Every Little Thing

After unearthing a 10-year-old bottle of maple syrup in his pantry, listener Taylor wants to know: What sorts of ancient foods do archaeologists find? Pothead and biomolecular archaeologist Julie Dunne cracks the case on ancient diets and tells us how we know what people ate thousands of years ago. Warning: the answers are NSFL (not safe for lunch). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On our “I Did it For Love” episode, listener Jeremy told us about a 1968 AMX that he was buying to surprise his dad. This week, they go for their first ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What have you done for love? Hear about the impulsive, expensive, inspired and illegal things our listeners did for love. Thanks to Erica, Mario, Beth, Jeremy and everyone who called in with a heart-felt tale.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Sophia needs to know: What’s it like inside a kangaroo pouch? We get the inside scoop from marsupial expert Robin Beck. Plus, should Flora’s sister Ruth fear her squash? Professional pumpkineer Steve Reiners has a tip: if it smells like cat urine, beware. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, an episode from the archives: Why do auctioneers talk the way they do? And what are they actually saying? Professional auctioneer Junior Staggs tells us about the psychology behind auction-speak, and gives caller Katie some tips for developing her own auctioneer chant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Flora is back with some news, and a request. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Jake wants to know if he can bury a body in his tiny, suburban backyard. Grave expert and archaeologist Hal Hassen has the scoop on how we went from burying grandpa out back to the giant park-like cemeteries we have today. Plus, local zoning officer Sonya Abt walks Jake through the red tape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we brush off an ELT favorite on the gory history of tooth care. For most of human history, chomper maintenance has been bloody and brutal. So how'd we go from charlatans yanking teeth in a public square to the soft light and high-tech of the modern dentist's office? ELT asks retired dentist and dental historian J. Henry Clarke and historian Richard Barnett to open up and say how. Plus Chris Lyons tells us his secrets for making movie stars' teeth look terrible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every evening at dusk, listener Tara watches clouds of tiny birds dive-bomb into her boyfriend’s chimney. What are these creatures, and are they going to destroy the house? Ornithologist Margaret Rubega introduces us to these notoriously mysterious birds, and to the stubborn 19th-century artist-turned-scientist who was determined to study them. Special thanks to Barbara Boyle. Thanks also to songwriter Jay Ungar for the use of Ashokan Farewell, ©1983 by Swinging Door Music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we dug up a favorite episode on the secret life of squirrels. The average tree squirrel can bury up to 10,000 nuts every fall. How do they keep tabs on that stash? Animal behaviorist and pro squirrel watcher Mikel Maria Delgado exposes the secrets of squirrel pantry maintenance. Thanks to caller Cayra. This episode of Every Little Thing was produced by Stephanie Werner, Emily Forman, Phoebe Flanigan, Annette Heist and Flora Lichtman, with help from Nicole Pasulka and Doug Barron. Our consulting editors are Caitlin Kenney and Jorge Just. Mixed by Dara Hirsch and Enoch Kim. Scored by Dara Hirsch, Bobby Lord and Emma Munger. ELT is a Gimlet production and a Spotify original podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, an encore of a favorite episode: What happens behind the scenes at the symphony. Does a triangle player get the same pay as a violinist? Do conductors ever fall off their podiums? Which section do the other musicians love to hate? ELT dishes symphony secrets with violinist Akiko Tarumoto and conductor Rob Kapilow. Special thanks to Nathan Cole and danke schön to caller Laszlo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re revisiting an intergalactic favorite: Preparing for a mission to space takes astronauts years, but listener Daniel wants to know — what does the other end of that journey look like? Record-holding NASA astronaut Christina Koch tells us what happens when space travelers come home.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Jessica lives on a street with an unwieldy name, and she wants to know: Who gets to name the streets? Deirdre Mask, author of “The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power,” tells us about a project to name all the streets in rural West Virginia, and why having a street address matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey ELT fans! There’s a new Gimlet podcast that we think you’ll love. It’s called Not Past It, and it’s the kind of deep-dive into history that we live for at ELT. This episode, Rated PG-13 for Sex and Violence looks at the birth of the PG-13 rating, and how the movie rating system came to be. It’s a story about Indiana Jones and Gremlins, and hidden Puritan agendas. Enjoy! And don’t forget to follow Not Past It on Spotify.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re hitting repeat on one of our favorite episodes: Listener Elizabeth wants to know if it’s weird to say “please” and “thank you” to her Google voice assistant. ELT talks to former Alexa insider Daren Gill (now senior director of product at Spotify), and human-robot interactions expert Leila Takayama to find out whether people are typically polite to machines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After trying (and failing) to start a dance party with her dogs, listener Heather wants to know: are there beasts that can boogie? Irena Schulz and Ani Patel break it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re re-heating one of our ooey-gooey all-time favorite eps to re-trace the delicious and X-rated history of... cheese. With cheese biochemist and historian Paul Kindstedt. Plus, tips on how to make the most of the dairy aisle from processed cheese expert Lloyd Metzger. And a cicada killer update from cicada killer wasp biologist Chuck Holliday. Thanks to callers Kurt and Judy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who put the tension in reality TV? ELT tracks down the man behind the nail-biting sound you can’t unhear. Plus, a listener’s backyard horror story turns into an intervention, with cicada killer wasp expert Chuck Holliday. Thanks to callers Caitlin and Stephanie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s life really like in the White House? How does the president get snacks? Who walks the first dogs? What happens when the first family fights? Kate Andersen Brower, reporter and author of The Residence, takes us behind-the-scenes. Thanks to callers Lauren, Rachel, Iris, Zach and everyone who sent in a question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Corey needs to know if a goose named Dave is targeting him. Goose expert Tony Fox tells us why Dave’s feathers may have gotten ruffled, and offers his advice for dealing with unhappy geese. Special thanks to Casey Williamson, Steve Davis, and Dan Potoczak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices