Not unlike humans, many social insects have very specific protocols for handling the dead in the name of infection prevention. Though "undertaker ants" sometimes just drop corpses in the trash heap.

In 1924, a pair of sailors died aboard the S.S. Watertown and were buried at sea. Then, the crew started seeing spectral faces in the water. In response to cries of "photographs or it did not occur" the captain snapped A SPOOKY-ASS PIC

So, here's what nuclear war would be like probably. 

It’s not officially #sharkweek until we talk about the bajillion year old Greenland shark.

What IS the difference between 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘵 and 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘵? Well, it depends on where you live. Oh, and it's not *SHER𝘽𝙀𝙍𝙏* (you can thank the Big Band ditty "Shoot the Sherbet to Me Herbert" for that mispronunciation).

The Moon Landing was the best thing that ever happened to Ted Kennedy.

Although the idea had been around since the 13th century, sandpaper was patented in 1834 by Isaac Fisher Jr. who was basically like: RUB HARD THING WITH HARDER THING UNTIL SMOOTH + FIND WAY TO MASS PRODUCE IT = PROFIT

And, y'know: fireworks competitions. 

America’s public pools are full of bacteria and classism!

It's still #CephalopodWeek! Today we're talking about the mighty nautilus: oldest damn things in the deep blue sea.

It's #CephalopodWeek! Let's talk about ... BIG 🦑ASS 🦑SQUID 🦑

 50 years of secret nuclear testing at Semipalatinsk (“the Polygon”) is still making people in Kazakhstan ill. The nuclear fallout Russia never wanted anyone to know about was worse than Chernobyl.

A historic journalistic endeavor that required an epic amount of Xeroxing.

Can animals be allergic to other animals? More importantly, can your pet be allergic to YOU? 

Before you hit that #MemorialDayWeekend BBQ, make sure you know what the legal definition of a sandwich is! 

This week in 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first single-wire telegraph message using the machine and code he invented in the wake of his wife's death. The message he sent? 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙷𝙰𝚃𝙷 𝙶𝙾𝙳 𝚆𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃

"Word fossils" are words that we don't really use anymore, except as part of an idiom or expression: "What in 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?!" "Good 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚!" & "Moral 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚." But how do words become "fossilized" & how long does it take?

Is the character of Mother Goose based on a real person? (Or a real goose?)

On May 8th 1980 the WHO announced smallpox had been eradicated. Here's how we did it — and why we haven't managed to eradicate any other disease in the decades since.

#KentuckyDerby racehorses are majestic & expensive beasts worthy of our admiration — and yet we give them names like "Tit'n Your Girdle." Here's how (not) to name your thoroughbred.

On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, sinking 2 days later. Over the next 87 days, millions of barrels of oil leaked into the ocean — the economic & environmental impact of which many are still reeling from today.

It's #DNADay! Let's talk about a DNA structure that's *not* the classic double helix: the i-motif! Which kind of looks like a uterus. . .

#EasterSunday is the perfect day to contemplate the nanostructure of eggshells, which baby chicks must violently peck their way out of in order to enter the world.

Happy #NationalHighFiveDay! Here's a neat little history of the high five & its many variations.

Part 2 of this weekend's #Titanic episode is about one of the survivors: silent film star Dorothy Gibson who wrote (& starred in) the *first* movie about the Titanic a century before James Cameron's epic — and just months after the disaster.

This weekend marks the 106th anniversary of the #Titanic sinking. The disaster launched a thousand ships (if unanswered questions & conspiracy theories are ships) that still compel us over a century later.

Why do humans have names & how long have we been naming each other? Also: dolphins have names, too! Researchers think baby dolphins actually name themselves. Today's #NationalNameYourselfDay so call in with the @anchor app & share what you'd name yourself!

Why did so many famous musicians die at the age of 27? Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Cobain & Winehouse are among the most notable, but the "27 Club" has over ~60 members to date. 

Here's the history of audiobooks (abridged!) and preview of Abby's audiobook, which you can download wherever audiobooks are sold and/or bartered for.

For #NationalDoctorsDay, let's talk about the eponymous nature of medicine! Ever heard of "Throckmorton's sign?" Otherwise known as the *John Thomas* sign?

If you wanted to go from Wilmington, California to Long Beach circa 1882, you could take a train. But be warned: its nickname was the "Get Out and Push Railroad" or, a more modern interpretation: "The Little Engine That Literally Could Not Even."

The true legacy the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory workers left behind was an uprising of women who fought for worker's rights and a union in the year before the tragic fire claimed their lives.

