BrainStuff
2,648 episodes — Page 33 of 53
Can We Save the World's Coral?
Much of the world's coral is in danger, but a recently developed farming technique could help it regrow. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Coffee Drinks Often Have Italian Names?
Many popular coffee drinks in America have Italian (or faux-Italian) names, but why? Learn the history behind these names in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can a Star Become a Giant Crystal?
After our sun dies, it and many other stars will eventually crystallize. Learn how astrophysicists figured this out -- and how it works -- in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Footballs Fly Farther in Denver?
Denver's Mile High Stadium sits a full mile above sea level -- is that distance really enough to make a difference in the air compared with other stadiums, and thus in how footballs fly there? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are the Dare Stones Forgeries or the Key to the Roanoke Mystery?
In the 1930s, stones surfaced that might explain what happened to the settlers of the lost colony of Roanoke. Learn their story -- plus how modern science might help determine whether they're real -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could a Vaccine Help Save Honey Bees?
Honey bees are dying off due to a number of dangers, including bacterial diseases. Learn how researchers are hoping to help these important pollinators in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the 'Green Book' Change Life for Black Travelers?
Before the Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination illegal, black Americans faced even greater dangers while on the road. Learn how a Bronx mailman made travel safer and supported black entrepreneurs in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Lobster So Expensive?
Lobster hasn't always been a luxury -- and prices have the potential to drop again. Learn the history and politics behind these tasty crustaceans in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the Biggest Building on Earth?
To create the biggest-ever airplanes, Boeing created the biggest-ever building. (Before they learned to control the temperature, clouds formed near its ceiling.) Learn more about this mammoth structure in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Bruises Change Color?
Bruises can turn a rainbow of colors before they heal -- but why? Learn the science behind color-changing contusions in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could Hemp Become America's Biggest Crop?
New legislation in the United States allows farmers to grow hemp -- cannabis's non-psychoactive cousin. Learn why this could become big business in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the History of Nail Polish?
The nail polishes popular today owe their existence to the automotive industry, but the history of nail colors and varnishes goes back millennia. Learn the history of nail polish in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Makes Some Lakes Explode?
Given the right depth, temperature, and access to volcanic gases, lakes can explode and kill thousands in the process. Learn how these limnic eruptions happen in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Scorpions Glow Under Black Light?
Scorpions light up a glowing green under ultraviolet light. Science isn't entirely sure how but has a few theories on why. (Y'know, aside from "Scorpions are metal.") Learn more about scorpions' fluorescence in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Skim Versus Whole Milk: Which Spoils Faster?
Some food safety charts claim that whole milk goes off more quickly than skim milk, but the scientific evidence is mixed. Learn more about milk science 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 Does Gasoline Smell So Good?
Some of you are giving this episode title serious side-eye, but believe us: some other folks think gasoline smells excellent. Delicious, even. 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: Does Eating Before Bed Give You Nightmares?
Popular wisdom holds that eating before bed -- and especially eating spicy or 'strange' food, however you define strange -- will doom you to nightmares. But is there any science behind that? 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.
Is the Earth Humming to Us?
Our planet Earth produces a constant hum too quiet for our ears to detect, but researchers have finally captured a recording of it. Learn more about the sound, called permanent free oscillations, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Cold-Blooded Animals Survive the Winter?
Reptiles and amphibians have all sorts of adaptations for surviving cold weather, even in places where temperatures dip below freezing. Learn how they manage the cold in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are Restaurants' Michelin Stars Related to Michelin Tires?
Receiving one or more Michelin stars is one of the highest honors in the restaurant industry. Learn how a tire company started this prestigious tradition in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Does Helium Make Your Voice Squeaky?
If you take a pull of air from a helium balloon, you'll sound like a cartoon version of yourself for a few seconds. Learn why helium makes you so high pitched in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can We Make Better Resolutions?
Humans have been making New Years' resolutions for millennia, but we're still bad at keeping them. Learn some science behind building better resolutions 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 Don't Humans Have Tails?
Lots of other mammals make great use of their tales, so why don't humans have them? Learn about the science of tails 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 There A Noise Loud Enough To Kill You?
You've probably experienced a noise loud enough that it hurt your ears, but could a noise be so loud that it could actually kill you? Spoiler alert: Yes. Learn more in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Whales Have Pop Songs?
Whale songs are eerie, beautiful, and -- as it turns out -- completely on-trend. Learn how humpback whales share tunes among herds in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Are Some Words Funny?
Words like 'poop' and 'wiggle' are inherently humorous, and science may have figured out why. Learn what research has to say about why some words tickle us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Does Beer Foam Last Longer Than Soda Foam?
Beer and soda both form sudsy bubbles when you pour them, so why does soda's foam dissipate while beer's forms a head? Learn about foam physics in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Exactly Are Frankincense and Myrrh?
Frankincense and myrrh play a part not only in the story of Christmas, but in lots of other religious traditions as well -- and a few practical ones, too. Learn more about these aromatic substances in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Are Christmas Trees That Shape?
Most of the trees decorated for Christmas don't naturally grow in a perfect cone shape -- so how do they get that way, and why did we decide on that shape in the first place? Learn about the history of Christmas trees in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Holly a Christmas Decoration?
Why exactly do folks deck the halls with boughs of holly during the Christmas season? Learn about the history and legends behind holly in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Accents Work?
Everybody has an accent -- some are just considered neutral by native speakers. Learn how accents develop and how they influence us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Happens When Elevator Cables Break?
Elevators cables are inspected on the regular, but what happens when one breaks? Learn about the ingenious systems that keep elevators safe when even the worst happens 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 Sing in the Shower?
It's somewhere between tempting and inevitable to break into song in the shower. But why? Learn about the psychology and physiology of shower singing in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is Palm Oil in So Many Things?
Palm oil is in lots of foods, cosmetics, and household products -- and that's a very serious thing. Learn the problems (and solutions) that palm oil presents in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Dogs Get Embarrassed When We Put Them in Costumes?
The photos on social media are arguably the cutest, but how do dogs feel when we dress them up? Can dogs feel emarrassment? Learn what science has to say in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?
When we lose weight, it doesn't just vanish. Learn how our bodies shrink fat cells 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 The Oldest Living Thing?
To be fair, the answer to this question depends on what you consider 'living' and 'thing' to mean. Learn a few possible answers 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 Sleep?
We spend somewhere around a third of our lives sleeping, but why? Learn what happens when you sleep (and what happens when you don't) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Are Stop Signs Red?
Stop signs were always the red octagons we know today -- so how was the color chosen, and why has it stuck? Learn about the history and psychology of red traffic signals in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who Is Krampus?
This horned holiday demon has entered our pop culture consciousness, but where do Krampus legends come from? Learn about the history of Krampusnacht in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Have Funerals Changed Since the '60s?
The ways we think about funerals are bound to change over time, but the 1960s was a real turning point. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could Neanderthals Laugh?
Neanderthals were more like us than we previously thought, but could they laugh? Learn why researchers think they could in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Gelatin Work?
Gelatin makes Jell-O wiggle and provides texture to all sorts of products, but what is it made of? Learn what's happening on a molecular level when you use gelatin 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 People Go Bald?
Humans are one of the only mammals to commonly experience balding. Learn the science behind thinning hair 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 You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice?
Your voice sounds different in recordings than it does to your own ears, but why? Learn the science behind this phenomena in today's classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do We Define the Kilogram?
The kilogram used to be measured against an agreed-upon chunk of metal stored in France, but no longer. Learn the new measure of this standard unit of measurement in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can I Donate My Brain to Science?
Researchers, like zombies, are interested in brains of all kinds. Learn a few basics about how donating your brain to science works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could Cheap Magnets Help Save Sharks?
The fishing industry accidentally kills millions of sharks every year, but researchers think they've found a seriously inexpensive solution. Learn how it could work 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 Test Middle Schoolers' Fitness?
From the outdated Presidential Fitness Test to today's FITNESSGRAM, Americans have been giving standardized fitness tests to middle school kids for decades. Learn the past and present of these exams in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Can Probiotics Really Do?
Some claims make it sound like probiotics are a cure-all, but what has research found so far? Learn more about these supplements for your microbiome in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.