Why does this strange, armored mammal give birth to four identical clones—every single time?

Welcome back to Smartest Year Ever, where Gordy shares daily deep-dives into the wildest facts on Earth. And during Weird Animals Week, things only get stranger. Today’s episode investigates one of the most bizarre reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom—a cloning method used by the nine-banded armadillo. From delayed implantation to medical research, and even a connection to leprosy, this little creature packs more surprises than most science fiction.

Watch to find out what makes this natural Xerox machine tick—and why it might hold secrets about cloning, immunity, and stem cells.

Sources:

• Loughry, W. J., & McDonough, C. M. (2013). The Nine-Banded Armadillo: A Natural History. University of Oklahoma Press.
  

• Prodöhl, P. A., Loughry, W. J., McDonough, C. M., Nelson, W. S., & Avise, J. C. (1996). Molecular documentation of polyembryony and polygamy in the nine-banded armadillo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(2), 810–813.
  

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (n.d.). Armadillos and Leprosy.
  

• Taulman, J. F., & Robbins, L. W. (1996). Recent range expansion and distributional limits of the nine-banded armadillo in the United States. Journal of Biogeography, 23(5), 635–648.
  

#AnimalFacts #Armadillos #WeirdAnimals #biologyfacts #wildnature #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow #naturefacts

Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 It’s Weird Animals Week on Smartest Year Ever, and today, Gordy dives into one of the most unbelievable stories in the animal kingdom.

You’ve heard of sibling rivalry—but what if it started before you were even born?

Inside the womb of a sand tiger shark, something wild happens. This isn’t a nursery. It’s an arena. And survival means developing early, growing teeth fast, and doing whatever it takes to be the last one standing. Adelphophogy, oophagy, all of it!

This episode explores a brutal evolutionary strategy you truly have to hear to believe—complete with half-sibling warfare, womb-gladiators, and the most savage form of natural selection on Earth.

One of the most shocking facts in marine biology—and yes, it’s 100% real.

Watch until the end to find out how this strategy might actually make shark moms… better parents?

Sources:

• Chapman, D. D., Prodöhl, P. A., Gelsleichter, J., Manire, C. A., & Shivji, M. S. (2004). Evidence of multiple paternity and sperm storage in the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Molecular Ecology, 13(2), 1057–1065.
  

• Tomita, T., Toda, M., & Motomura, H. (2016). Functional morphology of feeding in fetal sand tiger sharks. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 117(3), 476–488.
  

• Hamlett, W. C. (Ed.). (1999). Sharks, Skates, and Rays: The Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  

• Aquarium of the Pacific. (n.d.). Sand Tiger Shark Research Archive.
  

• Gilmore, R. G., Dodrill, J. W., & Linley, P. A. (2005). Reproduction and embryonic development of the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 74(3-4), 361–377.
  

• Smithsonian Ocean Portal. (n.d.). Sand Tiger Shark.
  

#AnimalFacts #SharkEmbryos #WeirdAnimals #biologyfacts #wildnature #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow #sandtigersharks #sharks Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 It’s Weird Animals Week on Smartest Year Ever, and today, Gordy dives into one of the ocean’s strangest adaptations: how dolphins sleep without drowning—and what that reveals about their brain structure, breathing, and even the limits of REM sleep.

Dolphins are mammals, just like us. But unlike us, they can’t go fully offline—because every breath they take is voluntary. So how do they survive without sleep paralysis dragging them under?

This episode explores:

• Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS)
  

• Dolphin brain hemisphere independence
  

• Real EEG studies on split-brain sleeping
  

• Whether dolphins can dream
  

• Evolutionary comparisons to whales, birds, and even humans
  

And if you’ve ever slept poorly in a new hotel bed, your brain might’ve done something weirdly dolphin-like too…

Sources:

• Lyamin, O. I., et al. (2008). Unihemispheric slow wave sleep and the state of the eyes in a white whale. Brain Research Bulletin, 77(5), 239–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.08.012
  

• Rattenborg, N. C., et al. (1999). Sleep in the avian brain: unihemispheric slow-wave sleep and the first-night effect. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 23(6), 817–835. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7634(99)00021-9
  

• Mukhametov, L. M. (1987). Sleep in marine mammals. Experimental Brain Research, 65(3), 395–400.
  

