How bizarre! 5 of the best weird news podcasts covering under-reported stories, water cooler updates, and more

Why are Thailand’s monks on meth? Which wolves are about to become endangered? What’s the real history of roller skating? How can we best test language skills? These are just some of the news topics discussed in our round-up of shows covering weird news topics.

Our list guides you through fascinating stories you might not have heard yet – from the strangest updates circulating the internet to under-reported news, these podcasts are definitely not boring.

On our list, there is a today-in-history podcast, a series diving into odd tech and business stories, and a podcast with audio from Simon Lane and Lewis Brindley’s YouTube channel, “Simon’s Peculiar Portions.”

The Week Unwrapped – with Olly Mann

“The Week Unwrapped – with Olly Mann” shares the most under-reported stories that have greater consequences than you’d think. Check out weekly episodes with Mann, The Week’s writers, editors, and more guests.

Simon’s Peculiar Portions

Pickaxe presents “Simon’s Peculiar Portions,” featuring audio from the hosts’ YouTube series. In episodes, Simon Lane and Lewis Brindley poke fun at the internet’s strangest news stories

Bananas

“Bananas” shares fascinating and ridiculous news from around the world with hosts Kurt Braunohler and Scotty Landes. For example, her about a man who figured out how many cans of Spaghetti-o’s is needed to write Lord of the Rings. In another episode, hear about a waterslide that caught fire and a lyrebird imitating the evacuation sound at a zoo. This series is presented by Exactly Right.

Today in History with The Retrospectors

In daily ten-minute episodes, hear the most curious moments from today in history. Hosts Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll are The Retrospectors, diving into stories you might not have heard yet.

The Sniffer

Writers/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond dig into stories on “The Sniffer’s” semimonthly episodes. They “freak out over the future” and cannot believe what developments continue to unfold from spying on smart devices to futuristic architecture and what an investigative report on Shein’s business model revealed.