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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

17:45

198: Bag of Facts

Brain Junk ·

2022/01/25

We’re diving into a long episode chock-a-block full of weird facts. Get ready for German phrases, the history of bullion, hot dogs, neurons, and more (and OF COURSE a little Chuck Norris!)image: journal with the literal bug in the system. National GeographicAmy’s Miscellany:German Wordshttps://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/weird-german-words-vocabulary/Morgenmuffle-not a good morning personFernweh (Distance pain)Kummerspeck (Grief bacon)Innerer Schweinehund (Inner pig dog)Fremdschämen (Exterior

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11:34

194: Iris Sphincters

Brain Junk ·

2022/01/18

You might think you’re special because you can flex your nostrils or flap your ears–but it turns out that there is a person out there who can voluntarily move their pupillary sphincters. What the heck are those? Listen to this one, it’s worth it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW2iwEshWMEWant to know more? Check out the scientific paper!Amy’s Links: https://www.livescience.com/man-can-control-pupil-dilation.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167876021008448?via%3Dihub This is

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9:30

193: Navy Seals

Brain Junk ·

2022/01/11

The US military uses more than boats to protect our Naval bases. This episode brings a whole new meaning to “Navy seals”.Check out this AP archive video — it’s remarkable!More cool resources! Marine Mammal Program 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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6:29

192: Potholes

Brain Junk ·

2022/01/04

Welcome to 2022!! Over the next few episodes we’re changing things up a bit. Let us know what you think! Email us at Brainjunkpodcast@gmail.com or drop us a message on our InstagramThis week we dive into the origin of the word pothole. It’s funnier than you might think.P.S. Trace does mention the word penis one time…but it’s not explicit. We promise.Photo from the Pothole Gardener This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,

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5:33

191: Brain Junk Winter Break

Brain Junk ·

2021/11/30

We don’t know about y’all, but 2020 and 2021 have been a whole thing. Right?! So Trace and Amy are taking the month of December to recharge their love of facts and weirdness. We’ll be back on Jan 4, 2022 with new episodes! Until then, this episode has some fun facts about winter.Also, here’s where you can find us until we’re back! Click on the buttons to visit our socials 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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5:02

190: Beard Power

Brain Junk ·

2021/11/23

Those of you with a thick beard, that hair does more than make you look suave or rugged. Turns out, a beard might be protecting your face. There’s even an Ig Nobel winning study to prove it.Feeling super scientific? Read the study: Impact Protection Potential of Mammalian Hair: Testing the Pugilism Hypothesis for the Evolution of Human Facial Hair 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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4:12

189: Disco Clams

Brain Junk ·

2021/11/16

Brain Junk 189: Disco Clams Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30

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5:27

188: Trash Parrots

Brain Junk ·

2021/11/09

Forget raccoons digging into your trash cans, Australia has giant parrots snacking out of trash bins. Some family groups of Sulfur-crested cockatoos are teaching each other how to hack people’s trash. “bin chickens” from CNN.comSee one of these wily birds in action! 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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4:32

187: Animal Buddy Cops

Brain Junk ·

2021/11/02

In an unexpected turn of events, two predators with very different hunting styles work cooperatively. During the summer months, badgers and coyotes will sometimes team up during the summer months to find and catch more food than they could by themselves.image: US Fish and Wildlife Service 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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4:51

186: Sudden Genius

Brain Junk ·

2021/10/26

Imagine waking up from a nap to discover that you can compose music in your head. What a shock that would be! There are people who are born with savant type art or mathematics abilities, but there is also the amazing possibility that someone’s brain might suddenly unlock an out-of-the-blue talent. Scientist have theories as to what causes Sudden Savant Syndrome, but no one is exactly sure what is happening inside the brain of a person who can do something remarkable almost overnight. This is a

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5:00

185: Crash at Crush

Brain Junk ·

2021/10/19

In September of 1896, the town of Crush was created for the sole purpose of crashing two steam trains together. Things did not go according to plan.Image: Baylor Collections 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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4:20

