Did the FBI cover up the existence of Bigfoot? Or maybe it was the Forest Service? Those are just a couple of the conspiracy theories that came up during a conversation with John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea. The two are former, high-ranking CIA officers who’ve hung up their spy gear and now host the Mission Implausible podcast. You can hear the whole episode here and get my hot takes on Bigfoot…
The Palisades Nuclear Plant, in Covert Township, on Lake Michigan. Credit: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Americans want energy, and they want a lot of it—for artificial intelligence (hello, robot overlords), for electric vehicles, for more manufacturing, for green buildings and transportation. To meet these demands, many governments and utilities are—once again—considering nuclear energy. I…
池田正樹 - Masaki Ikeda, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons “Do You Believe In Magic?” got a shout-out from The Bookies, (a Denver bookstore) as part of their list of holiday books! You can hear it here on Colorado Public Radio. And if you’re looking for more about the intersection of science and magic, you can listen to my interview with Colorado Matters host Andrea Dukakis.
A postcard illustrating a variety of good luck charms. Think about the last time you avoided walking under a ladder. Or jumped over a crack so you didn’t step on it (and break your poor mother’s back). Or maybe you wore your lucky sweater on the day of a big presentation. And I’m guessing you probably say, “Bless you!” when someone sneezes (supposedly it keeps demons from taking up residence in…
It’s launch day! Do You Believe In Magic? , the third book in the Wild Thing collection, is out today. I had a chance to do an interview with the morning news hosts of Great Day Colorado and, since I’m guessing you didn’t get to see it, you can watch it here! For those of you who live in the Denver area, there will be a book launch party on Monday, Oct. 28 at 6pm at The Bookies bookstore on South…
If you’ve got kids or you’re around them, you’ve likely noticed that they are surrounded by magic—from Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, to the Terces Society and the Pyrrhia dragons. There is absolutely no shortage of wands, curses, spells, fantastical beasts, alchemy, and potions in kids’ worlds. But this is just the stuff of stories, right? None of it is actually real! While that’s definitely the…
I never imagined I’d write one, let alone three, nonfiction books for middle schoolers (basically ages 8-13). When I first created Wild Thing , I hadn’t even been thinking about kids—the podcast was aimed at adults who were curious about the actual science behind some more fringe-y topics, like Bigfoot and aliens. But then I started to hear from parents who were listening to the show with their…
Abrams Books for Young Readers Have you ever wondered if magic is real? Or at least wished it might be? Spells and curses, hexes and potions—who wouldn’t like having special powers or control over the world around them? And while this may just seem like the stuff of books and movies, a lot of what we now call “magic” is part of the history of many scientific fields, like chemistry, botany, and…
It’s still the deadliest nuclear accident in American history, but not many people are familiar with the story. I didn’t learn about it until I was an adult—and the town I grew up in was only 40 miles away from where the accident took place. So what went wrong with the SL-1 nuclear reactor? If you’re curious, you can dig into the maps and information below. And if you want to know even more, check…
First, a confession. I was a little baked when I saw this movie at the Mayan Theater in Denver. My memories may be a bit hazy (and the pot may have influenced my feelings about the film) but putting that aside, I kind of loved “ Sasquatch Sunset ” and it far exceeded my expectations. Admittedly, those expectations weren’t very high (unlike myself). When the movie first crossed my radar back in…
Nuclear weapon test Bravo on Bikini Atoll. Credit: U.S. Department of Energy. I recently finished watching Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War . It’s a nine-part series (I know - it’s long) on Netflix and it’s an excellent recap of the history of the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, with a focus on nuclear weapons. If you haven’t already seen it, I highly…
Wild Thing inspires a composition about Bigfoot for a women’s bassoon quartet
In memory of Peter Byrne
Why talking to whales could be practice for talking to aliens
Think of all the power packed inside an atom - how did we figure that out?
Why is the third season of Wild Thing about nuclear energy? Lots of good reasons!
Decades after our first attempt to send a message to ETs at the outskirts of the Milky Way, some scientists at NASA would like to update the message.
Wild Thing: Going Nuclear
Books that will help you think about the search for alien life.
Explore an updated Bigfoot sightings map with insights into the real science behind the search for Sasquatch.