Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies

In this series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the vast North American grasslands of which poet William Cullen Bryant wrote, “These are the gardens of the desert, these the unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, for which the speech of England has no name — ...  Show more

In this classic episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Joe and guest host J.J. disucss Quentin Dupieux's 2019 film "Deerskin," starring Jean Dujardin and Adèle Haenel. (originally published 7/18/2025)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Ventriloquism – where a skilled performer “throws” their voice, making it seem like a dummy on their knee is talking – has taken a long, circuitous road from early prophets, to witches, then finally to the stage. Get to the bottom of this uncanny trick.

Why do we humans seem to be so easily influenced or even fooled? On one hand this can be done for entertainment, in a Las Vegas stage magic show for example, but on another it can be used for more nefarious purposes such as con artists tricking people into sharing their bank acco ...  Show more

Why does magic fool us so easily? Is our perception of reality just an illusion? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Gary O’Reilly explore the neuroscience behind magic with magician Teller (of Penn & Teller) and neuroscientist Susana Martinez-Conde.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons ...

On today’s episode of BeerSos, You and Nico attend Dr. Zhu’s Manipulation 101 class. Dr. Zhu, a retired professional manipulator turned professor, puts you in the headspace of a manipulator and exposes all their tactics.

We hope you enjoy it!

<a rel="payme ...