Part-Time Genius
@parttimegenius.bsky.social
Fascinating facts, delightful rabbit holes, and curious corners of the world. New episodes weekly, in all the podcast places.
Account run by Mango, Gabe, and Mary (Will's busy organizing his candy cabinet, Dylan's in the booth).
Account run by Mango, Gabe, and Mary (Will's busy organizing his candy cabinet, Dylan's in the booth).
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Part-Time Genius
Society & Culture Podcast · Updated Weekly · Are you a knowledge junkie who loves when facts are stranger than fiction? Do you find yourself constantly tripping down Wikipedia rabbit holes (and deligh...
podcasts.apple.com
Hi! We're Part-Time Genius, a podcast for knowledge junkies, Wikipedia rabbit-holers, and people who've been told they ask too many questions. Our hosts are Will and Mango, aka the guys who started Mental Floss.
Join us every week for a new deep dive!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Join us every week for a new deep dive!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
You might think to yourself, "Self, I don't care about physics. It's too complicated. Too boring. It's not relevant to my life. And worst of all, there are no jokes and very few cartoons."
This week's episode with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social will prove you wrong.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
This week's episode with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social will prove you wrong.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Exploring Alien Science with Daniel Whiteson!
Podcast Episode · Part-Time Genius · 11/04/2025 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:10 PM
You might think to yourself, "Self, I don't care about physics. It's too complicated. Too boring. It's not relevant to my life. And worst of all, there are no jokes and very few cartoons."
This week's episode with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social will prove you wrong.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
This week's episode with @danielwhiteson.bsky.social will prove you wrong.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Come for the space telescopes, stay for the poetry
🎥 What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbor? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy. 🔭 🧪
Heart of Messier 82 (Cigar Galaxy) - Hubble Space Telescope #shorts
What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbor? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Be...
youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Come for the space telescopes, stay for the poetry
It's the end of our week-long series about curiosity!
Will and Mango sit down with two of the most curious people we know: Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (plus super producer Jeri) to talk childhood obsessions, behind-the-scenes stories, and Muppet personalities.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Will and Mango sit down with two of the most curious people we know: Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (plus super producer Jeri) to talk childhood obsessions, behind-the-scenes stories, and Muppet personalities.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Being Curious for a Living with Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know - Part-Time Genius
We’re closing out this week of curiosity with our good pals Josh and Chuck (and super producer Jeri!) from Stuff You Should Know. It’s a wide-ranging, brain-tickling conversation that touches on every...
omny.fm
October 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
It's the end of our week-long series about curiosity!
Will and Mango sit down with two of the most curious people we know: Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (plus super producer Jeri) to talk childhood obsessions, behind-the-scenes stories, and Muppet personalities.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Will and Mango sit down with two of the most curious people we know: Josh & Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (plus super producer Jeri) to talk childhood obsessions, behind-the-scenes stories, and Muppet personalities.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
It's Day 4 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today: Are Will and Mango doomed to spend their retirement watching Scrubs reruns? And what is all that screen time really doing to your kid's ability to be curious?
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today: Are Will and Mango doomed to spend their retirement watching Scrubs reruns? And what is all that screen time really doing to your kid's ability to be curious?
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Are We Doomed to Lose Curiosity As We Age? - Part-Time Genius
Today Will and Mango explore the science of curiosity at different ages: how school can help (or hurt) kids’ curiosity, why middle age may make you less curious, and what we know about babies’ curiosi...
omny.fm
October 23, 2025 at 1:37 PM
It's Day 4 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today: Are Will and Mango doomed to spend their retirement watching Scrubs reruns? And what is all that screen time really doing to your kid's ability to be curious?
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today: Are Will and Mango doomed to spend their retirement watching Scrubs reruns? And what is all that screen time really doing to your kid's ability to be curious?
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
A must-read piece.
And for the record, Team PTG is deeply divided: Will and Mango are anti-pumpkin spice. Gabe and Mary, on the other hand, are smart and enjoy delicious things.
And for the record, Team PTG is deeply divided: Will and Mango are anti-pumpkin spice. Gabe and Mary, on the other hand, are smart and enjoy delicious things.
I am here to reveal the truth about pumpkin spice lattes, by way of *deep* archival research (and 3,600 words)
snackstack.net/2025/10/21/t...
snackstack.net/2025/10/21/t...
The curious, contentious history of pumpkin spice lattes
Starbucks didn’t invent them. But it’s possible that Tori Amos or a Midwest grandma did.
snackstack.net
October 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
A must-read piece.
And for the record, Team PTG is deeply divided: Will and Mango are anti-pumpkin spice. Gabe and Mary, on the other hand, are smart and enjoy delicious things.
And for the record, Team PTG is deeply divided: Will and Mango are anti-pumpkin spice. Gabe and Mary, on the other hand, are smart and enjoy delicious things.
It's Day 3 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today we're exploring curiosity in non-human animals, from pet cats to wild chimpanzees to the tiny cleaner wrasse fish.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today we're exploring curiosity in non-human animals, from pet cats to wild chimpanzees to the tiny cleaner wrasse fish.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Can Pets Be Curious? How About Wild Chimps? - Part-Time Genius
Today we’re taking a break from human curiosity and turning our attention to other animals. What makes hummingbirds explore different flowers? Are we to blame for rats’ curiosity? Are animals in the w...
omny.fm
October 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
It's Day 3 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today we're exploring curiosity in non-human animals, from pet cats to wild chimpanzees to the tiny cleaner wrasse fish.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today we're exploring curiosity in non-human animals, from pet cats to wild chimpanzees to the tiny cleaner wrasse fish.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
It's Day 2 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today: The long history of powerful people trying to suppress everyone else's curiosity, and what that has to do with killing cats (metaphorically).
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today: The long history of powerful people trying to suppress everyone else's curiosity, and what that has to do with killing cats (metaphorically).
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Is Curiosity Dangerous? - Part-Time Genius
Where did the saying “curiosity killed the cat” come from, and is it just a way for the rich and powerful to oppress everyone else? (Hint: yes.) Today on the show, Will and Mango take a look at curios...
omny.fm
October 21, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It's Day 2 of our week-long series about curiosity!
Today: The long history of powerful people trying to suppress everyone else's curiosity, and what that has to do with killing cats (metaphorically).
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Today: The long history of powerful people trying to suppress everyone else's curiosity, and what that has to do with killing cats (metaphorically).
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
If you've ever wondered why you wonder so much, wonder no more! Every day this week we're dropping a new episode about curiosity—why we have it, why powerful people have tried to suppress it, how it changes as we age, and more.
Day 1: Curiosity and braaaaaiiiins.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Day 1: Curiosity and braaaaaiiiins.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
What Does Curiosity Really Do To Our Brains? - Part-Time Genius
Every day this week, we’re exploring a different aspect of curiosity—you know, the thing that makes you listen to this show. We’re starting off by discovering what happens in our brains when we experi...
omny.fm
October 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM
If you've ever wondered why you wonder so much, wonder no more! Every day this week we're dropping a new episode about curiosity—why we have it, why powerful people have tried to suppress it, how it changes as we age, and more.
Day 1: Curiosity and braaaaaiiiins.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Day 1: Curiosity and braaaaaiiiins.
omny.fm/shows/part-t...
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist
October 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC
October 17, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC
Help us with an upcoming episode! What is the best pasta shape of ALL TIME? And WHY?
October 15, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Help us with an upcoming episode! What is the best pasta shape of ALL TIME? And WHY?
If you read Tintin as a child (or as an adult), check out our two-part series about this character's complicated, fascinating back story. Start here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Was Tintin a Real Person?
Podcast Episode · Part-Time Genius · 09/30/2025 · 42m
podcasts.apple.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
If you read Tintin as a child (or as an adult), check out our two-part series about this character's complicated, fascinating back story. Start here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
Alrght everybody, get your Tin Can Telephones out. We need your help!
We reach new people by word of mouth. Send all your educator friends this pic! Teachers, librarians, scout troop leaders, etc! We offer our program for free, so we need help getting the word out without advertising $$.
We reach new people by word of mouth. Send all your educator friends this pic! Teachers, librarians, scout troop leaders, etc! We offer our program for free, so we need help getting the word out without advertising $$.
September 30, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Alrght everybody, get your Tin Can Telephones out. We need your help!
We reach new people by word of mouth. Send all your educator friends this pic! Teachers, librarians, scout troop leaders, etc! We offer our program for free, so we need help getting the word out without advertising $$.
We reach new people by word of mouth. Send all your educator friends this pic! Teachers, librarians, scout troop leaders, etc! We offer our program for free, so we need help getting the word out without advertising $$.
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
i challenge you to find cooler news today than “despite all odds against American scientific research rn, a CO researcher developed a temperature-stable, single dose rabies vaccine that works bc of particles coated in CANDY & SAPPHIRE, & it could help reduce rabies deaths in places w/o electricity”
Happy (rainy) Tuesday, #Boulder. I've got a new story for you all about a new temperature-stable, single-injection rabies vaccine developed by @colorado.edu researcher Ted Randolph.
www.colorado.edu/today/2025/0...
www.colorado.edu/today/2025/0...
