Strange Bites

Lance Martin

We stir up the weirdest, wildest, and most mind-bending new discoveries and serve them up in a piping hot 15 minutes or less. We take all the base facts and package them in a short creative story full of weirdness and wonder. Come learn something new and escape into a world of fun and mystery. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included in the show notes for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. If you enjoy these stories, check out my other podcast, Legends of the Hidden Horde.

Episodes

  1. The Fly that Escaped Its Body

    2 DAYS AGO

    The Fly that Escaped Its Body

    Ohhh, my deliciously disturbed listeners… can you feel that? We’ve clawed, scuttled, and screamed our way to Episode 10. Ten episodes deep into the strange. Ten nights we’ve peeled back reality’s skin together and found something writhing underneath. To every single one of you who’s been here since the first bite—thank you for feeding this beast. And to the brave new souls joining us tonight… welcome to the family. We don’t do participation trophies; we do existential dread and extra nightmares For our tenth bite we’re not pulling any punches. Tonight we descend deep into the matrix, celebrating ten episodes of delicious horror the only way we know how... by resurrecting something that should have stayed dead… or at least inside its own body. So turn the volume down low, lock every door, double check the windows, and follow me into Episode 10: The Fly that Escaped its Body. https://eon.systems/ https://eon.systems/updates/embodied-brain-emulation https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/p/the-first-multi-behavior-brain-upload https://x.com/alexwg/status/2030217301929132323 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07558-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07763-9 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-024-02497-y https://flywire.ai/ https://www.nature.com/collections/ https://neuromechfly.org/

    9 min
  2. The Brain in A Box that Learned to Kill

    18 MAR

    The Brain in A Box that Learned to Kill

    Where does the soul live when the body is optional? Are these cells suffering in their little box every time the Doom marine dies? Or are they… happy? Is learning the only joy a brain really needs? And the darkest question of all: if two hundred thousand cells can learn to play Doom in a week… what happens when we scale it to billions? When we connect thousands of CL1s together? When the “material” wakes up and realizes it’s trapped inside our games, our wars, our dreams? We didn’t just invent a new computer. We invented a new kind of prisoner. And we’re handing out the keys on GitHub. Sources 
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2517389-human-brain-cells-on-a-chip-learned-to-play-doom-in-a-week/ 
https://corticallabs.com/ https://corticallabs.com/cl1 https://corticallabs.com/research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRV8fSw6HaE
 https://github.com/SeanCole02/doom-neuron https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(22)00806-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.001 https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/200-000-living-human-neurons-on-a-microchip-demonstrated-playing-doom-cortical-labs-cl1-video-shows-the-gameplay-and-explains-how-the-neurons-learn-the-game https://newatlas.com/brain/cortical-bioengineered-intelligence/ Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/adi-goldstein/blank-light License code: UMTSYQNNG4THEG5C

    8 min
  3. Shadows of the Lattice

    16 MAR

    Shadows of the Lattice

    Follow me into the flickering shadows of high-tech vaults, where the pulse of progress echoes like a distant heartbeat and the secrets of time await. This is Episode 8: Shadows of the Lattice. Ultimately, the shadows of the lattice do not simply keep time, they force us to question whether time was ever ours to possess. Sources: https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-entanglement-optical-clocks-precision.html https://journals.aps.org/prl/accepted/10.1103/dyqm-k8p6 https://jila.colorado.edu/sites/default/files/group-files/Entanglement-enhanced%20optical%20lattice%20clock%20Phys.Org_.pdf https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11810 Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/goods-cargo/breathe License code: BCNDH5OUAI1PNTIS

    5 min
  4. Bioelectrical Morphogenesis — Currents That Command the Flesh

    11 MAR

    Bioelectrical Morphogenesis — Currents That Command the Flesh

    We are not just discovering how life works. We are discovering that life has been running a parallel operating system the entire time. One that is hackable, scalable, and maybe, just maybe, aware in ways we have no language for yet. So the next time you look in the mirror, remember: beneath your skin, billions of cells are quietly voting with electricity, deciding who you are right now. And somewhere in a quiet lab, someone just learned how to change the vote. Sources https://drmichaellevin.org/research/spatial.html https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6815261/ https://news.uchicago.edu/how-bioelectricity-could-regrow-limbs-and-organs https://wyss.harvard.edu/media-post/frontier-science-10-bioelectrics-w-michael-levin/ https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(21)00223-3 Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/dirty-streets License code: RL9PIYROVDPUZDY7

    13 min
  5. The 99 Million Year Old Zombie

    8 MAR

    The 99 Million Year Old Zombie

    Tonight we descend into a prehistoric horror that has sat silence for eons waiting be seen. So turn the volume low, lock every door, and follow me into the amber. This is Episode 6: The 99 Million Year Old Zombie. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. Sources https://www.sciencenews.org/article/zombie-fungi-infecting-ants-fossil https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/science/amber-insect-zombie-fungi-fossil https://www.sci.news/paleontology/paleoophiocordyceps-fungi-14025.html

    7 min
  6. A Tale of Two Demons (Double Episode)

    5 MAR

    A Tale of Two Demons (Double Episode)

    Today we’re jumping into a special double episode. Two tales of invisible Demons; One true-yet-haunting tale where the science feels like uncovering something that was never meant to be seen, and another of a mythical cryptid that stalks the Alabama hills of California.  Grab your flashlight and follow me into then dark mist of this double doozy.  This is Episode 5: The Tale of Two Demons. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research.Sources: Part 1 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06318-8 https://doi.org/10.1139/p56-154 https://mitrano.physics.harvard.edu/news/discovering-demon https://phys.org/news/2023-08-demon-physicists-year-old-massless-neutral.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pines%27_demon Part 2 http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=292 https://www.calexplornia.com/california-urban-legends-monsters/ https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Lone_Pine_Mountain_Devil Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/darkest-child License code: AUQSUJC6EXBADCXE

    12 min
  7. The Death Ball Sponge

    2 MAR

    The Death Ball Sponge

    In this episode we dive into the dark abyss with a wild deep-ocean voyage. So follow me into the depths of Davey Jones’ Locker with Episode 4: The Death Ball Sponge. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. Sources: • https://oceancensus.org/press-release-carnivorous-death-ball-sponge-among-30-new-deep-sea-species-from-the-southern-ocean • https://e360.yale.edu/digest/southern-ocean-new-species • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/29/carnivorous-death-ball-sponge-among-new-species-found-in-depths-of-southern-ocean • https://utmsi.utexas.edu/science-and-the-sea/print-article/startling-new-death-ball-sponge-discovered • https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/armored-worms-and-death-ball-sponges-among-array-of-life-newly-documented-from-the-deep-sea Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/torus/alienation License code: FURY6AL0ZXQEWMGI

    8 min
  8. The Quantum Yin-Yang Whisper

    26 FEB

    The Quantum Yin-Yang Whisper

    Today, we’re unraveling a cosmic puzzle that’s got science and mystery entangled in ways that defy explanation. A tale of elusive photons, timeless philosophy, and a haunting photo that blurs the veil between ancient wisdom and forbidden discovery. Now, let’s slip into the duality with Episode 3: The Quantum Yin-Yang Whisper. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. Sources https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/quantum-entanglement-visualized-for-the-first-time-ever/ https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/quantum-physics/quantum-yin-yang-shows-two-photons-being-entangled-in-real-time https://thequantuminsider.com/2023/08/23/yin-yang-researchers-capture-the-mysterious-dance-of-entangled-photons-in-real-time/

    9 min

  9. 23 FEB

    Orchestra of the Undead

    Welcome to Strange Bites, the podcast where we stir up the world’s weirdest, wildest, and most mind-bending new discoveries and serve them up in a piping hot 15 minutes or less.  Today we’re diving into a fresh discovery. A wild tale of music and mushrooms that will have you saying, That’s Groovy Baby.. This is Strange Bites.  Episode 2: Orchestra of the undead…  trust me, it’s weirder than whatever’s growing in your fridge right now. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research.Here are some cool links to check out about making music from mushrooms. https://youtu.be/hASCAGgZNZ0?si=vk1dY1poW0ZGrDaO https://www.tiktok.com/@modernbiology/video/7024251051389865221?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/13/artists-making-music-from-mushrooms

    10 min
  10. A Bone Collector in the House of Death

    21 FEB

    A Bone Collector in the House of Death

    Welcome to Strange Bites, the podcast where we stir up the weirdest, wildest, and most mind-bending new discoveries and serve them to you in a piping hot 15 minutes or less. Today, like every day, we’re diving into a fresh discovery that’s equal parts “whoa” and “wait, really? Episode 1. A Bone Collector in the House of Death A fun story about the discovery of the Bone Collector Caterpillar. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, and I weave in a lot of the facts, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. For more info you can check out https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carnivorous-bone-collector-caterpillars-wear-corpses-as-camouflage/ #Weirdscience #science

    8 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

We stir up the weirdest, wildest, and most mind-bending new discoveries and serve them up in a piping hot 15 minutes or less. We take all the base facts and package them in a short creative story full of weirdness and wonder. Come learn something new and escape into a world of fun and mystery. Disclaimer: These are creative stories. The discoveries are real, but most of the story is made up fiction. Links to sources included in the show notes for a deeper dive into the real facts and research. If you enjoy these stories, check out my other podcast, Legends of the Hidden Horde.

Information

  • Creator
    Lance Martin
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Lance Martin
  • Show Website
    Strange Bites