158 episodes

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps on going. Host Noam Hassenfeld and an all-star team of reporters — Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, and Mandy Nguyen — tackle scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Unexplainable Vox Media Podcast Network

    • Science
    • 4.6 • 1.8K Ratings

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know … and then keeps on going. Host Noam Hassenfeld and an all-star team of reporters — Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, and Mandy Nguyen — tackle scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

    Is good posture actually good?

    Is good posture actually good?

    Send this episode to the person who constantly hounds you not to slouch.
    Guest: Beth Linker, author of “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America”
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
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    • 21 min
    Why do we yawn?

    Why do we yawn?

    People yawn when they’re bored, right? So then why do athletes yawn before races? And why do so many animals yawn? … And why does reading this paragraph make you more likely to yawn? (Updated from 2022)
    Guest: Dr. Andrew Gallup
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
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    • 36 min
    Embracing economic chaos

    Embracing economic chaos

    Can a physicist predict our messy economy by building an enormous simulation of the entire world?
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
    Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
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    • 26 min
    We still don’t really know how inflation works

    We still don’t really know how inflation works

    Inflation is one of the most significant issues shaping the 2024 election. But how much can we actually do to control it?
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
    Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
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    • 30 min
    Can you put a price on nature?

    Can you put a price on nature?

    It’s hard to figure out the economic value of a wild bat or any other part of the natural world, but some scientists argue that this kind of calculation could help protect our environment.
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 23 min
    The deepest spot in the ocean

    The deepest spot in the ocean

    Seventy-five percent of the seafloor remains unmapped and unexplored, but the first few glimpses scientists have gotten of the ocean’s depths have completely revolutionized our understanding of the planet.
    For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts
    For more, go to vox.com/unexplainable
    And please email us! unexplainable@vox.com
    We read every email.
    Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members
    Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
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    • 28 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
1.8K Ratings

1.8K Ratings

frankie2266 ,

Love it but

Regarding the episode about aging: yes, great content, but no, not great voice

LizzzieLou ,

Mansplain it to me, please.

I’m listening to the inflation episode. They talk as if inflation is as simple as looking at one tiny thing in a very complicated system. And they act like each instance of inflation has the same cause.

Oh dear.

The Adam guy really makes no sense. Claudia’s version is a simplified version of the answer to the question, “What happened this time?” But you can’t expect it to all be about one thing, and the same each time.

Touchadream ,

Too much “production,” not enough substance

Time wasting sound bites diminish the experience. I came here for content and it was more glib and insufficient. Ok, I should have known by the length.

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