In this episode, Yackety Science reports on the recent glut of space telescopes. The team discusses cutting edge science from the 2026 Ig Nobel Awards–everything from the mechanics of kissing to the milking of cockroaches. In his chemical minute, Matt prescribes manganese as the cure for managing manhood misery. And finally, for the second installment of Ourobookos, the Yackety Science Book Club, Matt and Brian consider all of the apocalyptic bounces, rips, and crunches described in Katie Mack’s The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking).

Got a question, comment, or correction? Yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com. And please follow us on Spotify, Instagram (@yacketysciene), Facebook (Yackety Science), and YouTube (@YacketyScience).

Episode Art: Photo composite by Brian Cross using elements from Anne-Lise Reinsfelt, Sophie Hugon, and Glueball.

Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessedthrough FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Production help provided by Scott Gregory.

Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa,Kendall Hall, University of Tulsa, and at the Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.

Links:

Space Telescopes

● Roman Space Telescope: ⁠https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/⁠ ARRAKIHS: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_adopts_galactic_archaeology_mission_Arrakihs

2026 Ignobel Awards

● Cockroach Milk: ⁠https://daily.jstor.org/got-cockroach-milk/⁠

● Building a Better Urinal: https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/4/pgaf087/8098745?login=true

● Biomechanics of Kissing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513825001370?via%3Dihub

NIST’s Atomic Clock

● https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/time-realization/cesium-fountain-atomic-clocks

Ourobookos, A Yackety Science Book Club

Book Selection: The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack

“. . . a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.”

In this episode of Yackety Science, we delve into dodgy French raccoon lore, count up the cost of measles misinformation, and check in on the latest, fastest and most explosive developments at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games. We travel up the Congo River in search of pretty primates, and reflect on the shiniest of all elements. And finally, we talk giant squids and lone wolves with Gaelle Beau of the Natural History Museum of LeHavre, France.

Got a question, comment, or correction? Yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com. And please follow us on Spotify, Instagram (@yacketysciene), Facebook (Yackety Science), and YouTube (@YacketyScience).

Episode Art: Photo by Frankfurt Zoological Society. Modified by Brian Cross.

Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Production help provided by Scott Gregory.

Our guest this episode is Gaelle Beau, zoological and botanical collections manager at the Natural History Museum of Le Havre, France.

Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa, Kendall Hall, University of Tulsa, and at the Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.

Links:

European Raccoons

• The controversial story of the North American raccoons wreaking havoc in Germany by Matthew Ponsford (BBC; 16 August 2026)

2nd World Humanoid Robot Games

• Faster, higher, funnier: what we learned from China’s robot games by Robert Booth (The Guardian; Aug. 29, 2026)

Measles Outbreaks and Vaccinations

• U.S. Measles Tracker

• The Executive Order on Childhood Vaccine Recommendations: What’s in It, What It Means, and What Comes Next

  
  

New Colobus Monkey

• Likweli: A remarkable new species of Colobus monkey from the Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Hart JA, Amboko JD, Arenson JL, Horton ER, Coates KF, et al. (2026) Likweli: A remarkable new species of Colobus monkey from the Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. PLOS ONE 21(7): e0349857.

• Mysterious orange-lipped monkey discovered deep in the Congo rainforest is a new species. (Science; 15 Jul 2026) by Yejin Lhee.

  
  

The Natural History Museum of LeHavre

• Natural History Museum of LeHavre

• Naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur

Ourobookos, A Yackety Science Book Club

Next Book Selection: The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack

“. . . a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.”

In this offering of Yackety Science, Uncle Doctor Traveling Matt reports on his excursion to the Land of Ice and Fire. What is the difference between Pāhoehoe and ‘A‘ā lava? How do you predict the next eruption and thus avoid being dispatched by Pāhoehoe and ‘A‘ā? How do glaciers (and ice skaters) actually move? What creature showed up in Iceland for the first time in 2025? How do you pronounce the word narwhal? How long can Matt talk about Vanadium batteries? Find out the answers to all of these Icelandic questions and more on the latest episode of Yackety Science.

Got a question, comment, or correction? Yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com. And please follow us on Spotify, Instagram (@yacketysciene), Facebook (Yackety Science), and YouTube (@YacketyScience).

Episode Art: Photo by Matt Smith. Modified by Brian Cross.

Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Production help provided by Scott Gregory.

Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa, Kendall Hall, University of Tulsa, and at the Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.

Links:

Geology of Iceland

• Natural Science Institute of Iceland (https://www.natt.is/en/geology)

Predicting Volcanic Eruptions:

• FJiaxuan Li et al. Minute-scale dynamics of recurrent dike intrusions in Iceland with fiber-optic geodesy. Science 388,1189-1193(2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adu0225

Moskítófluga (Mosquitoes in Iceland):

• The Arctic’s growing mosquito problem. Sciencen392,235-235(2026). DOI:10.1126/science.aeh9505

Marine Heat Waves and Their Effects

• Karl Michael Werner et al. Major heat wave in the North Atlantic had widespread and lasting impacts on marine life. Sci. Adv.12 ,eadt7125(2026). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adt7125

  
  

Ourobookos, A Yackety Science Book Club

Next Book Selection:

The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack

“. . . a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.”