What's so funny?

19 min • 22 mars 2023

Scientists are digging into what makes something funny. We compare their notes with comedians — including Atsuko Okatsuka, Josh Johnson, Dulcé Sloan, and Chris Fleming. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senaste avsnitt

What's so funny?

Senaste avsnitt

Ice Sheet Time Machine

Animals in the year 20202025

Nightmare at the end of the universe

Life in plastic — not fantastic?

When waves go rogue

Good news for people who love bad news

12 tiny worlds

How good was Michael Jordan, really?

One weird trick to get unlimited clean energy

Who taught beavers to build dams?

The disease we let win

Science! Tell me what to eat!

A magical world at the ocean’s edge

Ruff translation

Sick of “morning” sickness

Your bug roommates

Why I left the NIH

Mostly dead is slightly alive

We don't understand yogurt

The musical structure of the universe

How to beat roulette

Is climate change really making hurricanes worse?

Are we sure about fluoride?

The man who walked butterflies on a leash

Imagine a sunset, now imagine you can't

An imaginary planet that feels extremely real

The view from inside a volcano

Who are you calling a Neanderthal?

Sorry, we left an implant in your brain

Blood farm

Moon genes

How to stop your hiccups

A new way to listen

Intraterrestrials

How to talk to aliens

Good Robot #4: Who, me?

Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything

Good Robot #2: Everything is not awesome

Good Robot #1: The magic intelligence in the sky

A strange signal from space

Getting malaria on purpose

The problem with dreams

Is science in danger?

How umami blew up taste

What’s hiding under the Antarctic ice?

Biopiracy

Will AI ever ... feel?

New year, new diet, live forever?

Mysteries we can’t stop thinking about

Who let the wolves in?

Where to meet a Neanderthal

Pinky and the (lab-grown) Brain

Why are there lefties and righties?

Placebos work. Why?

Why is horror so fun?

Are psychedelics breaking science?

Your gut’s feelings

Is insurance doomed?

My animal heart

How hot could the world get?

Should you be eating poison oak?

Dark oxygen could rewrite Earth’s history

You're lost in the wilderness. Now what?

Viral dark matter

The good virus

Ecstasy therapy

What did dinosaurs sound like?

Do we live inside an enormous black hole?

Is good posture actually good?

Why do we yawn?

Embracing economic chaos

We still don’t really know how inflation works

Can you put a price on nature?

The deepest spot in the ocean

What’s the tallest mountain in the world?

Did trees kill the world?

Can we stop aging?

Who's the daddy? There isn't one.