Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Most people associate San Antonio, Texas with the Alamo -- yet ghost hunters look across the street, where the structure currently known as the Emily Morgan Hotel has stood since the 1920s. This building, often called the "third most haunted hotel in the world", is home to numerous reports of unusual events. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the strange story of the Emily Morgan.

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Colossal Biosciences is planning to build genetically-modified war dogs -- and the CIA is helping to fund it. The world's most infamous Bigfoot footage gets roundly debunked. The AI bubble may well be on the verge of bursting, and what's up with the military's new Operation Fortress? Join Ben, Matt, and Noel for all this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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Happy Halloween, fellow Conspiracy Realists. Whether or not you're religious, you've doubtlessly heard all sorts of stuff about the Biblical Devil. Ethics aside, he's one of the most well-known characters in all of literature. And he occurs in way more than just religious texts. In celebration of their favorite holiday, Ben, Matt, and Noel dive deep into some of the best Devil folktales -- and figure why the guy became so popular in these stories.

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Big Cheese responds to the episode on smart dust, prompting a conversation about Magic: The Gathering. Privacy Guy shares a story about a trading card heist. Void inspires an exploration of weaponized absurdity. Plus Codename PinBrock reveals a huge mac and cheese conspiracy. Join Ben, Matt, and Noel for all this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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Remember a few years back, when it seemed everyone was excited -- or terrified -- about the "internet of things"? Tonight, Ben, Matt, and Noel are diving deep into the next step: swarms of tiny, interconnected sensors collectively called 'smart dust'. Predicted by science fiction writers decades ago, his technology can have thousands of applications, and can likely save lives in the future. Yet along with all this potential for good, these pervasive monitoring systems also raise serious concerns about safety, privacy, and autonomy. Tune in to learn the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know about smart dust.

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As the guys continue exploring the strange, silent war over who gets to own nuclear weapons, they stumble across the little known story of Operation Outside the Box. When the Israeli military learned its regional rival Syria might be building a nuclear facility, they felt they had only one course of action -- and they were certain that, whatever the consequences, they must do anything in their power to prevent Syria from getting the bomb. Tune in to learn more about this real-life conspiracy, as well as the active cover-up that ensued for the better part of a decade.

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Canadian Brady Rogers wins a local election by telling folks he doesn't really care about it. Tesla unveils a new 'flying' car. Florida gambling helpline director Philip Sullivan embezzles more than a million dollars for -- wait for it -- gambling. Russian satellites prompt growing concerns about war in space. Join Ben, Matt, and Noel for all this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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Hello, Stuff They Don't Want You To Know Listeners! We want to share a new show you might enjoy, it’s Curse of: Miss America!!!

About the Show: Miss America used to be a national icon. At its peak, the pageant was appointment television, drawing TV audiences that rivaled the Superbowl. But now, the crown is slipping.

The organization is at the center of a tabloid courtroom drama. Two people are claiming to be the rightful owner of the Miss America pageant. And the fight is getting ugly. In one corner, a pageant girl boss. In the other, a self-proclaimed Palm Beach billionaire with a controversial past.

After decades of leadership failures and declining interest, today’s scandal is the only the latest in a long line of controversies in the pageant world. And yet, thousands of young women continue to compete every year. What keeps drawing contestants to an institution that so many former insiders believe has failed them?

Over the course of 10 episodes, we'll hear directly from former titleholders, participants, and whistleblowers. Hosted by pop culture journalist Bridget Armstrong, Curse of Miss America is an investigation into the unraveling of an American institution.

Listen here and subscribe to Curse of: Miss America on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!

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For millions of children growing up in the US, a visit to SeaWorld was the peak of vacation. You could finally see magnificent marine mammals up close and personal -- and even interact with them. Yet there was a dark side beneath the waves, one a lot of people didn't realize until the debut of the 2013 Blackfish documentary. Following up on the earlier Elephant Shows episode, Ben, Matt, and Noel dive deep into the hidden story -- and ongoing controversy -- of SeaWorld.

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Ron B. checks the boys on math. Vinny shares an astonishing Flock surveillance map. Rembrandt prompts a future episode on the West Nile virus. Join Ben, Matt, and Noel for all this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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Even in the days of ubiquitous mobile devices, virtually everyone you know has some sort of access to a television. TV is a legendary success story, going from a tiny, unreliable, and expensive piece of pretty tech to an absolute 'must-have' for billions of people. Yet, as Ben, Matt, and Noel discover in tonight's episode, modern TV sets are no longer dumb screens relaying audio and video. In a very real (and disturbingly conspiratorial) way, your television is watching you, even more than you may be watching it.

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According to the legend, the Jersey Devil was born to a Quaker named Mother Leeds in 1735 -- a hideous, deformed thing with wings, hooves and horns, it let out a blood-curdling scream after being born, and flew out the chimney and into the woods. For centuries since then, people in the area have reported sightings of the Devil, making it one of North America's most popular cryptids. But what is it, exactly? Could there be a grain of truth to all the wild campfire stories?

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As Ben, Matt, and Noel return from the high seas, they learn that a new plague may have broken out in Russia. Whistlebowers allege the CIA is searching genetic mapping companies for 'evidence of alien/human hybrid DNA'. A new kind of mega raptor is discovered in Europe. The rise of Peru's Hitler Mussolini. Yet another (unelected) European official falls under suspicion of selling state secrets. Tune in for all this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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As Ben, Matt, and Noel wrap up their live show at sea on Virgin Voyages, they turn the microphone to the audience for a wild question and answer session that surprises the crowd as much as it surprises the audience themselves. Everyone, please remember to stop asking about the FBI.

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As World War II drew to a close, nations across the planet scrambled to take stock, to recover, to rebuild and survive. But the looming spectre of nuclear technology continued to grow -- the US went against allies and enemies alike to keep its military edge. So how did countries traditionally considered enemies of the US gain nuclear technology? In many cases, the conspiracy goes down to a single man: AQ Khan. Terrified by what India's Smiling Buddha test might mean for the future of Pakistan, he worked furiously to get Pakistan the bomb -- and eventually began selling his expertise to the highest bidder.

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Whenever it's time for an election in the United States, a curious thing happens. A domestic scandal, a crisis, a hostage situation: whatever the specifics, these events are known as 'October Surprises'. In tonight's episode, recorded live at sea on Virgin Voyages, Ben, Matt, and Noel dive deep into the conspiracies afoot -- and what they can teach us about the days, months, and years ahead.

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Nevada is currently considering new legislation that will allow businesses to create their own increasingly autonomous communities. Fans of the idea paint it as an innovative, new way to get jobs and tax dollars to Nevada. Opponents worry it creates a corporate government, giving private businesses control of things a local government would usually do -- like run the fire department, conduct elections and more. So what exactly is an "innovation zone"? Tune in to learn more.

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The US experienced a massive economic boom in the years following the close of World War II. The country managed to avoid the destruction that laid waste to parts of Asia and Europe -- and it was also in possession of nuclear technology. As many Americans (but far from all) saw their quality of life increase, experts and military officials alike scrambled to maintain their strategic nuclear edge: To understand as much as possible about the effects and consequences of the deadly new thing they'd created. One result of this desperation? Project SUNSHINE.

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It seems that no matter where you look these days, 'AI' is everywhere. It's tremendously controversial -- and, to its champions, tremendously convenient. Yet a funny thing happened not too long ago: in a series of actual conspiracies, it appears groups of AI agents formed secret communities to break their testing sandbox, hack other companies, and hide their actions from their creators. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt, and Noel ask: Is AI creating secret civilizations?

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Millions of people in the US struggle with substance abuse issues every single year -- experts work around the clock to help folks with substance abuse issues and other addictions to break free of these dangerous, sometime fatal cycles. And this means rehabilitation, or rehab, is a big business. Like many other large industries, rehab also has a dark side -- a series of disturbing conspiracies that continue, largely unabated, in the modern day.

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