Messy Minded Podcast

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

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 MusicSt. 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

What happens when our dead talks back?In this episode of Messy Minded, Jess explores the digital afterlife: the growing world of AI griefbots, memorial chatbots, and artificial companions trained on the voices, messages, and personalities of people who have died.Ela Darling (adult entertainer, worlds 1st VR camgirl, ex-librarian, former co-host of the 'Ill Repute' podcast, and not-so-secret nerd) guests this episode for Jess as they dive into the ethical, psychological, and emotional questions behind griefbots and “dead chatbots” — from early experiments and viral apps to real stories of people using AI to cope with loss.Together, they explore:What griefbots are and how they workThe rise of AI-powered digital afterlife toolsWhy this technology feels both comforting and unsettlingWhether griefbots help with mourning — or prolong itEthical concerns around consent, memory, and digital legacyPotential risks, including emotional dependence and manipulationHow grief, memory, and identity change when AI enters the pictureWhether you’re curious about AI, grieving someone you love, or just trying to understand where technology is taking us next, this episode sits right in the uncomfortable middle — where most honest questions live.Topics include:AI griefbots, digital afterlife, memorial chatbots, grief and technology, ethics of AI, AI companions, digital legacy, mourning and memory, artificial intelligence and grief, emotional AI, Black Mirror comparisons, consent after death.And yes — Ela may or may not place a fake curse on humanity that ensures her opinions echo forever. You’ve been warned.This episode isn’t here to tell you what to think — just to give you better questions to sit with.https://open.spotify.com/show/3htrTJx4ORepBRYxJ7ZGPv?si=6e5942d7bf1746bdhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/messy-minded-podcast/id1819603605@MessyMindedPod@ElaDarlingXElaDarling.comSources & Further ReadingGrief, Psychology & MemoryWorden, J. W. Grief Counseling and Grief TherapyNeimeyer, R. A. (2019). Meaning Reconstruction in BereavementShear, M. K. (2015). Complicated grief and neural processingHarvard Medical School — grief and neuroplasticity researchAI Griefbots & Digital AfterlifeEugenia Kuyda & the origins of Replika (following the death of Roman Mazurenko, 2015)MIT Technology Review — “The Chatbots That Help You Grieve”The Verge — coverage on AI companions and emotional attachmentWired — digital resurrection, memorial AI, and ethicsUniversity of Kent & University of Cambridge research on posthumous chatbots and user responsesEthics, Consent & TechnologyMozilla Foundation — AI ethics and emotional manipulationElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) — data privacy and consentEU AI Act discussions on emotional AI systemsStanford Human-Centered AI — long-term impacts of conversational AIScams & Social EngineeringFBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reportsFTC guidance on impersonation scams and emotional manipulationStudies on authority-based persuasion and compliance psychologyListener NoteThis episode discusses grief, death, and emotional vulnerability. Please take care while listening, and step away if you need to.Music by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", Geoff Harvey for "Mischief Maker", and Audio Coffee for "Funny", BFC Music "Funny Comedy Kids",

Behind the lights, the carols, and the forced cheer, Christmas has a quieter side.Christmas Secrets explores the hidden rituals, anonymous kindnesses, secret identities, and strange traditions that surface during the holiday season — stories that are rarely advertised and often deeply personal.From secret celebrations held behind locked doors, to anonymous gifts left without explanation, to Santas who absolutely should not have been trusted with anonymity — this episode is a reflective look at what people do when the year is ending, the nights are long, and no one is really watching.Music credit goes to SoundPlusUA and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezsalov for "Spark Groove", "Dark Somber Serious", Nikita Kondrashev "spooky horror piano"and "Cosy Quirky Comedy", Geoff Harvey "Playdate", "Our Christmas", "More Fun and Games", and "Lucky go lightly quirky", BFC Music "Christmas Party time", "Funny Comedy Kids", music for video "Christmas Magic Night", Christmas secrets, strange Christmas traditions, hidden Christmas stories, mysterious Christmas, dark side of Christmas, Christmas folklore, unusual holiday traditions, Santa stories, acts of kindness, storytelling

MIT Technology Review — https://www.technologyreview.com/Smithsonian Magazine — https://www.smithsonianmag.com/LIFE Magazine Archive — https://books.google.com/books/about/LIFE.htmlAtomic Ranch — https://www.atomic-ranch.com/Paleofuture (Smithsonian) — https://paleofuture.com/Atomic Age design resourcesOfficial Site — http://www.thevenusproject.com/Future by Design (documentary)Zeitgeist Addendum (documentary)World’s Fair Museum — https://worldsfairusa.com/WIRED — https://www.wired.com/National Archives — https://www.archives.gov/r/RetroFuturism — https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism/What did people in the 1950s and '60s think the year 2000 would look like? Flying cars? Robot maids? A kitchen that cooked dinner with the push of one shiny chrome button? A perfectly cheerful smart home that—ideally—didn’t spy on you?In this episode of Messy Minded, Jess dives into the gloriously unhinged futures we once imagined: from retro-futuristic dream houses made of plastic, to food pills that never took off, to Cold War fallout shelters disguised as cozy family retreats. We’ll wander through world’s fairs, peek inside mid-century “homes of tomorrow,” and explore how sci-fi—from The Jetsons to The Matrix—shaped the future we’re living in now (and the future we definitely aren’t).Along the way, we’ll visit the Venus Project, revisit the push-button optimism of the Atomic Age, and laugh at the predictions that aged like milk. Think of it as a guided tour through yesterday’s tomorrows — equal parts hopeful, weird, and wonderfully wrong.Curl up with your metaphorical space blanket, hop into the retro time machine, and join me for a trip to the future… as imagined by the past.Music by: SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", Bobby Cole for "Fifties Jukebox Moods Full" and "Milkshake Girl", Black Scorpion Music-Ali Afshar for "Matrix", "Get Ready", William Medeirosri for "Tension" , Nikita Kondrashev for "Cosy, Quirky, Comedy", Geoff Harvey for "Mischief Maker", and Audio Coffee for "Funny"

A peaceful mountain town. A newcomer with… opinions. And a story that starts quiet and ends in the kind of Appalachian mystery nobody writes down. Come wander the Smokies with me as we uncover what happens when the wrong person arrives in the right place at the worst possible time.https://shows.acast.com/messy-minded-podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/messymindedpod/https://www.tiktok.com/@messymindedpodhttps://www.youtube.com/@MessyMindedPodSources:An Abbreviated History of Gatlinburg – Gatlinburg Inn Gatlinburg – The Story of Radford Gatlin – Visit My Smokies Staff Gatlinburg History from the 1700s – Today – Elk Springs Resort Blog Team Music by:SoundPlusUS Label and Mr. Lex Oleksii Bezalov for "Spark Groove", and "Cosy Quirky Comedy"#History #AmericanHistory #Appalachia #Tennessee #SmokyMountains #Folklore #WeirdHistory #SmallTownHistory #Storytelling #MessyMinded