Hell yeah, got a write up in Billy Penn about the @wednightrides.org @skypeascientist.bsky.social collab. Cyclists chucked seed bombs in abandoned lots last week. Wholesome as hell. Read more here: billypenn.com/2026/03/11/p...

Am... am I a raccoon?

Pop quiz: We have passport photos because... a) It's good to be humble when we travel b) Big Photography has lobbyists c) A German spy pulled a fast one on the U.S. embassy in Berlin during WWI The answer's in today's episode! omny.fm/shows/part-t...

“It’s a thing of enormous beauty. ...It’s marvelous. It’s a wonder. … It’s phenomenal.” Behold the nuclear pore complex in all its messy glory - Fabulous @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social piece: www.quantamagazine.org/disorder-dri...

We're not getting into the squirrel-rating business (all squirrels are 10/10 unless they're chewing our power lines), but, wow, that's an exceptionally cute squirrel

One spot. Two paddles. A square ball, net, and score. That’s it.

Please enjoy the single most amazing quote from a paleontologist I have ever read: “The animal literally cemented itself—and its nether regions—into eternal history like the movie stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...

The Scottish have won the AI Wars.

It took a minute, but we finally turned this post into an episode. #nuts omny.fm/shows/part-t...

Today, March 2, is the official 2026 Part-Time Genius Habit Change Fresh Start Day! Forget everything that came before. Today's a blank slate, a brand-new you. Let us know what habits you'd like to break (or create), and we'll keep you posted on Will's candy habit! omny.fm/shows/part-t...

(commission) chibi sparrows doing a big winter dig 🌰🍂🍃

Couldn't have said it better myself

If there's a habit you've been meaning to break (or make), today's episode is for you. We dive into the science of why habits are so tenacious, and the brilliant @katymilkman.bsky.social shares advice for making real change stick. (Hint: don't just "just do it.") omny.fm/shows/part-t...

We just re-released our Great Blizzard of 1888 show into the Bowery Boys podcast feed. Hopefully, history doesn't repeat itself with the current storm hammering the American northeast, but it's fascinating to hear how Old New York dealt with a weather catastrophe during the Gilded Age.

This just in: going to concerts is good for your health. So is baking a cake, singing (even off-key!), and curling up with a good book. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

CHOOSE YOUR OWN POETIC ADVENTURE WITH EMILY DICKINSON (SHE IS UNAWARE THIS IS HAPPENING; PLEASE DO NOT TELL HER ESTATE) www.qwantz.com/index.php?co...

Being a journalist is sick: I just contacted a pre-eminent jaguar conservationist in Argentine with a question that has been weighing on me for ages and he wrote back right away with an informed answer.

Stuck inside on a snow day? May we suggest watching science videos from the Hubble Space Telescope? 🔭

Today we're tackling a listener question: how close are we to making teleportation a reality? The answer includes a very catchy song about quantum physics, and a chat with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social about wormholes! omny.fm/shows/part-t...

Scientists in the Library's Preservation Research and Testing Division recently worked to analyze the colorants in this beautiful entomology book from 1705. Technical studies like this one help provide scholars with insights into where, when and how items in the Library's collection were made.

Breaking: SATED space oven inventor Jim Sears (winner of our 2025 Pie in the Sky Award) reached out to let us know he's working with @johnlehndorff.bsky.social, co-founder of the American Pie Council, to create *an actual pie in the sky aka space*. This story is developing... www.satedspace.com

This is one current bright spot for climate and human wellbeing.

A year of mapping the world beneath our feet and advocating for the protection of underground fungal networks.

It's the greatest day of the year: the annual Part-Time Genius Awards! Our honorees include a guy who invented an oven for astronauts, an especially handsome water buffalo, and the team that finally figured out why ice is slippery. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

Lots of people have written in to request an official Part-Time Genius membership card, so we want to take a moment to shout out the amazing graphic designer who made them: Erin Douglas! www.erinmdouglas.com Check out her work, and DM us your address and one fun fact if you want a card too.

Behold, my one of a kind Kermit The Frog Energy Dome! And inside? A screaming Kermit mouth!

Absolutely incredible replies/quotes here. We love archivists and librarians and their archives and libraries SO MUCH

Water voles are on the verge of a renaissance in London. A little Christmas good news story about American mink getting lured to their doom: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

We want to share with you this charming piece of holiday ephemera from the Library's Rare Book and Special Collections Division: An 1858 interactive Christmas card featuring a patriotic Santa Claus. 🎄🎅🇺🇸

Dressed in a spotted owl sweater handmade by his wife, ecologist Rocky Gutierrez explains why he thinks so many people share his love for owls. 🦉

'Tis the season, etc. If you know a nerd who has it all, do they have letterpress posters with motivational science messages? I've built an old-timey print shop in my basement where I use old printing presses to make modern prints. And you can purchase them! www.etsy.com/shop/Indispe...

This PEANUTS comic strip was published #OTD on December 11, 1972.

I'm not in the West, so I'm going to have to figure out a strategy for working "atmospheric river" into conversations, but believe you me I'll find a way #riversinthesky

Red Lobster never released a commercial with a jingle that went “Shrimply having a wonderful Fishmastime.” That’s why they went bankrupt.

While we await Greta Gerwig's Narnia, let's discover some surprising things about C.S. Lewis, like the fact that he had very strong opinions about the movie version of Snow White. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

This week we dive into holiday shopping traditions, many of which involve the city of Philadelphia for some reason. Plus, listen to the end for our exclusive gift recommendations! Two words: trash calendars. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

🍬 Are you sweet on food science trivia, or does it leave a sour taste in your mouth? From panda diets to hot peppers, we’re teaming up with the @parttimegenius.bsky.social podcast and one lucky listener to deliver a real treat.

This is ONE way to dismount a penny-farthing. You could also make a pile of mattresses, pull up alongside, and slowly tip over

Thanks to everyone who shared their pasta opinions for this episode, and extra thanks to @douglasmack.bsky.social for boosting our question. May your plates always be full and topped with extra parm. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9...

You might think to yourself, "Self, I don't care about physics. It's too complicated. Too boring. It's not relevant to my life. And worst of all, there are no jokes and very few cartoons." This week's episode with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social will prove you wrong. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

Come for the space telescopes, stay for the poetry

It's the end of our week-long series about curiosity! Will and Mango sit down with two of the most curious people we know: Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (plus super producer Jeri) to talk childhood obsessions, behind-the-scenes stories, and Muppet personalities. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

It's Day 4 of our week-long series about curiosity! Today: Are Will and Mango doomed to spend their retirement watching Scrubs reruns? And what is all that screen time really doing to your kid's ability to be curious? omny.fm/shows/part-t...

A must-read piece. And for the record, Team PTG is deeply divided: Will and Mango are anti-pumpkin spice. Gabe and Mary, on the other hand, are smart and enjoy delicious things.

It's Day 3 of our week-long series about curiosity! Today we're exploring curiosity in non-human animals, from pet cats to wild chimpanzees to the tiny cleaner wrasse fish. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

It's Day 2 of our week-long series about curiosity! Today: The long history of powerful people trying to suppress everyone else's curiosity, and what that has to do with killing cats (metaphorically). omny.fm/shows/part-t...

If you've ever wondered why you wonder so much, wonder no more! Every day this week we're dropping a new episode about curiosity—why we have it, why powerful people have tried to suppress it, how it changes as we age, and more. Day 1: Curiosity and braaaaaiiiins. omny.fm/shows/part-t...

the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist

Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC

Help us with an upcoming episode! What is the best pasta shape of ALL TIME? And WHY?