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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

4:30

68: Seasonal Depression

Brain Junk ·

2019/07/16

Sending a little love to our listeners in the Southern Hemisphere. It might be summer here, but it's the middle of winter down south. Turn on some lights, friends, and get to feeling better. 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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4:54

67: King Henry VIII

Brain Junk ·

2019/07/09

When Henry the Eighth died, he left behind an estate totalling millions. And not entirely what you’d expect. Is it possible for a king to be bougie? Maybe yes. Episode Transcript: Welcome to Brain Junk. I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm about King Henry VIII.AB: First of all, I always enjoy having some sort of context for a historical figure. And when I was looking at this subject, it gave stats for how big King Henry VIII was. And so 23 year old King Henry VIII was 6’1″,

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5:14

66: Gynandromorphy

Brain Junk ·

2019/07/02

Big word for a genetic mutation where an animal is split with one side being entirely female and the other male. This can happen in some species of birds, crustaceans, snakes, and insects. Episode Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I'm Amy Barton and I'm Trace Kerr, and I want to share with you a Brain Storm about a gynandromorphy.AB: I'm not sure how to feel about this topic at all.TK: It's a huge word, isn't it? Don't be scared. It'll be okay. So I stumbled across this on Instagram with a picture

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3:24

65: Kidney Stone Roller Coaster

Brain Junk ·

2019/06/25

Medical science on the fly. Turns out you only need to pull a few G's to loosen that stubborn kidney stone. Episode Transcript: Welcome to Brain Junk. I'm Trace Kerr, and I'm Amy Barton, and this is a brainstorm. AB: Are you a roller coaster fan Trace? TK: Nope. AB: Oh, me either. So this is never going to help us. TK: I like roller coasters from the ground at a distance where I can hear the people scream and that's about it. AB: Yeah, I am the backpack holder on that voyage. Yep. It's my favorite

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17:33

64: Wedding Traditions

Brain Junk ·

2019/06/18

In this longer, old school Brain Junk episode, we go around the world from Thailand to Germany and a few countries in between. We explore a huge variety of cool traditions used to celebrate a couple’s love. 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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4:30

63: Ancient Round Worms

Brain Junk ·

2019/06/11

Dug out of the Siberian permafrost completely by chance, two female round worms appear to revive after 41,000 years. Episode Transcript: Welcome to Brain Junk! I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm about round worms.AB: Because we talked about flat worms recently, now we’re going to talk about round worms. Trace is excited-I can tell already. These are Siberian round worms-does that make you more excited about it? TK: They sound exotic. I’m imagining them drinking vodka and

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3:24

62: Troxler Effect

Brain Junk ·

2019/06/04

In 1804 Dr. Troxler discovered he could make pastel dots disappear if he stared at them. Blink, and they would reappear. Trace puts Amy to the test…will she experience the Troxler Effect? Episode Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton, and I’m Trace Kerr, and it’s time for a Brain Storm. TK: Alright, so in order to do this, here’s what I need you to do. I need you to look at the little black dot in the middle of the screen and kind of unfocus your eyes. And while you’re doing that, I’m

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3:09

61: Science Ferrets

Brain Junk ·

2019/05/28

Need to string some wire through your house or clean a particle accelerator? You might need a science ferret. Episode Transcript: Welcome to Brain Junk! I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm.AB:Today I would like to talk about the very special subject of Science Ferrets. In 1999, the BBC UK published an article about a concert in London. There was a big to-do, and they were gonna have also sorts of bands, big venue. But not a normal venue, so they’re stringing wires, because

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6:40

60: You Swallowed What?

Brain Junk ·

2019/05/21

It’s our one year podcast-aversary! We thank you for your love with an episode on accidental swallowings and some…not so accidental. Trace also remembers the time when she had an ice cube stuck in her throat. You Swallowed What? Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton, and I’m Trace Kerr, and it’s time for a Brain Storm. TK: I’m going to tell you about a man in China. He swallowed a spoon on a dare in 2017 and it got stuck in his throat.AB: Really. For real? TK: Yup. Got stuck in his

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4:47

59: Flatworms

Brain Junk ·

2019/05/14

Can Flatworms remember how to find food after re-growing their heads? Science rolled up its sleeves and found out. Flatworms Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm. AB: This is a Brain Storm about the beheading of flatworms. I’m just going to lead with that and tell you right away where this is going.TK: Oh no!AB: I know. The good news is flatworms are among the types of worms, I’m not sure if it’s all worms that can grow their heads back, or

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3:51

58: Cuteness Aggression

Brain Junk ·

2019/05/07

Why do we want to crush-hug cute things like babies and young animals? It may have something to do with adorableness overload and how our brains compensate to get things done. Cuteness Aggression Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton, and I’m Trace Kerr, and this is a Brain Storm. TK: Amy, have you ever been around a cute puppy, or a baby and you find yourself wanting to chew on their feet or pinch their cheeks really hard? AB: You really squeeze them! Hug them so tight!TK: You really

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4:32

57: Stagecoach Mary

Brain Junk ·

2019/04/30

Born in 1832, Mary Fields was the first African-American female Star Route mail carrier in the United States. Wearing two guns that she sometimes belted over men’s clothing, Stagecoach Mary had no time for mail thieves in 1890s Montana. Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm.Stagecoach Mary Transcript:AB: I am going to tell you about Stagecoach Mary, it’s a wonderful story and for me it’s the message of “try a thing. You never know what will happen

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13:13

56: Not Your Mom’s Mythology

Brain Junk ·

2019/04/23

Amaryllis and her bleeding heart, the origin of the Milky Way, Maori style, Thor and Loki crash a wedding and hippo poop. They didn’t teach these myths in school. 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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5:16

55: Super Recognizers

Brain Junk ·

2019/04/16

Two percent of the population has the almost uncanny ability to recognize and remember faces from chance meetings even years before. We talk about how and why AND tell you about a test you can take to see where you fit on the spectrum.Here’s the link for the test!!!!Super Recognizers Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton and I’m Trace Kerr, and it’s time for a Brain Storm.TK: So I heard this NPR story about a Scotland Yard Super Recognizer.AB: I like that idea. TK: They are used to

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3:59

54: Exploding Ants

Brain Junk ·

2019/04/09

Meet C. explodens; where worker ants rupture their own abdomens–filled with toxic goo–to protect the colony from predators. Exploding Ants Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton and this is a Brain Storm. And this Brain Storm was actually inspired by the delightful Lani Caraway, who sent us a wonderful post. And this is a bit of a divergence from that, but Lani, you did inspire this. So it’s about exploding ants. TK: Oh god!AB: So great! All of my subjects are SO

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3:43

53: Barbed Wire Phones

Brain Junk ·

2019/04/02

One more example of how farmers MacGyver everything. No phone lines? Use the fence. Barbed Wire Phones:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton. And I’m Trace Kerr, and it’s time for a Brain Storm. This was a subject that in the middle of the night practically, my daughter says “You’ve got to check this out!” and so here we are.AB: Alright.TK: So in 1874, we have the invention of barbed wire, and people start using to do fencing all around their farms, you know, to keep their animals in, and in 1876,

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4:36

52: Long Lives of Lobsters

Brain Junk ·

2019/03/26

The internet claims lobsters are immortal. Amy pulls a Dana Scully and debunks the heck out of that idea. Long Lives of Lobsters Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Trace Kerr. And I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm! I have good news, and bad news: Lobsters are not immortal. TK: Oh.AB: I didn’t realize, until recently, that was a hypothesized thing, they do not live forever.TK: OK. (laughs)AB: So backtracking to why there was this thought. Apparently all growing living things have what

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2:41

51: Jump out of an airplane with only a backpack?!?!

Brain Junk ·

2019/03/19

We explore a study that explains how sometimes, if you look at the data in just the right way, backpacks are as safe as parachutes. Jump out of an airplane transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton. And I’m Trace Kerr, and it’s time for a Brain Storm. TK: Amy, what if I told you there was a medical study that proves that parachutes don’t save people that fall out of airplanes.AB: I would be skeptical and delighted that someone did that research.TK: Right? So cardiologist Robert Ye, an

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4:09

50: Medical Insurance Codes

Brain Junk ·

2019/03/12

Not the big yawn that you’d think. These 100,000 or so codes are used to determine your bill. Some of those codes are hilarious. Bit by cow and struck by orca, just to name a few. Medical Insurance Codes Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk! I’m Trace Kerr, and I’m Amy Barton, and this is a Brain Storm. AB: About insurance codes. TK: >Snores<AB: I know! You guys are all so excited! Please, pause the show if you’re going to go to the bathroom, don’t let it run, because I have good things to share

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3:30

49: Saturn’s Rings

Brain Junk ·

2019/03/05

The rings of icy dust around Saturn are so much younger than the planet. Where did they come from and why are they going away? Saturn’s Rings Transcript:Welcome to Brain Junk, I’m Amy Barton, and I’m Trace Kerr and it’s time for a Brain Storm.TK: So Amy, Saturn’s got lots of rings around it, we’ve seen that. AB: Yes!TK: Well, scientists have wondered if Saturn was ‘born’ with it’s rings. Like if it all came together and those rings were there, and it turns out that’s not the case. AB: Really. TK:

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