The Story Collider
The Story Collider is a podcast that shares true, personal stories about science. Each episode features a variety of storytellers, from scientists and doctors to patients and comedians, all recounting their own experiences with science. The stories are heartfelt, humorous, and often surprising, highlighting how science touches everyone's lives. The podcast is produced by Story Collider, Inc. and is based in the United States.
Episodes
On the Edge: Stories about not having control
While we often like to think we're in control of our own lives, both of our storytellers learn that some things remain beyond our grasp, no matter how hard we try to steer the outcome.Part 1: After years of helping others safely navigate glaciers, Monte Montepare suddenly finds himself at the mercy of one. Part 2: Jessica Lee Williamson's OCD fixates on a single question: how will she die
Knowledge Gap: Stories about broken education systems
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers uncover cracks in the education system that prove harder to ignore than they expected.Part 1: While teaching a summer school math class in Texas, Justine Ang Fonte realizes that many of her students have never received even the most basic sex education.Part 2: Guilherme Lichand uncovers a flaw in Brazil’s education system that leaves thousa
A Long Way From Home: Stories about being an immigrant scientist
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected lessons they encountered as immigrant scientists in the United States.Part 1: Michelle Lanuza has her sights set on a career designing communication systems for airplanes, yet each new opportunity comes with the same obstacle: her immigration status. Part 2: For Saba Banaian, the opportu
Best of Story Collider: Loneliness
This week, we're re-airing two classic stories about finding friends. Science can be a lonely job -- but it can also connect us to others in ways we'd never imagine.Part 1: Feeling isolated in her new job as a particle accelerator operator at Fermilab, Cindy Joe finds comfort in the friendship of her unconventional pet. Part 2: Patrick Honner starts to doubt his lifelong love of math
Not a Straight Line: Stories about becoming a science journalist
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share the unconventional paths that led them into science journalism.Part 1: Keren Landman always wanted to be a writer, but her family didn’t see it as a practical career — so instead, she went to medical school. Part 2: When Adithi Ramakrishnan gets to college, she only sees two career paths ahead of her: medical school or scientific rese
Manhood: Stories about masculinity
What does it actually mean to “be a man”? In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers grapple with masculinity and are forced to confront what manhood means to them.Part 1: As a teenager, Mike McFadden realizes one part of his body isn’t developing like the other boys his age. Part 2: Ricky Ortiz believed that to be a good husband, father, and provider, he could never show weakness.
Speak Up: Stories about self-advocacy
In a perfect world, getting the health care you need wouldn’t require fighting for it. But in this week’s episode, both of our storytellers discover just how hard they have to push to get the treatment — and validation — they need and deserve.Part 1: Cooper Joslin is determined to get a hysterectomy to finally stop the debilitating symptoms of endometriosis but all the doctors won’t seem
Thalassophobia: Stories about fear of the ocean
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers come face to face with one of their deepest fears: the ocean. Part 1: When the children’s TV show host Carly Ciarrocchi is assigned a scuba diving episode, she’s forced to confront a lifelong fear of the ocean.Part 2: Growing up, Darcie Little Badger was wary of the ocean. But when she takes an oceanography class in college, she begins to q
Best of Story Collider: Love and Technology
In this week’s Best Of episode, we present stories from people who navigated our changing relationship to technology.Part 1: As a kid, Samy Kamkar discovers his superpower -- hacking. Part 2: When Jordan Bush's father-in-law-to-be is diagnosed with cancer shortly before her wedding, she finds a creative way to help him attend. Samy Kamkar is a hacker-turned-security researcher building
Above and Beyond: Stories about the lengths we go to for loved ones
In this week’s episode, both storytellers discover just how far people will go for the ones they love.Part 1: When Bailey Swilley’s dad goes into cardiac arrest, she watches her mom care for him and starts to reevaluate what love really looks like.Part 2: At rock bottom, Pam Stepansky turns to her dad for support with her alcoholism.Bailey Swilley is a writer, comedian and storyteller fro
Gluten: Stories about the love of bread
