BrainStuff

By iHeartPodcasts

What's BrainStuff about?

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.

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BrainStuff episodes:

04.16.2024
How Did Bessie Stringfield Shape Motorcycle History?
Starting in the 1930s, this adventurous Black woman toured the U.S., performed stunts, and served her country on motorcycles. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/bessie-stringfield.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
04.15.2024
How Do Squirrels Organize Their Hoards?
It turns out that some tree squirrels have complex organization systems for their stashes. Learn how they hide and find exactly what they want in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/squirrels-really-organize-nuts.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03.18.2024
BrainStuff Classics: What Makes Some Lakes Explode?
Given the right depth, temperature, and access to volcanic gases, lakes can explode and kill thousands in the process. Learn how these limnic eruptions happen in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/what-makes-killer-lake-explode.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
03.17.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Palm Oil in So Many Things?
Palm oil is in lots of foods, cosmetics, and household products -- and that's a very serious thing. Learn the problems (and solutions) that palm oil presents in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/palm-oil-is-everywhere-heres-why-that-matters.htm See omnystudio.com/listener...
03.16.2024
Where Did the Word 'OK' Come From?
OK may be the most frequently spoken word in the world -- but what does it stand for? How did it get here? Learn the etymology behind it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article -- okay? Okay!...
03.15.2024
Should You Beware the Ides of March?
The Ides of March is an artifact of an ancient Roman calendar that's stuck with us thanks to Julius Caesar getting himself assassinated and William Shakespeare writing about it. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
03.14.2024
How Do Fruit Bats Work?
The many species of fruit bats around the world help pollinate our plants and spread their seeds far and wide. Learn more about these flying mammals in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/fruit-bats.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
03.13.2024
What Are Meat Sweats?
Sometimes, foods that require more effort for our bodies to digest (like meats) can cause us to sweat. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/digestive/are-meat-sweats-real-thing.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03.05.2024
How Did Susan B. Anthony Work?
Susan B. Anthony went from a radical arrested for placing a vote to an honoree on U.S. currency within a century. Learn more about her life and work in both abolition and women's suffrage in this episode of BrainStuff, based...
03.04.2024
BrainStuff Classics: What Happens When Elevator Cables Break?
Elevators cables are inspected on the regular, but what happens when one breaks? Learn about the ingenious systems that keep elevators safe when even the worst happens in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/question730.htm See omnystudio.com/listener...
03.03.2024
BrainStuff Classics: How Can I Donate My Brain to Science?
Researchers, like zombies, are interested in brains of all kinds. Learn a few basics about how donating your brain to science works in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/5-things-didnt-know-about-donating-brain-to-science.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03.02.2024
Why Is the Ocean Different Colors?
The ocean can appear to be many different shades of blue (and green, and even violet) -- but all water is clear. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/why-is-ocean-different-colors-different-places.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03.01.2024
Are You Picturing the Right Brachiosaurus?
Confusion about what a Brachiosaurus is started the moment paleontologists discovered one. Learn about these long-armed sauropods (and about the dino cousin they're often pictured as, Giraffatitan) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/brachiosaurus.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for...
02.29.2024
How Does Critical Race Theory Work?
The term 'critical race theory' started causing a lot of buzz back in 2020, but what does it really mean? And is it being taught in schools? Learn about this academic theory in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this...
02.28.2024
Is Oxytocin Really A Love Drug?
Our brains release the hormone oxytocin during pleasant circumstances and bonding experiences -- but can we really take it to induce those experiences? Learn why it's complicated in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: thttps://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/endocrine/oxytocin.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for...
02.27.2024
How Do Pistol Shrimp Work?
Pistol shrimp (aka snapping shrimp) can 'shoot' bubbles that go off louder than a gun and will stun prey or dig into rock. Learn more (including how they're inspiring nuclear fission research) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this...
02.17.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Why Did London Once Have a Train for the Dead?
As London grew throughout the 1800s, it became clear that there wasn't enough real estate for its deceased citizens. Learn how the London Necropolis Railway took the funerary show on the road in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener...
02.16.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Beer Foam Last Longer Than Soda Foam?
Beer and soda both form sudsy bubbles when you pour them, so why does soda's foam dissipate while beer's forms a head? Learn about foam physics in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/beer-form-head-not-soda.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for...
02.15.2024
How Did Maya Angelou Work?
Maya Angelou was a people's poet -- an artist, activist, and teacher whose words resonate from Supreme Court Justices to internet memes. Learn more about her through a few of her own quotes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on...
02.14.2024
How Does Scurvy Work?
Scurvy is a serious condition that's easily cured with access to vitamin C. Learn why humans get it (and why it was the scourge of the high seas) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/rare/scurvy.htm See omnystudio.com/listener...
02.13.2024
Do Cows Really Pollute As Much As Cars?
Cattle burp so much methane into our atmosphere that it's the equivalent of how much cars pollute every day. Learn what researchers are trying to do about the gassy situation in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm ...
02.06.2024
Where Does Earth's Water Come From?
The water cycle brings Earth's water from the clouds to the ground and back again -- but how did it get here in the first place? Learn about the leading theories in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
02.05.2024
Why Does the Orchid Mantis Imitate Flowers?
These mantises look like beautiful, bright orchids -- and some use that to aggressively attract prey. Learn more in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/orchid-mantis.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
02.04.2024
BrainStuff Classics: When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?
When we lose weight, it doesn't just vanish. Learn how our bodies shrink fat cells in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/lost-weight.htm/printable See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
02.03.2024
BrainStuff Classics: What Can Probiotics Really Do?
