When you think of the word ‘cult’, what immediately comes to mind for most of us are things like hooded velvet robes, secretive gatherings and doomsday prophesies. Then there’s the charismatic yet nefarious leader brainwashing followers, maybe a forced orgie or two, a spot of mass suicide. Generally not good stuff.



Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton outlines three primary characteristics of destructive cults: a charismatic leader, coercive persuasion tactics, and exploitation of members. Well, that pretty much sums up NXIVM and the Order of the Solar Temple.



It’s pretty well established that there are a lot of bad cults. But are there any good ones? 



CHAPTERS:
00:00 Management cult at Rod’s first job
07:01 Scientology: A Cult or Not?
10:23 10 warning signs of being in a cult
14:14 Order of the Solar Temple 
18:51 NXIVM: Were you a Nazi in a former life?
24:16 Cognitive dissonance and why do people join cults? 
31:23 Female Empowerment in New Religious Movements  
34:55 Ma Anand Sheela and Osho
40:04 Defining Cults: Destructive or Benign
44:17 The Wholesome Verdict on Cults
48:26 What’s next on The Wholesome Show



SOURCES:
Benign Cults vs Negative Cults
Rajneesh movement - Wikipedia
How Scientologists Founded the Pancake Parlour

When you think of the word ‘cult’, what immediately comes to mind for most of us are things like hooded velvet robes, secretive gatherings and doomsday prophesies. Then there’s the charismatic yet nefarious leader brainwashing followers, maybe a forced orgie or two, a spot of mass suicide. Generally not good stuff.
 
Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton outlines three primary characteristics of destructive cults: a charismatic leader, coercive persuasion tactics, and exploitation of members. Well, that pretty much sums up NXIVM and the Order of the Solar Temple.
 
It’s pretty well established that there are a lot of bad cults. But are there any good ones? 
 
CHAPTERS:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">00:00 Management cult at Rod’s first job</li>
<li aria-level="1">07:01 Scientology: A Cult or Not?</li>
<li aria-level="1">10:23 10 warning signs of being in a cult</li>
<li aria-level="1">14:14 Order of the Solar Temple </li>
<li aria-level="1">18:51 NXIVM: Were you a Nazi in a former life?</li>
<li aria-level="1">24:16 Cognitive dissonance and why do people join cults? </li>
<li aria-level="1">31:23 Female Empowerment in New Religious Movements  </li>
<li aria-level="1">34:55 Ma Anand Sheela and Osho</li>
<li aria-level="1">40:04 Defining Cults: Destructive or Benign</li>
<li aria-level="1">44:17 The Wholesome Verdict on Cults</li>
<li aria-level="1">48:26 What’s next on The Wholesome Show</li>
</ul>
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://cultbranding.com/ceo/benign-cults-vs-negative-cults/">Benign Cults vs Negative Cults</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajneesh_movement">Rajneesh movement - Wikipedia</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xyv5qd/the-secret-history-of-pancake-parlour-and-its-links-to-scientology#">How Scientologists Founded the Pancake Parlour</a></li>
</ul>

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

Bizarre science history from academics with beers

A Little Bit Of Science

Community or Control: Has There Ever Been a "Good" Cult?

This week’s episode is a reminder that humans will try to make money from anything, and nature will always be stranger than we expect. We jump from dinosaur bones as luxury investments, to an AI school that claims it can speed up learning, to a snake with a tail that looks like a spider, and then to crime patterns that change with the seasons.

First up: dinosaur fossils. Dinosaur skeletons are being bought and sold like high-end art, with buyers ranging from celebrities to finance types who want something rare for their collection. 

Then we head to Iran for the spider-tailed viper, a snake that uses its tail like bait. The tail looks like a spider, so birds get curious and come closer, and the snake strikes. It’s clever, unsettling, and a good reminder that behaviour can be just as important as bones when it comes to evolution.

We also look at Alpha School, which says AI can help kids finish core learning in a couple of hours, then spend the rest of the day on skills and personal interests. It sounds exciting, but we keep one eyebrow raised, because, well, it’s called “Alpha School”. 

We finish with seasonal crime, where burglary peaks in winter in the UK but summer in North America, and bike theft spikes in summer because that’s when bikes are everywhere and easiest to steal.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

01:48 Record Fossil Auction Prices

05:36 Who Buys and Public Access

08:54 Is It a Good Investment

10:20 Spider Tailed Viper 

16:31 Alpha School and Two Hour Learning

19:48 Social Media Grading

20:37 Unpaid Grit Assignments

21:46 Heart Rate Test

25:57 Crime Seasonality Explained

32:35 Biggest Seasonal Crime

 

SOURCES:

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-89047-001?doi=1

https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.70308

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43762-023-00094-x

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-should-a-dinosaur-cost/

https://www.sciencealert.com/extremely-rare-rapunzel-syndrome-can-cause-a-hairball-so-large-it-requires-surgery

https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2016/10/what-is-rapunzel-syndrome-and-why-do-some-people-eat-hair/

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-alpha-school-education-heart-monitor

https://alpha.school/the-program/#love

https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/special-report-my-so-called-alpha

This week&rsquo;s episode is a reminder that humans will try to make money from anything, and nature will always be stranger than we expect. We jump from dinosaur bones as luxury investments, to an AI school that claims it can speed up learning, to a snake with a tail that looks like a spider, and then to crime patterns that change with the seasons.
First up: dinosaur fossils. Dinosaur skeletons are being bought and sold like high-end art, with buyers ranging from celebrities to finance types who want something rare for their collection.&nbsp;
Then we head to Iran for the spider-tailed viper, a snake that uses its tail like bait. The tail looks like a spider, so birds get curious and come closer, and the snake strikes. It&rsquo;s clever, unsettling, and a good reminder that behaviour can be just as important as bones when it comes to evolution.
We also look at Alpha School, which says AI can help kids finish core learning in a couple of hours, then spend the rest of the day on skills and personal interests. It sounds exciting, but we keep one eyebrow raised, because, well, it&rsquo;s called &ldquo;Alpha School&rdquo;.&nbsp;
We finish with seasonal crime, where burglary peaks in winter in the UK but summer in North America, and bike theft spikes in summer because that&rsquo;s when bikes are everywhere and easiest to steal.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Intro
01:48 Record Fossil Auction Prices
05:36 Who Buys and Public Access
08:54 Is It a Good Investment
10:20 Spider Tailed Viper&nbsp;
16:31 Alpha School and Two Hour Learning
19:48 Social Media Grading
20:37 Unpaid Grit Assignments
21:46 Heart Rate Test
25:57 Crime Seasonality Explained
32:35 Biggest Seasonal Crime
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-89047-001?doi=1">https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-89047-001?doi=1</a>
<a href="https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.70308">https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.70308</a>
<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43762-023-00094-x">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43762-023-00094-x</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-should-a-dinosaur-cost/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-should-a-dinosaur-cost/</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/extremely-rare-rapunzel-syndrome-can-cause-a-hairball-so-large-it-requires-surgery">https://www.sciencealert.com/extremely-rare-rapunzel-syndrome-can-cause-a-hairball-so-large-it-requires-surgery</a>
<a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2016/10/what-is-rapunzel-syndrome-and-why-do-some-people-eat-hair/">https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2016/10/what-is-rapunzel-syndrome-and-why-do-some-people-eat-hair/</a>
<a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-alpha-school-education-heart-monitor">https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-alpha-school-education-heart-monitor</a>
<a href="https://alpha.school/the-program/#love">https://alpha.school/the-program/#love</a>
<a href="https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/special-report-my-so-called-alpha">https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/special-report-my-so-called-alpha</a>

Dinosaur Bone Moguls, Spider-tailed Vipers and Seasonal Crimes

This week’s episode is what happens when science stops asking “should we?” and gets very focused on “could we?”. Cockroaches are being upgraded into tiny rescue workers, a Silicon Valley crew pitching brain tech you might one day take through your nose, and the Ig Nobels are back to remind everyone that the line between genius and ridiculous is thin.

First up, cyborg cockroaches. Engineers in Seoul are developing “Paraborgs”, insects fitted with cameras and tiny syringe systems designed to crawl through disaster zones and reach people trapped under rubble. The research claims a 95% success rate for close-range injections, which is impressive, even if it does mean trusting a cockroach to stay on task.

Then we swing into the future with Ray Kurzweil and a startup working on brain-computer interfaces without surgery, using nanobots instead of implants. The part you’ll remember is the proposed delivery method: you might one day “snort” the nanobots like a nasal spray, and they’d travel up to help create a connection between your brain and your devices. It’s early days, but the message is clear: tech wants to move in closer.

To round it out, we hit the Ig Nobels for silly science with real curiosity, from cockroach milk as an energy-dense food source to a splash-reducing urinal redesign, then  a quick detour into a wholesome data point: Dolly Parton’s bipartisan popularity in the US. 

