Rachel starts the show this week with a topic that almost made the Halloween show last week. She brings us the Vampire Squid from Hell. That's literally what the scientific name of this bizarre deep-sea creature means. Victoria brings us the story of the most deadly body of water in the world. She's talking about none other than The Strid in Englan…

We've been building to it all month, it is time for Halloween and we have some great topics. Kirk kicks off the show with a topic that may have you think twice about the candy you pop in your mouth this year. He talks about all of the ways that insects end up in your candy. Red food coloring from ground up beetles, excretions from the Lac beetles i…

Victoria kicks things off this week with the terrifying topic of Prion diseases. These bizarre infections can take years to manifest, are incurable, and can turn your brain into a sponge. Charming. Kirk is up next with a ghost story for this spooky season. Science wins out over superstition and in the end it ends up being a tale of how infrasound c…

This week's show starts of with Rachel telling us about the Door to Hell. Seems like a fitting topic as we approach Halloween. But what is it? The Door to Hell is also known as the Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan. It is a pit of fire that has burned for perhaps 50 years. It is the result of a drilling project gone horribly wrong. It reminds us a…

Kirk keeps the Halloween month theme going by talking a bit about Black Cats big and small. What makes them strange? Why do they exist? Why were they the preferred color of cat to have on ships? All questions are answered. Rachel is up next and she brings us to...the ocean. I know, we're all shocked. This week it is to talk about Sea Urchins. They …

Happy October! We've got quite a show for you this week. Victoria kicks Spooky Month off with the Worm Pearlfish. At first they don't sound too bad but it turns out that they sneak though the anus of sea cucumbers and eat their gonads. Yikes. No thanks. Kirk keeps the ick going with an absolutely wild story about doctors restoring blind people's vi…

This week Rachel kicks things off with a discussion of Cloud Forests. This rare habitat is found only in specific parts of the world and many unique plants and animals live there. Okay, so really Rachel is just setting the scene for where next week's strange topic lives. Victoria is up second and brings us fascinating research. Can plants hear? We'…

Kirk kicks off this week with predatory fungus that hunts for animals. Say what? Rachel tells us about the massive northern elephant seal. Victoria lets us know about the beautiful but incredibly powerfully poisonous rosary pea that is still used for jewelry to this day. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every ep…

This week, Victoria takes us to the ocean to learn about a truly bizarre creature, Sea spiders! Kirk then shares a story about the scientists giving robotic bodies to mushrooms so they can move around. Finally, Rachel takes us back to the ocean once again to share what makes Bonnethead sharks strange. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our sup…

This week, Rachel starts us off with an interesting question. Can bees play? A team of researchers thinks they can. Find out what happens when they gave them balls of wood. Kirk then makes us all thirsty with a dive into the roots of Root Beer. From medicinal medicine to soft drink, Kirk traces the history of this drink and the many natural ingredi…

What a wild show this week. Kirk starts things off with a listener submitted story about how researchers created fake fiddler crabs to better understand sexual signaling. CRAB VIDEO: https://youtu.be/UOFtsJkiRmE?si=eWpbJzBPtIGCpb8I Our special guest Brett Sieberer then brings us the amazing story of a wasp that can consume enormous amounts of alcoh…

What a wild ride this week! Victoria is up first with a bizarre story about how researchers looked into frog glue. Kirk then builds off last week by talking about the origins of gold in the universe. Finally, Rachel tells us about the weird history of blood transfusions and how they were initially used to cure syphilis! They are older than you thin…

This week we explore the Pharaoh's tomb with Rachel and possibly discover the cause of the Curse of the Pharaoh. What's more, can it cure cancer? Rachel takes a look at Aspergillus fungus, how it causes disease but also has been used in experiments to cure Leukemia. Victoria is up next with a fascinating look at how spiders might be manipulating th…

Kirk kicks off this week's show with the amazing migration skills of the Bogong Moth. They are the first ever recorded invertebrate that uses celestial navigation for long-distance migration wayfinding. Rachel then tells us all about the Bluntnose Six-gilled Shark. This amazing creature gives birth to an incredible number of pups. Victoria rounds o…

This week, Kirk is back and the crew pulled together another great show. Victoria kicks things off with a creature feature on an animal we can't believe it took this long to discuss, the Dodo! Kirk, fresh from vacation spins a tale taking us back thousands of years to the eruption of Thera/Santorini in 1618 BCE and how it may have lead to the colla…

Hello Everyone, time for another weekly dose of weird. This week, Victoria kicks things off with a story about Brown-headed cowbirds and their amazing nesting strategy of being nest parasitizers. Rachel then stinks up the place with a deep dive on those cuddly creatures...skunks. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get…

This week we've got two amazing stories that couldn't be more different. Rachel spins a tale that spans millions of years. Could the explosion of life during the Ordovician have been the result of meteor impacts? Could those meteors have come from a time when Earth had rings like Saturn? She explores this possibility this week! Victoria is up next …

Victoria kicks off the show this week with yet another flying animal that usually can't fly. She's brought us flying snakes and flying spiders, how about flying fish? Kirk takes us on a winding journey connecting the dots over millions of years of history to connect a high-school sex-ed class with Sue the T-rex and an ancient protozoan disease. Rac…

Rachel brings us the beautiful and disgusting Bradford pear this week. Thank you? Victoria takes us deep underground to discover mind-blowingly large gypsum crystals discovered deep in the earth in Mexico. Kirk round out this week's show with the strange mystery of a toad with eyes in mouth. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on…

Kirk starts off the show with the mysterious story of the Basra Grain Poisoning of 1971, a terrible story of the dangers of methylmercury. Rachel is up next with the amazing story of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest freshwater lake on Earth. Victoria rounds out this week's show by talking about animal asymmetry. Turns out, not all animals are sy…

Victoria starts us off with a wealth of information about hermit crabs and the strange process of shell swapping. Kirk brings us the strange tale of Conan the Bacterium, a bacterium that can withstand amazing amounts of radiation and survive. Rachel wraps us up this week with...wait for it...even MORE facts about dandelions. Join us weekly for more…

What's so strange about Dandelions? That's a good question and Rachel gets to the bottom of it. Victoria is up next with some wild research into just how large of an object a snake can swallow. Kirk rounds out this week's show with a creature feature about a strange mole-like creature in Europe that is a relic of the past. Join us weekly for more s…

Kirk brings the strange tale of the King's Lomatia, quite possibly the oldest living plant on Earth. It is a strange tree that has lost the ability to sexually reproduce and yet...it keeps on living for thousands of years. Rachel has a doozy of a story about a man who let himself be bitten by venomous snakes over and over and over. Now he's helping…

This week, Victoria starts us off with a discussion probably not suitable for all ages by talking about the massive penis of the Serotine Bat. It's a lot to take in. Kirk then shares the remarkable story of a palm tree that both flowers and fruits completely underground. Rachel rounds out this week's show talking about the fastest moving predatory …

Rachel kicks off this week show with the strange colonial creatures of the sea known as "By the Wind Sailors." Victoria makes us all a bit uncomfortable talking about giant bird-eating spiders. Kirk encourages us to smack rocks with hammers as he explains the mysterious Ringing Rocks of Pennsylvania. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supp…

Kirk tells us about how scientists finally discovered the identity of a frog that had puzzled the scientific community for 80 years. Rachel tells us all about the Binturong, the bizarre bearcat that smells like buttered popcorn. In a salute to Mother's Day, Victoria tells us about the truly strange Sea Hares and her mom's research connection to the…

Anyone fancy a yawn? Victoria did some investigation into the strange phenomenon of social yawning. Are yawns really contagious? Kirk then brings us the story of the Bone Collector Moth. When it is a caterpillar, it creates a disguise by gluing dead bodies to itself. Yikes. Rachel rounds out the show with brand new research showing that sharks can …

Victoria talks about the amazing tropical super-canopy tree the Almendro that actually seem to attract lightening in order to kill off the trees around them. Talk about a bad neighbor! Kirk then brings us the strange story of the Ruff, a shorebird with three distinct versions of males. They each have their own distinct plumage and role in the matin…

Kirk blows our minds with the age of Bristlecone Pines. Did you know there are living trees that predate the invention of written language? Victoria then has a doozy of a story about White-throated sparrows developing a new secondary sex chromosome. This bizarre occurrence means there are technically four different sexes of this bird instead of the…

Victoria starts us off this week with the surprising reason that blue-eyed white cats are often deaf. The reason is truly bizarre. Kirk brings us the story of an amazing adaption recently discovered in Hummingbirds. Researchers just discovered that the White-necked Jacobin have babies who's feathers perfectly mimic dangerous caterpillars in order t…

Rachel is up first this week with a lighthearted study that investigated why banana peels are so slippery when stepped on. Victoria then swerves into Rachel's lane and takes us to Australia to investigate the origin of the Dingo. Kirk is up last and brings us the story of a newly discovered wasp from millions of years ago that had an amazing adapta…

Are you ready for another wild episode? This week we have three wonderful stories for you. Kirk goes first with the astounding story of archerfish that not only have an amazing hunting adaptation but researchers just showed they can remember and pick out a human face when presented with over 40 options. Simply stunning. Who said fish have a bad mem…

Here's your weekly dose of weird. Up first, Victoria revisits slime molds so she can tell us about a truly massive single cell organism. Kirk is up next answers the question, snakes can be venomous but can they be poisonous? We get to the bottom of this sneaky snake question. Rachel rounds out this week's show with a truly strange bird, the horned …

