Your adaptive immune system remembers specific germs and fights them really effectively -- but it can sometimes make mistakes and attack your own healthy cells. Learn how the adaptive immune system works (and how it can go wrong) in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Slime molds are collectives of single-celled organisms that don't have neurons, much less brains, but they can move, solve mazes, and remember where food is located. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/biology-fields/slime-mold-facts.htm

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Although there can be small differences, all of these are local names for the same species of cat, Puma concolor. Learn about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/cougar-vs-mountain-lion.htm

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In the early 1500s, a sailor by the name of Amerigo Vespucci published lurid pamphlets about his travels to a distant continent. Learn how a pair of mapmakers regretted naming that continent after him in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/amerigo-vespucci.htm

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Americans eat a LOT of turkey around the winter holidays, but why? Learn about turkey's festive history and when we eat the most of it in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/turkey-popularity.htm

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Powerful events on the surface of the sun, like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, produce radiation and magnetic waves that could indeed affect electrical and communications systems here on Earth -- though they'd have to be massive. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm

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The U.S. Navy has been training bottlenose dolphins for operations like detecting undersea mines and guarding vessels since the 1960s. Learn about the Marine Mammal Program in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/dolphin-disarm-sea-mine.htm

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Our skin is our first line of defense as we move through the world, providing both a physical barrier and an immune barrier against microbes and other dangers that could make us sick. Learn how the skin barrier works in this episode of BrainStuff.

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In downtown Los Angeles, the 50-block neighborhood called Skid Row is home to thousands of low-income people who live in tents, run-down hotels, and other temporary shelters on a permanent basis. Learn how Skid Row came about (and has persisted) in such a wealthy place in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/skid-row.htm

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Hoshigaki are a type of dried fruit made by massaging a persimmon every day for weeks. Learn more about this traditional Japanese treat in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/hoshigaki.htm

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