Messy Minded Podcast

In the year 897, one of the strangest events in medieval history unfolded in Rome. A pope ordered the body of his predecessor to be dug up… and placed on trial. The event became known as the Cadaver Synod, and it remains one of the most bizarre episodes in the long history of the Catholic Church. In this Messy Morsel, Jess explores the strange political rivalry that led to this shocking spectacle, the surreal courtroom scene that followed, and the consequences that came when the people of Rome saw what their leaders had done. Sometimes history is serious. And sometimes… it involves putting a corpse on trial. @MessyMindedPodMusic by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", “Bone Tower” by DSTechnician For further reading try: Liutprand of Cremona. Antapodosis (Retribution) – Book VI. 10th-century chronicle describing the Cadaver Synod and papal politics of the period. Auxilius of Naples. Libellus de Ordinationibus a Formoso Papa Factis. Written during the controversy surrounding Formosus’s ordinations and the Cadaver Synod. Moore, Michael Edward. The Body of Pope Formosus. Speculum 84, no. 2 (2009). One of the most detailed modern academic analyses of the Cadaver Synod and its political context. 

In this episode of Messy Minded, Jess walks through her full cognitive assessment — from interviews and computer tests to memory drills. Along the way she is joined by Sam and Scott and they explore how ADHD can present in adults and how highly structured systems can sometimes mask attention differences.Jess reflects on what the testing revealed, the coping structures she’s built over the years, and what it means to understand your brain a little better.@MessyMindedPodhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3htrTJx4ORepBRYxJ7ZGPv?si=0f78e1cd20114a98https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/messy-minded-podcast/id1819603605Music by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", catch 22music for "Yeah Baby Yeah", "funny COmedy Kids", and The Mountain for "Quirky Sneaky".Sound effects by Do what you want "Ritual" and Sdanezis "Moving transition SFX"

In 2023, testimony about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) moved from internet forums to Congress — under oath, on the public record.In this episode of Messy Minded, we unpack what was actually said during the House Oversight hearing, including claims from former intelligence officer David Grusch about alleged crash-retrieval programs and “non-human biologics.” We also revisit the now-famous Navy encounters involving David Fravor and Ryan Graves, including the near-miss incidents, the Gimbal and GoFast videos, and what those recordings do — and do not — show.What was presented as firsthand evidence? What was secondhand testimony? What has been officially confirmed — and what remains unproven?Along the way, we look at why public reaction was surprisingly muted, how intelligence agencies perfected the art of “neither confirm nor deny,” and why both scientists and lawmakers are calling for better data sharing and oversight.Astronomer Professor Chris Impey joins in to help ground the conversation in astrophysics, probability, and the realities of interstellar travel.No tinfoil hats required — just curiosity, skepticism, and a willingness to sit in the uncomfortable middle.

Full UAP episode drops Friday.

In this episode of Messy Minded, Jess explores the axolotl — the permanently aquatic salamander that refuses to grow up. Through biology, mythology, and modern science, we unpack how axolotls regrow limbs, spinal cords, and even parts of their brains, and why researchers studying regeneration and immune response are obsessed with themThe episode weaves together Aztec mythology and the god Xolotl, neoteny, and the misunderstood “smile”. We also confront the collapse of wild axolotl populations in Lake Xochimilco, conservation efforts, and why one of the most studied animals on Earth is critically endangered in its natural habitat.Funny, dark, science-forward, and unexpectedly philosophical, this episode asks what it means to stay in a liminal state — and whether sometimes the smartest move isn’t to transform at all.@MessyMindedPodhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3htrTJx4ORepBRYxJ7ZGPv?si=0f78e1cd20114a98https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/messy-minded-podcast/id1819603605A foundational overview of axolotl regeneration can be found in “Regeneration in the Axolotl: A Model for Mammalian Wound Healing” published in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Other sources for this episode were a 2018 paper “The Axolotl Genome and the Evolution of Key Tissue Formation Regulators” in Nature, work by James Godwin and colleagues, particularly “Macrophages Are Required for Adult Salamander Limb Regeneration” published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), The Journal of Experimental Biology and Integrative Zoology,and Biological Conservation. Myth largely from various internet searches and “Aztec Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of the Aztecs” by David Carrasco and “The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya” by Mary Miller and Karl Taube. Music by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", "Quirky sneaky memes background music" by Mykola Odnoroh, "Bass Stories" by Unknown Artist, "Latin Mexican Latino Music" by HitsLab and Levgen Poltavsky, "On TipToe" by Geoff Harvey, and Music by IKOLIKS

What began as a baffling public spectacle — bodies moving without permission, collapsing in exhaustion — would echo through centuries of history under a single unsettling name: St. Vitus’ Dance.In this episode of Messy Minded, Jess traces how a medieval dancing plague became a medical diagnosis… and how that same name resurfaced generations later in her own family, attached to a childhood illness, a period of restraint, and a very unexpected form of therapy.This is a story about what happens when bodies refuse to behave — and how, when language fails, we reach for meaning wherever we can find it.https://open.spotify.com/show/3htrTJx4ORepBRYxJ7ZGPv?si=6e5942d7bf1746bdhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/messy-minded-podcast/id1819603605@MessyMindedPodMusic by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", Vibehorn "French France Music (See their website at vibehorn.com)St. Vitus’ DanceDancing Plague of 1518Strasbourg dancing plagueMedieval mass hysteriaMass psychogenic illnessChoreaSydenham’s choreaMedical historyHistory of medicineMedieval EuropeSaints and superstitionSaint VitusJohn the BaptistReligious belief and illnessMind–body connectionAutoimmune disordersPre-antibiotic medicineChildhood illness historyUnexplained historical phenomenaTrue history podcastWeird historyMedical mysteriesPsychology and culture