The Mystery of Coal

In the 80s, a pair of psychologists theorized why being part of a group can change people’s thoughts and feelings, both about themselves and other people. It sounds dry, but SIT explains everything from how people justify genocide to football rivalries.See omnystudio.com/listener ...  Show more

Japanese nuclear worker Hisashi Ouchi is often called on the internet “the world’s most radioactive man.” That’s not exactly true, but it gets the point across about how severe the fatal dose of radiation he received was.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Traditionalists consider the real Black Country to only include the region just west of Birmingham where the 30ft coal seam comes to the surface - a product of once living trees, compressed and buried for millions of years, returning to the surface like an irrepressible secret.  Show more

Coal: filthy, dangerous, and vital to Britain’s economy — but not any more. What did coal mining really mean to people? And why is coal so key to the biggest issues in politics — from the founding of the NHS, to Thatcherism, and even the issue of who should take the blame for the ...  Show more

Carbon dating is a way of determining the age of organic matter up to 50,000 years old. But how does it work? Listen in as Allison and Robert explore the uses of carbon dating, as well as the controversial artifacts dated by this method.

It might surprise you to learn that the oldest raging fires on Earth are actually underground. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the world of eternal flames and coal seam fires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.