In this week’s episode, storytellers share stories about carbs, control, and the unexpected ways bread shapes our lives.Part 1: When everyone in Rich Tackenberg’s family is diagnosed with celiac disease, he’s forced to confront a terrifying possibility: life without his emotional support carb. Part 2: During the pandemic, Aditya Surendran sets out to conquer making a 36-hour baguette. Ric
Trying: Stories about fertility
In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you two stories about navigating the uncertainty, hope, and heartbreak of trying to have a baby.Part 1: After a pregnancy loss, Annie Tan channels her grief into rescuing an injured mockingbird.Part 2: Kibby McMahon is convinced she can will her way into pregnancy, but her body refuses to follow the plan.Annie Tan is an educator, activist, writer and
Best of Story Collider: Leaving Home
In this week’s Best Of episode, we present two stories of people who had to leave home to find a new home.Part 1: When Ph.D student Ali Mattu's girlfriend tells him she is moving to New York City, he has to make some tough decisions about where home is. Part 2: Arlo Pérez Esquivel struggles to define his boundaries with his father while he is pursuing his education in another country.Ali
In Memory Of: Stories about honoring loved ones
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers reflect on the ways we try to hold onto the people we love.Part 1: Gwendolyn Napier is left heartbroken when harsh Atlanta weather destroys the trees planted to honor her family members.Part 2: Bimini Wright looks back on her childhood spent aboard a research boat, studying tuna alongside her larger-than-life fisherman father.Gwendolyn J. N
Balaena: Stories about whales
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about whales. Part 1: As a child, Brittany Munson dreams of growing up to be a whale trainer. Part 2: As a marine scientist focused on living creatures, Maya Santangelo is convinced that diving to explore an old whaling shipwreck in the Antarctic will be boring. Brittany Munson is a Lead Educator at the California Science Center
Impending Doom: Stories about facing the scary unknown
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are forced to confront the terrifying unknown and decide how to live in the shadow of what might come.Part 1: After three generations of women in her family develop Alzheimer’s disease, Mary Jo Pollack enrolls in a study that could reveal whether she’s next. Part 2: When Sabrina Samuel is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and told to wait a y
A Science Journalist Tries to Hack Heartbreak | From A Slight Change of Plans
When her twenty-five year marriage unexpectedly fell apart, science writer Florence Williams (author of Heartbreak) felt shocked and blindsided. Such heartbreak led to a new range of intense feelings and, trained as a journalist, Florence set out on a journey to understand the science of heartbreak. She tried novel forms of therapy, immersed herself in nature, and consulted cutting-edge r
Outer Layer: Stories about literal and metaphorical shields
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers build shields to protect themselves and discover what happens when those defences fail.Part 1: As a lonely teenager searching for connection, Christopher Moncayo-Torres turns to an unlikely disguise—a giant Clifford costume—in hopes of bridging the gap between himself and the world around him.Part 2: JP Flores has always been the family’s “
Stories of Urban Climate Change: Air
Oxygen sustains almost every living thing on the planet and the air we breathe is meant to be invisible. But industrialization has changed that. In many cities around the world, the air is no longer clean. Polluted air affects our health, contributes to rising global temperatures, and harms ecosystems in ways we are only beginning to fully understand.In this week’s episode, both of our st
Stories of Urban Climate Change: Fire
Wildfires have become more frequent and more destructive in recent years, increasingly threatening communities on the edges of — and sometimes within — our cities. What was once considered a distant risk is now a reality for millions of people living in urban areas.In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share their experiences with wildfires and the ways those encounters impacte
Stories of Urban Climate Change: Water
Water covers roughly 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface and is essential for human survival. But it can also unleash devastating consequences.In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about water — from flooding to polluted groundwater. Through their stories, we explore how water shapes our cities, our safety, and our sense of security in a changing climate.Part 1: Whil
Stories of Urban Climate Change: Earth
Climate change doesn’t happen in the abstract. It happens where we live, work, and raise our families.In this special Story Collider series, each episode explores a different element of urban climate change — from fire and air to water and earth — through powerful, true stories from the people experiencing it firsthand.In this episode, our storytellers turn their attention to earth, explo
Best of Story Collider: Women in Science
This week, in honor of Women's History Month, we're presenting two stories from our archive about women in science and the unique challenges they face. Part 1: Alison Williams' blossoming passion for chemistry is sidetracked by a professor's thoughtless comment. Part 2: Climate scientist Sarah Myhre becomes embroiled in conflict after speaking out against a senior scientist's problem
Stories of Urban Climate Change
This April, The Story Collider presents a special series on urban climate change.Through eight true, personal stories about science, we explore how the forces shaping our planet — earth, water, fire, and air — show up in the places most of us actually live: our cities.From flooded streets and wildfire smoke to shifting ground and the air we breathe, these are the moments when climate
Chorea: Stories about science and dance
In this week’s episode, both storytellers explore the surprising connections between dance and science.Part 1: Learning a modern version of her childhood Indian dances puts Sumitra Mattai’s brain and body to the test. Part 2: When people doubt that dance can empower girls to pursue STEM careers, Yamilée Toussaint sets out to prove them wrong. Sumitra Mattai is a writer, storyteller and te
Where Does It Hurt: Stories about the importance of compassion in healthcare
In this week’s episode, both storytellers share stories that illustrate why empathy, kindness, and humanity are essential to healthcare.Part 1: After feeling betrayed by the very systems meant to protect her, Karen McCaffrey chooses to become the advocate for survivors she once needed herself.This story does include mentions of sexual assault and rape. In case you’d find them helpful, now
Tresses: Stories about the power of hair
Hair might seem trivial, but for many of us it carries history, identity, and meaning far beyond keratin. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore the unexpected power their hair holds.Part 1: Being half Navajo and half white, Carissa Sherman turns to genetics to better understand her identity. As she questions where she belongs, her hair becomes a quiet but powerful marke
Best of Story Collider: Navigating Whiteness
This week we present two stories from Black people who were dealing with the ramifications of our racist systems.Part 1: As a science teacher, Mamoudou N'Diaye was supposed to have all the answers, but he struggles to explain being Black in the USA. Part 2: Rhonda Key fights to be taken seriously by her white co-workers and students when she gets a job at a middle school. Mamoudou N'Diaye
Like Me: Stories about finding representation in STEM
Science can feel isolating when you don’t see yourself reflected around you. This episode brings together two stories about the search for representation, connection, and belonging in STEM.Part 1: Graduate student Angelique Allen doesn’t fully understand the strong connection she feels to the 2015 animated film Home. Part 2: Growing up in segregated 1950s Baltimore, Ken Phillips learns e
Anti-Love: Stories about heartbreak and break ups
Valentine’s Day may be all about couples, but this week’s episode celebrates heartbreak, breakups, and proudly being single as a Pringle.Part 1: Getting dumped is the push psychologist Jiawen Huang needs to step outside his comfort zone.Part 2: While completing her PhD in neuroscience, Leslie Sibener is determined to fix her relationship. Jiawen Huang obtained his PhD in Psychology f
Pay It Forward: Stories from CZI's Rare As One Project
Both of this week’s stories come from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Rare As One Project grantees, who share their deeply personal experiences with rare diseases and illustrate how research is so essential in the search for better treatments and cures. (For more stories like these, you can also check out our previous episode The Story Collider produced with Rare As One in 2019, 2021, 2023,
Best of Story Collider: Dating by the Numbers
This week we present two classic stories from people who found an intersection between numbers and their sex life.Part 1: When online dating isn't working out for him, Tristan Attwood decides to analyze the data himself.Part 2: In search of a deal, Gastor Almonte ends up with an unmanageable number of condoms.Tristan Attwood is a recovering analyst working for the airline industry. Origi
Misinformation: Stories about the impact of false information
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers confront the real-world consequences of misinformation—and how it can spread faster than the truth.Part 1: Growing up, Modesta Abugu knows firsthand the challenges rural African farmers face. But when she discovers that misinformation is making things worse, she sets out to change the narrative. Part 2: While living in South Africa, Fiona T
Choice: Stories about struggling to make the right call
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers find themselves reckoning with the choices they’ve made—discovering how a single decision, whether made years ago or in the chaos of a crisis, can shape who we become and the responsibilities we carry.Part 1: When Misha Gajewski’s grandfather has a stroke while the rest of her family is out of town, she suddenly becomes the emergency contac
AI: Stories about artificial intelligence
In this week’s episode, both our storytellers come face to face with the growing power—and pitfalls—of artificial intelligence.Part 1: When AI takes over comedian Kyle Gillis’s job, he takes it personally. Part 2: While researching an AI model, engineer Omiya Hassan discovers one major problem: the amount of energy it’s consuming. Kyle Gillis is a Brooklyn-based comedian, musician, and Gu
Hubris: Stories about over-confidence
In this week’s episode, like Icarus, both our storytellers fly a little too close to the sun—and learn the hard way that confidence doesn’t always equal competence.Part 1: As a kid, JR Denson is determined to master the art of homemade french fries—but then his kitchen experiment goes up in flames. Part 2: Faced with a looming Science Olympiad deadline, Adam Ruben is sure his last-minute
Best of Story Collider: A Whole New World
In this week’s “Best Of” episode, we present two stories of people having to navigate a new world.Part 1: Sean Bearden has never been interested in education, but when he's incarcerated at the age of 19, he finds a passion for physics. Part 2: When Victoria Manning decides to get a cochlear implant, she fears losing her identity as a deaf person. Sean Bearden is a Ph. D. candidate in Phys
Don't Be Dramatic: Stories about downplaying it
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers look back on moments that might have deserved a little more drama than they got at the time.Part 1: When Jess Nurse feels a throbbing pain in her gut, she chalks it up to heartbreak. Part 2: When Maryam Zaringhalam’s physician mother goes in for brain surgery, everyone insists there’s nothing to worry about.Jess Nurse is a Boston born, NYU
Coasting: Stories about having it easy
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers reckon with what happens when success doesn’t come so easily anymore.Part 1: After years of academic achievement, newly minted professor Stephanie Rowley is caught off guard when every paper she submits is rejected. Part 2: Growing up, Kate Schmidt always thought of herself as the “smart kid,” but that identity is shaken when she gets to un
Attitude: Stories about inner strength
Attitude is everything—and this week’s storytellers prove it. Even when life throws challenges their way, they show how perspective and perseverance can make all the difference.Part 1: Paralyzed but undeterred, Scott Imbrie is on a mission to regain movement.Part 2: After an accident leaves them with severe burns on over a third of their body, Emily Hespeler works to find their way back t
Best of Story Collider: Animal Rescue
This week we present two classic stories from people who got called into action to save an animal they didn’t know they’d be called to save.Part 1: While running an errand, Andrea Azarian happens upon a lost horse that needs her help. Part 2: Left in charge of the farm for the first time, Gwynne Hogan panics when a goat goes into labor.Andrea Azarian has an undergraduate degree in Public
Bad News: Stories about tough conversations
In this week’s episode, both storytellers must navigate heartbreaking dilemmas as they try to figure out how to convey crushing news.Part 1: While doing fieldwork in the Congo, Stella Mayerhoff must track down a local researcher to deliver devastating news. Part 2: During his second year of residency, Sam Blackman is tasked with caring for a dying child whose mother’s unwavering faith cla
In Deep: Stories about being in over your head
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers bite off a bit more than they can chew. Part 1: Fresh out of college and in what seems like her dream job, drug and alcohol coach Rhana Hashemi quickly realizes she has no idea how to connect with the high school students she’s supposed to help. Part 2: When Paul Davis and his wife struggle to get pregnant, they decide to foster a pregnant
Silenced Science: Stories about the suppression of science
This week, we’re teaming up with Silenced Science Stories, a volunteer project that shines a light on scientists whose work has been derailed by federal budget cuts and mass firings. In this episode, both of our storytellers share deeply personal accounts of how these political decisions upended their work—and the science itself.Part 1: When an epidemiologist dedicated to preventing viole
Best of Story Collider: Fear
This week, in honor of Halloween, we're presenting two classic stories about facing fears for science.Part 1: As a newly minted PhD student in geology, Erik Klemetti starts to question his decisions when Aucanquilcha, a 20,000-foot volcano in Chile, proves difficult to tame. Part 2: Explorer George Kourounis finds himself growing increasingly anxious as he prepares to enter a fi
