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PODCAST

BrainStuff

Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

11:10

Why Is Siberia's Batagaika Crater Known as the...

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/24

The Batagaika crater (or, technically, megaslump) is a massive pit caused by thawing permafrost -- and it's only getting bigger. Learn what paleontologists have found there (and why geoscientists are worried about it) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/batagaika-crater.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/permafrost.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

8:18

BrainStuff Classics: How Would Authorities Handle a...

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/22

Investigating murders right here on planet Earth can be tricky -- how would it be handled in space? Who would even be in charge? Learn what current and future laws may apply in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/murdered-in-space.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

13:59

How Does Taste Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/21

Your sense of taste isn't just a chemical catalog of what's in a food or drink -- it's a complex physiological and psychological process. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about taste in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/perception/taste.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

15:38

How Did Weasels Get a Bad Rap?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/19

Weasels have a bad reputation among bird farmers and have been cast as literal villains in books and cartoons, but they can actually help control vermin populations -- and ferrets can make great pets. Learn more about various types of weasels (including why they dance) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/weasels.htm; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/otherpets/ferrets.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

15:09

How Did Napoleon I, the Emperor of the French, Rise...

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/17

In the midst of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rode his hubris straight into an emperorship, but he was fated to fail. Learn how he came to power twice, why Waterloo was his downfall, and why he actually wasn't that short in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/napoleon.htm; https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/battle-waterloo.htm; https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/napoleon-short.htmSee

en-US

7:12

BrainStuff Classics: How Did Alchemy Create Chemistry?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/15

Alchemists may have never turned lead into gold, but they did create the field of chemistry. Learn how the study of alchemy worked in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/alchemy-to-chemistry.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:36

How Did Sundown Towns Say the Quiet Part Out Loud?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/14

Sundown towns are places in the United States where, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, white communities kept Black Americans and other groups out for decades, on purpose. Learn how they came to be -- and how some sundown towns are in recovery -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/sundown-towns.htm. Check out Dr. James Loewen's database of sundown towns here:

en-US

12:03

Why Do We Yawn, and Why Is It Catching?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/12

Science isn't entirely sure why humans and other animals yawn, let alone why yawning can be contagious -- but we've got some good hypotheses. Learn about them, from cooling the brain to spreading alertness, in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question572.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/contagious-yawn.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

9:28

How Do Rip Currents Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/10

Rip currents are dangerous flows of water that can drag you away from the shore and out into the deep. Learn how they form, what to watch for, and how to escape one by swimming sideways or riding it out in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/rip-current.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

7:21

BrainStuff Classics: Can the Same Animal Evolve Twice?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/08

Remote islands are excellent laboratories for observing evolution at work -- and in the case of a flightless bird called the Aldabra rail, we can observe how its evolution happened twice. Learn about iterative evolution in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/iterative-evolution.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

10:42

Where Did Tomatoes Come From?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/07

The tomato originated in the Americas and spread during European colonization. But was it really thought to be poisonous (or cause lycanthropy) when it first came to Europe? Learn about the legends behind tomatoes -- and how we got the sturdy ones sold in stores -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/where-did-the-tomato-come-from.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

14:06

How Does Aspirin Know Where to Go in Your Body?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/05

OK, that's a trick question. Aspirin goes everywhere in your body -- and wherever it goes, it works by preventing processes that amp up pain signals, encourage inflammation, cause fever, and more. Learn about the history and workings of aspirin (aka acetylsalicylic acid) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

14:51

What Is the Deepest Hole in the World?

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/03

Alongside the Space Race, the mid-1900s saw another contest of engineering -- a race downward, into the Earth. Learn why the USSR created the Kola Superdeep Borehole (the deepest artificial or natural hole we know of), what we learned from it, and how this research continues in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/kola-superdeep-borehole.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

8:20

BrainStuff Classics: Is Canned Food Really Worse Than...

BrainStuff ·

2026/08/01

Canning foods preserves them, but the texture and nutritive value can suffer -- and what about the potential dangers of BPA and botulism? Learn what's true and what's myth when it comes to canned food in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/canned-food-bad.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

13:32

How Do Octopuses Work?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/31

These marine invertebrates can solve puzzles, use tools, and camouflage themselves by changing their very skin -- yet they live only three to five years, and die after mating. Learn more about octopuses in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus.htm/printable; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/why-is-octopus-blood-blue.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

11:41

How Do We Get Iron and Steel Out of Stone?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/29

Iron processing is a benchmark of civilization for good reason -- this metal makes a lot of technology possible. Learn about the history and science of refining iron and steel in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

13:34

Did a Journalist's Probe into JFK's Assassination...

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/27

In the mid-1900s, Dorothy Kilgallen was a famous journalist and popular media personality -- but her investigation into the deaths of President Kennedy and his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, may have gotten her killed, too. Learn about the alledged organized crime coverup Kilgallen was looking into in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/dorothy-kilgallen.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

9:26

BrainStuff Classics: Could the Great Depression...

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/25

There were many factors that led to the depth and length of the Great Depression, but some of these mistakes are being repeated today. Learn what historians and economists are saying we should watch out for in this classic-but-relevant episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/great-depression.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

6:29

How Many Arachnids Live in Your Eyelashes?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/24

Pretty much every human has thousands of microscopic mites living in the hair follicles on their face, feeding off of the dead skin cells and oils there. Learn why you probably shouldn't worry about Demodex mites in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/eye/are-there-really-arachnids-living-in-my-eyelashes.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

12:13

Are Induction Cooktops Better than Gas or Electric?

BrainStuff ·

2026/07/22

Instead of putting a pan on a source of heat (like a gas burner or electric element), an induction cooktop creates heat in the pan itself thanks to the principles of electromagnetism and resistance. Learn how it works -- plus the pros and cons of the technology -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/induction-cooktops.htm/printableSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

2,702 results

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