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Unexplainable

Vox
Climate Change
Silence
Global Warming
Evolution
Tinnitus
Biodiversity
Public Health
Mental Health
Phages
Artificial Intelligence
Rogue Waves
Devonian Period
Mass Extinction
Nutrition Science
NASA
Climate Models
Trees
Tuberculosis
Animal Testing
Drug Development

Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know…and then keeps on going. The Unexplainable team — Noam Hassenfeld, Julia Longoria, Byrd Pinkerton, and Meradith Hoddinott — tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn diving into the unknown. New episodes Mondays and Wednesdays. From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

PublishesDailyEpisodes284Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Natural SciencesLife SciencesScience

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Latest Episodes

Vijay Sikand is a family doctor in the Connecticut town that gave Lyme disease its name. When a pharmaceutical company came to town to test a vaccine, he built a career and a community around the trial. Then the Lyme vaccine became a cautionary tale.... more

Fetuses leave cells behind in their parents' bodies, where they braid themselves into tissues, and remain, for years. What are they doing in there?

Guests: ⁠Amy Boddy⁠, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barba... more

Paul Ehrlich was famous for predicting a population explosion that would destroy the planet, but he didn't count on human ingenuity.

Guest: Bryan Walsh, Vox senior editorial director

This episode was made in partnership with Vox’s Future Perfect te... more

What would life look like after a global nuclear war? Would underground bunkers work? What would we do for food? What about radioactive snow?!  In this episode of ⁠Are We Doomed?⁠, reporter Ben Bradford tries to find out.

Guest: Ben Bradford, host o... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Alex Wellerstein
Nuclear weapons historian, author, and game designer
Steven
Episode: The aftermath
Lily Shaw
Climate scientist at Rutgers
Rutgers University
Episode: The aftermath
Hannah Barker
Medieval historian
University of Leeds (as context in discussion)
Episode: A better Black Death story
Andy Glusenkamp
Herpetologist at the San Antonio Zoo
San Antonio Zoo
Episode: The hunt for a lost species
Dylan Scott
Health reporter for Vox, guest on this episode
Vox
Episode: Is everything inflammation?
Erin Westgate
Researcher and former optimist who studied well-being interventions
University research
Episode: A show about nothing
Raja Goh
Ph.D. student studying psychology and philosophy
Johns Hopkins University
Episode: A show about nothing
Lily Zhao
Grad student involved in the experiment
University lab
Episode: The Hitchhiking Microbe’s Guide to the Galaxy
Jocelyn De Ruggero
Collaborator who suggested using a tougher bacterium
Johns Hopkins (collaborator)
Episode: The Hitchhiking Microbe’s Guide to the Galaxy

Hosts

Noam Hassenfeld
Host of Unexplainable
Sally Helm
Host of Unexplainable
Byrd Pinkerton
Host of Unexplainable
Julia Longoria
Host of Unexplainable

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 9k ratings
  • Amazing podcast, one suggestion :)

    As one of the younger audiences listening to this I prefer some of the more fun and less mature episodes like the Dinosaur ones. I absolutely love this podcast and most of its episodes but I wish more of them were about animals, or Earth, or episodes like the roulette one. I love combing physics with betting games ;). Overall great podcast but could be a little more friendly for younger ages. Thanks!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    horsegall2013
    United States4 days ago
  • Horrible

    Nothing but laughter give me a break please

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Hoagland56
    United States7 days ago
  • A bit annoying

    It’s basically a middle school science class vibe where the teacher has been overdosing on stimulants.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    JimmyMonkeyBrains
    United States11 days ago
  • Super awesome show

    My favorite podcast! I listen to every episode. I also really love the title music haha.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    raresnover
    United States17 days ago
  • Is everything inflammation

    Difficult to listen to. Very hard to focus on issue at stake when the podcaster says “like” every other word. 1) if you are going to podcast, learn how to talk eloquently 2) if you refuse to do 1) either edit it out or find a new career

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    ABauthentic
    United States17 days ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, nuanced, accessible science reporting.
Deep science storytelling with human hooked narratives.
High-quality guests and strong production; some listeners note bias criticisms.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The aftermath
Q: How does the episode frame the longer-term risks after a nuclear exchange?
It emphasizes famine, collapsed infrastructure, and climate effects like nuclear winter as the dominant threats to long-term survival, rather than the immediate blast, highlighting the scale of adaptation required for a surviving population.
The aftermath
Q: What is the realistic purpose of fallout shelters according to the expert?
Shelters mainly serve to reduce radiation exposure and give people time to wait out the initial danger, but they are not a guarantee of safety for everyone or for long durations, especially given the complexity of fallout, radiation decay, and food/water logistics.
A show about nothing
Q: What makes silence feel uncomfortable for people, and how does the episode approach it for listeners?
Silence feels uncomfortable because it is unstructured and requires the listener to construct meaning from the lack of external cues; the episode tackles this by gradually incorporating silence, using ambient room sounds, and guiding listeners to reflect on their own environment.
Is everything inflammation?
Q: What is inflammation?
Inflammation is your immune system's response to an invader or injury, involving immune cells and chemicals to fight infection or heal a wound; there are acute forms that are necessary for healing and chronic, low-grade forms that may contribute to health problems, and scientists are still working to establish baselines and understand when inflammation is beneficial versus harmful.
Who are we to fight the alchemy?
Q: Did the alchemical texts ever reveal real, repeatable procedures or were they mostly metaphorical?
Principe and colleagues show that some early steps in these texts describe doable experiments, and through modern recreation, historians found that certain procedures could produce real, observable results, even if the later steps were more hypothetical or metaphorical.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Unexplainable

What is Unexplainable about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A science-focused program that probes mysteries, historical puzzles, and frontier topics with a strong emphasis on research-driven storytelling. Across episodes, the show blends expert interviews, archival context, and human-centered narratives to illuminate how science, history, and culture intersect in surprising ways. Noteworthy is the ability to weave complex ideas into accessible episodes, often featuring researchers, journalists, and thinkers who translate technical concepts into engaging stories. This makes the show particularly appealing to curious, well-educated listeners who enjoy rigorous explanation paired with vivid storytelling, and to potential guests aiming to share specialized knowledge with a curious audience.

Where can I find podcast stats for Unexplainable?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Unexplainable. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Unexplainable and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Unexplainable get?

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What are the audience demographics for Unexplainable?

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How many subscribers and views does Unexplainable have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Unexplainable?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Unexplainable:

1. Science Vs
2. Explain It to Me
3. Today, Explained
4. Radiolab
5. Short Wave

How many episodes of Unexplainable are there?

Unexplainable launched 5 years ago and published 284 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Unexplainable?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Unexplainable?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Unexplainable from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Unexplainable?

Recent guests on Unexplainable include:

1. Alex Wellerstein
2. Lily Shaw
3. Hannah Barker
4. Andy Glusenkamp
5. Dylan Scott
6. Erin Westgate
7. Raja Goh
8. Lily Zhao

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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