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PODCAST

BrainStuff

Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

13:34

How Did Mastodons Defend the Legitimacy of America?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/20

In the 1700s, fossil finds along the Ohio and Hudson Rivers indicated that North America was home to mysterious beasts. Learn how mastodon bones proved both that extinction is real and that America isn't full of degenerates in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/mastodon-boneyard-that-stole-thomas-jeffersons-heart.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

7:25

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Some People Eat Dirt?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/18

The craving for and practice of eating earth is more widespread than you might think. Learn why researchers think people engage in this form of pica (i.e., geophagy) in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/why-do-people-eat-dirt.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

9:54

What Advice About Lightning Is Wrong?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/17

A lot of sayings and ideas about how to avoid getting struck by lightning are misguided. Learn how to stay storm safe in a building, a vehicle, or outside in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/do-rubber-tires-insulate-car-from-lightning.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/10-lightning-myths.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

12:41

How Did Wild Bill Hickok Become America's First...

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/15

In the mid-1800s, the archetype of the gentleman gunslinger emerged through tall tales of real people like James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok. Learn how Wild Bill became a legend in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/wild-bill-hickok.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

14:06

What Colors Are Impossible?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/13

All colors only really exist in the mind of the beholder -- and there are colors that we can't perceive, or can only perceive under particular circumstances. Learn about impossible colors and how to see them in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/impossible-colors.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

6:31

BrainStuff Classics: What's the Controversy Behind...

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/11

No, it's not the lyrics -- the author of this nursery rhyme is what's in question. Learn why (and how Henry Ford was involved) in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/controversy-behind-mary-had-little-lamb.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

10:52

What Was the World's Largest Nuclear Weapon?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/10

In 1961, the USSR set off a 57-megaton atomic bomb, nicknamed the Tsar Bomba. It's still by far the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built. Learn how its test changed history in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/tsar-bomba.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

9:24

How Do Red-Tailed Hawks Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/08

This large, loud hawk is probably North America's most common because it's so adaptable. Learn more about red-tailed hawks in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/red-tailed-hawk.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:37

How Does Ketchup Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/06

This all-American condiment got its start as a fermented fish sauce and featured in the formation of the Food and Drug Administration. Learn about the history of tomato ketchup -- and why it's so hard to get out of bottles -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/ketchup.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

6:59

BrainStuff Classics: How Can You Help a Friend with...

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/04

We all know we're supposed to reach out to friends and family experiencing depression, but it's an intimidating prospect. Learn how to get a conversation started in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/depression/questions/help-friend-with-depression.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:46

How Does the Myth of the Minotaur Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/03

The Minotaur -- a monstrous half man, half bull -- has raged through stories for millennia. But where did he and his labyrinth come from? Learn the ancient history and modern psychology behind both in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/minotaur.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

9:37

How Do Manatees Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/01

Manatees swim the calm waterways of tropical Atlantic coastlines with no worries of natural predators. Learn why humans are their only real danger -- and how we can help -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees.htm; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees-see-underwater.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:55

Why Do We Put Diamonds on Engagement Rings?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/29

The tradition of putting diamonds on engagement rings is less than a century old, but some 80% of engagement rings in the U.S. now bear them. Learn how a cartel and an ad campaign created such a pervasive demand for diamonds in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://money.howstuffworks.com/true-story-blood-diamonds.htm and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IceJ-gUm-gQ. To learn more about the De Beers cartel, check out the episode of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

en-US

16:58

How Did the Stonewall Riots Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/27

The police raid and ensuing riots at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969 became a turning point in queer civil rights because of the larger movement that coalesced around it. Learn about its place in LGBTQIA history in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/stonewall-riots.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

8:28

How Did the Smallest Primates Get Such Big Eyes?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/26

Tarsiers are our palm-sized primate cousins that evolved in the forests of Southeast Asia to have long limbs and huge, round eyes. Learn how we've learned about them in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/tarsier.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

8:38

What Would Happen If You Swallowed a Leech?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/24

This isn't just the least-fun thought experiment, it's a medical malady common enough to have its own name. Learn how internal hirudiniasis works (and why you don't need to panic if if happens to you) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/swallow-leech.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

10:28

How Can Rhubarb Grow in the Dark?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/19

We know rhubarb as a tart fruit that looks like pink celery, but it also has a bulbous underground storage unit that was used medicinally for millennia -- and lets it grow in complete darkness. Learn about the pie plant (and how rhizomes work) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/rhubarb.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

8:42

How Does the Blue-Footed Booby Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/17

This marine bird carries the color of the ocean in its webbed feet, was named after an insult, and uses its excrement in creative ways. Learn about the blue-footed booby in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/blue-footed-booby.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

7:27

Who Was Helen of Troy?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/15

Helen is a figure from Greek myth -- a daughter of Zeus with a mortal woman, and said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. Learn more about her (and how she perhaps inadvertently started the Trojan War) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/helen-of-troy.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:43

How Does Your Heart Get Blood?

BrainStuff ·

2026/06/12

Your heart needs blood as much as any other muscle in your body, and it receives it the same way -- just a little earlier than anyone else. Learn how the coronary arteries work (and what can go wrong when they don't) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/circulatory/heart-pump-blood.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

2,702 results

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