Sidedoor
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Sidedoor
More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults. But where the public’s view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through the Smithsonian’s side door, telling storie...
Episodi recenti
232 episodi
A Message Regarding the Shutdown
Please be advised that new episodes will not be released during the government shutdown. For up-to-date information on the status of the Smithsonian,...
Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers
Why are capuchin monkeys kidnapping howler monkey babies in Panama? We investigate this bizarre case of primate abduction with researchers working wit...
The Music of Jeopardy! From a Lullaby to $100,000,000
It’s the most recognizable TV theme in America. But Jeopardy’s “Think Music” wasn’t originally written for a game show… It was written for a toddler....
Extreme Botany
Ana María Bedoya's work takes her to some unlikely places: steep cliffs, river rapids, and tumbling waterfalls— all in search of vulnerable aquatic pl...
Back to School: Origins of the Pledge
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understan...
Bear Trouble
When a black bear in Minnesota woke up from hibernation in the middle of winter and attacked three people and a dog, researchers were left with one qu...
Shellshocked II: Turtle Thieves
Turtles are built like tiny tanks—ancient, armored, and famously tough. But in the modern world, that toughness may be their greatest vulnerability. I...
Shellshocked I: Turtles vs. The World
Turtles have been around for 200 million years—outliving dinosaurs, surviving ice ages, and basically minding their own business the whole time. Tough...
Bloodsuckers!
Leeches don’t get a lot of love. They’re slimy, wriggly, and, well, they suck—blood that is. But there’s a lot to learn about the lowly leech. Led by...
The Giving Game
The Gilded Age was a time of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in America — but it was also a time of staggering inequality, corruption, and unchecke...
Space Jams
If you were curating a mixtape that might be heard by aliens billions of years from now - but definitely would be seen by your fellow Earthlings - wha...
Zoo's Clues
The Curious Case of the Dizzy Kudu. Rhinos with an unexplained skin disease. A lion that could barely chew. Who do you call when there's a mystery at...
Writing on the Wall
From the time we’re old enough to hold a crayon, it feels instinctive to draw on the wall. But for MISS CHELOVE – also known as Cita Sadeli – this ins...
Cellphones Rock
Cellphones put the power of the world at our fingertips. With the touch of a finger, you can instantly connect with your doctor, have food delivered t...
The Art of the Fist
The United States has more martial arts schools than any other country – by far. Chances are you or someone you know practiced karate or another marti...
Asteroid Tag
A billion-dollar spacecraft, a daring deep-space mission, and one of humanity’s biggest questions: Where did we come from? NASA’s OSIRIS-REx set out t...
Poison and Poisonability
When we think of serial killers, we tend to think of men—Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper. But in the 1800s, the deadliest killers often wor...
Right Stuff, Wrong Sex
There was a time, before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, when some researchers believed women were better suited for space than men. In 1961, a g...
To Sweat Like Beyoncé
Beyoncé is one of the most well-known and appreciated Black women in music today, but to understand her work, we need to look at who came before her a...
The Sex Lives of Giant Pandas
Whether it's live on the Smithsonian National Zoo's panda cam or in front of a crowd, possibly no other animal's sex life is as closely watched as the...
Everybody Pledge Now
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understan...
Midnight Magic
"I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious.” As the New Year approaches, this iconic line from The Office feels more relatable than ever. From...
The Whole Truth
Sojourner Truth was a women's rights advocate known best for her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman." But Truth never actually said these words. In fact,...
Finding Cleopatra
Edmonia Lewis was the first sculptor of African American and Native American (Mississauga) descent to achieve international fame. Her 3,000-pound mast...
Bitcoin Bank Heist
Imagine this: invisible robbers break into a bank and steal massive sacks of cash, but instead of running away with it they set their haul on the fron...
The Wide Awakes
They carried torches and marched at night. Their goal: defend free speech in America. What started as a small group of young men demonstrating during...
The Devil’s Composer
Imagine Jaws without the sneaking tuba. Or Psycho without the shrieking violins. Music can help a horror film strike fear in the heart of theatergoers...
Bankers in the Boudoir
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what hap...
Jim the Penman
During the mid-1800s, one third of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally t...
Are Robots About to Level Up?
Within just a few years, artificial intelligence systems that sometimes seem to display almost human characteristics have gone from science fiction to...
Social Media and the Subway
There aren’t many portrait artists who get recognized on the street, but it happens to Devon Rodriguez all the time. After quietly honing his skill fo...
Archiving the Underground
Next up in our summer playlist, we bring you an episode of The Kitchen Sisters Present, a podcast featuring sound-rich stories ‘from the b-side of his...
Rocket Man
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a m...
A Giant Listening Project
It’s been called ‘the most noble and absurd undertaking ever attempted by any state.’ During the height of the Great Depression, the U.S government hi...
The Lost Woolly Dog
For thousands of years, fluffy white dogs could be found across the Pacific Northwest. Their exceptionally soft, crimpy hair was shorn like sheep’s wo...
Cosmic Journey II: Voyage into the Abyss
Hitch a ride on the Chandra X-ray Observatory as it scours deep space for some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood objects in the universe: black...
Cosmic Journey I: "Stellar Buffoonery"
Black holes could unlock the mysteries of creation and live at the heart of nearly every galaxy. But these invisible balls of extremely dense matter h...
Cicadapalooza
The cicadas are back for some fun in the sun, and this time, they’re louder than ever! For the first time since 1803, Broods XIII and XIX will be emer...
The Birds and the Beans
"God in a cup." "Perfection." "The world's best coffee." Panamanian geisha coffee has been called many things, but never Smithsonian Bird Friendly cer...