• Mascetti, G. G. (2016). Unihemispheric sleep and asymmetrical sleep: Behavioral, neurophysiological, and functional perspectives. Nature and Science of Sleep, 8, 221–229. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S71970
  

• Tamaki, M., et al. (2016). Night watch in one brain hemisphere during sleep associated with the first-night effect in humans. Current Biology, 26(9), 1190–1194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.063
  

#AnimalFacts #DolphinFacts #dolphins #unihemisphericslowwavesleep #WeirdAnimals #biologyfacts #wildnature #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow Music thanks to Zapsplat.

It’s Weird Animals Week on Smartest Year Ever—and today, Gordy investigates one of the most infamous creatures in the Amazon: the candiru, also known as the vampire fish.

This needle-thin parasite has a reputation that’s spread far beyond the rainforest—thanks to a viral legend that it swam into a man’s urethra. But how much of that is true? And how did this obscure fish become one of the most feared animals in the world, despite being only a few inches long?

In this episode, Gordy digs into the science, the myth, and the real biology of a translucent fish that feeds on blood, lurks in murky waters, and somehow still manages to be one of the least understood creatures on Earth.

🦇 Yesterday we talked about vampire bats. 🩸 Today, it’s vampire fish. Tomorrow? You’ll just have to wait and see.

Like, comment, and subscribe to stay on the quest to become the World’s Greatest Conversationalists.

Sources:

• Spotte, S. (2002). Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes. Creative Arts Book Company.
  

• de Carvalho, M. R., et al. (2013). The case of the alleged candiru invasion of the human urethra in Brazil. Journal of Fish Biology, 82(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12029
  

• Shepard, G. H. (2004). A sensory ecology perspective on the Candiru. Amazonian Ethnobiology, 9(3), 305–312.
  

• French, K. (2011). The fish that isn’t: myths and misrepresentations of the candiru. Skeptic Magazine, 17(1), 38–43.
  

#AnimalFacts #CandiruFish #VampireFish #Candiru #WeirdAnimals #biologyfacts #wildnature #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow

Music thanks to Zapsplat.

Vampire bats don’t just live in horror stories—they’re real, they’re precise, and they might be the most unexpectedly polite bloodsuckers in the animal kingdom.

In this kickoff to Weird Animals Week, Gordy dives into one of the strangest mammals on Earth—a warm-blooded, heat-seeking crawler that walks, leaps, and drinks blood without waking its victim. From the Amazon jungle to modern medicine, this episode uncovers the biological marvels behind a creature that’s as unsettling as it is fascinating.

Why don’t their victims feel a thing? How can they drink blood for 40 minutes straight? And how did their saliva end up in stroke research labs? (draculin)

Stick around for some of the weirdest facts you’ll ever hear about a mammal that can run like a frog, share meals like a best friend, and maybe—just maybe—save your life one day.

Weird Animals Week runs all week long with a new strange creature every day. Subscribe so you don’t miss tomorrow’s.

Sources:

• Greenhall, A. M., & Schmidt, U. (1988). Natural History of Vampire Bats. CRC Press.
  

• Streicker, D. G., et al. (2012). Ecological and anthropogenic drivers of rabies exposure in vampire bats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1742), 3384–3392. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0538
  

• Park, Y., et al. (2019). Comparative genomics reveals insights into the evolution of vampire bat adaptations. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(4), 587–595. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0839-5
  

• Catania, K. C. (2015). Leaping vampire bats. Nature, 522(7556), 267–270. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14421
  

• Riskin, D. K., et al. (2006). Bats go head-under-heels: The biomechanics of jumping in the common vampire bat. Biology Letters, 2(3), 505–508. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0508
  

• Galetti, M. (2004). The Lost City of Z. Excerpts referencing vampire bats in South America.

