We’ve all been there — you start out Googling local pharmacy hours, and all of a sudden you find yourself reading about how to construct a pool from Gruyere cheese. Such is the power of rabbit holes. We often think of them as time wasters, but at a moment when the real world can seem overwhelming, fun rabbit holes offer a respite — an opportunity to focus on something else entirely; to engage our attention and curiosity in a totally different way.

So, on this episode, we celebrate some of our favorite rabbit holes, with stories that investigate some of the universe’s most enduring mysteries: For instance — why do we put carpets in cars? Why do we drink tomato juice on planes? And why do some patients cry after anesthesia? We explore the answers to these and other questions you never knew you had.

Also heard on this week’s episode:

• We talk with Randall Munroe — the prolific author behind webcomic XKCD — about some of his own favorite rabbit holes … like using math to engineer an above ground pool out of Gruyere cheese.