New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access
CU Boulder engineers have developed a new method for making vaccines that combines multiple, timed-release doses into a single injection that doesn't require
www.colorado.edu
September 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
i challenge you to find cooler news today than “despite all odds against American scientific research rn, a CO researcher developed a temperature-stable, single dose rabies vaccine that works bc of particles coated in CANDY & SAPPHIRE, & it could help reduce rabies deaths in places w/o electricity”
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
apparently atlantic ghost crabs are self aware! maybe that's why they look like they're having an identify crisis
September 23, 2025 at 4:51 AM
apparently atlantic ghost crabs are self aware! maybe that's why they look like they're having an identify crisis
If you or your kid have ever had lice, our new episode is for you. Mummies with lice! The guy who invented the Louse Buster! How a common skincare ingredient makes lice explode! And so much more!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Lice?!
Podcast Episode · Part-Time Genius · 09/16/2025 · 40m
podcasts.apple.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
If you or your kid have ever had lice, our new episode is for you. Mummies with lice! The guy who invented the Louse Buster! How a common skincare ingredient makes lice explode! And so much more!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
If Part-Time Genius is one of them, your first date may include a lengthy conversation about the history of carousel horses
dating apps should just make men list their top 5 podcasts
September 17, 2025 at 12:59 PM
If Part-Time Genius is one of them, your first date may include a lengthy conversation about the history of carousel horses
Looking for #bookrecs? Here are the best books we read this summer!
Gabe: Percival Everett's "James," the collected Peanuts comics
Mary: Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer," Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop"
Now tell us yours!
Gabe: Percival Everett's "James," the collected Peanuts comics
Mary: Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer," Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop"
Now tell us yours!
August 25, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Looking for #bookrecs? Here are the best books we read this summer!
Gabe: Percival Everett's "James," the collected Peanuts comics
Mary: Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer," Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop"
Now tell us yours!
Gabe: Percival Everett's "James," the collected Peanuts comics
Mary: Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer," Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop"
Now tell us yours!
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
On this day in 1939, "The Wizard of Oz" opened in U.S. theaters. Today, the Library is happy to announce the acquisition of rare music and lyric sketches from the score of the iconic film, including the only lyric sketch for “Over the Rainbow” known to exist. newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
Library of Congress Acquires “Wizard of Oz” Musical Sketches To Add to the Harold Arlen Collection
Library of Congress Acquires “Wizard of Oz” Musical Sketches To Add to the Harold Arlen CollectionCollection Includes Handwritten Music and Lyric Sketches Showing Creative Process Behind Iconic...
newsroom.loc.gov
August 25, 2025 at 5:22 PM
On this day in 1939, "The Wizard of Oz" opened in U.S. theaters. Today, the Library is happy to announce the acquisition of rare music and lyric sketches from the score of the iconic film, including the only lyric sketch for “Over the Rainbow” known to exist. newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
In this week's history newsletter from AIP, @rebeccacharbon.bsky.social spotlights the new article by @tiffanynichols.bsky.social in Isis, digging into the rise and fall of an early proposal to site a @ligo.org detector in Maine's Blueberry Barrens.
Article spotlight: When LIGO might have been in Maine
AIP History Weekly Edition: August 22, 2025
www.aip.org
August 22, 2025 at 3:29 PM
In this week's history newsletter from AIP, @rebeccacharbon.bsky.social spotlights the new article by @tiffanynichols.bsky.social in Isis, digging into the rise and fall of an early proposal to site a @ligo.org detector in Maine's Blueberry Barrens.
Here's why you should be paying your rent in dead eels. #personalfinance #moneytips #advice
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9...
9 Wallet-Busting Facts About Debt
Podcast Episode · Part-Time Genius · 08/12/2025 · 28m
podcasts.apple.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Here's why you should be paying your rent in dead eels. #personalfinance #moneytips #advice
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9...
Apparently Bolivia is the world's largest producer of Brazil nuts! Not to start an international incident, but from now on, they're Bolivia nuts to me!
July 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Apparently Bolivia is the world's largest producer of Brazil nuts! Not to start an international incident, but from now on, they're Bolivia nuts to me!
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
Firefly populations have been declining, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the glowing bugs.
Fireflies Are Surging This Summer, in a Rare Win for the Insects
Firefly populations have been declining, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the glowing bugs.
www.mentalfloss.com
July 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Firefly populations have been declining, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the glowing bugs.
Reposted by Part-Time Genius
Wrote about "corn sweat" again. Find out what the heck it is and how it makes heat worse. 🧪
(Was my temporary headline "Corn Sweat Part 2: The Corn Sweatening"? Maybe.)
(Was my temporary headline "Corn Sweat Part 2: The Corn Sweatening"? Maybe.)
‘Corn Sweat’ Is Real—And It’s Making This Heat Wave Miserable
Humid heat is blanketing the eastern U.S. this week, exacerbated by “corn sweat” in the Midwest
www.scientificamerican.com
July 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Wrote about "corn sweat" again. Find out what the heck it is and how it makes heat worse. 🧪
(Was my temporary headline "Corn Sweat Part 2: The Corn Sweatening"? Maybe.)
(Was my temporary headline "Corn Sweat Part 2: The Corn Sweatening"? Maybe.)