Best Stun And Awe Podcasts (2025)

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Dinner with King Tut: How experimental archaeologists are recreating the past 36:13

Play Pause

3d ago36:13

36:13

In today’s episode, we chat with author Sam Kean about his new book Dinner with King Tut and learn how researchers and citizen scientists are recreating ancient recipes, tools, and technologies — from wound remedies with pennies to inventive pottery glazed in blood — and how experimental archaeology is changing our understanding of the past. Most o…

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[BONUS] Making magenta pennies and touching the sun: Tiny Show and Tell Us #35 15:04

11d ago15:04

15:04

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about different ways of turning pennies all of the colors of the rainbow. Then we discuss an ongoing NASA mission to touch the sun. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

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What's eating the Titanic? 33:19

17d ago33:19

33:19

Most of us know the story of the Titanic. In 1912, the massive — supposedly indestructible — steamship sank after hitting an iceberg on its first and only journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Titanic remained undiscovered on the seafloor, somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean, for 73 years, until it was found nearly two miles beneath the surface. But…

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[BONUS] 4 years of Tiny Matters?! How we started, what we've learned, and where we're headed! 33:34

24d ago33:34

33:34

As we approach episode 100 of Tiny Matters, we wanted to talk about how it all got started nearly 4 years ago and where we are headed! How did Sam and Deboki become co-hosts? What have they learned about the types of stories and episodes they are drawn to? What happens if an interview goes poorly? What is the American Chemical Society (ACS)? How ab…

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New male contraceptives could be here soon. What took so long? 30:10

1M ago30:10

30:10

If you’re a female and you want to use a contraceptive pill, patch, injection, or device, you have over 250 options. But if you’re a male and you want a contraceptive, you have three options. You can get a vasectomy, you can use condoms, which can have up to a 18% failure rate, or you can use what sex researchers politely call “the withdrawal metho…

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[BONUS] Why horseshoe crab blood is blue, HELLP syndrome, and a one-electron bond: Tiny Show and Tell Us #34 11:52

1M ago11:52

11:52

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, a listener writes in to tell us about being born 3 months premature likely due to their mom having HELLP syndrome, a variant of preeclampsia, and taking part in early trials for surfactants. Then we discuss why horseshoe crab blood is blue and the exciting generation of a one-electron bond between carbon at…

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Trade, tyranny, and untapped potential: The history and science of spices 27:29

2M ago27:29

27:29

For thousands of years, the rise and fall of empires and the global economy were closely tied to something you might not expect: spices. The spice trade began around 1000 BCE, localized to southeast Asia and the Middle East. But by the beginning of the next millennia, it had rapidly expanded and nations vied to control it. Today it’s typically far …

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[BONUS] Fluorescent milk, ‘liquid’ glass, and studying ripples in spacetime: Tiny Show and Tell Us #33 16:08

2M ago16:08

16:08

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we get to the bottom of if glass is a liquid or a solid and why riboflavin makes milk fluorescent. Then we talk about the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) — the first space-based observatory that NASA scientists and their collaborators are sending up into space to detect and study gravitational wav…

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How stunning 19th century dyes led to today's drugs 35:22

2M ago35:22

35:22

In 1856, after yet another day of disappointing experiments, a chemist named William Henry Perkin was cleaning up his glassware when he made a discovery that would harken a new — and colorful — era of science and industry. Just 18 years old, Perkin was a promising young student in a prestigious lab at the Royal College of Chemistry in London and he…

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[BONUS] Wasp versus beetle and blood iron recycling: Tiny Show and Tell Us #32 13:33

2M ago13:33

13:33

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, a listener on “team wasp” writes in with some interesting info on USDA wasps for pesticide-free pest control and we learn about some wasp versus beetle drama. Then we talk about how our red blood cells use and expel iron, and how a huge percentage of the iron we get is from broken down blood cells. We need …

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De-extinction: Genetics, conservation, and lessons from 'dire wolves' 28:55

2M ago28:55

28:55

Back in April, a company called Colossal Biosciences announced that they had brought dire wolves — ancient canines of Game of Thrones fame — back from extinction. The internet went wild. But while some media outlets proclaimed the return of a long-gone species, many scientists shot back on social media that these weren’t really dire wolves, they we…

