1440 Explores

The Hidden Science of Flatulence

Flatulence is one of the body's most universal and least discussed functions. But behind every burst of gas lies a complex ecosystem of trillions of microbes working around the clock inside your digestive tract. In this episode, we explore why flatulence happens, why it smells, and how new "smart underwear" may help researchers better understand digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome. We'll unpack: How and why the body converts food into flatulence.  The surprising history of flatulence in art and entertainment.  Why scientists study intestinal gas alongside other digestive signals. What “smart underwear” is and how it works. Guest: Brantley Hall, microbiologist at the University of Maryland and leader of the Human Flatus Atlas project. Additional resources: https://join1440.com/t/gut-microbiome Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Dina Fine Maron Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Alice Jones Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it.

The System That Runs World Soccer (And Why It Broke)

FIFA started as a handful of Europeans who wanted to play soccer across borders. It became one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in sports history, controlled by 22 men voting behind closed doors. For nearly two decades, one man sat at the center of it all: Sepp Blatter. He wasn't the richest official in the room. He didn't need to be. He had something better: the votes. And he knew exactly how to keep them. So how does a Swiss bureaucrat become the most powerful man in the world's most popular sport? This is a story about soccer, but also about power, money, and how global systems quietly get built ... and then break under their own weight. Guest: Simon Kuper, journalist at the Financial Times and author of "World Cup Fever." Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://youtube.com/@1440originals More resources: https://join1440.com/t/the-american-presidency Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact Checker: Alice Jones Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily

The Evolution of the US Presidency

America's founders were so afraid of concentrated power that they spent three months designing Congress, but only three days on the presidency. They thought that was enough. It wasn't. Today, one office controls 4 million federal employees, the world's most powerful military, and the ability to reshape the lives of every American ... all while the founders are, presumably, spinning in their graves. So what happened? How does a job description that fits on half a page become the most powerful office on earth? And is there any way back? Guest: HW Brands, historian and author of "American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington," professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://youtube.com/@1440originals More resources: https://join1440.com/t/the-american-presidency Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact Checker: Alice Jones Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily

The Origins of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley wasn’t supposed to happen. A stretch of California orchard land somehow became the place that built the modern world: chips, PCs, the internet, the smartphone, and now AI. But the real story isn’t the garage myth. It’s a series of contradictions hiding in plain sight. So what actually built Silicon Valley, and what does that tell us about where it’s going next? We'll unpack: The Cold War military money that quietly funded Silicon Valley's rise, before anyone called it that. How a Stanford dean's real estate gamble changed the course of American technology. Why the Space Race is what made the microchip cheap. How a generation of anti-establishment hippies built one of the greatest engines of corporate power on earth. Guest: Margaret O’Mara, historian, professor at the University of Washington, and author of "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America." Join the knowledge collective:https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives:https://youtube.com/@1440exploreshttps://youtube.com/@1440originals Credits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us:https://www.instagram.com/1440dailyhttps://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily

How the US Income Tax Actually Works

It’s Tax Day in the US, and the system behind it isn’t as straightforward as it looks. You earn money. Taxes get taken out. Case closed … right? Not exactly. In this episode of "1440 Explores," we break down how the US tax system actually works, from confusing deductions and misunderstood tax brackets to why the wealthiest Americans often end up paying a very different tax than everyone else. We'll unpack: Why tax brackets don’t work the way most people think. Why half of Americans don’t pay federal income tax. How wealth gets taxed differently than wages. What “buy, borrow, die” means for the ultra-wealthy. Guest:Michael Linden, senior policy fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and former executive associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Join the knowledge collective:https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives:https://youtube.com/@1440exploreshttps://youtube.com/@1440originals Credits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us:https://www.instagram.com/1440dailyhttps://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily