Scientists discovered that some stars have heartbeats and that some of them can be used to measure the longest distances that exist.
This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

The Intelligence Quotient is a measure of intelligence that has life-or-death consequences. Should we trust it?

GUEST

Alan Goudiss is a Partner with Sherman & Sterling. He was recognized by The Legal 500 as a “Leading Lawyer” in M&A Litigation Defense in 2021.  
This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

Scientist Alfred Kinsey tried to differentiate human sexualities on a seven-point scale. In so doing, he brought us the basics of bisexuality. But the scale leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of a spectrum, Special Guest Kate Sisk leads us into a gay fog.

GUEST

Kate Sisk (she/they/he) is a professional stand up comedian, amateur drag king, and co-host of the award-winning podcast, We’re Having Gay Sex.
This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

We’d rate today’s episode a ten out of ten, five star, certified fresh, two thumbs up. But we can’t speak for its IMdB score.

This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

We’re hitting up against the very nature of measurement: How can we best describe the world around us, in its infinite complexity, with finite measures? In other words, how hard are rocks?

This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

Taste is a subjective experience. We know this because eggs pickled in human urine, cheese with live maggots living in it, fertilized and mostly-developed duck eggs, rotten shark, calf blood and cheese whiz are all delicacies somewhere. But there is a flavor that we can measure and compare objectively. Kind of.

This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.

Special thanks to our taste-testers: Brian Sexton, Daniel Siegel, Grace Goudiss, Gregory Fredle, Lois Rosson, Maiya Zwerling, Michelle Tigchelaar, Simon Brown, and Val McGraw. 

Jews are ritually obligated to eat matzah during Passover. But how much matzah? Well, that depends on your views on the size of an olive. 

This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman. 

Special thanks to Rabbi Natan Slifkin, founder of RationalistJudaism.com for his work on olives and biblical measurements.

We love a good chart or graph but we think measurement is more complex and interesting than the data points. The fathom is a measure of depth from the surface to the ocean floorwhich is critical for navigating the Mississippi River and the Suez Canal. The fathom also shows us what’s beyond measurement: The unfathomable.

This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and Liya Rechtman.