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Part-Time Genius

@parttimegenius.bsky.social
125 followers 136 following 97 posts

Fascinating facts and curious corners of the world, from Will and Mango, the guys who started Mental Floss. New episodes weekly, in all the podcast places. Call our hotline with questions, ideas, and/or puns: (302) 405-5925.

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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today's episode came out a bit late because it got stuck in the podcast tube, but it's here now, and it's all about places you can't go! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
9 Places You Can't Go - Part-Time Genius
Want to visit a beautiful lake in Canada? How about a stunning historic mountain in Greece? Or an island full of adorable monkeys? Well, too bad… you can’t! Enjoy sitting at home while Mango and produ...
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Brian Jay Jones @brianjayjones.com · 24/09/2026
Jim Henson would have been 90 (yup, you read that right: NINETY) years old today. You can celebrate his life by celebrating creativity, diversity, peace, imagination, and silliness.
A tuxedoed Jim Henson sits in a sea of Muppets.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you love wildlife biology and pop culture nostalgia, boy have we got a podcast episode for you! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
Could a Real Cheetah Sing with the Cheetah Girls? - Part-Time Genius
Cheetahs are fast, endangered, and surprisingly multi-talented. Not only are they great vocalists, they’re also artistic muses, spokesmodels, and TikTok chefs (sort of). It’ll all make sense after Man...
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Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
📉 The only way for humanity to solve its environmental problems may be to abandon our quest for continual economic expansion. It’s time to study what a future of degrowth might look like, some researchers say. Read Bob Holmes' 2019 interview with enviro scientist @giorgoskallis.bsky.social:
knowablemagazine.org
Looking for economic prosperity without growth
The only way for humanity to solve its environmental problems may be to abandon our quest for continual economic expansion. It’s time to study what a future of degrowth might look like, some…
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
nice day to be reading about cheetahs #cheetahs
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Get in loser*, we're going bog snorkeling. *Winner. You're all winners in our book. omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
9 Weird Championships You Can Win! - Part-Time Genius
Are you a careful observer of seagulls? Do you have a passion for paddling in shallow, murky water? Could you spend an entire month circling the same city block? Do you like oatmeal? If you answered ‘...
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 14/07/2026
OMG there are so many bears on #bearcam rn explore.org/livecams/bro...
many brown bears at a waterfall
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Erin L. Thompson @artcrimeprof.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
At the @nychistory.bsky.social for the reenactment of the toppling of the statue of George III by New Yorkers who’d just listened to the Declaration of Independence. T minus 20. Historically accurate “getting pumped by listening to a drum and fife” is happening.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Would it be nice to relax on an idyllic Greek island? Yes. Will doing so make you live forever? Probably not. This week, PTG teams up with Mangesh's other show, Skyline Drive, to investigate the story behind Blue Zones. omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
What Are Blue Zones?
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This week: a deep dive into milk! Food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson tells the terrible story of swill milk, producer Mary chugs three glasses of A2 milk in the name of science, and we discover the surprising auteur behind the first Got Milk ads. Plus: potato milk?? omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
We Got Milk… But Why? - Part-Time Genius
When did humans develop a taste for other animals’ milk, and how did dairy go from being a public health threat to a daily cereal topping? Why are some people lactose intolerant, while others chug mil...
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American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · 25/06/2026
🚨Research alert! For decades, scientists have puzzled over an evolutionary mystery: Why are bird eggs so large? A new study led by researchers at the Museum and Princeton University suggests that the key lies not in body size, but in brain size. Read more.👇
amnh.link
Why Do Birds Lay Such Big Eggs? | AMNH
New research finds that birds, the only living dinosaurs, evolved larger eggs as their brains got bigger.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The English alphabet! You're looking at it right now, but do you know where it came from? We sat down with the wonderful @dannybate.com to talk about his new book, "Why Q Needs U"! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
Where Did the Alphabet Come From? with Danny Bate! - Part-Time Genius
Why is Z the last letter of the English alphabet (and why do British people insist on calling it zed)? Who stuck a tail on C and called it G? And is there a reason why the I in ‘child’ and ‘children’ ...
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Nobody does it like Belgium, the country that put Tintin and the Smurfs on its passports
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Not an astrophysicist, but I'm going to say the answer to this question is clearly yes
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Jaime Green @jaimealyse.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The brilliant @xkcd.com, Randall Munroe, is guest editor for this year's BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE AND NATURE WRITING from @marinerbooks.bsky.social, and folks, it's a beauty lithub.com/here-are-the...
lithub.com
Here are the new covers and guest editors for the 2026 Best American Series.
For decades, Mariner Books has stewarded The The Best American Series®, a literary institution that began in 1915 with Best American Short Stories, to your bookshelves. But just in case you’re stum…
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
This is so delightful!