  
  

  #VampireBats #WeirdAnimals #AnimalFacts #NatureIsMetal #WeirdNature #SmartestYearEver #biologyfacts #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 The Taj Mahal is more than a postcard. It’s a monument to obsession, grief, and imperial love, built by a shattered emperor for the woman he couldn’t live without.

In today’s finale of Wonders Week, Gordy explores the breathtaking symmetry, engineering secrets, and emotional legacy of India’s most iconic landmark. Why did it take 20 years and 20,000 workers to build? What’s hidden beneath the marble dome? And what really happened to the so-called “Black Taj”?

This isn’t just about architecture—it’s about power, heartbreak, and the pursuit of something timeless.

We have been discussing the New Wonders of the World all week, which was your favorite?

Sources:

• Koch, E. (2006). The Complete Taj Mahal and the Riverfront Gardens of Agra. Thames & Hudson.
  

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Taj Mahal. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252
  

• Asher, C. B. (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press.
  

• Gascoigne, B. (1971). The Great Moghuls. HarperCollins.
  

BBC Travel. (2020). The Truth About the Black Taj Mahal. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201115-the-truth-about-indias-black-taj

#TajMahal #WorldWonders #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #Historyfacts #SmartHistory #ArchitectureLovers #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

What kind of empire builds a stadium where trapdoors launch tigers, elevators lift rhinoceroses, and ships fight naval battles on floodwater—all in front of 50,000 fans breathing rose-scented mist?

In this episode, Gordy explores the Colosseum: not just an ancient arena, but a precision-engineered machine of blood, power, and propaganda. From hypogeum trapdoor systems that rival modern stagecraft, to naumachiae—actual sea battles fought inside the arena—this isn’t just a story about gladiators. It’s a story about control, spectacle, and the very human urge to turn violence into theater.

And wait until you hear what was happening underneath the arena floor.

Come for the lions. Stay for the scent machines.

Sources:

• Hopkins, K. (1983). Death and Renewal. Cambridge University Press.
  

• Futrell, A. (2006). The Roman Games: A Sourcebook. Blackwell Publishing.
  

• Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars.
  

• Cassius Dio. Roman History.
  

• Coarelli, F. (2007). Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide. University of California Press.
  

• Golvin, J.-C. (1992). L’Amphithéâtre Romain: Essai sur la Théorisation de sa Forme et de ses Fonctions.
  

• Hopkins, K. (2011). Colosseum. Harvard University Press.
  

• Beard, M. (2015). SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. Liveright.
  

• Golvin, J.-C. (1988). L'Amphithéâtre Romain: Essai sur la Théorie de sa Construction. École Française de Rome.
  

• Coleman, K. (1990). “Fatal Charades: Roman Executions Staged as Mythology.” Journal of Roman Studies, 80, 44–73.
  

• PBS Nova. (2015). Colosseum: Roman Death Trap.
  

#AncientRome #Gladiators #RomanEmpire #colosseum #SmartestYearEver #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #historyfacts 

Music thanks to Zapsplat.

At the heart of the Yucatán jungle stands one of the most mathematically astonishing structures ever built: El Castillo, the towering pyramid of Chichén Itzá. But this isn’t just architecture—it’s astronomy, acoustics, and ancient cosmology in stone.

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the mysteries of Chichén Itzá—one of the New 7 Wonders of the World—to explore how the Maya used shadows, steps, and serpent gods to turn limestone into a living calendar. From eerie snake-shaped illusions to echo chambers that may invoke the underworld, this place was designed to be more than just a city—it was a cosmic machine.

And that’s just the surface.

At Chichén Itzá, the Temple of Kukulcán isn’t just architecture. It’s a cosmic machine built to summon a serpent of shadow and light—a phenomenon that still stuns scientists and travelers alike.

Gordy explores the astronomical genius of the Maya civilization, revealing how this pyramid was engineered to align with the sun and mimic the descent of a god. From a 365-step calendar to the jaw-dropping equinox illusion, this is where myth meets math, and stone tells time.

And that’s just the beginning—because beneath the surface of Chichén Itzá, even stranger secrets await.

Like what you’re hearing? Share with a friend who still thinks the Mayan calendar only predicted the end of the world.

Sources:

• National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico
  

• Sharer, R. J. (2006). The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press.
  

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Pre-Hispanic City of Chichén Itzá. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/483
  

• Aveni, A. (2001). Skywatchers: A Revised and Updated Version of Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico. University of Texas Press.
  

• Milbrath, S. (1999). Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars. University of Texas Press.
  

• Coe, M. D. (2015). The Maya. Thames & Hudson.
  

• Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). Secrets of the Maya Calendar.
  

• American Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). https://www.amnh.org/explore/science-topics/maya
  

#ChichenItza #AncientMaya #New7Wonders #MayanCalendar #AncientAstronomy #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #mexicotravel #historyfacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

How do you lose an entire city in the mountains—and then find it again centuries later? In this episode, Gordy explores Machu Picchu, the legendary Incan citadel perched high in the Andes Mountains, hidden from the outside world for over 400 years.

We’ll uncover how the Inca built this architectural wonder at 8,000 feet, without wheels, iron tools, or written records—and how a Yale professor accidentally brought it to global fame while looking for something else entirely.

From stonework that defies earthquakes to solar temples that still align with the solstice, this isn’t just a lost city—it’s a masterclass in ancient innovation, spiritual design, and altitude-fueled determination.

Gordy also shares personal stories from visiting the site—llamas, coca leaves, and old military helicopters included.

Don’t miss this deep dive into one of the world’s most breathtaking mysteries.

Sources:

• Bingham, H. (1948). Lost City of the Incas. Phoenix Press.
  

• Hemming, J. (1970). The Conquest of the Incas. Harcourt.
  

• Protzen, J.-P. (1993). Inca architecture and construction at Ollantaytambo. Latin American Antiquity, 4(4), 287–318.
  

• Reinhard, J. (2007). Machu Picchu: Exploring an Ancient Sacred Center. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press.
  

• Salazar, L. C., & Burger, R. L. (2004). The 1912 Yale Peruvian Scientific Expedition Collections from Machu Picchu. Yale Peabody Museum.
  

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Machu Picchu. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274
  

• National Geographic. (n.d.). Machu Picchu. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/machu-picchu
  

#MachuPicchu #IncaCivilization #AncientEngineering #LostCity #SouthAmericanHistory #SmartestYearEver #dailyfacts #peru #didyouknow #wondersoftheworld #sevenwonders

Why did Brazil build a 100-foot-tall statue of Jesus (Christ the Redeemer) on top of a mountain? How did they do it without helicopters or cranes—and what secret chamber is hidden inside his chest?

In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores Christ the Redeemer, the towering statue that has become a global icon of Brazil. From its political origins to its mind-blowing construction challenges, you’ll learn what this wonder is really made of—both physically and symbolically.

Discover how soapstone tiles, international sculptors, and a cogwheel railway came together to form one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There’s even a surprise detail inside the statue’s heart that most people have never heard.

This is not just a story about religion—it’s a story about national identity, engineering feats, and human vision. And yes, the statue gets struck by lightning.

New episodes daily. Wonders Week continues tomorrow.

Sources

• Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). Inside the Making of Christ the Redeemer. Smithsonian Institution. https://www.smithsonianmag.com
  

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea. https://whc.unesco.org
  

• National Geographic. (n.d.). The Statue That Defines Rio. https://www.nationalgeographic.com
  

• Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Christ the Redeemer. https://www.britannica.com
  

• Bresciani, A. (2011). Histórias do Cristo Redentor. Rio Books.
  

• Schwarcz, L. (2018). Brazil: A Biography. Penguin Books.
  

#sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #ChristTheRedeemer #BrazilTravel #HistoryFacts #DailyLearning

Music thanks to Zapsplat.