News Sidequest

By Keith Conrad

A collection of stories you might have missed while everyone was focused on the Red Team vs. Blue Team fight

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FAQs about News Sidequest:

How many episodes does News Sidequest have?

The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.

News Sidequest episodes:

April 07, 2026 Farther than any human in history / Should we ban kids from social media? / How do you know what's real?
Four astronauts flew farther from Earth than any person in history — broke a 56-year-old record, named a crater after a commander's late wife, and heard a wake-up message from Jim Lovell recorded just before he died. Also: experts say banning kids from social media is politically popular but scientifically weak, and the evidence points toward something harder than a ban. Plus, the question I've been wanting to ask for a while: what is your actual system for deciding whether a news story is real? And a samurai sword stolen by a guy on a bike, a cat stuck in a recliner, and a cruise ship that ran aground next to where Cast Away was filmed.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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12min
April 06, 2026 Training your robot replacement / Seniors can't afford to live alone / Kids or financial freedom
Gig workers in 50 countries are strapping phones to their foreheads and filming their chores to train humanoid robots — while openly acknowledging they're probably building their own replacements. Also: the number of seniors seeking roommates has tripled as housing costs crush retirement budgets, and a growing number of young couples say they want kids but simply can't make the math work. Plus, the Artemis II crew already had to call Houston about Microsoft Outlook, Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz while cutting NASA's budget, and a man stopped for gas and left with $100,000.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
April 03, 2026 The girl who remembers everything / We've stopped talking / Humans have always gambled
A teenager in France can mentally revisit any moment of her life in vivid detail — and scientists say it's as much burden as gift. Also: a new study finds people are speaking 338 fewer words every day than they were 15 years ago, and researchers say those missing words are the small moments of human contact quietly disappearing from daily life. Plus, ancient bone dice confirm humans have been gambling since the Ice Age — 6,000 years before anyone thought. And Paul McCartney got banned from his own subreddit, Jonathan the tortoise survived a crypto scam, and a company wants to block the sun.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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11min
April 02, 2026 Three months from broke / Gas hits four dollars / Is your degree worth it?
A new survey finds most Americans are just three months away from financial collapse — and it only takes about $6,000 in extra debt to push a household toward bankruptcy. Also: gas just crossed four dollars a gallon for the first time since 2022, driven by the war in Iran, and experts say relief isn't coming anytime soon. Plus, a new study says the most popular graduate degrees aren't worth the money. And NASA just launched four astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 54 years
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
April 01, 2026 Kids won't fix your happiness / Work feels like a funeral / Gen Z is napping through lunch
A new study confirms what a lot of people already suspected: having kids doesn't make you happier — but it does strain your relationship. Also: the Wall Street Journal says the American workplace has become so joyless it feels like a funeral, and Dell charging for coffee is Exhibit A. Plus, Gen Z workers are escaping the 9-to-5 for nap pods and cry rooms around New York City. And identical twins, a DNA mix-up, a camel smuggling operation, and an Amber Alert for a child who never existed.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
March 31, 2026 Kids just want to be free / Social media is making college lonely / Your seat could save your life
A new study asked kids what makes play feel like play — and their answer has nothing to do with anything adults have been building for them. Also: more than half of college students are lonely, and the heaviest social media users are the most isolated. Plus, your airplane seat row may determine whether you walk away from a crash. And a three-minute art heist, a Powerball winner who keeps committing crimes, and an underwater supervolcano nobody asked for.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
March 30, 2026 Your AI is lying to you / Reproducing in space is complicated / Egypt just got weirder
A new study finds AI chatbots are making people less likely to apologize — and more likely to double down. Also: why having babies in space is harder than anyone expected, and why there might be a second Sphinx buried under the sand at Giza.Plus: portals to the fifth dimension, frozen brain tissue, a KitKat heist, and a Florida man who took his horse through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
March 27, 2026 Can school houses build belonging? / When connections beat merit / One incredible career journey
Can you actually design a sense of belonging?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at schools adopting Hogwarts-style house systems—and whether that kind of structure really works in the real world.

We also explore why connections may matter more than merit in some systems, and one incredible story of persistence from a woman who went from janitor to doctor at the same hospital.

Plus: an “alien” potato in space, a million-year-old time capsule, Opening Day debates, and more from around the edges of the news.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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7min
March 26, 2026 How colleges are adapting to AI / Why everything feels more expensive / What we get better at with age
How do you prove you actually know something in the age of AI?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we look at how colleges are turning to oral exams as a way to verify learning—and what that says about how education is changing.

We also explore why more Americans are struggling with credit card debt, and a more optimistic finding about what people actually get better at as they age.

Plus: rogue robots in Chicago, cocaine sharks, giant spiders, and more from around the edges of the news.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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8min
March 25, 2026 Is this a dating green flag? / The tough reality for new grads / How people actually change their minds
What’s the biggest green flag you’ve ever seen on a first date?

In this episode of News Sidequest, we start with a surprisingly controversial Olive Garden moment—and what it says about how we judge people.

We also look at the reality facing young graduates entering today’s job market, and a fascinating insight into how people actually change their minds.

Plus: rising Easter candy prices, fake carpool passengers, antimatter on the move, and more from around the edges of the news.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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8min

FAQs about News Sidequest:

How many episodes does News Sidequest have?

The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.