Part-Time Genius

Is our obsession with cleanliness keeping us from peak health? Also, can hookworm cure allergies? Will harvesting panda poop make you rich? Plus: Why Amish dust is superior to other dust (seriously!). Featuring Penny Sarchet. This episode originally aired on June 14, 2017. Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email higeniuses@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo by Crystal Chabot via Unsplash. Thanks, Crystal! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katy Milkman, Wharton professor and behavior change researcher, explains why habits stick and how to shift them. She explores the fresh-start effect, temptation bundling, adding friction to bad routines, and smart commitment devices. Short, practical takes on making change easier and more sustainable.

We have ZERO intention of eating less food! But if you had to pare down your pantry to the bare minimum, what are the only foods you'd need to survive? Is an all-potato diet healthy? And did Steve Jobs' strange diet affect his business decisions? Plus, Will and Mango discuss the Woodstock for fruit lovers and find out why the elderberry might be the most overlooked berry. Featuring Spudfit.com's Andrew Taylor. This episode originally aired on November 1, 2017. Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email higeniuses@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo by Lars Blankers via Unsplash. Thanks, Lars! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We honk at them in the street and shoo them away from our trash cans, but opossums are so much more than nocturnal nuisances. In today’s episode, Mango and Gabe get better acquainted with America’s only native marsupials, including the truth behind their famous talent for playing dead and their surprising connections to President Taft and Captain John Smith. Plus: A stirring ode to the opossum on Mango’s balcony and a tongue-in-cheek recipe for “planked possum.” Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email higeniuses@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo by The New York Public Library via Unsplash. Thanks, NYPL!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will and Mango are on a mission to uncover chocolate's darkest secrets. What's the difference between cacao and cocoa? Why have Swiss scientists been working on a pink chocolate for so long, and what does it really taste like? Plus, why does chocolate melt so perfectly in our mouths? This episode originally aired on February 21, 2018. Get your official Part-Time Genius membership card! Tell us your name, address, and one fun fact and we’ll send you one for free. Email higeniuses@gmail.com, DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo by Tetiana Bykovets via Unsplash. Thanks, Tetiana! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They dig into what makes food feel authentic, from regional roots to values like sustainability. They reveal the surprising real origin story behind Outback Steakhouse. They debate how politics, pricing, and Yelp shape perceptions of authenticity. They trace how restaurants, chains, and curated decor manufacture cultural vibes worldwide.

Dave Burgart, a former top U.S. ski archer who raced internationally, shares tales from niche winter sports and travel. The conversation jumps from forgotten Olympic events and quirky demos to rule changes that reshaped competition. Listeners hear stories of ski joring, ski ballet, sled innovations, and a Siberian race hospitality tale.

Reading a book, going to the movies, listening to your favorite band… you call them hobbies, but acclaimed scientist Daisy Fancourt calls them public health strategies. She joins producer Mary to discuss her new book, Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives, and shares insights from her research—like the fact that engaging with the arts reduces the risk of depression, and listening to music before surgery results in faster healing. Daisy also explains why she’s hopeful in the face of widespread cuts to arts funding, and why you don’t have to be good at the arts to benefit from them.  Buy Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email higeniuses@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Human ingenuity knows no limits! Today Will, Gabe, and Mango raid the United States Patent Office to find some of the weirdest, funniest, and most confusing inventions of all time.  This episode originally aired on April 7, 2020. Get your official Part-Time Genius membership card! Tell us your name, address, and one fun fact and we’ll send you one for free. Email higeniuses@gmail.com, DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo of a gerbil (not in the gerbil transport vest) by Silje Roseneng via Unsplash. Thanks, Silje! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mediating bizarre border scuffles from an island once settled with whiskey to a puffin-packed rock fought over for fishing rights. They trace glacial disagreements on Mont Blanc, a survey error that shifted a state line, and a weird nested enclave puzzle that was finally unraveled. Hear tales of an unclaimed desert, a DIY micronation, and a Manhattan neighborhood stranded in the Bronx.