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Unexplainable

Solve me a river

Unexplainable

Vox

Life Sciences, Science, Natural Sciences

4.62.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on Unexplainable or Not, Sally Helm, the newest member of our team, tries to figure out what's killing mussels, why rivers suddenly change course, and what the longest river in the world is. Guests: ⁠Douglas Edmonds⁠, professor at Indiana University; ⁠Neel Dhanesha⁠, science reporter  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 (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/members⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Support for the show comes from the Audible original The Downloaded 2, Ghosts in the Machine.

0:06.0

Earth's final days are near, and the clock is ticking for members of the Phoenix colony.

0:11.0

All they need to do is upload their minds back into the quantum computer.

0:15.0

Simple enough, but their plan is disrupted by digital duplicates of their own minds

0:20.0

that could destroy their stored

0:21.7

consciousness forever. Listen to Oscar winner Brendan Fraser reprised his role as Roscoe Cadulian

0:27.7

in this follow-up to the audible hit sci-fi thriller The Downloaded by Canada's most

0:32.4

decorated sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer. What are you willing to lose to save the ones you love? Find out in the

0:39.2

thought-provoking sequel that downloaded two, Ghosts in the Machine. Available now, only from

0:44.0

Audible. This is Unebleable or Not, the game show where we finally get some answers.

0:56.8

Today, we wanted to introduce you to one of the newest members of our team, Sally Helm.

1:01.7

Sally has worked on all kinds of shows you probably listen to.

1:04.2

She's the host of History This Week from the History Channel, and she's done tons of amazing

1:09.0

reporting for Planet Money.

1:28.0

Welcome, Sally. Hello, I'm so happy to be here. It's a delight. It's an honor and I'm scared. It's a game show. So I'm in the hot zee. Okay. Unexplainable or not is a game show where you have to guess what we know and what we don't. You're going to hear three scientific mysteries, and you're going to hear them from me,

1:33.7

from my co-host, Bird Pinkerton. That's me. And from longtime friend of the show, science reporter Neil Donatia. Hello. Two of these mysteries are still unexplainable, but one of them

1:39.9

has recently been solved. After you hear all three mysteries, you're going to get a chance to guess which one you

1:46.3

think scientists have actually recently explained.

1:50.3

Okay.

1:50.9

And this week, I want to start with a question we got from a listener.

1:55.8

Hi, team. Love the podcast, but there's one thing that's been bothering me for a while

2:00.3

now.

...

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