Secret Languages We All Speak & Amazing Changes in Nature You Never Knew

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Science, Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Education, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Just thinking about itching can make you start to scratch — but there’s a reason for that. Scratching triggers a powerful neurological loop called the itch-scratch cycle, which can actually make the problem worse. Listen as I explain what’s really happening in your brain and skin when that irresistible urge strikes to scratch that itch. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Scratching-the-Surface-Uncovering-the-Neurological-Mystery-of-Itch.aspx? We all speak secret languages — whether we realize it or not. Families, professions, and social groups develop their own slang, codes, and private phrases that only make sense to insiders. From kitchen slang in restaurants and bars to cryptic police radio chatter, these hidden languages are everywhere. My guest Ben Schott, author of Schott's Significa: A Miscellany of Secret Languages (https://amzn.to/3LdTmqg), uncovers where these coded words come from, how they evolve, and what they reveal about belonging and identity. The changing seasons bring obvious signs — leaves turning, snow falling, flowers blooming — but nature also changes in ways most of us never notice. The color of sunsets, the murkiness of rivers, even the speed at which days lengthen or shorten all follow astonishing seasonal patterns. Tristan Gooley, author of The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature’s Clues (https://amzn.to/4ohNNpu), takes us on a fascinating journey through these overlooked natural shifts and shows how to read the signs of the changing world around us. Finally, the humble banana — praised by some as a perfect health food and shunned by others for its sugar and carbs — gets a scientific verdict. I’ll share what nutrition research really says about bananas and whether you should eat more of them… or less. https://time.com/4017962/banana-nutrition/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! AG1: Head to ⁠⁠⁠https://DrinkAG1.com/SYSK ⁠⁠⁠ to get a FREE Welcome Kit with an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3 plus K2, when you first subscribe! INDEED: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now! QUINCE: Give and get timeless holiday staples that last this season with Quince. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns! DELL: It’s time for Black Friday at Dell Technologies. Save big on PCs like the Dell 16 Plus featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. Shop now at: ⁠ https://Dell.com/deals ⁠ NOTION: ⁠⁠Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one connected space that just works . It's seamless, flexible, powerful, and actually fun to use! Try Notion, now with Notion Agent, at: ⁠https://notion.com/something⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES: In partnership with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, this… is Planet Visionaries. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on Something You Should Know, the strange science of itching and scratching.
0:08.0	Then, the fascinating world of secret languages.
0:12.0	Every family, every group, every industry has its own secret language.
0:17.0	I mean, the language of the stunt world, I mean, you know, you need to describe different
0:20.8	types of camera movements.
0:22.0	You know, we're going off sticks.
0:24.2	It means we're taking the camera off the tripod.
0:26.1	The martini shot.
0:27.1	The martini shot is the last shot of the day, and people find it amusing and pleasing, and
0:31.1	it just enters the language.
0:33.5	Also, what's the deal with bananas?
0:35.9	Are they healthy or not? And some of the most fascinating
0:39.6	clues in nature you may have never noticed.
0:42.5	So a really nice simple one is if a cloud is taller than it is wide, it's a classic sign
0:48.2	that the atmosphere is unstable. That makes rain showers more likely, particularly if you see
0:52.3	them in the morning. It makes thunderstorms more likely.
0:55.0	It makes hail more likely.
0:57.0	All this today on Something You Should Know.
1:00.0	Ah, the Regency era.
1:04.0	You might know it as the time when Bridgeton takes place.
1:07.0	Or it's the time when Jane Austen wrote her books.
1:10.0	The Regency era was also
	...

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