x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Strange by Nature Podcast

Strange by Nature

Life is strange, naturally you want to hear about it. Strange by Nature is your guide to the strange, weird and unbelievable side of nature. Professional naturalists present weekly curated stories about just how strange nature can get.

science nature

All Episodes

34:55

The Most Venomous Spider in the World

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/02

Are you ready for another wild episode? This week we have three wonderful stories for you.Kirk goes first with the astounding story of archerfish that not only have an amazing hunting adaptation but researchers just showed they can remember and pick out a human face when presented with over 40 options. Simply stunning. Who said fish have a bad memory? Rachel is up new with an update on one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, the Sydney Funnel Web Spider. The venom can kill a human in as

en

36:13

The Horned Screamer

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/27

Here's your weekly dose of weird.Up first, Victoria revisits slime molds so she can tell us about a truly massive single cell organism. Kirk is up next answers the question, snakes can be venomous but can they be poisonous? We get to the bottom of this sneaky snake question. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com Rachel

en

47:26

The Walking Fish that Climbs Trees!

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/19

Welcome to the beginning of year 5 of the podcast. We're happy to have all of our amazing listeners along for the ride.Rachel kicks things off this year with the bizarre story of a fish that spends more time on land than in water. Welcome to the world of mud skippers. Victoria probes the depths of the ocean to unravel the mystery of Dark Oxygen. This finding has big implications for rare earth mining. Kirk wraps things up this week by asking the question, can frogs see rainbows? The answer may

en

58:20

Whistlepig Waygu?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/12

It's the end of our 4th year doing the show so that means it is time for our annual quiz show! Our Special guest Brett Sieberer is here once again to ask us strange questions that all relate to the past year of the show. Don't worry, your favorite game, "Eat, Ride or Jacket" is back for another round! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

en

40:24

Why is there a Grape Leaf in the Pickle Jar?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/05

Kirk kicks things off the the Medlar, an ancient fruit with a decidedly NSFW nickname. Maybe this one isn't for the kids. Rachel then gets to the bottom of why people put grape leaves in pickle jars. Victoria then bring us the horrifying story of the Loa Loa, otherwise known as the Eye Worm. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

en

45:54

Insect Suicide Defense Bombing

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/26

Victoria starts things off with a bang this week and that bang is ants that explode their bodies releasing a toxic yellow goo epoxy to trap their attackers. It's just...wow.Kirk is up next with the strange case of disappearing stars. There are stars vanishing in the night sky and astronomers aren't sure why. Rachel rounds out this very strange episode with a story about a trapper who gave mouth-to-mouth recessitation to an American Martin. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on

en

40:57

Why is the Titanic Disappearing?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/19

Rachel tells us an astounding fact, the metal of the Titanic is being eaten by bacteria and could collapse in just 6 years.Victoria helpfully lets us know that beautiful beach sand is actually Parrotfish poop. Kirk is up last and he introduces us to the mystery of Fast Radio Bursts from outer space. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

en

47:24

What is the Hot Chocolate Effect?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/12

Kirk gets to start us out this week and he's all ears. Ears are weird but all those shapes actually mean something. Learn how the shape of an animal's ears can tell us about their habitat and behavior.Rachel is up next and she goes on on the ice to tackle the question of why does ice on lakes crack in the winter? It turns out it relates to some of the very strange properties of frozen water. Victoria introduces us to The Hot Chocolate Effect. Did you know that hot water sounds different than cold

en

34:26

Is Urination Contagious?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/05

Victoria is up first with a mystery part of the cell and we have no idea what it does or why it is there but it is inside you right now. Learn more about the strange "Vaults" in our cells.Kirk is second this week and he brings us some new research into the strange social urination of animals. Rachel rounds out the episode with a creature feature on Kangaroo Rats/Kangaroo Mice. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

en

41:46

Why Do We Celebrate Groundhog Day?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/29

On this week's show, Victoria kicks things off with a discussion of Chirality and how the study of the "handedness" of molecules could actually lead to the creation of completely new forms of life. It's a bizarre thought experiment with very real and dangerous consequences.Rachel brings us a creature feature, the fish-scaled gecko. This strange creature has an amazing defense mechanism that is both fascinating and gross. Kirk ends things with a salute to Groundhog Day and he dives into the possible

en

01:04:27

Weird Animal Defenses

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/22

On this week's show 2/3 of us talk about animal defenses.Kirk starts us off with the Giant Vinegaroon, an acid shooting whip scorpion. Rachel then also talks defenses with the Fulmar, a bird that covers enemies with stinking projectile vomit. Victoria takes us in an all new direction by talking about Left-handedness. Thanks for joining us this week! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us:

en

34:31

Surprise! Defensive Genitalia

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/15

Victoria kicks things of this week with a fascinating new study on Potter wasps showing that the males actually can defensively "sting" even though they don't have a classic stinger. If you are a fan of defensive genitalia, this story's for you!Kirk keeps it with insects and defense this week and tells us a bit about the irritating hairs of caterpillars, how some of them have toxins and and how they can get into your eyes. No thanks. Rachel takes us to a small island off the coast of Yemen to

en

39:51

The Immortal Jellyfish

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/08

Rachel takes us to the zoo to meet a Lyre Bird. Sure, they are found in the wild too but this one learned to reproduce the evacuation alarm for the entire zoo. Good times. Learn more about these amazing birds.Victoria this week brings us, The Immortal Jellyfish. This strange creature can reverse age and then start life all over again. There doesn't seem to be a limit so potentially it could live forever. Scientists are studying it to learn more about aging and how stem cells work. Kirk wraps up

en

40:00

Bone Eating Worms

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/01

Hey Everyone, it is our first show of 2025!Kirk starts us off this week with a medical mystery from Australia. Can Victoria guess what it is? Spoiler, it is the Paralysis Tick! Rachel (no surprise here) takes us to the bottom of the ocean to lean about a strange bone eating worm that feasts on dead whales. Victoria also takes us underwater this week to Doggerland, a hidden submerged world at the bottom of the North Sea that used to be dry land and home to humans during the last ice age. Join us

en

36:56

Mammals Can Breathe through their Butts?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/12/26

Welcome to another exciting week of weird. Victoria starts off this week's show with the story of an Ignobel prize wining study showing that mammals can breathe through their butts. Kirk then takes us to the ocean to learn about animals that can drink saltwater without dying like us humans would. Rachel rounds out this week by returning again into the ocean to introduce us to the bizarre looking antarctic scale worm. It is beautiful and awful all at once. Perfect, just how we like it right? Join

en

29:07

Can Plants Hear Water?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/12/18

This week Rachel brings us the Bumblebee Bat which by some measures is the smallest mammal in the world. It weighs the same as two skittles candies.Kirk then describes some fascinating research that the authors claim shows plants can actually hear running water and send their roots toward it. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

en

43:01

Shocking Facts about Electric Eels

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/12/11

Welcome to Episode 200. Thanks for being along on the ride.Victoria brings us the mysterious tale of Red Sprites. They sound like mythical creates but they are really a bizarre and beautiful atmospheric phenomenon related to powerful thunderstorms. Kirk is up next to tell us about the Mexican Mole Lizard. This strange creature scares locals so badly they have colorful tales about it attacking you while you go to the bathroom and devouring you from the inside. Rest assured, they are actually

en

37:26

Solar Powered Hornets!

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/12/04

We're almost to 200 episodes! Hold your horses though, we have one more episode here in ONEderland.This week, Kirk brings us a completely bizarre story about a possible solar powered hornet. Is the Oriental Hornet really solar powered? Kirk dives into the details. Rachel then introduces us to the largest whale in the world, the Blue Whale. The animal is so hard to understand size-wise that she has to resort to some absolutely strange comparisons. Which body part weighs as much as a bumper car

en

42:27

The Undertaker Bird

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/11/27

We've got a full episode this week to get some of you though family time on Thanksgiving. Put in the ear buds and enjoy some anti-social you time. Rachel kicks us off with the fascinating story of a long-long extinct plant brought back to live with an ancient seed found on an archeological dig. Only problem is, we aren't 100% sure what it is. Victoria then untangles the issue of intersex. Sure, there are people with XX or XY chromosomes, but what happens when you get different combinations than

en

33:33

Introducing Killer Wasps to Save Birds

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/11/20

This week, Kirk takes us back to the end of the dinosaur age and how the asteroid impact may have set up just the right conditions to create the world's first farmers. Ants, it turns out, beat humans to the idea of agriculture by about 65 million years. Rachel then takes us to one of the most remote islands in the world, Nightingale Island, to hear about the amazing effort going to to save the endemic Wilkins's Bunting. It is a monumental task that included saving forests by raising and introducing

en

258 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter