Best Caroline Roper Podcasts (2025)

1
85: David Bennett & Why Humans Like Harmony in Music 1:28:39

1d ago1:28:39

1:28:39

What is it about harmonies in music that just sounds so good? Can science (and our amazing musical guest David Bennet) help us get to the bottom of it? Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:24) Why do we like Harmony? (00:56:10) Our Music Theory Questions (01:24:04) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: Li…

1
84: Tree Talk & Trading Card Art 1:40:13

16d ago1:40:13

1:40:13

Can trees talk to each other? And how does that personifying metaphor square with the actual science behind it? And what can we learn from the stories of art on trading cards throughout history? Images we Talk About: Trade Cards 3 Modern Trading Cards Yuka Morii's Cards Terror Hyalopterus Lemure Preposterous Proportions Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro…

1
83: The Most Boring Element & Solving Shakespeare's Accent 1:32:48

30d ago1:32:48

1:32:48

What is the most boring element, and just how boring could it possibly be? Turns out: VERY! And how can we decipher what Shakespeare sounded like, and who among us can lay claim to his accent? Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:52) The Most Boring Element (00:48:53) Solving Shakespeare's Accent (01:26:37) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership…

1
82: International Space Law & Taxidermy 1:51:32

1M ago1:51:32

1:51:32

What laws are there to worry about in the moon? And what does space law teach us about Earth law? And what can we learn about societies throughout history from the lens of stuffing dead animals? Images we Talk About: Orbiting Space Debris Fallen Space Debris Hanging Christian Crocodile Hanging Christian Crocodile Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03…

1
Preview: The Lab Rat Games 38:21

2M ago38:21

38:21

Welcome to the (preview for the) Lab Rat Games! The GAME show where we compete to learn anything and everything interesting! We love putting games into our topics, so what happens when we make a whole show of them, with each of us hosting their own section! Plus! We're joined by friend of the show and competitive chaos combatant, Sabrina Cruz! Supp…

1
81: Dinosaur Diet Detectives & Proto-Podcasts 2:12:38

2M ago2:12:38

2:12:38

How can scientist's unravel the mystery of what dinosaurs ate? Well the clues are right in front of our eyes, or should I say their teeth! And poop! And listener you may already know what a podcast is, but how did proto-podcasts in a chicken coop give us the DNA for what we love, and how did podcasts even happen? Images we Talk About: First Iguanad…

1
Tom, Ella, and Caroline join MFD Spring Break 1:20:29

2M ago1:20:29

1:20:29

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!! Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea…

1
80: Ify Nwadiwe, The Science of the Peasant Railgun, and a Panoply of Nerdery 1:16:19

2M ago1:16:19

1:16:19

Host of Um Actually and nerd of many domains Ify Nwadiwe joins us as Tom helps him deconstruct the infamous Peasant Railgun from D&D. Could it actually work? And can we come up with something even more powerful using real science? We also dig into nerdery old and new, and see if Ify can convince Ella and Caroline to embrace their home country's gre…

1
79: The Psychology of Math & Sudoku 1:50:32

3M ago1:50:32

1:50:32

Why is math both so easy and so hard for our brains, and how can the psychology of horses, babies, and mathematicians help answer that? And what wild journey did Sudoku take to become the popular puzzle that Ella adores? Things we Talk About: The Video of a Child Learning to Count The Melencolia Painting Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:59) The …

1
78: Drosophila Melanogaster & The British Meal Deal 1:43:10

3M ago1:43:10

1:43:10

Why is the common fruit fly the perfect model organism, and the reason for 6 Nobel Prizes?? And what is the british fascination around the meal deal, lunchtime, and the sandwich? Images we Talk About: Map of the Fruit Fly Brain Rat My Meal Deal The Sandwich Factory Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:57) Drosophila Melanogaster (00:49:46) The Briti…

