1440 Explores
1440 Explores is a sonic encyclopedia for the insatiably curious. Each episode delivers essential knowledge on the most fascinating topics of our time, weaving history, science, and insight from the best experts to help ...
Insights from recent episode analysis
On the show
- Daniel Lieberman1 ep
- Amanda Paluch1 ep
- Daniel Schacter1 ep
Also: Craig Volden, Brantley Hall, Simon Kuper, HW Brands, Margaret O’Mara, Michael Linden, Robin Nagle, Dr. Sandy Baum
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Total monthly reach
Based on 1 signal.
Built from
By chart position
- 🇺🇸United States · Society & CultureHOME#4180K to 424K
- 🇵🇪PE · Society & Culture#24675 to 3.6K
- 🇨🇴CO · Society & Culture#46513 to 2.7K
- 🇨🇦Canada · Society & Culture#142352 to 1.9K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
82K to 432K🎙 Biweekly cadence·19 episodes·Last published 2w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
117K to 618K🇺🇸98%🇵🇪1%🇨🇴1% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
47K to 247K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
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Total Plays
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Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/8/26 |  Why Plastic Is Everywhere | Plastic is in our clothes, our homes, our food packaging, and even our bodies. But just over a century ago, most of it didn’t exist. Host Sony Kassam traces plastic's surprising rise from an accidental discovery to one of the most ubiquitous materials on Earth. We explore how a substitute for ivory helped launch a new class of materials, why World War II supercharged plastic production, and how an industry built around reuse gave way to a culture of disposability. Plus: Why is so little plastic actually recycled? How did microplastics end up inside our bodies? And is replacing plastic always better for the environment? GUESTS Beth Gardiner, journalist and author of "Plastic Inc.," which traces the history of plastic and the industry behind it. Judith Enck, former regional administrator at the US Environmental Protection Agency and founder and president of Beyond Plastics. DIVE DEEPER How billiard balls helped kick-start the plastic revolution: join1440.com/r/947 Why plastic is so hard to replace: join1440.com/r/9235 How long plastic actually lasts: https://join1440.com/r/27184 The uncomfortable truth about plastic recycling: join1440.com/r/19369 CREDITS Host and Producer: Sony KassamEditor: Dan BobkoffFact-Checker: Alice JonesSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producer, Rhyme Media: Dan BobkoffExecutive Producers, 1440: Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald MORE ABOUT US 1440 Explores is a show by the people behind 1440 Media. 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. FOLLOW 1440 Morning newsletter: https://join1440/today Instagram: instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: facebook.com/1440Daily TikTok: tiktok.com/@1440daily 1440 Explores YouTube: youtube.com/@1440Explores Hidden Within YouTube: www.youtube.com/@HiddenWithinShow | 26m 46s | ||||||
| 9/17/26 |  How Coffee Changed the World | Coffee was once put on trial. In 1511, the governor of Mecca brought it before the city's religious scholars to settle a single question: Is this drink dangerous? They let it go, and coffee spent the next five centuries changing where people gathered, what they talked about, and how they traded. This episode of 1440 Explores follows it from a wild Ethiopian shrub to the 2 billion cups the world drinks every day, by way of Sufi prayer halls in Yemen, the coffeehouses of the Ottoman Empire, the London coffee shop that became the London Stock Exchange, and the Brazilian plantations that ran on enslaved labor. Host Sony Kassam is joined by Professor Jonathan Morris of the University of Hertfordshire, who explains what roasting actually does to a bean and why caffeine is a suppressant rather than the stimulant everyone assumes. Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Additional resources: https://join1440.com/t/coffee Guest: Professor Jonathan Morris, University of Hertfordshire, author of "Coffee: A Global History." About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired on a daily basis. 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 CHAPTERS 0:00 Coffee goes on trial 1:12 Kaldi, the goats and the origin myth 2:47 Inside the coffee cherry 3:38 Roasting and the Maillard reaction 4:15 How coffee actually moves around the world 5:35 What caffeine really does to your brain 7:06 Sufi mystics, Yemen and all-night prayer 8:33 Mecca, 1511: is coffee permissible? 9:13 The first coffeehouses 10:56 Empire, Istanbul and the road to Europe 12:14 London, Lloyd's and the Stock Exchange 13:52 Coffee and the Enlightenment 14:26 Plantations, colonies and enslaved labor 15:54 Brazil, American demand and abolition 17:19 Italy invents espresso 18:33 Starbucks and the global coffee chain 19:15 Why coffee still matters | 24m 33s | ||||||
