PODCAST · science
Not So Random Facts
by Storyteller Entertainment
Random facts are only random because we don't know the context behind them. This podcast will fix all that by explaining the history, science, and cultural basis for every random fact you've ever wondered about.
Episodes
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The Closest Living Relative Of The T-Rex Is The Chicken
Like many young kids I was fascinated by dinosaurs growing up. The idea of these massive creatures roaming the Earth filled me with wonder and excitement. Stegosaurus was always my favorite personally. But for anyone disappointed that dinosaurs are no longer around I have some good news ... they...
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The Center Of Our Galaxy Is Made of Raspberry Rum
If you enjoy a nice cocktail and astronomy, than this is the episode for you. Now before you listen I will admit, I am stretching the definition of rum a bit. But please forgive me because like most episodes of this series I'm excited for the chance to share a random fact that takes us on so many...
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George Washington Carver Didn't Invent Peanut Butter, but He Did Save American Agriculture
There's nothing quite as satisfying as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, no matter what your age. And as such a common treat, you might think we should spend an episode discussing the person who invented peanut butter. I thought it was invented by George Washington Carver, but I was wrong, and...
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Why Is English One of the Only Languages That Has Spelling Bees?
Do you ever mix up there, their, and they're? Or perhaps like me you forget when to use its as opposed to it's. Or perhaps you've wondered why cough doesn't rhyme with rough, or though, or through. Well, English is a messy language. It is so confusing that spelling words correctly is an...
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All Human Beings Glow
Fireflies, sea jellies, and ... humans? Seriously, all of them can glow? It's true. But before you look down at your hands and say to yourself these aren't glowing so clearly this episode was made by a crazy person ... give his episode a listen. We take a deep dive into bioluminescence, the...
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98.6 Fahrenheit (or 37 Celsius) Is NOT The Average Human Temperature
From an early age we're taught that 98.6 degrees Farhenheit (or 37 degrees Celsius if you live a country that uses a better measurement system) is the average body temperature for a human being. But it turns out that one of the most basic facts of human anatomy is wrong. Find out how a German...
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Adolf Hitler Was Convicted Of Treason, Then Released From Jail To Promote Unity
This is not a typical episode and deals with very heavy subject matter. This episodes discusses the common features of fascism, the riser of fascism in Europe and draws parallels to Trump's version of Conservativism in the United States today. It is not light-hearted and I take no offense to you...
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Frankenstein Was Written As Part Of A Bet Between Bored Friends In Isolation
It is such a series of strange events that lead to Mary Shelley and her friends being cooped up for a summer with nothing better to do than tell scary stories. No one could have predicted that a volcano eruption in the South Pacific would so drastically change the weather in Europe that no one...
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Handshakes Were Once Used to Prove to Enemies You Were Unarmed
How many hands have you shaken in your lifetime? Well after this episode, you might want to shake fewer hands in the future. From Ancient Babylon to Medieval Europe to rural America, we'll trace the history of this gesture and why its not a good idea during a pandemic. Host - Michael Rainey -...
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Cats Chose To Domesticate Themselves ... And May Choose To Go Back
If dogs are man's best friend, what are cats? Our begrudging roommates? Whatever they are, they hold a unique place in the genetic experiments we call domestication. While goats and sheep looked tasty and wolves were helpful on the hunt, cats were just kind of handy to have around. But they were...
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How Similar Was The Boston Tea Party To The Protests Of Today?
The Boston Tea Party was one of the founding moments of the American Revolution, and as such one of the founding moments of the United States. It was a protest against an unfair government by a people who had been pushed beyond their limits. As protests continue in the United States against…
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What Did Ancient People Use Instead of Toilet Paper?
As the pandemic of the coronavirus has lead to frequent shortages of toilet paper, it got me wondering; what did people use before toilet paper? And why, considering its a respiratory disease, are people buying toilet paper in the first place? With a look back through history at a somewhat gross...
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The "Spanish Flu" killed more people than World War 1 ... How Does The Coronavirus Compare?
The world was coming out of the devastation of war to find itself in the worst pandemic in centuries. And as its the misnamed Spanish Flu is the worst pandemic we have experienced in the last hundred years or so, its worth taking a look to compare and contrast it with our current situation. The...
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In 1992, 29,000 Bathtub Toys Fell Off a Container Ship and Taught Us All About Ocean Currents
It started as an accident that happens hundreds of times a year; a shipping container fell overboard during rough weather, spilling its contents into the Pacific ocean. But this container was filled with 28,800 beavers, frogs, turtles and rubber duckies that have since then, made their way around...
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Scientists Have Crossbred Spiders With Goats To Create More Spider Webs
Spiders and goats go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? RIGHT?!? Well, according to some scientists they do, as genetic manipulation has led to a truly unusual hybrid. But why would a scientist do such a thing? Well it has to do with the remarkable qualities of spider silk. It's…
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The Apollo 11 Astronauts Had To Go Through Customs To Declare Their Moon Rocks
If you're occasionally annoyed by bureaucracy, I hope its a consolation to know that even astronauts have to deal with government forms. This mundane fact about the first mission to the moon cracks me up, but there are dozens of amazing facts and incredible stories leading up to that historic...
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Sunflowers Can Clean Up Nuclear Radiation After Disasters
Have you been watching Chernobyl? I have, it was a great show. And as per usual, it sent me down a research rabbit hole as I learned more about the debilitating effects of radiation exposure. But it also led me to a fascinating fact about using plants to combat nuclear waste. Join me for a brief...
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The Biggest Organism In The World Is Either a Tree Or a Mushroom
What's the biggest organism in the world? Depends on who you ask. This episode is a quick overview of the origins and structure of all life on Earth ... quite a large subject, but its important to understand if we're going to try to answer the question of world's biggest living thing. But even…
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Dogs Can Detect Cancer By Their Sense of Smell
Man's best friend has been by our side for thousands of years, and many scientists believe its about time they follow us into the lab. New studies indicate that there is scientific proof that indicates dogs can detect cancer with just a few sniffs, but to understand the implications of that we…
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The Amazon Rainforest Produces 20% Of All Of Earth's Oxygen
As Earth Day approaches we look at one of the most wonderfully diverse biomes in the world; the Amazon rainforest. There is plenty to marvel at with the millions of species that call this area their home, and unfortunately like many areas around the world, the Amazon rainforest is in danger. But…
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Marie Curie's Notebooks Are Too Radioactive to Touch Even Today
It has been a while, but I'm back and ready to share more random facts. And where better to start than with Marie Curie, one of the greatest scientists and humanitarians of the 20th century. The first female Nobel Prize winner and the first to win in two different categories, Marie Curie had to...
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Coffee Is The Second Most Valuable Commodity In The World After Oil
Many of us enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, but most of us don't put much thought into how this beverage became so common place. 2.25 billion cups are consumed every single day, and coffee is actually one of the shapers of the modern world. So if our morning cup is so important, we figured…
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Zombies Are Real, They're All Over The World, And You May Already Be Infected ...
Zombies have taken over pop culture, but before you dismiss them as simply inventions of Hollywood, take a listen to this episode. As it turns out they may be more real than you think, as zombies crop up both in history and in nature. Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv To...
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October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Here Are Some Facts Everyone Should Know
As someone who has been through abusive relationships and has seen too many friends stuck in the cycle of abuse, I decided to devote an episode to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness month. It's a terrible problem that plagues our society, and I hope that this episode can shed some light on...
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Teddy Roosevelt Was Shot At a Campaign Event But Still Finished His 90 Minute Speech
Theodore Roosevelt. Conservationist, trust buster, and bull moose. He may have started a war with Spain out of boredom and he certainly was never meant to be President, but he defined American politics for the first half of the 20th century. Here's a look back at what made this man so tough that...
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The Brain Waves Of Babies Are Remarkably Similar To Being On LSD
Inspired by my new nephew, I decided to make an episode about babies, and I was very interested to learn that the brains of newborn infants and the brains of people tripping on acid are remarkably similar. Not only that, but all babies might experience synethsesia, a phenomenon where they can see...
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There Are Over 1500 Active Volcanoes Around The World
As I heard the news of lava flows destroying homes in Hawaii, it got me thinking ... what are the chances of a volcano erupting near me. And it turns out the answer was a bit scarier than I was anticipating. But as learn more about volcanoes the trepidation can turn to fascination as there is so...
