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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

4:54

155: Gallon of PB&J

Brain Junk ·

2021/03/23

What if we burned calories the same way cars use gas for fuel? Amy fell down the comparison hole trying to figure out the “car calories” for humans in motion. Get your bicycles tuned up, make a gallon of bananas, and get ready to RIDE!Show notes: How Stuff Works-Questions-Gallon of Gas in Calories.Riding a bicycle at 15 miles per hour burns 0.049 calories per pound per minute. 175-pound person burns 515 calories in an hour-about 34 calories per mile.A gallon of gasoline contains about 31,000

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29:46

154: Blast from the Past!

Brain Junk ·

2021/03/16

It’s Spring Break over at Brain Junk! We’re taking the week off and bringing you one of our oldie but goodies: #21 Grab Bag. This super long episode (29 minutes!!!) originally aired in September of 2018 and has all sorts of strange and cool stuff. Really, all you need to know is “death farts” 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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4:26

153: Roman Drive-Throughs

Brain Junk ·

2021/03/09

Here we all thought the drive-thru window was something new and innovative. And it was…in Pompeii in 79AD. Back in the day the Romans and Greeks and probably other large civilizations had walk up restaurants that catered to busy citizens. We dive into the cool history of thermapolia and early fast food.(FYI thermapolia is plural and thermapolium is singular. Gotta love that Latin)An undated photo made shows the thermopolium in the Pompeii archeological park.—AP This is a public episode. If you would

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25:29

152: All the 2020 Outtakes

Brain Junk ·

2021/03/02

Warning: Content of a slightly more adult kind. We use a few swear words, talk about illuminated manuscript penis trees, and yes, we may have talked about undescended testicles.Friends, no lie, 2020 was A YEAR. We went from working in person to recording remotely. It was a huge learning curve changing how we work, but there was one shining star in the whole experience so far–I had so much footage to mine for content. Enjoy a longer listen of the the two of us being our weird and wacky selves

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5:57

151: G. A. Morgan and the Traffic Light

Brain Junk ·

2021/02/23

Traffic lights, a hair relaxant, gas masks, the zig-zag stitch on sewing machines…all of these important inventions have one thing in common, Garrett A. Morgan. Give this episode about a prominent Black innovator and inventor a listen! 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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5:01

150: The Amazing Shrew

Brain Junk ·

2021/02/16

Who knew a tiny animal could contain such a multitude of cool facts? For our 150th episode we dive into the life of the shrew. It’s a phenomenal creature with a 1500 heart beat per minute metabolism who is always up for a fight to the death. BUT WAIT…there’s so much more!Show Notes:The shrew (image by Rhae on Pixabay)Shrew Train! Thank you Richard Attenborough (we love you) Skip to 2:33 for the mama shrew and babies train.Shrews in action: Attacking a snake (1 minute mark) and epic shrew battle (2

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4:56

149: History of Bandanas

Brain Junk ·

2021/02/09

Originating in India, the western version of the red bandana began in 1800s England with the use of snuff. Over the years the pattern has changed slightly, but that red bandana has become ubiquitous.image: AnnaliseArt from PixabayEven goats like a little bandana fashion 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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4:57

148: Algae Farming Fish

Brain Junk ·

2021/02/02

We catch you up with an update on fluorescing animals and then jump right into new research on Longfin Damsel fish that use Mysid shrimp to farm algae. Stegastes nigricans, photo by Andrew GreenMysid shrimp image: Melev’s ReefCheck out more about this mutualistic relationship here: https://theconversation.com/we-found-algae-farming-fish-that-domesticate-tiny-shrimp-to-help-run-their-farms-151615 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

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4:45

147: Knitting Spies

Brain Junk ·

2021/01/26

In WWI and WWII women were super sneaky and ingenious using their yarn and knitting needles to covertly transport coded messages. That’s right, today we’re talking about steganography. 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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4:47

146: Snail Knights

Brain Junk ·

2021/01/19

Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor via British LibraryThere are over 70 examples of knights fighting snails in illuminated manuscripts from the 1300s. But why? First meme? A silly inside joke? A weird allegory? Listen to the episode and check out our link in the show notes. Or better yet, just Google Snail Knights!Show Notes:More Snail Knights from the British Library 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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4:13

145: Can't Find the Beat

Brain Junk ·

2021/01/12

When music comes on, can you clap along or do you struggle to find the beat? If you have a hard time keeping up with the rhythm, there’s a reason and it’s happening in your auditory cortex. Show Notes: PopSci: Why Some People are Bad at DancingScience Alert: Are You Beat Deaf?Primary auditory cortex and Auditory association areas.jpgImage courtesy Wikimedia Commons via the Creative Commons License. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

