Susie can't stop talking about Luigi Mangione and the stranger-than-fiction nature of his crime and his similarities to the Unabomber. Sarah explains why the HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) acronym about needs should include a P for pain as well. We discuss the Billboard designation of Beyonce as the artist of the century, whether it's premature (since we're only 25 years into the century) and why they are putting entertainment over musicianship. We find out how scientists are engineering wood to have fungus that creates bioluminescence and how these properties could help with climate change. We discuss extreme sports among seniors and why the risk might be outweighed by the benefits. Sarah explains the differences among givers, takers, and people who offer "affordances" in conversation, and where we fit on the spectrum. Plus, we debate a lawsuit by a man who sued a restaurant for calling wings "boneless" after he nearly died from swallowing a bone, and why we're furious about the outcome.

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Happy New Year, Brainiacs! It's 2025 and Sarah is feeling alive and as usual she is optimistic about this year. Which means it will be a great year (or not! who knows!) We learn how listening to certain songs can reframe your memories and why you might prefer sad songs when you're feeling blue, but maybe you should resist the urge. We discuss Nick Cannon's recent narcissistic personality disorder diagnosis and how it's the least surprising diagnosis ever. We learn about the Glitter and Greed documentary about Lisa Frank, the woman and the business. And we consider why some of the best businesses, athletes, and artists are usually forged through cruel mentors, bosses, coaches and parents, and how we reconcile those things. Susie explains how menstrual cycles can affect athletes and make them more prone to injury, and how taking oral contraceptives has a dramatic effect on whether they get hurt. We hear about a man who was on death row longer than anyone else, and the fact that he was WRONGFULLY CONVICTED, and how it drove him insane.

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We are reviewing our year and our successes and failures with our New Year's Resolutions, and we're sharing our intentions for next year. We learn about a study by Robert Sapolsky that argues that testosterone does not increase aggression, but instead emphasizes existing tendencies and encourages people to behave in socially encouraged ways that already exist. But we have questions and concerns about his conclusions and wonder why when male animals of all species hit puberty they behave in ways that are highly aggressive in contrast to their pre-pubescent selves. We also hear about a man who claims he became trapped in the mouth of a humpback whale, and we find out why this situation was not out of the ordinary for him.

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🚨 Sarah is on the dating apps! 📢 And boy, does she have the scoop on what's going on with the dating community. We find out whether the full-blown lesbians are mingling with the dabblers, what the lesbian equivalent to the fish profile pic is, and whether she is getting a lot of bites (so to speak) from her suitors. It's a treat. Plus, we hear what's in her bio. Susie reveals the goods from Tinder's report on dating trends and she is not happy about it. We learn about a challenge created for magicians to create a magic trick that relies entirely on audio and the auditory illusion that is at the foundation of the winning trick. We discuss the Super/Man documentary about Christopher Reeve, how he is portrayed that may surprise people, and how he believed the accident was "necessary" to teach him life lessons. Susie describes the documentary about the 2004 tsunami, the horror of its destruction, and how they've improved the technology to prevent such a catastrophic loss of life in the future. We find out what surprising item is found at archeological sites of war. Plus, we interview Chimp Crazy's Tonia Haddix about her appearance in the film, what she regrets about her effort to smuggle Tonka away from PETA and the sanctuary, and what her life is like now that she is so famous.

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Sarah went to see Wicked, and she wants a little commotion for her ability to not sing out loud in the theater during the film. We also got a pro-tip--never get a matching tattoo with someone. If you do, your relationship is cursed according to Sarah. We learn what robot pants are, how they could help people who are disabled and/or elderly, and how much they'll cost you. We debate the virtues of having calorie counts on restaurant menus. Sarah explains what happens to astronauts's cognition after they come back from space. And she explains how she changed her mind about people who have no desire to travel or go on adventures, and why she thinks they're more useful than she used to. We hear some of the inventions and discoveries that their creators chose not to patent, which led to innovation, societal benefits, and saved lives as a result.

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Susie is wound up about the Yacht Rock documentary and she doesn't care who knows it. We learn why Yacht Rock rocks (a little bit), why it has a great sense of humor, and some of her favorite tracks. We hear why hysterectomies are confusing, even to the people who've had them, and why it's not clear exactly what organs they take and the consequences of their removal. We learn about a woman who snuck onto a transcontinental flight from New York to Paris and managed to go undetected for almost the entire flight by going back and forth from bathroom to bathroom, and we consider what type of gal she might be. We discuss an art exhibit where people were encouraged to visit nude, the naiveté of some of the women in attendance, and why we are staunchly against anyone who thinks clothes are a burden. Susie explains why Gen Z gets a lot of flack for being "illiterate" or not reading enough while they are actually breathing new life into the book industry with #BookTok. We consider whether the type of book matters or not in terms of value. We find out why a judge thinks that calling a man "bald" in a derogatory way at work is sexual harassment, and we debate the merits of the argument. Plus, we get the latest in the D.B. Cooper airplane hijacking and parachute escape mystery, and why it's obvious after all these years who did it.

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Therapist, psychic, what's the difference? That's what we're asking about Sarah's intuition, perception, and ability to read people, and it runs in the family. A political activist/novelist in Japan thinks the answer to Japan's population growth problem involves sterilizing women. Seems like this wouldn't solve the problem, but we do have some alternative suggestions. Sarah is really into the idea of communal living and wonders why communes have such a bad reputation when they might be the solution to a love of societal woes. We hear a new story about our old pal Brian Johnson, who is trying to cheat death and become immortal or something. Despite his claims that his aim is about longevity and health, it seems he's feeling a little self-conscious about his gaunt appearance and is looking to fillers to solve the problem. Sarah explains what Love Island Australia is doing to ensure the cast is safe and that consent for intimacy is explicit, and she is hoping it catches on across reality tv and in real life.

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Sarah is crushing it and we celebrate what a difference a year can make. We hear why she insisted on naming all of her cats "Sam" sort of like George Foreman naming all of his kids George. We learn how the originator of the high five was discriminated against and ended up losing his job for being gay. Susie describes the Olympic moment when Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board and how it forced him to make the ethical decision on whether to disclose his HIV+ diagnosis. We discuss an article in the New Yorker by John Lahr about what it was like to have the cowardly lion (Bert Lahr) from the Wizard oz Oz as his dad, the challenge of being a cultural icon, and how some people can be outgoing and gregarious in public and sullen and despondent in private. A man in England got three years of jail time for selling firesticks so people could illegally watch Premier League soccer (football). Susie shares the origins of the photo finish, how a horse once won because of a thread of saliva, the limits of accuracy, and how it relates to the Hawkeye system in tennis that determines whether a ball is in or out of bounds. We learn about a kayaker who had to have his leg amputated after getting it caught between two boulders, but we have some questions...

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