BrainStuff
2,648 episodes — Page 18 of 53
What Is 'Chutzpah'?
The Yiddish word 'chutzpah' has come to mean that someone has a lot of nerve, but in a way you respect. Learn the word's history and usage in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/chutzpah.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could We Ever Find Noah's Ark?
The hunt for Noah's Ark is ongoing, probably futile, and always intriguing. Learn how researchers have tried to unravel the real history of this biblical myth in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this episode: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/hunt-noahs-ark-podcast.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does the U.S. Secret Service Work?
The United States Secret Service does a lot more than protect the president and other political bigwigs. Learn about its origins with the Treasury and other work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/secrets-about-secret-service.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Causes the Smell After a Rain?
Petrichor is the name for that fresh, sweet, earthy smell after it rains. Learn what causes petrichor in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question479.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Garter Snakes Work?
These small-to-medium snakes are everywhere in North America -- luckily they're mostly harmless, and even good for your garden. Learn more about garter snakes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/snakes/garter-snakes.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are the Oceans Salty?
Seawater is salty because of several quirks in Earth's water cycle. Learn the reasons why in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/why-is-seawater-salty.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Could Technology Replace Animal Testing?
Trying potential medical treatments on animals was once the best that science could do, but new technologies could make animal testing obsolete. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tech-transport/does-technology-make-us-drive-worse.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Ordinary People Commit Espionage?
It takes a particular kind of person to go from average citizen to amateur spy. Learn what history and psychology have taught us in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-do-ordinary-people-commit-acts-of-espionage.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Emus Work?
These large, leggy birds can run fast and make friends faster. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/emu.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can Herd Immunity Help Keep a Population Safe?
Herd immunity can help keep a population healthier, but achieving it can be difficult. Learn about vaccines and vaccination reluctance in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/herd-immunity.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Oregon Enforce a White-Only Population Until 1926?
In the 1850s, Oregon voted to outlaw slavery in their state -- but also to outlaw free Black people from living there. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/racial-history-oregon-was-whites-only-until-1926.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Is Climate Changing the French Wine Industry?
Climate change is affecting French wine-producing regions -- for the worse and for the better. Learn how grape growers and winemakers may have to adjust in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/climate-change-is-affecting-french-wines-good-bad.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: What Can We Learn from Fish about Walking?
Some fish that strut the seafloor share a common ancestor with humans, so researchers are hoping that studying these fish could help us understand how we walk. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/ancient-fish-strutted-seafloor-before-land-animals.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Does Technology Make Us Worse Drivers?
Any high-tech car feature that takes your attention away from the road is a distraction, but are even our automatic safety systems making driving more dangerous? We explore in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tech-transport/does-technology-make-us-drive-worse.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did Lucille Ball Use Her Fillings to Spy?
Rumor has it that Lucille Ball once picked up a spy's radio signal with her fillings -- but could it be true? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lucille-ball-fillings-spy.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Spider Webs Work?
Different kinds of spiders build all sorts of different webs, from beautiful bug-catchers to protective egg sacs to clever trap doors. Learn about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/spiders-spin-webs.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is It Better to Shower in the Morning or Evening?
Showering first thing or last thing in your day is largely a personal preference, but a few factors might sway you one way or the other. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/daily/tips/morning-vs-evening-showers-discuss.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Coal Ash Such a Problem?
One of the results of burning coal to produce energy is the creation of coal ash, a toxic product that can wreak havoc when it spills into nearby ecosystems. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/deadly-problem-coal-ash.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Budget Reconciliation Work?
Once a year, the U.S. government can use a process called reconciliation to fast-track big budget legislation through Congress. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/reconciliation.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Boogers Form?
Snot is a crucial part of our immune system, and boogers are a byproduct of that system. Learn how they form (plus, why eating them might be advantageous) in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nose-throat/boogers-form-in-nose.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Some Sea Turtles Hatching Almost All Female?
A sea turtle's sex is determined by the temperature where it hatches, and the Great Barrier Reef is warmer than ever before. Learn what this could mean in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/sea-turtles-great-barrier-reef-turning-99-percent-female.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Most People Have 46 Chromosomes?
Chromosomes contain the DNA that codes our very existence, and most people have 23 pairs. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/23-pairs-chromosomes.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Was the Great Moon Hoax of 1835?
In the early 1800s, a set of newspaper articles had people across America believing a civilization had been found on the moon. Learn how it happened in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/ridiculous-history-the-great-moon-hoax-1835.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Capybaras Work?
This characteristically chill, friendly animal is the largest rodent in the world. Learn more about the capybara in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/capybara.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Tabasco Sauce Work?
Tabasco brand hot sauce is the most popular in the U.S., and it's been made pretty much the same way for 150 years. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tabasco-sauce-red-stick.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Jean Macnamara Help Vanquish Polio?
In the early 1900s, Australian doctor Jean Macnamara helped the world learn how polio works -- and helped patients rehabilitate. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/-jean-macnamara.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Is There a Better Alternative to Cash Bail?
Cash bail punishes the poor by setting a high price on freedom -- literally. But are there any better alternatives? We explore in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://money.howstuffworks.com/cash-bail-punishes-poor-but-whats-alternative.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Where Did Middle Names Come From?
Having a first, middle, and last name is common in the West, but this wasn't always the case. Learn the history of middle names in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-do-have-middle-names.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Was a Battle Fought Over Eggs?
During the Gold Rush, San Francisco's food supply chains couldn't keep up -- and enterprising hunters turned to the eggs of a seabird called the common murre. Learn about the resulting Egg War in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/history-1850s-farallones-san-francisco-egg-war.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Anna May Wong Fight Racism On- and Off-Screen?
Anna May Wong was one of the film industry's first Chinese-American actresses, but her success was hard-won. Learn about Wong's life and work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/anna-may-wong.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do 17-Year Cicadas Appear Almost Every Year?
Some groups of cicadas spend 13 or even 17 years underground in between massive, noisy emergences. Learn about their life cycle and how cicada broods work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/why-17-year-cicadas-come-more-than-17-years.htm/printable Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Was 1816 the Year With No Summer?
In 1815, a massive volcanic eruption kicked off three years of climate chaos across the Northern hemisphere. Learn about some of the surprising effects in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/200-years-ago-we-had-a-year-a-summer.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is the World's Oldest Book?
Books are both fragile physical objects and conceptual works as eternal as storytelling itself. Learn about the quest to find the oldest book in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/oldest-book-in-the-world.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Does Cuttlefish Camouflage Work?
Researchers have found that cuttlefish's ability to change their color and texture at will is incredibly energy efficient. Learn why -- and how technology might copy this ability -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/cuttlefish-masters-camouflage-have-newly-discovered-super-power.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Stars and Planets Nearly Spherical?
Planets and stars are basically spheres, but why? We explore the science in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/why-are-planets-almost-spherical.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Belly Buttons Work?
We're not just navel gazing -- belly buttons are seriously fascinating. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/parts/5-things-didnt-know-about-belly-button.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Firm vs. the Family: How Does the British Monarchy Work?
The British monarchy is both a family and a sweeping institution with economic and political ties. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/genealogy/firm-vs-royal-family.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Has COVID-19 Changed How We Mourn?
Not being able to conduct the normal rituals of grieving during the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way our society considers grief altogether. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/covid-19-mourn.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Reptiles Are Most Endangered?
Cute, fuzzy mammals often get all the attention (and funding) when they land on endangered species lists, but now reptiles are getting an equal spotlight. Learn about the effort to identify and preserve these animals in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who Was Ada Lovelace, the Enchantress of Numbers?
Ada Lovelace was the world's first computer programmer. Learn about her life and work with Charles Babbage on an analytical engine in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Do Female Praying Mantises Really Decapitate Mates?
The female praying mantis: maneater or misaligned? Learn the science behind this popular semi-myth in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Could Humans Control Volcanic Eruptions?
Spoiler alert: Not yet. But researchers are working on it. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who Invented Macaroni and Cheese?
People like pasta and people like cheese, so is there a single origin story for mac and cheese? Learn how this dish was developed in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can We Tell Whether a Dinosaur Was Male or Female?
We can learn a lot from dinosaur fossils, but the sex of the animal in question is frequently a mystery. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Work?
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19 is a one-dose viral vector vaccine that's about as effective as the mRNA vaccines available. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Did Germany Have to Sacrifice Sausages to Fly Zeppelins?
During World War I, German forces flew menacing zeppelin airships into war zones -- but they had to give up a lot of sausages to do it. Learn why zeppelins and sausage were both made with cow intestines in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who Was Sacagawea?
At the age of 17 and toting her infant son, Sacagawea was instrumental to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. Learn more about her life in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Does Hot Yoga Need to Be So Hot?
Do students of hot yoga, who practice at 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), reap more health benefits than room-temperature practitioners? Learn what the research says in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Humans Dream?
The human brain is full of mysteries, and why we dream is a big one. Learn the leading theories about why we dream in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Badgers Work?
The term 'badger' refers to a number of animals in the weasel family with some amazing skills. Learn more about badgers in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.