Best Microorganisms Podcasts (2025)

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S5 - E22: Encouraging a Hospitable Habitat for Soil Microorganisms with Dr. Ashley Jernigan of Virginia Tech, Pt. II 17:21

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3d ago17:21

17:21

Did you know soil microorganisms of all sizes and shapes need water, air, shelter, and care to function and thrive? Dr. Ashley Jernigan, assistant professor and director of Virginia Tech's Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Crops Production Lab, returns to talk with Jeff and Mary about what farmers and gardeners can do to encourage a hospitable habi…

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Swiss Longevity clinics: modern-day snake oil or the key to healthy ageing? 22:37

3d ago22:37

22:37

Send us a text The search for the elixir of life has been going on since time immemorial – and Switzerland has played a key role. Although scientists have yet to come up with a winning formula, the Alpine nation has a booming market for treatments, pills and gadgets that claim to slow ageing and help us live healthier, longer lives. Visit SWI swiss…

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S5 - E21: Regenerating Worn Out Soils with Dr. Ashley Jernigan of Virginia Tech, Pt. I 18:41

17d ago18:41

18:41

Does your garden soil just fall apart in your hands? How do you regenerate and bring back life to worn-out soils? Dr. Ashley Jernigan, assistant professor and director of Virginia Tech's Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Crops Production Lab, in visiting with Jeff and Mary, advises doing your own test in your garden or crop field with a shovel. As …

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Uncovering the World of Diagnostics 31:33

24d ago31:33

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In our debut episode of Diagnostics Decoded, Dr. Sophie New (Business Development Manager at ZeptoMetrix) sits down with Andrew Zenger (Global Product Manager) and Dr. Jessica Van Allen (Technical Support Lead) to explore the evolving world of diagnostics. They discuss how diagnostic tools are shaping global health, the transformative impact of the…

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S5 - E20: Soil Health beyond the Economic Rationale with Kasper Krabbe of Aarhus University, Pt. 2 18:56

1M ago18:56

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Is the economic rationale of soil health always the top priority for farmers? Or, do other soil values rise to the top of farmers' minds, for example, having a healthy habitat for soil fungi? Kasper Krabbe, a doctoral student at Aarhus University in Denmark and a visiting guest scholar at Virginia Tech, returns to talk with Mary, Jeff, and Eric abo…

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UnDisciplined: The new Disney reality — everyone (rich) is a VIP 25:55

1M ago25:55

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Historically, an “everyone is a VIP” philosophy made good business sense for Disney amusement parks. But now Disney is embracing tiered services. Daniel Currell explains why and what’s to come.By Matthew LaPlante

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EP124 Lab Analytics for Patients: Best Practices to Get Results with Amber Wise PhD 1:44:24

1M ago1:44:24

1:44:24

Cannabis lab analytics are essential for making reliable cannabis tinctures and oils for patients. On episode 124 of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with chemist Amber Wise, PhD about contacting labs, choosing your tests, how to interpret them, and how to use the results to make better tinctures, oils and edibles.…

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UnDisciplined: The Patterns of Life, Part 2 25:55

1M ago25:55

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Again and again, similar patterns show up in nature in different creatures at different times in their evolutionary histories—even when those life forms have evolved on much different paths for hundreds of millions of years. And when they show up, as it turns out, we often perceive them as beautiful. So, the question is: Why?…

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UnDisciplined: The Patterns of Life, Part 1 25:55

1M ago25:55

25:55

Again and again, similar patterns show up in nature in different creatures at different times in their evolutionary histories. And when they show up, we often perceive them as beautiful. Why?By Matthew LaPlante

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S5 - E19: Agroecological Dynamics of Soil Health with Kasper Krabbe of Aarhus University, Pt. I 18:47

1M ago18:47

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When you close your eyes, how do you envision your farm and soil ecosystem? What ideals, values, and priorities are part of your vision and farm business model? Kasper Krabbe, a doctoral student at Aarhus University in Denmark and a visiting guest scholar at Virginia Tech, talked with Mary, Jeff, and Eric about these questions and his research inte…

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RD Exam Prep: Test-Taking Strategies for Success 1:14:34

2M ago1:14:34

1:14:34

Welcome to RD Boot Camp's podcast episode, "Test-Taking Strategies for Success," where hosts Kari Sharp and Anna Bisogno-Papa explain the intricacies of the RD Exam and learn from Tina Wiles, the special guest, who is an expert on test-taking strategies. Through a fun conversation, they discuss helpful strategies to help you prepare for the RD exam…

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UnDisciplined: Under the sea 25:55

2M ago25:55

25:55

Deep in the ocean, jellyfish, shrimp, fireworms and other creatures use multi–colored lights for defense, luring food, attracting mates, and communication. In their new book, Steven Haddock and Sönke Johnsen explore the nature of underwater light—investigating the varieties of transparency, pigmentation, iridescence, bioluminescence, and fluorescen…

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S5 - E18: Round Bale Grazing for Soil Health with Dr. Summer Thomas, Pt. II 18:29

2M ago18:29

18:29

Feeding hay to livestock in the winter is very expensive, and often results in a sacrifice lot where manure gathers. At the same time, manure is considered gold because of its nutrient content, ability to supply organic matter, and to build soil life. In this second episode, Dr. Summer Thomas, education and outreach specialist with the Virginia Soi…

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UnDisciplined: What do budget cuts mean for NASA's future? 25:55

2M ago25:55

25:55

The Trump administration is seeking an across-the-board 20% cut to NASA's total funding, and nearly all of that reduction is concentrated in science mission directorate.By Raegan Edelman

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Listen again: Herwig Schopper, Former CERN head has served science and peace for 100 years 18:16

2M ago18:16

18:16

Send us a text We’ve received the sad news that former CERN director and experimental physicist Herwig Schopper has passed away at the age of 101. He was considered the grandfather of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, helped promote peace through a Middle Eastern science hub, and voiced his concerns about the Nobel Prize. In 2024, jus…

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S5 - E17: Everything Good Starts with the Soil with Dr. Summer Thomas, Pt. I 17:59

2M ago17:59

17:59

Everything good starts with the soil and a conservation stewardship mindset. In the 101st episode, Dr. Summer Thomas, education and outreach specialist with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, explains how agriculture and soil health are good for everyone. As a third-generation farmer from Delaware, former watermelon queen, a trained soil scientist…

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S5 - E16: Celebrating Our 100th Podcast Episode with Jeff, Mary, and Eric 18:13

3M ago18:13

18:13

During this 100th episode of 4 The Soil: A Conversation, Jeff, Mary, and Eric take a look back at some of the most memorable topics and guests. They share how (and why) the podcast started in 2021, and also offer their vision for the future of the podcast. To help us commemorate this milestone, please share how and why you are 4 the Soil with us an…

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Invisible Factories: How Microbes Build Biofuels, Enzymes & Innovation 7:40

3M ago7:40

7:40

Original episode featuring humans: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XOlKQksRk7hGE3DBmcRO8?si=ab50d3ccf7b14e31 Ever wondered how invisible microbes create biofuels, enzymes, and breakthrough materials? This AI Lab experiment dives into the science of industrial fermentation and bioprocess engineering, revealing how tiny organisms power some of the …

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S5 - E15: Building Confidence and Knowledge through Mentorship with Dara Booher, Pt. II 17:53

3M ago17:53

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Building confidence and knowledge through mentorship is necessary for farmers to overcome fears and take bigger steps towards meeting their goals. Dara Booher wears many educational hats. Dara is the coordinator of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council's farmer-mentor program and the facilitator of the Virginia Farmer Mentor Network, a collabor…

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S5 - E14: Youth Education and Soil Health with Dara Booher, Pt. I 18:38

