finds 54% say their mental load is at maximum capacity during a typical week — tracking appointments, bills, meals, decisions — and 70% say they don't do enough with each day. Also: Stanford Medicine published a landmark study in Nature Neuroscience finding that the human brain develops from two completely separate progenitor cell populations, suggesting evolution fused two ancient nervous systems together — and the hindbrain that runs your heart and breathing is as evolutionarily distinct from the forebrain that produces poetry and math as jellyfish are from humans. And the data on what's happening to America's scientific pipeline is now in: NIH training awards are down 75%, graduate enrollment at MIT is down 20%, 75% of scientists say they're considering leaving the US, and a modeling study found these cuts create training setbacks that take decades to recover from. Plus the Florida deodorant driver, the Fort Worth toddler fight club, the baby born in Golden Gate Park traffic, and Wendy's closing 300 locations over beef prices.

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Sidequests - That Time Gene Roddenberry Survived a Plane Crash and Saved the Day

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On June 19, 1947, a Pan American flight went down in the Syrian Desert in the middle of the night. Engines failing, fuselage on fire, fifteen people killed on impact — including everyone in the cockpit. Among the survivors was an off-duty 25-year-old pilot named Gene Roddenberry, riding as a passenger. With broken ribs, he pulled people out of the burning wreckage, organized the survivors, improvised shelter from a life raft, and walked four miles across open desert to find help. Almost twenty years later, he created Star Trek. This is the story you've probably never heard about the man who imagined humanity's future in the stars — and what he did the night the sky fell.

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News Sidequest - Talking someone out of a conspiracy theory actually works / The US leads the world in serial killers by a long shot / A robot just got FDA approval to draw your blood

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A PLoS ONE study of 111 college students found that group discussion improved fake news detection — but individual reflection alone did not. The improvement only happened when people talked it through with others. Also: out of 5,757 documented serial killers worldwide, 3,803 came from the United States — 66% of the global total from a country with 4% of the world's population — and researchers have a specific explanation for why. And the FDA authorized the Aletta, a Dutch robotic device made by Vitestro that autonomously draws blood using ultrasound to find your vein, applies a tourniquet, sanitizes the skin, inserts the needle, swaps collection tubes, and applies a bandage — with a first-attempt success rate of 94.5%, comparable to or better than trained human phlebotomists. Plus the stolen 800,000 bees, the human vs. Terminator cage fight, the medieval castle in a Dublin university, and the Gold Rush town for sale.

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News Sidequest - Going out is getting too expensive and Americans are staying home / Toys R Us is back and Geoffrey is off the streets / Schools are now teaching kids to ride bikes

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Washington Post analyzed data going back to 2000 and found concert ticket prices have more than doubled, sports tickets are up 123%, gas is up 27% in the past year alone, and Americans are spending 53 fewer minutes per day doing things outside their homes than they were in 2019. Also: Toys R Us announced 120 new standalone US stores opening this holiday season, bringing its total to 160 — including Creator Studios where influencers will film content — eight years after closing every American location in 2018. And a nonprofit called All Kids Bike has now brought learn-to-ride curricula into nearly 2,000 US elementary schools because a growing number of children have no parent, sibling, or neighborhood where they'd otherwise learn. Plus a golden retriever greeting a burglar with toys, an ex-airline CEO starting a fire, a 132-year-late library magazine, and a humpback whale 60 miles from the ocean.

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News Sidequest - College is coming apart at the seams / Three minutes with a mini donkey might be the answer / Your parents' longevity is a preview of yours

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Atlantic published a comprehensive diagnosis of American higher education this week: 27% of private colleges now get a D for financial stability, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates has surpassed the national average, and the promise that a four-year degree leads to a stable career is cracking in real time. Also: a UC Davis study published in Scientific Reports found that just three minutes of interacting with rescued miniature horses and donkeys — named Olivia, Randy, Mary, and Memphis — made teens feel less anxious, less lonely, and calmer. And a JAMA Network Open study of more than 4,000 people found that adults with at least one parent who lived to 100 had a 42% lower risk of death and 33% lower risk of cardiovascular disease — and hypertension arrived five years later. Plus Olympic rowing in a croc-filled river, a stolen ambulance outside Avenged Sevenfold, five generations sharing a birthday, and 116 reptiles in a jacket.

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Sidequests - Antietam: The Bloodiest Day in American History

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam produced nearly 23,000 casualties in a single day — the bloodiest in American military history — and ended in a military stalemate. Lee retreated. McClellan didn't pursue. But Lincoln interpreted the Confederate withdrawal as a Union victory and used it to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation five days later, transforming the Civil War from a fight to preserve the Union into a fight to end slavery. This episode of Sidequests covers Antietam: the lost Confederate orders that should have given McClellan a decisive advantage, the brutal fighting at the Cornfield and Bloody Lane, and how a bloody draw on the battlefield became one of the most consequential political moments in American history.

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News Sidequest - The burger has become a luxury item / Singles want commitment more than ever — they just can't figure out how to get there / The dictionary just added looksmaxxing and cuffing season

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Ground beef is now averaging $6.70 per pound — up 45% over the last decade and 70% since 2021 — a $30 burger is showing up on menus from New York to California, and Hamburger Helper is now suggesting on its packaging that customers try hot dogs instead. Also: the Kinsey Institute's 15th annual Singles in America survey of 5,000 adults finds the share who want to marry someday jumped from 33% in 2010 to 45% in 2026, 52% say the hard economy makes them more interested in finding someone to share life with, and 72% are open to dating — but only 16% are actively doing it. And Merriam-Webster just added 1,400 new words, including looksmaxxing, cuffing season, Sunday scaries, crashout, parasocial, vibe coding, and the uncanny valley. Plus the Gulf of Cleveland, the Yellowstone hot spring junk haul, human neurons fused into mouse brains, and a snake in the bread aisle.

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News Sidequest - What Reading does for your brain / The housing market is about to meet 7% mortgages / Why your kid's wandering attention might be smarter than yours

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A University of Cambridge review published this week confirms that just six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68% — faster than music, walking, or a cup of tea — and that consistent reading across the lifespan is linked to lower dementia risk, better empathy, and slower cognitive decline. Also: the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has climbed to 6.71%, its highest level since July 2025, putting 7% within 34 basis points and threatening to deepen what's already the most stagnant housing market in years, driven by the Iran war's pressure on oil prices and inflation expectations. And Ohio State researchers found that children's tendency to look all over the place — distributed attention — protects them from the learning traps that adults fall into when we over-focus. Plus the $118K YouTube ad spend, the poacher trampled by elephants, the garden sculpture revelation, and the bat on the Scottish train.

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Sidequests - The Mold That Changed Medicine Forever

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In September 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find a contaminated culture plate — a mold had grown on it, and in a ring around the mold, all the bacteria were dead. Most scientists would have thrown it away. Fleming looked more closely, recognized what he was seeing, and named the substance penicillin. This episode of Sidequests covers the discovery, the decade-long stall before anyone could make it work, how World War II created the urgency that finally drove Florey and Chain to solve the stability problem, and why the story of the first antibiotic is really a story about accident, observation, and the gap between scientific discovery and practical medicine.

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News Sidequest - Nearly three quarters of Americans are exhausted / A startup is building robot soldiers and the CEO will arm them if asked / Phones at restaurants are the new cigarettes — or are they?

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The CDC's first-ever national fatigue study, surveying 27,000 adults, found 71.5% experienced fatigue on multiple days in the past three months — with one in six feeling exhausted most days or every day, and younger adults aged 18-34 hitting the highest rate of any age group. Also: Foundation Future Industries, a San Francisco startup founded in 2024 with $24 million in Pentagon contracts, is building a humanoid robot called Phantom — 5'9", 176 pounds — and its CEO says he'll arm it for combat if the military asks. They're aiming for 10,000 units next year. And the WSJ declared that phones at restaurants are the new cigarettes — but the comparison has a significant flaw that's worth naming. Plus a lawyer who cited fake ChatGPT witnesses in a murder case, 100 people screaming at the ocean in San Francisco, a fatal enchilada dispute, and the Rich Dad Poor Dad author's $1.2 billion in debt.

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News Sidequest - Praising kids for being smart teaches them to cheat / Great white sharks have moved into Maine / The home feature you didn't know you needed

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A University of Wollongong study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that preschoolers told they succeeded because they were "smart" cheated on a subsequent test 64% of the time — nearly double the rate of kids praised for effort, luck, or an easy task. Also: great white sharks have become regular summer visitors to southern Maine, with nearly a dozen spotted off Scarborough Beach over two days in August, a lifeguard pulled underwater, and the Atlantic white shark population rebounding steadily after decades of conservation. And the WSJ profiled the wild must-haves luxury home buyers are requesting in 2026 — which is a great jumping-off point for the Mackinac Island house. Plus a drug dealer's loyalty card program, the Miami poop bucket neighbor, an art collector who paid $4,000 for trash, and a high school student suspended for coffee.

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News Sidequest - Remembering September 11 / Bedroom light is quietly hurting your heart / The Ig Nobels crowned rich people for taking candy from children / Snoop Dogg found a $120,000 marketing budget that worked

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Tulane University study published in the European Heart Journal found that people exposed to more than 3 lux of light while sleeping — about the brightness of light bleeding under a closed door — developed thicker, stiffer heart walls over three years. Also: the 2026 Ig Nobel Prize in Economics went to a team of UC Irvine researchers who confirmed across multiple experiments that wealthy people are more likely to steal candy meant for children, cut off other drivers, and lie at work — and the prize ceremony itself took place for the first time in Zurich with Nobel laureates handing out awards. And Snoop Dogg posted a job for an international ice cream taster at his Dr. Bombay brand, paying $10,000 a month for three months — received 200,000 applications from 133 countries — and got more coverage of his ice cream brand in a week than most companies get in a year.

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News Sidequest - Teens are reading at a level one year behind where they should be / What makes an AI chatbot actually work for older adults / Pokémon cards as post-apocalypse currency

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The OECD's 2025 PISA test of 760,000 fifteen-year-olds across 91 countries found reading, math, and science scores at their lowest levels since testing began in 2000 — with teens reading at a level previously expected of students one year younger, and students who regularly used AI chatbots for essays and summaries scoring the equivalent of a year behind in science. Also: a Singapore University of Technology and Design study found that older adults were most likely to adopt and bond with an AI chatbot when it felt authentic and responsive — and counterintuitively, the more human-like the chatbot seemed, the less likely they were to use it. And Peter Levin, founder of Griffin Gaming Partners and owner of 500,000+ trading cards, told the Hollywood Reporter he genuinely believes Pokémon cards will serve as currency after an apocalypse. Plus a coyote catching a roadrunner, the largest Viking silver trove found in Denmark, the Cat in the Hat chasing a teen, and a fake Downing Street Booking.com listing.

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News Sidequest - You can meet people at the gate again / CDs are back and half the buyers don't own a player / Write it down and fall asleep faster

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The TSA has launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck at 13 US airports, allowing eligible non-ticketed visitors to pass through security and meet family at the gate for the first time since September 11, 2001. Also: CD sales jumped 16% in the first half of 2026 — outpacing vinyl's 2.4% growth — driven by Gen Z collectors, K-pop fans, and one remarkable data point: roughly half of Gen Z buyers who purchased a CD this year don't own a CD player. And a Baylor University study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that five minutes of writing a specific to-do list before bed caused participants to fall asleep nine minutes faster than those who wrote about what they'd already done. Plus a duct-taped first-class passenger, an MMA fighter offered $500K to fight a chimp, a crocodile head in Italian airport luggage, and the one bathroom trip rule.

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Sidequests - The Day the Pope Deleted Ten Days From the Calendar

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On October 4, 1582, Catholic Europe went to bed and woke up ten days later. Pope Gregory XIII had ordered the deletion of October 5-14 to correct 1,600 years of accumulated drift in the Julian Calendar — a drift of just 11 minutes per year that had compounded into an 11-day error in the date of the spring equinox. This episode of Sidequests covers the Julian-to-Gregorian calendar shift: the elegant mathematics behind the fix, the legal and commercial chaos the deleted days created, why Protestant countries refused to adopt a Catholic calendar innovation for over a century, and why it took nearly 400 years — until Greece switched in 1923 — for the entire world to finally agree on what day it was.

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News Sidequest - Being single is actually good for you if you do it right / MapQuest is back and it made a statement / Men skipping showers to attract women and how that's going

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Simon Fraser University study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin finds that single people who view their singlehood as an opportunity for growth — trying new things, traveling solo, pursuing hobbies — report higher life satisfaction, less fear of being single, and stronger feelings of autonomy than those who see it as a waiting room. Also: MapQuest announced it would not rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its maps, usage jumped 50 times its normal rate, it became the number one navigation app in the US App Store for the first time in its 30-year history, and hundreds of thousands of new users downloaded an app they assumed had ceased to exist. And "pheromone-maxxing" is a TikTok trend where Gen Z men skip showers before dates believing their natural scent will make them biologically irresistible. Scientists note that human pheromones have not been definitively proven to exist. Women have largely confirmed they are not finding this irresistible. Plus a $30 Walmart manhunt, the John Wayne Gacy brain jar stalker, rabid baby goats, and the disappearing Canadian island.

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Sidequests - The False Flag That Started World War II

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On August 31, 1939, German commandos dressed in Polish uniforms staged a fake attack on a radio station near the Polish border, broadcast a fabricated message in Polish, and left behind a murdered prisoner to serve as evidence. The next morning, Hitler used the incident as justification for invading Poland. Within days, World War II had begun. This episode of Sidequests covers the Gleiwitz Incident — the false flag operation that started the deadliest conflict in human history, how it was planned and executed in a matter of hours, why the lie worked well enough to serve its purpose, and what investigators discovered after the war when they pieced together exactly what had happened.

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News Sidequest - We can't afford to live or die / Illinois set a tornado record nobody wanted / The terrible movie you keep coming back to

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

NBC News reports that funeral costs have risen 77% over two decades — a traditional burial now runs $10,000 to $15,000, a no-frills cremation is still more than $2,500, and families who planned for traditional burial are ending up with cremation not for religious reasons but financial ones. Also: Illinois has had 243 preliminary tornado reports in 2026, breaking the all-time US state record set by Texas in 2015, in a state that averages 66 tornadoes per year — and the year isn't over. And The Atlantic profiled China's strangest cultural phenomenon: a genuinely terrible movie that has generated $200 million at the box office specifically because audiences find joy in experiencing something so bad together. Plus a naked DoorDash driver, a pilot who announced over the PA "I am the one who is ill," the alien abduction story where the alien was the one abducted, and the US-Mexico cheese name dispute.

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News Sidequest - Your ChatGPT confessions can end up in court / 82% of Americans are on autopilot / The marmots of Sequoia have declared war

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Washington Post found a dozen cases in the past two years where ChatGPT conversations were used as legal evidence — spanning criminal prosecutions, custody disputes, and corporate litigation — and one legal expert called chatbot logs "a window into the soul" that reveals things search history never could. Also: a new survey finds 82% of Americans feel like they're going through life on autopilot, with 71% skipping or delaying meals because they're too busy, and the average energy crash hitting at 2:48 p.m. And the Wall Street Journal profiled the yellow-bellied marmots of Sequoia National Park, who have been stealing shoes, chewing car wiring, licking sleeping hikers' ears, and charging anyone who tries to retrieve their stolen gear. Plus the guillotine parking violation, a bear who started a kitchen fire in Colorado, Lake Ontario's new name, and the tomb of Jesus.

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Sidequests - The First Person Ever Killed by a Car

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On August 31, 1869, a 62-year-old Irish woman named Mary Ward was thrown from a steam-powered automobile and killed when the rear wheel ran over her — becoming the first recorded automotive fatality in history. The newspapers barely covered it. No safety investigation followed. Society moved on. This episode of Sidequests marks the anniversary of her death and examines what the lack of reaction reveals about how we actually adopt new technology: not carefully, not cautiously, but by accepting casualties as the cost of progress and building systems around the deaths rather than stopping. Mary Ward's story was forgotten for over a century, then rediscovered by historians — significant in retrospect, invisible at the time.

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News Sidequest - Spending for joy and feeling guilty about it / You need a vacation and here's the science / 37% of Americans think UFOs are alien spacecraft

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Ally Bank survey of 5,000 adults finds the average American scores 54 out of 100 on a "Joy Index" — in "joy pressured" territory — with 72% feeling guilty when they spend money on things that make them happy, and only 15% saying joy is easy to afford. Also: the research on why getting away is genuinely good for you, and a better question than "should I go" — which is "where?" And a new Gallup poll conducted this July finds 37% of Americans believe some UFOs are alien spacecraft, 49% think all sightings have earthly explanations, and 78% — a record — believe the government is hiding what it knows. Plus Tim Curry, lab-grown brain tissue, toilet paper prices, and a man terrorizing Philadelphia in a Halloween mask.

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News Sidequest - Kids' sports as investment vehicles / Healthcare anxiety and the money behind it / Do we need an app to stop texting us?

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Before today's news: Dolly Parton died yesterday at 80, peacefully in Nashville. Then: the youth sports industrial complex and what it's actually costing families who've confused ambition with investment. Plus healthcare anxiety is at an all-time high and the reason is almost entirely financial. And a new category of apps designed to slow down your text messages — which raises a question about why we need the app in the first place.

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Sidequests - Why Everyone Is Suddenly Freaking Out About the Bond Market

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Last week, 30-year Treasury yields hit their highest level since 2007. The Treasury Department tried bond buybacks to calm things down. It worked for about a day. Then yields climbed back up. This episode of Sidequests is the plain-language explainer: what bonds and yields actually are, why investors are getting nervous about lending to a government carrying $40 trillion in debt, why the Treasury's short-term fixes didn't hold, and why a problem in a financial market most people never think about eventually shows up in mortgage rates, car loans, and credit cards. The bond market isn't exciting — but it's where the price of money gets established, and right now the price of money is going up.

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News Sidequest - Your phone is affecting your kid's vocabulary — especially yours / Getting high has never been cheaper / Screenshots are making you forget things

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics followed 747 Norwegian children from age 5 to 7 and found that higher smartphone use by a child's primary parent was associated with slower vocabulary growth in the child — not the child's own screen time, the parent's. Also: the New York Times reports that the real price of recreational drugs has collapsed over the past decade — marijuana is down roughly 80% since legal markets arrived, cocaine is at historic lows, and synthetic opioids cost pennies per dose — and the consequences are still catching up with public health systems. And Binghamton University researchers confirmed across seven experiments that taking a screenshot of something makes you significantly less likely to remember it later. Plus the Alaska triple-Sullivan election, the fake Greek amphitheater, the horse semen lab house, and the shadow puppet tree trimmer.

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News Sidequest - Ice sales say we're not having a great time / Women win top jobs and earn less for doing it / A Chinese robot just outran Usain Bolt

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Texas Monthly profiled Reddy Ice — the bagged ice giant that dominates North America's market — and found that its sales are one of the most accurate real-time gauges of how Americans are actually feeling: parties and gatherings mean ice sales spike; hunkering down means they drop. Care to guess where they are right now? Also: a new lab study found that when competition was designed to mirror how people actually vie for jobs, women competed just as hard as men and won top positions more often — but the wages at the top had been bid down so fiercely that winners ended up no better off. And at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday, a Chinese robot named Lightning ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds — beating Usain Bolt's 9.58-second world record from 2009, set by a human, which held for 17 years. At the finish line, the robots crashed into cushions and were carried off on stretchers. Plus Columbia House shutting down, a guinea pig sanctuary, a laptop fire on a plane, and a very aggressive donkey.

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News Sidequest - Only 1% of lawmakers have ever had a working-class job / Ticks are winning and nobody has a good answer / The drone dropped it in the pool

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Research by Duke University political scientists finds that about half the American labor force has working-class jobs, and only about 1% of state legislators come from working-class backgrounds — a gap that holds regardless of party and has gotten slightly worse since they last measured it. Also: the New York Times Magazine published a deep look at why ticks are more dangerous than ever, the diseases they're spreading are more numerous and harder to treat, and the public health system has no coherent response. And the day after Amazon announced it was expanding drone delivery to 500 cities, a Texas woman named Lindsey Austen watched a drone hover over her backyard, open its hatch, and drop her package directly into her swimming pool. "I don't think I'll be wanting any more drone deliveries," she said. Plus a woman arrested for pointing a gun at a KFC employee, a ring recovered from a NJ Transit train toilet, a naked man surviving a jump from the Brooklyn Bridge, and a 38-year-old who got a couple to adopt her.

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Sidequests - The Crossword That Almost Gave Away D-Day

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In the spring of 1944, with D-Day just weeks away, British intelligence noticed something alarming in the Daily Telegraph crossword: the classified code words for the Normandy invasion — Utah, Omaha, Overlord, Neptune, Mulberry — were appearing as answers, one after another, in a civilian newspaper read across Britain. MI5 investigated, interrogated the schoolmaster who created the puzzles, and found no evidence of espionage. The official explanation for forty years was extraordinary coincidence. Then in 1984, a former student offered a stranger account involving overheard conversations, teenage curiosity, and an accidental chain of carelessness that no one fully understood at the time.

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News Sidequest - LinkedIn is accidentally a dating app / Amazon drones are coming to 500 cities / Fewer people are gambling but you'd never know it from the ads

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

LinkedIn was never supposed to be a dating app. It's becoming one anyway — one in eight workers has formed a romantic relationship that started there, nearly half think LinkedIn profiles are more trustworthy than dating profiles, and the platform's lawyers have opinions about all of this. Also: Amazon just announced Prime Air drone delivery is expanding from 11 locations to nearly 500 cities by the end of this year, with deliveries possible in as little as 30 minutes for anything under five pounds — and Chicago is on the list. And a new Gallup poll finds that fewer Americans are gambling than at any point in the last four decades — even as sportsbooks are advertising on every surface imaginable and prediction markets are processing billions per month. Plus a surprise bear at an apartment complex, Harvard's $53 million body parts settlement, Portuguese men o' war on European beaches, and a world record set on a sticky note.

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News Sidequest - The job market is ghosting people / Nearly one in ten Gen Zers has no human contact / New music is killing people on the road

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Employer ghosting of job applicants just hit a three-year high — and companies are now pulling offers from people who already quit their other jobs and told their families they'd found something. Also: nearly one in ten Gen Zers reports zero face-to-face human contact on a typical day, and the number hasn't come back down since COVID the way most people assumed it would. And Harvard researchers confirmed that on the days the biggest albums drop — Taylor Swift, Drake, Kendrick Lamar — fatal car crashes spike 15%, because people are navigating Spotify in traffic instead of waiting until they're parked. Plus a squid spill that blocked a Rhode Island road for eight hours, a wildfire couple told to pay their cable cancellation fee, 200 lizards in 22 pairs of socks, and the national debt hitting $40 trillion.

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Sidequests - The Great Catapult Reversal

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

President Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon electromagnetic aircraft catapults and return to 1950s-era steam launch systems — despite Navy reports that the electromagnetic system is now working as designed and contributing to higher aircraft sortie rates than older carriers. This episode of Sidequests covers how aircraft carrier catapults actually work, why EMALS was genuinely problematic during development and why Trump's original criticism was fair, what has changed since then, and why the order to reverse course now — with one carrier already under construction around the new system and steam manufacturing capacity largely dormant — may cost far more than the alternative it's meant to replace.

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News Sidequest - Memories survive even when the brain nearly shuts off / Doctors need sacred moments — and so do you / The woman who hired a flirting coach and found her husband in 90 days

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A landmark paper in Science finds that mice retained memories after artificial hibernation eliminated more than half their hippocampal synapses and reduced neuronal activity by 70% — suggesting memories are stored in patterns of neural architecture rather than individual synaptic connections, and may be far more resilient than anyone realized. Also: a multi-institution study from the University of Michigan, Lawson Research Institute, and others finds that "sacred moments" — brief periods of transcendence and deep connection at work — protect against burnout, but fewer than 5% of physicians who've experienced one have ever mentioned it to a colleague. And Elizabeth Laing, 49, from Greenwich, spent decades on dating apps, hired a flirting coach who sent her to ask men about their carrots in the grocery store, and found her husband in three months. Plus a megalodon tooth on the Jersey Shore, influencers attacked by sharks while taking selfies, NASA keeping Voyager 2 alive, and the woman who died, came back, and got a parking ticket.

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News Sidequest - 86% of young people want to get married and almost none of them are dating / An AI just fired someone — sort of / 52% of Gen Z is betting their retirement savings

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A nationally representative survey of 5,275 unmarried adults ages 22-35 by the Wheatley and Institute for Family Studies finds only 31% are actively dating — with 74% of women and 64% of men having had zero or almost no dates in the past year — despite 86% wanting to marry someday. The biggest barrier isn't fear of commitment. It's a collapse in self-confidence and social skills. Also: an AI agent named Luna, running a real retail store in San Francisco and built on Claude, fired a real human employee last month for being late to 17 of 23 shifts — but only after being nudged by humans to check its own forgotten attendance policy, and only after a human reviewed and delivered the decision. And Betterment's 2026 Retail Investor Survey of 1,000 investors finds 52% of Gen Z redirected money earmarked for investing into sports betting in the past year, with 26% calling sports betting a deliberate part of their long-term financial strategy — while 96% of sports bettors lose money over time. Plus the stolen Picasso left in an apartment, construction workers finding $10 million in gold, the Shake Shack self-robbery, and the python that caused a school fire.

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News Sidequest - The Couple who walks together stays together / AI just took your whole course for you / There might be something inside psychopaths running the show

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A BYU study of nearly 1,700 married couples finds that those who exercise together report stronger communication, better conflict resolution, and lower marital stress — and walking was the most commonly reported form. Only about a third of couples who exercise do so together. Also: the New York Times reports that AI agents are now logging directly into Canvas and Blackboard, watching lecture videos, completing quizzes, writing discussion posts, and posing as students — and 73% of faculty say they have personally dealt with an AI academic integrity issue. And a new paper in Translational Psychiatry finds that people with stronger psychopathic personality traits have significantly higher levels of three specific gut bacteria — Allisonella, Prevotella, and Cloacibacillus evryensis — and the researchers suggest the gut-brain axis may be influencing behavior in ways previously unrecognized. Plus octopus fight club, a tortoise found 12 miles from home, the polar bear foghorn fine, and tomb raiders stealing from the dead.

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Sidequests - The Night Japanese Soldiers Tried to Stop the Surrender

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On the night of August 14-15, 1945, Japanese Army officers stormed the Imperial Palace, killed a senior general, forged military orders, and searched desperately for the recordings of Emperor Hirohito's surrender speech — determined to destroy them and continue the war. They failed. At noon on August 15, Japan surrendered. This episode of Sidequests covers Japan's last days: the political deadlock that persisted even after Hiroshima, Soviet entry into the war, and Nagasaki; the emperor's unprecedented personal intervention to break it; and the attempted coup that reveals just how contested the surrender actually was — and what all of it tells us about the enduring debate over whether the atomic bombs were necessary to end World War Two.

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News Sidequest - What are you cutting back on — and what won't you touch / Improv class is doing what therapy can't / 260 days at sea with no end date

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Washington Post reports that as the Iran war approaches the six-month mark and inflation hits 3.8%, Americans are cutting corners on groceries, entertainment, and clothing — with Dollar General's CEO noting that core customers are cutting food purchases due to rising gas prices. Also: a new UNIGE study published in Social and Emotional Learning finds that improv theater outperforms mindfulness meditation and emotion-focused board games for improving cognitive empathy and willingness to collaborate in anxious teens specifically — and the mechanism explains why. And the USS Abraham Lincoln has now been at sea for 260 days, extended twice past its expected May return with no end date announced, with multiple sailors having attempted to go overboard, one wife describing her husband's 13-year career potentially ending "just because he was burnt out," and 200 families confronting Navy leadership in San Diego. Plus the demon cavefish, the ancient wrestler's tomb, the Dobby grave pipeline diversion, and the Mini-Mozart heist.

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News Sidequest - Letting your kid play outside alone could get you investigated / Parents are now at the job interview, the performance review, and the layoff / Your dog knows exactly how you feel

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The New York Times reports that a bipartisan federal bill — the Promoting Childhood Independence and Resilience Act — is making its way through Congress specifically because parents are being investigated by CPS for letting their kids play outside unsupervised, with only nine states currently having explicit free-range parenting protections. Also: a Zety survey and multiple HR industry reports confirm that parents are showing up at job interviews, contacting recruiters, challenging performance reviews, calling in sick on behalf of adult children, and intervening in layoffs — with one survey finding 77% of Gen Z job seekers have brought a parent to an interview at least once. And a new iScience study using fMRI brain scans finds that dogs can distinguish not just positive from negative emotions but fear from anger and sadness from fear — with happy human faces activating the dogs' reward centers. Plus the TSA's live-animal-in-electronics plea, 7UP's formula change, a bird strike flame landing, and the boy who listened to cicadas for four hours.

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Sidequests - The Night Berlin Was Divided

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers erected barbed wire across Berlin's streets while the city slept, separating families, severing train lines, and dividing a city overnight. This episode of Sidequests covers the construction of the Berlin Wall — why it was built (East Germany was losing nearly 20 percent of its population to the West and couldn't stop the exodus), how it evolved from barbed wire to a lethal concrete barrier with guard towers and a death strip, what it cost the people who tried to cross it, and why the Western powers allowed it to stand despite their stated commitment to freedom. The wall wasn't built to keep capitalism out. It was built to keep people in — and that distinction is the whole story.

More information:

The Political Orphanage w/ Andrew Heaton: What Really Toppled the Berlin Wall

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News Sidequest - College students are trying to outrun the AI job apocalypse / Having an unexplainable experience is probably fine / The daily routine is the intervention

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Talker Research survey of 2,000 US college students finds that only 45% feel optimistic about the job market, 69% fear AI will cause a "job apocalypse," and 22% have already changed their major because of it — while simultaneously, 91% are using AI to upskill. Also: a Brazilian study of 5,117 adults published in PLOS One finds that "nonordinary experiences" — hearing a voice, sensing a presence, feeling sudden overwhelming awe — are far more common than clinical research suggests, and roughly 51% said the experience had a positive long-term effect on their life. And a University of Missouri study of 67 adults published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine finds that a consistent daily routine was linked to lower physical pain and fewer symptoms of depression — regardless of whether participants had insomnia. Plus a machete vs. hatchet Florida parking lot duel, a flight canceled because a child wouldn't buckle up, a 162-year-old Guinness bottle in a shipwreck, and flesh-eating bacteria.

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News Sidequest - The lies that still annoy you / New Orleans put AI on 911 / Your brain on Diet Coke

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

BuzzFeed compiled 19 "giant lies" sold to entire generations — get a degree and you'll be set, work hard and you'll get ahead, starter homes are just a few years away — and the comments are full of people adding smaller ones that stick just as much. Also: New Orleans has confirmed AI has been answering some 911 calls since 2023, triggering a national debate — but what it's actually doing is considerably more limited and more defensible than the headline suggests, which raises its own questions. And a new eight-year study of nearly 13,000 adults published in the journal Neurology finds that people under 60 who consume artificial sweeteners regularly showed cognitive decline 62% faster than the lowest-consumption group. Plus 90,000 rubber ducks in the Chicago River, a hotel bathtub full of potatoes, a locust swarm in Russia, and a bar banning Meta smart glasses.

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News Sidequest - Betty Bromage is 97 and she just did something you probably couldn't / Hardship is what opens the door to conspiracy theories / A book shoplifted 40 years ago came back with an apology and $100

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Betty Bromage is a 97-year-old former nurse from Cheltenham who suffered a stroke in August 2025, recovered, and on Tuesday walked along the wing of a moving airplane to break her own Guinness World Record — which she previously set at 93. She's already planning something for her 100th birthday. Also: University of Nottingham researchers conducted three studies with more than 1,200 participants and found that hardship alone doesn't predict conspiracy belief — what matters is whether the hardship leads someone to see the world as fundamentally unfair. And on Monday, Booklegger in Old Town Eureka, California received a bubble-wrapped package with an illegible return address. Inside: a first-edition Edward Gorey book stolen roughly 40 years ago, a handwritten apology note from a "young man" who said he was 18 or 19 at the time, and a $100 bill. Plus the Grim Reaper on a hospital roof, gene-edited allergy-free beagles, Neil Armstrong's childhood home, and Americans returning to dairy.

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Sidequests - The Man Who Survived Both Atomic Bombs

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On August 6, 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi was walking through Hiroshima when the first atomic bomb detonated. He survived — burned, his eardrums ruptured, temporarily blind. Three days later, still bandaged, he reported to work in Nagasaki. At 11:02 AM on August 9, the sky lit up again. This episode of Sidequests tells the story of the only person officially recognized as a survivor of both atomic bombings: an ordinary marine engineer on a business trip who forgot an identification stamp and ended up at the center of the two most consequential moments of the nuclear age, then spent the rest of his long life bearing witness to what those weapons actually do to human beings.

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News Sidequest - Less misinformation didn't change what anyone believed / Dating apps are training us to see love as optional / An "AI" chatbot is just one guy named Tucker

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A UC Berkeley study conducted with Meta researchers during the 2020 election reduced users' exposure to untrustworthy content on Facebook and Instagram by 70% — and measured almost no change in beliefs across 20 primary outcomes. The researchers' conclusion is the uncomfortable one: social media companies can change what you see, but beliefs are shaped by something deeper. Also: a new BMC Psychology study of 664 adults finds compulsive dating app use is linked to a weaker belief that romantic love is meaningful and a more transactional view of relationships — people fall in love faster but less discriminately and see love as less worth taking seriously. And a San Francisco billboard is advertising "ChatTJB," described as "the leading chatbot powered by AI" — where AI stands for "average individual," the chatbot is Tucker Bryant, a former Google staffer, and he answers every message by hand to make a point about cognitive surrender. Plus a bush-disguised cop, a prehistoric three-way chomping, the koi fish murder, and a Little Debbie delivery scheme.

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News Sidequest - Work stress is destroying sleep / Pete Crow-Armstrong isn't sure Babe Ruth existed / It's temptation, not stress, that keeps you online

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A yearlong University of Edinburgh study of 45 workers aged 50-66 using wearable sensors found that nearly 70% had persistent clinically significant sleep problems and 92% met sleep disorder criteria at least once — despite most averaging a normal 6.5-8 hours of sleep nightly. The problem isn't duration. It's disruption. Also: Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong — currently having one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history, with numbers that compare favorably to Babe Ruth — appeared on a podcast and said "Babe Ruth never existed is one that I like" as his craziest unpopular opinion. And a two-week study tracking 900 adults published in PLOS ONE found that temptation, not stress or mood, is the strongest predictor of problematic internet use — roughly doubling the odds of going online on any given day. Plus a JetBlue free fall, the Idaho Hungry Hungry Hippos record, nude dining in Florida, and a bison with opinions about tourists.

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News Sidequest - HOAs can take your house and more are trying to / Small talk is medicine you hate taking / The State Department lost every country in Africa

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal reports there were 6,376 properties with HOA-related foreclosure filings in Q1 2026 — up nearly 40% from two years earlier, rising faster than mortgage foreclosure rates, driven by rising insurance premiums, maintenance costs, and homeowners falling behind on dues. Also: a new study published in Psychological Science finds that conversations about boring topics are significantly more enjoyable than people expect — and people systematically underestimate how much strangers enjoy talking to them. And at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, a State Department official presented a map of Africa generated by an OpenAI tool that placed Nigeria in the Sahara Desert, moved Mozambique to the Horn of Africa, and relocated the Ivory Coast away from any coast. Every single country was wrong. Plus the Minnesota spike strip man, the wildfire near Area 51, the nude man claiming to be Jesus, and the Only Fans marmots.

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Sidequests - The Great Moon Hoax (No, Not That One)

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In August 1835, The New York Sun published a six-part series claiming that Sir John Herschel had discovered life on the Moon — including crystal forests, bipedal beavers, and four-foot-tall bat-winged humanoids worshipping at sapphire cathedrals. It was completely made up. It also made the Sun the most widely read newspaper in the world, sent circulation soaring, got reprinted across the country as straight news, and inspired readers to write letters to the bat-people. This episode of Sidequests covers the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 — one of the greatest media pranks in American history and an early lesson in how easily a beautiful lie, printed with authority, can outrun the truth.

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News Sidequest - America has run out of places to hang out / Love now costs $106,417 a year / School is wiring a generation for anxiety

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Fortune reports that the US has lost a fifth of its movie theaters and nearly a third of its bowling alleys since 2001, all 12 categories of "third places" tracked by a 2025 Census study declined from 2019 to 2021, and economists now put the loneliness epidemic's cost to the US economy at $406 billion annually. Also: a Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans finds the average salary needed for "true love" is $106,417 — with 78% of Gen Z saying salary will determine whether someone can find true love, compared to just 32% of Baby Boomers. And University of Virginia biology professor Erin Clabough writes in The Conversation that the American education system is functionally optimized to produce anxiety — not learning — and a 2026 study confirms that academic pressure at 15 predicts depressive symptoms that persist into adulthood. Plus Civil War cannonballs in checked luggage, a plane preacher banned by Alaska Airlines, a flying saucer alert over Gatwick, and a lawn mower OUI in Iowa.

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Sidequests - MTV Launches and Kills the Radio Star

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 05:01:00 GMT

At 12:01 AM on August 1, 1981, MTV launched in a handful of cable markets with fewer than two million viewers, an ironic first video, and enough content to fill maybe a week before repeating. This episode of Sidequests marks the anniversary by tracing how a long-shot cable experiment transformed music, television, fashion, and advertising within a decade — how Michael Jackson's "Thriller" crystallized the shift from music as something you hear to something you watch, and why every music video, performance clip, and visual album since traces back to a midnight launch that almost nobody saw.

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Sidequests - Have You Seen Jimmy Hoffa Anywhere?

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 30, 1975, Jimmy Hoffa pulled into a restaurant parking lot in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, around 2 PM. He was expecting a meeting with two Mafia figures. He made a couple of phone calls complaining that nobody had shown up. Then he vanished. His car was found abandoned in the lot. No struggle. No blood. No signs of violence. Just an empty car where one of the most powerful men in America used to be.

This week marks fifty years since the disappearance, and it remains unsolved. The FBI has investigated hundreds of leads, excavated golf courses, dug up driveways, searched underneath stadiums, and followed tips from informants, conspiracy theorists, and supposed deathbed confessions. Nobody has found him.

This week's Sidequests covers the full story: how a working-class teenager from Detroit built the Teamsters into the most powerful union in America — one that could stop commerce across the country if the trucks stopped moving — and how that power put him at the center of one of the most complicated webs of organized crime, federal prosecution, and political manipulation in American history. Robert F. Kennedy spent years targeting Hoffa as Attorney General, eventually landing convictions for jury tampering and pension fraud. Nixon commuted Hoffa's sentence in 1971 with one condition: stay out of union activities until 1980.

Hoffa agreed. Then immediately started working to take the Teamsters back.

That's where it got dangerous. The current union leadership didn't want him back. Organized crime figures who had grown comfortable with the existing arrangement — and the Teamsters' enormous pension fund that came with it — had no interest in disruption. Hoffa had made himself a threat to everyone who benefited from the status quo. By July 1975, he had powerful enemies with both the motive and the means to make a problem disappear permanently.

The people who knew what happened in that parking lot either died without talking or kept the secret. The body has never been found. The case remains open.

Some mysteries stay mysteries not because nobody looked, but because the people who knew the truth made absolutely sure it went with them.

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News Sidequest - Online scams cost $148 billion and almost nobody reported it / Your brain has a readiness mode for memories — and it's not always on / Marijuana just became America's most popular daily substance

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Consumer Federation of America just released a report estimating the true cost of online scams at $148.2 billion — seven times the $21.1 billion officially reported to the FBI, because only about 14% of fraud victims report to any law enforcement body at all. Also: a new Nature Communications study from the University of Tübingen found that the hippocampus — the brain's memory-forming region — fluctuates between high and low states of readiness, and whether a memory gets encoded may have as much to do with your brain's internal state at that moment as with the experience itself. And the federal government's 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Monday, found 21.4 million Americans now use marijuana daily or near-daily — more than the 19.9 million daily cigarette smokers or 17.2 million daily drinkers. Plus Katy Perry trapped in a bottle, the teen who died saving his brother from lightning, the woman who spent years biting her husband's toes, and the 116-year overdue library books.

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News Sidequest - Hot weather is stealing your sleep / Giving your kid a phone tanks their reading / Sperm whales have vowels and they might be using them on us

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Climate Central analysis of 1,338 global cities finds the average person loses nearly 56 hours of sleep a year to high overnight temperatures — and the share attributable to climate change has at least doubled since the early 1970s. Also: a UCLA study of third- and sixth-graders in Los Angeles County finds that kids who own cell phones score significantly lower on reading comprehension — and the twist is that it doesn't matter whether the phone is present during the test. Ownership alone is the variable. And a landmark study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B by UC Berkeley and Project CETI finds sperm whale communication includes vowels, diphthongs, and phonetic structures that parallel human speech so closely researchers are now asking what it means for animal legal rights. Plus the eBay cockroach settlement, evangelical plane preachers, the bride who set the church on fire, and Colonel Sanders' bow tie.

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News Sidequest - Dating by spreadsheet is where we are now / Most college students can't finish a book anymore / Man spent 33 days alone in the Pacific

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal profiles a growing trend of "love hackers" — singles who use Excel or Google Sheets to rate their dates on up to 70 data fields after returning home, and a Cornell researcher who interviewed 42 of them and analyzed 24 spreadsheets. Also: Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence at Amherst College, published a piece in Fortune documenting two decades of watching students lose the ability to read — high school English teachers now assign an average of 2.81 books a year, down from 4 in 2008, and 32% of 12th graders now score below basic reading levels. And Kai Sato, 39, of California, set out on June 7 for a solo sail to Hawaii, had his mast snap two weeks in, ran out of gas, lost his phone signal, spent days suicidal, fashioned repairs from PVC pipes and kayak paddles, ate oatmeal and fish that landed in his boat, licked condensation from plastic bags to survive, and was rescued 33 days later by a cargo ship. He's already planning his next voyage. Plus the Chicago scream club, flight attendants falling mysteriously ill, Gunther von Hagens requesting to be plastinated, and the vending machine burrito recall.

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Sidequests - The Shot That Started a War

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On June 28, 1914, a young Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip stepped from a crowd in Sarajevo and fired two shots at the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Both died within the hour. Thirty-seven days later, all the major European powers were at war.

The free episode covers the essential arc: the powder keg of nationalism and military buildup that made 1914 Europe so volatile, the "blank check" Germany issued to Austria-Hungary that removed any remaining brake on escalation, and the cascade of mobilizations where each step seemed logical in isolation and catastrophic in aggregate. By the time anyone understood what was happening, the machinery was already moving. The war that was supposed to be over by Christmas lasted four years and killed between 15 and 20 million people.

The full premium episode tells the complete story — the political complexity, the military strategy, the decisions that shaped the century, and the consequences we're still living with today.

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News Sidequest - What are you doing about high grocery prices? / The millennial split is real and it runs right through the middle / Not having a career plan might work better

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The AP spent weeks with grocery shoppers across Massachusetts, Texas, and Hawaii documenting how Americans are adapting to the biggest jump in home food prices in 50 years — up 33% since 2019 — with couponing, comparison shopping, multi-store trips, and quietly dropping favorite foods. Also: Fortune and new Federal Reserve data confirm the millennial generation has formally split in two — older millennials aged 36-45 now post the highest median household income of any generational group at $132,700 and are functioning like Baby Boomers, while younger millennials aged 27-35 are moving into multigenerational homes at rates last seen in the early 1900s. And a University of Macau study of nearly 1,000 workers tracked over six months finds that "career wisdom" — comfort with uncertainty, intuition, and tolerating not having a plan — predicts more meaningful work, higher job satisfaction, and stronger engagement than rigid career planning. Plus an emotional support peacock, a cobra in the bed, Spider-Man, and measles.

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News Sidequest - Murder is at a 100-year low / Your boss wants you in the office for their ego, not your productivity / Japan invented a word for heat that didn't exist before

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Council on Criminal Justice released a comprehensive mid-year crime report Thursday showing homicides are down 18% across 30 cities compared to 2025, on track for the lowest annual rate in over a century — and the drop is happening in cities with different political leadership, different policing strategies, and different economic conditions. Also: Wharton researchers led by Adam Grant just published a three-study investigation into why some leaders resist remote work — and the answer across all three studies was the same: narcissism. Not productivity concerns. Not collaboration. Power and status. And Japan's meteorological agency has formally adopted the word "kokushobi" — pronounced koh-koo-shoh-bee, meaning "cruelly hot day" — for temperatures above 40°C, after 200,000 people voted on it and Tuesday saw 260 people hospitalized with heat stroke symptoms around Tokyo alone. Plus a Pennsylvania fortune teller's witch trial, a McDonald's hot fries lawsuit, a bear on a utility pole, and 30% of Americans who've shoplifted.

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News Sidequest - A date now costs $189 and here's how to fix that / Living longer but 14 of those years feel terrible / 23 million people are job-locked by health insurance

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The BMO Real Financial Progress Index finds the all-in average cost of a date in the US hit $189 in 2026 — up 12.5% in a year, with Millennials averaging $252 — and 47% of singles say dating is no longer financially worth it. Also: a new Global Burden of Disease study published in The Lancet finds the US has the largest "morbidity gap" in the world — 14 years of life spent in poor health — and the bad news is it's not just happening at the end of life. And a new West Health-Gallup survey finds 24% of US employees — roughly 23 million people — are staying in unwanted jobs specifically to keep their health insurance, up from 16% in 2021. Plus the easyJet mid-air brawl, Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, the Pan Am plane found after 74 years, and a Florida man with a flamethrower at a Walmart.

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Sidequests - The Bomb That Almost Changed Everything

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 20, 1944, a briefcase bomb planted beneath a conference table at Hitler's field headquarters came within an architectural accident of ending World War II. The conference had been moved from a concrete bunker to a wooden barrack — and that single change dissipated the blast enough for Hitler to survive. This episode of Sidequests covers Operation Valkyrie: the conspiracy involving hundreds of German military officers, lawyers, clergy, and civil servants who concluded that assassination was the only remaining moral option, how close they came to succeeding, why the coup unraveled in hours, and what the attempt reveals about resistance, complicity, and moral choice under tyranny.

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News Sidequest - A delivery driver just won China's highest literary prize / The case for and against cutting off your parents / Yosemite is what happens when everything else costs too much

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Wang Jibing is 56 years old, left school at 14, spent decades doing odd jobs, became a food delivery rider in 2019, wrote poems on scraps of paper between orders, and just won the Lu Xun Literary Prize — China's top literary honor — for his collection Low Flight, based on interviews with 200 fellow couriers. Also: the Wall Street Journal published a piece asking whether therapists are to blame for the rise of family estrangement — with researchers on both sides of a genuinely complicated question. And Yosemite dropped its reservation system in 2026 at federal direction, hit 90-minute entrance waits and full parking lots before noon, and became the most concentrated expression of what happens to affordable leisure when everything else gets too expensive. Plus a robot decapitated in combat, Australian identical quadruplets, the Baseball Spy, and deeply discounted Taylor Farms lettuce.

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News Sidequest - Five cups of coffee is actually fine / He bought a house and found three bodies / The robots are getting armed

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The American Heart Association just published its most comprehensive position statement on coffee in years, and the verdict is: up to five cups a day is safe for most healthy adults, with cardiovascular benefits at moderate consumption. Also: a man in Ohio bought a house sight unseen in a competitive market, arrived with a moving truck, and found three decomposed human remains inside — and the story underneath it is really about what the housing market has pushed buyers to do. And Silicon Valley is actively pitching the Pentagon on armed autonomous robots, and the Washington Post got inside several of the pitches. Plus three bodies in a house, the David Rush toilet paper record, a dog rescued from a Scottish mountain after finding someone's stash, and pizza traded for pythons in Florida.

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Sidequests - The Night the Sky Dropped Rocks on Arizona

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 19, 1912, a fireball brighter than the full Moon crossed the evening sky over northeastern Arizona, followed by an explosion that rattled windows for miles — and then thousands of meteorites rained down on the town of Holbrook. Over 14,000 fragments would eventually be recovered, making it one of the largest documented meteorite falls in history. This episode of Sidequests covers what actually happened that night, why Earth's atmosphere is a far more effective shield than most people realize, why nobody died despite thousands of space rocks falling from the sky, and why the Holbrook meteorites — chunks of rock that formed 4.5 billion years ago — are still being actively studied today.

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News Sidequest - Your parents' money is the new American Dream / Cut your daily choices or your brain will do it for you / China just deleted millions of AI relationships

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new CNN/Federal Reserve investigation finds that nearly half of adults aged 18-29 received assistance from someone outside their household to cover recurring expenses last year — and the people who got early inheritance aren't feeling good about it, they're feeling guilty and relieved simultaneously. Also: the average adult makes approximately 35,000 decisions per day, decision fatigue is real and measurable, and the research on how to fight it is more specific and actionable than "simplify your life." And on July 15, China's new AI companion regulations took effect — ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent all shut down their AI persona features, and the grief on Chinese social media was immediate and genuine. Plus two babies switched at birth 38 years ago, a man suing his bank for lending him money, an Alabama husband committed to a remarkable relationship, and the firefighting donkeys of Spain.

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Sidequests - The Day the Atomic Age Began

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 16, 1945, at 5:29 and 45 seconds in the morning, a flash brighter than several suns lit up a remote New Mexico desert called Jornada del Muerto — the Journey of the Dead Man. A mushroom cloud climbed seven miles into the sky. Windows shattered more than a hundred miles away. And humanity crossed a threshold from which it could never return.

The free episode covers the essential arc: how Einstein's famous letter to Roosevelt set the Manhattan Project in motion, how thousands of scientists solved three seemingly impossible problems in record time, what actually happened at the Trinity test site on July 16, and what followed when Truman received the coded message — "the baby was born" — at the Potsdam Conference. Ten minutes that take you from E = mc² to the atomic age in a single sitting.

The full premium episode tells the complete story — the science, the people, the moral reckoning, and eighty years of consequences.

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News Sidequest - Scientists found a nearby planet that might have an ocean / Gen Z is afraid of what they use most / What will the world look like in 2100?

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Astronomers analyzing new James Webb Space Telescope observations of LHS 1140b — a "super-Earth" just 49 light-years away — are now reporting the strongest evidence yet for a nitrogen-rich atmosphere on a habitable-zone exoplanet, and models suggest it may have a liquid ocean roughly the size of half the Atlantic. Also: a Pew Research/Newsweek survey of 5,119 Americans finds Gen Z uses AI more than any other generation and is simultaneously the most worried about where it's heading — 66% use chatbots regularly, up from 55% in 2024, and they're more concerned than older generations about job loss, AI's reliability, and its environmental impact. And scientists from institutions around the world just published predictions for life in the 2100s. Plus a bored pilot who skytyped it, the Florida woman betrayed by a cat, the Ohio lottery voice winner, and a pole dancing sprinkler flood.

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News Sidequest - Gen Z is picking up a wrench instead of a diploma / The pen that saved Apollo 11 just sold for $857,000 / Going to the movies might be keeping you younger

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Enrollment at public two-year vocational schools is up nearly 20% since 2020, Gen Z is nearly evenly split between four-year college and trade school when asked what they'd choose today, and the math — sub-$25,000 programs leading to $80,000-plus jobs — is hard to argue with. Also: the felt-tip pen that Buzz Aldrin jammed into a broken circuit breaker on the lunar surface in 1969 to save the Apollo 11 crew sold at Sotheby's today alongside the snapped-off switch for $857,600. And a new Japanese study of 1,899 adults tracked over time finds that regular moviegoers, museum visitors, and theatergoers have bodies that function like people three years younger. Plus the 1,700-pound great white shark heading to Cape Cod, the bank robber's borrowed kitten, the deer in the antique store, and wildfire smoke rolling across the Midwest.

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Sidequests - Disneyland's Opening Day Was a Complete Disaster

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened to roughly twice as many people as invited — thanks to counterfeit tickets, forged credentials, and guests literally climbing fences. The fresh asphalt melted in the Southern California heat, sinking women's heels. The drinking fountains didn't work. A gas leak closed entire sections of the park. Rides broke down. Food ran out. ABC broadcast all of it live to millions of viewers. Employees called it "Black Sunday." This episode of Sidequests covers the full disaster of Disneyland's opening day — and the more interesting story of what Walt Disney did with the failure, and why the worst opening day in theme park history became the foundation for every well-run theme park that followed.

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News Sidequest - More people are dying in hospitals against their wishes / We're all micro-moving now / What should we feed our alien overlords?

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

About 90% of Americans say they want to die at home. Only about 35% do — and the median hospice enrollment in 2024 was 19 days, meaning most people get palliative care so late it barely functions as a transition. Also: Taskrabbit data shows a 23% jump in quick-move bookings and a 19% increase in same-day moves year-over-year, with the "micro-move" trend driven by smaller spaces, lighter lives, and a housing market where staying flexible is more important than putting down roots. And University of Reading research shows clear-air turbulence — the kind you can't see coming, that doesn't show on radar — has increased 55% since 1979, is projected to double or triple by 2050, and is being driven entirely by climate change. Plus the dog who caused a $200K fire, the peanut butter museum floor, the robotaxi sleepers, and the Taco Bell investigation.

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News Sidequest - Music influencers are secretly selling you songs / AI is quietly pushing out older workers / You can rent a barbecue companion in Russia

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

NPR spoke with five music influencers who say they regularly accept payments from record labels to post about songs without disclosing it — and when they reached out to Interscope, Republic, Atlantic, RCA, Sony, Universal, and Warner for comment, none responded. Also: a Boston College Center for Retirement Research study finds that since ChatGPT launched, older workers in AI-exposed jobs — coders, accountants, tax preparers — are leaving the workforce significantly faster than before, reversing a long-standing trend in which those jobs actually extended careers. And a new service in Russia allows lonely people to rent a companion specifically to share a barbecue and beers with. That is the entire service. Plus the Airbnb family who found their own photos on the wall, Ontario's grenade advisory, Zara's dangerous pants, and sugar discovered in space.

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Sidequests - How NASA Got from Orbit to the Moon in Nine Months

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched for the Moon. What most people don't know is that less than nine months earlier, NASA had never flown a crewed Apollo spacecraft. This episode of Sidequests marks the anniversary of the launch by tracing the five missions in 281 days that made the Moon landing possible: Apollo 7's first crewed test of the redesigned Command Module, Apollo 8's audacious decision to go to the Moon when the Lunar Module wasn't ready, Apollo 9's first crewed test of the Lunar Module, Apollo 10's full dress rehearsal that descended to nine miles above the surface. Five missions. Five firsts. No margin for failure. The pace that got us to the Moon in nine months — and why it's almost certainly unrepeatable.

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News Sidequest - What would you give up for a year in space? / Gaslighting just beat out love / The mRNA verdict is in

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

NASA is recruiting four volunteers for a yearlong simulated Moon and Mars mission beginning August 2027 at Johnson Space Center — two confined habitats, mock spacewalks, limited food, no sunshine, no wind, and complete isolation. A previous CHAPEA participant said what he missed most was birthdays, holidays, and fresh vegetables. Also: a Word Unscrambler analysis of Google Trends data finds "gaslighting" was the most-searched word definition in America in 2026, with 286,900 monthly searches, edging out "love" at 274,900. Narcissist, fascism, empathy, and propaganda also cracked the top 25. And a comprehensive Lancet review led by UBC researchers analyzed data from billions of mRNA vaccine doses across multiple countries and found: safe, effective, does not alter DNA, works for children and pregnant women, and shows enormous promise for cancer treatment. Plus the man who dangled from an airplane by his seatbelt, the Circle K lottery clerk, the dog pepper spray incident, and humanoid robot gallbladder surgery.

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Sidequests - Burr vs. Hamilton: When Politics Was Literally Deadly

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 11, 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on the cliffs above the Hudson River — over political insults. Hamilton was the architect of America's financial system. Burr was the sitting second-in-command of the United States. He finished his term as a wanted man in two states and never held office again. This episode of Sidequests tells the full story of the Burr-Hamilton rivalry, the political backstabbing that turned fatal, and what the duel actually reveals about American polarization: not that it's worse than ever, but that the Founders were far more willing to kill each other over political disputes than we tend to remember — and that building institutions capable of managing that fury without violence was a genuine achievement.

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News Sidequest - Men's testosterone has halved in 50 years / Brown University's AI cheating scandal / $440,600 is now the median home price

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Researchers at Hebrew University presenting in London this week found total testosterone levels in men declined 54% between 1972 and 2019, tracking more than 118,000 individuals across six studies — and they're calling it a "major crisis in male reproductive health." Also: Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano — who is blind — allowed take-home exams after a December campus shooting traumatized his students. His class averaged 96 out of 100 on the take-home midterm. When he moved the final in-person, the average crashed to 48. And the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday that the US median home sale price hit $440,600 in June — an all-time record going back to 1999, with prices rising on an annual basis for 36 consecutive months. Plus a squirrel mailed to Meta, a Florida man fighting police in alligator-infested water, a burglar whose truck got stolen while he robbed a Verizon store, and a son's lottery birthday gift.

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Sidequests - Why Aliens Almost Certainly Can't Find Us... Even If They're Looking

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Even if advanced alien civilizations exist and are actively searching for other life, finding Earth would be extraordinarily difficult — not because we're hidden, but because space is almost incomprehensibly vast. This episode of Sidequests walks through the actual physics and astronomy: why detecting a rocky planet around a distant star is like spotting a firefly next to a stadium spotlight, why our 100 years of radio broadcasts cover only 0.2% of the galaxy's diameter before fading into cosmic noise, why most alien observers would never be geometrically positioned to see Earth at all, and why the time dimension means no one in the galaxy sees us as we are right now. The universe probably isn't empty. But finding each other across it might be nearly impossible regardless.

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News Sidequest - Walmart is the most American thing at the World Cup / 95 year old is still water skiing / Cannibalism is bad for you, and science can explain why

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

World Cup tourists have been going viral on TikTok for their reactions to Walmart — the chips aisle, the gallon jugs of ranch, the dog-kibble-sized bags of Fruity Pebbles — and Walmart just announced VIP guided store tours for the first 20 visitors in line at two fan events. Also: Bryan Murray of New Zealand started water skiing in 1955, competed in tournaments across his country, survived a hip replacement last month, and just been named the world's oldest water skier at 94 years and 318 days old. He plans to extend his record this summer. And a Polish-Czech research team published a paper in PNAS this month building a mathematical model to answer why cannibalism became one of humanity's strongest taboos — and the answer is prions. Plus the hostage negotiation robot, the naked garage fire hero, the insect protein bar, and the Freedom Fuel gas stations.

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News Sidequest - Half of America can't afford groceries and gas / Gen X is quietly disappearing / Your brain speaks younger than you do

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

An exclusive Guardian/pollster survey finds 95% of Americans believe the country is in an affordability crisis, with half struggling to afford groceries and gas — and the partisan gap on the economy has collapsed fastest among Republicans since the Iran war sent gas prices surging. Also: new Census Bureau data shows the 45-to-64 age group shrank by 2.68 million people between 2020 and 2025, and the Northeast lost 7.1% of its midlife workforce in five years. And researchers presenting at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Forum found that multilingual people's brains appear 6 to 13 years younger than those who speak only one language — and the effect gets stronger with each additional language. Plus the serial plant thief, the man who slapped himself into a detached retina, the bail bond t-shirt, and the time traveler from 3700.

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Sidequests - What Actually Happened at Roswell (And Why It Doesn't Matter)

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Around July 1, 1947, a New Mexico rancher found strange debris on his property. The military announced they'd recovered a "flying disc." Then, within 24 hours, they changed the story to "weather balloon" and the incident faded — until it came roaring back thirty years later as the most famous UFO story in the world. This episode of Sidequests covers what Project Mogul actually was, why the military couldn't tell the truth in 1947, what the physics of interstellar travel actually suggest about alien visitation, and why the real question Roswell raises — are we alone in a universe this vast? — is far more interesting than anything that may or may not have crashed in southeastern New Mexico.

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News Sidequest - A 9-year-old's distress call finally arrived / The man trying to live forever has an incurable disease / Killer robots and who gets to stop them

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In 1973, 9-year-old Laurie Blair Brown threw a note in a bottle into the ocean at the Jersey Shore — a fake distress call from her family's vacation. It washed up 53 years later. Also: Bryan Johnson, who spends roughly $2 million a year on a 30-person medical team trying to live forever, just disclosed he has autoimmune gastritis — an incurable disease that was quietly destroying his stomach lining for over a decade while every biomarker looked fine. And the UN Secretary-General has declared that autonomous killer robots are "politically unacceptable and morally repugnant" and must be banned by international law — but the 2026 deadline he set is here, talks are stalled, and the US, Russia, and Israel have been quietly blocking a treaty for years. Plus a whale sinking a fire rescue ship, Frank's Hot Sauce across a highway, the Delaware falling camel, and a $3 Goodwill jacket worth $250,000.

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News Sidequest - Kelsey Pfendler rowed to Hawaii / America is getting lonelier by the numbers / Scientists just woke up sleeping cancer cells with light

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 4th, 32-year-old Grand Canyon river guide Kelsey Pfendler rowed her 21-foot boat Lily into Honolulu harbor after 43 days, 17 hours, and 55 minutes at sea — shattering both the women's record of 86 days and the men's record of 52 days, and raising over $180,000 for the Whale Foundation along the way. Also: the American Time Use Survey just confirmed what a lot of people feel but nobody wants to say — average daily socialization time has fallen from 45 to 35 minutes over the last 20 years, with teenagers down nearly 50%. And ETH Zurich researchers just published a light-controlled molecular switch that wakes dormant cancer cells out of hibernation, potentially making previously untreatable tumors vulnerable again. Plus the Brooklyn Bridge catching fire, the Smokey Bear sign thief, rental swimming pools, and a Delta flight hit by a firework over Chicago.

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Sidequests - Almost Everything You Picture About the Signing of the Declaration of Independence Is Wrong

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Sidequests corrects one of American history's most persistent myths: the famous image of all 56 delegates signing the Declaration together on July 4, 1776 is almost entirely fictional. Congress voted for independence on July 2. They approved the final text on July 4. The actual signing happened primarily on August 2 — and then continued for months, with some delegates signing in the fall and one not signing until 1781. The famous Trumbull painting everyone associates with the signing isn't even depicting the signing. The real story is messier, quieter, more complicated — and considerably more interesting than the legend.

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News Sidequest - In the future you won't own anything / Fast walkers have much better brains / Even "good" lies aren't good

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Sony just announced that physical disc production for new PlayStation games ends in January 2028 — and the deeper story is what this means for everyone who's watched a one-time purchase quietly become a monthly subscription. Also: a new Albert Einstein College of Medicine study published in Neurology finds that people in their 80s who walk unusually fast have about half the risk of cognitive impairment — and they maintain that advantage even when their brains show the same Alzheimer's-related pathology as everyone else. And new research from StudyFinds maps exactly how people lie to their partners — and finds that "good" lies damage relationships about as often as selfish ones. Plus shark attack alerts on your phone, Pokémon cards stolen from an arcade, an Empire State Building climbing arrest, and king cobras on Everest.

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Sidequests - Amelia Earhart's Disappearance Isn't the Interesting Part

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific during the final leg of an attempted circumnavigation of the globe, sparking one of aviation's most enduring mysteries. This episode of Sidequests, marking the anniversary, argues that the disappearance is the least interesting part of her story — and tells the one that actually matters: how a Kansas-born woman became the first to fly solo across the Atlantic, set records across nearly every category in aviation, founded an organization for female pilots that still exists today, and redefined what the world believed women could accomplish, years before the mystery that made her a legend.

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News Sidequest - Way to not murder people, America / Science says gossip is good for your gene pool / You can now rent a dog by the hour

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

NPR reports that the US murder rate in 2025 was almost certainly the lowest ever recorded since the FBI started keeping national data in the 1950s — and 2026 is tracking to go lower still. This is the second "Great Crime Decline" in American history and almost nobody is talking about it. Also: a new study from the University of Silesia finds that people who gossip and spread rumors are more likely to be in romantic relationships and have more children — and the evolutionary logic behind it is more interesting than the headline. And a Chinese platform launched in March called Wangbu lets dog owners in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen rent out their pets by the hour to strangers for walks, and animal welfare experts are not pleased. Plus a Harvard UFO professor running the White House alien council, human remains in a Queens school chimney, two-month-olds on screens, and a woman who denied owning the cocaine.

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News Sidequest - Graduation is for high school and I will die on this hill / America lives twice as long as it did at its founding / Good news: not cancer. Bad news: worms

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Slate reports that kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade, and pre-K graduations have exploded into ticketed events with caps, gowns, diplomas, and professional photographers — and parents can't figure out who asked for this. Also: with the 250th anniversary tomorrow, life expectancy in America has doubled since 1776 — from roughly 35-40 years to 79 — and the story of how that happened is worth knowing. And a 60-year-old man in Spain came to the hospital with two weeks of worsening headaches, was put on the oncology track when his CT scan showed what looked like metastatic brain cancer, and was eventually diagnosed with something considerably more unsettling. Plus a bear who needed a lift, a water slide world record at a vow renewal, the Michigan lemonade stand freedom bill, and the Mexican Batman.

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News Sidequest - The gambling math nobody talks about / A cup of yogurt and a daily walk / Why losing hurts more than winning feels good

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Epic Research analyzed electronic health records from nearly 200 million American adults and found gambling disorder diagnoses jumped more than 60% since 2018 in states that legalized sports betting — with the rate among men 18 to 29 more than doubling. In the 11 states that never legalized it, diagnoses fell 30% over the same period. Also: a small Japanese trial found that a daily cup of probiotic yogurt, regular walks, and basic diet coaching shifted a DNA-based aging marker in overweight men within just 12 weeks — though the study was funded entirely by the yogurt company that makes the product. And a new Penn State experiment with real money on the line confirms that fear of losing and the dread of regret both shape our decisions simultaneously, with loss aversion the stronger of the two forces. Plus the world's loudest man, a self-driving toilet, the rhinestone menswear trend nobody asked for, and an instant-karma story for the ages.

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Sidequests - Gettysburg: The Bloodiest Battle in American History

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil began almost by accident — a Confederate division wandering into a Pennsylvania crossroads town in search of shoes, triggering an unplanned collision between two massive armies. This episode of Sidequests, marking the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, covers the three days of fighting that turned the tide of the Civil War: the cavalry officer who recognized the high ground in time, the college professor who led a desperate bayonet charge down Little Round Top, and the catastrophic failure of Pickett's Charge that ended Lee's invasion of the North for good. Plus: how Lincoln's two-minute address four months later transformed the meaning of the entire war.

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News Sidequest - The empty nest is full again / Growing up gets less scary with time / Does moving abroad actually change you?

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Realtor.com analysis finds a record 25.2 million Americans under 35 — roughly one in three — were living with a parent in 2025, and 70% of them have jobs. This isn't a story about unemployed young adults playing video games in the basement. It's a story about a 4-million-unit housing supply gap and a median home price up 34% since 2019. Also: a 30-year study tracking three generations of college students from 1982 to 2022 finds Millennials entered adulthood with significantly more fear of growing up than Gen X or Baby Boomers before them — but that fear fades with age across every generation, suggesting nobody stays scared of adulthood forever. And a new study of 180 British university students finds a year abroad makes you measurably more agreeable and curious, with lower anxiety — but it doesn't overhaul your personality the way the brochures promise. Plus a teleporting FEMA official, smoke grenades in checked luggage, a Carnival cruise brawl, and a snake and a spider sharing a bedroom in Australia.

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News Sidequest - Negotiating with a woman gets you more, even if you don't know it / Humans might already be able to regenerate body parts / Your old phone is worth more than you think

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new PNAS study of more than 2,400 people finds women achieve the exact same economic outcomes as men in negotiations — but their partners trust them more, like them more, and want to negotiate with them again, even in fully anonymous text-chat negotiations where gender was unknown. The compounding effect projects to a roughly $55,000 earnings advantage over time. Also: Texas A&M researchers have regenerated bone, joints, and ligaments in mice using a two-step treatment that redirects the body's healing response away from scarring — suggesting the capacity for regeneration may never have left us, just gotten switched off. And researchers say the old phones sitting in drawers around the world contain an estimated $67 billion in recoverable critical minerals, and recycling currently meets just 1% of global rare earth demand. Plus a giant street-legal banana, a retired Robocop with a perfect arrest record of zero, an influencer who learned a hard lesson about showing off online, and a man who fell into a vault toilet rescuing his sunglasses.

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News Sidequest - Almost nobody trusts AI, but what does "trust" even mean / The 6-year-old who shopped alone in Tokyo / Five minutes of walking buys back your whole day

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Talker Research survey finds 86% of Americans distrust AI-generated results — but the study was commissioned by a content management company with a clear stake in the answer, and the actual complaint underneath the number is more specific and more interesting than blanket distrust. Also: a 6-year-old girl in Tokyo spent months preparing with her parents before completing a solo trip through the city to the grocery store and back — and the show that inspired an entire genre of "free-range kid" content is now a real parenting movement. And Columbia University exercise physiologists confirm that five minutes of walking every 30 minutes of sitting is enough to meaningfully offset the health harms of a sedentary day. Plus tentacled rabbits, a 13-year-old who climbed out of a Disneyland ride mid-drop, a missing giraffe with a $5,000 reward, and a DIY exorcism gone wrong.

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Sidequests - Custer's Last Stand Wasn't a Last Stand. It Was a Defeat

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On June 25, 1876, George Armstrong Custer split his cavalry regiment, ignored his scouts' warnings, and led roughly 200 men into a Native encampment far larger than he understood. Every one of them died within the hour. This episode of Sidequests, marking the anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, takes apart the "Custer's Last Stand" myth and tells the real story: a genuine military triumph for Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who defeated a professional army — and the swift, crushing response that followed within two years and ended Plains Native independence for good.

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News Sidequest - Anxious teens don't remember the good stuff / Five days of silence nearly broke a brain / Feeling poorer than your peers wrecks you, even if you're not

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A decade-long study of more than 1,400 young people found that 83% of the life events they call most meaningful are positive — graduations, friendships, travel, sports. But teens and young adults with anxiety or depression were far more likely to name a struggle or a loss as their defining moment instead, raising a real question about which came first: the hard life or the hard lens. Also: a Wall Street Journal writer spent five days in total silence at a Buddhist retreat in Massachusetts, and it nearly broke her. And a McGill-led study of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries finds that feeling poorer than your peers wrecks your wellbeing — even when your actual income is identical to theirs. Plus the Titanic artifacts dispute, tentacled rabbits, a pickleball felony, and Russian soldiers catfished by Ukrainian fighters posing as lonely women online.

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News Sidequest - Empty-shell marriages are ending / Your brain wasn't built for this much bad news / The $1 million starter home

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The New York Times reports that older couples who once stayed in "empty-shell" marriages are increasingly unwilling to spend their remaining healthy years that way — longer life expectancy is changing the math on what's worth enduring. Also: a Nature Human Behaviour study of 105,000 headlines viewed six million times confirms that negative words drive clicks — and a developmental psychologist explains why a brain built to track local, immediate threats is now being asked to process a war, a financial shock, and a climate disaster before lunch. And Zillow's new analysis finds a record 242 American cities now have "starter homes" priced at $1 million or more — triple the number from before the pandemic. Plus an 87-year-old's smart lottery decision, a vanished magician, the Red Lobster shrimp justification for invading Greenland, and 5,000 beers in Dallas.

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Sidequests - Galileo and the Vatican

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On June 22, 1633, Galileo Galilei knelt before the Roman Inquisition and renounced the truth he'd discovered with his own telescope: that the Earth orbits the Sun. The Church sentenced him to house arrest for life. Nearly 360 years later, the Vatican formally acknowledged it had been wrong. Today it runs its own astronomical observatory — and the current Pope holds a mathematics degree. This episode of Sidequests traces the full journey from Galileo's trial to the modern Vatican's embrace of science, marking the anniversary of one of history's most consequential — and most reversed — institutional judgments.

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News Sidequest - A quarter of "normal weight" people aren't / Trust in government just hit a new low / Your brain prefers paper

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A USC study of 5,642 American adults finds that 26% of people with a completely normal BMI already meet the clinical criteria for obesity — because BMI can't tell the difference between muscle and dangerous belly fat. Also: a new Fox News poll finds only 25% of registered voters say they generally trust the federal government — the lowest reading in more than two decades of this poll, dating back to 2002 when more than half of Americans said they trusted it. And a University of Tokyo brain imaging study finds that reading on paper requires measurably less mental effort to piece a story together than reading the same content on a tablet — same comprehension, lower cost. Plus a quiz on dating red flags, the three pillars of a perfect dad joke, an 85-year-old street racer, and a nurse who sold 3,000 fake diplomas.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Ten - Aftermath

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 22:51:32 GMT

Episode 10 closes out the Titanic series. Carpathia arrives at Pier 54 with 706 survivors and thirty thousand people waiting in the rain. The inquiries begin almost immediately — eighteen days in Washington, thirty-six in London, J. Bruce Ismay and Captain Stanley Lord both put through public crucifixions that would define the rest of their lives. The free episode covers the arrival, the reunions and the devastating non-reunions, the survival statistics broken down by class and gender and age, and the regulatory overhaul that followed within a year: lifeboats for everyone aboard, mandatory drills, 24-hour wireless watch, the International Ice Patrol that still operates today and has never had a ship struck by ice while heeding its warnings.

The premium episode goes deeper on the individual lives destroyed or transformed by survival, and on the cultural reckoning that turned one disaster into the defining symbol of an entire era.

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News Sidequest - The American Dream is fading, but most still want it / A cure for cancer might actually be realistic / The bees have been judging us this whole time

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Gallup-Milken Center survey of more than 6,300 Americans finds belief that everyone has a real shot at the American Dream has fallen to 46% — but 69% still believe they personally will achieve it, and striving for it remains important to 78%. The gap between those two numbers might say more than either one alone. Also: Johnson & Johnson's CEO told a London leadership summit this week that curing certain cancers within the next decade is a realistic goal — not aspirational marketing, but a real projection backed by current treatment trajectories. And NPR reports that bumblebees just solved a classic problem-solving test originally designed for chimpanzees — using a ball as a stepstool to reach an out-of-reach reward, with no training required. Plus a 194-year-old tortoise, a robot toilet, a TSA ranch dressing warning, and a 12-year-old's elaborate fake kidnapping.

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Sidequests - The Pig That Nearly Started a War

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In 1859, an American farmer shot a pig belonging to the British Hudson's Bay Company on a disputed island in the Pacific Northwest, and two major world powers spent the next thirteen years facing each other down over the incident. American troops dug in under George Pickett — that George Pickett. Britain responded with five warships and two thousand soldiers. Both sides were ready to fight. Neither side fired a shot. The only casualty of the entire thirteen-year standoff was the pig. This is the Pig War — one of history's most accidental near-wars and most improbable peaceful resolutions.

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News Sidequest - What successful marriages have in common / Faking the shopping cart for the dopamine hit / Even with proof, you'd still have to pay rent

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Dutch study of 451 married couples, average relationship length 28 years, finds that spouses genuinely resemble each other on exactly two personality traits — shared values and shared curiosity — and almost nothing else. On the rest of the personality spectrum, married couples are basically strangers. Also: a viral trend out of South Korea called "dopamine sites" lets users browse, fill a cart, and track a fake courier on fake food delivery apps that never complete a real order — all the anticipation, none of the bill. And new ground-penetrating radar scans at Turkey's Durupınar site are reigniting the decades-old Noah's Ark debate — researchers claim distinct organic material inside a boat-shaped formation, while geologists call it a natural rock structure. Plus the San Andreas Fault's worst stress level in 1,000 years, Scottish soccer fans drinking Boston dry, the 17,000-year doomsday formula, and the cats-don't-reduce-stress study.

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News Sidequest - Showing up as a goblin on the first date / Your phone is a FOMO machine / Perfectionists are miserable and there are more of them than ever

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

USA Today reports that "goblintimacy" — showing up on a first date as your actual, unpolished, slightly chaotic self — is having a moment, and the relationship experts quoted are surprisingly divided on whether it's a good idea. Also: a Semmelweis University study finds one in three young adults are heavy smartphone users primarily because of FOMO — fear of missing out — and the psychological mechanism behind it is more interesting than the name suggests. And a London School of Economics meta-analysis of 82,000 college students across 35 years finds that perfectionism has climbed steadily since 1989 — and phones aren't the cause. Economic anxiety is. Plus the CIA gold heist, bees on a United flight, the Idaho flaming torch juggler, and mixed emotions during a Weird Al song.

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News Sidequest - Are you tracking your adult child / Dark humor means you're a genius, science says / You and your dog have more in common than you think

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A University of Michigan poll finds most parents of 18-to-25-year-olds are using location tracking apps — and a quarter of those parents say it causes more anxiety than peace of mind. Also: a Medical University of Vienna study finds that people who appreciate dark humor score higher on both verbal and nonverbal intelligence tests, and lower on aggression — and the findings hold up across replications. And the Dog Aging Project just published in the Journals of Gerontology finding that the same metabolic biomarkers that predict lifespan in humans also predict it in dogs, with a striking correlation across 24 human cohort studies. Plus a house full of snakes, medieval eel rent, a scammer who got chocolate coins, and a lemonade stand robbery.

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Sidequests - Is It Possible to Own the Moon?

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In 1980, Dennis Hope filed paperwork claiming ownership of the Moon and sent formal notice to the United Nations. Nobody objected. So he started selling. This episode of Sidequests traces how a struggling used-car salesman from San Francisco built a multimillion-dollar real estate business on a gap in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, generated roughly twelve million dollars in revenue, sold property to Ronald Reagan and Tom Cruise, created his own interplanetary government, and was never successfully stopped by any country on Earth. Whether it's legal is still, technically, unclear — which is exactly the point.

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News Sidequest - The cat is out of the bag on human gene editing / Gen X is borrowing from their parents at 60 / Why some people are always the giver

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Columbia University base editing paper has triggered a major scientific debate — with the researcher who helped develop CRISPR saying "the cat's out of the bag" and calling it "a gateway to embryo editing to do enhancements." Also: Northwestern Mutual's 2026 Planning and Progress Study finds 33% of Gen X adults — people now aged 45 to 61 — still feel financially dependent on their parents, and 1 in 5 say they don't expect to ever be financially independent. And a new MIT study in Open Mind finds that the social expectation of reciprocity — you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours — only applies between equals. In hierarchical relationships, once you're the giver, you're the giver forever. Plus a gaming PC that stopped a bullet, police in mascot costumes, the potato-shaped UFO, and the Marilyn Monroe world record.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Nine - Carpathia and Californian

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Episode 8 of our ten part series The Titanic Disaster covers what happened after the ship disappeared — five hours of darkness and cold in the lifeboats, the arrival of Carpathia at dawn, and the ship that sat ten to twenty miles away watching distress rockets and did nothing. It’s a story with a clear hero and a clear villain, and both earned their reputations entirely.

The free episode covers Carpathia’s race through the ice field, the rescue operations at dawn, and the SS Californian’s catastrophic inaction. The premium episode goes deeper on the lifeboats themselves, the long-term trauma survivors carried for the rest of their lives, and the grim work of body recovery off Halifax.

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News Sidequest - Living with nuns is a real option now / Solar just beat coal / Should you be able to design your child?

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal reports that young New Yorkers are moving into convents to escape a rental market where Manhattan's median one-bedroom just hit $4,680 a month — and some of them say it's genuinely great. Also: in May 2026, for the first time in US history, solar power generated more electricity than coal — 12.8% to 12.2% — and solar is now the third-largest electricity source in the country. And Columbia University geneticist Dieter Egli and his team just published a landmark preprint demonstrating precise base editing of human embryos with high efficiency — and the conversation about where this goes next has officially started. Plus therapy donkeys, a period in a text message, Bigfoot's right to privacy, and a Pasadena horseplay situation.

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News Sidequest - A year of college now costs $100,000 / She said "that's the law" about noodles / Why fact-checking doesn't change minds

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

New data from the Princeton Review finds 16 American colleges have crossed the $100,000-a-year threshold for total cost of attendance for 2026-27 — Harvey Mudd tops the list at $104,512 — and the trend is accelerating. Also: a woman at a Florida noodle restaurant went to war with staff over her son's uneaten $5 bowl, invoking "the law" and threatening to call the owner and sue, and the internet mostly sided with the restaurant. And new research from Penn State and the University of Colorado finds that AI fact-checkers face the same problem human fact-checkers always have: people's politics strongly shape whether a fact-check changes their mind at all — and for conservatives, the reputation of the source matters more than the verdict. Plus an alligator DWI getaway, a whale graveyard, a satanic ritual at an Olive Garden, and a lightning-struck church.

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Sidequests - The Lavish Funeral of a Pickled General

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Antonio López de Santa Anna was President of Mexico eleven times, fought the Texas Revolution, and declared himself the Napoleon of the West. He was also the man who, after losing his leg to cannon fire, had the limb preserved, paraded through Mexico City in a glass coffin, and buried with full military honors. Then a mob dug it up. Then he accidentally helped invent bubble gum. This is the strangest footnote in Mexican history — and it's an actual foot.

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News Sidequst - The iPhone is birth control, apparently / The economics of solo-maxxing / The pilot who flew 900 flights without a license

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Two new papers from the National Bureau of Economic Research find that US fertility rates have fallen 22% since 2007 — the year the iPhone launched — and access to smartphones correlated with birth rate declines of up to 8% among teenagers. Also: the average all-in cost of a date in the US has hit $189, up 12.5% in a year, and a growing number of Gen Z and millennials are responding by opting out of dating entirely — a trend they're calling solo-maxxing. And Geoffrey Wall, a 59-year-old former Air Canada captain from Barrie, Ontario, flew more than 900 commercial flights on Boeing 767s, 777s, and 787s between 2009 and 2025 — allegedly without ever obtaining the license required to do so. Plus a fake boarding pass, woolly mammoth DNA in squirrel poo, a Florida man arrested on the way to court, and a hot sauce shortage.

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News Sidequest - The restaurant that stopped charging / Why June is disappearing / Gen Z can't read a sentence

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A 15-year-old Minneapolis café called Post Modern Times stopped charging for food in January as an act of protest and community care — converted to a nonprofit, kept the model, and owner Dylan Alverson says: "Stepping out of the capitalist system gave us more support than existing in it for 15 years." Also: Cambridge neuroscientists scanning 577 brains found that older adults' brains register fewer distinct "moments" per unit of time — literally processing fewer neural transitions — which is why years vanish faster the older you get, and what you can actually do about it. And a Pepperdine professor told Fortune: "It's not even an inability to critically think. It's an inability to read sentences." Plus dynamite in a freezer, mashed potato litigation, AI-look plastic surgery, and a mysterious cold blob.

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Sidequests - Why You Can't Escape the Spam Call Epidemic

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Americans received 52.5 billion robocalls in 2025 — 160 per person, per year, most of them offering loans you never applied for. But where do these calls actually come from? This episode of Sidequests traces the full ecosystem: the fake websites harvesting your data, the brokers selling it dozens of times over, the overseas call centers placing millions of calls at near-zero cost, and the reason blocking individual numbers never works. Plus: what you can actually do about it, and why pressing 2 to be removed makes everything worse.

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News Sidequest - Remote work is making us lonelier than we realized / What it means to be a man in 2026 / Gen Z has gone quiet online

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A landmark study published in Science — 590,000 workers, 13 years of data — finds remote work explains about a third of the increase in isolation and mental distress since the pandemic. Workers in remote-capable jobs became more likely to see mental health professionals and fill prescriptions for anxiety and depression. Also: a new survey of 2,000 men finds 57% say financial struggles have made them feel like they're failing at manhood, 77% were taught growing up that a man's primary role is to be a financial provider, and 72% say society expects them to handle that stress quietly and alone. And a Zety survey of 900+ Gen Z workers finds 95% have stopped sharing their real opinions online to protect their careers — and 90% have already faced workplace consequences for something they posted. Plus $8.65 returned to the Pope, a goat in a London office, a spider in disguise, and a four-winged velociraptor cousin.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Eight - The Sinking

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 04:18:54 GMT

Episode 8 of our ten part series The Titanic Disaster covers the two hours and forty minutes between the collision and the moment Titanic vanishes. The bow descends, the stern rises, the ship breaks in two, and 1,517 people die in water that is four degrees above freezing. The free episode follows the evacuation — the band assembling on deck, the lifeboats launching half-empty, the separations, the discipline that held longer than anyone had a right to expect, and the screaming that started the moment the ship disappeared and stopped thirty minutes later when there was no one left to scream.

The premium episode goes deeper on the people who made extraordinary choices in those final hours — those who refused to leave, those who dressed for death, those who stayed at their posts, and the ones history has mostly forgotten.

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News Sidequest - Jesus didn't turn water into Brawndo / Perfect randomness exists now / Nearly 1 in 5 seniors are still working

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Guardian profiles a booming category of faith-based energy drinks — with brands called Yahweh, 4gvn, and Praise Energy — that claim to spread the gospel through caffeine. The theology here is thin, but the market opportunity is apparently real. Also: physicists at ETH Zurich just published a landmark paper in Nature demonstrating certifiably perfect randomness for the first time in human history — using quantum entanglement and two chips cooled to near absolute zero. And a new LendingTree analysis finds 18.7% of Americans 65 and older are still working — the average Social Security benefit is $2,071 a month, but basic monthly expenses for a single adult run $4,641. Plus flesh-eating screwworms returning after 60 years, SpaghettiOs with unexpected ingredients, identical twin doctors, and 60 Idahoans who learned the hard way about raw milk.

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Sidequests - NASA's Missions That Never Flew

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

NASA has announced plans for a permanent lunar base. Which is exciting — and also something NASA has announced before. This episode of Sidequests covers the missions that were seriously planned, thoroughly engineered, and never flew: a human Venus flyby designed around existing Apollo hardware, a nuclear rocket engine that actually worked and could have reached Mars in the 1980s, a U.S. Army Moon base proposal from 1959 that predated the Space Race, and a space station that fell out of orbit while the shuttle that could have saved it sat grounded two years behind schedule. The history of spaceflight isn't just what launched. It's also the remarkable futures that almost were.

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News Sidequest - Gen X and Elder Millennials are dying faster / Art Ulene is climbing a mountain for his 90th birthday / What's your worst office story

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new PNAS study from Tufts University finds that Americans born between 1970 and 1985 are dying at higher rates than any previous generation did at the same age — with rising deaths from cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and external causes including overdoses and suicide. The lead researcher called it "genuinely alarming." Also: Art Ulene is a physician, television personality, and author who survived a suspected stroke in Paris, watched his wife battle illness, and is now training six days a week at 89 years old to become the oldest person ever to summit Mount Kilimanjaro — in July, on his 90th birthday. And a Myrtle Beach detective named Michael DeBiase was arrested, charged with a felony, and fired from the police department after allegedly pulling his department-issued handgun on a fellow officer who microwaved fish in the breakroom. Plus sourdough from a mummy, the world's largest blanket fort, a casino self-ban that went awry, and a Frontier flight situation.

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News Sidequest - Your worst trip ever / The solitude influencer / 55,000 cancers nobody caught

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Travel Guard survey of 1,022 Americans finds 97% have taken at least one trip they regret — and the most regretted destination in the US is Las Vegas. Also: The Atlantic profiles the solitude influencer, a growing genre of creator documenting life alone — and one woman's formula ("you live alone in NYC and have no friends") has 195,000 followers and sparked a real cultural conversation. And a new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer finds that during just the first nine months of the pandemic, 55,000 cancer cases went undiagnosed across seven countries — with prostate cancer down 24% and breast cancer down 18% from expected levels. Plus a bed bug infestation at the USDA, a 19-year red light ticket fight, an AI laser mosquito system, and the Uber lost and found.

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Sidequests - When Weather Became the Main Character

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Five moments in history when weather wasn't background — it was the deciding factor. A Scottish meteorologist's forecast that made D-Day possible. The Atlantic storms that destroyed the Spanish Armada when cannons couldn't. The Russian winter that turned Napoleon's invasion into one of history's greatest military catastrophes. The typhoons that protected Japan from Mongol conquest — twice — and gave birth to a legend that would echo into World War II. And the ice-choked Delaware River that nearly stopped Washington's Christmas crossing, then made it succeed.

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News Sidequest - Remote work is why young people can't find jobs / What are you grateful for / The summer that isn't happening

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The New York Federal Reserve just published the most direct answer yet to why young college graduates can't find jobs — and it's not AI. Remote work accounts for 64% of the surge in youth unemployment since the pandemic, because companies won't hire inexperienced workers onto distributed teams they can't train. Also: a University of Illinois study finds gratitude journaling and optimism training can reduce blood pressure by more than 7 points within weeks — and the mechanism is more interesting than "think positive thoughts." And gateway hotels near Crater Lake National Park are devastated this summer — not because the park is closed, but because misinformation spread that it was, and people cancelled anyway. Plus a chicken police recruit, a yellow submarine mystery, kitchen sponge microplastics, and a $200,000 Lego lawsuit.

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News Sidequest - You're more cynical than your friends think / We probably won't get alien visitors / Go take a nap — seriously

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Michigan State University study finds people consistently underestimate how cynical their friends are — and the blind spot appears to be deliberate, a kind of social glue that keeps friendships intact. Also: an aerospace engineering professor at Georgia Tech just did the math on interstellar travel, and the numbers are not encouraging for anyone hoping an alien civilization is on its way here. And new research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology finds that insomniacs under 50 are up to three times more likely to develop certain cancers — and the timing of the surge maps almost exactly onto the arrival of smartphones. Plus a Bluetooth device named "bomb," men emerging from a Brooklyn manhole, Gen Z tanning, and a humanoid robot with a mop.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Seven - Iceberg Right Ahead

Sun, 31 May 2026 01:11:51 GMT

Episode 7 of our ten part series The Titanic Disaster covers the last day. Sunday, April 14 — church services in the morning, elegant dinners in the evening, ice warnings arriving all day and going mostly unacted upon. Then, at 11:39 PM, Frederick Fleet sees a dark shape ahead. He rings the bell three times, grabs the telephone, and delivers the four words that ended an era: “Iceberg right ahead.”

The free episode covers the full day — the warnings that accumulated and were set aside, the wireless operator who was too busy sending passenger messages to deliver the most critical ice report to the bridge, the final dinner parties, and the collision itself. Then the aftermath: passengers making snowballs from ice chips on the forward deck while, below the waterline, six compartments were already flooding. Thomas Andrews calculating the mathematics. Captain Smith learning there were over a thousand people aboard with no lifeboat space. The evacuation beginning — too slow, too late, with boats launching half-empty into the dark.

The premium episode goes deeper on the four figures whose decisions shaped everything: Frederick Fleet, William Murdoch, Jack Phillips, and Edward Smith.

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News Sidequest - Gradually, then suddenly / How betting apps are recruiting your kids / Please stop poking the flight attendants

Fri, 29 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Brookings Institution just released the most precise picture yet of American household financial fragility — and the number that should stop everyone is this: a single $1,000 increase in annual living costs would push 3 million more households over the edge. Also: prediction markets and sports betting apps are using memes, leaderboards, and social media to recruit users as young as 18 — and a UCLA gambling researcher says a young brain exposed to this "is going to want it again." And flight attendants are formally asking passengers to stop poking, tapping, prodding, and otherwise physically touching them to get their attention. One veteran of 20 years says it's a rare flight when it doesn't happen. Plus an excavator divorce, a kindergarten graduation brawl, a monkey in a Florida backyard, and an influencer banned from Cedar Point.

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Sidequests - The Year Without A Summer

Thu, 28 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A volcano no one had heard of explodes. The sun goes pale. And somehow humanity responds with monsters and bikes.

This Sidequest looks at 1816 — the Year Without a Summer. Famine in Ireland. Food riots in France and Germany. Mass westward migration out of New England as families abandoned farms that simply wouldn’t grow anything. Religious revivals. Apocalyptic panic. And in a villa on a cold, gray Lake Geneva, a group of writers stuck indoors by relentless storms who decided to pass the time with a ghost story contest.

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News Sidequest - Gen Z is paying $300 to make friends at the gym / Time can go negative, apparently / The single parent happiness gap

Thu, 28 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Bloomberg reports that younger consumers are redirecting their entertainment budgets from bars to boutique gyms, and some are spending $300 or more a month to do it — because the gym has become the social infrastructure that everything else used to provide. Also: physicists at the University of Toronto just published a peer-reviewed study in Physical Review Letters confirming that photons can spend a negative amount of time inside a cloud of atoms — exiting before they enter. No, it's not time travel. Yes, it's still deeply unsettling. And a meta-analysis of 54 studies covering 2.5 million people across nearly 50 years confirms the happiness gap for single parents — and the specific reasons why it's worse in the US than anywhere else on Earth. Plus a Kit Kat truck, a murder investigation that wasn't, a dismissed phone charge, and a Florida man in a thong.

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News Sidequest - The fun is gone and Dave and Busters knows it / Half of us regret our degree / What would Dublin say?

Wed, 27 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey finds 48% of Americans say their lives are currently lacking fun — and the survey was commissioned by Dave and Busters, which tells you everything about the source and nothing about whether the finding is wrong. Also: a Harris Poll/Indeed survey finds 52% of professionals with degrees say their degree wasn't relevant to their current job, and among Gen Z that number rises to 51% who call it a waste of money outright. And a Chinese startup called Meng Xiaoyi has launched a $118 AI pet translator collar claiming 95% accuracy — with zero published data to back it up and 10,000 units already pre-ordered. Plus a robin nest that's holding a Ford truck hostage, a driver stuck in fresh concrete, a paraglider and a plane, and a toothpick world record.

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News Sidequest - Six in ten Americans cut back on groceries / Put down the laptop, pick up the pencil / Trust your gut

Tue, 26 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new NYT/CNN poll finds 61% of Americans changed what they buy at the grocery store to stay within budget — a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and independents all said the same thing. Also: a rural North Carolina school district stopped students from using screens on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a public health professor who studied the results shares what happened — including the kid whose eye strain went away. And a new PNAS study of 215,000 professional chess moves finds that faster decisions are consistently linked to better moves — and the reason why is more interesting than "trust your gut." Plus a mayor who tasered his own adviser, an AI girlfriend breakup, an airport hair removal evacuation, and some screws on a Florida highway.

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Sidequests - Operation Cornflakes

Tue, 26 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

By 1945, the Allies had tried nearly everything to undermine Nazi Germany from the inside. Leaflets dropped from planes. Radio broadcasts. Forged documents. And then someone in the Office of Strategic Services — the forerunner to the CIA — had an idea that was either brilliant or completely unhinged, possibly both.

What if they weaponized the mail?

This week's Sidequests covers Operation Cornflakes: the Allied psychological operation that used bombed mail trains, counterfeit Nazi postage stamps, and fake German newspapers to slip anti-Nazi propaganda directly into the hands of ordinary German citizens — delivered, unknowingly, by actual German postal workers.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Six - Life At Sea

Fri, 22 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Episode 5 of our ten-part series onThe Titanic Disaster takes place entirely before anything goes wrong. It’s Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13. Ireland is 300 miles behind. America is still three days ahead. The engines are warming up — 386 miles Thursday to Friday, 519 miles Friday to Saturday, 546 on Sunday before the iceberg ends the count. The ship is a self-contained world of 2,208 people, and for these two days, everything is working exactly as designed.

The free episode covers life across all three classes, Thomas Andrews walking the decks with his notebook cataloguing minor imperfections, and the orchestra playing its scheduled concerts — six times daily, from morning classical to evening ragtime — unaware that Sunday night would require a very different kind of performance.

The premium episode goes deeper into four stories the free version can only touch: the professional gamblers preying on first-class passengers, the children aboard and what happened to them, the crew’s world below decks, and what the ship meant to the 706 third-class immigrants who boarded with everything they owned.

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Sidequests - The War of the Whiskers

Thu, 21 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Before telegrams and treaty negotiations, before summits and press conferences, European diplomacy played out in royal courts where every detail was scrutinized — including, with surprising frequency, what was growing on your face.

This Sidequest covers the War of the Whiskers: the era when a clean-shaven diplomat could cause an international incident, when ambassadors were quietly briefed on the “facial hair climate” of the courts they were assigned to, and when at least one Austrian envoy was reassigned from St. Petersburg because he refused to grow a beard to satisfy Tsar Nicholas I.

It sounds absurd. It was also completely real. In 19th-century Europe, facial hair wasn’t fashion — it was national identity, political allegiance, and diplomatic signal all at once. Prussian soldiers wore bold mustaches as symbols of martial discipline. Napoleon III’s waxed imperial whiskers set the tone for what a loyal French subject should look like. British soldiers returned from the Crimean War with full beards and sparked a national debate about heroism versus discipline. When a British envoy to the

Ottoman Empire refused to grow the long curled mustache standard among officials there, it was whispered in diplomatic circles that he might have made more progress if he’d simply picked up a razor and worked in the other direction.

The press dubbed the growing tension the War of the Whiskers, circulating caricatures of ambassadors armed not with swords but with combs and beard oil. It was satire — but satire with a point. Grooming had become strategy. Image had become policy.

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News Sidequest - Artemis II inspired a generation / Luis Salazar found $30,000 and did the right thing / 80% of how you age is your call

Thu, 21 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Space Camp registrations doubled after Artemis II splashed down — and the NASA administrator who attended Space Camp as a kid is now running the agency. Also: Luis Salazar walked into a Wawa bathroom in Riviera Beach, Florida, found a fanny pack with $30,000 in cash, spent days trying to find the owner, and returned every dollar. The owner was carrying it for a family emergency. He cried. He hugged Luis. And a new report from the Oxford Longevity Project presented at the Smart Ageing Summit finds that at least 80% of the health problems people experience in old age are driven by lifestyle and environment — not genetics. Plus Harvard capping A grades, a Google Translate robbery, mutant super pigs, and a 14-year-old with incredible dedication to avoiding school.

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News Sidequest - High school is rough and the data proves it / Your master's degree might not save you / The goodest of boys

Wed, 20 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Adelaide University study of more than 20,000 students found that well-being declines across every single measured category after the move to high school — and the damage can persist for more than two years. Also: Burning Glass Institute data shows master's degree unemployment for workers under 35 is at the 77th percentile over the past two decades — near a 20-year high — while PhD, law, and medical degree unemployment is near a 20-year low. The lines used to move together. They don't anymore. And on the banks of the Darling River in Australia, archaeologists have uncovered a 950-year-old dingo burial that is the first documented case in world history of humans ritually feeding a grave — for 500 years after the animal died. Plus a frog in a salad bag, a heat gun and a dealer decal, a courtroom birth, and a sailor whose rescue flare started a wildfire.

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News Sidequest - Why you're right-handed / A free house with a catch / Are our brains shrinking?

Tue, 19 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Oxford researchers just published the most comprehensive answer yet to why 90% of humans favor their right hand — and it turns out it has everything to do with how we learned to walk. Also: a three-bedroom colonial on Nantucket that sold for $3 million five months ago is yours for free — you just have to move it off the property in 180 days, and the moving bill runs between $150,000 and $500,000. And the debate over whether human brains have been shrinking for thousands of years is genuinely unresolved — with one side saying yes, and the reasons pointing toward collective intelligence, and another side saying the data doesn't hold up. Plus a six-year-old who may be the rightful King of Norway, a Qantas flight diverted by a man who bit a flight attendant, and a 100-year overdue library book.

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Sidequests - Let's Learn About the Thucydides Trap

Tue, 19 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

In the fifth century BC, Athens was rising. Wealthier, more powerful, more ambitious than it had ever been. And Sparta — the dominant military power for generations — was watching, and growing afraid.

What happened next gave us one of the most important ideas in the study of power and conflict: the Thucydides Trap. The historian Thucydides watched Athens and Sparta drag each other into a 27-year war that devastated the Greek world, and he asked not what triggered it, but what caused it. His answer was deceptively simple: it was the rise of Athens, and the fear that this instilled in Sparta.

Not aggression. Not ambition. Fear.

This week’s Sidequests unpacks the Thucydides Trap… for no reason in particular.

It’s the recurring pattern in which a rising power challenges an established one, fear takes hold on both sides, and the structure of rivalry pulls nations toward conflict that neither side necessarily wanted. The Peloponnesian War. Rome and Carthage. Britain and Germany before World War I. The same pattern, different centuries, similar outcomes. Two sides that both lost more than they could have gained by avoiding the fight.

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News Sidequest - Science says $111,000 is enough / Woman is becoming a doctor at 72 / Gen Z is at the mall

Mon, 18 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The research on money and happiness has been debated for 15 years, but the most current numbers adjusted for inflation put the sweet spot around $100,000 to $111,000 — and the story of why problems scale beyond that is more interesting than the headline. Also: Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft got a microscope when she was seven years old, wanted to be a doctor her whole life, raised four children, worked as a neonatal nurse practitioner for 45 years, used her retirement savings to attend medical school in her late 60s, and is graduating this month at 72. And Gen Z — the generation raised on Amazon and Instagram — is driving a shopping mall renaissance, and the reason why is actually the same reason they put down their phones for a month. Plus sleeping Windsor Castle guards, the TSA's official position on rotisserie chicken, Southwest's robot ban, and the great glutes longevity story.

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News Sidequest - Someone paid off 200 kids' student loans / The guy who got his Bitcoin back / Tarot readers need help from AI too

Fri, 15 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

At NC State's Wilson College of Textiles commencement on May 8th, donor Anil Kochhar stood up and announced he and his wife were paying off the final-year student loans for all 202 graduates — in honor of his father, who came from Punjab, India to study there in 1946. Also: a man who changed his Bitcoin wallet password while high eleven years ago just recovered $400,000 worth of cryptocurrency by dumping his old college computer files into an AI — which found an older wallet file he didn't know existed. And a new academic study finds tarot readers are increasingly using AI to interpret their cards, which raises a genuinely interesting question about why people consult tarot in the first place. Plus drunk deer in France, a ChatGPT confession, the Alabama annoyance defense, and a wine bottle hidden somewhere remarkable.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Five - Queenstown

Fri, 15 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Episode 5 of our ten-part series onThe Titanic Disaster follows the ship to her final port: Queenstown, Ireland, April 11, 1912. One hundred twenty Irish emigrants board, carrying everything they own and leaving behind everything they know. Seven passengers disembark, including a Jesuit priest named Francis Browne whose telegram-ordered departure would save his life and preserve the most comprehensive photographic record of the ship’s interior that would ever exist. Then the anchors come up, Ireland disappears below the horizon, and the Atlantic opens ahead.

The free episode covers the approach to Queenstown, the Irish emigrants who boarded and where they were going, Father Browne’s photographs and the seven words that saved his life, and the final departure, the moment the last link to Europe was severed and the ship turned west toward whatever was waiting.

The full premium episode goes deeper on Queenstown itself, the Ireland those emigrants were leaving, the lost mail that went down with the ship, and the music of third class in those final days before the iceberg.

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Sidequests - The 200-Year Fight Over Washington's Monuments

Thu, 14 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The monuments on the National Mall feel timeless. Inevitable. As if they rose from the earth fully formed.. of course the Washington Monument is there, of course it looks like that, of course the Lincoln Memorial anchors the western end of the Mall with the Reflecting Pool stretching out before it.

None of it was inevitable. All of it was a fight.

This week’s Sidequests traces the 200-year argument over how America builds its monuments, and what those arguments reveal about a country that has always been uncomfortable with its own desire for grandeur. Republics aren’t supposed to build like empires. But they also want to be taken seriously. That tension has been present since L’Enfant unrolled his plans in 1791, and it hasn’t been resolved since.

Every monument on the Mall tells two stories. The first is the story it commemorates. The second is the story of how America chose to build it and that second story has always been messy, slow, contentious, and democratic.

Maybe that process is part of what makes them American.

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News Sidequest - Kids have stopped reading / Dads are finally showing up at home / 11 million kids with a parent in the system

Thu, 14 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth researchers just published a national education scorecard and the reading results are sobering — scores have been declining since 2013, well before COVID, and the states making gains all have one thing in common. Also: new data shows college-educated dads cut their paid work by six hours a week and added four hours of childcare between 2019 and 2024 — the biggest shift in household labor in decades. And a new JAMA study of 76 million children finds that 15% — 11 million kids — had a family member criminally charged in the past five years, triple the rate from 2000. Plus the Knight Rider car's speeding ticket, a Zoltar machine with a winning lottery number, the vomit fee restaurant, and a fertilizer spill on a Pennsylvania highway.

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News Sidequest - What would you bring back from childhood / Give us some good news / There's a version of you doing better than this

Wed, 13 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Adult band camps are having a moment — and they're being described as an antidote to isolation, which tells you something about why they're catching on right now. Also: the optimism research is genuinely interesting — optimistic brains are measurably different, they process good and bad news in distinct ways, and about 80% of people have an optimism bias they don't even know about. And Oxford physicist Vlatko Vedral just published a piece in Popular Mechanics arguing that your alternate universe selves are literally shaping your fate — and the physics behind it is more grounded than it sounds. Plus the Manson mansion for rent, fingerprint theft from selfies, Dante as the Simpsons of the 14th century, and federal charges on a Carnival cruise.

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News Sidequest - Young people have never been this pessimistic about jobs / Everyone needs recess / Someone was living in their basement

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:37:36 GMT

A new Gallup poll of 141 countries finds young Americans are more pessimistic about the job market than their older counterparts — creating a generational gap bigger than any other country in the survey. Historically, young Americans have always been more optimistic than older ones, even through the Great Recession. That pattern just broke. Also: the American Academy of Pediatrics just released its first new recess guidance in 13 years, and one of the doctors accidentally summarized the whole thing perfectly: "We all kind of need recess." And a professor in Searcy, Arkansas spent a week noticing his shoes had moved, food was disappearing, and chairs kept turning up in different places — before his family found a man living in a storage closet under his basement stairs. Plus an earthquake machine under the Alps, a pencil running for governor, a hospital wall smashing, and a dead rat in an energy drink.

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Sidequests - Everything You Know About the Hindenburg is Wrong

Tue, 12 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

The Hindenburg exploded. Everyone died. Hydrogen caused the disaster. It was the maiden voyage.

Four facts. All wrong.

This week’s Sidequests takes ten minutes to dismantle one of the most mythologized disasters of the 20th century — and what’s left when the myth falls away is somehow more interesting than the legend.

What the Hindenburg actually represents is simpler and stranger than the myth: the moment documentation became destiny. The disaster that ended the airship era wasn’t the deadliest, wasn’t the most catastrophic, and still has an unresolved cause. It just happened to be filmed.

Famous last words of an era, caught on camera, narrated by a man whose voice broke at exactly the right moment.

Almost everything you thought you knew was wrong.

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News Sidequest - Your early 50s might be the best it gets / Good news for anxious worriers / Don't do it, Hadzabe

Mon, 11 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey of 6,400 older Americans finds that looking back, people report peak life satisfaction at age 52 — and the reasons why make a lot of sense once you hear them. Also: a major new study finds that one specific flavor of anxious, neurotic personality is linked to a 35% lower risk of death over 15 years — and the mechanism behind it is genuinely interesting. And the Wall Street Journal spent time with the Hadzabe of Tanzania, one of the last true hunter-gatherer societies on Earth, who are quietly debating whether to join the modern world. The answer, in my opinion, should be no. Plus AI self-replication, Bigfoot sightings in Ohio, a brain-eating amoeba warning, and someone tracking private jets to predict the apocalypse.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Four - Cherbourg

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:17:39 GMT

Episode 4 of our series on the Titanic Disaster picks up where Southampton left off — Titanic steaming across the English Channel toward Cherbourg, France, where the Continental passengers are waiting. The ship can’t enter the harbor (too shallow for a vessel drawing 34 feet), so she anchors offshore and sends tenders. Two ships:

Nomadic for first and second class, Traffic for third. Within two hours, 174 new passengers are aboard, including some of the most famous names on the manifest. Then it’s overnight to Queenstown, Ireland — the final port, the last link to land, and the last chance anyone has to get off.

The free episode covers the Channel crossing, the Cherbourg boarding, and the first formal dinner at sea — ten courses in first class, roast beef and accordion music in third — with the ship performing flawlessly and everyone aboard convinced they’re on the safest vessel ever built.

The full premium episode goes deep on the people who boarded at Cherbourg, what was really happening in the wireless room that first night, and what the class divide looked like not just socially, but structurally — built into the steel of the ship itself.

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News Sidequest - What did you hide from your parents? / Sleep is more important than you know / Four people pretending to be on Mars

Fri, 08 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study confirms what every teenager already knew: they're not telling their parents about the sketchy stuff they see online, because they're afraid of the freak out that would follow. Also: just one night of bad sleep can spike the exact brain proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease by 25 to 30 percent — and a week of poor sleep makes it worse. And four volunteers at NASA's Johnson Space Center just hit 200 days inside a 1,700 square foot 3D-printed habitat pretending to be on Mars, with 178 days still to go. Plus a hacked robot lawn mower, a Buddhist robot monk, two Florida alligators, and a bear that wanted a pastry.

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News Sidequest - Politics cost us a third of our friendships / More afraid of going broke than dying / Your coffee is basically medicine

Thu, 07 May 2026 12:29:57 GMT

A new study finds 37% of Americans have ended a friendship, family relationship, or romantic partnership over political differences — and the rate has accelerated since 2016. Also: a new Allianz retirement study finds 67% of Americans are now more worried about running out of money than about dying, up 10 points in just three years. And a Texas A&M researcher has identified the specific compounds in coffee that explain why it's been linked to longer life and lower disease risk for decades — and it has nothing to do with caffeine. Plus a 28-year-old posing as a high school student, Apophis getting closer, a Wile E. Coyote car crash, and a woman who took poultry protection very seriously.

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Sidequests - The Cadaveric Lottery of Edinburgh

Thu, 07 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Early 1800s Edinburgh was the heart of medical science in Britain. Its universities attracted ambitious students from across the world, all desperate to learn surgery the old-fashioned way—by cutting bodies open.

But there was a problem: You can’t learn anatomy from a textbook. You need corpses.

And in Edinburgh, there weren’t nearly enough to go around.

Legally, only executed criminals could be dissected. But executions were becoming rare, and medical schools were expanding. Demand far outpaced supply.

So a shadowy trade emerged. Bodies began disappearing from graves. Night watchmen stood guard in cemeteries. Families installed iron cages over loved ones’ tombs.

And when grave-robbing wasn’t enough? Murder wasn’t off the table.

This is a story where science and ethics clashed in the darkest corners of the anatomy theater. Where murder, poverty, and medicine shared a table. Where being poor didn't just mean dying in obscurity—it meant your body might end up in a surgeon's notebook.

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News Sidequest - What would it cost to buy your peace of mind? / People are trying to buy Spirit Airlines / Finally, eggs are good for you again

Wed, 06 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey finds the average American with a $79,000 household income would spend $57,000 a year — nearly three-quarters of it — just to feel okay. Also: a TikToker named Hunter Peterson posted a joke video about buying Spirit Airlines after it shut down Saturday, and 125,000 people pledged $88 million in four days. And a major 15-year study of nearly 40,000 older adults finds that eating at least one egg a week is associated with a 27% lower risk of Alzheimer's — and the mechanism actually makes sense this time. Plus a porta-potty explosion, a man whose seizure saved his life, children drawing fake mustaches to bypass age checks, and 64 stolen calves.

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Sidequests - The 1973 Oil Crisis Fundamentally Reshaped the Modern World

Tue, 05 May 2026 05:02:00 GMT

October 1973: Americans wait in line for hours to buy gasoline. Prices have quadrupled. Rationing is in effect. The images are iconic—cars stretching around city blocks, gas stations running dry, tempers flaring.

But the gas lines everyone remembers were just the visible symptom. The 1973 oil crisis didn’t just cause a recession. It ended an era and created the world we live in today.

1973 was the year everything changed. The moment when guaranteed prosperity ended. When the future stopped looking better than the past. When the post-war order broke and the modern world began.

This is the story of that inflection point, and why it still shapes everything from Middle East policy to global finance to the economic assumptions we all carry.

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News Sidequest - Gen X is never retiring / Channel your rage into the gym / There are more men than the world needs right now

Tue, 05 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey finds nearly half of Gen X workers are pushing back their retirement dates — and more than half expect to raid their retirement accounts early just to cover near-term costs. Also: rage workouts are having a moment, and the psychology behind using anger as athletic fuel is more interesting than it sounds — and more effective than punching a pillow. And a new study published in PNAS finds that 2024 was the first year in human history that female global fertility levels exceeded male fertility — and the trend is projected to continue through 2100. Plus a painted donkey that escaped a zoo, a dog that shot its owner, a couple that torched a neighbor's drone, and an atmosphere beyond Pluto.

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News Sidequest - One in three Americans is having an existential crisis / Your brain is dreaming right now / Spirit Airlines is gone

Mon, 04 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey of 2,000 Americans finds one in three is currently having an existential crisis — and for Gen Z it's more than half. The top word people used to describe 2026 so far is "stressful." Also: a Paris Brain Institute study of 92 adults finds that dream-like mental experiences can and do happen during confirmed wakefulness — the boundary between dreaming and being awake is far more porous than anyone realized. And Spirit Airlines, 34 years old and bright yellow, shut down Saturday morning after jet fuel prices tied to the Iran war doubled and a government bailout fell apart. Seventeen thousand people are out of work. The Spirit Halloween conversion is already underway. Plus a robot that delayed a Southwest flight, a kid who watched 13,000 YouTube videos during school hours, and an $80,000 mac and cheese scheme.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Three - Southampton

Fri, 01 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

April 10, 1912. Six in the morning. Dawn breaking over Southampton. At Berth 44, the largest moving object on earth sits waiting — boilers burning, officers walking their inspections, stewards arranging flowers in rooms no one has slept in yet. In six hours, she sails.

But before Titanic ever reached open water, she nearly collided with another ship in the harbor. And deep in her belly, a coal fire had been burning for days. Nobody told the passengers.

This episode covers the full sailing day — the passengers who boarded and what they were carrying with them, the near-miss that almost ended the voyage before it began, and the hidden problem the crew was quietly managing while everyone else marveled at the ship's beauty.

In the free episode: the boarding of over 2,200 souls across three classes, the harrowing suction event with the SS New York, and the coal fire that was finally extinguished the day before the iceberg.

In the full premium episode at newssidequest.com: the officers who didn't want to be there, the 325 engineering crew members who kept the lights burning until two minutes before the ship went down — and paid for it with their lives — and the locked gates that turned class separation into a death sentence for hundreds of third-class passengers.

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Sidequests - The Boston Molasses Flood

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

On January 15, 1919, a storage tank in Boston's North End burst open and sent more than 2 million gallons of molasses roaring through the streets at 35 miles per hour. Buildings collapsed. People were buried alive. 21 died. It sounds absurd — and it was also completely preventable. The tank had been leaking for years, the warnings were ignored, and the company painted it brown to hide the evidence. This is the Boston Molasses Disaster: one of the strangest and most consequential industrial accidents in American history.

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News Sidequest - Americans haven't felt this broke in 25 years / What are we doing to babies / The face from Pompeii

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new Gallup poll finds 55% of Americans say their financial situation is getting worse — the highest number since 2001, higher even than during the pandemic or the 2008 financial crisis. This is the fifth consecutive year of declining financial confidence, and the only comparable stretch was the Great Recession. Also: a new study finds two-thirds of babies under two watch screens, some for up to eight hours a day — and the research on what that does to developing brains is more nuanced and more concerning than most parents realize. And archaeologists at Pompeii just used AI to reconstruct the face of a man who died fleeing Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 — carrying an oil lamp, a ring, and ten bronze coins. Plus weaponized bees, a skeleton at the bank, GPS-collared possums, and a bird with a grudge.

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Sidequests - The Dancing Plague of 1518

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:32:17 GMT

In July 1518, a woman walked into the streets of Strasbourg and started dancing. She didn't stop for days. Within a month, hundreds had joined her — collapsing from exhaustion, some reportedly dying — in one of history's most baffling and unsettling outbreaks. The city's response made it worse. The medical theories still don't fully explain it. And the way it ended is somehow the strangest part of all. This is the Dancing Plague of 1518 — and no one has ever completely solved it.

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News Sidequest - Your dreams are training you / He came back as a hologram / Nobody knows what an AI-proof major is

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study finds dreams function as a complex social simulation space — your brain running rehearsals for the challenges it thinks you'll face. Also: Pam Cronrath promised her husband of nearly 60 years a "super wake," and she delivered — a life-size hologram of Bill appeared at his own memorial service, took questions from 200 mourners, and told his wife he loved her one last time. And college students are switching majors in search of AI-proof careers — but here's the problem: nobody actually knows what an AI-proof major is. Plus infrasound and ghost sightings, a pastor with a publishing problem, an orangutan who crossed the road, and someone who used a hair dryer to win a $34,000 weather bet.

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News Sidequest - What time would you escape to? / The dating recession is real / Your summer trip just got more expensive

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new NBC News poll finds nearly half of Gen Z would choose to live in the past if they could — and the reasons are more specific and interesting than simple nostalgia. Also: a new wave of surveys confirms what a lot of people already feel — dating has become expensive enough that millions of Americans are going on fewer dates or stopping altogether, and the apps aren't helping. And summer travel costs are up 26% since 2019, jet fuel prices are spiking due to the Iran conflict, and 65% of Americans have already changed their summer plans because of price. Plus kindergarteners naming themselves, a game hunter and some elephants, Americans who might now be Canadian, and a very generous lottery winner.

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Two - Building the Titanic

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 05:05:00 GMT

January 1909: RMS Republic collided with another ship in dense fog. A forty-foot gash tore open her hull. Fifteen hundred people were aboard. But the ship stayed afloat for thirty-nine hours. Wireless brought rescue. Passengers were transferred safely. Only six people died.

The newspapers called it the "Miracle of Wireless."

White Star Line learned a lesson: modern ships don't just sink. Watertight compartments keep them afloat. Wireless brings help. You don't need lifeboats for everyone—just enough to ferry passengers to rescue ships.

It made perfect sense. It was based on real experience.

And it would kill fifteen hundred people.

This is Episode 2 of a ten-part series exploring the Titanic disaster from conception to legacy—not just what happened, but why it happened, and what it reveals about hubris, inequality, and how disasters are built one reasonable decision at a time.

Paid subscribers get the full 70-minute episode featuring:

Thomas Andrews and his obsessive notebook—the designer who knew every rivet

The engineering revolution: 46,000 horsepower, 600 tons of coal per day, 176 firemen in 100-degree heat

Life in first, second, and third class—luxury, comfort, and adequate

The three sister ships and their vastly different fates

What really could have been done differently, and why it wasn't

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News Sidequest - Grown-ups are pregaming again / Put down the phone for a month / Seeds can hear the rain

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A Wall Street Journal survey finds nearly a third of Americans are pregaming before going out to avoid paying $20 for a drink at a bar — and liquor brands are packaging miniature bottles specifically to enable this. Also: a group of 20- and 30-somethings in Washington swapped their smartphones for flip phones for a full month, and the things they rediscovered are more interesting than the detox itself. And MIT just published the first direct evidence that plant seeds can sense sound — specifically, that rice seeds exposed to the sound of rain germinate 30 to 40 percent faster than seeds in identical conditions without it. Plus a US sailor sidelined by a monkey, the Senate's hot rotisserie chicken legislation, a bored arsonist, and a man who gave police the wrong name.

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News Sidequest - Two in five Americans cut someone off / The most expensive mistake at work / The family that lied with AI

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new survey finds 38% of Americans went no contact with a friend or family member in the last year — and the generational gap is stark. Also: South Korean Air Force investigators just published their findings on how two F-15K fighter jets collided mid-air, and the reason is both absurd and surprisingly human. And a family in China hired an AI company to create a digital clone of their deceased son so his 80-year-old mother — who has heart disease — would never learn he'd died. The ethical questions are real and they're coming for all of us. Plus the Yellowstone wolf, Pope Leo on Bozo's Circus, Germany's military timeline, and a DUI excuse that was never going to work.

