BrainStuff
2,648 episodes — Page 24 of 53
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Get Bags Under Our Eyes?
All humans eventually develop bags under our eyes -- but why? Learn how it happens -- and about some inexpensive, unobtrusive home remedies -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do People Talk Weird in Old Movies?
There's a distinct accent of yesteryear that's not quite British, and not quite American – so what gives? Learn about the Transatlantic accent, or Mid-Atlantic accent, in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre?
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is the worst incident of interracial violence in U.S. history, yet it wasn't discussed for decades, and historians are still unearthing its details. Learn why, and what we do know about it, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Carmine, a Dye Made from Bugs, So Popular?
Carmine is a vibrant, long-lasting red dye that's extracted from crushed cochineal insects. Learn about the intriguing history and modern use of carmine in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Many Continents Are There?
Nailing down what makes a continent a continent is a surprisingly tricky business. Learn more about how we humans have defined landmasses, past and present, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Was a Doctor Once Ridiculed for Recommending Hand Washing?
Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis asked fellow 19th-century doctors to wash their hands between conducting autopsies and delivering babies -- and was ridiculed for it. Learn how he and other sanitation pioneers helped save lives anyway in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is Commensalism?
In commensal biological relationships, one organism benefits from another's work without harming (or, often, even alerting) the worker organism. Learn more about commensalism in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Is Dry Cleaning Actually Wet?
Spoiler Alert: Yep, dry cleaning isn't dry. Instead, it uses a petroleum solvent in place of water. Learn more about dry cleaning in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Can't We Breathe Underwater?
Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, but in a form that we can't breathe. Learn more about how water works in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Juneteenth Get Started?
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating Black American independence and commemorating the ongoing struggle for equality. Learn the history of Juneteenth in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can You Train Yourself to Become Ambidexterous?
Preference for using one hand over the other is both genetic and learned during childhood -- but can we change that later in life? Learn about how handedness and ambidexterity work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is Intersectionality?
Though it started as an obscure legal term, intersectionality has become the matter of some debate. Learn what it means and how it can help everyone out in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Roly-Poly Bugs Work?
These small, grey garden critters go by many names and are more helpful than you might think. Learn about roly-poly 'bugs' (they're actually land crustaceans!) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Would It Take to Postpone a Presidential Election?
The United States has never postponed a presidential election. Learn why it would be extremely difficult to do so 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 We Have Eyebrows?
What are eyebrows really good for, evolutionarily speaking -- and what would we look like if we hadn't developed them? Learn about eyebrows, sweat, and nonverbal communication in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are There 60 Minutes In An Hour Instead of 100?
Lots of human mathematics are based around multiples of the number 10 -- so why do we measure time in multiples of 12? 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.
What Were Jim Crow Laws?
The term 'Jim Crow laws' refers to laws enacted after the U.S. Civil War to prevent emancipated slaves and other people of color from accessing their full rights as citizens. Learn the history of the term and how these laws affected society in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Has a Single Vote Decided an Election?
Voting is an incredibly important way to make your voice heard, but it's very rare for a candidate to win or lose by just one vote. Learn how rare -- and about a few times that it's happened -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Were Squeaky Floors Used for Security?
In Japan during the 1600s, some wealthy households installed purposefully squeaky floors as an alarm system. Learn how nightingale floors work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can a Star Survive a Black Hole Encounter?
In the long run, a black hole will consume any star that crosses its path -- but researchers have found one that should hang on for a few trillion years. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Tear Gas Especially Dangerous During COVID-19?
Police use of tear gas at protests is controversial to begin with because it's so harmful, but these weapons may also help spread the novel coronavirus. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: What Is Russia's 'Dead Hand'?
We’ve all seen movies with supervillains building catastrophic Doomsday devices – but one exists in the real world, too. In this classic episode, learn how the Cold War led to the most dangerous nuclear system in history: Russia’s 'Dead Hand' Perimeter system. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Does TV Resolution Matter?
There's a lot of hype about high-definition TV, ultra-high definition, and beyond. But does this race to jam more pixels into screens actually matter? Learn more about the human eye and digital resolution in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is It Safe to Swim During the COVID-19 Outbreak?
As public spaces begin to open, safety measures to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 are more important than ever. So how could a public pool or beach be safe? Learn about the CDC's recommendations in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the Mason-Dixon Line Come to Divide the North from the South?
The Mason-Dixon Line started as a tax-related land survey -- so how it come to stand as the barrier between slave states and free states during the Civil War? Learn the history of Mason and Dixon -- and how they contributed to science -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Many Americans Know Someone in Jail or Prison?
A study found that nearly half of all U.S. citizens have an immediate family member who's been incarcerated for at least one night. Learn how the numbers break down in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Perceived During His Time?
Many myths about the Civil Rights movement have arisen in the past few decades, including the idea that MLK was always considered an American hero. Learn how public opinion was divided, and how that changed over time, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is the World's Most Dangerous Tree?
The tropical manchineel tree bears apple-like fruit, but eating it -- or just touching its leaves or bark -- can cause a world of hurt. Learn about the 'apple of death' in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: What's the Most Expensive Book in the World?
Book collectors may spend thousands on signed copies or rare editions, but the biggest price tag in book-buying history was in the millions. Learn why the world's priciest book is essentially a treatise on plumbing 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 Is Our Blood Red?
Human blood is red -- yes, even when it's in your body. Learn why -- and why your veins appear blue through your skin -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If You BBC Someone on an Email, Can Other Recipients Find Out?
Email systems are designed to keep BCC recipients hidden, but mistakes -- and attacks -- can happen. Learn about CCing, BCCing, etiquette, and email security in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can the Wind Knock You Off Your Feet?
There are indeed gusts of wind strong enough to knock a person off their feet, but for most of us, it'd take a lot of wind. Learn more about how wind works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is Shangri-La A Real Place?
Shangri-La began as a work of fiction, but it's loosely based in Buddhist mythology and has borne a couple namesakes in the real world. Learn about Shangri-La in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is NASA's Odor Panel?
NASA tests everything it sends into space for a lot of things -- including stinkiness. Learn who NASA's odor volunteers are and what they do in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do We Observe Memorial Day?
Since the Civil War, Americans have taken a day in late May to honor fallen soldiers. Learn two theories on how this tradition began in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Can You Fix the Shower Going Hot When a Toilet Flushes?
If you've ever gotten a hot shock from someone flushing a toilet while you were taking a shower, there's an easy fix for that. Learn why it happens and how to fix it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Why Can Helicopter Blades Look Weird on Video?
Depending on the camera settings and recording technology used to film helicopters, the blades can appear to bend, fragment, stand still, or move backwards. 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.
Who Was Karl Marx, and What Were His Philosophies?
Karl Marx was one of the most influential (and, ultimately, destructive) thinkers in history. Learn about his life, what he wrote, and why his ideas are still worthwhile in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Uranus Work?
The eighth planet in our solar system is fairly mysterious: Why is it tilted on its side? Why is it so much colder than similar planet? Learn what we know -- and what we don't know -- about Uranus in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Cuttlefish Work?
Cuttlefish are clever cephalopods that communicate with color. Learn the basics about cuttlefish in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did a Court Case End Japanese Internment?
Together, Mitsuye Endo and James C. Purcell -- a Japanese-American woman and her lawyer -- brought down Executive Order 9066, which interred Japanese Americans during WWII. Learn about the order and its demise in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Chia Pets Work?
From an uncertain start to an empire of kitsch, Chia Pets have become an American icon. Learn the history behind the trend 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 Can't You Tickle Yourself?
It’s almost impossible to trick your brain in order to tickle yourself. Learn why, and how tickling works to begin with, in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Does Anxiety Work?
Anxiety is a normal, healthy response in the human body, but when it interferes with daily life it can become a disorder. Learn about anxiety's symptoms and biochemistry -- and how you treat it -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Are Antibodies, and Why Are We Testing for Them?
Antibodies are an important part of our immune system's toolkit in identifying and fighting infections. Learn how they work -- and what antibody tests can tell us -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is NASA's Astronaut Beach House?
Yes, NASA has a beach house, and yes, it's the setting for some fabulous stories. Learn the history of the the Kennedy Space Center Beach House and Conference Center in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Were African American Spirituals, and What's Their Musical Legacy?
African American folk spirituals were participatory music meant not just to comfort but to convey messages among enslaved people. Learn how historians think they worked -- and how they influenced modern music -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Birds Mob?
If you've ever heard a group of birds cawing their little lungs out for minutes on end, you may have heard a bird mob. Learn how bird mobs work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Were Samurai and Ninja Really Like?
Tales of honorable samurai and unscrupulous ninja abound, but are these legends based in reality? (Spoiler alert: uh, sorta.) Learn about the real history of samurai and how the stories came about in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Can Your Eyes Pop Out Of Your Head When You Sneeze?
You may have heard that if you keep your eyes open during a sneeze, they could pop out of their sockets -- but is that true? Learn the science of how your eyes stay in your head -- and why they can pop out -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.