4M ago18:38

18:38

Soil and agriculture provide us with something every day. Dara Booher is an agricultural educator with Shenandoah County Public Schools and a farmer-mentor coordinator with the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. Dara loves talking to youth and others about soil and agriculture. In this episode, Dara shares…

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EP123 The First Five Minutes: Cannabis and Your Body with guest Elizabeth Thompson Phd 1:51:48

4M ago1:51:48

1:51:48

When we use cannabis, our whole body fires up! During this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los chats with neuropharmacologist and physiologist Dr. Elizabeth Thompson about the cascade of body systems that light up in the first minute using cannabis, how each system tells of story about the experience of getting high, and how you can use this u…

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Secure Quantum Communication Explained by Doris Reiter 4:58

4M ago4:58

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Watch to the full episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AyHb676TAniPi1jrIiOh7?si=5TevPCQiSKW8CPqKLYGPMw&nd=1&dlsi=41743b05bf864ac2 What does it take to make quantum communication truly secure? In this episode, theoretical physicist Dr. Doris Reiter breaks down the science behind the SUPER project — Swing UP of Quantum EmittER Population — and …

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S5 - E13: Seven Generations of Stewarding the Land with Susan Watkins 17:45

4M ago17:45

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In this episode of the podcast, Jeff Ishee chats with Susan Watkins of Watkins Farms in Dinwiddie County Virginia, a 3500 acre farm growing soybeans, corn, and wheat. Susan shares information about the long history of her family far, their transition to cover crops and no till over twenty years ago, and their approach to cover cropping. She shares …

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S5 - E12: A Whole Community with Elizabeth McMullen and Garland Mason of Organic Valley, Pt. II 17:31

5M ago17:31

17:31

The three-year transition to certified organic farming can present a formidable challenge for farmers. A whole community working together can make the process smoother. In this second episode, Elizabeth "Liz" McMullen and Garland Mason of Organic Valley Cooperative (OV) share how the company and its farm membership nourish a whole community perspec…

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EP122 Growing Cannabis for Hashmaking with guest Conner Terpwizard 1:41:49

5M ago1:41:49

1:41:49

We love growing our own flower! And we also love hash! On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los sits down with Conner Terpwizard to discuss what flower characteristics make it good for hashing, how to choose genetics that will result in hash that meets your desires, and how to handle the plant during cultivation and post harvest to create t…

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3D Microscopy at the Speed of Life 20:14

5M ago20:14

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How can we image living brain cells in 3D—without freezing, staining, or harming them? In this episode, physicist and optics innovator Prof. Humeyra Caglayan joins host Dr. Pranoti Kshirsagar to discuss snapshot 3D microscopy—a breakthrough technology combining meta-optics, real-time image reconstruction, and volumetric imaging. You’ll learn how th…

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UnDisciplined: The art and science of political speech 25:55

5M ago25:55

25:55

Emerging research suggests that human attention spans are getting shorter. That’s a problem for people who want to make change in a world in which the issues we’re facing are growing ever more complicated. So now, perhaps more than ever, it’s important to understand the art and science of giving a good speech — and few people in Canada do that bett…

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S5 - E11: Common Ties: Cooperation and Sustainability with Elizabeth McMullen and Garland Mason of Organic Valley, Pt. I 18:29

5M ago18:29

18:29

Public Relations Specialist Elizabeth McMullen and Sustainability Funding and Communications Specialist Garland Mason of Organic Valley Cooperative join Mary and Eric to share about the common ties that are essential to the farmer-owned cooperative. Cooperation and a strong commitment to the sustainability of small and mid-size family farms, local …

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UnDisciplined: How a tragedy at a fundamentalist commune affected one Biblical scholar 25:55

5M ago25:55

25:55

Dan McClellan loves the Bible. He doesn’t always love what it says. But he works hard not to try to mold it into something that he wants it to be — to meet it, he says, on its own terms.By Matthew LaPlante

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UnDisciplined: Does the Bible really say it is the Word of God? 26:53

6M ago26:53

26:53

Just about 60% of Americans say they identify as Christian. And just about 20% of Americans say they have read the entire Bible.By Matthew LaPlante

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Industrial Fermentation: Biofuels, Bioreactors, Microorganisms ft. Krist V. Gernaey 33:25

6M ago33:25

33:25

What does it take to scale up industrial processes using tiny living organisms? Pranoti Kshirsagar speaks with Professor Krist Gernaey from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) near Copenhagen about the fascinating world of industrial fermentation. Discover the crucial role of bioreactors and the power of microorganisms in producing everything…

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S5 - E10: Farmers Talking with Farmers with Anthony Beery of Beery Farms, Part II 16:53

6M ago16:53

16:53

Farmers talking with farmers is key to building soil health, encouraging innovation, and expanding peer-to-peer mentoring. Anthony Beery of Beery Farms and Cumberland Hay and Straw LLC shares his journey of learning, mentoring, and on-farm experimenting with Mary Sketch Bryant and Jeff Ishee. In the previous episode, Anthony talked about how he ben…

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Graphene Straintronics - Prague to Production ft. Martin Rejhon 15:06

6M ago15:06

15:06

How close are we to a future powered by the incredible flexibility of graphene? Pranoti Kshirsagar sits down with Dr. Martin Rejhon, a leading group leader at Charles University in Prague, to unravel his pioneering work in straintronics – manipulating graphene's properties through mechanical strain. Learn about the critical steps towards scalable p…

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S5 - E9: Soil Health is Attainable with Anthony Beery of Beery Farms, Part I 16:16

6M ago16:16

16:16

Soil health is attainable. Anthony Beery of Beery Farms and Cumberland Hay and Straw LLC shares that message with Mary Sketch Bryant and Jeff Ishee based on his farming experience and journey. Anthony grew up in the Shenandoah Valley where he and his father Danny raised dairy cows and poultry. Anthony benefitted from his father's mentorship and enc…

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UnDisciplined: What does nature look like at night? 25:55

6M ago25:55

25:55

As diurnal creatures, humans often miss out on the natural world at night. And many of us have a natural urge to see the animals that come out at night as inherently worse, scarier, more disgusting, or more dangerous than their daytime counterparts. But if we set aside our distrust of what comes out at night, we’ll find ourselves stunned by what ni…

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UnDisciplined: How are microorganisms changing the way we understand life? 25:55

7M ago25:55

25:55

What is life? However you answer that question, there is a good chance that it’s limited in some way by something that recent research has shown is not actually a limit. What living things can breathe, how they derive energy, how long they can live, and even whether they must die are all being challenged by what we’re learning from microorganisms. …

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S5 - E8: Ins and Outs of Compost Tea with Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens, Part II 18:40

7M ago18:40

18:40

In this episode, Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens continues the conversation about permaculture and the ins and outs of compost tea with Mary Sketch Bryant, Marian Dalke, and Jeff Ishee. Nicky received two USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Producer Grants to specifically research the benefits of compost tea and its ef…

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UnDisciplined: Can holding leaders accountable to truth unlock a climate revolution? 25:55

7M ago25:55

25:55

In his new book, climate analyst Mike Berners-Lee says there's one shift that would go far toward solving every climate bind we’re in: holding corporate and political leaders accountable to truth.By Matthew LaPlante

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UnDisciplined: Why aren't we using climate phases to predict crop yields? 25:55

7M ago25:55

25:55

For decades, we’ve known that climate cycles like El Niño affect regional crop yields. But even though our food system is increasingly global, we haven’t done a great job of thinking at a planetary scale.By Matthew LaPlante

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Lost Cells, Ep.6: The Canaries 43:44

7M ago43:44

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Send us a text This is the final episode of 'Lost Cells', a short investigative podcast series. The production is an original SWI swissinfo.ch trilingual podcast made in collaboration with Piz Gloria Productions, Futur Proche, and Studio Ochenta. This gripping investigative podcast series has been uncovering the human stories behind the promises an…

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S5 - E7: Grow-It-Yourself (GIY) with Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens, Part I 16:37

7M ago16:37

16:37

Nicky Schauder and her family started Permaculture Gardens to make permaculture and growing food accessible to everyone - especially families and children. Nicky shares her story and experience with learning, researching, and growing food with Mary Sketch Bryant, Marian Dalke, and Jeff Ishee. Nicky is constantly learning by experiment. Nicky is a t…

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UnDisciplined: How can we stay connected with plant life through changing seasons? 25:55

7M ago25:55

25:55

Herbs have a wide range of uses. A new book explores how plants connect us to the earth, to each other, and to ourselves.By Raegan Edelman

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Lost Cells, Ep.5: In Limbo 29:20

7M ago29:20

29:20

Send us a text Over the next two episodes, we're proud to present 'Lost Cells', a short investigative podcast series. The production is an original SWI swissinfo.ch trilingual podcast made in collaboration with Piz Gloria Productions, Futur Proche, and Studio Ochenta. This gripping investigative podcast series uncovers the human stories behind the …

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EP121 The Wooly Umbrella Plant: A New Source of Cannabinoids with guest Paula Berman PhD 1:17:40

7M ago1:17:40

1:17:40

While the US continues to struggle in its relationship to cannabis medicine, it sure would be helpful if we could obtain non-THC cannabinoids from more plants than just cannabis. On episode #121 of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los chats with cutting-edge plant biochemist Dr. Paula Berman about the Wooly Umbrella plant, its rare biochemical attributes,…

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UnDisciplined: Americans may soon see a link between climate change and health problems 25:55

7M ago25:55

25:55

Rising global temperatures are already impacting human health. One survey suggests that most Americans haven’t yet felt this connection in their own lives or seen it in their own communities. But that might change — and soon.By Matthew LaPlante

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S5 - E6: Education first and foremost with Nicole Shuman of Cornerstone Farm, Part II 18:04

8M ago18:04

18:04

Nicole Shuman is a community agriculturalist and educator at Cornerstone Farm at Fairfield Middle School in Henrico County, VA. Nicole shares that education is the first and foremost goal of Cornerstone Farm. As a functioning farm, students and the school community learn what and how food is grown, while also gaining hands-on knowledge and experien…

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Lost Cells, Ep.4: The Hunt 29:45

8M ago29:45

29:45

Send us a text Over the next three episodes, we're proud to present 'Lost Cells', a short investigative podcast series. The production is an original SWI swissinfo.ch trilingual podcast made in collaboration with Piz Gloria Productions, Futur Proche, and Studio Ochenta. This gripping investigative podcast series uncovers the human stories behind th…

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UnDisciplined: What goes into making this show, and how has it evolved over time? 25:55

8M ago25:55

25:55

On July 6, 2018, listeners who were tuned into UPR heard UnDisciplined for the first time. Now, nearly seven years later, we’ve shared 300 episodes.By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman

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Lost Cells, Ep.3: The Program 18:22

8M ago18:22

18:22

Send us a text Over the next four episodes, we're proud to present 'Lost Cells', a short investigative podcast series. The production is an original SWI swissinfo.ch trilingual podcast made in collaboration with Piz Gloria Productions, Futur Proche, and Studio Ochenta. This gripping investigative podcast series uncovers the human stories behind the…

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UnDisciplined: This guy bet his father $10,000 that 10 prophecies wouldn’t come true. Who actually won? 25:55

8M ago25:55

25:55

Zach Mack’s father was falling into the abyss. That’s what it felt like, at least, as Zach watched his dad become more and more susceptible to conspiracy theories and prophecies from religious zealots. But when his dad bet him $10,000 that ten different predictions would come true by the end of 2024, Zach thought he found a way to bring his dad bac…