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The Herd House @theherdhouse.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
May the Fourth be with you! #StarWars I proudly present: Darth Vader, Ben Kenobi, Princess Sia, an Ewok and a Wookie. #DogsOfBlueSky
Dogs. James Earl Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sia, barry Allen and Owen Wilson. Dressed in the appropriate costumes for the appropriate names and for the appropriate sizes.
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American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · 28/04/2026
If you need to see a tiny snail today, meet the black gloss snail. 🐌 Found across the Northern Hemisphere, this gastropod's shell typically reaches ~0.2 in (.5 cm) in diameter—smaller than a penny. It feeds on decaying leaves, fruit, and mushrooms. Photo: elwinham, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
A photo of a tiny black gloss on a human finger, highlighting the snail’s miniscule size.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
ICYMI: On Sundays we're sharing episodes from Mangesh's other show, Skyline Drive. (Not to brag, but Apple called it one of their favorite shows of all time!) It's about astrology. Kinda. It's also about family, grief, identity, and yes, it's funny too. Check it out! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
Skyline Drive: It’s Supposed to Be Fun - Part-Time Genius
Hey PTG fans, Mangesh (aka Mango) has another show, Skyline Drive! On Sundays we’ll be sharing episodes from season 1 right here, so you can get excited for season 2, which drops in June. Skyline Dri...
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
We have some burning #milk questions for an upcoming episode: -Do you, or did you ever, drink straight-up dairy milk with meals? -If you don't do dairy, what's your preferred plant milk and why?
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Hello? HELLO? omny.fm/shows/part-t...
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Are Pay Phones Making a Comeback? - Part-Time Genius
How did an ailing Connecticut wife inspire the pay phone? Why did thousands of people flock to the Mojave Desert just to use one? And do people really talk for longer when they know someone else is wa...
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Trash grabber enthusiast/producer Mary here: this is so delightful, and as I've said before on the show, get yourself a trash grabber! They cost $15ish and the payoff is endless. I bet there's some trash on your block or in your local park right now, just waiting for you.
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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
asking the big questions in my ornithology course
the weekly themes for my class: "What is a bird?" (parts 1 and 2, because we have a weird July 4th schedule) "How birds work", "How to be a bird", "The birds and the...well, more birds", and "what can we do for birds?"
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Today on the show: the difference between plaid and tartan, and other surprising facts from Scotland. omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
How to Make a Scottish Tartan (Without Going to Scotland!) - Part-Time Genius
What unique title do you earn if you climb Scotland’s tallest mountains? How is the Scots language being preserved? What’s the deep, dark secret behind bagpipes? And most important, do you support Wil...
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Here's a little spoiler for tomorrow's episode... #bagpipes
Screenshot of an email that reads: "Thank you for this! I'm going to be out tomorrow so wanted to get this back to you sooner rather than later. Bagpipes, indeed!"
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Jeremy Lockwood @valdosaurus.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
For #FossilFriday a little pinecone still preserved in 3D after 125million years. Early Cretaceous Wessex Fm #IsleofWight
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Emanuel Maiberg @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
after much deliberation and giving AI the benefit of the doubt, Wikipedia editors have had enough of AI slop. New policy bans LLM generated content, periodt www.404media.co/wikipedia-ba...
404media.co
Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Content
“In recent months, more and more administrative reports centered on LLM-related issues, and editors were being overwhelmed.”
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Fantastic news! 🦋🦋 Link to full report in 🧵 www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories...
worldwildlife.org
Monarch butterfly population increases 64%
Two new reports estimate a 64% increase in species population and a significant decrease in forest degradation in the butterfly's winter home
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Today we're uncovering the secrets of The Legend of Zelda, from the real-world inspirations to the technical breakthroughs that helped bring the games to life. Plus: Why IS Link so darn handsome? #legendofzelda omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
Is The Legend of Zelda the Perfect Video Game? - Part-Time Genius
Strap on your sword and grab your ocarina, because today we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda! Join Mango and Gabe as they uncover the secrets of Nintendo's landmark fantasy s...
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Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
🗃️ If it doesn't already exist, someone needs to do a comparative cultural analysis of cow names through the ages
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Heisenberg & Schrödinger get pulled over for speeding. Cop: D'you know how fast you were driving? Heisenberg: No but I know exactly where I am. Cop: It was 118mph. H: Thanks, now I'm lost. Cop [inspects car, opens boot]: Were you aware there's a dead cat back here? Schrödinger [angrily]: We are now!
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Interestingly, many of these principles also apply to spreadsheets (and spreadsheet-like apps) used for podcast production management.
