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The Anxiety Encyclopedia
By Lorien Megill and Katharine McNallyComedy
The Anxiety Encyclopedia episodes
- 164. C is for CERN
Lorien is a particle physicist now. And you can definitely take the time to listen to this because time is moving at its regular speed again! (You'll have to listen to understand why...)
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_physics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiparticle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_accelerator
https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-conspiracy-theorists-are-obsessed-with-cern.htm
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracytheories/comments/1101k9q/the_cern_experiment_the_shift_into_a_parallel/
https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/why-conspiracy-theorists-are-obsessed-with-cern.htm
Stuff they Don’t want you to know episode from 2018: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-they-dont-want-you-t-26941221/episode/classic-should-we-be-concerned-113317758
https://discover.hubpages.com/education/higgsboson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joTKd5j3mzk&time_continue=7&source_ve_path=NzY3NTg&embeds_referring_euri=https://discover.hubpages.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_of_high-energy_particle_collision_experiments
https://time.com/archive/6933968/did-a-time-traveling-bird-sabotage-the-collider/
https://home.cern/science/physics/higgs-boson/
https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/could-the-lhc-make-an-earth-killing-black-hole-886d9e600c28
https://www.livescience.com/47737-stephen-hawking-higgs-boson-universe-doomsday.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cern-is-seeking-secrets-of-the-universe-or-maybe-opening-the-portals-of-hell-1459800113
https://home.cern/cern-bids-farewell-to-the-lhc-and-enters-long-shutdown-3/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN_ritual_hoax
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:bya76aoajvy6ihmaviywjcil/post/3mpnf7l5pd222?ref_src=embed&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fadmin.iflscience.qa%2Farticles%2F83985%2Fedit
https://www.iflscience.com/people-think-cern-is-altering-time-we-are-not-convinced-they-know-what-cern-is-83985
https://www.reddit.com/r/Retconned/comments/1un6i3g/wow_is_time_moving_slower_for_anyone_else_seems/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_memory#Mandela_Effect
1 hr 6 min - 163. W is for Werewolves
For this Halloween week, Katharine tells Lorien about the history of werewolves.
Sources:
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/moon-bodies-health-sleep-menstruation
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28841578/
- https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/peter-stumpp/37197/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_lycanthropy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrichosis
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_witch_trials
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Garnier
- https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/topic-pages/expanded-homicide
- https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-the-werewolf-legend
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/burgot-pierre-d-1521
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism
- https://www.history.com/articles/werewolf-trials-europe-witches
59 min - 162. B is for Bigfoot
Lorien and Jane Goodall tentatively believe in Bigfoot. Katharine definitively believes in bears.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot
- https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2026/03/09/bigfoot-sightings-reported-in-mantua-ohio-bigfoot-society/89063150007/
- https://www.wdtv.com/2026/08/29/bigfoot-or-human-skinny-dipping-photos-mysterious-creature-dubbed-syracuse-figure-spark-debate/
- https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/us-news/cornell-shuts-down-claims-of-60-neanderthal-ny-bigfoot-setting-off-fuming-sasquatch-hunter/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Iceman
- https://civicscience.com/bigfoot-is-real-for-11-of-u-s-adults/
- https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/20/archives/stalking-the-sasquatch-its-hard-to-prove-that-something-even-a.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20210302050546/https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2018-10-26/so-why-do-people-believe-bigfoot-anyway
- https://www.science.org/content/article/bigfoot-samples-analyzed-lab?referrer=https://www.science.org/content/article/bigfoot-samples-analyzed-lab
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterson–Gimlin_film
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Krantz
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/forensic-expert-says-bigfoot-is-real
- https://www.newsweek.com/bigfoot-likely-bear-statistics-1776741
1 hr 9 min - 161. N is for Nightmare Haunted Attractions
Katharine takes Lorien on a virtual tour of places she does not want to go.
Sources:
Sources:
- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/30/extreme-haunted-house-masochists-mckamey-manor
- https://www.cracked.com/article_44002_5-actual-deaths-in-haunted-houses.html
- https://www.ranker.com/list/people-died-halloween-attractions/harrison-tenpas
- https://www.grunge.com/245113/disturbing-things-that-actually-happened-at-haunted-houses/
- https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/real-life-nashville-nightmare-man-stabbed-at-haunted-house-in-madison/51-602773905
- https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/tn-haunted-house-owner-charged-with-attempted-murder-rape/
- https://www.kpbs.org/news/arts-culture/2015/08/07/extreme-haunt-mckamey-manor-leave-san-diego
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_(horror_experience)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_McCurdy
1 hr 7 min - 160. C is for Cryonics
Okay, but what if Walt Disney's head IS frozen under Pirates of the Caribbean?!
(It's not.)
Sources:
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-a-strange-rumor-of-walt-disneys-death-became-legend
- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/suspended-animation/
- https://cryonics.org/cryonics-library/the-prospect-of-immortality/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryoprotectant
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KrioRus
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/18/the-cryonics-dilemma-will-deep-frozen-bodies-be-fit-for-new-life
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading
- https://cryonics.org/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcor_Life_Extension_Foundation
- https://cryonics.org/cryonics-myths/
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/cryogenic-freezing-mouse-brain
- https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2020/03/what-happens-to-the-bodies-if-a-cryogenic-company-goes-bankrupt/
- https://www.independent.com/2019/04/17/in-cryonics-lawsuit-son-fights-for-fathers-frozen-head/
- https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-10814587/How-TV-repairman-thousands-freezing-bodies-immortality-disastrous-results.html
- https://cryonics.miraheze.org/wiki/Chatsworth_incident
59 min - 159. S is for Secret Societies
You CAN sit with us while Katharine talks about groups you can't sit with.