1
77: Light Pollution & Mistaeks 1:43:58

4M ago1:43:58

1:43:58

What can we learn from the most modern - but overlooked form of pollution? And can mistakes in art be something actually... good? Images we Talk About: Navajo Rug Ch'ihónít’i Ramses II Statue Ecce Homo The Original Ecce Homo 3 Versions of Ecce Homo Lincoln Memorial Mistake Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:25) Light Pollution (00:48:06) Mistaeks …

1
Recast: The Funcanny Valley - Spellbound and Gagged 1:15:38

4M ago1:15:38

1:15:38

As we plan out the new year, please enjoy a recast of one of my (Tom's) favorite guest appearances on Spellbound and Gagged, hosted by the wonderful friend of the show Ellen Weatherford!By Tom Lum

1
New Year Q&A 2024/25 1:59:20

5M ago1:59:20

1:59:20

It's the start of the new year which means a bunch of new questions submitted by YOU! What are our favorite words from the podcast? What's it like to scrap a topic? Would we still love each other if we were worms? Things we Talk About: Contrapoints' Twilight Video Jenny Nicholson's Star Wars Hotel Video Shaun's Channel China's Artifical Sun XOXO 20…

1
76: The HaLearnDays Spectacular! 2024 1:44:18

5M ago1:44:18

1:44:18

It's the HaLearn Days!! We've gathered a whole bunch of fun facts from each other and from friends of the show to share the gift of laughter and learning! Images we Talk About: The Rat Car Rat Car Video Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:07:57) Part 1 (00:59:11) Part 2 (01:37:06) Outro We also l…

1
75: Where are We? & Carrot Propaganda 1:29:14

6M ago1:29:14

1:29:14

Where are we in the universe? And what can we learn from all the hilariously wrong guesses and bad maps that got us there? And just how much carrot propaganda was there? Well, we'll see a lot of posters and a few myths to debunk! Images we Talk About: Dunn's Earth & Moon Maps Herschel's Milky Way Map Wright's Island Universes Drawing The Image of M…

1
Submit Your Q&A Questions! 3:58

6M ago3:58

3:58

It's everyone's favorite holiday: the day we ask you to submit your Q&A questions!! Go to www.LetsLearnEverything.com/questions and submit your questions about truly anything at all from the science to the serious to the silly!By Tom Lum

1
74: Autumn Leaves & Swearing 1:49:16

6M ago1:49:16

1:49:16

Why do leaves change color? No... like really? Like, show-me-the-scientific-literature-really? After all how mysterious could the answer be? And holy frick we're finally doing a topic on swearing!! What are the eras of swearing, and what is swearing actually good for? Listen to our episode of Escape this Podcast: Oceananigans pt. 3 - The Bering-tos…

1
73: Linguist Gretchen McCulloch, Latin in Science, and Internet Linguistics 1:25:39

7M ago1:25:39

1:25:39

Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch of Lingthusiasm joins us to casually answer all of our pressing linguistics questions with the most mind blowing facts. Why does science use so much dang latin, and what is so unique about internet linguistics? Images we Talk About: Gretchen's Favorite Frogs Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:10:58) Latin in Scien…

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72: Former Cryptids & The Art of a Scary Story 1:57:20

7M ago1:57:20

1:57:20

Cryptids may be spooky, but what about the spooky animals that turned out to be... real?? And what makes a good spooky story? Could it be something secretly... heartwarming?? Timestamps: (00:07:15) Intro (00:04:21) Former Cryptids (00:54:25) The Art of Spooky Stories (01:52:33) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also l…

1
71: 🎂 Good Invasive Species, Rock Climbing, and Ig Interviews 2:05:30

8M ago2:05:30

2:05:30

For our birthday this year, we've each gifted a topic for one another! For Caroline, an environmental hot take: can invasive species ever be... good? For Tom, an entire topic about one of his favorite hobbies: rock climbing! And for Ella, interviews from the Ig Nobel Laureates this year. Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Times…

