Mark and Toddcast

In this exciting all-news episode, we take a look at the dozens of attendees at Idaho's "Heterosexual Awesome Fest," asbestos is back, Washington State's proposed speed laws, Idaho brings back the firing squad, baseball might be coming to Portland, a Star Wars experience at Lloyd Center, a breakthrough for fighting HIV, environmental characteristics turn a male mammal into a female, and much, much more. Enjoy!

Our planned interview fell through for this week, but that gives us an opportunity to catch up on all the news we've been putting off. Come with us as we meander through 250 million bees on the loose, acid leaks and new venues in N. Portland, no more thicc plastic bags, what happens in your brain during an 'a-ha!' moment, RFK Jr.'s "MAHA" report based on non-existent studies, night owls and dementia, a Utah study on trans people finds conservative sponsors of that study wrong, AI resorts to blackmail, and bear cubs raised by people in bear costumes. Enjoy!

With so many so-called "alien encounters" throughout history, has there been any consistency in people's descriptions? This week we dive into the top 5 most recounted alien types who may be living among us right now. Yes, there are lizard people (two kinds!). In the news, Oklahoma forces schools to teach conspiracy theories, Utah bans fluoride, U.S. cities are sinking, life expectancy in the south is now on par with the year 1900, RFK Jr. implores people to not listen to him about medicine and science, who falls for pseudo-intellectual bullshit, and monkeys using leaves as...um..."tools." I want to believe.

This week Todd is joined by Dave Baehler from the NotNerd podcast to plow through the giant pile of news accumulated since our last show. Join us as we dive into AI police robots, RIP Alpenrose Dairy and artificial coloring, Minnesota Republicans introduce vaccine bill written by a hypnotist, Measles Watch 2025, great news for those who love salmonella in their chicken, a deep dive into why conservatives distrust science (even when science agrees with them), a Texas Furry ban, and a happy Hetero Awesome Fest to you and yourn.

Aum Shinrikyo was an active doomsday cult in Japan throughout the 1990s, and were responsible for the Sarin gas attacks on the Japanese subway, and threatened attacks around the world -- including Disneyland, which is where our story intersects with one Dr. RIP VHS. FInd out all about them on this week's show. In the news segment: "Illegal Ideas," Mein Kampf in and Maya Angelou is out at Navy libraries, the "truth decay" of congress, both a womb transplant and sperm transplant (unrelated to each other), AI upends fingerprinting, the moon is drifting away, the "Dire Wolf" situation, and more. Enjoy!

Many of us know about the Mars Opportunity rover currently on Mars, but some may not know about a self-piloting helicopter called Ingenuity that traveled with Opportunity. Designed for 5 flights, it ended up making over 70, collecting all sort of data as well as a proof of concept that a drone helicopter can fly in Mars's atmosphere. Hear Ingenuity's story this week! In our news segment: Wienerschnitzel eyeing Portland, YouTube is almost bigger than Disney, more book bans from people wanting "freedom," the saga of the I5 Uncle Sam Billboard (iykyk), a computer that runs on human neurons, hallucinogenic barbarians, and more! Enjoy this Opportunity.

Most of us know his theorum: a2 + b2 = c2. But few of us knew Pythagoras was the leader of his own cult/religion that lasted centuries -- and BOY did they hate fava beans. Find out more on this week's show. In our news segment: Oregon Children's Theater fails, the measles thrive, the Smithsonian's "Improper Ideology," the founder of Pirate's Booty attempt a coup of his city, sonic weapons, "spare" human bodies, and you'll never guess what happened to the Senator who thought "Trump Derangement Syndrome" should be a thing (you'll probably guess). Enjoy!

As tech companies keep convincing us A.I. is the way of the future, we stop to take a look at what that means for the power consumption necessary to produce results nobody really cares about and wants to avoid anyway. Dust off those nuclear power plants, because A.I. is here to stay regardless of whether we want it. In the news, we discuss federal cuts to protecting our dams, Amazon Echo won't let you record locally, scientists turn light into a solid, bananas that never brown, the Amazon forest gets plowed for climate change, and a dog shoots his owner. Enjoy!

We all know prepared foods and snacks are highly researched and studied to give us exactly what we want, but how do they do that? Are there measurements? When did it all start? Is that why we're all fat now? We'll answer those questions and so much more about the process of "Sensory-Consumer Science." In our news segment, we chat about Space X, Portland losing the "World's Smallest Park" crown, Gen Z is more pro-marriage than Millennials, a new unmanned Navy cruiser, why women age better than men, disappearing butterflies, the Enola "Not Gay," diamonds are forever (in your stomach), and much, much more. Enjoy!

One of the push-backs we often hear from critics of evolution is how unreliable the method of Carbon-14 Dating is. Which is correct. Sort of. But Carbon-14 Dating is far from the only method we use to figure out how old the earth and galaxy around us is, and this week we explore the many different ways we can understand, test, and know the relative age of what's around us. Plus, the most decorated military dog in history, you may die of dysentery, Montana wants to ban vaccines, Trump's meme coin quasi-rug pull, obligatory Elon Musk news, and Utah bans fluoride. What a time to be alive.