November 11, 2009

S01E007 – Horrifying Hybrids

🎙️ Blake Smith, Ben Radford (managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer), and Dr. Karen Stollznow (linguist and skeptical investigator) tackle one of mythology’s oldest obsessions: the hybrid creature. From the animal-headed gods of Egypt to the satyrs of Greece to modern alien-abduction narratives, the idea of something part-human, part-other has never lost its grip on the imagination. This episode asks whether any of it could actually be […]

Regular Episode 56 min read
October 9, 2009

S1E006 – Darwin vs The Wolfman

Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Dr. Karen Stollznow welcome historian of science Dr. Brian Regal of Kean University in New Jersey to discuss what Darwin’s theory of natural selection did — and didn’t — do to the werewolf. Dr. Regal is an assistant professor for the history of science, technology, and medicine, with a Ph.D. in American intellectual history. His research into […]

Regular Episode 50 min read
October 9, 2009

S01E005 – Dr. Dave Martill & Pterosaurs

🎙️ Blake Smith, Karen Stollznow and Ben Radford are joined by Dr. Dave Martill, reader in paleobiology at the University of Portsmouth, to discuss one of evolution’s most spectacular experiments in flight: the pterosaurs. The occasion is the MonsterQuest episode on the Ropen â€” a cryptid from Papua New Guinea described by proponents as a bioluminescent, still-living pterosaur — which brought Dr. Martill to PNG as the resident skeptical expert. What […]

Regular Episode 42 min read
September 24, 2009

S01E004 – The Plesiosaur Hypothesis

🎙️ Blake Smith and Benjamin Radford are joined by Dr. Karen Stollznow to examine one of cryptozoology’s most enduring hypotheses: that a colony of plesiosaurs survived the K-Pg mass extinction and still lurks in the cold, dark waters of Loch Ness. Their guest, Dr. Adam Stuart Smith, is a specialist in Mesozoic marine reptiles, a researcher at the National Museum of Ireland‘s Natural History Division, and the operator of plesiosauria.com â€” a resource so comprehensive […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
August 16, 2009

S01E003 – Fins & Fossil Footprints

GLEN KUBAN HAS DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH on two cases important to monster enthusiasts. His article explaining the true nature of the “mysterious” carcass netted by the Japanese fishing vessel Zuiyo-maru and his decades long investigation into the alleged “giant humanoid tracks” in the Paluxy fossil bed in Texas both highlight the importance of a thorough investigation before assuming the remarkable is true. In the […]

Regular Episode 45 min read
July 27, 2009

S01E002 – Anatomy of a Beast

In this episode 🎙️ Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Dr. Karen Stollznow welcome journalist and documentary filmmaker Mike McLeod to discuss his book đź“š Anatomy of a Beast: Obsession and Myth on the Trail of Bigfoot đź’µ — an investigative, character-driven account of the men who built the Bigfoot legend and the famous film at its center. McLeod comes to the subject not as a believer or a debunker, […]

Regular Episode 49 min read
July 2, 2009

S01E001 – Bigfoot DNA

Welcome to the very first episode of MonsterTalk, the science show about monsters! This inaugural episode marks the beginning of our journey into the world of cryptozoology from a skeptical perspective. Hosts: Blake Smith and Dr. Karen StollznowRegular Panelist: Ben RadfordSpecial Guest: Dr. Todd Disotell The Guest: Dr. Todd Disotell Our guest for this episode is Dr. Todd Disotell, a Professor of Anthropology at New […]

Regular Episode 1 min read