Who is the absolute worst mom in the animal kingdom? Why is there an ominous population of black vultures haunting Pennsylvania? In your relationship, are you the crab or the raptor? Explore these questions and more with Ellen and special guest, science communicator Ralph Crewe, as we bob for viscera with some of nature's gnarliest bird facts.

Special thanks to Jared Rusk for editing help on this episode!

Links:

Follow Ralph on Instagram and check out his work on the Practical Engineering Channel!

Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Follow the show on Instagram!

Music: "Snake Oil" by Doug Organ, from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil
License code: YTJL04XPFNDGFD0C

Why do we feel so weird when robots look a little too much like humans? How have artists navigated the uncanny valley - whether narrowly avoiding it or intentionally plunging into the psychological trench? Ellen & guest, science communicator Tom Lum, ride the zombie train right into the uncanny valley.

Links:
Follow Tom on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube!
Follow Ellen on TikTok!
Follow Spellbound and Gagged on Instagram!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil
License code: P8DTLVUL1FZUMREF

Who is the mysteriously unnamed "rocket enthusiast" behind the founding of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory? Ashley uncovers the story of rocket engineer Jack Parsons and his relationship to space, occultism, sex rituals, L. Ron Hubbard, and more.

Links:

• Follow Ashley on Threads and check out her podcast Taboo Science!
• Follow Ellen on TikTok!
• Follow Spellbound and Gagged on Instagram and Facebook!

Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil
License code: O018QFJ6T1Y1703L

What makes volcanic eruptions get so catastrophically massive? What's going on below the Earth's surface? Should we be worried about Yellowstone? Ellen & guest, geochemist and science communicator Meagan Ankney, explore all the most burning questions about supervolcanoes.

Links:
Check out Meagan's podcast, Spooky Science Sisters!
Follow Spooky Science Sisters on Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil
License code: 0GF0ZHRLVQAZWWVI

Understanding a fungus isn't brain surgery... unless you're an ant. Ellen & Ashley discuss how and why the "zombie-ant fungus" takes control over its insect host, compare reality with the way it's portrayed in pop culture, and look ahead into our own fungal future.

Links:

• Follow Spellbound and Gagged on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Ellen takes Ashley and and guest Alex Schmidt on a journey through the history of Pompeii before, during, and after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Links:

• Follow Alex on Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok and check out his website for more!
• Check out Alex's podcast, Secretly Incredibly Fascinating!
• Follow Spellbound and Gagged on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

We’ve got fire in our belly for this episode’s topic: the puzzling phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion. How does a person suddenly and mysteriously burst into flames, and what happens to the human body when it burns? Find out with us.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil

License code: E0XTG15DVOSBM1F3

The animal kingdom takes toxic relationships to a whole new level. Ellen & guest Katie Goldin discuss their favorite parasites, from snail eyestalk raves to big juicy butts to warm, cozy fish mouths. What’s the matter? Crab got your tongue?

Follow Katie on Twitter & listen to her podcast Creature Feature for more!

Extra credit:

• Video: "This Mind-Controlling Parasite Turns Snails Suicidal"
• "The Mystery at the Base of One of Biology’s Strangest Relationships" by Katherine J. Wu

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil

License code: SQOIFYU6QBJCZGW4

This podcast is a message... and part of a system of messages... pay attention to it! Ellen & Ashley discuss nuclear waste, from the Simpsons and ninja turtle ooze to the mysteries of the distant future and our best attempts to protect them from ourselves. 

Further reading:

• 7 Things The Simpsons Got Wrong About Nuclear
• Expert judgment on markers to deter inadvertent human intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
• Communication Measures to Bridge Ten Millennia

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil
License code: YGWGAODUHHVSJ3HC

Ellen & guest, the Plant Professor™ Dr. Vikram Baliga, discuss nightshade, hemlock, poisonous eggplants, medieval pranks, witchcraft, and the death of Socrates.

Further reading:

Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years

“Hexing Herbs” in Ethnobotanical Perspective: A Historical Review of the Uses of Anticholinergic Solanaceae Plants in Europe

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oil

License code: 37JORES40ZZEQIRT