Thirty years after Tupac was shot on the Las Vegas strip, a conviction has finally landed, and Eric Alper, former Death Row Records publicist, walks through why it took this long despite the shooter's own repeated public confessions.

Alper unpacks how many people over the years falsely claimed a role in the killing just to gain credibility in the scene, and why myths like this tend to outlast the actual legal facts once a name becomes bigger than the crime itself.

He also explains why this particular conviction hasn't dominated headlines the way an OJ-level case might have, and where he ranks Tupac among the greatest to ever pick up a microphone.

Topics: Eric Alper, Tupac case, hip hop mythology, Death Row Records, music industry

GUEST: Eric Alper | thatericalper.com | @thatericalper

Originally aired on 2026-08-31

A new genetic technique just uncovered stretches of DNA in modern humans that do not match any known ancestor, not Neanderthal, not Denisovan, not anything on record. Dr. Samantha Yammine explains how researchers managed to date something this old without ever holding a physical sample of it.

Samantha breaks down what actually makes a stretch of DNA look ancient, using the number of small copying mistakes it carries as a kind of clock. What those mystery genes might have actually done for the people who carried them, though, is still an open question.

She also connects this to Neanderthal interbreeding, and why some ancient traits stuck around while entire species disappeared. It reframes what carrying "ancient" DNA even means.

Topics: ghost ancestor DNA, ancient DNA technique, Neanderthal, Denisovan, human evolution

GUEST: Dr. Samantha Yammine | http://samanthayammine.com | @‌science.sam

Originally aired on 2026-08-31

Dyson just teased a toothbrush unlike anything currently on the market, combining circular bristles, a high-velocity water jet, and a built-in camera. Kris Abel explains what Dyson Canada has confirmed so far, and why the camera's exact purpose is still anyone's guess.

A Canadian company has also rolled out a robotic arm built specifically for bakeries, designed to take over the decorating process entirely once a design gets sent to it. Kris breaks down how it works and who it's actually built for.

Elsewhere, a hobbyist's experiment involving a dead king crab and a set of robotics has gone viral for reasons that are as unsettling as they sound, and a Tokyo-designed Cyber Barbie brings a very different kind of tech aesthetic into collectible toy shelves.

Topics: Dyson toothbrush, cake decorating robot, robotic crab, Cyber Barbie, tech news

GUEST: Kris Abel | krisabel.com | @realkrisabel

Originally aired on 2026-08-31