Flora is away this week, so we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes — about a summer visitor no one wants. Caller Jeremy has a problem: fruit flies have moved into his apartment, and he needs to know how they got there. ELT finds out where Jeremy’s freeloading flatmates came from. Guests: Biologist Marcus Stensmyr, Lund University. Chemical ecologist Kevin Cloonan, Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada. Thanks to Jeremy and all the listeners who shared their gnat knowledge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Flora is away this week at a flamingo fanciers convention, so we’re revisiting one of our favorite shows — a two-part, deep dive into cheerleading. It’s not all smiles and ponytails. Guests: cheerleading researcher and professor at the University of Alabama Natalie Adams; Barbara Hazlewood; Sharita Richardson, cheerleading researcher, instructional coach at North Carolina A&T State University, and founder of Black Girls Cheer. Thanks to caller Jessica for the question. Special thanks to Vonciel Baker, one of the original seven Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and to Dee Brock, former manager of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Amy gets lost a lot. She wants to know if some people are naturally better at finding their way, and whether there’s hope for her. An expert locates some answers. Plus, how the best navigators in the world get around. Guests: navigation and orientation researcher Giuseppe Iaria; former London cab driver David Styles. Thanks to caller Amy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re celebrating the little things you miss from life before quarantine. Those small joys you can’t stop thinking about, in the midst of such big sadness. Thanks to listeners Ron, Sophia, Karen, Hayden, Priyanka, Melissa, Kim, Kai, Will, and everyone who called in to share, shout, and sob into the void. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the time of “puzzle and chill,” listener Myco needs to know: how are jigsaw puzzles made? Plus, why are clouds of terrifying black birds gathering in listener Amanda’s neighborhood every evening? ELT puts the pieces together. Guests: Thomas Kaeppeler, President of Ravensburger North America, Inc.; bird expert Judith Bailey. Thanks to callers Myco and Amanda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If a baby couldn’t nurse, what did prehistoric parents do before baby bottles? Julie Dunne, a biomolecular archaeologist and pot lady, analyzed some adorable ancient artifacts to answer the question. Plus, a big day for niblings. Thanks to callers Kate and Michael. Guest: Pot lady Julie Dunne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fear, pride, relief, anger — what’s it like for the people out working so the rest of us can stay inside? Listeners who deliver packages and stock shelves tell us how their lives have changed. Thanks to Jacob, Megan, Ian, Lucy, Tamasha, Justin, Kaleb, Jane, Dawn, Rob, and everyone else who called in. And a gigantic thank you to everyone risking their own health to keep the rest of us safe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Elizabeth always says “please” and “thank you” to her Google voice assistant, and her husband says she’s weird. ELT talks to former Alexa insider Daren Gill and expert in human-robot interactions Leila Takayama to find out just how weird Elizabeth is. Plus, we right a #noboe wrong. Thanks to caller Elizabeth. Guests: Daren Gill, director of product at Spotify; human-robot interaction researcher Leila Takayama; oboe player Marcus Phillips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A troubling image of a flamingo family has the flam world in a frenzy. ELT’s resident flamingo expert tells us what’s really happening in that viral pic. Plus, listener Paul goes in for an appendectomy, and wakes up with a bizarre craving. What happened when he went under the knife? Guests: Flamingo expert Felicity Arengo and anesthetist Kate Leslie. Thanks to caller Paul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A police sketch artist reveals how she turns your fuzzy memory into a sharp drawing. Sketch artist Kelly Lawson from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation walks us through the process. Thanks to Gary Wells, Gil Zamora, and caller Lex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Emily is dying to know: what are actors actually using when they do drugs on screen? A prop czar takes ELT behind the scenes. Plus, a tribute to percussionist Emil Richards. Guest: prop master Lynda Reiss. Thanks to caller Emily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We asked you, the ELT family, to share your favorite underutilized words -- words that you love and want other listeners to love too. And you delivered. Now, with your help, we want to get one of those words into the dictionary. A professional word nerd tells us which of your submissions have the best chance of making it into the big book. Guest: former Merriam-Webster Dictionary editor Kory Stamper. Thanks to everyone who called in with a word. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did cavemen really carry clubs? Live in caves? Wear leopard-print one-shouldered dresses? Paleoanthropologists Melanie Chang and Genevieve von Petzinger help bust our biggest cavemen myths — and tell us what our ancestors were really like. Special thanks to caller Lauren, and to historian Matthew Goodrum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re clearing out our inbox and answering some of your burning follow-up questions for our last episode of 2019. Guests: Captain Nick Anderson, retired Virgin-Atlantic airline pilot, Airline Pilot Guy Show; microbiologist Jenny Hayden, Cedar Crest College; Jason Torchinsky, senior editor at Jalopnik. Thanks to callers Mattie, Toku, Piper, Aviv, Meghan, Anna, Liz, Kathi and Carl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Shannon is at a loss for words when it comes to describing her favorite vegetable -- corn. ELT enlists a professional food describer to help expand Shannon’s tasting vocabulary. Guest: sensory evaluator Gail Vance Civille of Sensory Spectrum. Special thanks to Shannon for venturing outside of her palate’s comfort zone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Lisa wants to know why her butt hurts whenever she sees someone else get injured. ELT finds out whether some people really can feel your pain. Guest: pain researcher Stuart Derbyshire. Thanks to queen of Chapped Cheeks Lisa, and to researchers Natalie Bowling, Melita Giummarra, Helena Hartmann, Marina López-Solà, Bridget Rubenking, Jamie Ward, Scott Vrana, and Jamil Zaki. May your cheeks be ever free — hashtag booboobottom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wendy Zukerman, host of Science Vs, has a burning question: Do ants help each other out? ELT goes down the anthole to find the antswer. Guests: ant researchers Erik Frank at Université de Lausanne and Christina Kwapich at Arizona State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do twins communicate in the womb? Can they read each other’s minds? ELT tackles listeners’ twin questions and investigates some burning twin-spiracies. Guest: Nancy Segal, psychology professor at California State University, Fullerton, and author of Twin Mythconceptions. Thanks to twins Kelly and Kristina, Reply All’s Phia Bennin, and everyone who called with twin questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT tackles some animal, vegetable, mineral mysteries with special guest Amy Sedaris. Plus, caller Maria is troubled by a hole in front of her condo — will she be swallowed by the earth? And the scoop on spinach tooth. Guests: Comedian and rabbit expert Amy Sedaris; Jim Correll, plant pathologist, University of Arkansas; geologist and sinkhole expert David Wilshaw. Thanks to callers Anthony, Eddie and Maria.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A mass spider invasion at his office left accountant Steven with a burning question: How many can there be? ELT does some spider number-crunching, and meets the man who discovered one of the largest spider gatherings on record. Guests: Freddie Gowin, retired park ranger, Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas; Linda Rayor, arachnologist at Cornell University. Thanks to caller Steven. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why would a garden-gloved thief lift a water lily from a botanical garden in London? ELT gets to the root of a rare plant heist. Guests: Carlos Magdalena, botanical horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, and author of The Plant Messiah. Nick Johnson, horticultural manager of Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman. Thanks to caller Carl.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Images of little green aliens are everywhere: Area 51, bongs, your ‘90s chain wallet. But why did we start depicting extraterrestrials that way? ELT uncovers the moment that beamed little green aliens into our homes (and hearts). Guests: sociologist of science Pierre Lagrange; Kentucky resident Bill Thomas; literature professor Roger Luckhurst. Special thanks to caller Willie. Thanks also to Sarah Scoles and Geraldine Sutton Stith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where did the limbo first get off the ground? This week, ELT reveals how it went from funerals in the Caribbean to shag-carpeted basements across American suburbia. Guests: Performer, choreographer, and documentarian Sonja Dumas; and Shane Vogel, professor of English and Theater at Indiana University. Special thanks to listener Aurelia. Thanks also to Kieron Sargeant and Ray Funk. To hear the songs featured in this episode, head over to our Spotify playlist at elt.show/limbo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caller Austin had a fragment of a song stuck in his head, and he needed our assistance. ELT listeners help him name that tune and put this mystery to rest. Guests: Singer and songwriter Sondre Lerche.  Thanks to Dave Heilman and all the listeners who tried to help Austin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An earworm expert explains how to unstick that song that’s stuck in your head, and why it got lodged there in the first place. Plus, your earwormholes — the songs that transport you through time and space. To hear the songs featured in this episode, head over to our Spotify playlist. http://www.elt.show/earworm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While they may look like dainty, dorky birds, flamingos deserve respect. Flora brings the flamingo facts, and launches ELT’s campaign to bring a flamingo mascot to professional sports. Guests: Comedian Prashanth Venkataramanujam; Producer Katherine Wells; Mascot maker Jennifer Smith of Avant Garb; Renbert Mortimer, creator of the University of the Bahamas mascot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every year the TSA confiscates millions of pounds of pocket knives, sunscreen and snow globes from airport travelers. Where does it all go? ELT investigates. Plus, tips for sneaking your weed onboard from a former TSA agent. Guests: Ex-TSA “Taylor”; TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein; surplus agents for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Patrick Knight and Mike Starr; press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services Troy Thompson. Thanks to caller Kimberly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT answers an age-old question: When you have to use a public toilet, should you sit on the seat? A team of microbiologists weigh in. Plus, the rise, fall, and re-rise of cargo shorts. Guests: Microbiologist Jack Gilbert; comedian Prashanth Venkataramanujam; cargo pantsologist Joe Hancock; Wall Street Journal reporter Nicole Hong.  Special thanks to caller Jenny and the biology experts we surveyed: Jason Tetro, William Schaffner, Chuck Gerba, Rob Dunn, Jenny Hayden, Steffanie Strathdee, Liz Scott, Kimberly Page, and Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When did organ music and baseball become an item? ELT talks to some pro organ players to find out how organs and ballparks got together. Plus, meet Nancy Faust — the legendary organist who brought trolling to modern baseball music. Guests: Steven Ball, organist and Director of Sacred Music at The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis, Missouri; Josh Kantor, organist for the Boston Red Sox; Nancy Faust, retired organist for the Chicago White Sox Thanks to caller Robert. Thanks also to Judy Scott. You can see a photo of Nancy's donkeys on twitter and instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For most of human history, tooth care has been pretty bare bones. How did we go from charlatans pulling teeth in a public square, to the modern dentist’s office? ELT exposes the roots of tooth care. Plus, meet the technician who makes movie stars’ teeth look terrible. Guests: Dental historian and retired dentist J. Henry Clarke; historian Richard Barnett. Thanks to callers Amanda and Tess for the questions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does swearing make you more powerful? Caller Mark’s dad thinks a well-timed “word of power” is the key to efficient yardwork. ELT asks a swearing expert about that theory. Plus, we talk to someone who turns the “mother f*ckers” into “manhole covers” for the TV versions of movies. Guests: Cognitive scientist Ben Bergen, author of What the F***; Gwen Whittle, supervising sound editor at Skywalker Sound.  Thanks to caller Mark for the monkey flippin’ question, and to Mark’s dad Steve.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through the 1800s, babies in the U.S. were dressed in gender neutral clothing — you couldn’t tell the girls from the boys based on their outfits. So why did parents start color-coding their kids in pink and blue? Plus, ELT’s long quest to get a sports team to have a flamingo as their mascot is finally over… or is it?  Guests: textiles and clothing historian Jo Paoletti; cultural historian of medicine, gender, and the body Hanne Blank; and Kuba Krzyzostaniak, Director of Fan Engagement for Forward Madison FC. Thanks to caller Elle Ve and Paige — and to scholars Elizabeth Sweet, Katherine Parkin, and Valerie Steele. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you fly do you really need to put your phone in airplane mode? Should you fear the tray table? What’s happening in the cockpit while you’re fighting over the armrest? Two airline pilots answer your burning air travel questions. Guests: Pilot Sandy Williams of Skydive Deland; Pilot Nick Anderson of the Airline Pilot Guy podcast.  Thanks to everyone who called in with their airplane questions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you found millions of dollars worth of buried treasure, what would you do next? Take it to the bank? Sell it on eBay? Call 60 Minutes? ELT unearths the tale of the largest buried treasure ever found in North America. Plus, practical tips for dealing with newfound millions, and a nationwide treasure hunt, ELT-style. Guest: David J. McCarthy, numismatist. Special thanks to listeners Kurt, Elizabeth, Travis, Vicki, Nikki, Kimberly, Robert, and Rachel for helping us with our treasure hunt. And thanks to listener David for the question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who decides what a cheerleader looks like? Or sounds like? In part two of a two-part episode, ELT digs into the complicated legacy of an American archetype. Guests: Natalie Adams, cheerleading researcher and professor at the University of Alabama; Sharita Richardson, cheerleading researcher, instructional coach at North Carolina A&T State University, and founder of Black Girls Cheer. Thanks to caller Jessica for the question.  Special thanks to Vonciel Baker, one of the original seven Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and to Dee Brock, former manager of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did one style of cheerleading come to dominate in so many American schools? In part one of a two-part episode, ELT flips through the history of cheerleading and meets the man who held cheerleading in the pompom of his hand.  Guests: Cheerleading researcher and professor at the University of Alabama Natalie Adams; Barbara Hazlewood; Thanks to caller Jessica for the question.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While there’s some evidence clothes go back 170,000 years, pants are a relatively recent addition to our wardrobes. Why were pants developed and who wore them first? ELT unravels the surprising story of pants. Guests: Artist and clothing researcher Ulrike “Rike” Beck; folklorist and historian Adrienne Mayor; artist and writer Emily Spivack. Thanks to caller “Elle” for the question.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can duct tape really fix every little thing? ELT tests the limits — and gets to the bottom of a duct tape story that’ll blow your socks off. Plus, your most ingenious MacGyver stories. Guests: Daniel Munson, Senior Product Development Specialist at 3M; Gary LaRose, lodge owner and hunting guide on the Alaska Peninsula; Luke Miller, Anchorage-based pilot and guide. Thanks to callers Ian, Hunter, David, Whitney, Leanne, Stacie, Elena, Diana, Ashley, Lauren, Lucy — and to all the listeners who shared their MacGyver stories. Got a burning question of your own? Call 833-RING-ELT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While spoons, knives, and chopsticks have been commonplace for centuries, forks didn’t make it to most silverware drawers until the mid-1800s. What took so long? ELT investigates. Guest: Darra Goldstein, food historian, cookbook writer, and founding editor of Gastronomica, Thanks to caller Nicole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When did organ music and baseball become a thing? ELT talks to some pro organ players to find out how organs and ballparks got together. Plus, meet Nancy Faust — the legendary organist who brought trolling to modern baseball music. Guests: Steven Ball, organist and Director of Sacred Music at The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis, Missouri; Josh Kantor, organist for the Boston Red Sox; Nancy Faust, retired organist for the Chicago White Sox Thanks to caller Robert. Thanks also to Judy Scott. You can see a photo of Nancy's donkeys on our twitter feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT gets to the bottom of a familiar aroma -- thrift store smell. Why do thrift