Wildly Curious
Wildly Curious is a comedy podcast where science, nature, and curiosity collide. Hosted by Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole, two wildlife experts with a combined 25+ years of conservation education experience, the show dives into wild animal behaviors, unexpected scientific discoveries, and bizarre natural phenomena. With a knack for breaking down complex topics into fun and digestible insights, Katy and Laura make science accessible for all—while still offering fresh perspectives for seasoned science enthusiasts. Each episode blends humor with real-world science, taking listeners on an engaging journey filled with quirky facts and surprising revelations. Whether you're a curious beginner or a lifelong science lover, this podcast offers a perfect mix of laughs, learning, and the unexpected wonders of the natural world.
Episodes
184 episodes
Why Are They Called Crows and Ravens?
Why are crows called crows… and ravens called ravens?In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura explores the surprisingly simple—and fascinating—origins behind the names of two of the most intel...
Why Is It Called a Chickadee? The Surprising Story Behind Bird Names
Why do birds have such unusual names?In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura dives into the fascinating origins behind two of the most familiar backyard birds in North America: chic...
Cassowary vs Emu: The Surprising Origins of Their Bird Names
Why are birds named what they’re named?In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss explores the fascinating naming history behind two giant flightless birds that look like they walked straig...
Why Is It Called an Albatross? The Surprising History of Bird Names
Why do birds have the names they do?In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss kicks off a new mini-series called “Bird Name Game”, exploring the fascinating origins behind bird names. Each episode looks at two birds, their n...
Can Cats Talk? The Science Behind Meows, Purrs, and Human Manipulation
Subscribe and prepare to realize your cat has been training you this whole time.In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the fascinating research of Dr. ...
Echinoderms Explained: Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and the Ocean’s Weirdest Hydraulics
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.In this deep-dive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole crack open the bizarre, beautiful world of echinoderms—the “spiny-s...
Snail Racing Science: Why Studying Slime Is a Big Deal
Subscribe and prepare to root for the slowest athletes on Earth.In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the bizarre but brilliant world of snail racing—and...
Natural Navigation: How Humans Find Direction Without GPS
Subscribe and rediscover a skill humans were never meant to lose.In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore natural navigation—the ancient human ability to find direction by readin...
The Scientists Who Studied Pee, Poop, and Won Prizes
Subscribe and prepare to learn something you will never un-know.In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole spotlight two researchers whose work sounds ridiculous… until...
DNA Explained: How Genetics Shape Who You Are (and Why It Matters)
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.DNA isn’t magic—but it is one of the most powerful instruction systems in the universe.In this deep-dive episode of Wildly Curious...
Whale Earwax Holds a Hidden History of the Ocean
Subscribe and prepare to learn something you absolutely did not know existed.In this Niche Scientists minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss dives into one of the strangest—and most important—jobs in science: ...
The Science of Swearing: Can Cursing Actually Help You?
Subscribe and let your curiosity swear a little. We won’t tell. 😉In this Wildly Curious minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole kick off their new Niche Scientists series with a deep dive into Dr. Richard Ste...
The Science (and Chaos) Behind Turkeys, Pumpkins, and Thanksgiving
Subscribe and stuff your brain before you stuff your turkey. 🦃🥧In this Wildly Curious Thanksgiving special, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole serve up the surprisingly scientific and hilariously human history of America’s...
Could You Fight That? Round 2 – Science, Strategy & Total Chaos
Season 13 is here… and it’s fight night. (Hypothetically, of course.) 🥊Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole are back with Could You Fight That? Part 2, the follow-up to one of Wildly Curious’ most beloved (and ridiculous) ep...
The Taos Hum: The Sound Science Can’t Explain
Subscribe and listen closely… if you can. 👂In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tune into one of the strangest modern mysteries: the Taos Hum.Since the 1990s, people in Taos, ...
The Hessdalen Lights: Science’s Strangest Unexplained Glow
Subscribe and embrace the glow of curiosity. 🔦In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole investigate one of the most baffling natural light shows on Earth—the Hessdalen Lights of Norway. F...
The Truth About the Bermuda Triangle: Science vs. Mystery
Subscribe and let your curiosity get lost at sea (but like, safely). 🌊In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into one of Earth’s most famous unsolved legends: the Bermuda Triangle...
How the Moon Was Formed: A Science Cosmic Mystery
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tackle one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science: how w...
Crabs on the Move: The World’s Strangest Mass Migration
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.In this final Swarms Minisode of the season, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole lose their minds (in the best way) over the most chaotic, moon-sync...
Nature’s Self-Destruct Button: When Death Means Survival
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.In this explosive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole reveal the surprising truth: sometimes, nature chooses to self-de...
Swarms: Why Army Ants Are the Forest’s Most Ruthless Hunters
Subscribe and prepare yourself—because this time, the swarm doesn’t just chase... it devours.In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the world of army ants, some of the ...
Seeds on the Move: How Plants Travel the World Without Legs
Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.In this seed-sational episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dig into the unexpectedly wild world of seed dispersal. From co...
Swarms: Why Killer Bees Are So Scary (and So Misunderstood)
Subscribe if you love science, chaos, and being mildly afraid of your backyard. 🐝In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole uncover facts around the infamous “killer bees”—a.k.a. Africanized ...
How Animals Navigate Without GPS (Magnetic Fields, Instinct & More)
Ever wonder how birds, eels, whales, or even bugs find their way without a GPS? In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole uncover the jaw-dropping science behind animal navigation.From locusts using sky maps an...
Swarms: The Science Behind Biblical Locust Plagues
Subscribe if you love science, chaos, and bugs that are way too confident.In this Swarms Minisode, Katy dives into the desert locust, a grasshopper that transforms—literally—into one of the most devastating swarm c...