Bad Trip: Stories about a negative drug-taking experience
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers learn the hard way that getting high doesn’t always mean having a good time.Part 1: At his friend’s bachelor party, Andrew McGill joins in on a mushroom trip that quickly spirals out of control.Part 2: In an attempt to calm his nerves about going on an Alaskan cruise, Will Clegg turns to marijuana. Andrew McGill is a storyteller born and ra
OCD: Stories about obsessive compulsive disorder
In honor of OCD Awareness Week, this episode features two deeply personal stories about living with obsessive compulsive disorder.Part 1: For Hannah Hedelius, a classmate’s hiccups trigger an overwhelming reaction she can’t hold back. Part 2: As a graduate student, Rachel Hostetler begins to realize that her intrusive thoughts may be more than just regular stress. Hannah Hedelius was born
Blood & Guts: Stories about hemoglobin and intestines
In this week’s episode, we wade into the bloody (and sometimes gory) side of science. Part 1: Shawn Musgrave wants to donate blood, but runs headfirst into the FDA’s lifetime ban on gay men as donors. Part 2: While working with the condor recovery program, Molly Astell opens a freezer to find every researcher’s nightmare. Shawn Musgrave is a lawyer, journalist, lawyer-who-represents-journ
Close Calls: Stories about near misses
In this week’s episode, our storytellers face life-or-death moments they’ll never forget.Part 1: On a trip to Colombia for a research conference, biologist Stephanie Galla must rely on her fight-or-flight instincts when she is cornered by a mugger with a knife. Part 2: An ordinary day takes a shocking turn when Kim Weaver is struck by lightning. Stephanie Galla is an Assistant Professor i
Best of Story Collider: Hypothesis
This week we present two classic stories from people who had hypotheses. Part 1: Teaching sixth grade science becomes much more difficult when Xochitl Garcia's students start hypothesizing that fire is alive. Part 2: When journalist John Rennie is assigned to cover an entomological society event where insects are served as food, he sees an opportunity to face his fear of bugs.&n
Knowledge: Stories from our workshops
In this week’s episode, we’re featuring two powerful stories born from our education program.Part 1: As an undergraduate with no “real” science experience, Molly Magid is thrilled to join a research project studying how bats fly—until she discovers the bats refuse to cooperate. Part 2: As a child, Léa Souccar and her father explore the wreckage in the aftermath of a devastating bombing. M
Reframe: Stories about art helping mental health
In this week’s episode, we explore how creativity, humor, and connection can be powerful tools for mental health and healing.Part 1: When anxiety starts taking over her life, Jude Treder-Wolff signs up for an improv class.Part 2: Counselor Belinda Arriaga and emergency medicine doctor Nancy Ewen join forces to collect scientific evidence of the power of culturally responsive mental health
Evictions: Stories of things that had to go
In this week’s episode, both storytellers face the challenge of evicting some very unwelcome guests.Part 1: While housesitting for her uncle, JiJi Lee’s peaceful stay takes a chaotic turn when a squirrel breaks in.Part 2: When a serious mold infestation takes over the university campus, Joshua Wilson is tasked with eliminating it.JiJi Lee is a comedy writer and performer. She has contribu
Best of Story Collider: Identity Crisis
This week we present two classic stories about people struggling with their identity.Part 1: When science journalist Katherine Wu interviews a scientist about a new facial recognition algorithm, the conversation turns more personal than she expected. Part 2: Hurricane Katrina gives Mary Annaise Heglar a new perspective on both her grandfather and home state. Katherine J. Wu is a Boston-ba
Becoming Your Hero: Stories about embodying a role model
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers transform into someone they admire—one quite literally, the other more figuratively.Part 1: While juggling climate science studies and a budding comedy career, Rollie Williams finds an unexpected niche impersonating his environmental hero, Al Gore.Part 2: Scott Acton longs to follow in Hemingway’s footsteps, but when his English teacher squ
Someone Else's Shoes: Stories about understanding others perspectives
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are pushed out of their comfort zones—and challenged to see the world through someone else’s eyes.Part 1: As someone who always likes to play it safe, psychologist Kenneth Carter sets out to understand what makes thrill-seekers tick. Part 2: Philosophy professor Rob Reich is frustrated that so many new Stanford students are headed straight
Sticky Fingers: Stories about theft
In this week’s episode, we explore what pushes someone to steal, and how it feels to be the one robbed.Part 1: With a potential cancer diagnosis looming and his health insurance about to vanish, David Crabb finds an envelope stuffed with $100 bills. Part 2: When Zakiya Whatley bonds with another student in grad school, it feels like the start of a lifelong friendship – but turns out there
