When the queue is too accurate
Period science, Adam McKay's climate fears, shrimp Jesus, women's basketball, kink science, autism-friendly architecture.
Do you ever notice episodes or podcasts popping up that are so timely to something you were just thinking or talking about that you feel like you’re living in The Truman Show? I know I do! Like last week when I saw that Outside/In dropped an episode about sustainable investing. Or Life Kit’s episode about the connection between protein and muscle health. I know, I know - these aren’t super niche topics! But I was JUST talking about them with friends and family. That timing will just always set off my Truman radar. And if that really is what’s happening, then I look forward to the next episodes that are straight from my group chats.
This week’s podstack
Unexplainable - The bleeding edge
Leave it to Unexplainable to make the science of periods feel a little magical. Even though scientific research of menstrual blood hasn’t been conducted or supported much, what has been learned about it is really fascinating and maybe even empowering. Like the fact that it contains such a rich combination of proteins that it might function like a super-powered scar tissue healer (since that’s basically what it does inside someone’s body every month). Through a two part-series, we’re learning the powers of menstrual fluids and what it could be used for if it was studied more. The second part explores how menstrual fluid is being studied to see if it can be used to diagnosis endometriosis. This condition has historically been very difficult to actually get a diagnosis for, but maybe the key to making it easier has been right in front of us all along. (transcript)
Without - Fossil Fuels, Part 1
Hearing Adam McKay talk about how his feelings about the climate crisis went from 0 to 100 felt so validating. The way he describes the realization that this problem is not far away, it’s right now, got my heart racing a bit. But not in a fun way? When he decided that his next project needed to be about climate change, his challenge was figuring out how to get people to pay attention, instead of getting overwhelmed and checking out. So he thought about the way comedy has always helped us process serious things and that’s how the movie Don’t Look Up came to be. This new season of Without features longer form interviews about some of the topics they’ve already covered and it’s a perfect complement to the show’s mission.
By now you’ve probably heard lots about the possible TikTok ban in the US, but if you still don’t fully understand it, this episode might help. Taylor Lorenz is a tech and media journalist who has been very online for a while and knows the space so well. Most of this episode discusses the ban, if you can even call it a ban, and how it compares to other policies and reactions that have happened to technology or platforms. She also talks with someone about the “shrimp Jesus” phenomenon that is taking over Facebook and I felt like I was listening about how to educate my parents on not falling for “boomer bait”. I also really appreciate her ability to summarize lots of news headlines! I’m barely on Twitter anymore so I miss out on or am late to some more niche stories and this helped keep me informed.
The Broadside - Women's basketball is having its moment
What’s the solution for getting more people invested in women’s basketball? So far it’s been a combination of more air time on bigger channels, people getting invested in the stories and rivalries, and the players being allowed to participate in name recognition opportunities. I think I fit into the trend mentioned in this episode, where I started watching more women’s basketball in the early days of COVID and I’m learning more each year. I always love hearing the early history of basketball, which they cover in this episode. But the rules that used to be in place for women when it was first invented are sooo ridiculous! Like the fact that they had to stay quiet while playing because being loud was unladylike. (transcript)
Taboo Science - Philias: How Many Kinks Exist? The Science of Kinks and Fetishes
I truly didn’t know what to expect from a series about kinks but I knew Ashley Hamer was going to make it extremely interesting. And so far so good! The first episode of the series kinda serves as an intro to kinks. What are they? What do we know about them from a cultural and psychological perspective? How do we even learn about them? That last part is tricky since the science and study has been under-funded but that has started to change lately. This is such a perfect Taboo Science topic and Ashley has some really smart guests to help us all learn more. For a topic like this, I find it so fascinating to learn how it’s being studied and what that research is finding. (transcript)
99% Invisible - 575- Autism Pleasantville
What does it mean for a city to be a certified autism-friendly space? Lauren Ober, host of The Loudest Girl in the World, joins Roman Mars to talk about Mesa, Arizona, where they incorporated policies and practices across the city to make it more accommodating and accessible to autistic people. But as we discover, the actual implementation of those practices hasn’t always been as supportive as it could be. Like the quiet zone at a museum that is actually the bathroom. Even though this example of an autism-friendly place isn’t exactly perfect, there are other people around the world who are bringing this same kind of thought process to architecture. Like Magda Mostafa, a professor of design and architecture for autism. She’s created an architectural tool to help guide design that is more autism and neurodivergent friendly. This feels like such a prime example of what 99% Invisible does best - blend design with human experiences in such a personal and compelling way. (transcript)
More sweet treats
A fun song based on titles of playlists.
Instacart has been generating unhinged AI recipes?!
Another catchy song, but about the TikTok ban.
Sweet treats used to feature more Twitter links… now it’s a lot of TikTok links… if we lose that I’ll start finding treats elsewhere! Let me know what you’d like to see here.
Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!
I went to Smith and did archive research about the first basketball game for a paper. The fun fact I remember is at the first tip off, a girl dislocated her shoulder, left the game to pop it back and then returned to the court. Badass.
Excellent reviews.