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My Modern Met @mymodernmet.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
These are the winning images of the 2026 British Wildlife Photography Awards. trib.al/r5SWXve
trib.al
Striking Scene of a Toad Swimming Across a Pond Wins the 2026 British Wildlife Photography Awards
Each image is a reminder of why woodlands, wetlands, and other ecosystems are vital.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Not sure what this says about me, but my first thought was that the bird was delicately cleaning the wolf's teeth, because wolves can't floss.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Tag yourself, I'm top row middle. #DolphinAwarenessMonth
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Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 11/03/2026
ME: *taking a pic of the Moon" PHONE CAMERA: Move back to improve focus.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Hell yeah, got a write up in Billy Penn about the @wednightrides.org @skypeascientist.bsky.social collab. Cyclists chucked seed bombs in abandoned lots last week. Wholesome as hell. Read more here: billypenn.com/2026/03/11/p...
billypenn.com
Cyclists scatter ‘seed bombs’ around North Philly to help native species thrive
We joined Wednesday Night Rides and Skype a Scientist to help boost biodiversity in Philadelphia.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Am... am I a raccoon?
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Pop quiz: We have passport photos because... a) It's good to be humble when we travel b) Big Photography has lobbyists c) A German spy pulled a fast one on the U.S. embassy in Berlin during WWI The answer's in today's episode! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
What’s the Best Passport to Carry? (And Why Do We Carry Passports?) - Part-Time Genius
Travel identification has taken many forms over the years, from stone tablets to an exhausting process that involved posting your itinerary on a church door. But how did we arrive at the standardized ...
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Hannah Waters @hanner.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
“It’s a thing of enormous beauty. ...It’s marvelous. It’s a wonder. … It’s phenomenal.” Behold the nuclear pore complex in all its messy glory - Fabulous @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social piece: www.quantamagazine.org/disorder-dri...
quantamagazine.org
Disorder Drives One of Nature’s Most Complex Machines | Quanta Magazine
Every second, hundreds to thousands of molecules move through thousands of nuclear pores in each of your cells. A new high-definition view reveals the machine in action.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
We're not getting into the squirrel-rating business (all squirrels are 10/10 unless they're chewing our power lines), but, wow, that's an exceptionally cute squirrel
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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
One spot. Two paddles. A square ball, net, and score. That’s it.
lithub.com
The Very First Video Game Was Just a Box in the Corner of a Bar
A revolution was televised in 1972. It cost beer drinkers 25¢ a play. After work, thirsty folks rambled into Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, CA to knock back frothy, cool mugs and test their skill…
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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Please enjoy the single most amazing quote from a paleontologist I have ever read: “The animal literally cemented itself—and its nether regions—into eternal history like the movie stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...
scientificamerican.com
This may be the oldest ‘butthole’ imprint on Earth
Fossils show exceptionally rare evidence of a cloacal vent—the slit that most vertebrates use to excrete, have sex and lay egg—which could shed light on the evolution of the orifice
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Jonas Wisser @jwisser.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 05/03/2025
The Scottish have won the AI Wars.
A screenshot of Google's AI Overview answer to the question "is haggis an animal". It says "Yes, the haggis is a small, furry mammal native to Scotland" and goes on to give the typical "asymmetrical legs" details.
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
It took a minute, but we finally turned this post into an episode. #nuts omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
9 Nutty Facts About Hard-Shelled Fruit - Part-Time Genius
Why did people start (and stop) dyeing pistachios red? How do thieves pull off high-stakes nut heists? What’s up with the coconut that looks like a butt? And why do so many members of the PTG team hav...
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Today, March 2, is the official 2026 Part-Time Genius Habit Change Fresh Start Day! Forget everything that came before. Today's a blank slate, a brand-new you. Let us know what habits you'd like to break (or create), and we'll keep you posted on Will's candy habit! omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
What’s the Best Way to Break a Bad Habit? - Part-Time Genius
Why is it so hard to stop oversleeping and eating candy? Why is it equally hard to start going to the gym and preparing healthy snacks? If you’ve been struggling with New Year’s resolutions, you’re no...
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Meesh @cookiedoves.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
(commission) chibi sparrows doing a big winter dig 🌰🍂🍃
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Couldn't have said it better myself
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Part-Time Genius @parttimegenius.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
If there's a habit you've been meaning to break (or make), today's episode is for you. We dive into the science of why habits are so tenacious, and the brilliant @katymilkman.bsky.social shares advice for making real change stick. (Hint: don't just "just do it.") omny.fm/shows/part-t...
omny.fm
What’s the Best Way to Break a Bad Habit? - Part-Time Genius
Why is it so hard to stop oversleeping and eating candy? Why is it equally hard to start going to the gym and preparing healthy snacks? If you’ve been struggling with New Year’s resolutions, you’re no...
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