Part-Time Genius
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Part-Time Genius
Are you a knowledge junkie who loves when facts are stranger than fiction? Do you find yourself constantly tripping down Wikipedia rabbit holes (and delighting in the journey)? Have you ever been told you ask a lot of questions? If so, congrats! You’re one of us: a Part-Time Genius! Join Will,...
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Are Pay Phones Making a Comeback?
How did an ailing Connecticut wife inspire the pay phone? Why did thousands of people flock to the Mojave Desert just to use one? And do people really...
Why Are Whales So Big? with Nick Pyenson!
How long do whales live, and how do scientists figure out their age? What does it take to sustain a whale's enormous size? And why do whales have must...
9 Facts About Buttons That Aren't Nuclear
Will, Gabe and Mango take the focus off the nuclear button, and put it squarely on all the other buttons out there that are feeling a little neglected...
How to Make a Scottish Tartan (Without Going to Scotland!)
What unique title do you earn if you climb Scotland’s tallest mountains? How is the Scots language being preserved? What’s the deep, dark secret behin...
Introducing: Mostly Human with Laurie Segall
Mostly Human is a weekly podcast that explores technology through the most important lens: the human one. Hosted by award-winning tech journalist Laur...
How Did the Avocado Conquer the World?
Forget boring toast—the world has been making all sorts of avocado advances. Why aren't you using an avocado sock? Should you be investing in diet avo...
Is The Legend of Zelda the Perfect Video Game?
Strap on your sword and grab your ocarina, because today we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda! Join Mango and Gabe as they un...
9 Last Words Worth Remembering
On his deathbed, Winston Churchill’s last words were: “I’m bored with it all.” What a missed opportunity! In this slightly morbid but highly entertain...
9 Helpful Facts About Assistive Technology
What’s an ear trumpet, and where can you find the world’s biggest collection of them? How did a frustrated young watchmaker transform the wheelchair f...
How Did Settlers Create New Orleans from Swampland?
New Orleans is one of the most charming and unique cities in the United States… but 300 years ago, it would've been hard to see that potential. In thi...
What’s the Best Passport to Carry? (And Why Do We Carry Passports?)
Travel identification has taken many forms over the years, from stone tablets to an exhausting process that involved posting your itinerary on a churc...
Is Recycling Worth the Hassle?
Why does Germany use five different bins for recycling? Can you trick people into being greener by putting wolves on packaging? And is recycling a goo...
9 Nutty Facts About Hard-Shelled Fruit
Why did people start (and stop) dyeing pistachios red? How do thieves pull off high-stakes nut heists? What’s up with the coconut that looks like a bu...
How Clean Should We Be?
Is our obsession with cleanliness keeping us from peak health? Also, can hookworm cure allergies? Will harvesting panda poop make you rich? Plus: Why...
What’s the Best Way to Break a Bad Habit?
Why is it so hard to stop oversleeping and eating candy? Why is it equally hard to start going to the gym and preparing healthy snacks? If you’ve been...
What Are the Only 10 Foods You'd Need to Survive?
We have ZERO intention of eating less food! But if you had to pare down your pantry to the bare minimum, what are the only foods you'd need to survive...
9 Awesome Facts about Opossums
We honk at them in the street and shoo them away from our trash cans, but opossums are so much more than nocturnal nuisances. In today’s episode, Mang...
Why Are Humans So Obsessed With Chocolate?
Will and Mango are on a mission to uncover chocolate's darkest secrets. What's the difference between cacao and cocoa? Why have Swiss scientists been...
Is There Such a Thing as “Authentic” Food?
Let’s be real: eating at Olive Garden isn’t the same as dining in Tuscany. But does that mean the food is inherently worse? Today Will and Mango explo...
How Did the Winter Olympics Change Sports?
Who's the Michael Phelps of the early winter games? Why did the 1924 British curling team just get their gold medals? And what are the greatest sports...
Does Listening to Music Make You Healthier? with Daisy Fancourt
Reading a book, going to the movies, listening to your favorite band… you call them hobbies, but acclaimed scientist Daisy Fancourt calls them public...
9 Absurd Inventions You (Probably) Won't See on Shark Tank
Human ingenuity knows no limits! Today Will, Gabe, and Mango raid the United States Patent Office to find some of the weirdest, funniest, and most con...
9 Map-Slapping Border Disputes
Join Will and Mango as they try to mediate the world’s weirdest arguments about borders, including the ongoing fight for an island of puffins and a ce...
What Does Plastic Surgery Have to Do With the Civil War?
Why are people getting plastic surgery on their fingerprints? Why was the Civil War such a golden era for procedures? And why is everyone suddenly obs...
How Close Are We to Teleporting?
Teleportation is a major mode of travel in science fiction, but when will it become a reality? To find out, Mango and Gabe are grappling with the hist...
9 Things Hiding on Your Money
From the treasury joker who snuck his face on some cash, to Theodore Roosevelt’s drastic redesign for the penny, to the very best reason Harriet Tubma...
9 Classic Works That Belong to Everyone Now
Will and Mango are starting the new year strong by counting down their favorite cultural works that just entered the public domain. From cartoon queen...
How Do People Game the Lottery?
From the Canadian professor who found patterns in scratch-off lottery tickets, to the Michigan couple that turned a lottery flaw into their retirement...
Why Did the Inventor of Shopping Malls Hate Malls?
While no one is going to malls (or so it seems), everyone seems to be talking about them: the CDC is writing up reports on mall walkers, people are gr...
9 High-Flying Facts About Skywriting!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an ad for cigarettes?! For the past 102 years, people have been using airplanes to turn exhaust into ads, political s...
Cake in Space, a Musical Mushroom, and a Very Lonely Snail
It’s the 44th annual Part-Time Genius Awards! We’re honoring the people—and creatures—behind the year’s best stories, including a fungus that plays ke...
9 Very Important Facts About Bears
Whether you're an amateur bear enthusiast or prepping for a bear convention, these are the bear facts you'll need! Will and Mango explore a Canadian b...
From Business History: Thomas Edison and the Movie Murder Mystery
We’re sharing a preview of another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, Business History. Former Planet Money hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine...
Is Flavor Really All In Your Brain?
Believe it or not, heavier bowls, a pair of headphones, and an electronic lollipop can trick your mind grapes into making tasty food even tastier. But...
How Much Did Jane Austen Earn From Her Books (And Why Wasn’t It More)?
Jane Austen worked at a 12-sided desk, was great at singing, and earned shockingly little money from her novels. Today’s her 250th birthday, so we’re...
9 Weird Things Hiding Underground
From the world's most secretive cinema to an internet for plants, to the perfect job for lazy people who also want to hide underground, Will, Gabe, an...
Why Were C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien Frenemies?!
This year marks the 75th anniversary of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so Will and Mango are uncovering some seriously surprising stories abou...
9 Wonderful Wintertime Inventions
Did a 15-year-old really invent the snowmobile? What was the original use for a Kleenex? How come Eddie Bauer gets zero credit for his genius idea? An...
9 Door-Busting Facts About Holiday Shopping
Tis the season for commerce, and Gabe and Mary are standing by with answers to all the questions you didn’t know you had. Like: What was the Tickle Me...
What Are the Secrets of the World’s Largest Birds?
Is Florida the birthplace of ostrich racing? Why do male Emperor penguins get an extra stomach flap? And why should you be extra wary of a loose casso...