Then Comes A Baby?: Stories about the choice to have children
This week’s episode dives into one of the most personal decisions many women face: whether or not to have children.Part 1: When a piece of her IUD breaks off, Bailey Swilley’s spirals about her choice never to have children. Part 2: Christel Bartelse takes an unconventional approach to figure out if she wants to be a mother or not. Bailey Swilley is a writer and comedian based in B
Best of Story Collider: Acceptance
This week, we’re presenting stories about the struggle to find acceptance — whether it’s at Space Camp or in the United States of America.Part 1: Computer scientist LaShana Lewis’s childhood dream of attending Space Camp starts to feel far away — until she gets the Christmas surprise of a lifetime. Part 2: When Guizella Rocabado leaves her home in Bolivia to pursue her education in the U
Green Thumb: Stories about gardening
In this week’s episode, we’re getting into the weeds—literally—with two stories about how gardens and green spaces can take root in our lives in unexpected ways.Part 1: Feeling lonely after a move to New York City, Kofi Thomas finds connection, purpose, and community through a neighborhood garden.Part 2: As he fights to stay sober, Michael Hudgins throws himself into an unusual form of th
Wired Lives: Stories about brain-computer interfaces
This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society at Georgia Tech – features two powerful stories from individuals whose lives have been shaped by brain-computer interfaces.Part 1: As his Parkinson’s symptoms worsen and medications take a toll, Brandan Mehaffie faces a life-altering decision: continue down a difficult path or
Mishaps: Stories about unintended mistakes
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of well-intentioned choices gone wrong.Part 1: In fourth grade, Ro Moran is thrilled to be trusted with the class pet iguana, Iggy, for the night. But by morning, something is very wrong. Part 2: As an exchange student studying superconducting oxides, Karoline Mueller tries to save money by gold-coating a cheap crucible instead
Best of Story Collider: Pride
To close out Pride Month this week, we're sharing a special best of episode featuring stories about coming out in science!
Part 1: Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students.
Charlie Cook is a non-binary white settler on ancestral, unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They are a museum science interpreter with a BFA in Original Works from C
Red Flag: Stories about toxic relationships
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers use a scientific lens to examine their worst relationships.
Part 1: Carlos Maza uses the plague to analyze his brutal breakup.
Part 2: Panagiota Vogdou refuses to see her boyfriend as toxic until a stranger on the bus tells her to go to therapy.
Carlos Maza is a video journalist focusing on misinformation, media bias, and propaganda. He
Coming Out: Stories about sharing one's identity
In celebration of Pride Month, we’re sharing two stories about coming out with the help of science.
Part 1: After years of struggling with their gender identity, Parker Sublette finds inspiration in marine life.
Part 2: Bullied as a kid for the sound of his voice, Garret Glinka begins to reclaim his confidence thanks to biology class.
Parker Sublette is a comedian and speculative ficti
Pseudoscience: Stories about scientific misinformation
This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Challenging Pseudoscience, at the Royal Institution, with support from the Open Society Foundation—features two storytellers who share just how easy it is to fall for scientific misinformation, and how difficult it can be to find your way back.
Part 1: When Lydia Greene’s infant daughter has a troubling reaction to a routine vaccine
Best of Story Collider: Celebrating 15 Years
To kick off our big 15 year anniversary celebration, we’re re-sharing two stories from the storytellers you, the fans, voted as your favorite stories. And the best part? You can see these storytellers, along with the other fan favorites, take the stage live on June 3, 2025, at Caveat in New York City during our special anniversary show and fundraiser. Learn more and grab your tickets here
Moving On: Stories about letting go of a relationship
Some relationships stand the test of time—others unravel. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what it means to heal, let go, and move forward.
Part 1: Stuck in a monsoon on Kauai, Belinda Fu unintentionally ruins a friendship with a classmate.
Part 2: Matt Storrs blames a dinosaur scientist’s theory for the end of his marriage.
Belinda Fu, MD, (“theImprovDoc”) is a
Hyperfixation: Stories about intense focus
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers become extremely fixated on something very specific.