Some claims make it sound like probiotics are a cure-all, but what has research found so far? Learn more about these supplements for your microbiome in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/preventive-care/probiotic.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
02.02.2024
Is Jaywalking Still a Crime?
As a pedestrian, crossing the street wherever you want can be dangerous -- which is why it's still technically illegal in many American jurisdictions. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/jaywalking-crime.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
02.01.2024
Why Is the Bradford Pear Tree Bad – Even Beyond the Smell?
Though beautiful, Bradford pear trees are invasive in the U.S., use up precious water, are brittle -- and smell decidedly funky. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/whats-that-smell-dreaded-bradford-pear.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.25.2024
How Does Burns Night Work?
To celebrate the anniversary of poet Robert Burns' birth on January 25, 1759, Scottish people all over the world observe Burns Night each year. Learn about the verse, the bagpipes, and of course the haggis in this episode of BrainStuff,...
01.24.2024
How Do White Dwarf Stars Shred Planets?
White dwarfs have almost all the mass of a normal star squished into a ball the size of our Earth -- and that comes with a lot of gravitational power. Learn how they can tear planets to shreds in this...
01.23.2024
How Do Axolotls Work?
These adorable aquatic salamanders are voracious hunters -- and have myth-like powers of regeneration. Learn more about the axolotl in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/endangered-species/axolotl.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.22.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Stop Signs Red?
Stop signs were always the red octagons we know today -- so how was the color chosen, and why has it stuck? Learn about the history and psychology of red traffic signals in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener...
01.21.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Test Middle Schoolers' Fitness?
From the outdated Presidential Fitness Test to today's FITNESSGRAM, Americans have been giving standardized fitness tests to middle school kids for decades. Learn the past and present of these exams in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
01.20.2024
Are Burner Phones Really Anonymous?
Buying a cheap phone containing prepaid minutes and texts with cash can help you preserve anonymity in some ways, but companies and governments still have ways of listening in. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
01.19.2024
When Did Scientists Hide Under Beds to Do Research?
In the early 1900s, psychologists went to great lengths to study their subjects without letting them know they were being watched. Learn more about their research (and about how ethical standards would prevent it from happening today) in this episode...
01.18.2024
How Can Bacteria Change the World?
Bacteria may be tiny, but we can harness them to create food and medicine, to detect landmines and make blood safe for transfusions. Learn what we're still learning about how bacteria shape us and our world in this episode of...
01.17.2024
What Animals Reshape Earth's Waterways?
Eco engineers are animals that vastly change the ecosystems they live in when they create their preferred habitats. Learn about a few, from hippos to tiny crabs, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/5-animals-that-can-reshape-waterways.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for...
01.16.2024
BrainStuff Classics: Could Neanderthals Laugh?
Neanderthals were more like us than we previously thought, but could they laugh? Learn why researchers think they could in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/yes-neanderthals-could-laugh.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.13.2024
How Do They Get the Fat Out of Fat-Free Foods?
Fat provides a lot of flavor and texture in foods, so making something fat-free usually means reformulating it from the ground up. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/how-do-they-get-fat-out-of-fat-free-foods.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.11.2024
BrainStuff Classics: How Do We Define the Kilogram?
The kilogram used to be measured against an agreed-upon chunk of metal stored in France, but no longer. Learn the new measure of this standard unit of measurement in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/math-concepts/kilogram-is-dead-meet-kilogram-20.htm See...
01.10.2024
Who Were the Baddest Bank Robbers You've Never Heard Of?
The Newton Boys were a gang of brothers who made a business of robbing banks and trains in the 1920s. Learn how they largely got away with it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/newton-boys-bank-robbers.htm See omnystudio.com/listener...
01.09.2024
How Do Banyan Trees Work?
These giant trees grow trunk-like roots down from their branches and can cover the area of city blocks. Learn more about banyan trees in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/understanding-roots-banyan-tree.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.06.2024
How Do Male Seahorses Give Birth?
Male seahorses are the ones that carry babies to term and give birth, but the process is fairly different from most pregnancies. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/male-seahorses-give-birth.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
01.05.2024
What Laws Apply on a Cruise Ship?
When crime and other legal tangles occur on a cruise ship, what laws apply depend on where the ship is registered and where it was located at the time. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
01.04.2024
How Does Marzipan Work?
Marzipan is a sweet, moldable almond paste that gets worked into all kinds of holiday traditions. Learn about it (and about Glücksschwein, the good luck pig of the New Year) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article and...
12.27.2023
BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Ice Get Cloudy?
Water usually appears clear, but ice cubes and ice on lakes often looks cloudy. Learn what has to happen for ice to freeze clear (like black ice does on roads) in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
12.26.2023
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Christmas Trees That Shape?
Most of the trees decorated for Christmas don't naturally grow in a perfect cone shape -- so how do they get that way, and why did we decide on that shape in the first place? Learn about the history of...
12.25.2023
How Did the 1800s Create Christmas as We Know It?
Although this holiday has been around for a long time, the way we celebrate in the U.S. largely developed during the 1800s. Learn about the books, celebrities, and political cartoons that made Christmas in this episode of BrainStuff, based on...
12.24.2023
How Far Can the Human Eye See?
The human eye is basically only limited by the curvature of the Earth and stuff that gets in its way. (Well, and various medical conditions.) Learn how far we can see in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article:...
12.23.2023
What Can Be Found at the Paris Bureau of Found Objects?
Paris has a centralized lost-and-found station that's received everything from umbrellas to human skulls. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/paris-lost-and-found.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.22.2023
How Is a 19th-Century Obscenity Law Being Used to Ban Reproductive Health Care?
The Comstock Act was designed to criminalize anything considered indecent in the 1870s, from saucy personal letters to pamphlets about contraception. Learn how it's being revived today by anti-abortion activists in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/comstock-act.htm...

