Why the Hell Is That?
By Origami Penguin Press
Categories: science
Why is it colder on a mountain when you're closer to the sun? Why can't you tickle yourself? Where the hell did our tails go? Every episode takes one question you've wondered about and gives you the real answer: what most people get wrong, what's actually going on, the weird bonus facts, and one thing worth stealing for your next dinner conversation. Honest about what science still doesn't know. New episodes daily, about 10 minutes each. Hosted by Jeremy Kelly. An Origami Penguin Press production.
14 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Why Do We Dream?
Every night your brain screens a bizarre movie you didn't write and forget by breakfast. Here's what's happening in your head during REM sleep, the leading theories for why we dream, and the uncomfortable truth that science still doesn't fully know. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin…
- Do Trees Really Talk to Each Other?
The 'wood wide web' is one of the most shared science stories of the last decade. Trees feeding their babies, sending warnings through fungus. In 2023, a team of scientists went back and checked the evidence. The truth is messier, more honest, and honestly more interesting. Why the Hell Is That?…
- How Does a Million-Pound Cloud Just Float?
A single puffy cloud can hold over a million pounds of water. So why isn't it falling on your car? Here's the physics of floating clouds, how tiny droplets beat gravity, and what finally makes them let go as rain. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin Press production.
- Why Does Hair Turn Gray?
That first gray hair hits different. Scientists cracked a big piece of the mystery in 2023: color-making stem cells that get stuck. Here's where hair color comes from, why it fades, whether stress really turns you gray, and what that research might mean down the road. Why the Hell Is That? is an…
- Why Can You Never Reach a Rainbow?
No pot of gold, sorry. A rainbow isn't a thing sitting in a field. It's a trick of angles, and every person standing in the rain is seeing a different one. Here's how raindrops split sunlight, why it's always opposite the sun, and why it's secretly a full circle. Why the Hell Is That? is an…
- What's Actually Living in Your Belly Button?
Every belly button is a scar with a story, and it turns out it's also a wildlife preserve. Find out what your navel was attached to, why innies and outies happen, and what scientists found when they swabbed a few hundred belly buttons. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin Press production.
- Can a Shadow Move Faster Than Light?
Nothing beats the speed of light, right? Your shadow didn't get the memo. Find out what a shadow really is, why a shadow's edge can technically outrun light without breaking physics, and why Einstein would be totally fine with it. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin Press production.
- How Much Does Your Dog Actually Understand?
You've definitely had a full conversation with your dog. A study of 165 dogs found the average one responds to about 89 words and phrases, and some superstar dogs know more than 200. Here's what's really landing when you talk, and what's just your tone of voice. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami…
- Does Swallowed Gum Really Stay in Your Stomach for Seven Years?
Your mom swore it would. Turns out, the seven-year gum rule is one of the longest-running lies of childhood. Find out what your gut can and can't digest, where swallowed gum actually goes, and how fast it gets there. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin Press production.
- Do Animals Really Have Friends?
Scientists used to get side-eye for calling it friendship. Not anymore. Meet vampire bats that share meals with their buddies, baboons and horses that pick favorites for years, and what the research says about whether animals choose their friends the way we do. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami…
- Why Can't Humans Fly?
People have strapped on homemade wings and jumped off towers for centuries. It never ends well. Here's the brutal math of flight: hollow bones, monster chest muscles, and why your arms are hopelessly outgunned, plus how we cheated our way into the sky anyway. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami…
- Why Does the Moon Look Huge on the Horizon?
That giant orange moon over the freeway looks twice as big as it does an hour later. It isn't. A camera proves it. The moon illusion has puzzled people for over two thousand years, and scientists still haven't fully agreed on why our brains fall for it. Why the Hell Is That? is an Origami Penguin…
- Why Is It Colder on a Mountain When You're Closer to the Sun?
You drive up into the mountains and the temperature drops like a rock, even though you're technically closer to the sun. Find out why air cools as it rises, why the ground and not the sun heats the air around you, and why a few miles closer means basically nothing. Why the Hell Is That? is an…
- Why Is the Sky Blue, and Why the Hell Isn't It Purple?
Everyone half-remembers the answer from school, and almost nobody remembers the twist. Sunlight is every color at once, air throws blue light around like confetti, and by the physics the sky should arguably look violet. Here's why it doesn't, and why sunsets go orange. Why the Hell Is That? is an…
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