Part 1: After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list.
Part 2: As an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies.
Jenna Dioguardi is an Obie &
A Mother's Love: Stories honoring mothers
In honor of Mother’s Day, both of our storytellers share stories about their unique relationships with their moms.
Part 1: Rita Rigano always had a complicated relationship with her mother, and it becomes even more fraught when her mother’s dementia worsens.
Part 2: In the midst of writing her PhD dissertation, Jordyn Rice embarks on one last road trip with her mother, who is dying of
Missing Pieces: Stories about an unremembered friendship
In this week’s episode, Thomas Dixon and Rachel Robinson manage to build a friendship, despite not remembering the exact moments they shared.
Thomas Dixon is the author of "I'm Sorry... That's Awesome!: Inventing a Solution for Memory Loss", and the inventor of ME.mory (a digital memory mobile application/service). Thomas was running when struck by a car and injured so badly that he nearl
Best of Story Collider: Justice
This week we present two stories from people who stood up against a system eager to tear them down.Part 1: After a car crash alters Emily Winn's life forever, she must relive the trauma when she testifies in a deposition. Part 2: Geneticist C. Brandon Ogbunu contemplates the role race has played in his academic career after he is confronted by the police. Dr. Emily Winn-Nuñez is a data sc
Freak Accident: Stories about highly unusual incidents
In this week’s episode, both our storytellers’ lives are altered by an unexpected mishap. Part 1: When teenage Ron Hart accidentally walks through a glass door, he lands in the ER on the worst possible day: a tornado drill. Part 2: After a car accident leaves all of her teeth bent inward, Di Cai begins to rethink her life as a scientist. Ron Hart is a television writer, a Moth GrandSlam
Breaking Barriers: Stories about succeeding despite the odds
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of persistence and beating the odds in order to pursue their scientific dreams. Part 1: Determined to become an academic, Rajyashree Sen must take on a broken system to secure a spot in a PhD program in Vienna. Part 2: Josh Barber dreams of studying fish, but when his father goes to jail and his mother is diagnosed with breast c
Not The One: Stories about ill-fated partners
Some people are meant to be together—but in this week’s episode, our storytellers discover they’re definitely not a match made in heaven.Part 1: When Mark Pitzer gets splashed with methyl cyanide, he turns to his new girlfriend in hopes of comfort. Part 2: Hoping to impress his scientist date, Adam Selbst plans the perfect outing: the Central Park Squirrel Census.Mark Pitzer, Ph.D. is a N
Best of Story Collider: Fight or Flight
This week, we present two stories about confronting threats -- whether it’s actual physical danger or a threat to your career.Part 1: Climate scientist Kim Cobb is exploring a cave in Borneo when rocks begin to fall.Part 2: Neurobiologist Lyl Tomlinson is startled when he's accused of stealing cocaine from his former lab.Kim Cobb is a researcher who uses corals and cave stalagmites to pro
Loss for Words: Stories about troubles communicating
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers struggle to get the right words out. Part 1: After living with a stutter all her life, Sara Street thinks coding might be the solution to her communication problems. Part 2: Electrical engineer Anna Fox longs to share her work with her family, but struggles with how to explain it. Sara Street has lived in Idaho for seven years with her mom
Spiritual Crossroads: Stories about conflicting beliefs
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what happens when belief systems collide—and how science and empathy can help bridge the divide.Part 1: Neuroscientist Lauren Vetere is excited to see if real life will mimic science at an interfaith event.Part 2: Growing up as a devout Jew, Fred Gould’s relationship with God is shaken by existential philosophy and science.Lauren Ve
Family Ties: Stories about our roots
Is who we are shaped more by nature or nurture? It's a question science has grappled with for years. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers dive into their family histories to explore how the people and experiences that came before them continue to shape who they are today.Part 1: As a teenager, Mark Pagan worries that having an old dad is affecting his social development.Part 2
Best of Story Collider: Representation
In this week’s episode, both our storytellers examine the importance of diversity and representation in science – and not just in their research sample.Part 1: While serving on a diversity panel, biologist Latasha Wright is asked if representation in STEM matters, prompting her to reflect on her experiences.Latasha Wright, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, received her Ph.D. from NYU Lang
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