NO SUCH THING
iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research.
Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.
NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.
New episodes on Wednesdays.
For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.
And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail: (860) 325-0286.
Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.
NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.
New episodes on Wednesdays.
For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.
And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail: (860) 325-0286.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 1, 2026 • 35min
TINY CAMERAS!?! We found out what those customer satisfaction buttons actually do
Scott Erickson, VP of U.S. Sales and Global Channels at Happy or Not, explains the company behind those smiley-face feedback devices. The conversation covers how buttons send live data, real-time staff alerts, and protections against abuse. Listeners also hear about tiny cameras, gesture recognition, demographic analysis, and debates around AI accuracy and privacy.
Mar 25, 2026 • 49min
Should athletes be allowed to bet on themselves?
Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses and a historian of American sports gambling, joins to trace betting's long arc. Conversations cover how betting reshapes broadcasts and fan behavior. They unpack parlays, microbets, industry marketing, and the integrity risks when players’ actions intersect with wagers. The discussion finishes on regulation, social harms, and whether athletes betting on themselves raises red flags.
Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 1min
Was Benjamin Franklin a fraud?
They dig into a conspiracy that Benjamin Franklin’s fame might be overblown. A historian explains how scientific credit and inventions were shared across networks. They examine Franklin’s civic projects, his ties to slavery, and his late turn to abolitionism. The conversation contrasts mythmaking in school with messy historical realities.
Mar 11, 2026 • 58min
Are dentists scamming us? We investigate
AJ Jacobs, journalist and New York Times bestselling author, gives a brisk history of dentistry. Lilly Kaplan, licensed therapist and newsletter writer, brings candid takes on dental anxiety and patient experience. They probe insurance limits, uncover a real overtreatment scandal, explore membership clinic models, and debate whether problems are rogue bad actors or systemic incentives.
Mar 4, 2026 • 47min
Why are there so many twin films?
On this week's episode, the boys chat with Chris and Lizzie, the hosts of the What Went Wrong podcast about why Hollywood produces so many "twin films," movies that have very similar concepts and that release within a year of each other. They also debate whether A Bug's Life or ANTZ is the better movie, and talk through some controversial Hollywood development rumors. For links to research and more, check out our newsletter. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (860) 325-0286.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 35min
Should the internet be a public utility?
Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Business Insider, explains how internet infrastructure, last-mile problems, and antitrust shape service options. Rachel Askenazi, journalist and founder of Throwing Spaghetti Media, shares personal ISP battle stories. They discuss why cable incumbents dominate, whether 5G or municipal broadband can change things, and how other countries handle access.
Feb 18, 2026 • 49min
Will AI take our jobs?
Maty Bohacek, AI researcher and technical advisor, explains agent capabilities and limits. Evan Ratliff, investigative journalist who built AI-driven projects, shares hands-on experiments with voice clones and AI-run companies. They explore voice cloning, uncanny realism, agents going rogue, interviewing with AI, and the technical and ethical limits of autonomous tools.
16 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 48min
Why do divorced guys act like that?
Jessica Calarco, sociologist and author who studies gendered labor after divorce. Micah Steinborn, clinical psychologist explaining breakup brain and coping. Max Tani, media reporter who framed the topic and shares cultural examples. They explore “divorced guy” stereotypes, brain chemistry after breakups, why men reinvent publicly, media’s role in shaping narratives, and gendered post-divorce outcomes.
9 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 1h 1min
Are outdoor cats happier than indoor cats?
Dr. Mikel Delgado, cat behavior scientist and author, explains cat senses, social smelling, and indoor versus outdoor welfare. Kate Lindsay, journalist and proud cat owner, shares personal city-cat stories and rescue experiences. They debate indoor, outdoor, and hybrid lifestyles, discuss risks of free roaming, and explore enrichment and controlled outdoor options like catios.
8 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 51min
Can humans be cloned?
Hank T. Greely, a Stanford law professor who studies bioethics and law in biosciences, and Chelsey Weber-Smith, podcaster who digs into hoaxes and moral panics. They trace celebrity clone conspiracies, unpack alleged whistleblower claims, and explain how cloning actually works. Short, curious, and skeptical takes on why these stories spread and what science really says.