shops all smell the same? Plus, is washing your clothes better than freezing them? ELT investigates listener cleanspiracies with expert cleaner Jolie Kerr. Guest: Jolie Kerr, writer and host of Ask a Clean Person. Thanks to callers Theresa, Rachel, Jeremiah, Nikki, Vicki, Mark, Juliana, Ben and all the listeners who called in with cleanspiracies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One eerie sound has been haunting Hollywood movies — from Poltergeist to Jurassic Park to Let the Right One In — and 14 seasons of Unsolved Mysteries. ELT tracks down the source of the scary sound. Guests: Rayme Waters, daughter of the spookiest sound in Hollywood’s inventor; percussionist Emil Richards; composer Gary Malkin. Thanks to caller Marianna. Thanks also to Brooks Hubbert, who runs the waterphone business, and musician Lee Charlton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every year the TSA confiscates millions of pounds of pocketknives, sunscreen and snow globes from airport travelers. Where does it all go? ELT investigates. Plus, tips for sneaking your weed onboard, from a former TSA agent. Guests: Ex-TSO “Taylor”; TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein; surplus agents for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Patrick Knight and Mike Starr; press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services Troy Thompson. Thanks to caller Kimberly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did cold uncooked eggs become a festive beverage? Plus, coquito for the nogged out. And one of the first scientists to hoist herself into the treetops describes life in the canopy.  Guests: Chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt; Chef and Noshery.com founder Meseidy Rivera. You can find Kenji’s eggnog recipe here and Meseidy’s coquito recipe here. Biologist Meg Lowman, Director of Global Initiatives, Lindsay Chair of Botany & Senior Scientist in Plant Conservation at the California Academy of Sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is pumpkin spice a thing? Flavor scientists explain why this particular combination is so appealing -- or not. Plus, how to make a new flavor, and ELT listeners pitch their ideas for the next flavor fad. Guests: Food scientist Kantha Shelke; flavor chemist Bill Aslanides. Thanks to caller Ally, and to flavor forecasters Hunter, Travis, Amelia, Kassy, Rachel, Brooke, Wyatt, Thomas, and to all the listeners who submitted ice cream ideas. Special thanks and congrats to Just Ani. Additional thanks to Michelle Gillespie of SPINS Research and to Genevieve Aronson of Nielsen Research. If you want to hear more about pumpkin spice, and flavor science, check out this episode of Science Friday. Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Flora and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Bulletin Board of Glory™ nomination from comedian Josh Gondelman takes ELT down a trashy rabbit hole, to a time before sanitation workers, when pigs roamed the streets. Plus, we meet the man who defied all odds to bring us the bag that cinches. Warning: Explicit. Guests: comedian and Last Week Tonight writer Josh Gondelman; trash historian Carl Zimring; engineers Steve Tallman and Dana Boyd. Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Flora and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where does bubblegum flavor come from? A bubblegum bush? A beaver’s butt? We track down the original bubblegum flavor formula, and find out what’s in there. Plus, why turkey eggs aren’t a thing. Guests: Philadelphia events expert Scott Bruce, confectioners Bob Boutin and Mauricio Bobadilla, turkey biologist James Dickson and birder Laura Erickson.  Thanks to callers Arrie and Chiara, and also to Phillip Clauer and Christine Alvarado for their egg-spertise.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did goldfish come to dominate our fish bowls and pet stores? We dive into the history of America’s favorite finned pet. Plus, the fanciest goldfish money can buy, and the best pet in a vocal performance. Guests: Katherine "Kasey" Grier, the pet historian; Dave Mandley, goldfish freak. Thanks to caller Liana, pet owners Kerry Ann, Stephanie and Diane, and all the listeners who shared their pet’s special talent. Additional thanks to Katrina Gulliver, Mary Mannix, Liz Thomas, James Rada, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Konrad Dabrowski, Zachary Sperstad, Andrew Simons, Loren Miller, Barbara Mable, Peter Hundt, Norman Stacey, Larry Cleveland, Margaret Thomas Koogle, Charles B. Thomas, Jim Bland, Stephen Eaton, and Mike Rice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices