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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

17:35

295: Cat Allergies...achooo

Brain Junk ·

2023/12/26

Up until 2020, If you loved cats but your allergies didn't love them back, you had to live with runny eyes, hop yourself up on Benadryl, or live a sad cat free life. Now there's something that might reduce the amount of Fel d1 that cats produce! The less Fel d1 in your environment, the less severe your allergic response. Stay tuned at the end for Amy's recap of how Thanksgiving and Christmas went with her allergenic eldest kiddo!Show Notes:NIH National Library of Medicine, National Center for

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14:30

294: Wave Washing

Brain Junk ·

2023/12/19

Are you team killer whale or team crab eating seal? We're cheering for both... Watch the movies in the show notes if you dare. There's no blood and guts but the hunting style of the B1 pod is still a complete horror show. image: AlKalenski from pixabay, Antarctic seal and iceberg Show Notes:Lindblad Expedition with national Geographic movie More National GeographicResearch Gate diagrams of wave washingCBS 8 San Diego, killer whales attacking boats in SpainWe mentions sharks hunting seals in a very

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11:05

293: Sheep and Mummies

Brain Junk ·

2023/12/12

From Sugar the long lost Australian sheep to an unfortunate Bulgarian man who became mummified way faster than scientists would expect, Amy's bringing it with a fact double header! P.S. Sugar the sheep had 28 pounds of wool shorn off. That'd make a lot of sweaters!Show Notes:Brain Junk MerchSugar the Sheep article on UPI with a great link to an Instagram video of Sugar getting shearedLittleCreekMontana.com history of why sheep need to be shearedTrigger warning on this scholarly article on precocious

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16:01

292: Magnets

Brain Junk ·

2023/12/05

First off, we recorded on Zoom ( I KNOW it's ). Sorry about the sound quality. Trace is working on a new platform for us. But okay, magnets! You asked & we are here to demystify those wacky magnets you've got stuck all over your fridge. Show notes:US Energy Information Administration magnetism explanation with diagramsMagnets and repelling sharks!YouTube sharks vs magnets! Jenny Lawson and her experience with transcranial magnetic stimulationMore info on the science of magnets and your brain

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19:53

291: Critter-palooza

Brain Junk ·

2023/11/28

It's our last week of Thanksgiving break! Hope this finds you contentedly full from a good meal and hanging out with the people you adore. Trace pulled out all the stops with audio buffet of animal episodes. The bell bird, honeypot ants, and unexpected animal buddies. Also shout out to Hank the dog, he was a goofy guy and much loved by Amy and her family. RIP Hank, you'll be missed. 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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21:47

290: Brach's Turkey Corn

Brain Junk ·

2023/11/21

Brain Junk is still on break but whooo-boy we've got a trip down memory lane for y'all! Picture it, September 2020, Trace and Amy sitting a million socially distant miles apart while tasting the flavor sensation of the season--turkey flavored candy corn. We still have TFSD (turkey flavored stress disorder). 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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16:34

289: Amy Double Header

Brain Junk ·

2023/11/14

Brain Junk is taking Thanksgiving break! Trace has some writing projects she needs to get off the ground and Amy has a teenager at home(do we need to say more?) We've got some fun episode mashups coming the next three weeks. Don't worry, we'll be back with all new stuff in December! 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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9:07

288: Snail Mucus

Brain Junk ·

2023/11/07

We've got a vocab "argument" when it comes to the beauty industry. They say that super hydrating lotion has snail mucins. Scientists say mucins are in a protein family secreted by animals for a whole host of reasons. Come clean beauty industry! It's snail mucus. Show Notes:NIH National Library of Medicine: Super cool snail slime paperNPR scientist interviewSnail Facial with REAL SNAILS!Transcript:[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to Brain Junk. I'm Amy Barton.[00:00:05] Speaker B: And I'm Trace Kerr

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28:58

287: Halloween!

Brain Junk ·

2023/10/31

It's the 31st of October and we've got some tricks and treats for you! We've dug up a whole bag of weird facts from ghost month in China to brain worms to devil's chairs. Settle in with your pile of candy and unwrap this creepy episode with us.P.S. Trace's lovely sister-in-law, Kathleen made an Excel spreadsheet of all our episodes and it's coming soon to our website for you to dig through.Show Notes:Australian woman with a BRAIN WORMThe Nun studyExtra mouse teethPopular Mechanics article about

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17:12

286: Time Capsules!

Brain Junk ·

2023/10/24

Let's look into the past with time capsules! People have stashed important items in clay pots or the walls of buildings for centuries. It wasn't until 1939 that the phrase "time capsule" became popular as a way to explain the fascination we have with saving bits of ourselves for the future.image: US Army photo of 1905 Arlington national Cemetery time capsule being openedWe didn't hear him in background of the episode, but Leap says hello!Show Notes:Norwegian time capsule a bit of a let down:

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9:13

285: Where's the Bog?

Brain Junk ·

2023/10/17

In Wisconsin's Chippewa Flowage (what the heck is that? OMG it's amazing) there are floating islands of peat. Covered with trees and doing what they want. You've got to check out the videos in our show notes!P.S. Today is Amy Barton's birthday!!!!! DM her on our Instagram with Bday wishes!image: Yahoo newsShow Notes: YouTube: Discover Wisconsin Boats moving the floaty islands! YOU HAVE TO WATCH This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

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14:29

284: Don't Burp in Space

Brain Junk ·

2023/10/10

Back in 1984, Coca-Cola and Pepsi started a very short space race. In 1985, Cans and soda went on the STS 51-F shuttle flight. It was sticky and fizzy and burping was a DISASTER. Amy takes us on a Vomit Comet ride to the stars talking burps, tears, and all things gastrointestinal in low gravity.Show Notes:Check out our merch SHOP!Air and Space museum Coke can and Pepsi canMicrogavity? What the heck is that?No spices allowed in space!We mentioned Mary Roach and her science writing. Check out her

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12:49

283: Stinky Dinosaur Chicken

Brain Junk ·

2023/10/03

We've decided the Hoatzin is Brain Junk's new mascot! It's the weirdest, cow poop smelling, leaf-burping bird from the Andes. We adore them.image: Pixabay, Herbert BieserShow notes:Video of climbing baby Hoatzin: YoutubeCurrent Biology: Hoatzin quick guideEarth Planet Youtube 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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9:45

282: Dirigible Cat

Brain Junk ·

2023/09/26

It's October 1910 and the first attempt to cross the Atlantic in an airship is all ready to go. They've got a crew of six, a fancy new radio, and a...cat. We'll give you three guesses as to which of those things were NOT supposed to be on the airship. image: Library of CongressShow Notes:Smithsonian Nation Air and Space Museum go here for pictures of: Kiddo the catNeed some in-depth detail on the airship America, including diagrams and examples of how the crew slept? Check out this Airships.net

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8:34

281: The Big Steal

Brain Junk ·

2023/09/19

Back in 1881, two young towns in Eastern Washington wanted to be the county seat in newly created Spokane county. Spokane vs. Cheney had rich businessmen turning out to vote. What happened next is still hotly contested (depending which city's historical society you ask).Show notes:Historylink.org by Jim Kershner: Armed Cheney citizens forcibly remove the county seat from Spokane Falls to Cheney on March 21, 1881Spokane Historical by Drew Goodman: Fight for the Spokane County SeatWikipedia in-depth

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25:29

280: Kick 'em in the Shorts

Brain Junk ·

2023/09/12

We've plucked a bunch of random facts from the junk drawer! Tree rings, platypusary, and death by salt are just a few of the super cool facts curated for your ears!Care to share a little Brain junk with your friends? Check out our new merch! https://brain-junk-merch.printify.me/productsShow Notes:Funny thing, Trace used articles from C&EN news but some of those articles aren't available to the "general public". We've got links to other sources covering the information!Platypusary: Blend of

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11:31

279: Pigeon Pilots

Brain Junk ·

2023/09/05

A huge reason you have a touch screen on your smart phone is because of a pigeon and a bomb? Let's talk about WWII pigeon pilots!Show Notes:TikTok pigeon pilot footage NIST history report on pigeons and inventionWikipedia: Project Pigeon 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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14:41

278: Wipe Your Face!

Brain Junk ·

2023/08/29

Napkins! While recording this episode, we discovered that economic class influences what you use to wipe your face way more than we thought. You might use paper or cloth or maybe no napkin at all, but whatever you use, the history behind the napkin is fascinating. image: pixabayShow Notes:Atlas Obscura: A Brief History of Napkins, From Soft Dough to PaperWikipedia on napkinsCulinaria: The Origin of the ForkChih pha: The Chinese napkinWe talk about which is better environmentally, paper napkins or

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14:03

277: Oak Galls

Brain Junk ·

2023/08/22

An oak gall might look like an apple growing on the bottom of a leaf, but it's really a snug home for baby oak gall wasps. Turns out, a gall is more than just a baby-bug playpen. Oak galls have been used for thousands of years to make ink. And, these teeny wasps are part of the reason why Alfred Kinsey had the chops to create his Kinsey scale of human sexuality.image by: manfredrichter on pixabayimage below: The Ellesmere Chaucer, a beautifully decorated manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury

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15:11

276: Dad, Dad, AND Mom?

Brain Junk ·

2023/08/15

If you thought a person always has only one male parent and one female parent, well...you'd be wrong. Most of the time the two parent thing is the rule, but occasionally it is possible, mostly in a lab, to have a child with three genetic contributors. Show Notes: (It's a good thing this isn't on paper 'cause there are tons of notes this time)228: Why Don't We Lay Eggs? We talk about how viruses change who we are.LiveScience: What is the maximum number of biological parents an organism can

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