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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

5:10

135: Moon Junk

Brain Junk ·

2020/11/03

A word on sound quality: We’re still recording remotely. Just pretend Amy is on the moon, reporting from her own personal lunar module.Besides the lander modules left by each mission, there’s a lot of unexpected junk and treasures left behind by America’s six trips to the moon.Show Notes:Check out a hammer vs feather drop experiment done on the moon. Commander David Scott did the demo during the Apollo 15 moon walk. Experiment at 0:23. Family photo left on the moon by astronaut Charlie Duke. image:

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4:53

134: Glowing Squirrels

Brain Junk ·

2020/10/27

An accidental discovery by scientist Jonathan G. Martin lead to a surprise at his bird feeder. Turns out Flying Squirrels in the United States have a special trait. Under ultraviolet light they glow. Ultraviolet light makes flying squirrels turn PINK!image: Northland CollegeIf you want to know more about the particulars of ultraviolet light here's a link to a LiveScience.com article. 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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7:12

133: Bosch's Butt Music

Brain Junk ·

2020/10/20

Letting you know straight out the gate that the sound quality of this episode is...eh. We had some remote recording issues again--thanks Covid--but (get it? Butt Music and but? HA! Dad joke for the win). But, Amy had too much cool stuff to share not to air this episode on Hieronymus Bosch, his painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights, and Amelia Hamrick's discovery of sheet music on a naked butt.Show Notes:The Garden of Earthly Delight -Hieronymous BoschAmelia Hamrick -Image courtesy of the Edmond

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4:24

132: Grandma's Tomato

Brain Junk ·

2020/10/13

The tomato traveled a long strange road of misunderstanding and admiration all the way from the New World to the old and back again. Why did it become the iconic pin cushion shape we all remember and how in the heck did it sprout a little strawberry off the side? P.S. We had some recording issues--darn you COVID-19. The sound quality isn't amazing, but the show is classic Amy and Trace. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

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4:46

131: POW Poker Decks

Brain Junk ·

2020/10/06

During WWII, special super secret decks of playing cards were used to help American prisoners of war escape from Nazi camps.Show Notes:Check out the articles for some great pictures! No one knows for sure how many decks were produced, but the only two known surviving decks are in the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.. Plan your road trip and send us pictures!Reddit POW Poker DecksPOW Playing Cards Business Insiderwearethemighty.com POW Card Decks Image Courtesy of the Bicycle Playing Card

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21:46

130: Gross and Gory Extravaganza

Brain Junk ·

2020/09/29

Amy and Trace dug deep into their "this is too gross for a podcast" files and decided there was just too much quality disgustingness not to do it anyway!!!WARNING! We aren't kidding. This stuff is all about glowing mouse brains, stomach burrowing eels, maggots, and SO MUCH MORE. Listen if you dare.Show Notes:Live Science - Really Alarming Snake Eels Spiky, but ripping guys. Factinate - Hagfish The grossest. Pelicans yawning and debunking pelican spine memes.The Action Lab and explaining microwaving

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4:52

129: Bombardier Beetles

Brain Junk ·

2020/09/22

This hard to stop insect can shoot a caustic mix 212 degree chemicals out of it's abdomen at 500 times a second. Seriously! Trace shares some super cool facts about this little bug. image: Patrick Coin ( wikimedia)Great video of a variety of beetles using chemical warfare from BBC Earth!Science Magazine: Japanese toad vs. Bombardier BeetleHere's a cool view of what's happening INSIDE the Bombardier Beetle's abdomen from A team of researchers at MIT, The university of Arizona, and Brookhaven Labs.

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4:42

128: Get Off My Lawn!

Brain Junk ·

2020/09/15

How did we go from no green spaces in city neighborhoods to the perfectly manicured lawn that defines American suburbia? It all comes down to Frederick Law Olmsted and properties in a housing development in 1860's Illinois.Show Notes:The Duncan Gardens at Manito Park in our own beautiful Spokane-Designed by Frederick Law OlmstedNew York City and Charleston SC neighborhoods prior to Olmsted's lawn movement. This one is a listener request from my son Will, and my sister Ruth. This article has a cool

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4:52

127: Emergency Clams

Brain Junk ·

2020/09/08

No joke, the best and last line of defense to protect the drinking water for an entire city in Poland is eight clams. Let's chat about bivalve science!image from Fat Kathy 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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4:58

126: Marital Duels

Brain Junk ·

2020/09/01

During the 13th century, in the part of the world that would become Germany, husbands and wives could settle marital disagreements with an elaborate battle that used clubs and rocks. It was a drastic argument resolution of last resort. Amy explains all.Show Notes:In 1476 Hans Talhoffer wrote a manual on various kinds of combat. One of his chapters had illustrations with examples of men and women dueling. It is thought that his depictions of marital duels were common but by no means

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10:15

125: Animal Odd Fellows Double Header!!

Brain Junk ·

2020/08/25

Trace dug deep for this animal symbiosis extravaganza. Frogs and tarantulas, blind snakes and owls; it's so so good.Show Notes:Bonus content: an article with a sound recording of screech owls. Some info on blind snakes from the SmithsonianSkip in to :28 for the frog CLIMBING UNDER the tarantula. 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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7:05

124: Selling Time

Brain Junk ·

2020/08/18

In 1836, the Belville family began their business of selling time. It started with Ruth Belville's father and passed down to his daughter, Ruth. She sold time until 1939. Give it a listen, you know you want to learn more.Show Notes:Ruth Belville at the Greenwich clock.Visit the museum that has Ruth Belville's watch. 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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10:13

123: The Longest Name in the World. Maybe

Brain Junk ·

2020/08/11

There might be longer names, but Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr. probably comes the closest. Amy reads it all. Because there's more. SO MUCH MORE to his very long name. Show notes:Wikipedia Record for Longest Personal Name *Visit Wikipedia for a great picture of Hubert holding his birth certificate. Mental Floss Record for Longest Personal Name UsedThe longest name in it's full form Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.Creative Commons License His Name as it appeared on ID: Hubert

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5:01

122: Good George Dantzig!

Brain Junk ·

2020/08/04

In the movie Good Will Hunting, Will is a janitor at MIT--he solves some impossible math problems and shocks the professors. That origin story is taken straight from real life (sort of). George Dantzig was a brilliant mathematician who got his start when he was late to class one fateful day and solved some math problems nobody thought could be solved. 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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4:49

121: Isle of Discussion

Brain Junk ·

2020/07/28

In this time of COVID19 and staying at home (if you happen to be at home with more than just yourself) you might be finding family harmony is getting a little rough around the edges. Amy has the perfect solution for you, the Scottish tradition of the Isle of Discussion. The Isle of Discussion, or Eilean a' Chomhraidh can be seen on the left. Disputants were left on the island to settle their differences over whiskey and cheese. Show

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4:53

120: Play-Doh!

Brain Junk ·

2020/07/21

In 1930, the Kutol company came up with a putty to clean coal dust off of walls. Impending bankruptcy forced them to shift gears to find news ways of making a profit. A new company was formed and Play-Doh was born.Show Notes:Trace's Mom's Most Excellent Play dough recipe:2 cups flour1 cup salt2 cups water2 Tablespoons neutral oil3 teaspoons cream of tartara few drops of the food coloring of your choiceAdd everything to a saucepan and stir while cooking over medium low heat until it forms a ball

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4:59

119: Pete and Repeat

Brain Junk ·

2020/07/14

Margaret and Matilda Roumania Peters were sisters and tennis champions in the 1930s, long before Serena and Venus Williams. While still in high school, they were recruited by Tuskegee University's tennis coach, Cleve Abbott.The Peters sisters were accepted into the Tuskegee Hall of fame in 1977.Margaret and Matilda: Tennis doubles championsBlackpast.org Pete & Repeattheroot.com Before Venus and Serenathegeorgetowndish.com Honoring Pete & Repeat This is a public episode. If you would like to

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4:46

118: Trundling

Brain Junk ·

2020/07/07

It's one of those episodes where you think you know where your research is leading and then it takes a sharp right turn. Trace follows a trail from shoving boulders downhill to the 18th century sport of hoop rolling.P.S. Trace mentions in the beginning of the episode a video she'd seen on Instagram of guys rolling a giant boulder. That vid has since been removed. In many cases, trundling is illegal--people can cause immense damage to natural spaces and also put lives at risk. This episode is fun,

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4:40

117: Space Bubbles

Brain Junk ·

2020/06/30

The science of how bubbles work changes a bit when they go into space. Amy explains why.Show Notes: These show notes are super cool. Click all the links and watch all the videos. You'll go down a space bubbles worm hole into fluid dynamics and it's great! Wired.com Bubbles in space videoWatch an astronaut play with bubbles and antacid in space. Worth waiting through the commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLCeAD6Z6FIScience Focus: Can you blow a bubble in space?ISS Water In SpaceUSGS Water

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6:17

116: Heavy Metal Sharks

Brain Junk ·

2020/06/23

Welcome to a socially distanced Brain Junk Episode. Hopefully by the time this comes out, Amy and I are back to recording face to face. This was tapped at the end of April and we were each in our own houses recording remotely. Sorry about the less than super sound quality--I hope the content more than makes up for it. How could you not LOVE sharks that like heavy metal music?!?!Show Notes:Nature articleFrom the Independent UKDiscovery Channel Southeast Asia speakers in the water attracting sharks

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