Caustic Soda

With a heavy heart and in honour of our good friend Mr. Dr. Greg Bole we present a very special episode: "The End." The process and smells of dying, semelparity, animal grief, famous last words, weird wills, and Greg's final plans and wishes.

Almost six years to the day of our first ever podcast, Mike, Toren, Joe and Kevin are bringing their journey through the absolute worst the world of science, history, and pop culture has to offer to an end. Veteran Guestpert Dr. Rob joins us for the first two hours of our massive farewell episode. We cover almost every followup we've got left, including Olfactory Reference Syndrome, necrotic cervix, decomposing corpse poo, toxic trucker pee, auto urine therapy, urine-repellent paint, helminthic therapy, synthetic marijuana, coffin-birth, outrageous anti-abortion laws, vagina potato, poop transplant, ancient viking shit, a creepy face transplant, compulsive-bad-joke-telling (more than our usual), a lethal silicone penis injection, self-amputation, elevator abandonment, an "autism cure" that rates on the Evilometer, the worst auto-racing disaster in history, a whale meat experience, ape answers, mite shit, a failed test of faith, a lethal posthumous snake-bite, crocodile guards, sword booby-traps, a bloody pil

The caustic look at elephants continues with elephant attacks, beehive fences, Jumbo, Topsy's execution, plus news and pop culture!

Yvonne Morrin joins Kevin, Toren, and Joe to talk elephants, starting with a mammoth pop-quiz and a ton of caustic elephacts: musth, the Phajaan ritual, and elephant artificial insemination. Part 1 of 2.

Caustic Hosts Joe, Toren, and Kevin get thirsty discussing the causes and effects of droughts including tumblefirenados, the Syrian Civil War, Indian and Chinese famines, the California Water Wars, Lake Karachay, a super-dry extremophile, the horrors experienced in Virginia's Jamestown Colony, "shade ball" debunking, plus pop culture!

Carnivorous plants, strangling kelp, giant hogweed, gympie-gympie, falling saguaros, manchineel trees, coconuts, and more!

Kevin, Joe, and Toren conclude Caligula's history, an exploration of explanations for his behavior, plus pop culture! Music: "The Killing Type" by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

Kevin, Toren, and Joe discuss Evil Dude in History Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, aka "Caligula". Part 1 of 2 -- the early years and rise to power.

Allan Newell rejoins the hosts with his firefighter helmet on to discuss the seven motives of arsonists, Herostratus, the Happy Land Fire, the Clarence Roberts mystery, the Sydney Ghost Train Fire, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, Operation Backfire, the Pillow Pyro, the Mary Pang Warehouse Fire, and more!

Joe, Toren, and Kevin "check out" the caustic side of libraries, including both Melvil Dewey's classification system and the man himself, the librarian who took over China, librarian sex habits, "for sex see librarian", the Brave Sage of Timbuktu, plus news and pop culture. Recorded at the Vancouver Public Library's Inspiration Lab!

Toren, Kevin, and Joe discuss mines of every description including naval mines, helicopter mines, fougasses, nuclear mines, the Camp Bonifas Golf Course and mine-detecting flowers. Plus what to expect when you step on a blast mine.

The podcast marathon continues as Dr. Katie, Joe, Toren, and Kevin talk about the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Canadian Death Race, Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope, and Oscar Pistorius' career and deadly Valentine.

Dr. Katie Marshall is back with Joe, Toren, and Kevin to talk about the horrors of running. They compare human and animal running speeds, the horrors the running inflicts on your body (plus some benefits), the man vs. horse marathon, the beer mile, and the "Ride and Tie".

Season seven of Caustic Soda begins with pathogenic fungi, prototaxites, spelunker’s lung, fungal eye and yeast infections, magic mushrooms, the death suit, and cordyceps. Plus news and pop culture!

Joe, Toren, and Kevin ring in the end of another season of Caustic Soda with a look at the arbitrary time of year we chose as the end. We'll look at how calendars work, new year around the world and in history, plus the dangers of drunk walking and a cork injury PSA!

Comedian Adam Pateman joins us to discuss diving accidents, dead whale carcasses, losing one's sense of smell, cannibalism on the Franklin Expedition, a doomed expedition to Africa, plus which is the lesser of two evils - being sprayed with skunk water or being pelted with frozen paintballs?

Dr. Rob is back for for a Caustic Anatomy Class on kidneys! We'll cover kidney disease, hear Toren's own kidney stone story in full detail, the largest kidney stones ever reported, kidney stones in history, the effects of kidney-blows, plus news and pop culture!

Vigiles, Sombra Negra, Jonathan Idema, Bernhard Goetz, The Lavender Panthers, the Fierce Missouri Bald Knobbers and Anonymous hacktivism, and more!

Our caustic look at hurricanes concludes with hurricane hunters, Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan, the insultingly nitpicky appearance of the 1970 Bhola Cyclone In The News, plus pop culture! Part 2 of 2.

Kevin, Toren, and Joe are back to talk about Big Wind: hurricanes! We'll cover the biggest and most destructive ever, including the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, plus a Public Service Announcement, the Great Hurricane of 1780, and Galveston, Texas in 1900. Part 1 of 2.