BrainStuff
BrainStuff
iHeartPodcasts
Show overview
BrainStuff has been publishing since 2008, and across the 18 years since has built a catalogue of 2,648 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 230 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a several-times-a-week cadence.
Episodes typically run under ten minutes — most land between 4 min and 7 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Science show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 30 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2020, with 377 episodes published. Published by iHeartPodcasts.
From the publisher
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.
Latest Episodes
View all 2,648 episodesHow Did Beer Help Sell the Myth of Custer's Last Stand?
How Does Bioluminescence Work?
How Is Maillardet's Automaton Still Wowing Us After 200 Years?
How Do Tiny Capers Pack Such a Big Flavor Punch?
What Do A.M., P.M., and SOS Stand For?
How Do Fainting Goats Work?
Does Smog Make Sunsets More Beautiful?
Why Does Albania Have Hundreds of Thousands of Bunkers?
What Pranks Have Astronauts Pulled?
Since the early days of space exploration, some of NASA's greatest have pulled some great pranks. Learn about our favorites, from a smuggled sandwich to a space gorilla, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/ridiculous-history-5-nasa-greatest-pranks.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can Your Body Learn to Tolerate Cold?
When you shiver, your fingers and toes go numb, or you get goosebumps in the cold, that's actually your body trying to keep you warm. Learn how it works -- and how you habituate to chilly temperatures over time -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/body-learn-frigid-temperatures.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the War of 1812 Settle the American Revolution?
The War of 1812 between the U.S. and the British Empire ended in a stalemate, but it established the U.S. as an independent nation and economic power -- and allowed Americans to colonize the West. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/war-1812.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Geoducks Work?
Geoducks are large clams that can live for over a century, are eaten as delicacies, and look incredibly NSFW. Learn more about these amazing mollusks in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/geoducks.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did One Woman Make Vincent van Gogh Famous?
Van Gogh didn't find fame or financial success during his life. But after he died, his widowed sister-in-law, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, worked for decades to bring his life and work to the spotlight. Learn more about her in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/johanna-van-gogh-bonger.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Building Muscle Work?
Building muscle isn't just about getting ripped -- it's a way all of us can be healthier. Learn about the facts and fictions behind building muscle (aka mucle hypertrophy) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/hypertrophy.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Deinonychus: The Dinosaur That Sparked a Renaissance
The discovery of Deinonychus, an agile theropod that may have hunted in packs, changed the way we think about dinosaurs -- and inspired 'Jurassic Park' to boot. Learn about Deinonychus and the real (smaller) Velociraptor in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/deinonychus.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Scales Measure Weight?
Scales range from simple machines that weigh your produce to precision instruments that measure anything from molecules to massive cargo -- but they all work on related principles. Learn how different types of scales work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/fitness/digital-scale.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the Penn Center Become a Civil Rights Sanctuary?
In South Carolina, the first school for formerly enslaved people during the Civil War shifted to become a center for social activism during the Civil Rights movement, and stands today as a landmark of African American culture and history. Learn more about the Penn Center in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/penn-center-strategic-secret-pivotal-to-civil-rights-movement.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Cramming the Worst Way to Study?
Cramming for a test or other deadline may give you decent short-term results, but research shows it sacrifices long-term comprehension and memory. Learn why study methods like spacing and interleaving are better in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-cramming-is-worst-way-to-study.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can We Separate Ninja Fact from Ninja Fiction?
Over a few hundred years, real stories about secretive agents developed into the legend of the ninja. Learn how this myth captured the world's imagination -- and about the work being done at the world's first International Ninja Research Center -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/first-ninja-research-center-out-to-solve-myth-behind-legend.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did 'Bourgeois' Become a Bad Word?
The French word 'bourgeois' originally just meant a middle-class town dweller, but it's taken on a lot of different (and often derogatory) connotations over the centuries, including in the English slang term 'bougie'. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/bourgeoisie.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.