Doing Learning

🎧 All our links, episodes, and ways to support:https://doinglearningpod.com/links📸 Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/doinglearningpod🤝 Support the show on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/DoingLearning💬 Join the Discord community:https://discord.gg/FYg6T5q7xK---🎙 Episode title:Illiad: The True Story📌 Episode summary:Daniel and McKyler are joined by guest host, Miles! Miles explains the backstory of the Illiad--all the juicy bits of Greek god drama the story left out! Come for the golden apple, stay for Phil's spicy arrows.🎥 About Doing LearningDoing Learning is the podcast version of hanging out with curious friends on the couch. Daniel and McKyler follow their childlike curiosity into history, science, and strange stories—not to prove a point, but just to see what we’ll discover together.No pressure, no pop quizzes, just learning for the sake of learning and inviting you to wonder right along with us.

Details

Daniel and McKyler are joined by guest co-host, Miles! McKyler takes the guys through the ringer of paradoxes and thought experiments--including the birthday paradox, the Monte Hall problem, the Trolley Problem, and the Fermi Paradox. Daniel rips a pack!

Links

• Brian Cox Explains The Fermi Paradox
• Astrophysicists Discuss the Fermi Paradox
• Absurd Trolley Problems

Patrons

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• ​Liz D.
• ​Seth T.
• ​Irvin H.
• ​DaDog
• ​Miles T.
• ​Kirk K.

Discord

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Details

Daniel and Mckyler dive into the wild, almost unbelievable true story behind The Revenant, tracing Hugh Glass’s journey from reluctant pirate to legendary mountain man on a brutal quest for payback. In this episode, Daniel walks Mckyler through Glass’s rumored capture by Jean Lafitte’s pirates, his years living with the Pawnee, and the infamous 1823 grizzly mauling that left him crawling more than 200–250 miles toward Fort Kiowa with a shattered leg and exposed wounds. Along the way, they unpack what’s fact, what’s frontier myth, and how Glass’s thirst for revenge turned into one of history’s most hardcore stories of survival and unexpected forgiveness.

Links

• You guys know how Daniel is...

Patrons

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Discord

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Now with video! Available on Spotify and YouTube.

Details

Daniel and McKyler take on everyone's favorite sugary marshmellow chick-shaped snack!

Patrons

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• ​Liz D.
• ​Seth T.
• ​Irvin H.
• ​DaDog
• ​Miles T.
• ​Kirk K.

Discord

Join our Discord channel: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/FYg6T5q7xK⁠⁠

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Details

Ever wonder why sugar pills can kill pain, or why reading a side effect list actually causes those symptoms? In this mind-bending episode, McKyler takes Daniel on a deep dive into the placebo and nocebo effects—where belief literally rewires your brain’s chemistry. From Benjamin Franklin debunking “animal magnetism” in 1784 to modern patients improving on pills they know are fake, we explore the wild history and cutting-edge neuroscience behind medicine’s most mysterious phenomena.

Links

• ​Open label placebo: can honestly prescribed placebos work?
• ​Neurobiological Mechanisms of the Placebo Effect
• ​Placebo effects on human μ-opioid activity during pain
• ​Genetics and the Placebo Effect: the Placebome
• ​Expectation and Dopamine Release: Mechanism of the Placebo Effect in Parkinson's Disease
• ​Harnessing the power of placebos
• ​The Story of the Placebo Effect

Patrons

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• ​Liz D.
• ​Seth T.
• ​Irvin H.
• ​DaDog
• ​Miles T.
• ​Kirk K.

Discord

Join our Discord channel: ⁠https://discord.gg/FYg6T5q7xK⁠

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Details

Daniel and McKyler take cover. Ants are in a world war! We explore the fascinating evolution of ants, tracing their epic journey from ancient solitary wasps to the ultimate rulers of continent-spanning mega-colonies. We uncover the shocking realities of microscopic warfare, zombie mind-control fungi, and ruthless slaver ants that dominate the insect kingdom. Discover the secrets behind their brilliant ecological partnerships, from farming underground fungi to fiercely guarding aphids.

Links

• Wasps get a bad rap

• ‘Monstrously Big Ant’ Fossil Found in Wyoming

• The Evolution of Ants - Myrm’s Ant Nest

• The Billion Ant Mega Colony and the Biggest War on Earth

• The Horror of the Slaver Ant

• These Ants Use Their Babies As Glue Guns

• How did ants evolve? A quick and easy exploration of ant evolution

• Ants Documentary

Patrons

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• Liz D.
• Seth T.
• Irvin H.
• DaDog
• Miles T.
• Kirk K.

Discord

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Details

McKyler walks Daniel through the wild rise and brutal fall of Julius Caesar, from debt-ridden rich kid to “dictator for life.” Along the way they unpack why regular Romans adored Caesar for his epic Gallic victories, debt relief, and free grain, while senators saw him as a crown‑hungry tyrant dismantling the Republic. The duo dives into Decimus vs. Marcus Brutus, the real story of “Et tu, Brute?”, the first forensic autopsy in history, and how the Ides of March accidentally launched the Roman Empire. Perfect for fans of ancient Rome, political intrigue, and anyone who’s ever wondered how one stabbing changed the world.

Links

• Assassination of Julius Caesar – Wikipedia
• Julius Caesar – Britannica Biography
• 10 Facts About Julius Caesar’s Rise to Power – History Hit
• The Ides of March: The Assassination of Julius Caesar Explained – History Hit
• The Ides of March: The Assassination of Julius Caesar Explored – History Tools
• Constitutional Reforms of Julius Caesar – Wikipedia
• How Decimus Brutus Led Julius Caesar to His Doom – History Hit
• Caesar: A Colossus and the Fall of the Roman Republic
• The Assassination of Julius Caesar: The Ides of March Explained
• Why Did Julius Caesar Cross the Rubicon?
• Julius Caesar’s Rise, Rule, and Assassination

Patrons

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• Liz D.
• Seth T.
• Irvin H.
• DaDog
• Miles T.
• Kirk K.

Discord

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Detalles

Daniel takes McKyler back to late-1800s Mexico—the era of Porfirio Díaz, the powerful leader whose long rule shaped a nation. We dig into the hacendados and vast haciendas, the deep social divides, and the oppression that sparked a revolution. From Díaz’s rise from humble roots to the legendary figures of Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa (and even General Pershing’s wild chase), we explore how it all connects.

Enlaces

• Porfirio Diaz: Mexico's Gentleman Dictator

• Porfirio Diaz: From Mexican Liberalism to Revolution, 1876-1911

• Pancho Villa: Robin Hood or Ruthless Terrorist?

• Emiliano Zapata: Mexico's Greatest Revolutionary

• Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata: Allies in the Mexican Revolution

• Pancho Villa: Heroe o villano?

• Heroe del pueblo o villano psicopata? Biografia de Pancho Villa

• The Mexican Revolution 1910-1920 (Documentary)
• Wanted: Dead or Alive: Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico | Historical Documentary

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Patrocinadores

Thank you to all our patrons for your support!

• Liz D.
• Seth T.
• Irvin H.
• DaDog
• Miles T.
• Kirk K.

Discord

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Details

McKyler teaches Daniel why our calendar and clock look the way they do: 24 hours, 60 minutes, 7-day weeks, leap years, and even the leap second all turn out to be political compromises, religious power moves, and mathematical hacks rather than rational design. You’ll hear stories about Julius Caesar’s 445-day “Year of Confusion,” Pope Gregory deleting 10 days from history, Sweden’s accidental February 30th, the French attempt at a 10-hour day, and the Soviet Union’s five-day color-coded workweek — plus how Daylight Saving Time once accidentally foiled a terrorist plot. If you’ve ever wondered “who decided this was the way time should work?” or you’re searching for a funny, deeply researched history podcast episode about calendars, timekeeping, and the science behind our days, months, and years, this one’s for you.

Links

• General history of calendars (big-picture overview)
• Gregorian vs. Julian calendar and the 1582 reform
• Why we have 24 hours, 60 minutes, and 60 seconds
• Narrative history of the calendar and month quirks
• French Revolutionary calendar and decimal time

Patrons

Thank you all to all our patrons for supporting us

• Liz D.
• Seth T.
• Irvin H.
• DaDog
• Miles T.
• Kirk K.

Looking for more? Join our Patreon for bonus content: Support this Podcast

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Copyright 2026 Doing Learning

Details

It's been 50 years since 1976 — and the world looks nothing like it did. Daniel and McKyler take a reflective look at what life actually felt like for an average American adult male in 1976: waking up, drinking coffee, punching the clock at a factory job, and calling it a life well-lived. Along the way, we dig into the top books and movies of the era, the moment the Apple Computer changed everything, a brief but chilling look at why serial killers seemed to dominate the headlines — and we turn the mirror on ourselves for our 50th episode milestone. What have we learned? What's changed? And what, somehow, hasn't?

Links

• [PLACEHOLDER LINK 1]
• [PLACEHOLDER LINK 2]
• [PLACEHOLDER LINK 3]

Patrons

Thank you all to all our patrons for supporting us

• Liz D.
• Seth T.
• Irvin H.
• DaDog
• Miles T.
• Kirk K.

Looking for more? Join our Patreon for bonus content: Support this Podcast

Discord

Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/FYg6T5q7xK

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Copyright 2026 Doing Learning