Podcast Episodes

The era of slim clothing is over

Episode 801

Today's story: Skinny jeans and tight-fitting clothes are out, and loose, oversized fashion is in. The shift is driven by comfort after the pandemic, greater body inclusivity, and a wave of 1990s nos…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago

‘Coldplay couple’ in a viral nightmare

Episode 800

Today's story: A playful concert tradition took a serious turn when Coldplay’s “Jumbotron Song” captured an embrace between a tech CEO and his HR director. The viral video ignited a nationwide scanda…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago

How prescription drugs get their names [archive episode]

Episode 557

Xoloft, Ibrance, Zocor, Mounjaro: How do drug companies come up with these names? That's exactly what we explored in this classic episode of Plain English.

When a pharmaceutical company develops a new…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

What it’s like to stare at a painting for a full hour [archive episode]

Episode 497

It can be hard to focus on one thing for an extended period of time. An art class at Harvard takes this to the extreme. All students get an assignment during the class. They have to go to a museum an…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Egypt’s long-awaited mega-museum nears completion

Episode 799

Today's story: After years of delays, Cairo’s Grand Egypt Museum is finally nearing completion. The massive museum will house over 100,000 artifacts from Ancient Egypt, including more than 5,000 item…

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

The poison mushroom and Australia’s sensational murder trial

Episode 798

Today's story: Erin Patterson invited her estranged husband’s family to lunch and served them beef wellington. But her guests soon got sick, and doctors discovered the recipe had been made with poiso…

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

Cities are getting that sinking feeling

Episode 797

Today's story: Cities around the world are sinking due to a combination of groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, and the weight of large buildings. This phenomenon, called subsidence, can damag…

Published on 2 months, 4 weeks ago

Microsoft’s ‘Blue Screen of Death’ is going away

Episode 796

Today's story: For decades, white text on a full blue background has meant one thing to Windows users: the computer has crashed and needs to be restarted. The screen was splashed across display board…

Published on 3 months ago

Alberta flirts with separation from Canada

Episode 795

Today's story: The western province of Alberta is moving toward a vote of independence from Canada. Polls show that only about 30 percent of residents truly want to break away. However, the growing i…

Published on 3 months ago

What citizenship do you get at birth?

Episode 794

Today's story: 'Birthright citizenship' is the legal concept that grants citizenship to children born within a country's borders, no matter the nationality of their parents. The modern version starte…

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago