Every Little Thing

ELT tackles some animal, vegetable, mineral mysteries with special guest Amy Sedaris. Plus, caller Maria is troubled by a hole in front of her condo — will she be swallowed by the earth? And the scoop on spinach tooth. Guests: Comedian and rabbit expert Amy Sedaris; Jim Correll, plant pathologist, University of Arkansas; geologist and sinkhole expert David Wilshaw. Thanks to callers Anthony, Eddie and Maria.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A mass spider invasion at his office left accountant Steven with a burning question: How many can there be? ELT does some spider number-crunching, and meets the man who discovered one of the largest spider gatherings on record. Guests: Freddie Gowin, retired park ranger, Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas; Linda Rayor, arachnologist at Cornell University. Thanks to caller Steven. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why would a garden-gloved thief lift a water lily from a botanical garden in London? ELT gets to the root of a rare plant heist. Guests: Carlos Magdalena, botanical horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, and author of The Plant Messiah. Nick Johnson, horticultural manager of Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman. Thanks to caller Carl.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do nail polish colors get their names? ELT digs into this FAQ, and finds out how painting our nails became a thing. Plus, an update on Jeremy’s reported fruit fly infestation. Guests: Fashion historian Suzanne Shapiro, author of Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure; Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, co-founder and Brand Ambassador of OPI Products Inc., and author of I’m Not Really a Waitress; chemical ecologist Kevin Cloonan, Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Thanks to caller Olivia and all the callers who shared their gnat knowledge.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Images of little green aliens are everywhere: Area 51, bongs, your ‘90s chain wallet. But why did we start depicting extraterrestrials that way? ELT uncovers the moment that beamed little green aliens into our homes (and hearts). Guests: sociologist of science Pierre Lagrange; Kentucky resident Bill Thomas; literature professor Roger Luckhurst. Special thanks to caller Willie. Thanks also to Sarah Scoles and Geraldine Sutton Stith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where did the limbo first get off the ground? This week, ELT reveals how it went from funerals in the Caribbean to shag-carpeted basements across American suburbia. Guests: Performer, choreographer, and documentarian Sonja Dumas; and Shane Vogel, professor of English and Theater at Indiana University. Special thanks to listener Aurelia. Thanks also to Kieron Sargeant and Ray Funk. To hear the songs featured in this episode, head over to our Spotify playlist at elt.show/limbo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Austin had a fragment of a song stuck in his head, and he needed our assistance. ELT listeners help him name that tune and put this mystery to rest. Guests: Singer and songwriter Sondre Lerche.  Thanks to Dave Heilman and all the listeners who tried to help Austin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An earworm expert explains how to unstick that song that’s stuck in your head, and why it got lodged there in the first place. Plus, your earwormholes — the songs that transport you through time and space. To hear the songs featured in this episode, head over to our Spotify playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Jeremy has a problem: fruit flies have swarmed his apartment, and he needs to know where they came from. ELT finds out how Jeremy’s red-eyed roommates landed in his life. Plus, please help caller Austin name that tune. Guest: Biologist Marcus Stensmyr, Lund University. Thanks to callers Jeremy and Austin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While they may look like dainty, dorky birds, flamingos deserve respect. Flora brings the flamingo facts, and launches ELT’s campaign to bring a flamingo mascot to professional sports. Guests: Comedian Prashanth Venkataramanujam; Producer Katherine Wells; Mascot maker Jennifer Smith of Avant Garb; Renbert Mortimer, creator of the University of the Bahamas mascot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every year the TSA confiscates millions of pounds of pocket knives, sunscreen and snow globes from airport travelers. Where does it all go? ELT investigates. Plus, tips for sneaking your weed onboard from a former TSA agent. Guests: Ex-TSA “Taylor”; TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein; surplus agents for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Patrick Knight and Mike Starr; press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services Troy Thompson. Thanks to caller Kimberly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT answers an age-old question: When you have to use a public toilet, should you sit on the seat? A team of microbiologists weigh in. Plus, the rise, fall, and re-rise of cargo shorts. Guests: Microbiologist Jack Gilbert; comedian Prashanth Venkataramanujam; cargo pantsologist Joe Hancock; Wall Street Journal reporter Nicole Hong.  