Cicada-mania: Why we're excited about weird bugs crawling out of the ground

It’s cicada-mania! For the first time in more than two centuries, two broods of North American cicadas will emerge from the Earth at the same time. One hasn’t been up in 13 years and the other has been underground for 17 years, and they are both different from the typical cicadas we hear every summ…

Why didn't animals need eclipse glasses?

Two weeks ago, much of the country stopped for a few minutes in the middle of the day to watch at least a partial solar eclipse. And in the path of totality, researchers were keeping an eye on animals to see how four minutes of darkness changed their behaviors. This week on Something Offbeat, Dr. …

Love UFOs, will travel: The cosmos drive tourism in Roswell and beyond

Lexington, Ky., recently started something it calls “the world’s first interstellar tourism campaign,” trying to attract extraterrestrials to the city, and the Associated Press wrote about it. Roswell, N.M., has long been a destination for UFO tourism, and “Something Offbeat” talked with Dennis Bal…

Offbites: Getting ID'd for non-alcoholic drinks and $28K in free gas

This week on Offbites, Lauren and Chris break down which city's remote work relocation package is the most appealing (hint: Lauren may soon be a Rochester resident), discuss the ethics of a gas station hack, and hear the heartwarming story of a community that came together to support a young girl.

'They're all high': Problems at the New Orleans PD go beyond stoned rats

Last month, the New Orleans police superintendent told the city council that police headquarters needed a lot of upgrades. But one comment stuck out: "They're all high." It had nothing to do with anyone in the city, but with rodents in the department's evidence room. This week on Something Offbeat…

What does it take to blow glass? How an offbeat artform became a Netflix hit

Glass has been around for more than 35 centuries, but the process to make it can still boggle our minds. Humans use their own lungs to breathe life into glass pieces such as those seen on the Netflix show “Blown Away”. The fourth season of the show just premiered, and a collection of the pieces fea…

Offbites: A clothes-free cruise, a gym stabbing and more

This week on Offbites, Lauren and Chris discussed a story sent in about a nude cruise, a gym fight that resulted in a man getting stabbed in the butt, a lost structure found on the sea floor and a rocket launcher found hidden in a car.

Biotech company aims to extend dogs' lives. Here's how it'd work

The biotech company Loyal is working to develop drugs that would slow the process of aging in dogs, aiming to extend the healthy lifespan of our four-legged friends. Dr. Brennen McKenzie, Loyal's director of veterinary medicine, joined Mike Rogers to discuss how the drugs would work and how he'd an…

'The sky is not classified': The latest on the search for UFOs

Late last year, a UFO journalist released previously-unseen photo and video of two different unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, captured in the Middle East. One was called the chandelier and the other was called the jellyfish. To get the latest on the search for extraterrestrial life and UAPs…

Offbites: Florida Man Games, freezing swims and more unusual athletic feats

Something Offbeat host Mike Rogers makes his long-awaited debut on Offbites. He joins Lauren and Chris to check in on the results of the Florida Man Games, discuss why the Philadelphia Phillies are doing away with dollar hot dog night, and break down the challenge of sprinting while holding a fryin…