Best Ellen Weatherford Podcasts (2024)

1
Freaky Mermaids, "REAL" Dragons, and Trace's Evil Twin| feat Ellen Weatherford (Just the Zoo of Us) 2:17:23

1h ago2:17:23

2:17:23

Description 🎶 Game of Thrones theme 🎶 DRA-GONS. WHAT ARE DRAG-ONS? LET US KNOWWWWWW OR MER-MAIDS. FRICKIN’ MER-MAIDS… HOW THEY GOOOOO? PLUS JUUUU-LIAN WANTS TO CHECK ON MIRROR TRAAAACE HE THINKS, THIS MIRROR TRACE MIGHT BE EVIL TRAAAAAACE! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 Today in Pod 48 Ellen Weatherford from “Just The Zoo of Us” (family friendly) and “Spellbound and Gagge…

1
253: Dung Beetles & Giant Moray Eel 1:04:16

1d ago1:04:16

1:04:16

Ellen gets the ball rolling with dung beetles & Christian jaws away about the giant moray eel. We discuss tiny boots, field trips to the planetarium, The Mummy (1999), secret jaws, why moray eels make that face, teamwork on the reef, fact checking The Little Mermaid, and more. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our web…

1
Exploding Three Ways (Yikes) 1:13:01

34m ago1:13:01

1:13:01

Welcome to episode 48. Are you allergic to cats? When you visit friends does their cat seem to know (somehow) and roll up on you even though you’re ignoring it?! “WTF CAT. YOU’RE LITERALLY MURDERING ME,” you think intensely while sipping your white wine. “Wait, does the cat… KnOW?!” Trace pours himself a glass of that crisp white, and digs into the…

1
Volcanos. Tornadoes. Nuclear Waste… This is Fine. 1:24:05

13d ago1:24:05

1:24:05

For this episode Julian and Trace tackled the very uplifting and shiny topics of tornados and nuclear waste. No worries y’all! Everything here is so great! We’re not trying to lift giant building with natural disasters! No way! We’re not attempting to create a wild atomic disaster by throwing waste into an active volcano! HAHA Who would do that?! C…

1
Bugs Need Heroes: The Painbow 1:32:00

31m ago1:32:00

1:32:00

We're out traveling this week! In the meantime, please enjoy this episode of Bugs Need Heroes, in which Ellen joined hosts Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman to settle a debate: are shrimps bugs? Are mantis shrimps shrimps? We discuss how they may or may not be turning into crabs and what they might think of sunsets. Tangents include Godzilla, weddin…

1
Two Butts. No Bones. Thriving. | Feat. Ben Bowlin 1:44:17

16d ago1:44:17

1:44:17

In episode 45 Julian deconstructs the human experience without our boney scaffold, Trace calculates the detriment (or delight?) of doubling the derriere, and our guest Ben Bowlin (from iHeart Radio’s Ridiculous History, Stuff they Don’t Want You to Know) sings the praises of the American accent. QUESTIONS Julian: "What if humans no bones?" from Fab…

1
252: Andean Condor w/ Kai Gómez D'hers! 49:35

5d ago49:35

49:35

Join Ellen & special guest, biodiversity champion Kai Gómez D'hers, for a journey through the skies of Argentina on some of the biggest wings in the world. We’re talking about the important role of scavengers as nature’s sanitation engineers, the cascading impacts of poison on entire ecosystems, how communities can work together to make ecological …

1
Photosynthetic Nudists and Solving Problems with Copious Amounts of Seawater 1:21:12

12d ago1:21:12

1:21:12

Trace returns to find out if humans could take the green stuff from plants and make enough energy to live. meanwhile, Julian tries to understand if a wild idea would solve anything… Anything at all? QUESTIONS Julian: “What if you filled the grand canyon with ocean water? Would that solve anything?” from Roman Trace combines two questions: “What if …

1
251: Gila Monster & Indian Peacock 1:02:05

12d ago1:02:05

1:02:05

Christian chews on the Gila monster & Ellen struts her stuff with the Indian peacock. We discuss Christian's Duolingo streak, lizard venom, yet another hot take from Charles Darwin, how to haze a peacock, and so much more. Real G's move in silence like the Gila monster. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website! F…

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10: The Funcanny Valley w/ Tom Lum 1:09:04

26d ago1:09:04

1:09:04

Why do we feel so weird when robots look a little too much like humans? How have artists navigated the uncanny valley - whether narrowly avoiding it or intentionally plunging into the psychological trench? Ellen & guest, science communicator Tom Lum, ride the zombie train right into the uncanny valley. Links: Follow Tom on TikTok, Instagram and You…

1
Radioactive Bunnies & Infinite-Sided Dice | feat. Nora Bailey 1:11:02

19d ago1:11:02

1:11:02

This week astrophysicist Dr Nora Bailey joins Julian roll a set of huge, spherical dice on the future of irradiated bunnies in mech suits. Yes this is a real question. Does this sound like an episode of that Morty show to you? Me too. QUESTIONS Julian: "What is the maximum number faces you can fit on a die before it becomes a sphere?" from Aaron No…

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250: Rhinoceros Hornbill w/ Sarah Skebba! 50:10

27d ago50:10

50:10

Join Ellen & wildlife educator Sarah Skebba for a review of a modern-day dinosaur with some pretty extreme approaches to life: the rhinoceros hornbill. We’re talking about bizarre beaks with built-in resonance chambers, the most unpleasant nesting situation I have ever heard of, how zoos are helping conserve endangered birds in the wild, and so muc…

1
Hiccuping Chickens & Wheeled Wildlife | feat. Sophie Shrand 1:10:29

1M ago1:10:29

1:10:29

This week’s guest host *hic* Sophie Shrand *hic* explores the silly spasm of *hic* hiccuping. Meanwhile, Julian attempts to understand why evolution didn’t re-invent the wheel. QUESTIONS Sophie: "Do animals other than humans hiccup?" from Hillary Julian: "Why don't we seem to see any animals that have evolved wheels?" from Jade Do you have an absur…

1
249: Seahorses & Raccoons 1:01:07

1M ago1:01:07

1:01:07

Ellen gets back in the saddle with seahorses & Christian goes dumpster diving with raccoons. We discuss why seahorses are the chameleons of the ocean, how males give birth, corn etiquette, a surprisingly common myth about America's most iconic furry bandits, and so much more. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our webs…

1
Either You Iocaine or You 1-0-can’t 1:16:31

2M ago1:16:31

1:16:31

In this episode, it's a battle of (nit)wits! Trace discovers the deadly truth about poison immunity while Julian figures out how to make the worst numbering system imaginable. Questions Julian: "Can you still do maths using a unary (base 1) numeral system?" from Mason Trace: "How long would it have taken Westley to build up his immunity to iocaine …

1
248: Hammerhead Sharks w/ Jasmin Graham! 45:05

1M ago45:05

45:05

Ellen & special guest, marine biologist Jasmin Graham, review some of the coolest, cutest and sometimes the goofiest sharks in the ocean: hammerheads. We discuss what it’s like to study sharks in the wild, shark evolution and the huge questions scientists still have about it, the puppiest shark, and so much more. Links: Pre-order Jasmin's book, Sha…

1
It's Like Rocket Science, But Dumber 1:24:55

1M ago1:24:55

1:24:55

When Trace was a kid he was a sleepwalker. His parents closed the door to his bedroom. They heard him bonking against the door over and over. They love to tell this story. Now I'm telling you! Sleepwalking is weird, right? Are we the only ones who do that? Julian looks into it. Plus, as long as we’re wondering things … have you ever wondered if you…

1
247: Sand Boas & Black-Capped Chickadee 55:38

1M ago55:38

55:38

Christian keeps an eye out for sand boas & Ellen clears her cache with black-capped chickadees. We discuss googly eyes, troubleshooting reptile poop, skin of Theseus, borbs, inventory management, brain barcodes and factory resets, and so much more. Links: Report beak deformities to the Alaska Science Center For more information about us & our podca…

1
9: Sex, Drugs, and Rocket Fuel 39:36

2M ago39:36

39:36

Who is the mysteriously unnamed "rocket enthusiast" behind the founding of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory? Ashley uncovers the story of rocket engineer Jack Parsons and his relationship to space, occultism, sex rituals, L. Ron Hubbard, and more. Links: Follow Ashley on Threads and check out her podcast Taboo Science! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Follo…

