BrainStuff

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.

Yes, a human singer really could sing high and loud enough to break glass. Learn about acoustics, resonance, and intensity in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/shatter-glass-with-high-note.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thorium itself isn't a nuclear fuel, but in combination with other materials, it might power the nuclear reactors of the future. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/thorium.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spoiler alert: No one knows for sure! Learn a bit about how flamingos work, plus science's best hypotheses for why they often balance on one leg, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/flamingos-stand-on-one-leg.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In North America and parts of Europe, food and drinks like bacon, eggs, cereal, coffee, and orange juice https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/breakfast-foods.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sea spiders have way more leg than body, and scientists have never been able to pinpoint how they breathe -- until now. Learn what they found in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/sea-spiders-breathe-through-pores-in-their-legs.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S.'s most honored national cemetery is vast, but it only has so much space -- and it's running out. Learn some of the proposed solutions in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/national-traditions/arlington-national-cemetery-is-running-out-space.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This small structure of the brain plays a huge role in coordinating our movements, speech, and maybe even emotion. Learn about the cerebellum in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/cerebellum.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When NASA returned to crewed missions following the Challenger disaster, one family decided to send a simple thank-you: flowers. Learn how this gesture became a 30-year tradition in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/shelton-family-flowers-to-nasa.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Residents of the American South may have noticed a new spider on the, er, web -- the beautiful, fascinating Joro spider. Learn about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/joro-spider.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Measuring something as ubiquitous as starlight is no small task, but a group of researchers think they've found an answer. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/much-starlight-has-been-emitted-since-beginning-time.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pumpkins as we know them only evolved after North American megafauna like woolly mammoths and mastodons died off. Learn the connection in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/megafauna-died-for-pumpkin-spice-latte.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Composers use musical references to help create mood -- and as a wink at other music lovers. Learn how 'Dies Irae', or 'The Day of Wrath', is often used in film soundtracks in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/why-soundtracks-love-day-wrath.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After anthropologists discovered a child's mummified hand, they discovered that a copper coin might be responsible for the preservation. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/archaeology/anthropologists-discover-mummified-green-baby-hand.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest, and ghosts have been reported in one area in particular: Devil's Den. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/devils-den.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jersey Devil is an all-American cryptid -- born partially of a publishing rivalry in the 1700s involving Ben Franklin. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/jersey-devil.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People were executed as witches in Salem in the 1690s, but no one was burned at the stake. Learn what really happened in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/witches-burned-at-stake-in-salem.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bats are a part of spooky Halloween imagery, but fruit bats are a wide category of helpful (and even cute!) pollinators and seed dispersers. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/fruit-bats.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The law requires a homeowner to disclose anything that might affect the property's value to a potential buyer -- and in some cases, yes, that can include purported ghosts. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/selling-home/haunted-house-for-sale.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems that dogs make more expressive faces when humans are watching. Are they trying to communicate? Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dogs-make-more-expressive-faces-when-we-watch.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding something to wear can be especially challenging for people with limited dexterity or mobility, but some fashion designers are starting to change that. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/style/fashion/body-type/clothing-industrys-narrow-focus-sidelines-people-disabilities.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stegosaurus was a huge herbivore in a time of giants -- and it had some impressive defenses. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/stegosaurus.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just witnessing an act of rudeness can make us more likely to be rude ourselves. Learn why -- and what you can do about it -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-rudeness-contagious.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.