| EPISODES |
| EPISODES |
Episode 19: Salt Overview
Salt is one of the most important and influential minerals in human history. From flavoring food, to being used as a form of payment, to its impact on science, the effects cannot be overstated. There are many kinds of salts, and they all have different chemical signatures. Throughout this episode, learn about table salt (sodium chloride or NaCl) and other edible sea salts from ancient times as well as salts we find in agriculture and other scientific areas. This episode is an overview of the history, science, and uses of salts, with more in-depth analysis coming in August!
©️ Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Episode 18: Demon Core
We are starting off Season 2 with a “bang?” (sorry, not sorry). This episode is all about the often forgotten third atomic bomb core from World War II: Rufus, now known as The Demon Core. While this core was never dropped as a bomb, it was used for nuclear/plutonium testing after WWII and along the way, it was deemed “cursed”. Take a listen and find out why!
©️ Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Image Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Image Attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=114470
Cut-for-Time!
Join us for some laughs to whet your appetites for Season 2! This blooper reel contains funny moments and tangents that didn’t make it into the final edits of Season 1’s Episodes 1-4. Warning: this reel contains “that’s what she said” jokes and mouth sounds!
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2024-2025
June 2025, Summer Sabbatical Update!
We are happy to announce that Season 2 of Hyperfixation Investigations will be coming your way in July, 2025. Josh and Kara are hard at work behind-the-scenes on new episodes and new features for general listeners and subscribers alike. Check in for a blooper reel teaser in two weeks, and be on the look-out for announcements here on the website and on BlueSky and YouTube over the new few months regarding some exciting changes coming to HI! Thank you for all your support.
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Episode 16: Wonderful Whales
We finally have an episode where our favorite phrase “deep dive” is truly apropos! So join us as we deep dive the fascinating underwater world of whales. This group of animals technically includes dolphins and porpoises in addition to whales. Discover their forms of communication, diets, family structures and more!
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Episode 15: Hair Dye
Nearly 70% of women in the U.S. use hair-coloring products ranging from bleach to permanent hair dye. Learn about the use of hair coloring in the ancient world and how a discovery in the 1800s brought about the hair dye we know of today. Discover the biochemistry of how different types of hair dye work, the economic strength of the industry, and more in this episode!
©Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Image Credit: Rebecca Benezue/Demand Media, Found on Pinterest
Episode 14: Fall of the Jedi
WARNING: EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE STAR WARS FRANCHISE!
Travel to Naboo and Coruscant via starship as Josh outlines the factors leading to the fall of the Jedi Order throughout the Star Wars Franchise, including movies, television shows, and books. Fun facts include which politician’s name is used almost verbatim in the films and more!
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Episode 13: The Anemoi
Wind’s in the East, Spring’s Comin’ in… learn about the Greek Gods of the Wind, the Anemoi, in this episode! Start with learning their names and enjoy as Kara and Josh breeze through some of their myths and mentions in epic poetry like the Odyssey. Discover other artistic forms and uses of the Anemoi, the god Aeolus (keep of the Winds), and wind in general from modern novels to wire sculptures! Fair warning, there are a decent amount of wind puns scattered throughout the episode.
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025Image: “Aeolus Giving the Winds to Odysseus” by Isaac Moillon (1614-1673)
Episode 12: Tea
It’s all in the Tea-Tails! After learning about the main types of tea and how tea plants are processed to create one of our favorite drinks, we’ll dive into the complex and often dark history of tea. The introduction of tea to the Western World is embroiled in colonization, smuggling, scandals, and wars. One of the main culprits behind all of this mayhem was the East India Company.
Photo Credit: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
©️Wolf and Stag Productions, 2025
Episode 11: Squirrels
We’re going nuts for our favorite tree rodents! Kara and Josh delve into the world of tree squirrels from the different species found in Illinois to their beneficial effect on their habitats! We love these cute little guys and we’re excited to bring a little bit more awareness to some of our most numerous animal neighbors.
Photo Credit: Gary Eslinger/USFWS
©️Wolf and Stag Productions LLC, 2025
Episode 10: Stars
Fly through the cosmos this week with Josh and Kara as they cycle through the births and deaths of various kinds of stars in our universe. Learn how stars have been classified over time and how some of our favorite telescopes (Hubble!) help scientists figure out how hot and old stars are across space. From the beautiful clouds of gas that are the “nurseries for stars” to black holes that form from the death of the largest stars, discover how the saying “we are all born of stardust” is true!
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025Image Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
NASA. (2024, October 22). Stars - NASA science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
Episode 9.5: Zodiac Birth Chart
Learn the bare-bones basics of reading your Natal Birth Chart for your Zodiac. Kara and Josh discuss the Big Three and how to break down Planets vs Signs vs Houses.
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025Image Credit: Lidiia Moor
Found at: https://www.elle.com/horoscopes/a44666453/how-to-read-a-birth-chart/
Episode 9: Zodiac Astrology
Explore the history of Western Zodiac Astrology with Kara and Josh! From Ancient Babylon, to Medieval Europe, to 20th-century Britain, to Modern USA, learn about the ebbs and flows of Zodiac Astrology. From a form of science to a pre-Enlightenment relic, to a modern phenomenon, the practice of astrology has long had cultural significance.
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025Image Credit:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024, December 19). zodiac. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/zodiac
Episode 8: Shooting Stars
In honor of this month’s annual meteor shower, The Quadrantids, Josh and Kara explore some of Earth’s smaller and numerous neighbors: asteroids and comets. Learn what and where these Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are and how they turn into shooting stars! Finally, discover how an unofficial constellation named Earth’s annual December-January meteor shower: The Quadrantids.
©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2025Image Credit:NASA. (2018, July 25). What is a meteor shower?. NASA. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/