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Unexplainable

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

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.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes315Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Life SciencesNatural SciencesScience

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Artwork for Unexplainable

Latest Episodes

Music can give us goosebumps. It can make us cry. It can make us move. How?

Guests: Amelia Meath, songwriter and singer in Sylvan Esso; Elizabeth Margulis,  director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University and author of On Repeat: How Mus... more

Is it yellow? Is it green? Or what if, as one scientist argues, “there’s no such thing as a color?”

Guest: Bevil Conway, visual artist and neuroscientist at the National Eye Institute

To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix!

For show tr... more

When things fall into bogs, they sometimes wind up being beautifully preserved. This includes bodies, sometimes dating back thousands of years. We’re still trying to understand who was buried in the bogs and why.

Guest: Anna North, journalist and au... more

Once upon a time (around 300 million years ago), Earth was home to massive dragonfly-like insects and two meter long millipede-like creatures. Why did they die off?

Guests: Ned Snelling, professor of experimental physiology at the University of Pret... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Anna North
Journalist and novelist who writes Bog Queen
Author of Bog Queen
Episode: The bodies buried in the bog
Joseph Howlett
Science writer, former physicist
Independent/Writer
Episode: Dark matter and the end of answers
Sarah Louise Scoles
Senior contributor at Scientific American, author of Impossible Questions piece on what happened before the Big Bang
Scientific American
Episode: What happened before the big bang?
Manvir Singh
Cognitive anthropologist at UC Davis
UC Davis
Episode: What's the oldest story ever told?
Ray Norris
Astrophysicist proposing the 100,000-year-old story idea
Independent researcher / University affiliations mentioned
Episode: What's the oldest story ever told?
David Relman
Microbiologist and infectious disease specialist
Stanford University
Episode: Stopping the science that could stop the world
Kate Adamala
Scientist advocating radical tinkering with cells
University of Minnesota (as described in episode)
Episode: Life from scratch
John Glass
Mentor to Kate Adamala, JCVI team member
J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI)
Episode: Life from scratch
Grace Bellman
Music writer and professional playlist maker
Independent / Grace Bellman
Episode: The idea of a song

Hosts

Byrd Pinkerton
Host of Unexplainable
Noam Hassenfeld
Host of the show

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 9.1k ratings
  • Great interview and I loved the book, "An Immense World." I greatly appreciate the approach to spark the imagination and not just state the author's theory/answer. With the vast expanse of other or broadened senses, if we were to create a 'translator', it would need to understand the additional depth of experience in order to start to evaluate the expression being conveyed. Clever, informative and thought provoking. Great job. 👍

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Darin
    2 months ago
  • Regarding the episode on inflammation, like good like information like and nice like story like you know but like have you like ever liked listened like you know to like your like own like podcast like?

    Podchaser
    3
    rkdelisle
    3 months ago
  • I have listened to every episode, and I highly reccomend it!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Mcla
    3 months ago
  • I've been listening to Unexplainable for quite a few years now, and it has never disappointed! Hands down one of my favorite podcasts. I always look forward to new episodes. Each one is fascinating, well-researched, and the passion behind it shines like a beacon. Keep up the incredible work!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    ruby
    4 months ago
  • 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 months ago

Listeners Say

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

A few reviewers mention production style or pacing as a point of critique, but overall sentiment is highly positive and loyal.
Listeners praise engaging storytelling and accessible science yet note some episodes feel less suitable for younger audiences.
Many appreciate the mix of expert guests and practical, real-world examples that connect research to everyday life.

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 bodies buried in the bog
Q: What ethical concerns exist regarding displaying bog bodies in museums?
There are protests and ethical questions about displaying human remains, with some arguing for returning remains to the bog or contextually sensitive display, while others emphasize educational value and living history perspectives.
The bodies buried in the bog
Q: Why are bog bodies so well-preserved, and what do they reveal about the people buried there?
The preservation comes from the anaerobic, waterlogged environment of the bogs, which slows decay; this allows researchers to study textiles, isotopes in wool, and even residues in stomachs, offering insights into clothing, movement, diets, and possibly social status of Iron Age individuals.
The bodies buried in the bog
Q: What exactly is a bog, and how does it differ from other wetlands?
A bog is a peat-based wetland where organic material builds up faster than it decays, creating an anaerobic environment that preserves organic remains like hair, skin, clothing, and even butter, due to the low oxygen and waterlogged conditions.
Dark matter and the end of answers
Q: If dark matter only interacts gravitationally, can science ever fully know what it is?
If interactions are purely gravitational, there may be no way to trap it in detectors, which would mean we might never know its composition despite its gravitational effects.
Dark matter and the end of answers
Q: How did the team respond to the null result?
There was a visible arc of grief and denial followed by resolve to keep building bigger, more sensitive detectors and to continue exploring the dark matter question.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Unexplainable

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

This show surveys curiosity-driven science, blending deep-dive interviews with accessible explanations across topics like music theory in songwriting, infant memory, coral restoration, science communication, and climate risk. Episodes frequently pair expert guests with thoughtful storytelling, offering practical takeaways for listeners ranging from parents and teachers to scientists and policy professionals. A notable strength is its ability to translate complex ideas into engaging, human-centered narratives, often anchored by hands-on field reporting and vivid real-world examples. A recurring edge is the mix of rigorous science with pop-cultural touchpoints, making questions about how the world works feel both urgent and approachable.

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How many listeners does Unexplainable get?

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How many subscribers and views does Unexplainable have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Unexplainable has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Unexplainable?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Unexplainable:

1. Explain It to Me
2. Today, Explained
3. Science Vs
4. The Gray Area with Sean Illing
5. 99% Invisible

How many episodes of Unexplainable are there?

Unexplainable launched 6 years ago and published 315 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?

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What guests have appeared on Unexplainable?

Recent guests on Unexplainable include:

1. Anna North
2. Joseph Howlett
3. Sarah Louise Scoles
4. Manvir Singh
5. Ray Norris
6. David Relman
7. Kate Adamala
8. John Glass

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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