BrainStuff

When spacecraft in orbit stop working, it's ideal to bring them safely back to Earth. Learn about Point Nemo, the remote crash zone for old spacecraft, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/south-pacific-graveyard-where-spacecraft-go-to-die.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite their name and their somewhat scary appearance, 'Vampyroteuthis infernalis' aren't infernal blood-suckers. Learn why they're pretty cool anyway in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/vampire-squid-dont-actually-suck-blood.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our eyes are as individual as our fingerprints, but their shade can change over time. Learn why this is common in babies during the first couple years of their life in this episode of BrainStuff: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/eye/babies-eyes-change-color.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA's DART mission aims to subtly alter the orbit of one small asteroid around another -- and thus change the trajectory of objects outside Earth for the first time. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff: https://science.howstuffworks.com/dart-nasas-asteroid-redirecting-mission-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some researchers think that eventually, a rift that's forming in West Africa could become a whole new ocean. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/earth-get-new-ocean.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumers are spending billions via food delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, but no one -- not the drivers, the restaurants, or the apps themselves -- are seeing much profit. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://money.howstuffworks.com/food-delivery-make-money-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uranium gives glass products an unearthly glow -- and luckily for collectors, the stuff is basically safe to handle. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/uranium-glass.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a clear night, the stars seem to wink and twinkle in the sky. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/why-do-stars-twinkle.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrities and Instagrammers have been singing the praises of activated charcoal as a health supplement, but can it really help make you healthier? Learn the real science in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/why-are-people-eating-activated-charcoal.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists were able to release the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 (from Pfizer and Moderna) quickly because of decades of prior research -- and how adaptable mRNA treatments are. Learn the history and what the incredible future may hold in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/modern-technology/mrna-technology-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What started as a simple remembrance of a mother and schoolteacher has become a worldwide movement dedicated to reading and sharing books. Learn how Todd Bol started LFL in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/todd-bol-and-little-free-library-movement.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of disease isn't just solid science -- it's an instinct in other mammals, like bats. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/social-distance-vampire-bats.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, pink salt -- it may all be sodium chloride, but you can't always directly substitute one kind of salt for another in recipes. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/difference-between-kosher-salt-table-salt.htm, https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/all-salt-is-not-same.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime doesn't pay -- but penetration testing does. Learn why companies pay hackers to break into their networks and offices in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/hack-networks-security-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sure, scent hounds' noses are powerful tools -- but their ears may be the secret to their success. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/why-do-scent-hounds-have-long-floppy-ears.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We attribute lots of potential health effects to green tea, but the Victorians had a strange one: they thought it caused hallucinations. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/herbal-remedies/does-green-tea-cause-hallucinations.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poets like Shakespeare have written extensively in a particular type of verse called iambic pentameter. Learn what it is and how to write in it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/iambic-pentameter.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When some massive stars go supernova, they then collapse into magnetars -- the most powerful magnetic objects in the known universe. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/magnetars.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around ten of the world's smallest porpoise, the vaquita, are alive today -- but researchers think they can be brought back from the brink of extinction. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/vaquita.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It would take a LOT of carrots (or other veg pigmented with carotenoids), but yes, the color from carrots can build up in your skin. Learn how carotenemia works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/carotenosis.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people identify as being at least a little superstitious, mariners included. Learn why bananas and suitcases, of all things, are often turned away from fishing boats in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/fishing-superstition.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Museums collect all kinds of art and artifacts -- this one collects pieces of broken hearts. Learn about some of the items and stories held in the Museum of Broken Relationships in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/museum-broken-relationships-houses-heartache.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carbon dioxide is a waste product of gasoline- and coal-burning engines, and it's a serious pollutant. But what if we could capture that carbon and recycle it into usable fuel? Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/carbon-capture-to-fuel-is-almost-here.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blisters can be unsightly and painful -- luckily, it's usually OK to pop them. Learn when and how to do so safely in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/problems/treating/pop-blisters.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of similar-shaped ponds called the Carolina Bays pock the Eastern United States. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/carolina-bays.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doctors prescribed alcohol for centuries before modern medicine taught us its dangers, but this practice was really profitible during Prohibition. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/ridiculous-history-when-doctors-prescribed-alcohol-during-prohibition.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The amphibious anaconda is arguably the biggest snake in the world. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/snakes/anaconda.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Originally constructed as a family's weekend home, Fallingwater is now considered architect Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece. Learn about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/architecture/fallingwater.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fashion designers and their work are everywhere these days, from our closets to the runways. But one man started it all: Charles Frederick Worth. Learn who he was and how he created haute couture in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/who-started-haute-couture.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It takes a lot more resources to grow an animal for food than it does to grow plants. Learn how much more -- and what that means for the conscientious omnivore -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/meat-eaters-consume-more-plants-vegetarians.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often use the terms 'dusk' and 'twilight' interchangeably, but they have distinct astronomical meanings. Learn the real definitions of twilight, dusk, and dawn in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/twilight-dusk.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For such a small organ, the pancreas has a big job -- and it's a difficult to detect the cancers that develop there. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cancer/facts/pancreas-cancer.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers are using CRISPR technology to make everything from coffee that grows decaffeinated to bulls without hazardous horns. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/crispr-innovations-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some studies warn against using those air-blasting hand dryers in public bathrooms, but the results are complicated. Learn more (including why a good wash is most important) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/infectious/jet-hand-dryers-blast-viruses-germs.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snow usually appears white, but it can come in a few other colors -- and in the case of red snow, that vibrant color may be a warning from Mother Nature. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/amazing-and-alarming-science-behind-red-snow.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planets are small and difficult to spot out in the vast reaches of space, but researchers think they've identified one in another galaxy for the first time. Learn more about M51-ULS-1b in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/first-planet-outside-milky-way-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From snack-sized carrots to miniature artichokes, we love li'l veggies -- and have a number of ways to produce them. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/where-do-baby-veggies-come-from.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deep in the Mojave Desert, a set of large metal cones are permanently embedded in the rocky terrain. Learn what we do (and don't) know about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/mojave-desert-megaphone.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enthusiasts and automakers alike add solar panels to help power vehicles. Learn the history and potential future in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/solar-cars.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Any fashion concerns aside, going sockless in closed shoes can be hazardous to the health of your feet. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/hygiene-tips/sockless-bad-for-feet.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robotic animals can help law enforcement agents catch poachers in the act -- but only if the robots are convincing enough. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/robotic-animals-are-helping-catch-poachers.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waterbeds were a mainstay of opulent '80s culture, but why did they fall out of fashion? How have they evolved since then? Could they climb back from the pits of public disfavor? Explore in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-decor/bedroom/could-waterbeds-ever-make-comeback.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mink are amazing animals -- but in our culture, they're often better known as a fur product than a creature. Learn how humans have made a mess of mink in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/mink.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In some situations, having a backup plan is common sense -- but research shows that in other cases it can keep you from achieving your primary goal. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/behavior/got-a-backup-plan-think-ditching-it.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biopesticides made from fungi may be the key to safe, effective pest control in the future. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/fungus-based-pesticides-might-be-green-solution-future.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A well-prepared safety team should be able to prevent Injuries and deaths due to crowding at entertainment venues. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/astroworld-crowd-control-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fearsome-looking female anglerfish lure in prey with glowing light in the inky black depths of the ocean and are literally bonded to their mates. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/anglerfish.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beaches are eroding faster than we've ever seen. Some efforts to save them involve adding more sand from offshore -- but can that really work? Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/remediation/adding-sand-not-enough-to-save-beaches.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeling hungry doesn't just happen when our bodies need calories, and there's no one way that we feel hunger to begin with. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/why-feel-hungry-even-when-not.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Death cap mushrooms have been popping up around the U.S. -- often accompanied by spates of mushroom poisoning. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/biology-fields/poisonous-death-cap-mushroom.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.