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[BONUS] Woolly mammoth mice and filtering microplastics out of your water: Tiny Show and Tell Us #31 14:36

3M ago14:36

14:36

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about cute woolly mammoth mice and debate whether research to bring back extinct species (or their genes) is ethical or a good use of money and time. Then we discuss the best way to remove microplastics from water. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to t…

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Zircon: How this tiny, ancient mineral is upending what scientists believed about early Earth 32:27

3M ago32:27

32:27

How did the early Earth, over four billion years ago, evolve into the planet we know and love today? It’s a big question, and an open question. To get answers, geologists turn to a surprising source — a tiny mineral no bigger than the diameter of a human hair, that has secrets about our planet locked away in its crystal structure. This miniscule mi…

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[BONUS] Biodegradable super glue and a severe greenhouse gas that lowers your voice: Tiny Show and Tell Us #30 12:10

3M ago12:10

12:10

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about a new and exciting biodegradable polymer that seems to outperform commercial super glues. Then we discuss a compound called sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) that is used in high voltage equipment. Not only is SF6 a potent greenhouse gas, if you breathe it in it has the opposite effect of helium — it …

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Is ‘mom brain’ … forever? 33:43

3M ago33:43

33:43

An estimated 132 million babies were born across the globe last year — really just a drop in the bucket when you think about the over 100 billion babies born since modern humans first lived on Earth 200,000 years ago. And until very recently we had few tools to understand how they were doing in the womb, how they would fare in the days after birth,…

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[BONUS] Birds breathing with their butts and reducing food waste to combat climate change: Tiny Show and Tell Us #29 13:26

4M ago13:26

13:26

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about breathing in birds — how it takes two breath cycles for air to leave their bodies, and while it travels within their bodies, it's stored in various sacks, some of which are in their butts. Then we discuss how food waste contributes to approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions every y…

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How domesticated is a domestic cat? From the wild to ancient Egyptian tombs to now 27:54

4M ago27:54

27:54

3,500 years ago, cats started showing up in Egyptian paintings on tomb walls and in sculptures and carvings. Not only were they abundant in these representations, but it was very clear that they were domestic. They had collars around their necks and were eating out of food dishes underneath the dining room table. That scene is not so different from…

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[BONUS] Diamond rain on Saturn (maybe) and UV rays breaking down harmful dyes: Tiny Show and Tell Us #28 16:19

4M ago16:19

16:19

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we tackle the debate surrounding whether or not it rains diamonds on Saturn. Then we talk about how UV degradation can break down some of the harmful residual dyes from plastic pollution, and what it means in the context of microplastics. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possibl…

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The strange science and history of quantum computing and how it could transform chemistry 26:00

4M ago26:00

26:00

On May 7, 1981, influential physicist Richard Feynman gave a keynote speech at Caltech. Feynman opened his talk by politely rejecting the very notion of a keynote speech, instead saying that he had his own ideas on what to discuss and that everyone should speak on what they please. And for Feynman, this meant proposing a new technology that could s…

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[BONUS] Squirrel pox and did tin buttons cause the downfall of Napoleon's army?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #27 13:04

5M ago13:04

13:04

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover squirrel pox — a disease that hasn’t had a huge impact in the United States but has decimated populations of squirrels in the UK. Then we talk about the story that Napoleon's army lost the Battle of Waterloo because the military uniforms used tin buttons that broke apart in cold temperatures, makin…

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Making labs safer: A heavy metal poisoning, a deadly protein exposure, and their aftermath 35:16

5M ago35:16

35:16

In January, 1997, David Nierenberg was a physician at Dartmouth‐Hitchcock Medical Center, specializing in toxicology. Chemist Karen Wetterhahn was placed in his care. When she arrived at the hospital, Karen was slurring her speech and having difficulty balancing and with coordination. What David soon learned was that her symptoms were all due to a …

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[BONUS] Fetuses ‘listening’ to different languages and climate change affecting psychiatric meds: Tiny Show and Tell Us #26 15:55

5M ago15:55

15:55

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about how climate change may impact the effectiveness of mental health medications and how heat waves impact mental health more generally. Then we cover how fetal heart rates can change depending on which language they’re hearing while in the womb. We need your stories — they're what make these bonu…

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How NASA scientists are monitoring and predicting wildfires from space 26:54

5M ago26:54

26:54

Climate change has brought forth extreme fire events, like the Palisade and Eaton fires in Los Angeles, which devastated communities in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades in the beginning of 2025. And it’s becoming harder to not wonder: Is this just the world we live in now? Under the constant threat of catastrophic fires? Fortunately, we have the …

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[BONUS] The FDA’s ban of Red Dye No. 3 and the surprising science of winter roads: Tiny Show and Tell Us #25 17:03

5M ago17:03

17:03

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about why the FDA recently banned Red Dye No. 3 and how concerned people should be about its use in food. Then we cover icy winter roads and the fascinating science behind clearing them and taking a more sustainable approach that won’t hurt the environment. We need your stories — they're what make t…

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How a Mars mission from the 1970s shaped the search for extraterrestrial life today 35:49

6M ago35:49

35:49

In 1975, NASA launched two spacecraft to Mars. Viking 1 and Viking 2 arrived at their destination less than a year later, each bringing a lander to explore the surface of the planet and an orbiter to survey above. What was supposed to be a 90 day mission ended up lasting until the early 1980s. Those years provided scientists with important data abo…

Stun And Awe Podcasts

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Growth Leap

Stun and Awe

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Tiny Matters

Multitude

1
Dinner with King Tut: How experimental archaeologists are recreating the past 36:13

1
[BONUS] Making magenta pennies and touching the sun: Tiny Show and Tell Us #35 15:04

1
What's eating the Titanic? 33:19

1
[BONUS] 4 years of Tiny Matters?! How we started, what we've learned, and where we're headed! 33:34

1
New male contraceptives could be here soon. What took so long? 30:10

1
[BONUS] Why horseshoe crab blood is blue, HELLP syndrome, and a one-electron bond: Tiny Show and Tell Us #34 11:52

1
Trade, tyranny, and untapped potential: The history and science of spices 27:29

1
[BONUS] Fluorescent milk, ‘liquid’ glass, and studying ripples in spacetime: Tiny Show and Tell Us #33 16:08

1
How stunning 19th century dyes led to today's drugs 35:22

1
[BONUS] Wasp versus beetle and blood iron recycling: Tiny Show and Tell Us #32 13:33

1
De-extinction: Genetics, conservation, and lessons from 'dire wolves' 28:55

1
[BONUS] Woolly mammoth mice and filtering microplastics out of your water: Tiny Show and Tell Us #31 14:36

1
Zircon: How this tiny, ancient mineral is upending what scientists believed about early Earth 32:27

1
[BONUS] Biodegradable super glue and a severe greenhouse gas that lowers your voice: Tiny Show and Tell Us #30 12:10

1
Is ‘mom brain’ … forever? 33:43

1
[BONUS] Birds breathing with their butts and reducing food waste to combat climate change: Tiny Show and Tell Us #29 13:26

1
How domesticated is a domestic cat? From the wild to ancient Egyptian tombs to now 27:54

1
[BONUS] Diamond rain on Saturn (maybe) and UV rays breaking down harmful dyes: Tiny Show and Tell Us #28 16:19

1
The strange science and history of quantum computing and how it could transform chemistry 26:00

1
[BONUS] Squirrel pox and did tin buttons cause the downfall of Napoleon's army?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #27 13:04

1
Making labs safer: A heavy metal poisoning, a deadly protein exposure, and their aftermath 35:16

1
[BONUS] Fetuses ‘listening’ to different languages and climate change affecting psychiatric meds: Tiny Show and Tell Us #26 15:55

1
How NASA scientists are monitoring and predicting wildfires from space 26:54

1
[BONUS] The FDA’s ban of Red Dye No. 3 and the surprising science of winter roads: Tiny Show and Tell Us #25 17:03

1
How a Mars mission from the 1970s shaped the search for extraterrestrial life today 35:49