Spooky Science Sisters

In this episode, Paige and Meagan are joined by Tanner and Taylor of the Beyond the Breakers podcast to talk about one of the worst environmental disasters in history – the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Because what’s scarier than an enormous explosion on a deep-sea drilling platform and massive oil spill caused by the “gross negligence” and ” willful misconduct” of one of the largest companies in the world? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Tanner and Taylor and their podcast Beyond the Breakers can be found here: https://beyondthebreakers.buzzsprout.com/

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

1. https://www.livescience.com/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-disaster.html
2. https://www.resilience.org/stories/2010-05-21/what-caused-deepwater-horizon-disaster/
3. http://theoildrum.com/node/6493 
4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/20/deepwater-horizon-key-questions-answered
5. https://news.utexas.edu/2019/05/07/complex-geology-contributed-to-deepwater-horizon-disaster-new-study-finds/
6. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/offshore-drilling.htm
7. https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/fossil-fuels/gas-and-oil/history-of-u-s-offshore-oil-drilling/#:~:text=Offshore%20oil%20drilling%20started%20in,percent%20of%20the%20nation’s%20oil.
8. https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/592629main_BP_Case_Study_29AUG2011_FINAL.pdf
9. https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/542737main_BP%20Case%20Study%20Handout%20Back%20Page.pdf
10. https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/deepwater-horizon-as-it-happened/
11. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37337280
12. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/science/earth/15spill.html

Join us for a discussion on all things fairies (AKA faeries, fae, fay, Little People, Wee Folk, Fair Folk, etc. etc., etc.). Turns out, when it comes to Celtic and western European fairy lore, pretty much EVERYTHING comes down to the fae, and they are not having it with our human sh*t. From changelings, to banshees, to boggarts, to brownies – Holy Cow – it’s all fairies! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

1. https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/britchange.html
2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/12/19/are-fairies-real-origin/8121470001/
3. https://www.livescience.com/25413-fairies.html
4. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Origins-of-Fairies/
5. https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-folklore-fairies/
6. https://www.irishstar.com/culture/nostalgia/not-friendly-fairies-irish-folklore-29298408
7. https://irishpagan.school/sidhe-irish-fairy-folklore/
8. https://thegallerist.art/the-origins-of-fairies-myths-and-folklore/
9. https://theconversation.com/fairies-werent-always-cute-they-used-to-drink-human-blood-and-kidnap-children-170305
10. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Faerie-lore-of-the-British-Isles
11. https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2013-update-release-notes/
12. https://claireryanauthor.com/blog/2017/2/22/2644-the-origins-of-fairies/
13. https://www.buzzfeed.com/watch/video/127552
14. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26844486
15. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/bewitched-by-an-elf-dart-fairy-archaeology-folk-magic-and-traditional-medicine-in-ireland/7EF2D9BD63A34CAA405A42E120C4D421
16. https://ericwedwards.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/the-origin-and-lore-of-fairies-and-fairy-land/
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classifications_of_fairies 
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy

In this episode, Meagan is joined by two Substitute Sisters – archaeologist and television producer, Annelise Baer, and the host of the podcast Digging Up Ancient Aliens (and also an archaeologist), Fredrik Trusohamn, to talk about everything Ancient Aliens. Our discussion includes the origins of the ancient astronauts hypothesis that inspired it, behind the scenes info from Annelise’s time as a researcher for the show, and the not-so-extraterrestrial origins of some of the Ancient Aliens team’s favorite archaeological sites. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Links to all of Annelise’s social media can be found here: https://linktr.ee/annelisebaer

Fredrik can be found via the Digging Up Ancient Aliens website: https://diggingupancientaliens.com/

Here are our sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Aliens
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gish_gallop
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts
4. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-idiocy-fabrications-and-lies-of-ancient-aliens-86294030/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoarchaeology
6. https://www.science.org/content/article/believe-atlantis-these-archaeologists-want-win-you-back-science
7. https://hyperallergic.com/470795/pseudoarchaeology-and-the-racism-behind-ancient-aliens/
8. https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/gobekli-tepe-mystery-new-chapter-in-history-robert-adam-schneiker/
9. https://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-ultimate-evidence-s01e01-beyond-nazca https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/94/

In this episode, Meagan is joined by Substitute Sisters Tyson Kemp and Jeremy Foster, both residents of Appalachia, to talk about the internet phenomenon that is Appalachian folklore. We discuss the history of the region, America’s long-standing fascination with its folklore, and how stereotypes about Appalachia and its people have developed and evolved over the past 300 years.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Tyson can be found on Instagram @tysonunkempt. Jeremy can be found on TikTok @the_twilight_emporium.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia
2. https://blueridgemountainstravelguide.com/appalachian-folklore-and-superstitions/
3. Appalachian Folklore Scholarship by W. K. MC NEIL; Source: Appalachian Journal , Autumn 1977, Vol. 5, No. 1, A Guide to Appalachian Studies (Autumn 1977), pp. 55-64 
4. https://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/featured-project/keeping-tradition-alive-taking-steps-preserve-appalachian-folk-culture
5. https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-11-21/appalachians https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth109/node/973

It’s time for our fifth installment of spooky true crime stories! This episode kicks off with a discussion about sensationalism surrounding the crimes of infamous serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett, AKA H.H. Holmes. We then recount the tale of the Hammersmith Ghost, who terrorized a small village on the outskirts of London for two months in the winter of 1803, and try to answer the question, “Is it murder if you thought you were shooting a ghost?”

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Here are our sources for this episode:

Hammersmith Ghost:

1. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/10/the-case-of-a-ghost-haunted-england-for-over-two-hundred-years/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghost_murder_case
3. https://londonist.com/london/features/hammersmith-ghost-story-murder
4. https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/the-hammersmith-ghost/
5. https://worldhistory.medium.com/mass-hysteria-and-murder-the-tale-of-the-hammersmith-ghost-ef89bb4b641f
6. https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-198-the-hammersmith-ghost-10-7-2022/
7. http://www.crimemagazine.com/hammersmith-ghost-and-strange-death-thomas-millwood 
8. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t18040111-79
9. https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4714
10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3364467.stm 
11. https://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng470.htm
12. https://husheduphistory.com/post/707844177217585152/hammersmith-a-haunting-a-hoax-and-a-tragic-hunt
13. https://buzzfeed-unsolved.fandom.com/wiki/The_Haunting_Murder_Case_Of_The_Hammersmith_Ghost

HH Holmes:

1. https://www.biography.com/crime/hh-holmes
2. https://www.britannica.com/biography/H-H-Holmes
3. https://www.history.com/topics/crime/murder-castle
4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/668069816/?clipping_id=67109514&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjY2ODA2OTgxNiwiaWF0IjoxNjc5MjY3OTgzLCJleHAiOjE2NzkzNTQzODN9.AjfSlT89zr_Tie0ees8p2X9c1TudcEdjqeIExSIvErM
5. https://allthatsinteresting.com/hh-holmes-hotel
6. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/enduring-mystery-hh-holmes-americas-first-serial-killer-180977646/

Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and astronomer Dr. Allison Kirkpatrick for a discussion on all things spooky (or, more accurately, completely terrifying) about space. We cover rogue black holes and planets, asteroid deflection, gamma ray bursts (oh hey Betelgeuse!), and the mysterious Great Attractor (is it God!?).

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Allison can be found on Twitter @AkAstronomy.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

1. https://observer.com/2021/03/oumuamua-alien-interstellar-object-ice-comet-study-reveal/
2. https://www.space.com/oumuamua-first-interstellar-visitor-true-nature-mystery#:~:text=’Oumuamua%3A%20The%20solar%20system’s%201st,(and%20unknowable)%20star%20system.
3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_black_hole
4. https://www.livescience.com/rogue-black-hole-milky-way.
5. https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/national/nasa-detects-the-biggest-explosion-ever-recorded-in-space
6. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/world/gamma-ray-burst-detection-scn/index.html
7. https://www.livescience.com/gamma-ray-brightest-of-all-time
8. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/record-breaking-gamma-rays-reveal-secrets-of-the-universes-most-powerful-explosions/
9. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Space_for_you/Gamma-ray_bursts_are_we_safe#:~:text=For%20a%20few%20seconds%20every,%2Dray%20bursts’%20or%20GRBs.
10. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/how-deadly-would-a-nearby-gamma-ray-burst-be/
11. https://www.universetoday.com/118140/are-gamma-ray-bursts-dangerous/
12. https://www.space.com/33579-will-the-great-attractor-destroy-us.html 
13. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-dart-mission-impact-changed-asteroid-s-motion-in-space/

Word on the street is that triangles are the spookiest shape, so let’s talk about some famous ones! Turns out, there are a whopping twelve triangle-shaped, paranormal regions across the globe. In this episode, we’ll debunk the most popular of them all, the Bermuda Triangle, as well as triangles in Lake Michigan, off the coast of Japan, and even one on land in Massachusetts!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources for this episode:

1. https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda-Triangle
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c7KMHfxkCc
3. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanfacts-places.php
4. https://www.awesomemitten.com/lake-michigan-triangle/
5. https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Vessel/Details/538?region=LowerLakeMichigan
6. https://alonewithnature.medium.com/the-disappearance-and-re-appearance-of-steven-kubacki-case-3aa9f2040943
7. https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/courses/atsc113/flying/met_concepts/04-met_concepts/04b-h-Tstorm_hazards/Xinfo_Pstatic.html
8. https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-no-methane-bubbles-don-t-sink-ships-in-the-bermuda-triangle
9. https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/disasters-and-phenomena/flight-19.html
10. https://www.history.com/news/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-flight-19
11. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kusche
12. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle
13. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Paranormal_triangles
14. https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-known-and-not-known-about-the-bermuda-triangle
15. https://www.livescience.com/32240-is-the-bermuda-triangle-really-dangerous.html
16. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2021/october/uss-cyclops-deadliest-unsolved-mystery-navy
17. https://numa.net/expeditions/cyclops/
18. https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2021/10/28/her-loss-remains-unknown-the-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-uss-cyclops-ac-4/
19. https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/the-bridgewater-triangle-abington-rehoboth-massachusetts-wbz-tv-it-happens-here/
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater_Triangle

Dr. Rebecca Gibson joins Meagan for a discussion on robots, artificial intelligence, and simulation theory for our first ever Substitute Sister episode! We talk about why robots sometimes freak us out, why you shouldn’t be too worried about an evil AI taking over the world, and why Meagan now thinks she might not be real. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Rebecca can be found on Twitter @RGibsonGirl, Facebook – The Corseted Skeleton, and at her Amazon author page.

Key links mentioned in the show:

https://www.lovewithrobots.com/ 
https://www.hansonrobotics.com/sophia/

Here are our sources for this episode:

1. Strange & Unexplained with Daisy Eagan, “The Simulation Theory: Is Any of this Real?” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strange-and-unexplained-with-daisy-eagan/id1559242124?i=1000546491074
2. Ologies with Alie Ward, “Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?) with Adam Becker” https://www.alieward.com/ologies/quantumontology
3. Sexology with Dr. Moali, “Are We Ready to Have Sex with Robots? Featuring Dr. Rebecca Gibson” https://sexologypodcast.com/2020/10/13/ep198-are-we-ready-to-have-sex-with-robots-featuring-dr-rebecca-gibson/
4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-we-live-in-a-simulation-chances-are-about-50-50/
5. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/10/18275618/simulation-hypothesis-matrix-rizwan-virk
6. https://futurism.com/the-byte/robot-creepy-expressions-back
7. https://ai.engineering.columbia.edu/ai-vs-machine-learning/
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis
9. https://www.cnet.com/culture/why-robots-are-scary-and-cool/
10. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a28410087/uncanny-valley-robots-fear/
11. https://www.livescience.com/62775-humans-why-scared-of-ai.html
12. https://www.livescience.com/49009-future-of-artificial-intelligence.html
13. https://www.livescience.com/62229-boycott-against-killer-robotics-lab.html 
14. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/33/6555

Our fourth volume of Short & Spooky stories is here, and you know the drill! This episode features three stories that are too short for a full episode, but that we really want to share with you. In this installment, you can hear about recent Yellowstone volcano fearmongering, James Dean’s cursed Porsche, and Benadryl-induced visions of the mysterious Hat Man.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources for this episode:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0jH8zCuL5Q
2. https://jamesdean.com/biography/
3. https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/James-Dean-60-years-since-fatal-crash-6537391.php
4. https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/us-scene/what-really-happened-to-james-deans-cursed-porsche?v=79cba1185463
5. https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2022/12/no-they-didnt-close-yellowstone-because-the-supervolcano-is-about-to-erupt.html?outputType=amp
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew03hobTOhc
7. https://k2radio.com/no-alcova-reservoir-is-not-erupting-dont-send-money/
8. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hat-man-benadryl-tiktok-monster-1234620397/?sub_action=logged_in
9. https://www.reddit.com/r/benadryl/comments/rwhf3y/the_hat_man/
10. https://www.benadryl.com/safety
11. https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/tiktok-videos-encourage-viewers-to-overdose-on-benadryl/
12. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/diphenhydramine/
13. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-challenge-tiktok-overdose/
14. https://www.salon.com/2020/09/30/benadryl-challenge-claims-the-life-of-one-teen-as-tiktok-claims-to-have-already-banned-the-videos/
15. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/sleep/nighttime-sleep-behaviors/sleep-paralysis.html
16. https://vocal.media/horror/have-you-seen-the-hat-man