So that’s the week: bugs with medical kits, brain bots via the nose, science that makes you laugh before it makes you think, and Dolly reminding us that being likeable is still a rare superpower.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

01:43 Roaches With Cameras

03:19 Paraborgs Explained

04:47 Remote Syringe Injections

08:00 The Ig Nobels

18:03 Bucket Bong Rabbit Hole

21:17 King Zog Chain Smoking

25:37 Joint Year Metric

26:55 Dolly Parton Popularity Data

32:03 Kurzweil Brain Interface

37:00 Snortable Nanobot BCI

 

SOURCES:


https://improbable.com/2026/09/03/the-2026-ig-nobel-prize-winners-are-announced/


https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9872797/


https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12516480/


https://bsky.app/profile/eschares.bsky.social/post/3mueyi6xb322h


https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-023-00666-w


https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10622464/


https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/27/cockroaches-used-search-rescue-earthquakes-science-technology-australia


https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-08-paramedic-cockroaches-cyborg-care-when-rescuers-cant-reach


https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/russia-fully-ai-controlled-drones-kill-ukrainians


https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mark-zuckerberg-anti-dolly-parton


https://apple.news/AlfcS_7EHRb2WOOl6kZgrug


https://apple.news/AKEsFCvmfSWWAAt1iqE88wg

This week&rsquo;s episode is what happens when science stops asking &ldquo;should we?&rdquo; and gets very focused on &ldquo;could we?&rdquo;. Cockroaches are being upgraded into tiny rescue workers, a Silicon Valley crew pitching brain tech you might one day take through your nose, and the Ig Nobels are back to remind everyone that the line between genius and ridiculous is thin.
First up, cyborg cockroaches. Engineers in Seoul are developing &ldquo;Paraborgs&rdquo;, insects fitted with cameras and tiny syringe systems designed to crawl through disaster zones and reach people trapped under rubble. The research claims a 95% success rate for close-range injections, which is impressive, even if it does mean trusting a cockroach to stay on task.
Then we swing into the future with Ray Kurzweil and a startup working on brain-computer interfaces without surgery, using nanobots instead of implants. The part you&rsquo;ll remember is the proposed delivery method: you might one day &ldquo;snort&rdquo; the nanobots like a nasal spray, and they&rsquo;d travel up to help create a connection between your brain and your devices. It&rsquo;s early days, but the message is clear: tech wants to move in closer.
To round it out, we hit the Ig Nobels for silly science with real curiosity, from cockroach milk as an energy-dense food source to a splash-reducing urinal redesign, then&nbsp; a quick detour into a wholesome data point: Dolly Parton&rsquo;s bipartisan popularity in the US.&nbsp;
So that&rsquo;s the week: bugs with medical kits, brain bots via the nose, science that makes you laugh before it makes you think, and Dolly reminding us that being likeable is still a rare superpower.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Intro
01:43 Roaches With Cameras
03:19 Paraborgs Explained
04:47 Remote Syringe Injections
08:00 The Ig Nobels
18:03 Bucket Bong Rabbit Hole
21:17 King Zog Chain Smoking
25:37 Joint Year Metric
26:55 Dolly Parton Popularity Data
32:03 Kurzweil Brain Interface
37:00 Snortable Nanobot BCI
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://improbable.com/2026/09/03/the-2026-ig-nobel-prize-winners-are-announced/">https://improbable.com/2026/09/03/the-2026-ig-nobel-prize-winners-are-announced/</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9872797/">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9872797/</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12516480/">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12516480/</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/eschares.bsky.social/post/3mueyi6xb322h">https://bsky.app/profile/eschares.bsky.social/post/3mueyi6xb322h</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-023-00666-w">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-023-00666-w</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10622464/">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10622464/</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/27/cockroaches-used-search-rescue-earthquakes-science-technology-australia">https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/27/cockroaches-used-search-rescue-earthquakes-science-technology-australia</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-08-paramedic-cockroaches-cyborg-care-when-rescuers-cant-reach">https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-08-paramedic-cockroaches-cyborg-care-when-rescuers-cant-reach</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/russia-fully-ai-controlled-drones-kill-ukrainians">https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/russia-fully-ai-controlled-drones-kill-ukrainians</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mark-zuckerberg-anti-dolly-parton">https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mark-zuckerberg-anti-dolly-parton</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://apple.news/AlfcS_7EHRb2WOOl6kZgrug">https://apple.news/AlfcS_7EHRb2WOOl6kZgrug</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://apple.news/AKEsFCvmfSWWAAt1iqE88wg">https://apple.news/AKEsFCvmfSWWAAt1iqE88wg</a>
</li>
</ul>

Cyborg Cockroaches, Splash-free Urinals and Snortable Nanobots

This week’s line-up is a reminder that humans can turn literally anything into a warning sign. A flight tracker becomes an apocalypse detector, a medieval siege weapon becomes a forensic crime scene, and wartime sugar rationing turns into an accidental public health intervention. All of these stories are weirdly useful.

First up: the DIY apocalypse forecast. Kyle MacDonald’s idea is that unusual patterns in private jets and military flights might act like an early-warning system, because the rich and strategic tend to move first when something big is coming. It’s half conspiracy, half pattern recognition, and very much a sign of the times.

Then we head back to medieval “workplace safety”, which mostly meant “try not to die”. A skeleton found with more than 160 fractures is being linked to a trebuchet accident, which makes grim sense once you remember these machines were built to launch massive projectiles with terrifying force. If you ever find a time machine, here’s the advice: do not stand near the trebuchet.