Welcome to the beginning of year 5 of the podcast. We're happy to have all of our amazing listeners along for the ride. Rachel kicks things off this year with the bizarre story of a fish that spends more time on land than in water. Welcome to the world of mud skippers. Victoria probes the depths of the ocean to unravel the mystery of Dark Oxygen. T…

It's the end of our 4th year doing the show so that means it is time for our annual quiz show! Our Special guest Brett Sieberer is here once again to ask us strange questions that all relate to the past year of the show. Don't worry, your favorite game, "Eat, Ride or Jacket" is back for another round! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our sup…

Kirk kicks things off the the Medlar, an ancient fruit with a decidedly NSFW nickname. Maybe this one isn't for the kids. Rachel then gets to the bottom of why people put grape leaves in pickle jars. Victoria then bring us the horrifying story of the Loa Loa, otherwise known as the Eye Worm. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on…

Victoria starts things off with a bang this week and that bang is ants that explode their bodies releasing a toxic yellow goo epoxy to trap their attackers. It's just...wow. Kirk is up next with the strange case of disappearing stars. There are stars vanishing in the night sky and astronomers aren't sure why. Rachel rounds out this very strange epi…

Rachel tells us an astounding fact, the metal of the Titanic is being eaten by bacteria and could collapse in just 6 years. Victoria helpfully lets us know that beautiful beach sand is actually Parrotfish poop. Kirk is up last and he introduces us to the mystery of Fast Radio Bursts from outer space. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supp…

Kirk gets to start us out this week and he's all ears. Ears are weird but all those shapes actually mean something. Learn how the shape of an animal's ears can tell us about their habitat and behavior. Rachel is up next and she goes on on the ice to tackle the question of why does ice on lakes crack in the winter? It turns out it relates to some of…

Victoria is up first with a mystery part of the cell and we have no idea what it does or why it is there but it is inside you right now. Learn more about the strange "Vaults" in our cells. Kirk is second this week and he brings us some new research into the strange social urination of animals. Rachel rounds out the episode with a creature feature o…

On this week's show, Victoria kicks things off with a discussion of Chirality and how the study of the "handedness" of molecules could actually lead to the creation of completely new forms of life. It's a bizarre thought experiment with very real and dangerous consequences. Rachel brings us a creature feature, the fish-scaled gecko. This strange cr…

On this week's show 2/3 of us talk about animal defenses. Kirk starts us off with the Giant Vinegaroon, an acid shooting whip scorpion. Rachel then also talks defenses with the Fulmar, a bird that covers enemies with stinking projectile vomit. Victoria takes us in an all new direction by talking about Left-handedness. Thanks for joining us this wee…

Victoria kicks things of this week with a fascinating new study on Potter wasps showing that the males actually can defensively "sting" even though they don't have a classic stinger. If you are a fan of defensive genitalia, this story's for you! Kirk keeps it with insects and defense this week and tells us a bit about the irritating hairs of caterp…

Rachel takes us to the zoo to meet a Lyre Bird. Sure, they are found in the wild too but this one learned to reproduce the evacuation alarm for the entire zoo. Good times. Learn more about these amazing birds. Victoria this week brings us, The Immortal Jellyfish. This strange creature can reverse age and then start life all over again. There doesn'…

Hey Everyone, it is our first show of 2025! Kirk starts us off this week with a medical mystery from Australia. Can Victoria guess what it is? Spoiler, it is the Paralysis Tick! Rachel (no surprise here) takes us to the bottom of the ocean to lean about a strange bone eating worm that feasts on dead whales. Victoria also takes us underwater this we…

Welcome to another exciting week of weird. Victoria starts off this week's show with the story of an Ignobel prize wining study showing that mammals can breathe through their butts. Kirk then takes us to the ocean to learn about animals that can drink saltwater without dying like us humans would. Rachel rounds out this week by returning again into …

This week Rachel brings us the Bumblebee Bat which by some measures is the smallest mammal in the world. It weighs the same as two skittles candies. Kirk then describes some fascinating research that the authors claim shows plants can actually hear running water and send their roots toward it. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters …

Welcome to Episode 200. Thanks for being along on the ride. Victoria brings us the mysterious tale of Red Sprites. They sound like mythical creates but they are really a bizarre and beautiful atmospheric phenomenon related to powerful thunderstorms. Kirk is up next to tell us about the Mexican Mole Lizard. This strange creature scares locals so bad…

We're almost to 200 episodes! Hold your horses though, we have one more episode here in ONEderland. This week, Kirk brings us a completely bizarre story about a possible solar powered hornet. Is the Oriental Hornet really solar powered? Kirk dives into the details. Rachel then introduces us to the largest whale in the world, the Blue Whale. The ani…

We've got a full episode this week to get some of you though family time on Thanksgiving. Put in the ear buds and enjoy some anti-social you time. Rachel kicks us off with the fascinating story of a long-long extinct plant brought back to live with an ancient seed found on an archeological dig. Only problem is, we aren't 100% sure what it is. Victo…