Brain Junk

An accidental discovery by scientist Jonathan G. Martin lead to a surprise at his bird feeder. Turns out Flying Squirrels in the United States have a special trait. Under ultraviolet light they glow.

Ultraviolet light makes flying squirrels turn PINK!
image: Northland College

If you want to know more about the particulars of ultraviolet light here's a link to a LiveScience.com article.

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

Letting you know straight out the gate that the sound quality of this episode is...eh. We had some remote recording issues again--thanks Covid--but (get it? Butt Music and but? HA! Dad joke for the win). But, Amy had too much cool stuff to share not to air this episode on Hieronymus Bosch, his painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights, and Amelia Hamrick's discovery of sheet music on a naked butt.

Show Notes:

The Garden of Earthly Delight -Hieronymous Bosch

Amelia Hamrick -Image courtesy of the Edmond Outlook

Artnet Bosch Butt Music 

Edmondoutlook Bosch Butt Music

 

Letting you know straight out the gate that the sound quality of this episode is...eh. We had some remote recording issues again--thanks Covid--but (get it? Butt Music and but? HA! Dad joke for the win). But, Amy had too much cool stuff to share not to air this episode on Hieronymus Bosch, his painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights, and Amelia Hamrick's discovery of sheet music on a naked butt.

Show Notes:

The Garden of Earthly Delight -Hieronymous Bosch

Amelia Hamrick -Image courtesy of the Edmond Outlook

Artnet Bosch Butt Music 

Edmondoutlook Bosch Butt Music

 

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

The tomato traveled a long strange road of misunderstanding and admiration all the way from the New World to the old and back again. Why did it become the iconic pin cushion shape we all remember and how in the heck did it sprout a little strawberry off the side?

P.S. We had some recording issues--darn you COVID-19. The sound quality isn't amazing, but the show is classic Amy and Trace.

The tomato traveled a long strange road of misunderstanding and admiration all the way from the New World to the old and back again. Why did it become the iconic pin cushion shape we all remember and how in the heck did it sprout a little strawberry off the side?

P.S. We had some recording issues--darn you COVID-19. The sound quality isn't amazing, but the show is classic Amy and Trace.

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

During WWII, special super secret decks of playing cards were used to help American prisoners of war escape from Nazi camps.

Show Notes:

Check out the articles for some great pictures! 

No one knows for sure how many decks were produced, but the only two known surviving decks are in the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.. Plan your road trip and send us pictures!

Reddit POW Poker Decks

POW Playing Cards Business Insider

wearethemighty.com POW Card Decks

 

Image Courtesy of the Bicycle Playing Card Company

Amazon has sold imitation decks:

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Escape-Poker-Standard-Playing/dp/B00EA1QZ22

 

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

Amy and Trace dug deep into their "this is too gross for a podcast" files and decided there was just too much quality disgustingness not to do it anyway!!!

WARNING! We aren't kidding. This stuff is all about glowing mouse brains, stomach burrowing eels, maggots, and SO MUCH MORE. Listen if you dare.

Show Notes:

Live Science - Really Alarming Snake Eels  Spiky, but ripping guys. 

Factinate - Hagfish The grossest. 

Pelicans yawning and debunking pelican spine memes.

The Action Lab and explaining microwaving ants

Beware not for the weak of stomach. Trace finds this video so so GROSS. Mango worms in Africa.

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

This hard to stop insect can shoot a caustic mix 212 degree chemicals out of it's abdomen at 500 times a second. Seriously!

Trace shares some super cool facts about this little bug.

image: Patrick Coin ( wikimedia)

Great video of a variety of beetles using chemical warfare from BBC Earth!

Science Magazine: Japanese toad vs. Bombardier Beetle

Here's a cool view of what's happening INSIDE the Bombardier Beetle's abdomen from A team of researchers at MIT, The university of Arizona, and Brookhaven Labs. 

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

How did we go from no green spaces in city neighborhoods to the perfectly manicured lawn that defines American suburbia? It all comes down to Frederick Law Olmsted and properties in a housing development in 1860's Illinois.

Show Notes:

The Duncan Gardens at Manito Park in our own beautiful Spokane-Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted

New York City and Charleston SC neighborhoods prior to Olmsted's lawn movement. 

This one is a listener request from my son Will, and my sister Ruth. 

This article has a cool map of the development that Olmsted was called in to develop. BB Barns Olsmtead Lawns

Pop Sci Olmsted Lawns

Spokesman Olmsted Influence

Cannon Hill Park – the Olmsteds designed it.
Finch Arboretum – the Olmsteds conceived it.
Downriver Park – the Olmsteds suggested it.
Manito Park – the Olmsteds improved it.

Rockwood Boulevard – the Olmsteds plotted it.
Gorge Park – the Olmsteds dreamed of it, 100 years early.

Wikipedia Xeriscaping

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

No joke, the best and last line of defense to protect the drinking water for an entire city in Poland is eight clams. Let's chat about bivalve science!

image from Fat Kathy

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