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4:43

144: The Tree that Owned Itself

Brain Junk ·

2021/01/05

Col. William H Jackson had a favorite tree. So, somewhere around 1832, Colonel Jackson gave the white oak tree to itself (and the city of Athens, GA played along). As of this broadcast, that tree’s offspring still grows on the same spot. We have so many questions.image by Felix Wong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode 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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4:53

143: Hogmanay

Brain Junk ·

2020/12/29

Help us lean into the New Year with the many Scottish traditions surrounding Hogmanay! There are wee drams of whiskey and balls of fire and cleaning out the house to get ready for the coming year. Raise a glass with us in the hopes of a better 2021.Show Notes:Hogmanay WikiVisit Scotland: HogmanayTrip Savvy: HogmanayComrie Flambeaux Awesome Stonehaven Fireballs!: Biggar BonfirePhoto Credit: Geograph UK, via the Creative Commons License.The Loony DookPhoto Credit: Geograph UK, via the Creative Commons

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21:21

142: Snack Taste Test

Brain Junk ·

2020/12/22

Happy almost New Year! Amy and Trace got together to socially distance snack. We try some dried mushrooms, chips, a surprise snack, and some candy. We had a fantastic time getting back together in person!All the snacks!Happy New Year!!! 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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4:45

141: Box Beds

Brain Junk ·

2020/12/15

Tired of cold feet and longs nights huddled under not quite warm enough blankets? Maybe you need a box bed. Originating in medieval times, making a bed walled in on all sides made for a cozy night’s sleep.And sorry again for Zoom remote sound quality. Thanks for being so understanding!Show Notes:The double-decker-box-bed below can be found on A Strange and Wonderful Collection along with many other awesome examples!Apartment Therapy-Box Bedsbellac.com – Box BedsImage credit: A Strange and Wonderful

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4:59

140: Beehive Fence

Brain Junk ·

2020/12/08

There are only approximately 400,000 elephants left in the world. Frustrated and saddened by this stark statistic, Dr. Lucy King set out to find a way to make elephants less of a threat to people and crops. Her ingenious solution does just that AND saves elephant's lives too. Show Notes:African anti-elephant beehive fence. image: Elephantsandbees.comDr. Lucy King Ted Talk 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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4:47

139: Mummy Passport

Brain Junk ·

2020/12/01

Ramesses II (Also known as Ramses or Rameses) became Pharaoh at the age of 14, had more children than any other Egyptian ruler, and reigned during the golden age of Egypt. But of course his history isn’t exactly what we’re talking about on this episode.Show Notes:NatGeo Mummy PassportNatGeo Weird PassportsRipleys: Mummy PassportAncient Origins Mummy PassportA mock up for the only mummy with a passport. Ramesses II ( Public Domain ) on an example of an Egyptian Passport Bio Page. ( Public Domain )

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21:18

138: Turkey Candy Corn

Brain Junk ·

2020/11/24

When we tried to start recording, the neighbors revved up their engines and insisted on mowing their lawns--so we had all the wacky background noise!For Thanksgiving we got together to taste test Brach's Turkey Dinner flavored candy corn. It was an outdoor, socially distanced adventure that we just had to share with you. It's like an episode of Chopped where they tried to make candy corn into a savory dish.image: from the Brach's websiteTrace's chickens and her husband, Chas, make a guest

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4:59

137: Fred vs The Mississippi

Brain Junk ·

2020/11/17

On July 6th, 1930 Fred Newton dipped a toe into the Mississippi river and explained to reporters that he planned to swim from Minneapolis to New Orleans. Along the way he encountered floating rafts of manure and other hazards. It wasn't an adventure for the faint of heart.Show Notes:Smithsonian Magazine - Fred Newton Swims the MississippiWashington Post-Swimming Down the Mississippi for Dear LifeFred NewtonImage Courtesy of Smithsonian MagazineMap courtesy Wikimedia Commons This is a public episode

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4:41

136: Sneaky Potato

Brain Junk ·

2020/11/10

In 1532 the Spanish found out what everyone in South America already knew--potatoes are amazing. But when they brought them back to Europe the reception wasn't so great. No one was impressed by a food harvested out of the dirt. When famine hit Prussia in 1774, King Frederick the Great had a plan to get his starving people to eat the dreaded potato.Check out his grave in Germany and leave a potato. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

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