Brain Junk

A fear of clowns is called coulrophobia. If you're like us, maybe you don't find clowns bone-chillingly scary but they still give you a case of the ick. This week we're looking into clowns and fears. Stick around to the end, Amy takes a left turn with weird body horror involving an octopus.

Show Notes:

Amy references this study HARD Fear of clowns: An investigation into the prevalence of coulrophobia in an international sample

Top ten fears in America 2022: Chapman University

Art isn't just in museums! Sometimes it's hidden behind walls, inside a piece of furniture, or sadly, in a dumpster. Today we explore the remarkable circumstances that come together to find lost or forgotten art.

Show Notes:

Francis Mattson Hines and his art in the dumpster and the wrapped Washington Square Arch

Recycled art in an airport

Art in a couch

Art hidden from an ex-wife

Stewart Little surprise painting on the set!

We've talked wombats and binturongs before but we've learned MORE and had to share!

Past episodes: 244: Stinky Critters for binturong and 34: Wombat Poop

Wombat mama and baby! image by budgme on pixabay

Binturongs hanging out in the sun. image by Kevinsphotos on pixabay

Show Notes:

Australian Geographic Nov. 2020 interview with Alyce Swinbourne about Wombat Bums

⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇Content warning below: wombat butt and the head of a dead fox⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇

Smithsonian National Zoo article Binturong females delaying pregnancy (Fun fact, Trace did an internship at the Smithsonian National Zoo Waaaaaaaaaaay back in the day with Golden Lion Tamarin monkeys)

The mutual reltaionship between strangler figs and binturong: NCMNS Education Blog

We're both married to redheads and have kids with that redhead gene! From ginger beards to coppery locks, is there any truth to the belief that redheads handle pain meds and anesthesia differently?

Show Notes:

NIH report on Redheads and pain thresholds

2004 Study by Daniel Sessler and (Edwin B Liem 1, Chun-Ming Lin, Mohammad-Irfan Suleman, Anthony G Doufas, Ronald G Gregg, Jacqueline M Veauthier, Gary Loyd, ) on Anesthetic requirement in redheads

Redheads might need less analgesics

Want to learn more about skin and melanin? Listen to the Ologies episode on Melaninology!

Uguisubari aka nightingale floors were a Japanese innovation. This super squeaky floor was an early version of an alarm. The specially constructed floors were in only a select number of castles, but they would alert guards and residents to a shinobi attempting to be sneaky.

Show Notes:

Check out this Wiki entry on nightingale floors Trace talked about.

When your city is used to having smoke and coal dust and fog all mix together into a "pea soup" yellow fog that chokes the city for days each year, life goes on through the murk. But the Great Smog from Dec 5 - 9th, 1952 was so bad, an estimated 12,000 people died. It was the kind of weather and pollution combination that spurred people to change air quality regulations.

(Amy mentions 4,000 people dying in the years after the fog from long lasting effects. We completely forgot to share the huge number of people who died during the actual days of the event.)

Show Notes:

Getty images of the Great Smog

Want to learn more? Check out this article from The Verge

Memories from people who lived through the great smog: The Guardian

It's our TWO-HUNDRED and FIFTIETH episode!!!!! AND we've made it this far because of your love and support for the show. Thank you so so much! To celebrate we've got a long Valentine deep dive into the history and weird facts around the holiday.

SHOW NOTES:

Amy mentions the Valentines Day Massacre but we didn't want to bring down the mood. Read up here if you want to know

Galentine's Day is Feb 13th! a day for celebrating female friendships! Originating from the TV show ‘Parks and Recreation, the holiday is all about declaring love and affection to the girls who make up our support system

Vinegar Valentines!

Lovebugs

Spanish Fly & toxicity

https://www.kqed.org/pop/20463/the-dark-and-twisted-history-of-valentines-day

https://time.com/4662675/valentines-day-heart-shape-origins/

Found for the first time in Upper Michigan by rock hound, Erik Rintamaki in 2017, this accidental finding is SO COOL. Under UV light they look like fiery dragon eggs.

We mentioned the yooperlite store in our episode too.

There aren't any free Google pictures (sad face) So here's a LINK to pictures of the glowing rocks!!!

Also we talked about strange waves called seiches. Check them out HERE

Episode 238: Uranium Glass if you need more glowing stuff!

Paul Bunyan: hero of North American oral tradition, origins of our stories about a burly logger and his big blue ox came from multiple versions. Paul Bunyan might've been based on a man, but whatever his beginning, his stories came from the imaginations of bored loggers.

Show Notes:

Wikipedia on Paul Bunyan

Want to road trip to all the statues? Check out this road map