That's Absurd Please Elaborate

Our Sun is an absolutely RIDICULOUS power source, pumping out more energy every second than most of us can even begin to wrap our heads around. And while AA batteries are great for remotes, flashlights, and rolling around in that one drawer (you know the one), they have their limits. Trace and Julian crunch the numbers to see how our humble household batteries stack up against a Sun-like object, digging into the sheer scale of stellar energy production and what it would take to compete with a giant ball of nuclear fusion. Unsurprisingly, the gap between your local hardware store and the nearest star turns out to be a pretty big one.
QUESTION
Trace: "How many AA batteries would it take to power a sun-like object?" from Peter
Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's a silly idea that popped into your head, a shower thought about the nature of reality, or a ridiculous musing about your favorite food? Whatever your question, we want to answer it—tell us!
HOW TO ASK A QUESTION
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If we use your question we’ll give you a shout out in the episode.
SIGNAL AWARD!
We’re nominated for a Best Science Show Signal Award! Help us win by voting for our show with the link. Voting is open until October 15. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/science
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And don’t sleep on ThatsAbsurdShow.com. There you can browse images and videos we find during our research and listen to every episode of the show.
CREDITS
This episode of That's Absurd Please Elaborate was written by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, edited by Kyle Sisk, and produced by all three of us with the support of our Patrons.
Theme Music by Epidemic Sound; learn more here: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Thanks for listening to That's Absurd Please Elaborate. We appreciate you!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we bodily embrace spooky season by digging into the science of what happens when a body returns its borrowed flesh. From flesh-eating microbes and hungry scavengers to composting, cremation, and some surprisingly futuristic methods, Julian investigates the fastest ways for nature to reclaim our materials. Then, in typical Julian fashion, he ranks them by efficiency and cost-effectiveness, because who says decomposition can’t be optimized?
It’s the best time of the year, people!!!
QUESTION
Julian: "What’s the most efficient way to decompose a human body?" from Julie
Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's a silly idea that popped into your head, a shower thought about the nature of reality, or a ridiculous musing about your favorite food? Whatever your question, we want to answer it—tell us!
HOW TO ASK A QUESTION
🖥️ Submit on our website: thatsabsurdshow.com/ask
☎️ Leave a voicemail: (302) TAPE-SHO [+1-302-827-3746‬]
📬 E-mail questions to hello at thatsabsurdshow.com
If we use your question we’ll give you a shout out in the episode.
SIGNAL AWARD!
We’re nominated for a Best Science Show Signal Award! Help us win by voting for our show with the link. Voting is open until October 15. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/science
WANT MORE US? SUPPORT THE SHOW!
Want to help decide which questions we answer? Join our patreon patreon.com/thatsabsurdshow
SOCIALS
[[ FOLLOW OUR SHOW ]]
Instagram: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Threads: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Bluesky: @thatsabsurdshow.com
[[ FOLLOW JULIAN ]]
Instagram: @Huggetout
Threads: @Huggetout
[[ FOLLOW TRACE ]]
Instagram: @tracedominguez
Threads: @tracedominguez
BlueSky: @tracedominguez.com
And don’t sleep on ThatsAbsurdShow.com. There you can browse images and videos we find during our research and listen to every episode of the show.
CREDITS
This episode of That's Absurd Please Elaborate was written by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, edited by Kyle Sisk, and produced by all three of us with the support of our Patrons.
Theme Music by Epidemic Sound; learn more here: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Thanks for listening to That's Absurd Please Elaborate. We appreciate you!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to tiny insects, the ants (formicidae) are an incredible family of organisms. They can build complex structures, they’ve invented and practice agriculture, they work with The Avengers to fight multiversal-level threats … (I’m being told that last one is fictional, but I am still counting it). What no one has ever considered is: what happens when an ant is accelerated to a significant percentage of the speed of light? Don’t worry ANTonio BANTderas — we got you. This week, Trace answers Eddie’s ridiculous questions based on a popular meme, and together we dig (like ants, get it?!) into the amount of energy in their tiny exoskeletoned bodies, and even revisit a long-past episode for inspiration.
QUESTION
Trace: "How fast would an ant have to run to knock me over (or kill)?" from Eddie
Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's a silly idea that popped into your head, a shower thought about the nature of reality, or a ridiculous musing about your favorite food? Whatever your question, we want to answer it—tell us!
HOW TO ASK A QUESTION
🖥️ Submit on our website: thatsabsurdshow.com/ask
☎️ Leave a voicemail: (302) TAPE-SHO [+1-302-827-3746‬]
📬 E-mail questions to hello at thatsabsurdshow.com
If we use your question we’ll give you a shout out in the episode.
SIGNAL AWARD!
We’re nominated for a Best Science Show Signal Award! Help us win by voting for our show with the link. Voting is open until October 15. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/science
WANT MORE US? SUPPORT THE SHOW!
Want to support us and other indie creators? Join Nebula go.nebula.tv/thatsabsurdshow
Want to help decide which questions we answer? Join our patreon patreon.com/thatsabsurdshow
SOCIALS
[[ FOLLOW OUR SHOW ]]
Instagram: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Threads: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Bluesky: @thatsabsurdshow.com
[[ FOLLOW JULIAN ]]
Instagram: @Huggetout
Threads: @Huggetout
[[ FOLLOW TRACE ]]
Instagram: @tracedominguez
Threads: @tracedominguez
BlueSky: @tracedominguez.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@tracedominguez
And don’t sleep on ThatsAbsurdShow.com. There you can browse images and videos we find during our research and listen to every episode of the show.
CREDITS
This episode of That's Absurd Please Elaborate was written by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, edited by Kyle Sisk, and produced by all three of us with the support of our Patrons.
Theme Music by Epidemic Sound; learn more here: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Thanks for listening to That's Absurd Please Elaborate. We appreciate you!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gelatin is a surprisingly strange material, especially when you stop serving it by the spoonful and start measuring it by the swimming pool. Julian looks into what would happen if someone took a running leap into a pool-sized serving of Jello, then digs into the surprisingly strange material itself. He and Trace explore why gelatin behaves so differently from both liquids and solids, what gives it its signature wobble, and the unexpectedly dark origins hiding beneath all those bright colors and fruity flavors.
QUESTION
Julian: "Let’s say I end up with a swimming pool full of Jello. What happens when I jump in?" from Lisa
Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's a silly idea that popped into your head, a shower thought about the nature of reality, or a ridiculous musing about your favorite food? Whatever your question, we want to answer it—tell us!
HOW TO ASK A QUESTION
🖥️ Submit on our website: thatsabsurdshow.com/ask
☎️ Leave a voicemail: (302) TAPE-SHO [+1-302-827-3746‬]
📬 E-mail questions to hello at thatsabsurdshow.com
If we use your question we’ll give you a shout out in the episode.
WANT MORE US? SUPPORT THE SHOW!
Want to help decide which questions we answer? Join our patreon patreon.com/thatsabsurdshow
SOCIALS
[[ FOLLOW OUR SHOW ]]
Instagram: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Threads: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Bluesky: @thatsabsurdshow.com
[[ FOLLOW JULIAN ]]
Instagram: @Huggetout
Threads: @Huggetout
[[ FOLLOW TRACE ]]
Instagram: @tracedominguez
Threads: @tracedominguez
BlueSky: @tracedominguez.com
And don’t sleep on ThatsAbsurdShow.com. There you can browse images and videos we find during our research and listen to every episode of the show.
CREDITS
This episode of That's Absurd Please Elaborate was written by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, edited by Kyle Sisk, and produced by all three of us with the support of our Patrons.
Theme Music by Epidemic Sound; learn more here: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Thanks for listening to That's Absurd Please Elaborate. We appreciate you!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The universe is chock-full of things that are hard to find, but figuring out which one deserves the title of “rarest” turns out to be surprisingly complicated. Are we talking about elements that exist for only a fleeting moment before decaying away? Cosmic oddities that appear only under the most extreme conditions? Or something a little more tangible? This week, Trace and Julian follow the twists and turns of a deceptively simple question and discover that rarity depends a lot on how you define it… and that the answer may not be what you’d expect.
QUESTION
Trace: "What is the rarest "thing" in the universe?" from Marco
Do you have an absurd question? Maybe it's a silly idea that popped into your head, a shower thought about the nature of reality, or a ridiculous musing about your favorite food? Whatever your question, we want to answer it—tell us!
HOW TO ASK A QUESTION
🖥️ Submit on our website: thatsabsurdshow.com/ask
☎️ Leave a voicemail: (302) TAPE-SHO [+1-302-827-3746‬]
📬 E-mail questions to hello at thatsabsurdshow.com
If we use your question we’ll give you a shout out in the episode.
WANT MORE US? SUPPORT THE SHOW!
Want to help decide which questions we answer? Join our patreon patreon.com/thatsabsurdshow
SOCIALS
[[ FOLLOW OUR SHOW ]]
Instagram: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Threads: @ThatsAbsurdShow
Bluesky: @thatsabsurdshow.com
[[ FOLLOW JULIAN ]]
Instagram: @Huggetout
Threads: @Huggetout
[[ FOLLOW TRACE ]]
Instagram: @tracedominguez
Threads: @tracedominguez
BlueSky: @tracedominguez.com
And don’t sleep on ThatsAbsurdShow.com. There you can browse images and videos we find during our research and listen to every episode of the show.
CREDITS
This episode of That's Absurd Please Elaborate was written by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, edited by Kyle Sisk, and produced by all three of us with the support of our Patrons.
Theme Music by Epidemic Sound; learn more here: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Thanks for listening to That's Absurd Please Elaborate. We appreciate you!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.