Brain Junk

Way back in August of 2018, Phobia was our 16th episode. We were in person (thanks COVID 19) and still working out how to actually do this podcast thing. We thought it would be fun to dust off one of our oldies and give it a listen.

Your extreme and irrational fear of spiders or public speaking or of heights is called a phobia. It doesn’t make sense, often can’t be rationalized, and woe betide the fool who tells you to just take a deep breath and relax. Your amygdala believes there’s a danger and you’re fight-or-flighting before you even know it.

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

There’s a strange connection between King penguins, one of their favorite islands, and Nitrous Oxide gas.

Penguin image by Sybille H. on Pixabay. Map by Google Maps

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

Our best topics come from late night dinner table conversations with our kids. Amy attempts to answer the question: Are there herds of hamsters roaming the wilds? The answer might surprise you.

image: Pixabay

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

Imagine if you could block out loud noises at a party by taking a really deep breath. That’s how the female American Green Tree Frog manages to filter out interesting male love songs from among all other competing singers.

image: Joe Myers ( Reptile Magazine )

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

Can a cuttlefish master a test that very young children often struggle to pass? Instead of using marshmallows like we do with people, scientists used tasty shrimp to test if cuttlefish know how to delay gratification.

Image: Cuttlefish by Naveen Manohar (pixabay)

Terribly Lazy Show Notes
-by Amy Barton
Science Alert Cuttlefish Cognitive Test
Royal Society Publishing Cuttlefish Cognitive Test

Need a refresher on the Marshmallow Test?
The Marshmallow Test

Want a video about the Cephalopod Cognitive Test?
Cephalopod Cognitive Test

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

Arachnophobes BEWARE! Imagine a spider that uses special silk to lift something that’s 50 times bigger than itself. There is a video! You must watch after you listen to the episode. Come on–don’t be a chicken–Trace watched & it’s too cool to miss so you should too.

Want to know more? Here’s the paper.

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

Our longest Brainstorm YET! Who knew there was so much to know about pinball?! Amy dives into the origins, history, and shady past of this quintessential arcade game.

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from the Roanoke Pinball Museum, pixabay images, and the B&W is pinballers from 1941

Show Notes:
Trace has done a whizz bang job of documenting awesome pinball machines, so for show notes you just get my links so you can read my source articles.
AB
Ripleys.com Illegal Pinball
Thoughtco.com History of Pinball
History.com That Time American Outlawed Pinball



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

What is that weird smell? It’s called trimethylamine (TMA) and for most of us it stinks like rotten fish. For a small percentage of people it smells very different. The reason is in your genes.

Rosa Gisladottir and Kari Stefansson at deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik and their colleagues scoured the DNA of more than 11,000 people in Iceland for genetic variants that influence odor perception.  Here’s the link for the paper

Dried Fish by Taken on Pixabay

“Tastily Rotten” food like: Bleu Cheese, Kimchi, and Kombucha
images from Petr Rys, Dongtan Ko, and Melanie Rodriguez (pixabay)

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

What if we burned calories the same way cars use gas for fuel? Amy fell down the comparison hole trying to figure out the “car calories” for humans in motion. Get your bicycles tuned up, make a gallon of bananas, and get ready to RIDE!

Show notes:

How Stuff Works-Questions-Gallon of Gas in Calories.

Riding a bicycle at 15 miles per hour burns 0.049 calories per pound per minute. 175-pound person burns 515 calories in an hour-about 34 calories per mile.

A gallon of gasoline contains about 31,000 calories. If a person could drink gasoline, then a person could ride about 912 miles on a gallon of gas normal car gets about 30 miles per gallon

One gallon of vegetable oil: 31,744 

Tour de France riders hitting more like 25 mph

100 calories per mile versus more sedate 34 calories per mile.

100 mile race consumes between 8,000-10,000 calories

TDF racer would only get about 300 miles to the gallon.

A gallon of some other stuff:

I mathed out the calories in an ounce and added up-if you’re listening and my math is a little off, you’ll know why. 

Gatorade: 896 calories

Banana: 3200

Clif Bar: 13,824 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich: 12,800

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

It’s Spring Break over at Brain Junk! We’re taking the week off and bringing you one of our oldie but goodies: #21 Grab Bag. This super long episode (29 minutes!!!) originally aired in September of 2018 and has all sorts of strange and cool stuff. Really, all you need to know is “death farts”

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