Special thanks to caller Jenny and the biology experts we surveyed: Jason Tetro, William Schaffner, Chuck Gerba, Rob Dunn, Jenny Hayden, Steffanie Strathdee, Liz Scott, Kimberly Page, and Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When did organ music and baseball become an item? ELT talks to some pro organ players to find out how organs and ballparks got together. Plus, meet Nancy Faust — the legendary organist who brought trolling to modern baseball music. Guests: Steven Ball, organist and Director of Sacred Music at The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis, Missouri; Josh Kantor, organist for the Boston Red Sox; Nancy Faust, retired organist for the Chicago White Sox Thanks to caller Robert. Thanks also to Judy Scott. You can see a photo of Nancy's donkeys on twitter and instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT goes underground to meet the creatures living in our subways and sewer systems. Plus, the 411 on another underground underdog: prairie dogs. Guests: Urban evolutionary biologist and rat expert Jason Munshi-South; animal behavioral scientist Jennifer Verdolin. Thanks to caller Jessica, and to all the listeners who demanded prairie dog facts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For most of human history, tooth care has been pretty bare bones. How did we go from charlatans pulling teeth in a public square, to the modern dentist’s office? ELT exposes the roots of tooth care. Plus, meet the technician who makes movie stars’ teeth look terrible. Guests: Dental historian and retired dentist J. Henry Clarke; historian Richard Barnett. Thanks to callers Amanda and Tess for the questions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does swearing make you more powerful? Caller Mark’s dad thinks a well-timed “word of power” is the key to efficient yardwork. ELT asks a swearing expert about that theory. Plus, we talk to someone who turns the “mother f*ckers” into “manhole covers” for the TV versions of movies. Guests: Cognitive scientist Ben Bergen, author of What the F***; Gwen Whittle, supervising sound editor at Skywalker Sound.  Thanks to caller Mark for the monkey flippin’ question, and to Mark’s dad Steve.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through the 1800s, babies in the U.S. were dressed in gender neutral clothing — you couldn’t tell the girls from the boys based on their outfits. So why did parents start color-coding their kids in pink and blue? Plus, ELT’s long quest to get a sports team to have a flamingo as their mascot is finally over… or is it?  Guests: textiles and clothing historian Jo Paoletti; cultural historian of medicine, gender, and the body Hanne Blank; and Kuba Krzyzostaniak, Director of Fan Engagement for Forward Madison FC. Thanks to caller Elle Ve and Paige — and to scholars Elizabeth Sweet, Katherine Parkin, and Valerie Steele. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you fly do you really need to put your phone in airplane mode? Should you fear the tray table? What’s happening in the cockpit while you’re fighting over the armrest? Two airline pilots answer your burning air travel questions. Guests: Pilot Sandy Williams of Skydive Deland; Pilot Nick Anderson of the Airline Pilot Guy podcast.  Thanks to everyone who called in with their airplane questions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you found millions of dollars worth of buried treasure, what would you do next? Take it to the bank? Sell it on eBay? Call 60 Minutes? ELT unearths the tale of the largest buried treasure ever found in North America. Plus, practical tips for dealing with newfound millions, and a nationwide treasure hunt, ELT-style. Guest: David J. McCarthy, numismatist. Special thanks to listeners Kurt, Elizabeth, Travis, Vicki, Nikki, Kimberly, Robert, and Rachel for helping us with our treasure hunt. And thanks to listener David for the question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who decides what a cheerleader looks like? Or sounds like? In part two of a two-part episode, ELT digs into the complicated legacy of an American archetype. Guests: Natalie Adams, cheerleading researcher and professor at the University of Alabama; Sharita Richardson, cheerleading researcher, instructional coach at North Carolina A&T State University, and founder of Black Girls Cheer. Thanks to caller Jessica for the question.  Special thanks to Vonciel Baker, one of the original seven Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and to Dee Brock, former manager of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices