The Science (and Chaos) Behind Turkeys, Pumpkins, and Thanksgiving

Send us Fan MailSubscribe and stuff your brain before you stuff your turkey. 🦃🥧In this Wildly Curious Thanksgiving special, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole serve up the surprisingly scientific and hilariously human history of America’s favorite feast. From how pumpkins nearly went extinct after the Ice Age to why turkeys were almost wiped out (and then made a comeback), this episode is a buffet of weird facts, origin stories, and seasonal science.🍂 How mastodons helped evolve pumpkins 🦃 Why Benjamin Franklin thought turkeys were “more respectable” than eagles 🥧 The secret history of pumpkin pie (and the rise of pumpkin spice) 🇺🇸 How Thanksgiving became a national holiday—and a marketing goldmineIt’s history, biology, and nostalgia all rolled into one big, slightly chaotic, pumpkin-scented audio pie.🎧 Listen in for the laughs, the learning, and the reminder to use your pumpkins wisely. Support the show🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit the Fahlo tracking bracelets website to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.