1
Filthy Witches and Body Blimps 1:14:46

2M ago1:14:46

1:14:46

This episode Trace travels to the magical land of Oz. It’s disgusting. Meanwhile Julian is going to meet him there as soon as he can fill his head with 7 cement trucks' worth of gas. **QUESTIONS** Julian: "If you were to blow up a person like a balloon, how big would we need to get before we can fly under our own power?" from Isaiah Trace: "How unc…

1
246: Giant Pacific Octopus w/ Sy Montgomery! 45:36

2M ago45:36

45:36

join Ellen & special guest, naturalist and author of Secrets of the Octopus Sy Montgomery, for a look into the life and mind of some of the ocean’s most mystifying aliens: the giant Pacific octopus. We discuss an octopus’s least favorite texture, what happens when an arm goes rogue, the underwater city of Octopolis, how to make interspecies friends…

1
245: Hermit Crab & Flamingo 1:10:14

2M ago1:10:14

1:10:14

Ellen comes out of her shell with hermit crabs & Christian is tickled pink by flamingos. In this week's beach episode, we discuss vacancy chains, shell economies, crustacean diss tracks, Florida postcards, and making new enemies in a flamboyance. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website! Follow Just the Zoo of Us…

1
Reach for the Neutron Stargate 1:00:15

2M ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Science agrees: black holes are really cool. TAPE listener Robert, on the other hand, disagrees with science, and thinks their slightly-less-dense-but-still-absurdly-dense cousins known as Neutron Stars are cooler. He’s decided to pet one. Julian explores the smorgasbord of ways he would probably die horribly if he tried. Meanwhile Trace geeks out …

1
DnD Pee and Chickpea TNT 57:41

2M ago57:41

57:41

This week Trace’s quest for answers takes him to a magical fantasy land of wizards, frozen keys, and bodily fluids. Meanwhile Julian discovers that there are about 3 degrees of separation between chickpeas and dynamite. Yes, really. QUESTIONS Julian: "Could you make an explosive out of chick peas?" from Jesse Trace: "Can you pee on an object that i…

1
244: A Gay Animal Revue w/ Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan-Levenson! 52:13

2M ago52:13

52:13

Join Ellen & special guests Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan-Levenson for a revue of gay animals! We discuss manatee wuzzles, elephant matriarchy, giraffes necking in more ways than one, eagle throuples, the impact of prejudice on science, and so much more. This episode is a celebration of love, family, and community in - as our guest puts it - the anima…

1
Mistaken Artifacts, Tiny Tasty Treats, and War (Seriously, What is it Good For?) | feat Joe Scott 1:34:10

3M ago1:34:10

1:34:10

Imagine there’s no war. Would we have cell phones? GPS? Shovels?! Would we still be able to pop open a tube of delicious mini-M&Ms? Will a future historian believe the Green M&M was some kind of Goddess of Love? (Yes). This is a wild ride of an episode featuring TAPE friend Joe Scott of the YouTube show Answers with Joe! Double doses of history PLU…

1
243: Diving Bell Spider & Oarfish 1:04:18

3M ago1:04:18

1:04:18

Christian bubbles over with hype for the diving bell spider & Ellen tells some fish tales about the legendary oarfish. We discuss Hotwheels sisyphus, Doordash for spiders, diving technology, Pokemon, sea serpent mythology, bioluminescence and so much more. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website! Follow Just the…

1
Metaphorically Heavy Fog Juice 57:43

3M ago57:43

57:43

Have you ever felt someone’s gaze on you? This episode Julian explores why we seem to sense when eyes are on us. Meanwhile Trace gets lost in a fog so thick he has to drink his way out. QUESTIONS Julian: "How much does regard weigh?" from Sabrina Trace: "Can you drink fog?" from Grace Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's silly idea you had, a…

1
242: Blue Jay w/ Dara Miles Wilson! 46:38

3M ago46:38

46:38

Join Ellen & special guest, naturalist and birder Dara Miles Wilson, about some of the brightest and boldest members of the corvid family: the tenacious and charming blue jays. We discuss the audacity of jays and their amazing hawk impressions, what to put in your birdfeeder and why you might want to add a little spice, why blue jays aren’t actuall…

1
You Shower Too Often But Can Never Helicopter Enough 1:15:02

3M ago1:15:02

1:15:02

You are showering too often. Helicopters are insane. Soap is ancient magic chemistry. This time around, Trace tells everyone all about cleanliness while attempting to dodge the wellness and clean eating industry zealots. Then, Julian geeks out on the wild engineering of helicopters AND debunks a related meme about jets going to the gym. QUESTIONS T…

1
241: Peregrine Falcon w/ Sophie Osborn! 55:03

3M ago55:03

55:03

Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife biologist and author Sophie Osborn, for a review of the skydiving champions of the animal kingdom: peregrine falcons. We discuss the adaptations that let these incredible birds tear through the sky at literally breakneck speeds, biomimicry in aircraft design and sporting goods, the plague of pesticide and how we…

1
240: Zebras & Honey Badger 1:09:28

3M ago1:09:28

1:09:28

Ellen earns her stripes with zebras & Christian DOES care about the honey badger. We discuss the mysteries of stripes, video games as scientific experiments, the important role of cool jackets in wildlife rehabilitation, zebras in unusual places, viral videos from 2011, venom resistance, cheetah mimicry, and so much more. Links: For more informatio…

1
A Whole New Word, An Old Pair of Genes 57:44

4M ago57:44

57:44

This episode Trace tries to track down the first word ever uttered by human kind and Julian gets confused about how reproduction works… again… QUESTIONS Julian: "What if every set of DNA passed on from each individual were identical, respectively?" from Brandon Trace: "What was the first word?" from Tyler Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's …

1
Could We Colonize a Gas Giant? What if we were Vampires? | feat. Dr Simon Clark 1:27:24

4M ago1:27:24

1:27:24

In this absolutely absurd episode, Dr Simon Clark ponders if human's could colonize an atmosphere like Jupiter's -- Star Wars Cloud City is on trial. Speaking of gas giants, Julian digs into the evolutionary experiment that could give rise to a vampire. But first, Trace leads us off by learning about the uneven distribution of kitty cat toe beans! …

1
239: Chameleons w/ Dr. Chris Anderson! 56:37

4M ago56:37

56:37

Join Ellen & special guest, biologist Dr. Chris Anderson, for a review of the funkiest lizards in the world: chameleons! We discuss ballistic tongue projection, color changing and how cartoons get it wrong, eyes that move independently of each other, prehensile tails that act like a fifth leg, and so much more. Links: Learn more about International…

1
THE ABSURD-IVERSARY LIGHTNING ROUND SPECTACULAR!!!! 1:18:02

3M ago1:18:02

1:18:02

🎉 Happy Anniversary to us!! 🎊 It’s been one year since we launched That's Absurd Please Elaborate and what an absurdly fun ride it's been. To celebrate we tweaked the show just a bit. Our special guest, producer/editor Kyle Sisk, has selected six listener-submitted questions for Julian and Trace to answer. The catch? They only have five minutes to …

1
238: Red Wolf w/ Peter Gros! 48:25

4M ago48:25

48:25

Join Ellen & special guest, conservationist and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Peter Gros, to talk about the iconic red wolf and their ongoing recovery from the brink of extinction. We discuss the shifting landscape and attitudes in wildlife conservation over the last few decades, the role that captive breeding and re-introduction have p…

1
Making Peace With Squirrels, Waging War With Crabs | feat. Deboki Chakravarti 1:31:06

4M ago1:31:06

1:31:06

Did you know scientists turned a swarm of crabs into a computer? Julian explores if it can play an old video game. Plus, our guest Deboki feels out animal pregnancy, and Trace learns that Ben Franklin wrote a eulogy for a pet squirrel. QUESTIONS Trace: "Would squirrels still be so annoying if we weren’t around to observe them?" from Deboki Deboki "…

1
237: Kid Questions with Isaac! 51:58

4M ago51:58

51:58

Ellen & special guest Isaac answer questions from young listeners! We discuss the smallest animals, giraffe sounds, polar bear buoyancy, sturgeon skin, metabolism, and more. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok!…

1
What if People Reproduced Like Plants? | feat. Maynard Okereke (Hip Hop MD) 1:02:33

4M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

This time around, guest Hip Hop MD stamens your pistol and Julian admits (surprising no one) that he flows with nerd core. QUESTIONS Julian: "What rapper would make the greatest scientist, and what would their game changing discovery or invention be?" from Maynard Maynard (Hip Hop MD): "What if people reproduced like plants do" from Anonymous Do yo…

1
236: American Crow w/ Dr. Kaeli Swift! 59:55

4M ago59:55

59:55

Join Ellen & corvid scientist Dr. Kaeli Swift for a review of the clever little goths rummaging through a trash can near you: American crows. We discuss the twists and turns of a career in science, what crows can learn from funerals, how to tell a crow from a raven, and lessons in crucial skills like cheeto thievery and pizza crust gardening. Links…

1
It’s a Fart Rocket Breakthrough! Time to Hyper-Sleep to Jupiter 55:47

5M ago55:47

55:47

This week Julian explores the rocket science of farts. That’s a sentence that had likely never been written until this moment. Trace talks about the science of stasis, a.k.a hyper-sleep, a.k.a. cryo-freeze. As a bonus, we all get to learn the predictive powers of the 1993 classic film “Demolition Man.” QUESTIONS Julian: "How hard would I have to fa…

1
235: Coral Snake & Cuckoo 1:10:39

4M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

Christian explains why not to mess with the coral snake & Ellen puts the common cuckoo on blast. We discuss deadly neurotoxin, microfarts, what's up with those annoying flickering lightbulbs, sneaky disguises, evolutionary arms races, brood parasitism, bird genetics, and so much more. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to…

1
An Endless Eclipse and Pineapple-Based Crimes 57:19

4M ago57:19

57:19

This episode Trace imagines what it would take to lock a world in darkness while Julian does something very suspicious with pineapples. QUESTIONS Trace: "Would it be possible to have a permanent solar eclipse?" from Aaron Julian: "Is there an amount of pineapple that can dissolve a human body?" from Macks Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's …

1
234: Electric Fishes w/ Dr. Kassandra Ford! 48:59

5M ago48:59

48:59

Join Ellen & evolutionary morphologist Dr. Kassandra Ford as we get amped up about electric fishes. We discuss fish who use electricity to make mind maps, sabotage each other by jamming their signals, starve themselves with their own teeth, and ask the important questions like, “do you have a favorite fish skull?” Links: Learn more about Dr. Ford's…

1
!! BIG IMPORTANT PODCAST ANNOUNCEMENT !! 3:23

5M ago3:23

3:23

One year ago today we announced the launch of That's Absurd Please Elaborate. Now on this April Fools' day we have another exciting (and real!) announcement (because we're bad at marketing and didn't consider that announcing things on April 1st might cause people to doubt it's veracity). ASK US A QUESTION Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's …

1
Bonus Content Free Samples! 21:54

5M ago21:54

21:54

Curious about the exclusive bonus content for Maximum Fun members? Enjoy some free samples from special episodes: "The Dewlap-Foraging Slug," Let's Learn Everything's "RATS! Cheddar Heist," "The Fakémon Lab," and "Our Favorite Animal." If you like what you hear, head over to https://maximumfun.org/join and sign up to get access to the entire bonus …

1
Eww… Eww!! Potatoes? | feat. Sam Jones 1:21:35

5M ago1:21:35

1:21:35

In this revolting episode, our guest Dr Sam Jones asks Julian to never see a man about a horse again, then she weeds out the filth in the animal kingdom, and finally Trace gives us a palate cleanser of starchy, potatoey goodness. QUESTIONS Julian: "If all humans never had to poop again — how would it affect the world?" from Sam Sam Jones: "What is …

1
233: Questions & Answers 56:54

5M ago56:54

56:54

Ellen & Christian answer questions from the audience! We discuss the podcast's humble origins, magical spells, our favorite ducks, and more. Be a part of the MaxFunDrive & sign up to become a supporting member of the network and get access to exclusive content and beautiful gifts! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Instagram & Discord! Follow E…

1
232: Chinchilla & Walrus 1:12:21

5M ago1:12:21

1:12:21

Ellen softens up to the chinchilla & Christian breaks the ice with the walrus. We discuss Jackie Chan Adventures, fur slips, dust baths, tusks, whiskers, bells & whistles, Odysseus, and Lewis Carroll. Goo goo g'joob. Links: Get involved with the MaxFunDrive & check out this year's awesome gifts & bonus content! For more information about us & our p…

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Ellen Weatherford Podcasts

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