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Duck Quacks DO Echo and Other Random Facts That Are Untrue
On this episode we review three facts that are spread around often but are totally untrue. Quacking ducks, Napoleon's height, and coins dropped from tall buildings all appear with just the right amount of science and history to disprove these myths. Host - Michael Rainey -...
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Sharks Are 200 Million Years Older Than the Dinosaurs
Plumb the depths of the ocean as we talk about one of nature's most fascinating creatures. And while this episode will give you plenty of reasons to be scared of sharks, the goal isn't to frighten you, but rather to bring attention to an incredibly important species in the ecosystem of the…
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There Is Only One Word Understood By Everyone On The Planet
Language is one of the most important developments of our species, it's what set us apart from all other animals and allowed for civilization to flourish. But if it's so essential, why are there so many different languages? Doesn't that make it harder for us to work together as a species? Well it...
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We Know More About Outer Space Than We Do Our Own Oceans ... But Why?
For tens of thousands of years humans have looked up into the night sky in wonderment. Why then, do we not look into the ocean with that same wonderment? What is waiting to be discovered at the bottom of the sea, and how can that actually help us explore space? We discuss all this plus some truly...
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The Industrial Revolution Almost Started During The Time of Jesus Christ
Modern daily life looks vastly different than daily life a few hundred years ago. Electricity, telecommunication, automobiles all define our existence, and it's all due to the industrial revolution that did away with the common agrarian lifestyle. But the scientific principles discovered and...
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Playing Tetris Can Help Cure A Lazy-Eye
This episode is all about eyes, with a plethora of random facts about vision. And while I do go off on many tangents as I am wont to do, the one that I found most interesting is the fact that video games can treat certain vision impairments such as amblyopia, or a lazy eye. Really, any excuse to...
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Scientists Are Bringing Back The Woolly Mammoth To Save The World
As our understanding of genetics grows every year we have accomplished some remarkable achievements, including bringing back extinct animals. Scientists at Harvard are now looking to do the same thing with Woolly Mammoths as these creatures might be crucial in the effort to stop global warming.…
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Canada Is At War With Denmark, But It's The Friendliest War Ever
Borders have led to war as long as we have had borders and war. And while we may think that all the border disputes have been resolved at this point and maps are pretty much settled, there are actually quite a few disputes around the world. But none are quite so pleasant or polite as the "war"...
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The Moon Is Leaving The Earth, Which Means No More Eclipses
You may be fascinated by solar and lunar eclipses because humans have been fascinated by these events for as long as they have occurred. But everything in the universe eventually has an end, as the moon moves further and further away from our planet, the eclipses will one day be a thing of the...
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Cavemen Only Created Civilization Because They Loved Alcohol
Many of us enjoy a cold brew at the end of a long day, but did you know that alcohol is actually the cornerstone of our entire civilization. Our entire modern society would never have happened without beer ... so I hope you're enjoying that six pack. Pull up a stool and listen as I explain why...
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Only 8% of New Year's Resolutions Are Kept; Here's How To Beat The Odds
Another year goes by and we all try to better ourselves for the new year. But are we doomed to fail? The odds might be against you, but that's only because you haven't heard the science behind resolutions yet. Listen to this episode for advice from psychologists on how to keep your resolutions....
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Humans Are Part Fish, And That's Why We Hiccup
Humans are part fish, and that's why we hiccup. It may sound crazy, but we explore the theories of how fish making the transition to amphibian still affect us today and the long road of human evolution that hits the occasional pothole. Follow Storyteller Entertainment on Twitter to follow all our...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Random facts are only random because we don't know the context behind them. This podcast will fix all that by explaining the history, science, and cultural basis for every random fact you've ever wondered about.
HOSTED BY
Storyteller Entertainment
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Not So Random Facts have?
Not So Random Facts currently has 39 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Not So Random Facts about?
Random facts are only random because we don't know the context behind them. This podcast will fix all that by explaining the history, science, and cultural basis for every random fact you've ever wondered about.
How often does Not So Random Facts release new episodes?
Not So Random Facts has 39 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Not So Random Facts?
You can listen to Not So Random Facts on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Not So Random Facts?
Not So Random Facts is created and hosted by Storyteller Entertainment.
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