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PODCAST

Brain Junk

Brain Junk is an off-the-wall, totally unbelievable but true podcast where Amy Barton and Trace Kerr shake up science & history in the hunt for answers to questions you never knew you wanted to know. We bring you the inside scoop on things like: Can goldfish drive? How do whales not drown while eating? Who had the first prosthetic eye? We cannonball off the question high dive every other Tuesday -- those of you in the front seats, bring your ponchos. We"re out to flood your brain.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

16:50

255: Lost and Found Art

Brain Junk ·

2023/03/21

Art isn't just in museums! Sometimes it's hidden behind walls, inside a piece of furniture, or sadly, in a dumpster. Today we explore the remarkable circumstances that come together to find lost or forgotten art.Show Notes:Francis Mattson Hines and his art in the dumpster and the wrapped Washington Square ArchRecycled art in an airportArt in a couchArt hidden from an ex-wifeStewart Little surprise painting on the set! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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15:18

254: Revisiting Weird Animals

Brain Junk ·

2023/03/14

We've talked wombats and binturongs before but we've learned MORE and had to share! Past episodes: 244: Stinky Critters for binturong and 34: Wombat PoopWombat mama and baby! image by budgme on pixabayBinturongs hanging out in the sun. image by Kevinsphotos on pixabayShow Notes:Australian Geographic Nov. 2020 interview with Alyce Swinbourne about Wombat Bums⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇Content warning below: wombat butt and the head of a dead fox⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇Smithsonian National Zoo article Binturong females delaying pregnancy

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8:24

253: Redheads and Pain

Brain Junk ·

2023/03/07

We're both married to redheads and have kids with that redhead gene! From ginger beards to coppery locks, is there any truth to the belief that redheads handle pain meds and anesthesia differently? Show Notes:NIH report on Redheads and pain thresholds 2004 Study by Daniel Sessler and (Edwin B Liem 1, Chun-Ming Lin, Mohammad-Irfan Suleman, Anthony G Doufas, Ronald G Gregg, Jacqueline M Veauthier, Gary Loyd, ) on Anesthetic requirement in redheadsRedheads might need less analgesicsWant to learn more

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8:24

252: Nightingale Floors

Brain Junk ·

2023/02/28

Uguisubari aka nightingale floors were a Japanese innovation. This super squeaky floor was an early version of an alarm. The specially constructed floors were in only a select number of castles, but they would alert guards and residents to a shinobi attempting to be sneaky. Show Notes:Check out this Wiki entry on nightingale floors Trace talked about. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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10:14

251: The Great Smog

Brain Junk ·

2023/02/21

When your city is used to having smoke and coal dust and fog all mix together into a "pea soup" yellow fog that chokes the city for days each year, life goes on through the murk. But the Great Smog from Dec 5 - 9th, 1952 was so bad, an estimated 12,000 people died. It was the kind of weather and pollution combination that spurred people to change air quality regulations. (Amy mentions 4,000 people dying in the years after the fog from long lasting effects. We completely forgot to share the huge

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29:26

250: Valentine's Day

Brain Junk ·

2023/02/14

It's our TWO-HUNDRED and FIFTIETH episode!!!!! AND we've made it this far because of your love and support for the show. Thank you so so much! To celebrate we've got a long Valentine deep dive into the history and weird facts around the holiday.SHOW NOTES:Amy mentions the Valentines Day Massacre but we didn't want to bring down the mood. Read up here if you want to knowGalentine's Day is Feb 13th! a day for celebrating female friendships! Originating from the TV show ‘Parks and Recreation, the

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10:05

249: Yooperlites

Brain Junk ·

2023/02/07

Found for the first time in Upper Michigan by rock hound, Erik Rintamaki in 2017, this accidental finding is SO COOL. Under UV light they look like fiery dragon eggs.We mentioned the yooperlite store in our episode too.There aren't any free Google pictures (sad face) So here's a LINK to pictures of the glowing rocks!!!Also we talked about strange waves called seiches. Check them out HEREEpisode 238: Uranium Glass if you need more glowing stuff! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss

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10:47

248: Paul Bunyan

Brain Junk ·

2023/01/31

Paul Bunyan: hero of North American oral tradition, origins of our stories about a burly logger and his big blue ox came from multiple versions. Paul Bunyan might've been based on a man, but whatever his beginning, his stories came from the imaginations of bored loggers.Show Notes:Wikipedia on Paul BunyanWant to road trip to all the statues? Check out this road map This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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12:39

247: Headstone Recipes

Brain Junk ·

2023/01/24

Most headstones have a person's name, some significant dates and maybe a quote. But imagine if your family made it possible for you to share your very best recipe with delighted strangers. Our research adventure into headstone recipes began with stumbling onto a post by Rosie Grant, aka @ghostly.archive on Instagram. Check out her posts for great pictures!Show Notes!Washington Post recipes in obituaries

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10:37

246: Australian Drift

Brain Junk ·

2023/01/17

We know continents shift around like furniture in a room. But can you believe that Australia is on the planet's fastest moving tectonic plate and it's moving on the scale of inches per year? Far enough and fast enough that GPS tracking had to be updated. Nation Geographic article with more deets: Nat Geo This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

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12:27

245: Corsets For Everyone!

Brain Junk ·

2023/01/10

Often when we talk about historical corset wearing, the first thing we think of is the patriarchy. Because corsets are objects of waist cinching oppression known for mutilating a woman’s internal organs. Right? Turns out, not always. Many women wore them for comfort, designed them to keep their breasts supported, and oh yeah, that patriarchy bit? Well sometimes, men wore them too.image collated from https://corset-story.com/Rosie Harte Youtube historian talking about men in corsets--there are some

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13:17

244: Stinky Critters

Brain Junk ·

2023/01/03

Happy 2023!!! We're starting the year with an episode to satisfy your inner 12 year old! Pop some popcorn and join us in exploring the weirdly unexpected scents of Bear Cats (aka Binturong), lemon ants, copperhead snakes, and so many more smelly animals. The facts and data behind the smell of the Binturong https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/cen-09417-scicon004 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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11:11

243: Frog Dads

Brain Junk ·

2022/12/27

Just like sea horse dads, some poison dart frog dads take a hand in helping to raise their children. We talk about a Stanford University study designed to figure out how and if these little tropical frogs have a mental map of their environment. image from: Andrius Pašukonis Stanford University (Dad frog wearing his kids and a radio tracker speedo)Evolutionarily Ecology article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10682-019-09994-zAnd just in case you were wondering like we were, it is

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8:51

242: Bat Chat!

Brain Junk ·

2022/12/20

It sounds like impossibly futuristic sci-fi but, a machine learning algorithm and videos of bat behavior were used to partially decode the language of Egyptian Fruit Bats. I KNOW! You have to give this a listen. image by David Mark on PixabayFor adorable pictures of the Egyptian fruit bats https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-translate-bat-talk-and-they-argue-lot-180961564/Get into the scholarly research nitty-gritty: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.21215Want to learn

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9:32

241: Humboldt Squid

Brain Junk ·

2022/12/13

Also known as devil squid because of the bright red color they sometimes display: Humboldt squid have on occasion attacked divers. But mostly they hunt in packs for fish. Mostly. (What's up Aliens reference?! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

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11:34

240: Extreme Lookalikes

Brain Junk ·

2022/12/06

Let's talk about people who look remarkably similar. For example: Bryan Cranston and Mr. Kerr (Don't tell Chas we're matching him up with Breaking Bad's Walter White again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

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8:48

239: Vampire Finches

Brain Junk ·

2022/11/29

In 1964 researchers discovered the sharp beaked ground finch aka the vampire finch. FOR REAL!!! These finches have adapted to long hot dry seasons by drinking blood. Take a look at these blood thirsty birbs on Galapagosislands.comNational Geographic vid of the Vampires in action! Not for the faint of heart!In case you wanted to give it a listen: Ologies Vampire episode with Dr. Jeff Holdeman This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

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8:03

238: Uranium Glass

Brain Junk ·

2022/11/22

Trace here: I've got one arm trapped under a grumpy old-man-cat named Jack. Jack does not care about science or glowing glass or the fact that my back is starting to cramp. Enjoy this trip down the fancy serving ware aisle and drop us a picture on Facebook if you own any of this really cool glass!image from pixabay.More resources to check

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10:20

237: Octopuses? Octopi? Octopedes?

Brain Junk ·

2022/11/15

Look grammar police, it's octopuses and we don't have to like it, BUT you are going to love learning that just like humans, octopuses do seem to have a preferred hand. Arm? Tentacle? OMG here we go again. Just listen to the episode, it's a hoot.The actual paper! Hold your phone in whatever hand you prefer while reading https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01402-6Just incase you need MORE of on octopus fix...Amy's husband Chris says it's amazing!Additional research:University

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9:11

236: Hangry

Brain Junk ·

2022/11/08

Grab a snack and listen to how sneaky research was done on hungry people. It's devious and a great example of how being hungry influences mood. Also Amy mentions Larks and Owls do a fun quiz on yourself to find out what kind of a person you are: Chronobiology QuizSome extra research⬇⬇⬇https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269629https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325694374_Feeling_Hangry_When_Hunger_Is_Conceptualized_as_Emotion This is a public episode. If you would

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349 results

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