Wildly Curious

Episode

• The Real-Life Dragon You've Probably Never Heard Of 09.06.2026 9mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it. What if dragons were real? In this minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore one of the strangest reptiles on Earth: the Armadillo Girdled Lizard (Ouroborus cataphractus), a tiny armored lizard from South Africa that looks like it crawled straight out of a fantasy novel. Covered in spiky scales and equipped with one of the most unusual defense strategies in the animal...
• Mutations Explained: The Tiny DNA Changes That Can Change Everything 21.05.2026 57mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it. What happens when your DNA makes a typo? In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the strange, fascinating world of genetic mutations—the tiny changes in DNA that can shape evolution, alter proteins, create disease, or sometimes do absolutely nothing at all. From harmless genetic quirks to serious inherited disorders, this episode breaks down some of the mos...
• The Poisonous Bird You've Probably Never Heard Of 12.05.2026 12mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Most birds are harmless. This one is poisonous. In this minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into one of the strangest birds on Earth: the pitohui, a brightly colored songbird from New Guinea that carries powerful neurotoxins in its skin and feathers.  The toxin is chemically similar to the same compounds found in some poison dart frogs, making the pitohui one of the very few known poisonous birds in the world. But how does a bird become p...
• Real Life Zombies: How Parasites and Fungi Control Animal Minds 05.05.2026 53mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it. What if “zombies” weren’t just fiction? In this Season 14 kickoff episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the real science behind “nature zombies”—organisms that can hijack behavior, manipulate brains, and turn animals into living tools for their own survival. From parasitic fungi to mind-altering parasites, this episode explores how evolution has produced some of the mo...
• Why Are They Called Crows and Ravens? 21.04.2026 10mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Why are crows called crows… and ravens called ravens? In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura explores the surprisingly simple—and fascinating—origins behind the names of two of the most intelligent and culturally iconic birds in the world: crows and ravens. These birds are often associated with mystery, mythology, and even death—but their names didn’t come from legend. They came from something much simpler: the sounds they make. -Why the ...
• Why Is It Called a Chickadee? The Surprising Story Behind Bird Names 14.04.2026 9mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Why do birds have such unusual names? In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura dives into the fascinating origins behind two of the most familiar backyard birds in North America: chickadees and titmice. These small, curious songbirds aren’t just cute—they’re also incredibly intelligent and highly vocal, with communication systems that scientists are still studying today. Chickadees get their name directly from their famous “chick-a-dee-dee-...
• Cassowary vs Emu: The Surprising Origins of Their Bird Names 31.03.2026 7mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Why are birds named what they’re named? In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss explores the fascinating naming history behind two giant flightless birds that look like they walked straight out of the dinosaur era: cassowaries and emus. Both birds are massive, powerful, and deeply tied to the evolutionary story of modern birds—but their names come from very different linguistic journeys. Cassowaries, found in the tropical forests of N...
• Why Is It Called an Albatross? The Surprising History of Bird Names 17.03.2026 10mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Why do birds have the names they do? In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss kicks off a new mini-series called “Bird Name Game”, exploring the fascinating origins behind bird names. Each episode looks at two birds, their natural history, and the surprising linguistic stories behind what we call them. This episode dives into two iconic seabirds: the albatross and the gull. The albatross, one of the largest flying birds on Earth, can glide across the ocean for thousands ...
• Can Cats Talk? The Science Behind Meows, Purrs, and Human Manipulation 10.02.2026 14mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and prepare to realize your cat has been training you this whole time. In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the fascinating research of Dr. Susanne Schötz, a phonetics professor at Lund University—and the scientist behind some of the most groundbreaking work on cat–human communication. Her research explores how cats use meows, purrs, trills, and intonation to communicate with humans, how those sounds change...
• Echinoderms Explained: Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and the Ocean’s Weirdest Hydraulics 03.02.2026 49mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it. In this deep-dive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole crack open the bizarre, beautiful world of echinoderms—the “spiny-skinned” sea creatures that are hard on the outside, squishy on the inside, and powered by a literal hydraulic system. We’re talking sea stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, brittle stars, feather stars, and sea cucumbers—a group that looks like it shouldn’t mak...
