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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

7:17

114: Upside Down Jellyfish

Brain Junk ·

2020/06/09

This episode was a struggle-and-a-half to get into the world. It was one of the first we recorded remotely because of COVID19 and I (Trace. Me, I did it!) lost the first TWO versions we did due to technical glitches. I'm so happy to bring you Amy's episode about the wonders of the Upside Down Jellyfish! It's a story of mutualism, stinging globs, algae, and the divers who finally studied them. Images courtesy Wikimedia Commons-https://www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/PopSci Upside Down

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4:05

106: Civil War Candy

Brain Junk ·

2020/04/14

Necco Wafers and Jelly Beans were candies that citizens were urged to “send to the troops” during the Civil War. Easy to transport and not likely to melt or spoil, they were a sweet treat that reminded the Union soldiers of home.An old NYT advertisementJelly Belly factory (Fairfield, CA.)Check out Claire Saffitiz from Bon Appetite as she attempts gourmet jelly beans from scratch.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPYhem4GRGY This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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3:28

105: Prohibition Cow Shoes and Hollow Canes

Brain Junk ·

2020/04/07

From 1920 to 1933, the United States had a ban against the sale and import of alcohol. Almost immediately the whole nation began to find innovative ways to smuggle booze past the law.Image Courtest Wikimedia Commons: Creative CommonsSHOW NOTES:https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65110/footwear-helped-moonshiners-evade-policeA 1922 article from a Florida newspaper called The Evening Independent ran a piece on the development:https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/13/bootleggers/ This is a public

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5:50

104: Champion of Change

Brain Junk ·

2020/03/31

Amy’s dug to the bottom of her pockets to find us a linty handful of random coin fact gems. Did you know there was a white cent or that coins are pickled before they get printed?Let’s see if I have any change in my wallet. Wait! Is that an orange Tic-Tac in the bottom of my bag? I call dibs! SHOW

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8:19

103.5: QUICKSAND!

Brain Junk ·

2020/03/24

If you grew up in the 80s and early 90s, you were certain that someday you’d fall into a pit of quicksand. It was everywhere. In cartoons, in tv shows, in our favorite movies. Turns out, quicksand isn’t quite as ubiquitous as we thought. Show Notes:Nature.com-QuicksandBBC-Dry Quicksand Creative Commons License 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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4:37

103: Mysterious Duck Feet

Brain Junk ·

2020/03/17

It’s freezing but that flock of ducks is standing barefoot on an icy pond. Why don’t they have frostbite? Turns out, ducks (any many other birds) have something in their legs humans don’t, rete mirabile. Brrrrr! image: Capri23auto (pixabay.com)Rete mirabile at work, warming blood coming in from the feet and cooling blood going out into those webbed toes. A perfect internal heat exchanger for standing on the ice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or

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13:08

102: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Brain Junk ·

2020/03/10

I’ve heard so many of these from my Dad around the kitchen table, we should call these “dad-isms” instead of aphorisms. Those pithy phrases that are so true, they’re almost a cliche. Trace and Amy explore a few of their favorites.Show Notes:The largest list of eponymous laws Trace has ever seen! Thank you Wikipediar/aphorisms (be wary: it’s reddit–there are words that are not pg-13)Please don’t use this on Brain Junk! Wadsworth Constant: the first 30% of any video can be skipped be cause it contains

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3:36

101: Jimmy Legs

Brain Junk ·

2020/03/03

The term Jimmy Legs describes both a syndrome and the restless leg bumping up and down that some of us do when nervous or full of energy. Let’s find out where the name comes from!SHOW NOTES:Seinfeld The Jimmy Leg“She’s throwing off my whole sleep,” Kramer, SeinfeldCDNC Jimmy Leghttps://www.stripes.com/news/new-names-same-navy-1.90423 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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53:35

FACTPALOOZA! Its Our 100th Episode!!!!!

Brain Junk ·

2020/02/25

Welcome to our gigantic, fact filled 100th episode!!!! Thank you, Brain Junkies, we couldn’t have done it without you! We’ve gathered together ther weirdest & wackiest bunch of 100 facts from pop culture, history, animals and science to pack your brain.Show Notes:Ikea’s Game of Thrones CapeAcrobatic Pizza Toss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQZl9e8PbISquirrel Tracker!Find those landmines. Rats hard at work saving lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbiljkkJ4NI Cats landing on their feet

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4:14

99: Drunk on Pizza

Brain Junk ·

2020/02/18

What happens when you cross a intestinal invading fungus or bacteria with carbohydrates? You get very very drunk. Trace explores the weird world of Auto-brewery syndrome. 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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3:13

98: Tenterhooks

Brain Junk ·

2020/02/11

If you’re thinking, wait, I thought it was tenderhooks, you’re not alone. Amy explains this early 18th century idiom that describes having a sense of anxious anticipation.Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hooked nails in a device called a tenter. Tenters were wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woolen

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4:26

97: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

Brain Junk ·

2020/02/04

On Feb 3rd, 1945, The all women of color, Six-Triple-Eight, was sent overseas to clear a two year backlog of mail. They were told it would take six months to a year to get every letter and package sorted and delivered. The Six-Triple-Eight did the entire job in three months. We salute you, women of the 6888th. This episode is a small part of their story.SHOW NOTES: Link to a great film footage of the 6888th. https://www.womenofthe6888th.org/image: Wikimedia

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11:10

96: Donuts

Brain Junk ·

2020/01/28

Call them, donuts, or doughnuts, or olykoeks, or pete de souer, they are deep fried doughy goodness and we’re taking an entire episode to sing their praises and sling some facts about donuts. Probably not the best choice for the month of January, but you’ve tossed all your resolutions to the side by now, so have a crispy fried, cinnamon sugar dusted ring of yumminess, and have a listen.Voodoo Doughnut Courtesy Wikimedia Commonshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcodeShow

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5:00

95: Rat Operated Vehicle

Brain Junk ·

2020/01/21

Can living in a more enriching environment increase your ability to learn and make you more relaxed? Dr. Kelly Lambert set out to answer this question with rats, tiny cars, and a handful of Froot Loops.SHOW NOTES: 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

94: Hand Stitched Computers

Brain Junk ·

2020/01/14

During the 1960s when we were racing to the moon, computing tech made a huge leap. Computers had to be small to fit in the Apollo capsules and it was seamstresses who sewed the super precise hardware together with copper wire.SHOW NOTES:NASA / Wiki Commons 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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4:38

93: Farting Herring

Brain Junk ·

2020/01/07

Happy New Year! Welcome to our funniest episode yet. Scientists avert international tension between Sweden and Russia, learn something we didn’t know about herring, and win an Ig Nobel. GO SCIENCE! Show Notes:The Guardian-Farting HerringHuff Post Fish Fart to CommunicateSchool of HerringImage courtesy Public Domain Pictures Creative Commons License 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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14:29

92: Behind the Curtain

Brain Junk ·

2019/12/31

It’s the LAST episode of 2019! Brain Junk has grown so much over the past twelve months & we are so grateful to have you all along for the ride. We’re winding up the year with a huge outtakes special with all the stuff that usually hits the cutting room floor. This style of episode takes THE LONGEST to edit, so don’t expect another one until the end of 2020. (it’s gonna be a busy year!) Happy New Year to all of you, our dearest Brain Junkies. This is a public episode. If you would like to

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18:26

91: Winter Traditions

Brain Junk ·

2019/12/24

Whether you celebrate your winter solstice on Dec 21st in the northern hemisphere or June 21st in the southern, cultures around the world love to gather together to celebrate the return of the sun in wacky and unusual ways.In today’s episode, we’ve got tons to talk about. In Japan, people eat fancy KFC on Christmas (winter solstice’s holiday cousin), in Antartica, you might do a polar plunge at McMurdo Station, and there’s more…Curl up under a blanket (or slap on some flip flops and hit the beach,

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6:15

90: Full Moon Killers

Brain Junk ·

2019/12/17

Barn owls come in three colors, a tawny brown, a mix of brown a white, and all white. It didn’t make sense to researchers how a white owl could be a successful nighttime hunter…but they are.image: Karen Arnold, PixabayIf you need to learn more! https://phys.org/news/2019-09-barn-owls-moonlight-stun-prey.html 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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9:27

89: Jiu Jitsu Suffragettes

Brain Junk ·

2019/12/10

That’s right. Way back in the early 1900s, when women were protesting for the right to vote, there was a four-foot eleven-inch woman teaching the Suffragettes how to defend themselves. Make way for Edith Margaret Garrud. Image Courtesy Mary Evans Picture Library via the BBC Image Courtesy Islington Local History Center via BBC. Show Notes: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34425615https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmeline_Pankhursthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu Welcome to Brain Junk. I’m Trace

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