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In this Nature Mysteries Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole tackle one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science: how was the Moon formed?

We look at what we do know—like why lunar rocks look almost identical to Earth’s, why one side of the Moon is thicker than the other, and why it’s slowly drifting away at 1.5 inches per year. Then we dig into the wild theories scientists are still testing:

🌑 The Giant Impact Hypothesis (a Mars-sized planet colliding with Earth)
🌋 Evidence that the Moon was once covered in a magma ocean
🧲 Why the Moon has less iron than Earth
🌀 And how some new models suggest the Moon formed in just… hours

It’s science, it’s speculation, and it’s the perfect reminder that even our closest neighbor in space is still one big mystery.

🎧 This is the first in our Nature Mysteries series—four bite-sized episodes digging into the weird questions science hasn’t solved (yet).

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In this final Swarms Minisode of the season, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole lose their minds (in the best way) over the most chaotic, moon-synced crab love party on Earth: the migration of Christmas Island red crabs.

We’re talking:
🦀 50 to 100 million land crabs
🌧 Timed to what we're convinced is a witches curse....
🚧 Roads shut down
🌊 Pina colada breaks (probably)
💥 And babies launched off seaside cliffs like nature’s carpet bomb

This migration is so massive, locals build crab bridges and the entire island turns into one giant crustacean mosh pit.

But here’s the kicker—these crabs know how far they are from the ocean… AND what phase the moon is in. With brains the size of a Tic Tac.

🎧 Listen in for weird crab romance, the female egg drop of the century, and a surprising twist: these babies? They’re not just adorable—they’re lunch.

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Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

In this explosive episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole reveal the surprising truth: sometimes, nature chooses to self-destruct—and it's all part of the plan.

From exploding ants to salmon that spawn and die, and fungi that launch spores like botanical cannons, this episode dives into how death in nature isn't always failure—it's strategy.

💥 Why some creatures explode on purpose
🐟 How salmon die to feed the next generation
🌱 Which fungi use pressure to shoot spores into the wind
🐜 The gluey, horrifying world of exploding ants
🧬 And why your own body kills its own cells—on purpose

Whether it’s defending the colony, escaping danger, or creating new life, these self-destruct systems show just how weird, strategic, and shockingly brilliant evolution can be.

🎧 Listen in to learn how destruction can be nature’s ultimate power move.

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Subscribe and prepare yourself—because this time, the swarm doesn’t just chase... it devours.

In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the world of army ants, some of the most strategic, aggressive, and terrifyingly coordinated hunters on Earth. From building living bridges to raiding the forest floor with military precision, these ants don't forage… they sweep, and anything that can’t move fast enough is gone.

🐜 Why army ants don’t build nests—but become one
🚨 How their raids dismember prey in minutes
🧭 Why they create living bridges and run two-lane traffic systems
🌪 And how other species follow their swarms for leftovers (like antbirds!)

This is more than an ant episode—it’s a masterclass in swarm strategy, evolutionary teamwork, and why being organized is deadly.

🎧 This is episode 5 of our Swarms series—quick, chaotic, and scientifically intense.

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Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

In this seed-sational episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dig into the unexpectedly wild world of seed dispersal. From coconuts floating across oceans to violets launching their seeds like botanical cannons, this episode explores the many weird and wonderful ways plants get around without walking.

🌊 How coconuts evolved to sail thousands of miles
🌬️ The physics behind parachuting and helicoptering seeds
🧲 The sticky science of clingers like burdock and chia
💥 Which plants explode their seeds like t-shirt cannons
🌍 And how human activity spreads (and sometimes ruins) plant travel

Whether you're a plant nerd or just into nature's weirdest survival tactics, this one's for you.

🎧 Listen to learn how seeds conquer new territory, how evolution shaped their rides, and why your burr-covered dog is basically a nature Uber.

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Subscribe if you love science, chaos, and being mildly afraid of your backyard. 🐝

In this Swarms Minisode, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole uncover facts around the infamous “killer bees”—a.k.a. Africanized honeybees. Spoiler: they don’t look scary, but they’ll chase you, sting in overwhelming numbers, and sometimes even wait above water for you to come up for air.

But is the fear justified?

🐝 What makes Africanized honeybees so aggressive?
🌎 How did a 1950s experiment in Brazil lead to bees chasing joggers in Arizona?
🧬 Why breeding for honey production + heat tolerance went very, very wrong
🏃‍♀️ And what to actually do if you’re attacked (yes, you should run—fast)

This episode unpacks the biology, history, and real risk of one of the world’s most feared swarming insects—and how they became a punchline and a public safety issue.

🎧 This is episode 4 of our Swarms series—short, punchy episodes exploring the wildest group behaviors in nature.

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Ever wonder how birds, eels, whales, or even bugs find their way without a GPS? In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole uncover the jaw-dropping science behind animal navigation.

From locusts using sky maps and magnetic fields, to eels migrating thousands of miles to a secret oceanic birthplace no one’s ever seen (seriously), and birds that may be using quantum mechanics to see the Earth’s magnetic field—it’s a global tour of natural way-finding.

🌎 How do animals "see" magnetic fields?
🧭 What is magnetoreception and how does it work?
🌌 Can birds actually use quantum mechanics to navigate?
🐟 Why do we still not know how eels reproduce?

This episode explores what researchers are learning—and why the military, ocean shippers, and conservationists are all paying attention.

🎧 Perfect for curious minds, nature nerds, and anyone who's ever questioned how animals seem to have better internal GPS than humans with smartphones.

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Subscribe if you love science, chaos, and bugs that are way too confident.

In this Swarms Minisode, Katy dives into the desert locust, a grasshopper that transforms—literally—into one of the most devastating swarm creatures on Earth.

🦗 What causes a peaceful insect to go full apocalypse mode?
🌾 How do they morph from shy loners to yellow, muscle-bound sky-hulks?
🌪 What triggers a swarm so massive it consumes everything in its path—eating its body weight daily?
📈 And why can’t we stop them, even with modern tech?

From serotonin surges to plague-level salad destruction, this episode unpacks the shocking science behind locust swarms, how they form, what fuels them, and why the only thing that can stop them is literally nature itself.

🎧 This is episode 3 of our 6-part Swarms series—bite-sized, bizarre, and biologically unhinged. We know we had two mini episodes in a row, that was not intended, but sometimes life just gets in the way of our fun!

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🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!