In this episode, Nick shrinks Dave to the size of a bacterium and sends him into the savage battlefield of the human immune system, a breathtaking biological enterprise that's second in complexity only to the human brain. Then, Dave takes us to the very edge of the universe, where something unknown lurks beyond observable space, emitting such an immense gravitational pull that this mysterious celestial body is believed to be the largest, densest object in the universe.

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In this episode, Nick gets too close for comfort to a tree the Guinness Book of World Records called "the deadliest tree in the world." With poisonous fruit, toxic bark, and lethal sap, there's no doubt the manchineel tree wants you dead. Only one creature can survive in its branches, but you'll never guess what it is. Then, Dave takes a deep dive into the deep Earth, where there's no light, intense pressure, and unbearable heat, and yet life is thriving down there. These life forms are unlike anything we've ever seen and far outnumber the organisms that exist on the surface. How they survive in these extreme conditions will amaze you.

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In this episode, Nick recounts the true story of a young Australian man in the peak of health who, in 2010, ate a common garden slug on a dare. What followed was a swift and brutal physical deterioration, eventually putting him into a coma. But slugs aren't poisonous, so what happened? The answer will shock you! Then, Dave takes us on a guided tour of several fascinating and spooky exoplanets, strange and completely alien worlds that orbit distant stars. Could any of them support life as we know it?

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In this episode, Nick recounts the bizarre events that befell the small coastal city of Capitola, California in 1961, when thousands of seabirds attacked the city, an incident eerily similar to Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie The Birds, yet this happened two years before the movie. What caused the birds to swarm Capitola and peck madly at its residents, and could it happen again? Then, Dave tells the sad story of American servicemen purposely exposed, without their knowledge or consent, to the radiation of nuclear blasts at Yucca Flat, Nevada in the 1950s. The dark and tragic secret they were forced to keep for decades has finally been revealed.

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In this episode, Nick leads us deep into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to the remains of the deadly reactor itself, where a most unexpected organism has made its home. Not only is it resistant to the radiation bombarding it, it appears to be feeding on radiation to grow and reproduce. Then, Dave takes us on a journey to the Phoenix Cluster, a massive and beautiful collection of galaxies billions of light years from Earth. Yet something terrifying lurks at the center of the Phoenix Cluster, something we know is there but cannot see.

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In this episode, Nick explores the strange and spooky phenomenon of bog mummies in northern Europe. How are they so well preserved after thousands of years, and what dark, deadly secret do they share? Then, Dave examines what intelligent alien life might look like should we ever encounter them. The answer might surprise you!

This episode was recorded before a live audience at the Flying Fox Tavern in Queens, NY, on September 15, 2024. As a result, the sound quality is a little dicey. You'll want to increase the volume -- but beware of the occasional cocktail shaker of death!

Also, there was a slideshow for the audience that accompanied the episode. If you'd like to see the slides, they can be found here: https://www.nicholaskaufmann.com/spooky-science-lab-live/

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

In the final episode of Season 1, Nick tells the story of a massive herd of earthworms discovered in the shape of a perfect spiral on the ground--a "wormnado"--and examines what could have caused this seemingly impossible phenomenon. Does it have anything to do with a rare phase of the moon known as the "Worm Moon"? Then, Dave looks into the "Dark Forest Hypothesis," which tackles the question, if the universe is so infinitely large that it's statistically unlikely for humankind to be all alone, why haven't we seen any aliens yet?

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!

Nick introduces us to the busy, relentless world of leafcutter ants, who spend their whole lives harvesting leaves from the forest to bring back to their nest and feed to the fungus that lives there. These tiny, six-legged personal chefs live to serve the fungus, which raises the question: Who's in charge? Then, Dave discusses the theory of "panspermia," which suggests that life on Earth might have started in outer space. Is it possible human beings are actually aliens?

Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/spooky-science-lab

Hosted by Nicholas Kaufmann and David Wellington
Edited by David Wellington
Additional voices by Jennifer Dikes and Alexa Antopol
Logo by Errick Nunnally
Theme song "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle

Connect with us on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email us at contact@spookysciencelab.com!