Does knuckle cracking give you arthritis? It doesn’t appear to. But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

One of the darkest days in the history of American law enforcement came on April 19, 1993, when the FBI’s 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian religious sect’s compound in Waco, Texas ended with a fire and 75 men, women, and children dead inside.

Another sneak peek for your podcast listening ears and eyes 👀 Our episode on Humanism comes out TOMORROW 🎙️

Camp David is awesome. But not all presidents have liked it. We'll dig into this historic property in today's episiode. ⛺️

Kangaroos are the only marsupial to hop, which is pretty weird. We’ll investigate why.

Of course we're talking all about maple syrup today - the tapping, the processing, the eating.

By all rights there should be three sets of molars in your mouth. But it turns out that our skulls aren’t really set up to accommodate that many anymore. Exactly why depends on who you ask.

In the 1970s, conservation groups around the world rose up to protect dwindling whale populations, some on the verge of extinction. They all worked under the same banner: Save the Whales! It turned out to be one of the most successful campaigns ever.

There’s a kind of bird that lots of people think is a real jerk. And it kind of is. But in the brown-headed cowbird’s defense, it’s just evolved that way. Find out why it has such a bad reputation among bird lovers in this Short Stuff.

Ruth Lyons basically invented the daytime talk show, yet she doesn't get the credit. Why is that? Probably because she was a woman in a man's industry. Today we tell her story.

In the late 90s, a strange musical instrument was excavated under the streets of CDMX. Listen in to learn all about the Aztec Death Whistle

During the Cold War, the CIA used the legend of a vampire named Aswang to scare locals into not helping the communists. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

West Virginia is home to sensitive radio telescopes that could easily pick up your cell phone’s signal on Mars. And the cell reception on Mars is about as good as it is in the NRQZ, since cell towers are banned in the interest of furthering astronomy. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Since 1972 neighborhoods have been officially banding together to prevent crime together. Does it work? It seems to. Does it go too far? It often does, yes.

Today we dive into the interesting story of paranormal power couple the Warrens, inspiration behind The Conjuring movie franchise.

Everybody’s always bagging on pessimists and telling everybody they should be more optimistic. Well, nuts to that! There are plenty of benefits from being a pessimist. Although being an optimist still wins in basically every category ☹

The idea of prison labor is relatively new in the annals of crime and punishment. And it's just as bad as you think. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

We’ve done episodes on cake, cookies and, at long last, pie. Belly up to your pod player and prepare to crave some pie! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Rice may be the most eaten food on the planet, accounting for 50% of the caloric intake of Asian countries and 25% worldwide. Learn all about this edible cereal crop today.

Graffiti – the good kind, done with lots of style and skill – developed when some kids in NYC took up cans of spray paint and started to figure out how to outdo one another. They laid down styles that are so fine they’re still being used by artists today. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

People who’ve found themselves in life-or-death situations with their endurance at its limit have reported sensing another presence with them, urging them to continue on and survive. No one knows what the heck is going on here but it sure is interesting. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

In 1905, an engineering mistake created a brand new 400-square-mile sea (lake?) in the California desert. People made the most of it at first, but it didn’t take long to become a toxic brew that now threatens the health of anyone in breathing distance. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Did Native Americans really smoke peace pipes? Well yes and no. They smoked pipes for many reasons, sometimes to commemorate peace. But they never called them peace pipes. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Co-producer Ben knocked it out of the park again, taking the two classic horror stories we read for our annual Spooktacular - Caterpillars and The Deep Drowse – and creating a moody Halloween masterpiece for your spooky listening enjoyment. So enjoy it! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

A legend in Tennessee tells of the real-life Bell family, who were haunted back in 1817 by a ghost witch - arguably the worst kind of either of those things. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

There aren’t too many independent horror movies that make the British Film Institute’s 250 Best Films Ever Made list – AND – make an appearance in the teen comedy Summer School. That makes sense because there’s no other movie quite like The TCSM. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Have you ever thought much about screaming? Well we have, and today you'll learn everything we learned.

It's seven years' bad luck for you if you break a mirror, buddy, sorry. But have you ever wondered why? People have come up with all sorts of great reasons since time immemorial. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Quick, name your favorite geological mystery. You can’t do it! Well, don’t worry. In this episode we’re going to tell you all about what will surely be your favorite (albeit only) one when we get into one weird millennium that happened not that long ago. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Today we complete our music video duology with a dive into the mellow pool of VH-1. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...