• Snail Racing Science: Why Studying Slime Is a Big Deal 13.01.2026 12mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and prepare to root for the slowest athletes on Earth. In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the bizarre but brilliant world of snail racing—and the scientists who study it to unlock secrets of movement, slime, and survival. Every summer in England, snails compete in the World Snail Racing Championships. It sounds ridiculous… until you realize researchers are using these races to study animal locomotion, non...
• Natural Navigation: How Humans Find Direction Without GPS 06.01.2026 42mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and rediscover a skill humans were never meant to lose. In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore natural navigation—the ancient human ability to find direction by reading the land, sea, sky, plants, and animals instead of relying on GPS. Long before maps and satellites, humans navigated forests and oceans using patterns, movement, and observation. And the wild part? That ability never disappeared—we just stopped practicing it. 🌿 H...
• The Scientists Who Studied Pee, Poop, and Won Prizes 30.12.2025 16mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and prepare to learn something you will never un-know. In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole spotlight two researchers whose work sounds ridiculous… until you realize it’s brilliant. Meet Dr. David Hu and Dr. Patricia Yang, engineers who study fluid dynamics by asking the questions no one else would: Why do almost all mammals pee in the same amount of time?Why is wombat poop shaped like a cube?And how can studying ani...
• DNA Explained: How Genetics Shape Who You Are (and Why It Matters) 23.12.2025 46mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it. DNA isn’t magic—but it is one of the most powerful instruction systems in the universe. In this deep-dive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole break down genetics, DNA, and inheritance in a way that actually makes sense—no lab coat required. From the tiny molecular code inside your cells to the ethical questions surrounding modern gene editing, this episode connects the science...
• Whale Earwax Holds a Hidden History of the Ocean 16.12.2025 15mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and prepare to learn something you absolutely did not know existed. In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss dives into one of the strangest—and most important—jobs in science: whale earwax archivist. Yes. That’s a real thing. Certain whales build massive earwax plugs over their lifetime, adding a new layer every six months. And scientists have learned how to read those layers like tree rings—revealing a whale’s age, stress levels, exposure to...
• The Science of Swearing: Can Cursing Actually Help You? 02.12.2025 11mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and let your curiosity swear a little. We won’t tell. 😉 In this Wildly Curious minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole kick off their new Niche Scientists series with a deep dive into Dr. Richard Stephens—a psychologist who studies something we all do (sometimes loudly): swearing. From pain tolerance to powerlifting, Dr. Stephens’ research shows that strategic cursing can actually make you stronger, tougher, and maybe even a little bit smarter about when to drop...
• The Science (and Chaos) Behind Turkeys, Pumpkins, and Thanksgiving 25.11.2025 36mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and stuff your brain before you stuff your turkey. 🦃🥧 In this Wildly Curious Thanksgiving special, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole serve up the surprisingly scientific and hilariously human history of America’s favorite feast. From how pumpkins nearly went extinct after the Ice Age to why turkeys were almost wiped out (and then made a comeback), this episode is a buffet of weird facts, origin stories, and seasonal science. 🍂 How mastodons helped evolve pumpkins &n...
• Could You Fight That? Round 2 – Science, Strategy & Total Chaos 11.11.2025 1j 11mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Season 13 is here… and it’s fight night. (Hypothetically, of course.) 🥊 Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole are back with Could You Fight That? Part 2, the follow-up to one of Wildly Curious’ most beloved (and ridiculous) episodes. This time, the matchups get even wilder—from kangaroos and cassowaries to anteaters and octopuses—as the duo debates whether they could theoretically survive these encounters. It’s all fun, all hypothetical, and all rooted in animal science and pure...
• The Taos Hum: The Sound Science Can’t Explain 28.10.2025 11mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and listen closely… if you can. 👂 In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tune into one of the strangest modern mysteries: the Taos Hum. Since the 1990s, people in Taos, New Mexico have reported a low, constant humming sound that only a small percentage of the population can hear. The rest? Silence. 🎧 What is the Taos Hum—and why can only some people hear it? 🌍 Is it microseismic vibrations from the Earth itself? ⚡ Could it c...
• The Hessdalen Lights: Science’s Strangest Unexplained Glow 14.10.2025 18mnt

  Send us Fan Mail Subscribe and embrace the glow of curiosity. 🔦 In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole investigate one of the most baffling natural light shows on Earth—the Hessdalen Lights of Norway. For over a century, glowing orbs have danced through a remote valley, pulsing, hovering, and splitting apart with no clear cause. Scientists have studied them for decades… and still, no one really knows what they are. ✨ What are the Hessdalen Lights, and how long ha...