Something Offbeat

A recent study published in the Nature journal found that fourteen people who were legally blind now have improved vision thanks to a new procedure where material derived from pigs is injected into patients’ eyes. On this episode of “Something Offbeat” we spoke to study author Dr. Neil Lagali of Linköping University in Sweden and xenotransplantation expert Dr. David K.C. Cooper to figure out the role animals play in the future of human medicine.

In a study released early this summer, researchers used DNA extracted from ancient teeth to pinpoint the origin of the 14th-century plague, the Black Death.

Sharon DeWitte, an anthropology professor at the University of South Carolina, and an expert on the bubonic plague, explains how the new findings further our understanding of the Black Death, and Alicia Ventresca Miller, an archeology professor at the University of Michigan says future researchers will have much to learn from our remains.

This week on “Something Offbeat” the story of online entrepreneur Stephanie Matto from “90 Day Fiancé” selling her farts – and then selling them as NFTs – inspired us to look into the digital economy. Arabian Prince of rap group N.W.A. and founder of multiple technology-based companies joined us with his MdDAO business partner Nick Donarski to talk NFTs. We’re also joined by Nate, creator of the “Terrible Origami” Etsy storefront.

Crews rescued seven people from a ride that got stuck at a carnival outside St. Louis earlier this summer. That's despite county officials inspecting the attractions before the fair opened, according to organizers.

Amusement ride safety consultant Ken Martin explains that there's plenty that can wrong between the time of an inspection and when it's time for the ride to run, especially when the human element is introduced to the situation.

Remember the fun of naming your pet? Now, imagine taking on the task of naming an entire species. Earlier this year, Dr. Christopher Whalen of Yale University got that chance. This week on Something Offbeat, we talk to Whalen about his discovery – an ancient ancestor of the octopus that he named after President Joe Biden – and to Dr. Brittany Kenyon-Flatt of North Carolina State University about the history behind scientific names.

When an Austin-area antique dealer bought a 52-pound marble bust for $35 at a Goodwill store, she thought she might have a special find. But she may not have known how special.

The bust turned out to date back to the first century and was likely carried back to the United States by a soldier returning from World War II, says Laura Young, the woman who purchased it.

Shimrit Lee, the author of the book Decolonize Museums, explains that plunder and destruction during wars are common.

Last month, NASA announced it would commission a study on unidentified aerial phenomenon, or UAPs, otherwise known as UFOs. Why now? Does this new program signal that an alien visit could be imminent? Dr. Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor, bestselling author of “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” and head of the Galileo Project, joined Something Offbeat to provide a better understanding of what the public might get out of UFO research.

Last month an appeals court in Missouri confirmed a decision that awarded a woman more than $5 million from Geico after she says she contracted an STD from her partner in his car. That claim raises the question of what’s considered "the normal use of a vehicle." Tom Baker, an insurance law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, explains that how the case got to this point and details other interesting insurance claims he's seen.

Spongy moth caterpillars have taken over the lives of a Maine couple this year, from ruining trees to popping up in food. This week, Angela Mech, assistant professor of forest entomology at the University of Maine, and Erika Hasle, a conservation ecologist with the Keller Science Action Center at The Field Museum in Chicago, joined Something Offbeat to fill us in on the outbreak and explore how climate change influences human interactions with the insect world.

A procedure that slowly lengthens a patient's legs and makes them taller has grown in popularity in recent years. Is it just the latest trend in a centuries-long effort to modify our bodies, or is technology pushing the pace of human physical evolution?

From tattoos and gauging to botox and surgeries, Rebecca Lester, a professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, explains that as long as we have recorded history, humans have been altering their appearance.