What's BrainStuff about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

BrainStuff episodes:

How Did Bessie Stringfield Shape Motorcycle History?

How Do Squirrels Organize Their Hoards?

BrainStuff Classics: What Makes Some Lakes Explode?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Palm Oil in So Many Things?

Where Did the Word 'OK' Come From?

Should You Beware the Ides of March?

How Do Fruit Bats Work?

What Are Meat Sweats?

How Did Susan B. Anthony Work?

BrainStuff Classics: What Happens When Elevator Cables Break?

BrainStuff Classics: How Can I Donate My Brain to Science?

Why Is the Ocean Different Colors?

Are You Picturing the Right Brachiosaurus?

How Does Critical Race Theory Work?

Is Oxytocin Really A Love Drug?

How Do Pistol Shrimp Work?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Did London Once Have a Train for the Dead?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Beer Foam Last Longer Than Soda Foam?

How Did Maya Angelou Work?

How Does Scurvy Work?

Do Cows Really Pollute As Much As Cars?

Where Does Earth's Water Come From?

Why Does the Orchid Mantis Imitate Flowers?

BrainStuff Classics: When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?

BrainStuff Classics: What Can Probiotics Really Do?

Is Jaywalking Still a Crime?

Why Is the Bradford Pear Tree Bad – Even Beyond the Smell?

How Does Burns Night Work?

How Do White Dwarf Stars Shred Planets?

How Do Axolotls Work?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Stop Signs Red?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Test Middle Schoolers' Fitness?

Are Burner Phones Really Anonymous?

When Did Scientists Hide Under Beds to Do Research?

How Can Bacteria Change the World?

What Animals Reshape Earth's Waterways?

BrainStuff Classics: Could Neanderthals Laugh?

How Do They Get the Fat Out of Fat-Free Foods?

BrainStuff Classics: How Do We Define the Kilogram?

Who Were the Baddest Bank Robbers You've Never Heard Of?

How Do Banyan Trees Work?

How Do Male Seahorses Give Birth?

What Laws Apply on a Cruise Ship?

How Does Marzipan Work?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Ice Get Cloudy?

BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Christmas Trees That Shape?

How Did the 1800s Create Christmas as We Know It?

How Far Can the Human Eye See?

What Can Be Found at the Paris Bureau of Found Objects?

How Is a 19th-Century Obscenity Law Being Used to Ban Reproductive Health Care?