Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

Daniel and Kelly wonder how many Extraordinaries are planning on becoming supervillains as they discuss how to make Jupiter explode, the changing colors of children's hair, and whether or not aliens could discover electromagnetism without iron.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2026

Daniel and Kelly chat with Dr. Chelsea Wood about rat lungworm - a particularly unpleasant nematode parasite that is spreading way outside of its native range.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about what it means to be a physics fudge factor and whether DM is fudgy or solid science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2026

Dr. John Hutchinson is back to help Kelly and Daniel answer listener questions about how fast animals can grow, how fast animals can go, and whether animal size impacts average lifespans. Also, cheese.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2026

Daniel and Kelly explore what lice can teach us about human evolution, and the role lice have played in some of humanity's most devastating wars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2026

Daniel and Kelly dissect the evidence presented in recent peer-reviewed science papers for pre-Sputnik artificial satellites in Earth orbit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2026

Daniel and Kelly marinate in ethanol and saltwater, and reflect on the symmetries of antiparticles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2026

Daniel, Kelly, and Katrine talk about what bathing does to your microbiome, and weigh up the pros and cons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly walk through the early history of the Universe to explain how forces can be unified, or broken.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2026

Zach joins Daniel and Kelly for a segment on art and science communication. Then Daniel and Kelly explore the concept of absolute hot, and what makes some rocks glow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly talks about a species of social amoeba that will die to help others. Why the heck does it do that? And bonus: the amoeba are farmers!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about the James Webb Telescope and something mysterious it sawSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions from listeners about earthworms, the origins of the galaxy, and snails!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk to Prof. Scott Egan about the meaning of species in modern biology.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly explain the bizarre Tychonic model of the solar system, which for centuries stood as a valid theory alongside the Copernican model.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about relativistic paradoxes, parasitoid wasp viruses, and detector technologies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2026

A recent paper found tantalizing evidence that rural raccoons are showing evidence of domestication. So how long until we all have pet raccoons? And how well do we really understand the domestication process anyway?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly dig into the mysterious concept of quantum contexuality: how measurements depend on each other.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about muscle memory, water-less showers, and why everyone can't be ambidextrous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2026

Over 50% of Earth's surface is the deep seabed. Dr. Andrew Thaler joins Daniel and Kelly to talk about the amazing diversity of life on the deep seabed, the resources found here, and the rules that govern this region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly explain how signals get jammed, how to avoid being jammed, and whose music makes the best jam.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about aliens watching Earth, about lone species, and about the size limits of intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2026

Parasites can have amazingly complicated life cycles - moving through a series of host species, and looking quite different while residing within each type of host. Frankly, this stumped scientists for a long time. In today's episode, Daniel and Kelly take a stroll through the history of science to explore how we finally started to figure parasite life cycles out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly explain the nature of the quantum vacuum, whether its real or philosophical, and if it's possible to use to make your toast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2026

Daniel and Kelly explain how cells in a fetus or in an adult know what they're supposed to do, and discuss whether opposable thumbs are necessary for the development of tools and technology.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk to Dr. Steve Brusatte about his new book "The Story of Birds". We discuss if chickens are really dinosaurs, if we know what color dinosaur feathers were, and why birds survived the devastating asteroid collision with Earth while pterosaurs didn't.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly explain the role of AI in physics and speculate about its future impact on discoveries and curiosity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about Odderon particles, Langerhans cells, and black holes within black holes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2026

Daniel, Kelly, and Katrine talk about biofilms, and how they can be delicious, adorable, and bad. For the bad ones, we discuss current tactics for overcoming them. Show links: 1. Nature's cutest symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ivMSCi-Y2Q 2. The Joyful Microbe's guide to Kombucha: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/kombucha/(Notice the lighthearted joy, no fear mongering here!) 3. Beautiful image of a phenazine mutant of Pseudomonas: https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/883781 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly discuss whether ideas from science fiction have inspired real scientific or technological progress.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about innate behaviors and what it means to "decode" a genome with help from Dr. Benjamin de Bivort.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2026

If a rattlesake bit an octopus, would its venom have any effect? Daniel and Kelly bring venom expert Dr. Matt Giorgianni on to the show to answer this listener question, and to talk about the evolution of snake venom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly explore Penrose's Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory that aims to explain consciousness, quantum measurements, quantum gravity and anaesthesia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer listener questions about what creates the morning fog, why bats don't get dizzy, and the cauchy horizon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2026

Mostly Human is a weekly podcast that explores technology through the most important lens: the human one. Hosted by award-winning tech journalist Laurie Segall, the immersive interview and investigative show tackles some of the defining questions of our time with headline-making tech titans and the people you don't know yet, but should. Mostly Human will leave you with a sense of agency over fear, and a clearer view of how tech can actually work for you. Listen here and subscribe to Mostly Human with Laurie Segall on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about what Vibrio cholerae does to your body, and the methods we have to combat it. They also talk about some of the really bad methods we tried using in the past. Like, real bad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly dive into the history of medicine, and discuss the data John Snow collected to argue that cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and not foul-smelling air. These data bolstered the emerging germ theory of disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about tongue worms, units, and Kelly's nightmares. Link: Standard reference peanut butterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly explore the structure of the space between solar systems and reveal our cosmic context.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about the challenges of hot fusion and the frustrated potential of cold fusion. And Keanu Reeves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about the expanding universe, how sleep aids impact sleep quality, and what characteristics might make aliens better adapted for interstellar travel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly welcome Dr. Scott Solomon back on the show to talk about his new book Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change our Bodies and Minds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly discuss Elon Musk's recent announcement that SpaceX has shifted focus from a self-sustaining settlement on Mars to a self-growing city on the Moon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about how it can both be true that humans share 98.7% of their DNA with bonobos and that fraternal twins share 50% of their DNA, why black holes don't have color charges, and whether or not you could treat a fever or let it ride.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2026

Daniel and Kelly revel in the amazing multiplicity of moons in our solar system and what they reveal about our cosmic history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about the evolution of cooperation, and why humans struggle so much with isolation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2026

Daniel and Kelly answer questions about sentience, chicken eggs, and the early Universe!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2026

Daniel and Kelly dive into one of the most important but mysterious principles of physics: least action.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2026

Daniel and Kelly talk about rabies, which results in very few deaths in the United States but is a neglected tropical disease - taking approximately 60,000 lives globally each year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2026

Here’s an episode of a show we think you’ll love. It’s History Daily which tells the fascinating stories of what happened “on this day” in history. New episodes come out every weekday. In this episode, it’s March 11, 1918. A US army cook becomes the first person diagnosed with the Spanish Flu, setting off the deadliest pandemic in modern history. www.historydaily.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2026