Finally, we jump to WWII, where sugar rationing wasn’t a wellness trend, it was scarcity management. Research suggests that lower sugar intake in the first 1,000 days of life may be linked to reduced risk of chronic disease later on, including some serious conditions. 

So that’s the week: flight trackers as doomsday tea leaves, a medieval death that reads like a physics demo, and a reminder that early nutrition matters more than we like to admit.

 

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

00:36 Disasters Seen From Above

02:06 Where To Survive Apocalypse

03:54 Resilience Factors Explained

07:29 Best Countries Ranked

11:24 Siege Trauma Mystery

18:29 Trebuchet War Wolf

20:35 Connectome Explained

22:30 Worm Brain Fly Body

25:56 Sugar Rationing Natural Experiment

 

SOURCES:
https://www.instagram.com/kcimc/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15598276261480005
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gch2.70146
https://ews.kylemcdonald.net/?_bhlid=d6149a8e5d8c3473cfbd98e21719efed7038cc8b
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15598276261480005
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.20.713233v1?_bhlid=3e0f11221a39630a4b2eb199e38b0c5629f0d202
https://www.science.org/content/article/shattered-skeleton-scottish-castle-first-confirmed-death-trebuchet
 https://apple.news/ASjFebnlsTH2yjUMlNtOZWg
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/201907/the-surprising-neuroscience-pigeon-intelligence
https://www.sciencealert.com/these-babies-grew-up-with-strict-sugar-limits-decades-later-the-results-are-dramatic

This week&rsquo;s line-up is a reminder that humans can turn literally anything into a warning sign. A flight tracker becomes an apocalypse detector, a medieval siege weapon becomes a forensic crime scene, and wartime sugar rationing turns into an accidental public health intervention. All of these stories are weirdly useful.
First up: the DIY apocalypse forecast. Kyle MacDonald&rsquo;s idea is that unusual patterns in private jets and military flights might act like an early-warning system, because the rich and strategic tend to move first when something big is coming. It&rsquo;s half conspiracy, half pattern recognition, and very much a sign of the times.
Then we head back to medieval &ldquo;workplace safety&rdquo;, which mostly meant &ldquo;try not to die&rdquo;. A skeleton found with more than 160 fractures is being linked to a trebuchet accident, which makes grim sense once you remember these machines were built to launch massive projectiles with terrifying force. If you ever find a time machine, here&rsquo;s the advice: do not stand near the trebuchet.
Finally, we jump to WWII, where sugar rationing wasn&rsquo;t a wellness trend, it was scarcity management. Research suggests that lower sugar intake in the first 1,000 days of life may be linked to reduced risk of chronic disease later on, including some serious conditions.&nbsp;
So that&rsquo;s the week: flight trackers as doomsday tea leaves, a medieval death that reads like a physics demo, and a reminder that early nutrition matters more than we like to admit.
&nbsp;
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Intro
00:36 Disasters Seen From Above
02:06 Where To Survive Apocalypse
03:54 Resilience Factors Explained
07:29 Best Countries Ranked
11:24 Siege Trauma Mystery
18:29 Trebuchet War Wolf
20:35 Connectome Explained
22:30 Worm Brain Fly Body
25:56 Sugar Rationing Natural Experiment
&nbsp;
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kcimc/">https://www.instagram.com/kcimc/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15598276261480005">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15598276261480005</a></li>
<li><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gch2.70146">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gch2.70146</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ews.kylemcdonald.net/?_bhlid=d6149a8e5d8c3473cfbd98e21719efed7038cc8b">https://ews.kylemcdonald.net/?_bhlid=d6149a8e5d8c3473cfbd98e21719efed7038cc8b</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15598276261480005">http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15598276261480005</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.20.713233v1?_bhlid=3e0f11221a39630a4b2eb199e38b0c5629f0d202">https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.20.713233v1?_bhlid=3e0f11221a39630a4b2eb199e38b0c5629f0d202</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/shattered-skeleton-scottish-castle-first-confirmed-death-trebuchet">https://www.science.org/content/article/shattered-skeleton-scottish-castle-first-confirmed-death-trebuchet</a></li>
<li>&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.news/ASjFebnlsTH2yjUMlNtOZWg">https://apple.news/ASjFebnlsTH2yjUMlNtOZWg</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/201907/the-surprising-neuroscience-pigeon-intelligence">https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/201907/the-surprising-neuroscience-pigeon-intelligence</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/these-babies-grew-up-with-strict-sugar-limits-decades-later-the-results-are-dramatic">https://www.sciencealert.com/these-babies-grew-up-with-strict-sugar-limits-decades-later-the-results-are-dramatic</a></li>
</ul>

Community or Control: Has There Ever Been a "Good" Cult?

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