We honk at them in the street and shoo them away from our trash cans, but opossums are so much more than nocturnal nuisances. In today’s episode, Mango and Gabe get better acquainted with America’s only native marsupials, including the truth behind their famous talent for playing dead and their surprising connections to President Taft and Captain John Smith. Plus: A stirring ode to the opossum on Mango’s balcony and a tongue-in-cheek recipe for “planked possum.”

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Photo by The New York Public Library via Unsplash. Thanks, NYPL!

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Will and Mango are on a mission to uncover chocolate's darkest secrets. What's the difference between cacao and cocoa? Why have Swiss scientists been working on a pink chocolate for so long, and what does it really taste like? Plus, why does chocolate melt so perfectly in our mouths?

This episode originally aired on February 21, 2018.

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Photo by Tetiana Bykovets via Unsplash. Thanks, Tetiana!

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Let’s be real: eating at Olive Garden isn’t the same as dining in Tuscany. But does that mean the food is inherently worse? Today Will and Mango explore the concept of culinary authenticity, including how it’s measured, who it benefits, and what it really means for one dish to be “more authentic” than another. Plus: The political calculus of wolfing down corn dogs, and the shocking origin of Outback Steakhouse (spoiler alert: it does not involve Australia!).

• Did you know that instant mashed potatoes are authentic Canadian cuisine? Check out this episode on Great Inventions from the Great White North to learn more!

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Photo by Maximilian Zahn via Unsplash. Thanks, Maximilian!

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Who's the Michael Phelps of the early winter games? Why did the 1924 British curling team just get their gold medals? And what are the greatest sports we wish were still in the Olympics (who's up for a round of Korfball)? Will and Mango dive into Olympic history and investigate how one little rule change affected how future sports were played. Featuring American ski archer Dave Bergart.

This episode originally aired on January 17, 2018.

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Photo by Todd Trapani via Unsplash. Thanks, Todd!

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Reading a book, going to the movies, listening to your favorite band… you call them hobbies, but acclaimed scientist Daisy Fancourt calls them public health strategies. She joins producer Mary to discuss her new book, Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives, and shares insights from her research—like the fact that engaging with the arts reduces the risk of depression, and listening to music before surgery results in faster healing. Daisy also explains why she’s hopeful in the face of widespread cuts to arts funding, and why you don’t have to be good at the arts to benefit from them. 

• Buy Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Human ingenuity knows no limits! Today Will, Gabe, and Mango raid the United States Patent Office to find some of the weirdest, funniest, and most confusing inventions of all time. 

This episode originally aired on April 7, 2020.

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Photo of a gerbil (not in the gerbil transport vest) by Silje Roseneng via Unsplash. Thanks, Silje!

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Join Will and Mango as they try to mediate the world’s weirdest arguments about borders, including the ongoing fight for an island of puffins and a centuries-old struggle to control a quarter mile of mountain. Plus: One man’s efforts to make his daughter an abandoned desert princess, and “the turducken of border disputes,” which involved a corner of India inside Bangladesh which was inside India but also inside Bangladesh.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Photo by Kyle Glenn via Unsplash. Thanks, Kyle!

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Why are people getting plastic surgery on their fingerprints? Why was the Civil War such a golden era for procedures? And why is everyone suddenly obsessed with the length of their philtrums? Will and Mango take a brisk walk through the history of plastic surgery.

This episode originally aired on January 25, 2019.

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Photo of Civil War veterans by the American Press Association via the Library of Congress.

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Teleportation is a major mode of travel in science fiction, but when will it become a reality? To find out, Mango and Gabe are grappling with the history and theoretical science behind one of humanity’s most anticipated technologies. Along the way, they explore the surprising connection between teleportation and ancient stage magic, and introduce you to the most romantic song about quantum entanglement that you’ve ever heard. (Probably.)

• Check out David Nagler’s website and his band, As For the Future!
• Listen to Mangesh’s conversation with Daniel Whiteson about aliens, physics, and alien physics!
• Learn more about Daniel’s work, books, and podcast at his website!

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Photo by Logan Gutierrez via Unsplash. Thanks, Logan!

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From the treasury joker who snuck his face on some cash, to Theodore Roosevelt’s drastic redesign for the penny, to the very best reason Harriet Tubman belongs on the $20, Will and Mango are diving into dollar bill facts Scrooge McDuck-style.

This episode originally aired on January 31, 2019.

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Photo by Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash. Thanks, Giorgio!

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Will and Mango are starting the new year strong by counting down their favorite cultural works that just entered the public domain. From cartoon queens and detective stories to Dutch abstract art and one of the most recorded songs in history, this year’s crop has something for everyone. Plus: How the Harlem Globetrotters got their theme song, and the origin of the Dagwood sandwich!

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