Wildly Curious

Wildly Curious

By Katy Reiss & Laura Fawks LapoleScienceNatural SciencesNature
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Wildly Curious episodes

  • Could You Fight That? Round 2 – Science, Strategy & Total Chaos

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    Season 13 is here… and it’s fight night. (Hypothetically, of course.) 🥊

    Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole are back with Could You Fight That? Part 2, the follow-up to one of Wildly Curious’ most beloved (and ridiculous) episodes.

    This time, the matchups get even wilder—from kangaroos and cassowaries to anteaters and octopuses—as the duo debates whether they could theoretically survive these encounters.
    It’s all fun, all hypothetical, and all rooted in animal science and pure chaos.

    ⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This episode is 100% for fun. Do NOT approach or engage with wildlife—ever. Be smart, be respectful, and please don’t be the next person trending for trying to hug a bison.

    🐜 Giant anteater vs. human tactics
     🐺 Lone wolves, red kangaroos, and cassowary chaos
     🦑 Octopus escape plans and questionable chokeholds
     😂 Laughs, science, and bad life choices (imagined only!)

    🎧 Kick off Season 13 with science, strategy, and sheer nonsense.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    1 hr 12 min
  • The Taos Hum: The Sound Science Can’t Explain

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    Subscribe and listen closely… if you can. 👂

    In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tune into one of the strangest modern mysteries: the Taos Hum.

    Since the 1990s, people in Taos, New Mexico have reported a low, constant humming sound that only a small percentage of the population can hear. The rest? Silence.

    🎧 What is the Taos Hum—and why can only some people hear it?
     🌍 Is it microseismic vibrations from the Earth itself?
     ⚡ Could it come from hidden electrical or industrial sources?
     🌬 Or is it all in the mind—a psychological echo that science can’t detect?

    From tectonic tremors to infrasound, Katy and Laura explore every theory behind the hum that refuses to be recorded—and why some ears might just be more tuned to the planet than others.

    🎧 This is part of our Nature Mysteries series—short, eerie, and full of science that’ll make your brain vibrate.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    12 min
  • The Hessdalen Lights: Science’s Strangest Unexplained Glow

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    Subscribe and embrace the glow of curiosity. 🔦

    In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole investigate one of the most baffling natural light shows on Earth—the Hessdalen Lights of Norway. For over a century, glowing orbs have danced through a remote valley, pulsing, hovering, and splitting apart with no clear cause. Scientists have studied them for decades… and still, no one really knows what they are.

    ✨ What are the Hessdalen Lights, and how long have they been appearing?
     📡 What did researchers discover using radar, magnetometers, and lasers?
     🧲 Are they ball lightning, plasma, or something stranger?
     👽 And what happens when you shine a laser at one (spoiler: it blinks back)

    From magnetic anomalies to possible plasma reactions underground, this episode explores one of nature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries—where science meets the supernatural.

    🎧 This is part of our Nature Mysteries series—short, weird, and scientifically unexplainable (for now).

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    19 min
  • The Truth About the Bermuda Triangle: Science vs. Mystery

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    Subscribe and let your curiosity get lost at sea (but like, safely). 🌊

    In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into one of Earth’s most famous unsolved legends: the Bermuda Triangle—also known as the Devil’s Triangle.

    For over a century, this stretch of ocean between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has been blamed for the mysterious disappearances of ships, planes, and the people aboard them. But is it really cursed—or just misunderstood?

    🛩️ What really happened to Flight 19 in 1945?
     🌊 Could methane bubbles or rogue waves swallow ships whole?
     🧭 What’s up with those compasses that go haywire?
     🌪 And why the Bermuda Triangle might not be as dangerous as everyone thinks

    From magnetic anomalies to human error (and a sprinkle of 90s X-Files nostalgia), this episode separates science from sea legends—because sometimes the truth is stranger than the conspiracy.

    🎧 This is part of our Nature Mysteries series—short, weird, and full of scientific “wait, what?!” moments.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    17 min
  • How the Moon Was Formed: A Science Cosmic Mystery

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    Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

    In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tackle one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science: how was the Moon formed?

    We look at what we do know—like why lunar rocks look almost identical to Earth’s, why one side of the Moon is thicker than the other, and why it’s slowly drifting away at 1.5 inches per year. Then we dig into the wild theories scientists are still testing:

    🌑 The Giant Impact Hypothesis (a Mars-sized planet colliding with Earth)
     🌋 Evidence that the Moon was once covered in a magma ocean
     🧲 Why the Moon has less iron than Earth
     🌀 And how some new models suggest the Moon formed in just… hours

    It’s science, it’s speculation, and it’s the perfect reminder that even our closest neighbor in space is still one big mystery.

    🎧 This is the first in our Nature Mysteries series—four bite-sized episodes digging into the weird questions science hasn’t solved (yet).

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    14 min
  • Crabs on the Move: The World’s Strangest Mass Migration

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    Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

    In this final Swarms Minisode of the season, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole lose their minds (in the best way) over the most chaotic, moon-synced crab love party on Earth: the migration of Christmas Island red crabs.

    We’re talking:
     🦀 50 to 100 million land crabs
     🌧 Timed to what we're convinced is a witches curse....
    🚧 Roads shut down
    🌊 Pina colada breaks (probably)
    💥 And babies launched off seaside cliffs like nature’s carpet bomb

    This migration is so massive, locals build crab bridges and the entire island turns into one giant crustacean mosh pit.

    But here’s the kicker—these crabs know how far they are from the ocean… AND what phase the moon is in. With brains the size of a Tic Tac.

    🎧 Listen in for weird crab romance, the female egg drop of the century, and a surprising twist: these babies? They’re not just adorable—they’re lunch.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    20 min
  • Nature’s Self-Destruct Button: When Death Means Survival

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    Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

    In this explosive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole reveal the surprising truth: sometimes, nature chooses to self-destruct—and it's all part of the plan.

    From exploding ants to salmon that spawn and die, and fungi that launch spores like botanical cannons, this episode dives into how death in nature isn't always failure—it's strategy.

    💥 Why some creatures explode on purpose
     🐟 How salmon die to feed the next generation
     🌱 Which fungi use pressure to shoot spores into the wind
     🐜 The gluey, horrifying world of exploding ants
     🧬 And why your own body kills its own cells—on purpose

    Whether it’s defending the colony, escaping danger, or creating new life, these self-destruct systems show just how weird, strategic, and shockingly brilliant evolution can be.

    🎧 Listen in to learn how destruction can be nature’s ultimate power move.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    53 min
  • Swarms: Why Army Ants Are the Forest’s Most Ruthless Hunters

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    Subscribe and prepare yourself—because this time, the swarm doesn’t just chase... it devours.

    In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the world of army ants, some of the most strategic, aggressive, and terrifyingly coordinated hunters on Earth. From building living bridges to raiding the forest floor with military precision, these ants don't forage… they sweep, and anything that can’t move fast enough is gone.

    🐜 Why army ants don’t build nests—but become one
     🚨 How their raids dismember prey in minutes
     🧭 Why they create living bridges and run two-lane traffic systems
     🌪 And how other species follow their swarms for leftovers (like antbirds!)

    This is more than an ant episode—it’s a masterclass in swarm strategy, evolutionary teamwork, and why being organized is deadly.

    🎧 This is episode 5 of our Swarms series—quick, chaotic, and scientifically intense.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    15 min
  • Seeds on the Move: How Plants Travel the World Without Legs

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    Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

    In this seed-sational episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dig into the unexpectedly wild world of seed dispersal. From coconuts floating across oceans to violets launching their seeds like botanical cannons, this episode explores the many weird and wonderful ways plants get around without walking.

    🌊 How coconuts evolved to sail thousands of miles
     🌬️ The physics behind parachuting and helicoptering seeds
     🧲 The sticky science of clingers like burdock and chia
     💥 Which plants explode their seeds like t-shirt cannons
     🌍 And how human activity spreads (and sometimes ruins) plant travel

    Whether you're a plant nerd or just into nature's weirdest survival tactics, this one's for you.

    🎧 Listen to learn how seeds conquer new territory, how evolution shaped their rides, and why your burr-covered dog is basically a nature Uber.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    46 min
  • Swarms: Why Killer Bees Are So Scary (and So Misunderstood)

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    Subscribe if you love science, chaos, and being mildly afraid of your backyard. 🐝

    In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole uncover facts around the infamous “killer bees”—a.k.a. Africanized honeybees. Spoiler: they don’t look scary, but they’ll chase you, sting in overwhelming numbers, and sometimes even wait above water for you to come up for air.

    But is the fear justified?

    🐝 What makes Africanized honeybees so aggressive?
     🌎 How did a 1950s experiment in Brazil lead to bees chasing joggers in Arizona?
     🧬 Why breeding for honey production + heat tolerance went very, very wrong
     🏃‍♀️ And what to actually do if you’re attacked (yes, you should run—fast)

    This episode unpacks the biology, history, and real risk of one of the world’s most feared swarming insects—and how they became a punchline and a public safety issue.

    🎧 This is episode 4 of our Swarms series—short, punchy episodes exploring the wildest group behaviors in nature.

    Support the show

    🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

    Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.




    16 min

About Wildly Curious

From the publisher's feed

Wildly Curious is a comedy podcast where science, nature, and curiosity collide. Hosted by Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole, two wildlife experts with a…

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