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 #Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oilLicense code: YTJL04XPFNDGFD0C
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10: The Funcanny Valley w/ Tom Lum
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-oilLicense code: P8DTLVUL1FZUMREF
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9: Sex, Drugs, and Rocket Fuel
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 #Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/snake-oilLicense code: O018QFJ6T1Y1703L
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8: Live, Laugh, Lava w/ Meagan Ankney
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-oilLicense code: 0GF0ZHRLVQAZWWVI
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7: Striking a Cordyceps
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!
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