184: Dog Days of Summer

Brain Junk ·

2021/10/12

It’s fall now, but we recorded this episode during the dog days of August. The sky wore a blanket of wildfire smoke and daytime lows were in the mid 90s. All that heat got Amy thinking about the reason why we call these hot days, dog days. We love a good phrase origin story.Sirius, also called Alpha Canis Majoris or the Dog Star, brightest star in the night sky, with apparent visual magnitude −1.46. It is a binary star in the constellation Canis Major. The bright component of the binary is a

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4:56

183: Telling the Bees

Brain Junk ·

2021/10/05

The last episode with wonky sound. We got all the bugs out. (get it…bugs. cause its an episode about bees. *nudges in dad joke*Many cultures have long believed the humble honeybee was more than just a honey-making factory. It was thought those little bees might also be messengers to the Gods. The bee’s important position in society as providers of food and medicine made them more than mere livestock. It became tradition to tell them when important life events occurred.US poet John Greenleaf Whittier

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4:34

182: Squids In Space

Brain Junk ·

2021/09/28

We had four episodes where the sound quality was…odd (and this was one of them). Pretend you’re listening to a NASA broadcast and that we’re coming to you live from the International Space Station.On June 3, 2021 an intrepid group of baby bobtail squid hopped a ride on SpaceX and became tiny squid-stronauts! These bioluminescent critters glow blue with the help of a special bacteria. They aren’t born with this bacteria so once in space, ISS researchers will introduce them to bioluminescent bacteria

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4:53

181: Goo From the Sky

Brain Junk ·

2021/09/21

Apologies–we had sound quality issues. We did not record from the bottom of a metal trash can while hiding from mystery blobs falling from the sky; we promise.In a place that gets rain up to 275 days a year, Oakville, WA. knows their precipitation. But on this day in 1994, Instead of the other 275 days a year that water falls from the sky, a torrent of jelly like blobs fell. No one knows for sure what they were.Mystery blobs image: BBC This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with

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4:55

180: Dr. Mae Carol Jemison

Brain Junk ·

2021/09/14

On September 12, 1992, Dr. Mae Carol Jemison became the first Black female astronaut. She’s an engineer, a scientist, a physician, and an educator. We figure she can do anything she sets her mind to. Check out her Instagram! @therealmaejemisonimage: NASAHer book: Find Where the Wind GoesDr. Jemison on Star Trek! 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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6:52

179: Spontaneous Combustion

Brain Junk ·

2021/09/07

This episode is marked explicit because we go into details that might lead to a person catching on fire. It’s interesting science and we don’t get graphic, but it might be too much for a younger listener. If you are interested in the science of all things pyrophoric and don’t want the spontaneous human combustion content, listen until the 3:25 second mark.Warning label for pyrophoric materials. Don’t cut off a truck with this on the side.Image: Sodium metal in oil. Check out the Department of Energy

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10:29

178: Manatee Farts (and a whole lot more)

Brain Junk ·

2021/08/31

You know what happens when Amy and Trace are finally back in the same recording studio? We talk about farts. Our inner twelve-year-old selves love all things gross and we had the best time laughing about animals that pass gas and those that don’t. The very beginning of this podcast started out three years ago with the two of us giggling about whale farts–this episode is classic Brain Junk!Manateesimage by @AHEARN zoodrawscomicShow Notes:This episode is brought to you by my brother-in-law, Ryan

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4:41

177: Knocker Uppers

Brain Junk ·

2021/08/24

Stop snickering Americans, it’s not what you think. Starting with the industrial revolution in the UK, people were employed as human alarm clocks, waking people up for their shifts at work. It was a job that was particularly popular with women and elderly men as a way to make extra pocket money and help to support their families.Mary Anne Smith with her pea shooterA helpful fellow “knocking people up” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

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4:54

176: Math Pain

Brain Junk ·

2021/08/17

If you’re like Trace, the thought of math makes you want to run and hide; that anxiety, that tightness in your chest, the weird shooting pains (wait, is that just Trace?!). You’ll be relieved to know that those pains aren’t a figment of your freaked out imagination! We’ve got the science to prove it.Show Notes: Math, or anxiety about math, really can cause physical pain!Wireless.com: Painful MathPlos One: When Math Hurts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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