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Unexplainable

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know ... and then keeps right on going. This Vox podcast explores scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and all the things we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes every Wednesday.

Tell us about a scientific mystery that fascinates you.

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The Unexplainable team includes Noam Hassenfeld, Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, Mandy Nguyen, Cristian Ayala, and Brian Resnick. The show is a production of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Show transcripts. Clean versions of explicit episodes. Songs from the podcast.

The mysterious rise of food allergies

Runners can be disqualified for starting after the gun. What gives?

The race to find 2,100 missing species before they go extinct

What did dinosaurs actually sound like? Take a listen.

The ovarian “biological clock” and other reproductive health metaphors that have led science astray

Why the new James Webb Space Telescope images are such a big deal

Why scientists really, really want to know if there was ever life on Mars

7 solar system mysteries scientists haven’t solved yet

7 ocean mysteries scientists haven’t solved yet

The underwater “eye” that is unlocking ocean secrets

What science still doesn’t know about the five senses

Cancer has a smell. Someday your phone may detect it.

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Doctors learned how to save premature infants’ lives. They forgot about pain.

Scientists are investigating how to treat pain in babies who can’t tell you when it hurts.

The loss of insects is an apocalypse worth worrying about

The mystery of methane gone missing

What science still can’t explain about love

What romance novels can teach us about attraction

There’s a Covid-19 epidemic in deer. It could come back to haunt us. 

The quest to avert an asteroid apocalypse is going surprisingly well

Fusion energy is a reason to be excited about the future

The largest space telescope in history is about to blow our minds

11 epic mysteries scientists totally can’t solve

The world’s largest space telescope is set to launch on Christmas. Here’s how to watch.

Venus could have been a paradise but turned into a hellscape. Earthlings, pay attention.

Psychiatrists are uncovering connections between viruses and mental health. They’re surprising.

How technology has inspired neuroscientists to reimagine the brain

The curious case of the ancient whale bones

The animals that may exist in a million years, imagined by biologists

How telescopes make the universe self-aware

Astronomers were skeptical about dark matter — until Vera Rubin came along

How scientists discovered the universe is really freaking huge

Animals can navigate by starlight. Here’s how we know.

What’s with these invasive “crazy” worms and why can’t we get rid of them?

Nobody knows exactly how tornadoes form — and the mystery can be deadly

These eerie, glowing clouds keep appearing more often

Scientists aren’t sure what will happen to clouds as the planet warms

How a tiny, wobbling particle could unlock mysteries of the universe

The weird science of the placebo effect keeps getting more interesting

“It’s deep. It’s dark. It’s elusive.” The ocean’s twilight zone is full of wonders.

Scientists haven’t figured out long Covid. Here are 5 of their best hypotheses.