Something Offbeat

Have you heard of the conspiracy theory that humans are actually aliens?

In the future, humans might actually become extraterrestrial beings. That is, some of us might start being conceived and born in space.

SpaceBorn United is a Netherlands-based company that is on the forefront of human reproduction in the cosmos. Dr. Egbert Edelbroek, CEO of the company, joined “Something Offbeat” to discuss the mission.

A flesh-like orb discovered in the Gulf of Alaska. Construction workers who went through the Great Wall of China. And a Roman Empire-inspired menu. In this mini-sode, producers Lauren Barry and Chris Blake dig into more stories in their queue.

Organizers put together the largest search for the Loch Ness Monster in 50 years in late August. So what about the loch and what could live in it continue to pique our curiosity?

Alan McKenna of Loch Ness Exploration explains that his fascination with Loch Ness goes back to his youth, and Ken Gerhard, author of The Essential Guide to the Loch Ness Monster and Other Aquatic Cryptids, tells us he has a couple of theories as to what the Loch Ness monster could be.

People couldn’t wait to see former President Donald Trump’s mugshot when he was booked at Fulton County Jail in Georgia this summer – both his supporters and his adversaries. This week Gillian Brockell, a writer for the Washington Post’s Retropolis section, joined “Something Offbeat” to discuss our collective obsession with mugshots.

From unusual auction items to how often men think about the Roman Empire, there are countless stories we haven't been able to tell in our regular Monday episodes of Something Offbeat. So producers Lauren Barry and Chris Blake took it upon themselves to take a shot at what we're calling a "mini-sode" -- a conversation about some of the stories missed and others we just have gotten to... yet.

About 30% of couples sleep separately at least some of the time, according to a study put out this summer by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The study found that millennials lead the trend, with 47% saying they've taken part in what's been deemed a "sleep divorce."

To learn more, Something Offbeat tracked down Dr. Wendy Troxel, a senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation and the author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep.

We all know the phrase “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but how true is it? This year, a man who claims he was drugged got up on a poker table to dance, naked, and punched an amputee. His story didn’t stay in Las Vegas long – it soon went viral online. To find out more about what’s really legal in Sin City and how true that famous catchphrase is, journalist Corey Levitan, who writes the “Las Vegas Myths Busted” column for Casino.org. joined the “Something Offbeat” podcast.

This summer, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) asked the Food and Drug Administration to look into an energy drink called Prime, which has 200 milligrams of caffeine per can and, Schumer said, was marketed to children.

So what is a safe level of caffeine for kids? What about adults? Host Mike Rogers visited with Amy Goodson, a Dallas-based registered dietitian, about the amount of caffeine we consume and what causes us to feel so sluggish.

From Billboard hits to sold our tour dates, Taylor Swift has been on a lot of people’s minds lately. A recent survey even indicated that she’s the top artist for students with high grade point averages. Could music taste and academic performance really be connected? To find out, the “Something Offbeat” team reached out to Dr. Alexandra Gold, a clinical fellow in psychology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Los Angeles Dodgers centerfielder James Outman keeps a pet rock (complete with a drawn-on smiley face) in his locker both at home and on the road to help him hit. He's one of many players over the course of baseball history, to adhere to some form of superstition. From the Orioles' Mike Cuellar in the 1970s to the Yankees' Jason Giambi in the early 2000s, baseball and superstition go hand-in-hand.

This week, Jason Turbow, the author of several books on baseball, including The Baseball Codes, explains why superstitions fit baseball's long schedule, Former big league pitcher Mike Bacsik tells us the one restaurant he wouldn't go to on the days he pitched, and we hear from Outman himself about the origin of the rock.