BrainStuff

If you picture a demonstration for the Women's Liberation movement of the 1960s and '70s, do you picture protestors burning their bras? Learn how this myth got started in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warm winters and early springs can lead to trees and other flowering plants blooming earlier than expected. Learn why a subsequent frost is the real danger, and how to protect against it, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breadfruit is a starchy staple food in tropical areas where it grows, delicious in both savory and sweet dishes. Learn more about breadfruit in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even large waterfalls like Niagara can appear to ice over, but it takes prolonged, extremely cold weather to actually freeze a falls. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the incredible future, robots may be able to drive your car -- but will they be able to speed? Today's self-driving cars can. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers and chefs in Japan have invented an ice cream that doesn't melt on sunny days -- and it's all thanks to deformed strawberries. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Netflix series 'Bridgerton' portrays life and love in Regency England. Learn what it got right about the era and what it took liberties with in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our planet would be a very different place if it didn't rotate. Learn why the Earth spins -- and what it might look like if it slowly stopped -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movies and other media often use stock sound effects to avoid the cost of recording new ones, but a particular scream has become a Hollywood in-joke. Learn where the Wilhelm scream comes from in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dolphins are incredibly intelligent -- in some ways, they can mentally outperform chimpanzees. Learn about some of their amazing capabilities in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever had a song or commercial jingle on repeat in your head for days? Learn how earworms work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It sounds gross, but stick with us: Researchers are working on recycling astronauts' waste into food for edible stuff. Learn how (and why) in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although psychedelic drugs are largely recreational these days, scientists are looking into potential therapeutic uses -- especially in patients for whom nothing else works. Learn how psilocybin may fight depression in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, keeping a faucet dripping can help prevent pipes from bursting during freezing weather. Learn why -- and how to best accomplish this -- in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When something you write or say causes harm to someone else, that's defamation -- maybe. Learn about the legal considerations and qualifications involved in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pit vipers are a category of snakes that have specialized organs that can sense infrared radiation (heat!) from nearby animals. Learn more about these fascinating snakes in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House famously houses the U.S. president, but the VP has a historical place to call home, too. Learn about Number One Observatory Drive in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spoiler alert: Nope. Learn where the pervasive myth about a blow to the skull causing and curing amnesia came from in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feelings of euphoria leading to obsessive behavior and potentially life-ruining decisions: Love can be as powerful as any drug. Learn how love affects the brain in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did real-life raptors work together they way they do in 'Jurassic Park' movies? Do we even have the right raptors? Learn the leading theories in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's now scientific proof that one good mask will help stop us from spreading and catching COVID-19. Two masks might be even better, but only if worn correctly. Learn more about mask-wearing and the coronavirus in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In pop psychology, people often talk about wanting closure to a relationship that's ended -- but psychologists say closure doesn't (and shouldn't!) exist. Learn why, plus what's recommended instead, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British peerage system gives formal ranks to people through one of five titles: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron. Learn about the differences and how these ranks are granted in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These amphibians spend their entire lives in the water and can regrow any part of their body. Learn more about the axolotl in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When American colonists rebelled against the British Empire, the British encouraged enslaved people to rise up and fight for the crown. Learn about the Black Loyalists in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A study found that bug biomass has been steadily -- and in some places, dramatically -- decreasing. Learn what may be to blame and what this could this mean for the future in today's classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OK, it's not technically an allergy, but yes: People can have extreme skin reactions to water. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This substance helps provide thick, smooth textures in homemade foods and industrial products alike. Learn about how xanthan gum is used and how it's made in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neanderthals have been portrayed as much less intelligent than humans, but they developed technologies and cultural practices similar to ours -- and sometimes much earlier. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These birds are the subject of a lot of myths, ancient and modern. Learn what roadrunners are really like in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the late 1800s, a doctor who autopsied a criminal had the man's skin made into human leather. Learn the macabre story in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some traits and abilities -- like flight, for example -- are so useful that completely different species evolved them independently over time. Learn about convergent evolution (and divergent evolution) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are plenty of potential reasons for a boom to rumble through the air, but skyquakes don't seem to be attached to any of the usual suspects. Learn more about these mysterious phenomena on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ross 128 b is an Earth-sized planet only 11 light years away that might have the right conditions to sustain life as we know it. Learn how scientists are studying it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pillows we sleep on can collect grime aplenty, but they can't all be washed the same way. Learn what the experts recommend in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These two cheeses look similar on the outside, but it's what inside that counts. Learn about the differences between buratta and mozzarella, and how to use them, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever seen a face in a cloud or thought your electrical outlet was looking at you funny, you've experienced pareidolia. But why does this happen so often? Learn more about how the eyes and brain work together in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, 'The Green Book' was a lifeline connecting Black travelers in the U.S. with businesses that were happy to serve them. Learn how it got started in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The two things that make showers on Earth delightful are hot water and gravity, but in space, both are in limited supply. Learn how astronauts have made do over the years in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop culture often shows cats happily sipping saucers of milk, but giving a cat milk isn't actually the best treat for it -- or you. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the black plague ravaged the rest of France, Paris remained relatively untouched -- and they may have had their fondness for lemonade to thank. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. presidents have the power to pardon anyone from punishment surrounding a federal crime, no questions asked. Learn how this clemency works in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whatever else happens, 2021 is going to be a year with some amazing astronomical events. Learn when they're happening and how to watch them in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have always been parties surrounding U.S. presidential inaugurations, but the events themselves didn't become star-studded until fairly recently. Learn about the history of performances surrounding inaugurations in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breathing through your nose instead of your mouth can help your heart, immune system, and even your anxiety levels. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is profound -- his activism changed the course of history. Including, oddly enough, 'Star Trek'. Learn how he inspired Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Uhura, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all flatulence is created equal -- your diet has a huge impact on the gas you pass. So whose farts are smellier: vegetarians or omnivores? Learn the answer in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fringe theorists sometimes question whether the 1969 moon landing actually happened. In this classic episode of BrainStuff, we explore how astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have reacted when asked whether it's all a conspiracy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Universal basic income is a form of monthly payments to citizens from their government with the idea that financial security makes people (and maybe even economies) healthier. Learn more about UBI and guaranteed income in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After abstaining from alcohol in January, research shows that drinkers consume less in the following months, too. Learn more about Dry January in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.