TIC TACS: The all-sugar sugar-free mint. 

#otd in 1937 Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky coined the term SUPERNOVA in a paper about neutron stars. He later coined the term NUCLEAR GOBLINS. 

In Ireland, #StPatricksDay was just a minor religious holiday for centuries — and not one that involved drinking. Then Americans appropriated it in the 1960s and now we have the #shamrockshake. 

Is #MercuryRetrograde a thing or do we just want to believe it's a thing? 

Barbie turns 60 this month! Since her debut in 1959 she's had many looks, careers, and amassed quite an impressive collection of friends and extended family. 

We #springforward this weekend for Daylight Saving Time, but why? And does it actually help? 

In fact, the #icefish appears to have no blood at all. 

Hey friends! On Tuesday 03/05 at 11 am EST I'll be doing an Instagram Live Q+A and #bookgiveaway to celebrate the paperback release of That Book I wrote! #AMA about writing, endometriosis and my many other ills, DOGS, books, podcasting, #XFiles, Maine, etc. Submit questions over on Instagram! → instagram.com/abbymnorman

On a cold day, you can hear forever.

Marinetti's #futurist manifesto was published 100 years ago this month. It's an interesting read but, uh . . .a lil' heavy on the fascism & museum-hating. 

For #PresidentsDay we're talking about the coolest president you forgot about, Calvin Coolidge. With a love of Vaseline and electric horses, "Silent Cal" was your dry-witted introvert friend who hated parties.

 #HappyValentinesDay! So, who came up with that horticulturally-inaccurate "Roses are red, violets are blue. . ." ditty anyway? 

On January 17th, 1982 hundreds of U.S. cities broke records for low temperatures — many of which still stand today. Near Tower, Minnesota, temps dropped to -52 °F (-47 °C).

The opposite of paranoia puts a positive spin on the concept: you believe the universe is conspiring to *help* you rather than *harm* you. Oh, and it might have roots in '90s festival subculture. EXCEPT THAT MIGHT BE A CONSPIRACY, TOO! 

 In the context of America's opioid epidemic, you've probably been hearing a lot about Narcan. But the "miracle drug" isn't new. It's actually been around since the 1960s. So how does it work? And can anyone use it to save a life? 

If you've ever Googled "normal brain MRI" you've seen Colin 27. So what happened to "Average Colin" IRL?

Only 4 people have been given the title of "PUBLIC ENEMY #1" by the FBI. The term actually originated as a scheme to publicly shame Al Capone (like he gave a fuck!!)

 Y'know how your weather app gives you the temperature outside but then warns you that it'll *feel like* a much colder temp, thus upping your risk of FROST BITE? Today we're debunking the ol' New England adage, "Don't fuck with the wind chill, fam."

It's time for LMGT to go to the big podcast graveyard in the sky. In lieu of continuing with Listener Support for this podcast, support one of the many, many, many other deserving podcasts on Anchor. Don't worry, there's still a Swan Song yet to come and the archive will live on the internet eternally. And in my heart—and maybe yours.  ❤︎

Epidemiologists use statistics to track outbreaks. One important value to know is the R₀ — for measles, it's 12-18. Ebola is like ~1.5 

 Which county in the United States has area code 321? And why is that the case? 

 Who is "Jenny Everywhere" — and why is she everywhere? Also: hi to Richard Belzer!!

 So, meat pieces fell from the sky in Kentucky once. 

Denim jeans don't start out blue, but science gets them there.

Those little silica gel packets are actually not toxic and don't work the way you think they do!

In 1890, journalist Nellie Bly returned from her "around the world in LESS THAN 80 days" adventure. But you might remember her from her greatest hit: 10 Days in the Madhouse. 

If you're a cryptid now would be a great time to emerge from the woods and terrorize the locals. 

A product's "lifetime warranty" refers to its expected lifetime — not yours. 

Automated chip card technology has actually been around since the 1960s. Though many places are only getting the credit card readers *now*. 

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope has detected the second-ever mystery space sounds known as "fast radio bursts" or FBRs. The sounds were first heard back in 2007 and have puzzled scientists ever since. But what *are* they? Or what could they be? 

Emily Post divorced her philandering husband, kept his name, & became the queen of etiquette. (see: How to Best Serve Revenge).

It kind of sounds like a headline from The Onion, but the tasty & scientifically-sound hypothesis was tested by researchers several years ago.

"The years start coming and they don't stop coming." — Aristotle 

They're not the same thing but I'll gladly accept either.

Well, monkeys.

BAG PIPERS THAT IS

Ok but like...swans are elegant and mean. 🦢

And centuries of institutionalized misogyny!

Not leaping, just lording.

And infectious disease!

Okay, taking a little detour on this because fuck birds. Why do we call people a "silly goose?"

OK NO BIRDS TODAY. Also: wedding bands.

Well, I guess birds would have to call because they sure as hell can't text.

OH GOD MORE BIRBS I'M SO SORRY

Oh look ... more birds.

We've all been mishearing "pear trees" for like 10,000 years.

Each day between now and December 25th we're unpacking a lyric to the 12 Days of Christmas! #MerryPodmas

#OTD in 1901 Wilhelm Röntgen became the first person to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of X-rays. The famous image he captured was of his wife's hand. Upon seeing her skeletal fingers, she gasped: "I have seen my death."

2018 has been pretty shitty so it's probably fine that we didn't end up making Undecember, the 13th month of the year, a thing.

Timothy Ray Brown was the first (and thus for only) person to be cured of HIV. We're still not exactly sure what happened. Or if we could do it again.

Happy Schrödinger's cat day! ✨🐈 Everyone's favorite quantum mechanics thought experiment that was basically trolling Einstein. 🧠

Putting away Grandma's good sterling silver after Thanksgiving? Did you skimp out on cleaning it first? What if I told you that shit disinfects itself?

Here's why cops in Philadelphia in the 1960s started calling the day after Thansksgiving "Black Friday."

Thanksgiving is upon us and you know what that means: "ragamuffin parades" and a giant, expensive, inflatable Snoopy.

Do you call this time of year FALL or AUTUMN? Here's why the season has 2 names.

How a deaf little girl from Texas grew up to continuously defy death, do Wonder Woman's stunts, and secure her legacy as "the fastest woman in the world."

Why do we think it means something to catch the clock at exactly 11:11?

In 1967 two men shot what became the iconic Bigfoot "footage". It ruined one of their lives forever.

Svalbard is the world's arctic DOOMSDAY SEED VAULT in Norway.

The latest iOS update gave us new emojis so let's discuss the Emoji Illuminati aka the Unicode Consortium!

The true fate of the canine cosmonaut, who died on November 3rd, 1957, was kept from the public for decades.

Well, maybe.

As long as humans have been living we’ve been dying. And as long as we’ve been confronting our mortality, we’ve been asking: what happens when we die? Part of that is telling ghost stories. Here's one of mine.

Here's a ROOTY TOOTY FRESH 'N FRUITY® history of IHOB — the eatery formerly known, and forever in my heart known, as IHOP.

SPOILER: You don't technically die from the flu. ⚰️😷

Using AI to model human brain processes could help us better understand conditions like depression — but does that mean robots can get depressed? And if they can't. . .should we program them to? For SCIENCE?

Marcel Petiot is one of history's most prolific serial killers. You've probably never heard of him — and after today's episode, you'll wish you never had.

The MBTI personality test wasn't designed to measure  aptitude — it actually measures *preference.* You might *prefer* introversion to experience the world, but that doesn't mean you're *incapable* or *lacking* extraverted qualities.

Karen Wetterhahn's untimely death in the 1990s gave science invaluable insight into mercury poisoning.

An update on. . .things. ❤︎ Instagram: @letmegooglethat/@abbymnorman Twitter: @letmeglglthat/@abbymnorman GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/love-for-abby-norman-amp-whimsy

In 1962 a hunk of Russian space junk landed in the middle of a street in Wisconsin. What was the U.S. to do? This was Cold War-era Space Race time, so they weren't gonna call up the Soviet Union like: "It's 10 PM do you know where your Sputnik is?"

Why do we award them? And what about that time some medals were hidden from the Nazis in an acid bath?

You'll find the Stanford Prison Experiment in any Psych 101 textbook — but don't believe everything you're taught.

Whatever the reason for ya sneezin' (which may or may not sound like "AH-CHOO") there are also many ways to respond when someone sneezes: "bless you," "Gesundheit," or "SORRY" (in case it's not ragweed, but rather, a sign of your impending death)

Did an experimental treatment really save a teenage girl from rabies - or was it just a coincidence?

The summer of 1816 was known as the Year Without a Summer in the northeast U.S. because even though it would be ~95°F during the day, at night temperatures dropped so low that Maine got A FOOT OF SNOW IN JUNE.

In 1988 Claire Sylvia received New England's first heart-lung transplant. And the personality of the teenage boy whose heart she got.

"Indelible pencils" or copying pencils were popular for a time in the 1870s because they made it possible to easily make copies of handwritten documents. Which would have been great — except they turned out to be poisonous.

