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Byrd Pinkerton

Host and Senior Correspondent, Unexplainable Podcast

    Latest articles by Byrd Pinkerton

    The curious case of the ancient whale bones
    Podcast
    Down to Earth

    A trove of fossils in the Atacama Desert may hold lessons about the plight of modern whales.

    By Byrd Pinkerton
    Science
    How the Nobel Prizes skew scienceHow the Nobel Prizes skew science
    Science

    A biologist critiques one of the highest honors in science and proposes a new way to reward humanity’s biggest discoveries.

    By Byrd Pinkerton and Noam Hassenfeld
    One Good Thing
    One Good Thing: I didn’t watch any sports. Then I watched Netflix’s Drive to Survive.One Good Thing: I didn’t watch any sports. Then I watched Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
    One Good Thing

    Imagine the Real Housewives, if the housewives were driving at 300 kilometers an hour.

    By Byrd Pinkerton
    Science
    Astronomers were skeptical about dark matter — until Vera Rubin came alongAstronomers were skeptical about dark matter — until Vera Rubin came along
    Podcast
    Science

    She built a bulletproof case for exploring the concept.

    By Byrd Pinkerton and Noam Hassenfeld
    How a tiny, wobbling particle could unlock mysteries of the universe
    Podcast
    Science

    The results of a new muon experiment are stirring up particle physics.

    By Byrd Pinkerton and Noam Hassenfeld
    “It’s deep. It’s dark. It’s elusive.” The ocean’s twilight zone is full of wonders.
    Podcast
    Unexplainable

    Scientists are probing its depths. So are commercial fisheries.

    By Byrd Pinkerton
    Ball lightning is real, and very rare. This is what it’s like to experience it.
    Podcast
    Unexplainable

    Close encounters with mysterious, hovering balls of lightning, illustrated.

    By Brian Resnick and Byrd Pinkerton
    Science
    Ancient DNA is helping rewrite human historyAncient DNA is helping rewrite human history
    Podcast
    Science

    A scientist explains the ethical and methodological pitfalls to avoid.

    By Noam Hassenfeld and Byrd Pinkerton
    How an ill-fated undersea adventure in the 1960s changed the way scientists see the Earth
    Podcast
    Unexplainable

    Sometimes there’s success in failure.

    By Byrd Pinkerton
    Future Perfect
    Why scientists are cloning black-footed ferretsWhy scientists are cloning black-footed ferrets
    Podcast
    Future Perfect

    It’s the latest step in one of the longest-running efforts to save an endangered species.

    By Dylan Matthews and Byrd Pinkerton