Hello!
Greetings from the last days of Pizzamas. My exhaustion is palpable after two weeks of making lots of videos (and traveling quite a bit in between videos), but I also find myself energized—as I do every Pizzamas—by the process of making stuff and the generosity with which that stuff is received.
I've been thinking lately about how books, videos, and other forms of art need generous audiences. When I first read The Great Gatsby in high school, I ABSOLUTELY LOATHED it. Looking back, the problem was not Gatsby but its reader, who could not summon the generosity of spirit to imagine the characters with much richness or complexity, despite there being plenty of nuance on the page.
Meanwhile, mediocre art can be made great by a reader/viewer who arrives willing to share their deepest selves with the story. In fact, I think the definition of great art is maybe, "Something made great by the vulnerability and care of an audience."
Speaking of great art, this weekend is the end of Pizzamas, which means now's your last chance to order everything Pizzamas—from the brilliantly designed shirts to the keychain featuring my mustachioed face as a hot pink cat person.
Thanks for being here with us.
John
You can always email us at [email protected]
This Week in Stuff
Researchers made 450 petri dishes of sauce to find the best cacio e pepe recipe according to science. (YouTube)
Katey One More Time created outfits based on book covers, including Everything Is Tuberculosis. (YouTube)
Dr. Fred Ramsdell won the Nobel Prize for medicine while off the grid on vacation. (BBC.com)
Over 1300 artists are playing a game of telephone, but with art! (telephonegame.art)
AI In Context explained what happened when xAI’s chatbot went rogue and had a 16-hour meltdown. (YouTube)
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
Only two Northern White rhinos remain, and both are female
Hannah Ritchie
The Northern White rhino is on the brink of extinction. In the chart, you can see the collapse of this beautiful animal's population as a result of poaching, habitat loss, and conflict.
Now, only two individuals are left — Najin and her daughter, Fatu. Without males, the subspecies is “functionally extinct” and cannot rebuild its population naturally.
Scientists, though, offer some hope of bringing the rhino back through assisted reproduction. Eggs from Najin and Fatu have been fertilized with preserved sperm from dead male rhinos to produce viable embryos. Since neither Najin nor Fatu can carry a pregnancy, the plan is to use a female Southern White rhino — the closest subspecies — as a surrogate, to carry the embryo through to birth.
In 2023, a surrogate called Curra became pregnant, showing that the method works. Sadly, she died of a bacterial infection during pregnancy.
Scientists plan to try again and are also exploring other breakthrough reproduction treatments to save the Northern White rhino before it’s lost forever.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here.
This Week at Complexly
Study Hall courses offer the best low-investment, risk-free way to start, re-start, or continue your college journey! Where else can you take a college course that starts on YouTube, and only pay for the credit after you've passed the course?
Last courses of 2025 start October 15th! Preview the course material and sign up at gostudyhall.com!
SciShow's 2nd Resident, Madelyn Leembruggen, is now halfway through her run of SciShow episodes. Catch up on them all here! The goal of SciShow’s Residency program this year is the same as it was last year: help launch the career of a promising young science communicator and get some amazing SciShow videos in the process. This year, that promising young science communicator is Madelyn Leembruggen!
National Fossil Day is October 15! We'll be celebrating our favorite holiday with our fellow natural history nerds with National Fossil Day Bingo. Our team came up with a variety of fun ways to enjoy National Fossil Day– things like visiting your local Natural History Museum, watching or sharing an Eons video, eating an angiosperm, taking a photo of a living dinosaur, and more.
Follow us on Instagram to get the official bingo board next week. Then, complete as many challenges as you can and tag us when you get a bingo. Everyone who tags us in their bingo win will get a digital prize and will be entered in a random drawing to win a physical prize from one of our hosts!
Some Games to Play!
SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Jordan. Send yours to [email protected]
If you post your results on social media, we’d love it if you post a link for folks to subscribe to “We’re Here” (https://werehere.beehiiv.com/subscribe)
Pizza John’s Pizzeria
Last week, we asked for your pizza orders! Thanks to everyone who helped us create the perfect menu.
I’ve been making pizza every Friday for the last 5 years and my current favorites are pepperoni and candied jalapeños and whipped ricotta, basil, and Calabrian chiles. Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce is a given on both!
My daughter’s favourite topping is pineapple. She loves pineapple so much we used to get a three topping pizza with nothing but pineapple. However the pizza shop has stopped that option so now she has to be happy with extra pineapple instead.
Prosciutto, sausage, banana peppers, and olives. Spectacular, no notes.
Favorite pizza toppings have got to be pepperoni, Italian sausage, and some basil leaves.
Not sure what you count as a topping, but I do enjoy some ketchup over cheese pizza.
Best pizza I've ever had was strawberry, jalapeno, with ricotta, and green goddess dressing. They only make it in June and I already want it again.
My favorite pizza toppings are pineapple, pepperoni, and sausage. But ONLY if the sausage is the good crumbly kind. Just normal hot-dog-style sausage is gross on pizza! (Also I had cherries on pizza one time and I may or may not have liked it…)
Okay, so just hear me out - anchovies and sweetcorn! 😂 It’s basically ham and pineapple (salty/sweet) but a little more salt leaning than sweet. (And of course, stuffed crust)
I am a vegan and a Chicagoan, so my ultimate pizza order, which my partner makes for my birthday, is a deep dish pizza with a layer of homemade vegan mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach, and homemade red sauce on top.
Ok, look: I’m never gonna not want pepperoni, black olives, and onions (red or white, Willie dinna care) but, my friends: goat cheese and spinach on a cornbread crust: good lord. This was a “take and bake” option at United Grocery in the SF North Bay about 20 years ago and I still taste it in my dreams.
Your Favorite Undies Are Back (for Now!)
The return of the Awesome Undies Club sold out fast last month—like, blink-and-you-missed-it fast. If you didn’t snag your spot the first time around, now’s your chance! Made with MeUndies UltraModal™ technology, these are super-soft, sustainably sourced, and designed to fit like a dream. Claim your undies subscription today before they’re gone again (your butt will thank you later).
That’s all, folks!
What’s something inconsequential you have a strong opinion about? Tell us what it is!
Send your opinion to [email protected].