A company in California has devised truly random encryption for cybersecurity using. . .Lava Lamps.

The first bikini debuted in 1946 — just a few days after the U.S. had begun testing the atomic bomb at Bikini Atoll, for which the suit had been named. How's that for ~SEO strategy?

Ben Franklin's famous kite experiment took place sometime between June 10th - 15th, 1752. But you probably learned many misconceptions about it in school: 1. Franklin didn't discover electricity. 2. His kite did not get struck by lightning.

The unique scent each dog leaves behind (heh) is sort of like a Tinder bio: it conveys to other dogs in the neighborhood how old they are, what their emotional state is, and whether or not they're DTF.

ヽHEAT｀、｀LIGHTNINGヽ｀ヽヽ IS ヽヽFAKEヽ｀ヽ｀、｀NEWSヽ｀

Since we spent all summer seeing that same sponsored post by Popsicle® in our feeds, here's the history of the "frozen confection of attractive appearance" which was *accidentally* invented by an 11-year-old boy in 1905.

Put on some slow, sexy, saxophone riffs and leave your porch light on tonight to help Hot Single Poplar Hawk Moths in your area get it on. It's literally their reason for living. #TagUrMothPorn

Throwback to the episode we did about Jocelyn Bell Burnell who has AT LONG LAST finally been rewarded for her incredible contributions to science. In true GOAT fashion she's donating the money she's been awarded to a fund to help prevent men from taking credit for their female colleagues' discoveries...

Technically, you can turn in your social security card and renounce your U.S. citizenship just because you want to (but maybe don't).

(This is, obviously, a throwback to 7/11) If there's not one in your neighborhood, just wait: it's said that a new store opens somewhere in the world every 2 hours. While you wait, grab a Slurpee and listen to today's episode.

LISTENER CALL-IN! How were the weird and beautiful Pinnacles of the Western Australian desert formed?

From BBS chatrooms and Compuserv to Geocities, AOL, and Myspace — when it comes to social media, how did we get to. . .whatever it is we're doing now?

Am I the only person who didn't know there are DOLPHINS in the Amazon River?

Legend has it that once you board Stockholm's "Silver Arrow" you're doomed to ride it for eternity – and not due to train traffic up ahead or a track fire BUT BECAUSE IT'S A ˢᵖᵒᴼᵒᴼᵒᵏʸ GHOST TRAIN!

According to a 2016 study, even though we've been promoting advance directives & living wills for over 50 years, only about a third of U.S. adults have one.

The mysterious Basel Papyrus contain 2,000 year old medical writings & the earliest known private letters between Christians. Incidentally, those letters also appear to include the earliest known review of fish sauce.

Thanks to a cognitive bias known as asymmetric insight, we tend to think we know other people better than they know us — or even that we know other people better than they know themselves.

Turns out my best friend Rebecca is one of the ~5 % of people on Earth who have witnessed the phenomenon of BALL LIGHTING. Naturally I made her tell me all about it – and she even made a gif!

AKA: The true story behind AMC's "The Terror."

There's so much to love about Les Horribles Cernettes 1. A doo-wop parody girl group of CERN scientists 2. Songs had titles like "Collider" and "Daddy's Lab" 3. In 1992 this promo photo became the first pic uploaded to the internet.

In the 1920s, "Pep" was sent to the Eastern State Penitentiary. He even got a mug shot taken. But his life sentence was actually not what the media made it seem.

What's happened (or is happening or might happen) between Trump & Putin, between the U.S. & Russia, is unethical, illegal, and unprecedented — but here's the reason it's *not* treason.

In 2011 researchers snapped these photos of a red-crested tree rat — which was pretty impressive considering the critter is EXTINCT. Now reclassified as critically endangered, we've only ever seen ~3. The last sighting was over a century ago.

It wasn't Apollo 17's famous "Blue Marble" photo. Nor was the awe-inspiring "earthrise" shot taken by the Apollo 8 crew. No, our first glimpse of Earth from lunar orbit came on August 23rd, 1966 when NASA decided to risk their Moon-mapping mission to have Lunar Orbiter 1 crane its camera's lens away from the lunar surface to take a few photos of us instead.

"Master keys" are actually part of a much larger hierarchal system of keying. Master keys can be "Grand" or "Great Grand" (like grandpas) depending on how many lower key systems they can unlock.

Yes, Hawaii wants to ban some sunscreens that are hurting coral reefs. No, that does not mean you should stop wearing sunscreen. Humans, coral — we're all just trying to live through this goddamn summer, OK?

Automated car washes are ubiquitous today but it wasn't long ago that so-called "car washes" were known simply as: YOUR BARE HANDS. Here's a brief history of how we mechanized the process.

No, we aren't becoming a Peri Gilpin fan podcast...because there already IS one and it's SUPREME and you should go listen to it right now https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/two-degrees-of-peri-gilpin/id1361303490?mt=2 and be sure to follow the hilarious duo that hosts, Kendra & Ken!

In the wild west a "gentleman bandit" named Charles Boles was known for being polite, robbing stagecoaches on foot instead of horseback, never shooting a gun, rockin' a dapper aesthetic & the poems he left behind.

Whether you believe it was aliens or not, the story of the Roswell incident (which began 71 years ago this summer) is a great example of how traditional folk narratives develop.

Is it fact or an .·:urban space legend:·. that you can't be an astronaut if you've ever smoked menthol cigarettes because it'll make your lungs explode? (Gif by our friend http://dissent.is on Instagram!)

Squeezing limes for margaritas? Beware phytophotodermatitis ("margarita burn"). Lime juice contains phytochemicals that make your skin hypersensitive to the sun's UV rays and have been known to cause second-degree burns.

Wobbegong sharks ("wobbies") are also known as carpet sharks because they literally just chill on the ocean floor like a rug. A rug with an extremely powerful jaw, lurking in the shadows . . . waiting.

On August 15th, 1977 the WOW! Signal was heard by the Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University. . .aaaand everyone thought it was aliens.

Hey, it's fucking hot outside!! Heat-related illness can kill you. Or your kid. Or your pet. Or other mammals you know and love!!! On today's ep we're talking about heat exhaustion v. heat stroke — and what to do if it happens to you!

For centuries "paper mills" didn't describe enormous factories of mechanized paper production: rather, "mills" were groups of skilled workers sitting around crafting single sheets by hand.

Some say the stained piece of linen is the burial cloth of Jesus, but even the modern science hasn't been able to definitively prove (or disprove) the shroud's story. And no, NASA didn't investigate it. Here's what really happened.

Guest host Johnathan Blade is diving deep into "computers before computers." Find him on YouTube Johnathanblade1 where he makes videos about “commercial tech-related content and film reviews, with a focus on mostly mobile editing.”

Ever wondered why we point at things? Or how dogs *know* we're pointing at a thing? Guest host Chris Thrasher has answers.

Guest host Lydia Sigwarth is going to tell you about some of the most morbidly fascinating (ha — see what we did there?) deaths in history. SPOILER ALTER: Watermelons appear more than once.

Guest host Pedo Graterol is going to tell you about one of the coolest and strangest phenomena of his home country, Venezuela: Catatumbo lightning!

Guest host Chelsea Gohd (aka Foxanne) explains everything you wanted to know about Jupiter's weird AF new (to us, anyway) moons. Also, be sure to check out her EP & catch her on tour!

Guest host Amanda Laird of the Heavy Flow Podcast made sure to include this image from “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” along with today’s a-rousing episode!

Today’s guest hosts Keven & Jofre of the Rant Debate and Repeat Show (The RDR Show on Anchor) are discussing Utah University's "cry closet" which you may not have realized is A THING THAT HAPPENED.

Guest host Lily Jenness, a librarian-in-training, artist, and writer from southern Indiana is here to tell you all about the clusterfuck that is the Dewey Decimal System!

Guest host Jacquard Isaiah Wyze @OmegaOneYT is explaining the life force known as Ki. No, not “chi” — and if you remember Dragon Ball Z you already know this!

Explore a wealth of fun facts with guest host is Moxie LaBouche, former burlesque dancer who turned her creative powers toward podcasting as a way to vent the wealth of useless information that clogs up her brain, which she does on her podcast: This Is Your Brain on Facts!

A few quick updates, a listener question about podcast editing, and some nature ASMR lololol

The podcast equivalent of a vlog? Wherein I talk about my desperate need to chew, why I live in Maine, and how “getting through the day” turns into living your life.

. . .and more of the happiest/weirdest facts I know!

Ever wondered how coupons work? The whole cycle — from when you hand your $1 coupon to the cashier to when the store gets reimbursed by the manufacturer — takes about a month. So what happens to that little piece of paper?

Yes, all the old episodes are gone. But they’ll be back! Please stick with me - and now would be a great time to support the show because I need help!!

If you happen to catch the #perseidmeteorshower this weekend you have a specific and vaguely terrifying comet to thank!

So, uh, we're experiencing some *technical difficulties* by which I mean that I am *technically difficult*