Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Hi, Stuff They Don't Want You To Know listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Incels! Incels: Hidden deep in online forums, a growing subculture thrives on anger, isolation, and blame: incels, or “involuntary celibates.” Mostly young, white, heterosexual men, incels see themselves as rejected by women and overshadowed by so-called “Chads”—the confident, attractive men they believe they can never be. Their frustration often mutates into open hostility, harassment, and, in the most extreme cases, acts of violence. Incels takes listeners inside this unsettling world—not to sensationalize it, but to understand it. Through expert analysis, first-hand accounts, and the voices of former incels, we break down how these communities operate, why they’re growing, and the psychological traps that keep men locked in cycles of resentment. With chilling stories and deep insight, Incels reveals the human cost of a culture built on hate—and the path forward for those ready to leave it behind. Listen to Incels on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts! They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killdeer Fake-out inspires Ben, Matt and Noel to create an episode on the radioactive scandal of Coldwater Creek. Chef Ben asks whether he crossed paths with a knife cult. Sydney prompts an anthropological exploration of the Nacirema. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like so many other countries, Japan has a complex mix of political parties and activist movements -- some are gigantic, and some are small. Some are legit, and some are crazy. In the recent election, one fringe, far-right party named Sanseitō skyrocketed in the polls, gaining unprecedented prominence on a 'Japan First' platform peddling conspiracy theories, anti-foreigner legislation, and revisionist history about World War II. Is that really what the Japanese voters want? Journalists, critics and the public have serious questions, and are asking whether this group is, itself, funded by foreign powers seeking to destroy Japan from within. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On June 22nd, 1983, 15-year-old Vatican City resident Emanuela Orlandi disappeared after attending a music lesson. Over the decades, numerous people claimed to have seen Orlandi, or reached out with leads on her fate. Yet even now, the case remains unsolved. Join the guys as they explore that facts of the case, the wide-ranging possibilities, the allegations of conspiracy, crime and cover-ups, ultimately asking: What happened to Emanuela Orlandi? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Brain Drain: funding cuts and political chaos cause scientists to leave the US -- and other countries love it. Wal-Mart bans an emotional support alligator. Protestors get in hot water in the UK. New Mexico may make childcare free. And one scientist may have just cracked the code on space travel. All this and more -- including the first bot minister -- in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December of 1978, New Zealand's Kaikōura mountain ranges gained international attention as a series of unidentified glowing objects appeared to follow multiple planes in the area. Pilots, journalists, radar techs and air traffic control all confirmed the events -- along with numerous witnesses on the ground. Almost fifty years after the initial sightings, people still can't explain the Kaikōura Lights... and every December, locals look to the sky, just in case the lights return. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into one of the most bizarre UFO stories in New Zealand history. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bizarre Power Wheels heist goes awry. TikTok loses its mind over an unidentified ...thing in Panama. A fellow Conspiracy Realist hips Ben, Matt and Noel to a massive (and massively petty) possible conspiracy in the corporate world. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the height of the Cold War, both the Soviets and the United States raced to hold supremacy across the globe. Over in North Dakota, you can find a strange relic of this unending conflict -- the Stanley R. Mickelson Safeguard Complex, a billion-dollar boondoggle built to detect and destroy Soviet missiles. It opened on October 1st, 1975. Just one day later, on October 2nd, Congress shut it down. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel ask: What happened? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In September of 1961, on an empty country road in rural New Hampshire, Barney and Betty Hill experienced the most profound, bizarre night of their lives in what would become the first widely-publicized account of an alien abduction in US history -- the case that would go on to influence hundreds, if not thousands, of abduction cases to follow. But what exactly happened that September night? Join the guys as they sit down with author Toby Ball, host of the Strange Arrivals podcast, to explore the facts, the claims, and the questions that remain unanswered in the modern day. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US authorities raid a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, detaining nearly 500 workers and sparking an international crisis with South Korea. The QAnon Queen of Canada is arrested. The rise of teenage assassins in Sweden. US tech companies are complicit in mass surveillance across China. The good and bad of LSD. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As human civilization hurtles headlong toward technology it still does not fully understand, your favorite world governments are in a new arms race to control large language models, generative AI, and the terrifying golden goose -- a fully sentient, artificially created, non-organic mind. So what happens when they discover it? As Ben, Matt and Noel learn in the second chapter of this two-part series: everything is precedent. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HR prompts an exploration of the world's internet -- and what happens when it fails. Dale pitches the concept of Anunnaki Pirates. Moose shares some insight into cat conversations. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corporations across the planet are going crazy for AI -- and governments are no different. So what happens when new technology revolutionizes the same age-old interests of a government? What happens when a new technology revolutionizes the same age-old mistakes as well?In the first part of this special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore governmental interest in AI: the facts, the fiction, and the frightening implications. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's "AI" week here on Stuff They Don't Want You To Know. In tonight's Classic episode, Ben, Matt and Noel revisit their 2020 original exploration of Clearview AI -- to its supporters, this company's facial recognition software revolutionizes safety. To its critics, there's much more on the horizon. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fan of the show Uncle Xi just threw a big party to commemorate the end of World War II. In this week's strange news segment, the guys explore the FOMO of the world's second-strangest science fair. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People have attempted to communicate with other animals since before the dawn of recorded history. Today, almost every pet owner feels they have deep, communicative bonds with their pets -- but what about wild animals? In the second chapter of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel discover how 'AI' may soon allow humans to speak directly with multiple other organisms. (We also absolutely wrecked our search history with phrases like "sperm whale phonetic alphabet.") They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Messenger prompts a conversation on video games and divinity. Oz Woman replies to the earlier series on the Anunnaki. Following up on the earlier news about China's artificial womb, PoodleCrab and others walk through the positive -- and negative -- implications. A brief homily on Cracker Barrel. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a bond with a household pet? Do they understand what you say to them -- and, if so, how much? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into a question that's mystified humanity since the dawn of history: Can we really talk to non-human animals? Not at or to... but with? Tune in to learn how science may finally crack the code and turn us into real-life Doctor Doolittles. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Propaganda has always been a powerful tool, and humanity's recent technological innovations have only amplified its reach. Long-standing laws in the US were meant to prevent US propaganda for foreign audiences from reaching the domestic population, but over time those laws have been eroded... and, as it turns out, Uncle Sam was secretly pushing propaganda on the people for years beforehand. Tune in to learn more about Operation Mockingbird. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Nationals captured attempting an info war to destablize Greenland. A lawsuit emerges on an airline. A cardboard cartel is in play and, it appears, actively conspiring against you. All this -- plus an orgy dome -- in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.