In Iowa, you can't just show up on your neighbor's doorstep with a costume... kids have to work for the treats! Grab your pillowcase, bucket, or plastic pumpkin-shaped pail and join Will, Mango, and Gabe for a very sweet-and-spooky episode to get yourself excited for Halloween

This episode originally aired on October 26, 2017.

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Photo by Beth Teutschmann via Unsplash. Thanks, Beth!

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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 everything from childhood obsessions to SYSK behind-the-scenes stories to the shocking truth about off-mic personas. Plus: Everyone tries to figure out which Muppet they are, for some reason.

What’s your favorite fact you learned this week? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Instagram (@parttimegenius) or Bluesky (parttimegenius.bsky.social). We’ll pick one comment at random to win a prize! For a bonus entry, make a post with your answer and tag us. Deadline is 11:59pm ET, Sunday Oct. 26.

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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’ curiosity, even though they can’t fill out questionnaires. Plus: A conversation with a researcher who made a surprising discovery about elderly people, and expert tips for practicing curiosity, whether you’re 1 or 100.

Join our slow(er) curiosity exercise! Think of something you’re curious about—big or small—then don’t Google it. Instead, go for a walk or sit someplace quiet. Use a pen and paper to jot down any ideas that come to mind. Then head over to our Instagram (@parttimegenius) or Bluesky (parttimegenius.bsky.social) and tell us how it went. We’ll pick one comment at random to win a prize! For a bonus entry, take a photo or video of your walk/quiet place, upload it and tag us. Deadline is 11:59pm ET, Sunday Oct. 26.

• Learn more about Jamie Jirout’s work at the UVA REAL lab.
• Learn more about Mary Whatley’s work at the Motivated Memory & Successful Aging Lab.
• Learn more about Celeste Kidd’s work at the Kidd Lab.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

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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 wild more or less curious than animals in captivity? And if you were a zebrafish, which would you find more interesting: a white shell or a purple cup?

Day 3 listener activity: Grab an assortment of objects and present them one at a time to the nearest animal (as long as it’s friendly) to see what it’s curious about. Then head over to our Instagram (@parttimegenius) or Bluesky (parttimegenius.bsky.social) and tell us how the experiment went. We’ll pick one comment at random to win a prize! For a bonus entry, take a photo or video of your animal, upload it and tag us. Deadline is 11:59pm ET, Sunday Oct. 26.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

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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 curiosity’s checkered history: from the Middle Ages (when it was considered a threat to society) to the 17th century (when it became downright trendy) to today (when we can Google anything we want).

Day 2 listener activity: Head over to our Instagram (@parttimegenius) or Bluesky (parttimegenius.bsky.social) and tell us which three objects you’d include in a cabinet of curiosities. We’ll pick one comment at random to win a prize! For a bonus entry, take a photo or video of your objects, upload it and tag us. Deadline is 11:59pm ET, Sunday Oct. 26.

• Buy Barbara Benedict’s book, Curiosity: A Cultural History of Early Modern Inquiry.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

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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 experience curiosity, why some things make us curious and others don’t, how a lack of novelty can lead to pretty strange behavior, and how all of this ties in to our willingness to buy oat milk.

Take the Which Part-Time Genius Co-Host Are You? quiz! Leave a comment on our Instagram (@parttimegenius) or Bluesky (parttimegenius.bsky.social) and tell us your result. We’ll pick one comment at random to win a prize! For a bonus entry, make a post about your result and tag us. Deadline is 11:59pm ET, Sunday Oct. 26.

• Learn more about Celeste Kidd’s work at the Kidd Lab.
• Subscribe to Jack Shepherd’s newsletter, On Words and Up Words.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

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Want to know which billionaire speaks Esperanto fluently? Or what country almost adopted Esperanto as its national language? Or why Hitler and Stalin were both afraid of Dr. Esperanto (actually Doktoro Esperanto)? Join Will and Mango as they dive into the incredible world of constructed languages and also discover why William Shatner isn't just the greatest Esperanto actor of all time... but also probably the worst.

This episode originally aired on May 2, 2024.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!

Photo by Volodymyr Hyrshchenko via Unsplash. Thanks, Volodymyr!

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Today Mango and producer Mary are talking trash! Discover how people used to deal with trash (hint: it involved thousands of feral pigs), and why garbology is an actual science that can teach us a lot about ourselves. Plus, we take a look at the most creative modern garbage disposal technologies, from underground tubes to robot sharks to giant anthropomorphic wheels, and dig up some incredible things that were found in the trash.

Meet Baltimore’s Trash Wheel family here!

Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Pittsburgh travel tips? Email higeniuses@gmail.com or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925.

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Photo of a garbage pile in the Himalayas by Sylwia Bartyzel via Unsplash. Thanks, Sylwia!

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