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News Sidequest - Stuck and underpaid / Your water opinions are wrong / Life once existed on Mars, maybe

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A New York Fed survey finds American workers are more dissatisfied with their pay and chances of advancement than at any point in the survey's 12-year history — and job mobility is simultaneously at a multi-year low. That's a trap, and the question worth asking is what you actually do when you're in it. Also: 65% of Americans are picky about their water, a third of them bring their own water wherever they go, and the survey was commissioned by a bottled water company, which tells you everything you need to know. Plus: NASA's Curiosity rover just detected more than 20 organic molecules on Mars — including a nitrogen-bearing compound that resembles a DNA precursor — and the researchers are careful to say it's not proof of life, but it's the most compelling chemistry yet. And Finnish Air Force cadets, an arson suspect with a very telling forehead, and a parrot who knows your name.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Sidequests - The Time Australia Declared War on Birds (And Lost)

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

In 1932, the Australian military went to war. Not against a rival nation. Not against armed insurgents. Against emus — 20,000 of them — cutting through struggling farmland on their seasonal migration. The government's solution: two soldiers, two Lewis machine guns, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The result: one of the most embarrassing military defeats in recorded history. This is the Great Emu War — and the birds won.

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News Sidequest - Being wrong is actually good for you / Touch grass, literally / Sometimes the voices are right

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

New research confirms what trial-and-error learners have always suspected: getting something wrong first — and then learning the right answer — produces significantly better retention than memorizing correctly from the start. Also: a study from Norway finds that solo time in nature has a measurable protective effect against loneliness, and the mechanism is more interesting than just "fresh air." And a case study from the BMJ that went viral this week: a woman in 1980s England heard voices telling her she had a brain tumor, her doctors initially dismissed it, and the scan proved the voices right. Plus the Lego pasta swap, a Florida driver who thought a Supra was a license, and a paraglider with very poor aim.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Middle-aged Americans are struggling / Feeling good isn't enough / The world is running out of people

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A major new study finds that Americans in midlife are lonelier, more depressed, physically weaker, and showing worse memory than earlier generations — and the gap between the US and most of the rest of the wealthy world is significant and growing. Also: a Simon Fraser University study finds that life satisfaction isn't just about feeling good — autonomy, the sense that your choices are genuinely your own, turns out to be a stronger predictor than positive emotions. And demographers are increasingly clear: the world is running out of people, and it's not because of war or disease — it's because prosperity itself is changing the math. Plus humanoid robots beating humans in a half-marathon, a skydiver hitting a scoreboard, and a bear costume that did not hold up to scrutiny.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Sidequests - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part One - The Gilded Age

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

In 1898, author Morgan Robertson published a novel about an "unsinkable" ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank with massive loss of life. He called it the Titan. Fourteen years later, the Titanic—nearly identical in size and fate—met the same end. The parallels are eerie, but they reveal something deeper: this disaster wasn't just possible, it was practically inevitable.

This is the first episode of a ten-part series exploring the Titanic disaster from conception to legacy—not just what happened, but why it happened, and what it tells us about hubris, inequality, and the illusions we tell ourselves about progress and safety.

In this episode:

The dinner party that changed history - Summer 1907: Two men sketch three ships on a napkin that would become the largest moving objects ever created by humans

The age of miracles (1880-1910) - How electric light, telephones, wireless, automobiles, and flight transformed the world in a single generation and created absolute faith in unlimited progress

The "unsinkable" ship - Why everyone believed it, even though White Star never advertised it that way

The world that believed - How Social Darwinism, technological optimism, and Edwardian confidence created a civilization convinced it had conquered nature

The warning nobody heeded - Jack Thayer's haunting observation: "The world of today awoke April 15th, 1912"

UPGRADE TO PREMIUM for the full 30-minute episode featuring:

The complicated story of J. Bruce Ismay and the sale of White Star Line to J.P. Morgan

The real economics of ocean liners: why the profit came from immigrants, not millionaires

The coal strikes, suffragettes, and Irish crisis of spring 1912

Why THIS disaster mattered more than any other maritime tragedy

Extended analysis of the worldview that made catastrophe inevitable

Premium episodes available exclusively at newssidequest.com

Next episode: Building the Titanic - The workers who died constructing her, the rivets that failed, and the design flaw no one saw until it was too late.

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News Sidequest - Loneliness is already affecting your memory / The pilots who meowed on the radio / The cancer gap nobody talks about

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A new study of more than 10,000 people finds that loneliness doesn't just affect mood — it's already affecting memory, and the damage shows up at the baseline before decline even begins. Also: two pilots near Reagan National Airport were caught meowing and barking at each other over air traffic control frequencies, and the FAA is not amused. And a new study finds that the alarming rise in colon cancer deaths among younger adults isn't happening evenly — it's concentrated almost entirely in people without a four-year college degree, and the reasons why are worth understanding. Plus five and a half million bees under a New York cemetery, the SantaCon president's creative use of charitable funds, and a Canadian woman's discovery about her husband's other marriages.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - A drug that could give your dog more time / Put the phone in the colander / She was trying to beat her record

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT

Scientists are running a large-scale clinical trial of a drug called rapamycin that could extend dogs' lifespans by a year or more — and because dogs share so much biology with humans, the implications point well beyond veterinary medicine. Also: a small but growing movement of millennials is gathering in Brooklyn apartments and Amsterdam cathedrals to put their phones in metal bowls and spend a couple of hours just being present — and the fact that this has to be organized and enforced says something worth sitting with. And in Westlake, Ohio, police did a welfare check on a 91-year-old woman who'd missed her daily check-in calls and found her in her bedroom trying to beat her record in a bubble pop game. Plus the God of Chaos asteroid, SantaCon's president stealing from charity, and an ice block through a roof in Los Angeles.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Sidequests - Steel from the Deep

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

In June 1919, a German rear admiral gave a secret order and within hours, 52 warships slipped beneath the surface of a Scottish harbor. The British were furious. Nine German sailors were shot. And nobody realized, yet, that those sunken ships would eventually become one of the most valuable scientific resources of the 20th century.

This episode is about low-background steel: why it matters, where it comes from, and how a fleet deliberately scuttled in an act of protest ended up helping us build spacecraft, study dark matter, and treat cancer. It’s also, if you have submechanophobia... the fear of man-made objects underwater… well, that’s why I do audio content. You won’t have to see it.

This Friday: Episode 1 of Sidequests: Titanic.

Yes, ships at the bottom of the ocean two episodes in a row. I’m not apologizing.

The Titanic series isn’t just about the sinking — it’s about the age that made the Titanic possible, and what the world looked like when an entire civilization believed technology had finally outrun tragedy. Ten episodes. One of the most famous disasters in history, told from angles you probably haven’t heard before.

Free subscribers get a nice 15 minute story. Paid subscribers get the complete 60-minute experience — the deeper dives, the additional threads, the full story.

Upgrade to a paid subscription and get 20% off!

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News Sidequest - What's in your nightmare / The airplane seat that might actually work / The world needs more Dan Simpsons

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Researchers have a new model for treating chronic nightmares in kids — and the key insight is that it's not the nightmare itself that keeps them coming back, it's the child's response to waking up. Also: a double-level airplane seat concept called the Chaise Longue is back with its "final statement" design, and honestly the economics of it make more sense than you might expect. And Dan the Pizza Man, a 68-year-old Domino's driver in Idaho who stopped at a convenience store to buy a customer's Diet Coke out of his own pocket, is heading into retirement with over $150,000 raised by strangers on the internet. Plus a Florida surgeon who removed the wrong organ, a Louisiana fugitive tracking his own escape stats, and a Japanese fire official whose idea of workplace fun went very badly.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Parents spending $50K to land their kid a job / Loneliness linked to suicide risk / AI can predict your diseases 20 years out

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Bloomberg reports that anxious parents are spending $50,000 or more to hire career coaches for their college-age kids — starting as early as freshman year. It raises a real question: is this a generational shift, a symptom of a brutal job market, or both? Also: a Vanderbilt study of 633,000 people finds loneliness is a critical step on the road to suicidal ideation — and the finding has direct implications for how we think about mental health treatment. Plus, a tool called Delphi-2M can now predict more than 1,000 diseases up to 20 years before symptoms appear, using nothing but your medical history. And a man declared dead who wasn't, a deputy on a dating app during a SWAT operation, a Disney stroller scheme, and an Ohio man who won the lottery twice in one day.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Sidequests - Everything You Need To Know About the Avignon Papacy

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Sidequests is a podcast about the history you didn’t know you needed... and sometimes, the history that explains the week you just had.

We go down a rabbit hole. Sometimes it’s obscure. Sometimes it’s weird. Sometimes it’s both, and somewhere in the middle of it you realize the fourteenth century is suddenly more relevant than it has any right to be.

In 1309, the entire papal court packed up and moved to France. Not because the pope wanted to. Not exactly. It’s a story about a king who wasn’t afraid of excommunication, a conclave that lasted eleven months, a wall that collapsed at the worst possible moment, and a mystic from Siena who eventually got tired of writing polite letters.

The Avignon Papacy lasted sixty-seven years, produced seven popes, all French, and ended with a schism that cracked open questions the Church wouldn’t fully answer for another century. You may have seen a reference to it floating around in the news last week.

Coming this Friday: The first episode of Sidequests: Titanic — a ten-part extended series on the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the age of technological optimism it brought crashing down with it.

Free subscribers get the first episode in full. Paid subscribers get the complete 60-minute experience, with deeper dives into the people, the engineering, and the decisions that made April 14, 1912 inevitable long before the iceberg showed up.

Upgrade to a paid subscription and get 20% off!

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News Sidequest - They're home from the Moon / The pet debt crisis is real / Gen Z thinks AI is rotting their brain

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

After ten days, 695,000 miles, and one crater named Carroll, the Artemis II crew splashed down safely in the Pacific on Friday — and the reaction was everything NASA needed it to be. Also: veterinary costs are up 43% since 2021, the average dog will cost you $50,000 over its lifetime, and the pet debt crisis is quietly becoming a breaking point for a lot of families. Plus, a new Gallup survey finds Gen Z's excitement about AI has collapsed while anger has surged — and the worry underneath it is actually pretty legitimate. And three men, a million dollars worth of Lego, a chimpanzee civil war, and a cow that apparently had an appointment.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Gen Z packed an anxiety bag / Put the phone down for a week / Workers are sabotaging AI

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A survey finds 61% of Gen Z have a diagnosed anxiety condition and 43% have a panic attack at least once a month — and they're building curated "anxiety bags" to manage it on the go. Also: a new study finds that blocking internet on your phone for just two weeks reversed the cognitive equivalent of ten years of aging. And nearly half of Gen Z workers admit to actively sabotaging their company's AI rollout — and the fear driving it is more understandable than it sounds. Plus the world chess champion's perfectly executed selfie trap, two men and 96 stolen bananas, and a funeral brawl nobody planned for.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Depression costs more than you think / Marriage might save your life / Your $22 smoothie is actually rational

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A new study finds depression hits personal finances harder than cancer or stroke — and the income gap doesn't close for a decade. Also: marriage is linked to dramatically lower cancer rates, and the study raises a question worth sitting with: is it the ring, or the connection? Plus, there's actually a name for why people buy $22 smoothies when they can't afford a house — and it's more psychologically interesting than it sounds. And a Nutella jar in space, a whole Australian town for sale, automatic military draft registration, and a dead alligator strapped to a car roof.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Your brain needs more than Netflix / The housing dream is fading / We say we give but we don't

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A new study finds it's not just how much time you spend sitting — it's what you're doing while you sit. Passive screen time is linked to significantly higher dementia risk, and swapping one hour of TV for something that actually uses your brain could make a real difference. Also: the housing market is stuck in a slow grind that's locking out first-time buyers and trapping everyone else in place, and there's no quick fix in sight. Plus, nine in ten Americans say giving is a priority — but the share who actually donate has been falling for 25 years. And a banana emergency, a Tennessee Congressman hinting at aliens, and an April Fools' Day 911 call that did not land well.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Farther than any human in history / Should we ban kids from social media? / How do you know what's real?

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Four astronauts flew farther from Earth than any person in history — broke a 56-year-old record, named a crater after a commander's late wife, and heard a wake-up message from Jim Lovell recorded just before he died. Also: experts say banning kids from social media is politically popular but scientifically weak, and the evidence points toward something harder than a ban. Plus, the question I've been wanting to ask for a while: what is your actual system for deciding whether a news story is real? And a samurai sword stolen by a guy on a bike, a cat stuck in a recliner, and a cruise ship that ran aground next to where Cast Away was filmed.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Training your robot replacement / Seniors can't afford to live alone / Kids or financial freedom

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Gig workers in 50 countries are strapping phones to their foreheads and filming their chores to train humanoid robots — while openly acknowledging they're probably building their own replacements. Also: the number of seniors seeking roommates has tripled as housing costs crush retirement budgets, and a growing number of young couples say they want kids but simply can't make the math work. Plus, the Artemis II crew already had to call Houston about Microsoft Outlook, Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz while cutting NASA's budget, and a man stopped for gas and left with $100,000.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - The girl who remembers everything / We've stopped talking / Humans have always gambled

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A teenager in France can mentally revisit any moment of her life in vivid detail — and scientists say it's as much burden as gift. Also: a new study finds people are speaking 338 fewer words every day than they were 15 years ago, and researchers say those missing words are the small moments of human contact quietly disappearing from daily life. Plus, ancient bone dice confirm humans have been gambling since the Ice Age — 6,000 years before anyone thought. And Paul McCartney got banned from his own subreddit, Jonathan the tortoise survived a crypto scam, and a company wants to block the sun.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Three months from broke / Gas hits four dollars / Is your degree worth it?

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

A new survey finds most Americans are just three months away from financial collapse — and it only takes about $6,000 in extra debt to push a household toward bankruptcy. Also: gas just crossed four dollars a gallon for the first time since 2022, driven by the war in Iran, and experts say relief isn't coming anytime soon. Plus, a new study says the most popular graduate degrees aren't worth the money. And NASA just launched four astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 54 years

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Kids won't fix your happiness / Work feels like a funeral / Gen Z is napping through lunch

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study confirms what a lot of people already suspected: having kids doesn't make you happier — but it does strain your relationship. Also: the Wall Street Journal says the American workplace has become so joyless it feels like a funeral, and Dell charging for coffee is Exhibit A. Plus, Gen Z workers are escaping the 9-to-5 for nap pods and cry rooms around New York City. And identical twins, a DNA mix-up, a camel smuggling operation, and an Amber Alert for a child who never existed.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Sidequests - Everything You Need to Know About Artemis II

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Right now, four human beings are hurtling through deep space at 24,000 mph. For the first time since 1972, humans are looking back at a shrinking blue marble on the Artemis II mission.

But how did we actually get here?

In this premiere episode of Sidequests, we dive headfirst down the rabbit hole of the 23-year political odyssey behind a ten-day mission. From the tragic 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to the birth of the “Senate Launch System,” we explore the shifting goals, budget battles, and pure endurance that kept the dream of returning to the Moon alive.

Meet the incredible crew making history—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—and discover why this mission is the ultimate stress test for the future of human space exploration. The screw-up took 23 years. The mission takes ten days. They’re out there right now, crossing the void. Let’s trace their path.

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News Sidequest - Kids just want to be free / Social media is making college lonely / Your seat could save your life

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study asked kids what makes play feel like play — and their answer has nothing to do with anything adults have been building for them. Also: more than half of college students are lonely, and the heaviest social media users are the most isolated. Plus, your airplane seat row may determine whether you walk away from a crash. And a three-minute art heist, a Powerball winner who keeps committing crimes, and an underwater supervolcano nobody asked for.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Your AI is lying to you / Reproducing in space is complicated / Egypt just got weirder

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study finds AI chatbots are making people less likely to apologize — and more likely to double down. Also: why having babies in space is harder than anyone expected, and why there might be a second Sphinx buried under the sand at Giza.Plus: portals to the fifth dimension, frozen brain tissue, a KitKat heist, and a Florida man who took his horse through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru.

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News Sidequest - Can school houses build belonging? / When connections beat merit / One incredible career journey

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Can you actually design a sense of belonging?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at schools adopting Hogwarts-style house systems—and whether that kind of structure really works in the real world.

We also explore why connections may matter more than merit in some systems, and one incredible story of persistence from a woman who went from janitor to doctor at the same hospital.

Plus: an “alien” potato in space, a million-year-old time capsule, Opening Day debates, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - How colleges are adapting to AI / Why everything feels more expensive / What we get better at with age

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

How do you prove you actually know something in the age of AI?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at how colleges are turning to oral exams as a way to verify learning—and what that says about how education is changing.

We also explore why more Americans are struggling with credit card debt, and a more optimistic finding about what people actually get better at as they age.

Plus: rogue robots in Chicago, cocaine sharks, giant spiders, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - Is this a dating green flag? / The tough reality for new grads / How people actually change their minds

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

What’s the biggest green flag you’ve ever seen on a first date?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we start with a surprisingly controversial Olive Garden moment—and what it says about how we judge people.

We also look at the reality facing young graduates entering today’s job market, and a fascinating insight into how people actually change their minds.

Plus: rising Easter candy prices, fake carpool passengers, antimatter on the move, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - Why we love finding Easter eggs / Why we give our side a pass / The real cost of owning a pet

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Why does finding a hidden detail in a movie feel so satisfying?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore the psychology behind why Easter eggs make us feel smart—and how that connects to the way we process information more broadly.

We also look at why people tend to lower their standards for “their side,” and what that says about how we judge others.

Plus: the rising cost of owning a pet, robots in fast food, coffee and brain health, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - Doctors may prescribe nature / Why HOAs feel like a second mortgage / When does wealth feel like too much?

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

What if one of the best things for your mental health… is simply going outside?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore why doctors may soon start prescribing time in nature—and what people already do to disconnect and recharge.

We also look at how HOA fees are starting to feel like a second mortgage for many homeowners, and a growing debate over whether extreme wealth is something to admire… or question.

Plus: a possible meteorite crash, a very determined baseball fan, a fried chicken lottery win, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - AI brings actors back to life / The meaning of 867-5309 changes / Proof people have always been sarcastic

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

What happens when technology starts bringing people back from the dead?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore the growing use of AI to recreate actors like Val Kilmer—and where the line might be between tribute and something else.

We also look at how the famous number 867-5309 has taken on a completely different meaning over time, and what a 2,000-year-old sarcastic message reveals about how little human behavior has actually changed.

Plus: exploding comets, questionable lawsuits, bank robbers with poor returns, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - Why bad behavior sticks around in Congress / How common dark thoughts really are / A robot goes berserk

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Why do people keep doing things that don’t work—and never seem to face consequences?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore why personal attacks in politics continue despite failing to persuade voters, and what that says about how behavior actually changes.

We also look at a striking survey showing how common dark thoughts really are—and why most people never act on them.

Plus: a restaurant robot goes off the rails, a 2,000-year-old coin used as bus fare, rising stamp prices, and more from around the edges of the news.

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News Sidequest - Gen Z discovers the benefits of being bored / AI is changing our opinions about things / Do you close your eyes to hear better?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Gen Z has a new “viral hack” to fix attention spans — and it’s surprisingly simple: put the phone down and do nothing. In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore why boredom might actually be the reset our brains need.

We also look at a new survey finding that 58% of people say AI chatbots have influenced their opinions — and what that means for how we form ideas in 2026.

Plus: a hospital patient who won’t leave, a 12-year-old building a nuclear reactor, tipping culture reaching the courtroom, and why even sharks might have a social life.

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News Sidequest - Reading the reviews can re-wire your brain / Bad news for fans of corporate synergy / Flying might become more of an ordeal

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study suggests reading negative reviews can actually make painful experiences feel worse — because our brains tend to believe the crowd. In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at how expectations shape the way we experience things.

We also dive into research suggesting people who rely heavily on corporate buzzwords like “circle back” and “synergy” may actually be worse at their jobs.

Plus: flying gets more expensive, a side hustle negotiating with car dealers, mice sent into space, possible UFO revelations, and a man who has spent 73 years digging graves.

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News Sidequest - More young people are having memory issues / Scientists learned nothing from Jurassic Park / Your annoying relatives might be killing you

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study suggests memory and cognitive disability rates are rising among younger people — which raises an uncomfortable question: are modern distractions making it harder for all of us to focus?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at what might be happening to our attention spans and share some practical ways people are trying to stay focused in a world full of notifications.

We also explore the growing scientific effort to resurrect extinct animals like the dodo — and whether bringing species back from extinction is a brilliant idea or a Jurassic Park sequel waiting to happen.

Plus: CIA spy cats, an asteroid that flew closer than the Moon, karaoke rage, a spicy salsa lawsuit, and a Florida man who claims he was abducted by dolphins.

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News Sidequest - People just aren't going to movie theaters anymore / The Tooth Fairy is super expensive / Scientists make a Google Map for the body

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Only about half of Americans went to a movie theater in 2025, according to a new Pew study — and some people say they’ve never seen a movie in a theater at all. In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at what might be driving the shift away from theaters and ask listeners about their most memorable movie-going experiences.

We also explore the surprising rise in Tooth Fairy payouts, which now average nearly six dollars per tooth.

Plus: a “Google Maps” for the human body, Bigfoot sightings in Ohio, a 10-year-old college student, a possible April Fools’ moon launch from NASA, and a man accused of trying to smuggle 2,000 queen ants.

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News Sidequest - 1/3 of Americans believe they'll see the end of the world / Get ready for flying cars / Hot weather doesn't bother you as much as you think

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Nearly a third of Americans say they believe the world will end in their lifetime. But what does that actually say about how we think about the future?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we take a closer look at that surprising survey and ask listeners whether they feel more optimistic or pessimistic about the future than they did 10 or 20 years ago.

We also explore the FAA’s plan to test flying “air taxis” across the United States — and whether anyone is actually ready for thousands of drone-style vehicles buzzing over our cities.

Plus: a Florida man accused of stealing $600,000 worth of onions and potatoes, a missing Russian gold coin treasure, scam losses hitting $119 billion a year, and the very unfortunate moment when police lose the password to $5 million in seized cryptocurrency.

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News Sidequest - Teens are spending most of the school day on their phones / Why you can't remember where the remote is / Why haven't we heard from aliens?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Teens are spending hours on their phones during the school day—and it’s raising a big question about whether schools should ban them entirely. In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at what a new study found about phone use in classrooms and ask teachers, parents, and students to weigh in.

We also explore the strange reason you can remember song lyrics from 25 years ago but forget why you walked into a room.

Plus: raccoons solving puzzles for fun, a treasure hunter who still won’t reveal where the gold is, cheating in a fishing tournament, and a little long-overdue justice for the Titanic.

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News Sidequest - Young people are taking up "Old People" hobbies / Open offices might cause bullying / Certain people are more drawn to conspiracy theories

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Young people are rediscovering old-school hobbies to escape their phones, and a new study suggests open-plan offices might actually encourage workplace bullying. In this episode of News Sidequest, we explore why hobbies like gardening and woodworking might be making a comeback—and why the office layout designed for “collaboration” might be doing the exact opposite.

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News Sidequest - Dealing with jerks might be shortening your life / It's important to be able to laugh at yourself / Forgiveness might be overrated

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

A new study suggests difficult people in your life might actually make you age faster — which raises the question: who’s the most difficult person you’ve ever had to deal with? Meanwhile, research shows people who can laugh at their own mistakes tend to be more likable and easier to work with. Plus: taco seasoning used in a $40K theft, a couple trying to claim land with a garden gnome, salamanders shutting down roads in New Jersey, and why climbing around on an active volcano is still a bad idea.

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News Sidequest - No one hates Americans more than... other Americans / United Airlines wants you to use headphones. Or else / One third of Gen Z men kind of suck

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:01:00 GMT

A new international survey finds Americans are especially likely to view their fellow citizens as morally bad — raising the question of when we started becoming more suspicious of each other. Meanwhile, United Airlines is cracking down on passengers who blast audio without headphones, highlighting the growing problem of public etiquette. Plus: Girl Scouts selling cookies outside a dispensary, moon-grown chickpeas, lottery lightning striking twice, and why “Swiftie” is finally in the dictionary.

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News Sidequest - More evidence you're probably never going to be able to retire / People are seeing aliens on drugs / Betting on nuclear detonations

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:01:00 GMT

Record numbers of Americans are dipping into their 401(k) retirement savings just to get through the present — what does retirement planning actually look like for people right now? Plus, scientists are studying why people who take the psychedelic DMT often report seeing similar “entities,” raising fascinating questions about how the human brain constructs reality. We also cover Renaissance art mysteries, a hotel coffee maker controversy, Pokémon-style crime stories, and why the Brady Bunch house is now a historic landmark.

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News Sidequest - What does a good life at 95 look like to you? / What completely unreasonable fear do you have? / Civilization is probably doomed

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:01:00 GMT

A 95-year-old traveler says staying curious and exploring the world is the secret to staying sharp — which raises the question: what does a good life at 95 actually look like? Plus, a new poll finds most Americans admit to being nervous about flying, even though it’s statistically one of the safest ways to travel. We also cover alien civilizations, Pokémon card heists, a baby spider monkey naming contest, and a Yellowstone geyser waking up after years of silence.

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News Sidequest - Is having two jobs just the normal thing now? / Blood test could tell you how long you have left / Get ready for deepfake spam calls

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Teachers are working second jobs just to stay afloat — but is this really a teacher crisis, or a broader middle-class reality? Plus, a new blood test claims it can predict whether you’ll still be alive in two years. Would you want to know? We also cover deepfake phone calls, Gen Z finding love at wrestling matches, and a sinkhole that accidentally revealed a wine cellar.

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News Sidequest - It's not just houses, no one can afford anything / People feel good about their lives but bad about everyone else's / They're taking bets on aliens

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:47:21 GMT

With major global headlines dominating the news cycle, today’s News Sidequest offers a brief detour. A new poll says more than half of Americans now consider health care, a weeklong vacation, and even a new car unaffordable — so what quietly feels out of reach in your life? Meanwhile, most Americans say they feel fine personally… but think the country is falling apart. Is that media-driven anxiety or something deeper? Plus lab-grown brains, popcorn-scented tomatoes, and microwave lasers in space.Take a look at Justin Robert Young’s podcast on everything that happened in the middle east this weekend: War with Iran. What Happened and What's Next?

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News Sidequest - What should be in America's time capsule? / Feel free to wear pajamas at the airport / You probably have a little Neanderthal in you

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 06:01:00 GMT

If America buried a time capsule for 250 years, what should go inside? A smartphone? A meme? A Costco receipt? And while we’re at it — should airports draw the line at pajama pants? Today on News Sidequest: how we want to be remembered, the great airport dress code debate, Neanderthal ancestry surprises, and why podcasts officially beat talk radio. We want your answers — email us at newssidequest@gmail.com or weigh in in the comments.

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News Sidequest - Does having children make you happier? / Dating in 2026 is basically a minefield / Get ready for adult gym class

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Does having kids actually make you happier — or are we doing a terrible job selling parenthood? And in the dating world, is “ghostlighting” a real trend or just flaky behavior with better branding? Today on News Sidequest: parenting, modern romance chaos, dodgeball fitness for adults, why podcasts just beat talk radio, and a rare Florida nudist real estate opportunity. Parents and single people — this one’s for you.

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News Sidequest - More than half of teens are using chatbots for schoolwork / Grandpa probably should hold office / Get ready for a big announcement from Bigfoot?

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

A new study says you’d need $400,000 a year to make childcare “affordable” — so is parenthood becoming a luxury item? Meanwhile, police are increasingly using Google search histories to identify suspects, raising big questions about privacy in 2026. Today on News Sidequest: the cost of kids, searchable curiosity, rogue AI real estate monsters, and why Waffle House remains undefeated.

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News Sidequest - You need to make how much to afford kids? / Police are on the look out for suspicious Googling / Reading will help you in old age

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:01:00 GMT

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News Sidequest - Gen Z is delaying everything in life / Single men might need to re-think their lives / How to know if a chimp is flirting with you

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:01:00 GMT

Gen Z is hitting life milestones later — and more women are choosing to stay single by choice. What does “adulthood” even mean anymore? Today on News Sidequest: redefining grown-up life, the new relationship calculus, flirty chimpanzees, rogue robot vacuums, and why you should live your life in a way that doesn’t make jury selection impossible.

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News Sidequest - Would you vote for family in the "other" political party? / Fighter jets can be 'jailbroken' like an iPhone / Trump vs Obama on aliens

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

A Republican senator backs his Democrat wife for office — and somehow that’s national news. Meanwhile, U.S. fighter jets can apparently be “jailbroken” like an iPhone. Today on News Sidequest: loyalty vs. party, military software at Mach 2, and why stealing an ambulance is harder to get away with than you’d think.

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News Sidequest - Too much time on social media might make you lonely / Would you retire to a cruise ship? / Get ready for the global coffee shortage

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

A new study says college students who spend 16 hours a week on social media are more likely to feel lonely — which raises an important question: what are you all doing for two hours a day? Meanwhile, a 32-year-old couple retired to live full-time on cruise ships for less than $10K a year. Today on News Sidequest: loneliness, logging off, boneless wing justice, pickle assault, kung fu robots, and the growing threat of a coffee shortage.

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News Sidequest - Adults need to make time to play / You're still never going to get to retire / Start planning your next Sleepcation, which is apparently a thing

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Adults who still “play” are happier and less stressed — which is great news, because apparently we also need $2 million to retire. Today on News Sidequest, we talk about burnout, play, the future of retirement, and why waiting until you’re 70 to enjoy life might be a risky strategy. Plus: spicy chicken crimes, city-killer asteroids, automation anxiety, and one very good dog.

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News Sidequest - We might be causing AI to hallucinate / Is it a good idea to "Protect" kids from technology? / How would you react to aliens?

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Gird your loins for Friday the 13th. Naturally we’re talking about happiness and the American Dream. New research says the secret to happiness is feeling loved — while another study suggests more Americans feel the Dream is slipping out of reach.

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News Sidequest - 75% of us are suffering from burnout / Worrying about aging makes you age faster / Pres. Obama says aliens are real

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Three out of four people are burned out… and apparently stressing about aging makes you age faster. Cool. On today’s News Sidequest, we talk survival strategies, mindset hacks, and the strange headlines that help us reset — from alien commentary to Olympic hockey fugitives.

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News Sidequest - Scientists find the secret to happiness / Is the American Dream dead / Social media exec has shocking stance on social media addiction

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 02:48:10 GMT

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News Sidequest - Facebook wants you to keep posting after you're dead / Get ready for AI therapists / You really can bet on everything

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:34:27 GMT

Meta’s plan to let AI “digital stand-ins” keep posting after you die — because apparently logging off forever is no longer an option. Then we look at the growing number of Americans turning to AI for emotional therapy and what that means for real human connection. Plus, the usual strange headlines

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News Sidequest - American optimism hits a new low / What should people know how to do when they leave high school? / Don't use ChatGPT as a doctor

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:08:36 GMT

American optimism has hit a record low, according to a new Gallup poll—but what does that actually feel like in everyday life? Plus, a high school in Taiwan that’s making students climb a wall to graduate, sparking a bigger conversation about the life skills school never taught us.

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News Sidequest - Paying people to navigate the hellish job market / Get ready for "Polyworking" / Gen Z doesn't know how to meet people

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at why job seekers are paying recruiters just to get hired, how “polyworking” is becoming a survival strategy, and what it all says about the modern economy—plus the usual strange, funny, and slightly alarming headlines along the way.

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News Sidequest - Gird your loins for the affordability crisis / The national debt is less than ideal / Age really does beat beauty

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:55:29 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at why nearly all Americans feel stuck in a cost-of-living crisis, what soaring national debt says about where we are right now, and the strange headlines people are using to cope with it all.

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News Sidequest - Are we undergoing a process of generational dumbening? / Can money buy happiness? / Attack of the baseball player chatbots

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 02:35:49 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at claims of an intergenerational drop in intelligence, Elon Musk’s comments on money and happiness, and the strange mix of headlines that rounded out the week.

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News Sidequest - There's a giant freaking red flag for the economy waving around right now / No one wants to be alone on Valentine's Day / Attack of the brain-eating amoebas

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:10:04 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at renters turning to “rent now, pay later” services, the annual February rush back to dating apps, and the quieter anxieties hiding inside today’s headlines.

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News Sidequest - Blame your dad for your bad health / Should we ban kids from using social media? / You might be ruining your sleep

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:37:24 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at a surprising study linking fathers’ interactions to children’s long-term health, the growing push to ban social media for kids, and the quieter questions hiding inside today’s headlines.

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News Sidequest - Is AI Making Us Lonely or Are We Using AI Because We're Lonely? / How Much Control Does Your Employer Have Over Your Daily Life? / Enough with the Remakes

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:43:00 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about losing years of work with one wrong click, finding meaning in failure, and a collection of headlines meant to give you a short break from the heavier news.

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News Sidequest - Would you lock yourself away for a whole year? / You're not going to live forever / It might be a good idea to take your passport everywhere

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:28:02 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we take a break from the heavier news to talk about how Americans are actually using AI at work, the airport behaviors that drive travelers insane, and a collection of stories that earned a well-timed eye roll.

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News Sidequest - Life expectancy hits a new high / Get ready for robot teachers / Astronomers might have found a new neighbor

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:00:45 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about rising life expectancy in the U.S., whether AI should really be teaching kids, and a collection of headlines that close out the week with a well-earned eye roll.

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News Sidequest - Men are feigning interest in things to get dates... shocking / How about getting rid of property taxes? / They have prediction markets for everything

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:02:19 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about “attraction hobbies,” the push to eliminate property taxes, and a collection of headlines that made today’s news quietly absurd.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - What antiquated technology should we bring back? / Embarrassing childhood memories / Slightly closer to doomsday

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 03:01:08 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about stepping back from modern tech, childhood mistakes we somehow survived, and a collection of headlines meant to give you a brief break from the heavier news.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - What's your exhibit in the Museum of Personal Failure? / Getting paid to make friends / Would you want to live to be 150?

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 01:27:29 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about losing years of work with one wrong click, finding meaning in failure, and a collection of headlines meant to give you a short break from the heavier news.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - How are you using AI at work? / The airport behavior that makes everybody mad / How to be kind at work

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 01:16:28 GMT

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Is your cell phone killing you? (Probably not) / Remember that you're always on camera / Watch out for exploding trees

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 02:27:55 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at a new study on cellphone radiation, an Amazon driver caught stealing a cat on camera, and a collection of headlines that earned a well-deserved eye roll.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Should there be an age limit for politicians? / How much of your life do you lose to your commute? / PETA tries to ruin Groundhog Day

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 03:24:41 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about a proposed age limit for elected officials, the time and money lost to traffic, and a collection of headlines that earned a well-deserved eye roll.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Education doesn't make you immune to conspiracy theories / How much money is 23 years of your life worth? / Get ready for the era of cheap weddings

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about compensation after wrongful imprisonment, why education doesn’t stop conspiracy thinking, and a collection of headlines that earned a well-deserved eye roll.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Short attention span theater / Learn the age your body starts falling apart / Cows have learned how to use tools

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

On today’s News Sidequest: Netflix movies built for phone distraction, aging and fitness reality checks, and the strange confidence behind today’s headlines.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - What's your mundane bucket list item? / Letter writing is making a comeback / Aliens might have an impact on your back account

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about a terminally ill fan getting early access to GTA 6, the quiet revival of letter writing, and a collection of headlines that deserved at least one good eye roll.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Gemini AI is going to remember everything you do / Horses can smell your fear / Some scientists haven't seen Jurassic Park and it shows

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 03:37:30 GMT

Today’s News Sidequest covers AI memory, horses sensing fear, and the stories that made today’s news hard to take seriously.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - Young Americans are unplugging / Is it a good idea to ban cell phones in schools? / You need to get up and do some jumping jacks right now

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:45:57 GMT

On today’s News Sidequest, we talk about young Americans unplugging from their phones, the push to ban cell phones in classrooms, and a mix of headlines that earned a well-deserved eye roll — from dog poop DNA tests to late-night pizza requests.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News Sidequest - Flying in space really messes with your brain / You can book a hotel stay on the Moon / Let's ban politicians from lying

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:07:54 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we look at what space travel actually does to the human brain, why people are already putting down deposits for a hotel on the Moon, and a handful of headlines that deserve a skeptical eye roll. Plus: cancer survival milestones, productivity myths, Bigfoot sightings, White Castle romance, and a very futuristic ketchup box.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News Sidequest - What helps you get through the workday slog? / Would you rather have a better job title or more money? / App does a wellness check on remote workers

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Today on News Sidequest, we talk about workday survival rituals, why some people would rather have a fancy job title than more money, and the small choices that help us get through the day. Plus, monkeys on the loose, an OnlyFans side hustle controversy, AI stress, cruise ship illness, and other stories that made the news feel slightly more ridiculous than usual.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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News Sidequest - What do you refuse to spend money on? / Learning about your spouse before you get married / Sending a Rubik's cube to space

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

On today’s News Sidequest, we explore the things people refuse to spend money on, how someone apparently made it to marriage without noticing their spouse was bald, and the small revelations that come after the wedding. Along the way: aliens and Rubik’s Cubes, a $15 million Superman comic, traumatized AI chatbots, outhouse-level hotel service, and a stadium urinal you can now call your own.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newssidequest.substack.com/subscribe

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Bringing Up The Lights - Joffrey Ballet: Opening The Nutcracker

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:01:00 GMT

Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater discusses the process involved in putting together a production, including the yearly production of The Nutcracker. Plus, Dancer Amanda Assucena shares the process she goes through to prepare for The Nutcracker each Christmas.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

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Bringing Up The Lights - Joffrey Ballet: Costumes and Music for The Nutcracker

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Ellie Cotey discusses the path she took to become the Costume Manager for the Joffrey Ballet and what goes into putting together costumes for The Nutcracker every Christmas. Plus, Music Director Scott Speck talks about juggling multiple projects and the role music plays in bringing the production to life.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

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Bringing Up The Lights - Joffrey Ballet: The Nutcracker Returns

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 06:01:00 GMT

Greg Cameron, the President and CEO at The Joffrey Ballet reflects on how much it means to be peforming The Nutcracker again after a year off thanks to COVID. Meanwhile, for Director of Production Cody Chen, the move to a new venue has presented new challenges and opportunities.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Opening Night with Sondra Radvanovsky

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 06:01:00 GMT

Sondra Radvanovsky talks about how she prepared for the role of Lady Macbeth and the long road back to the stage after the world shut down, including her own COVID diagnosis.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Taking The Stage With The Chorus

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Suzanne Kszastowski has been a soprano in the Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2009. As opening night approaches, Suzanne shares her experience as a member of the chorus.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating the Costumes For Macbeth

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Lyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come into the picture and make sure everyone is where they need to be.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Beginning The Rehearsal Process

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating Sets Is A World-Wide Effort

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Michael Smallwood, Technical Director for the Lyric Opera of Chicago talked about his piece of the production puzzle and the Herculean effort involved in creating sets for a production like Macbeth

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Ambassador Between the Audience and the Stage

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Verdi’s Macbeth is not only Lyric Opera of Chicago’s comeback from COVID, but it also marks the official start of Enrique Mazzola's tenure as Music Director. It’s a position that is critical to the success of any production, especially the first live performance with an audience in a year and a half.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Chorus Provides The Emotional Push

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Now that the Lyric Opera has decided on Macbeth as their production for September 2021 and they've finished casting (and re-casted), now it's time to bring in the people who will inhabit the world of Macbeth. That's where Michael Black, the Chorus Master at Lyric Opera of Chicago comes into the process.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Casting Macbeth… Three Times

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Now that Lyric Opera has decided on bringing Macbeth to the stage in September 2021, it’s time to figure out who will be on that stage. That’s where Andreas Melinat the Vice President of Artistic Planning comes into the picture.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Planning In Operaland Is A Four Year Process

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Anthony Freud followed a long and winding path to become the General Director at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planning a production at Lyric is a path that's just as long and winding, and it all starts in Anthony's office.

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Bringing Up The Lights - Season One: Macbeth at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Raising the curtain September 6th. Bringing up the Lights gives you a behind the scenes look at the people who help put together the biggest stage productions in the country. Season one follows the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Macbeth in September 2021 as they make their comeback following the COVID shutdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bringingupthelights.substack.com

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Bringing Up The Lights - Lyric Opera of Chicago: Dramatic Pause

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:01:00 GMT

Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Macbeth in September of 2021 was years in the making, but ended up being their return to the stage following the COVID shutdown. Members of the team share what it was like to shut everything down, how they dealt with the down time and what it's like to be back on stage.

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