| 8/27/26 | muscle lossstrength training+4 | Daniel LiebermanAmanda Paluch | Harvard UniversityUMass Amherst+2 | — | muscle lossstrength training+5 | — | 25m 45s | ||
| 8/6/26 | memorypsychology+3 | Daniel Schacter | Harvard UniversityThe Seven Sins of Memory | — | memorypsychology+3 | — | 22m 54s | ||
| 7/16/26 | CongressUS government+4 | Craig Volden | University of Virginia1440 Media+1 | — | CongressUS government+5 | — | 25m 04s | ||
| 6/25/26 | flatulencemicrobiome+4 | Brantley Hall | University of MarylandRhyme Media+1 | — | flatulencemicrobes+5 | — | 26m 41s | ||
| 6/4/26 | soccerFIFA+4 | Simon Kuper | FIFAFinancial Times+2 | — | FIFASepp Blatter+5 | — | 31m 27s | ||
| 5/14/26 | US PresidencyAmerican History+3 | HW Brands | University of Texas at Austin1440 Media+2 | — | US Presidencyfounding fathers+3 | — | 28m 36s | ||
| 4/23/26 | Silicon Valleytechnology+5 | Margaret O’Mara | University of Washington1440 Media+1 | — | Silicon Valleytechnology history+5 | — | 33m 59s | ||
| 4/15/26 | US income taxtax system+4 | Michael Linden | Washington Center for Equitable GrowthWhite House Office of Management and Budget+1 | — | income taxtax deductions+4 | — | 24m 34s | ||
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| 4/2/26 | trashurban environment+3 | Robin Nagle | New York UniversityRhyme Media+2 | — | trashwaste+5 | — | 24m 02s | ||
| 3/12/26 | college tuitionfinancial aid+3 | Dr. Sandy Baum | Urban InstituteRhyme Media+1 | — | college tuitionfinancial aid+3 | — | 22m 48s | ||
| 2/19/26 |  Behind the Supreme Court's Curtains | A court designed to be the least powerful branch became one of the most influential institutions in American life. 1440 Explores host Sony Kassam dives inside the Supreme Court of the United States, with help from Yale Law professor Akhil Reed Amar, to uncover how it gained extraordinary authority, what really happens behind closed doors, and why its power has become one of the most fiercely contested questions in modern democracy. Guest: Akhil Reed Amar, Yale Law professor and legal scholar Learn more about the Supreme Court: https://join1440.com/t/supreme-court-of-the-united-states Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Meher Qazilbash 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 on a daily basis. 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. Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Follow us: https://youtube.com/@1440explores | 28m 23s | ||||||
| 1/29/26 |  How Fire Turned From Friend to Foe | A planet that learned to burn. A century of fire suppression. A warming world primed to ignite. 1440 Explores host Sony Kassam sits down with fire historian Stephen Pyne to trace how humans turned fire from our greatest tool into our most dangerous threat—and what it would take to live with fire again. Guest: Stephen J. Pyne, fire historian and emeritus professor at the Center for Biology and Society at Arizona State University Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Kim Nederveen Pieterse Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Sanam Skelly 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 on a daily basis. 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. Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Follow us: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily | 23m 06s | ||||||
| 1/8/26 |  The Wild Story Behind the First Cell Phone Call | A battle with a telecom giant. A stunt call on a New York sidewalk. A forgotten memo that rewired the world. Host Sony Kassam sits down with Marty Cooper, the father of the cell phone, and Arlene Harris, the first lady of wireless, to explore the innovation, politics, and high-stakes battle that pried connectivity out of corporate control and built the always-on world we live in today. Guests: Marty Cooper, engineer, entrepreneur, and "father of the cell phone." Arlene Harris, wireless entrepreneur, pioneer of prepaid cellular, and the "first lady of wireless.” Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni and edited by Dan Bobkoff. Our fact-checker is Meher Qazilbash, and our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily and https://www.youtube.com/@1440explores Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 29m 54s | ||||||
| 12/11/25 |  The Science of Dreaming | We spend 6 years of our lives dreaming. But what if someone else is controlling what you dream about? With help from pioneering sleep scientist Dr. Bob Stickgold, 1440 editor-in-chief and host Sony Kassam unpacks what dreams really are, why the brain spins up these nighttime storylines, how memories and emotions shape them, and why certain dreams feel like we’re suddenly in the driver’s seat. Plus, the new frontier of dreams: how companies and researchers can control them. Guest: Dr. Bob Stickgold, a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and a visiting professor at M.I.T. Media Lab Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/dreams Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Dan Bobkoff and Sony Kassam. It was fact-checked by Meher Qazilbash. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 27m 22s | ||||||
| 11/20/25 |  Inside the ChatGPT Black Box | Ever asked ChatGPT a question and felt like it understood you? Or marveled at how AI can write, explain, or even argue convincingly? With help from legendary computer scientist and Mathematica creator Stephen Wolfram,1440 editor-in-chief and host Sony Kassam unpacks how large language models really work—how they predict the next word, why they sometimes hallucinate, and what the mechanics reveal about intelligence, language, and humanity. Guest: Stephen Wolfram, founder and CEO of Wolfram Research and creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and Wolfram Language Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Background reading: What is ChatGPT doing and why does it work? https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work/ Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history—or not? https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/03/will-ais-take-all-our-jobs-and-end-human-history-or-not-well-its-complicated/ Generative AI space and the mental imagery of alien minds: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/07/generative-ai-space-and-the-mental-imagery-of-alien-minds/ All the best resources on the internet about LLMs: https://join1440.com/t/large-language-models Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 26m 55s | ||||||
| 10/30/25 |  Ghosts: Why We See What Isn't There | Every culture has them—restless spirits, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night. But why do we believe in ghosts? Psychologist and skeptic Dr. Chris French joins host Sony Kassam to explore the science behind the supernatural, from sleep paralysis and hallucinations to the brain’s pattern-making instincts. Together, they uncover why our minds see meaning—and sometimes ghosts—where none exist, and what that reveals about fear, memory, and our need to believe in something beyond the grave. Guest: Dr. Chris French, head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. It was fact-checked by Meher Qazilbash. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/ghosts Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 25m 30s | ||||||
| 10/9/25 |  Alcohol: Why We Drink and What It Does to Us | Alcohol is the world’s most popular drug—a molecule that can calm or excite and bond communities or tear them apart. We trace alcohol’s journey from ancient rituals to modern hangovers, uncover how it shaped civilizations, and dive into the neuroscience of how it affects your brain and body. With insights from leading experts, we ask: Given all that we know, why do humans continue to drink? Guests: David Nutt, psychiatrist and professor of psycho-pharmacology at Imperial College in London, author of Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health, and cofounder of Sentia Spirits. Edward Slingerland, professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia and author of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Dan Bobkoff and Kim Nederveen Pieterse. It was fact-checked by Sanam Skelly. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 36m 18s | ||||||
| 10/9/25 |  Credit Cards: The Story Behind the Plastic | Credit cards feel like magic—tap, swipe, approved. But behind that split-second ding is one of the most complex financial systems ever built. We unpack how your $5 latte triggers a global relay between banks and networks like Visa and Mastercard, trace the 1958 campaign that jump-started the credit card revolution, and reveal how a trillion-dollar system quietly shapes the way we spend. From interest rates to rewards points, this is the hidden story of money in motion—and how a small piece of plastic changed the world. Guest: Sean Vanatta, senior lecturer in financial history and policy at the University of Glasgow and author of Plastic Capitalism, Banks, Credit Cards, and the End of Financial Control. Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/credit-cards Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. It was fact-checked by Sanam Skelly. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 28m 25s | ||||||
| 9/18/25 |  Introducing: 1440 Explores | 1440 Explores dives into the most fascinating topics of our time—why we dream, how AI thinks, the magic (and consequences) of credit cards, and more—blending science, history, and expert insights to make sense of the world. Produced in collaboration with Rhyme Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | 3m 08s | ||||||
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Chart history for 1440 Explores
Peaked at #24 in PE, currently #24 in PE.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE | — | #24 | #24 | — |
| United States | — | #41 | #41 | — |
| CO | — | #46 | #46 | — |
| Canada | — | #142 | #142 | — |
Chart Positions
4 placements across 4 markets.
Chart Positions
4 placements across 4 markets.