Sources:
- https://www.wired.com/story/leak-exposes-members-of-peter-thiels-secretive-dialog-society/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialog_(organization)
- https://www.history.com/articles/the-knights-templar
- https://www.history.com/articles/secret-societies-freemasons-knights-templar
- https://beafreemason.org/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/freemasons-history-conspiracy-secret
- https://www.history.com/articles/freemasons-facts-symbols-handshake-meaning
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_conspiracy_theories
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judeo-Masonic_conspiracy_theory
- https://www.britannica.com/event/Bilderberg-Conference
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/politicians-bilderberg-meeting
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Meeting
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/illuminati-group-designation
- https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20171127-the-birthplace-of-the-illuminati
- https://www.history.com/articles/illuminati-origins-bavarian-secret-society
1 hr 4 min - 158. F is for Fatal Insomnia
Lorien shares an anxiety that could keep people up at night.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_insomnia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmissible_spongiform_encephalopathy
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain-spinal-cord-and-nerve-disorders/prion-diseases/fatal-insomnia#Diagnosis_v8549039
- https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/fatal-familial-insomnia/
- https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/know-your-brain-fatal-insomnia
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1781276/
- https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/team-hits-milestone-toward-prion-disease-treatment/
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160118-the-tragic-fate-of-the-people-who-stop-sleeping
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160118-the-tragic-fate-of-the-people-who-stop-sleeping
- https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/19/health/fatal-insomnia-family-curse-somethings-killing-me
- https://www.livescience.com/43049-fatal-insomnia-teen.html
- https://news.inbox.lv/15000sm-insomnia-claimed-the-lives-of-35-people-from-one-family
- https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-prion-love-story
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23970-sleep-deprivation
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-long-without-sleep
https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/sleep-deprivation-stages#takeaway
45 min - 157. T is for Tuberculosis
Katharine is also inspired by John Green but maybe a little more meaningfully than Lorien was. Also, Katharine just took a vacation to Japan and a lot of things about that made her anxious and joyful.
Sources:
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tuberculosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351250
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis#History
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tuberculosis
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green; 2025.
1 hr 10 min - 156. T is for Technology-Facilitated Stalking
A tale of three (?) AirTags
Sources:
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/25/tracking-device-domestic-violence-offenders-stalking-apple-find-my-friends
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_address
- https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/29/tile-security-flaws-can-let-both-the-company-and-stalkers-track-your-location/
- https://www.wired.com/story/tile-tracking-tags-can-be-exploited-by-tech-savvy-stalkers-researchers-say/
- https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/29/tile-security-flaws-can-let-both-the-company-and-stalkers-track-your-location/
- https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/abuse-using-technology/ways-survivors-use-and-abusers-misuse-technology/gps-monitoring-0
- https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SPARC_StalkngFactSheet_2018_FINAL.pdf
- https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SPARC-Stalking-Techology-Fact-Sheet.pdf
- https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Identifying-Stalking-as-SLII-Strategies.pdf
- https://cyber.nyu.edu/2025/10/20/kicking-hitchhiking-stalkers-off-gps/
- https://uwpd.wisc.edu/apple-airtags-and-your-safety/
- https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/phantom-airtag-alerts-send-iphone-users-on-wild-goose-chases-11651799060
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/14/the-biggest-security-pros-and-cons-of-using-bluetooth-gps-trackers.html
- https://cooler.bike/en-us/products/silent-smart-tag-ios-security-tracker?srsltid=AfmBOoo6FyxNeuKk0S9VpXNssASNj-FNf3INY43yKVkCMSJU0dLspGt4
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/stalkerware-what-know
- https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-09-15/colton-underwood-restraining-order-cassie-randolph
- https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/colton-underwood-stalking-cassie-restraining-order-details/
1 hr 3 min - 155. W Is for Whitewater Rafting
Katharine takes Lorien along for the ride, coming for another fun summer activity.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafting
- https://www.whitewaterrafting.com/rafting-info/history
- https://www.whitewatervoyages.com/intro-to-whitewater-rafting
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sixth-grader-dies-annual-school-rafting-trip-poconos-rcna347380
- https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/water-activities/professional-raft-guide-career/?scope=initial
- https://sageoutdooradventures.com/blog/is-white-water-rafting-dangerous/
- https://mild2wildrafting.com/rafting-blog/extreme-whitewater-rafting-in-us
- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/18/white-water-rafting-near-death-experience
- https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-06-vw-1596-story.html
- https://parks.wa.gov/about/rules-and-safety/boater-education-safety/cold-water-safety
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Powell
1 hr 9 min
About The Anxiety Encyclopedia
From the publisher's feed
Co-hosts Lorien and Katharine talk about what's making them anxious, from bears to Botox and everything in between.