1
70: The Core of the Earth & Planned Obsolescence 1:52:07

8M ago1:52:07

1:52:07

What's actually going on in the center of the Earth, and just how interesting and useful could it be? And how did the now ubiquitous Planned Obsolescence start with... bicycles?? Images we Talk About: An Early Bicycle Bilhert's Animations Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:06) The Core (00:58:24) Planned Obsolescence (01:45:52) Outro Support us wi…

1
69: Hank Green, Sex Science, Reverse Platypi, and the First Dick Drawing 2:00:56

8M ago2:00:56

2:00:56

Longtime inspiration and friend of the show Hank Green joins us for a very special episode! How do colonial organisms with just one queen avoid incest? How many Ig Nobels have gone to sex science? Can the team figure out the identity of the Reverse Platypus? When was the first dick grafitti, and could the story actually be... wholesome??? Watch: Th…

1
68: Phrenology & Lego 1:42:58

9M ago1:42:58

1:42:58

It's an infamous pseudoscience, but what haven't we learned from the rise and fall of Phrenology? And Lego are ubiquitous, which means there's a lot to learn and a lot of nuance for our love of these stackable bricks. Things we Talk About: The Phrenology Pamphelet The Lego Cullen House Lego Seismometer CERN Lego Device The Brick Experiment Channel …

1
Recast: LLE on SIF - Eeny, meeny, miny, moe 1:05:38

9M ago1:05:38

1:05:38

While we're sending Tom "Well Wissage" and a speedy recovery, enjoy Ella & Caroline on this tremendous episode of one of our sibling shows on the network, Secretly Incredibly Fascinating!By Tom Lum

1
67: Epigenetics & The Overlooked World Games 1:56:30

10M ago1:56:30

1:56:30

You may have heard Epigenetics used as a buzzword, but what is it really? Is it something we know about, something still new, or... both? And what in the world are the World Games, and what makes them better than the Olympics? Links we Talk About: Ella's SciShow Video on X Chromosome Diseases Sport Casting Fin Swimming Haudenosaunee Flag Christophe…

1
66: What is a Species & What is UK Voting? 1:55:58

10M ago1:55:58

1:55:58

It's a word we say all the time but... what IS a species? How has it been used in the past, and could the different answers all be right? And how does voting work in the UK? It starts with voting for knights, and could hopefully end in the future with something even better. Images we Talk About: Ella's Zoom Moustache Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (0…

1
The Best of Everything 2023-2024 2:00:03

11M ago2:00:03

2:00:03

After much deliberation, the academy (listeners of the podcast) has voted on the best topics from the past year! If this is your first episode, you'll get a sampling of our favorite moments of science and sillyness, and if you're a long time listener, you'll hear some behind the scenes thoughts about the topics, as well as... a secret teaser at the…

1
65: Black Holes 101 & Tattoos 1:47:56

11M ago1:47:56

1:47:56

What happens when a star collapses to a point of near infinite gravity? And just how hard could that be to actually... find? And why do we love tattoos so much, and how long have human beings across the world been loving them too? Check out Tom's first long form video that's finally out! Images we Talk About: The Crab Nebula First Image of a Black …

1
64: Tom Scott, Human Acceleration, and Failed Videos 1:22:03

12M ago1:22:03

1:22:03

How fast can a regular human accelerate from 0-60? How can you learn to love roller-coasters? And is there a terrifying experience Ella's done that even Tom Scott hasn't?? After having us on his show for so long, it's finally time for Tom Scott to join us on our show! Videos we Talk About: Tom Scott's Amazing Roller Coaster Video Tom Scott's Failed…

1
Pride Merch & Voting for the Best of Everything! 4:08

12M ago4:08

4:08

It's Pride and Poll-jedice! For pride month we have some pride merch including an amazing design by Caroline, with proceeds going to Pride in Stem! Also, toss in your vote to defend the honor of your favorite topic for the next Best Of Everything episode! All of this is at LetsLearnEverything.comBy Tom Lum

1
63: Biomimicry & The Evolution of Chess 1:38:23

1y ago1:38:23

1:38:23

What can we learn by mimicking animals in nature, and more importantly, what can we learn about the nuance behind the buzzword of biomimicry? And just how many wild facts are hidden in a simple chess set? Images we Talk About: One of the Oldest Shatranj Sets Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:26) Biomimicry (00:50:25) Chess Chess Evolution (01:33:…

1
62: False Memories & House Plants 1:42:15

1y ago1:42:15

1:42:15

How much real science is there to the Mandela Effect, and how much should we be worried about our faulty memories? And what's the science and history behind our long love for house plants? Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:31) False Memories (00:57:30) House Plants (01:37:47) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Yes Ella …

1
61: Whale Fall Ecology & Jury Duty 1:37:58

1y ago1:37:58

1:37:58

What happens when the largest living animal becomes the largest dead animal? Just how complex could a dead whale be? And what are the differences, flaws, and nuances of the jury system, and can we be studying it better? Images we Talk About: The Zombie Worm Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:59) Whale Fall Ecology (00:52:52) Jury Duty (01:32:41) O…

1
60: Near Earth Objects & Guitar Tabs 1:53:37

1y ago1:53:37

1:53:37

What are all these rocks hurtling through space? Do we need to worry about them, and what can we learn from them? And what are guitar tabs, why don't people take them seriously, and why does Tom love them so dang much? Videos we Talk About: Osiris Boop Gif Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:54) Near Earth Objects (00:56:58) Guitar Tabs (01:47:55) …

1
Preview: Rats! Cheddar Heist! 35:14

1y ago35:14

35:14

With Tom as their DM, Ella, Caroline, and Ellen Weatherford team up for a dicey heist in the big apple. Only one catch: they're rats! Can Rex, Tango, and Muriel ratatouille their way to nab the cheddar, or will they crumble like feta? Believe it or not this is only the first quarter of the full 2 hour episode that you can only get by becoming a mem…

1
59: Quantum Physics & Gossip 1:51:37

1y ago1:51:37

1:51:37

Can Tom finally take on his science communication white whale: Quantum Physics?? And what is gossip, what did it mean in the past, and could it actually be... good?? Find out on a very special MaxFunDrive episode! See all the MaxFunDrive events, pins, and links here! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:29) Quantum Physics (01:00:14) MaxFunDrive! (0…

1
Go Fact Yourself MaxFunDrive Kick-off Spectacular featuring Ella Hubber, Tom Lum, Teresa McElroy, Ross Blocher, and Jordan Morris 20:39

1y ago20:39

20:39

IT'S THE MAXFUNDRIVE!!! And we're kicking it off with a network-wide trivia competition with other MaxFun hosts! You can see all our upcoming events during the drive and become a member at www.LetsLearnEverything.com This special network wide event is a celebration of the MaxFunDrive! If you’d like to support podcasts you love for just $5 a month a…

1
58: Kelly & Zach Weinersmith, Mars Ecology, and Space Communes 1:16:00

1y ago1:16:00

1:16:00

What would a man-made ecosystem look like on mars? Just how complicated could it possibly be? And are the human and societal issues just as complicated? Science communicators and authors Zach and Dr. Kelly Weinersmith ask and answer all of these questions and more! Check out: A City on Mars! The Weinersmith's article on Frontier Mythology and Space…

1
57: Don't Lose Your Head! and Constructed Languages 1:40:28

1y ago1:40:28

1:40:28

Losing your head isn't good, but what actually happens, and what can it tell us about animals, ethics, and bad science? And what is a constructed language, when does it fail, and when can it be use to make great... art? As they say, Ni Lernu Ĉion! Content Warning that today's science topic can be a bit grim, so if you want, you can skip ahead to 54…

1
56: Are We Still Evolving? & Famous First Messages 1:42:59

1+ y ago1:42:59

1:42:59

How have human beings evolved, and how could we evolve in the future? And what are some famous first messages, and what can we learn from looking at them? Images we Talk About: Telegram First Record Image Second Record Image Other Record Images Tom's Ingenuity Comic Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intr…

1
55: Evolving Electricity & What's "Women's Work"? 1:43:31

1+ y ago1:43:31

1:43:31

How did eels evolve electricity? And when is "women's work" neither women's nor work? Images we Talk About: Socks More Socks Thimble Bag Crochet Art Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:26) Evolving Electricity (00:51:13) "Women's Work" (01:38:46) Outro Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: Happy moisturizer to…

1
Recast: LLE on Creature Feature - The Bird Pee Technique 1:02:16

1+ y ago1:02:16

1:02:16

While we take our January break we're rebroadcasting our appearance on Creature Feature! Katie pulled out some of the wildest facts for us, so enjoy, thanks for your patience, and see y'all in 2 weeks!By Tom Lum

1
New Year Q&A 1:46:53

1+ y ago1:46:53

1:46:53

It's our annual Q&A episode where we look back on 2023 and answer your questions to learn about our process, our favorite things, and each other! Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: Ella gets on the album, Dodie is very frog people music, pigeons fruit flies and sloths, our favorite topics of each others, bl…

1
54: The HaLearnDay Extravaganza! 2023 1:41:24

1+ y ago1:41:24

1:41:24

It's the HaLearnDays! The time of year when we share gifts of fun facts from us and friends of the show! Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! We also learn about: I wish Katie and Alex were real, pooping every 20 minutes, a human creates 320 pounds of poop a year, when I think about dangerous, “when I think of dangerous bird boop…

1
53: Making Superheavy Elements, and Celebrating Public Domain Day 1:23:46

1+ y ago1:23:46

1:23:46

What are the superheavy elements, and how did we make them? And what is public domain day, and why is next year's going to be so interesting? Things we Talk About: The Mickey Mouse Curve Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:17) Superheavy Elements (00:37:41) Public Domain Day (01:19:19) Outro W…

1
Submit Your Q&A Questions! 0:52

1+ y ago0:52

0:52

Submit your questions for our end of year Q&A episode at letslearneverything.com/question or in our discord!By Tom Lum

1
52: Amy Westervelt, Carbon Capture, and the Cartoonishly Evil Atlas Network 1:11:52

1+ y ago1:11:52

1:11:52

Investigative journalist Amy Westervelt from Drilled asks us: what is carbon capture and is it good or bad or... complicated? What is the Atlas Network and why are they comically evil dark avengers of the climate world? And how do you go from recording a podcast in your car to creating an award winning podcast network? 🎤 See Tom perform comedy in B…

1
51: Carcinization, The Animal Algorithm Mystery, and The Many Lemming Lies w/ Ellen Weatherford 1:50:36

1+ y ago1:50:36

1:50:36

Are we really all destined to turn into crabs? Why are there so many animal algorithms, and are they all legit? And just how many times have we been wrong about the lemming? Things we talk about: All the Crabs Caroline mentions The Big List of Animal Algorithms Boid Video Support us with a Max Fun Membership! Join our Discord! Timestamps: (00:00:00…

1
49: Goosebumps, (Not) Alien Pyramids, and Nessie & Cryptids 1:55:41

1+ y ago1:55:41

1:55:41

Why do we get goosebumps when we hear nails on a chalkboard? Obviously aliens didn't make the pyramids, but how were they made and what does that teach us about humanity? And what's the story behind nessie and why the queer community loves cryptids? Things we talk about: Egyptian painting of using water to pull a statue Video of modern people pulli…

1
50: 🎂 The Ig Nobel Prize, The 2023 Ig Nobel Winners, and the Ig Nobel Peace Prize 2:05:58

1+ y ago2:05:58

2:05:58

For our 2nd anniversary and our 50th episode (which it definitely is, don't check) we cooperatively tackled a topic folks have been asking us to do for ages: The Ig Nobel Prize! Check out our new merch! Hats! Posters! Mugs! Images and Videos we talk about: The Levitating Frog Video The Best of Miss Sweetie Poo Ocean Mixing Anchovy Diagram The Grabb…

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