BrainStuff
2,648 episodes — Page 40 of 53
What Is (and Isn't) Terrorism?
When is -- and isn't -- a crime considered terrorism? The legal, political and moral definitions are often at odds. We explore why on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Are Leaf Blowers So Irritating?
If the sound of leaf blowers makes you angry, you're not alone -- and there's science behind why. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pretending To Be Batman Helps Kids Focus
The Batman Effect, as researchers have dubbed it, allows kids to separate themselves from temptation and stay on task. Learn more on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tips For Staying Safe In A Mass Shooting
We don't expect to ever be in a mass shooting, but assuming the worst can happen is the first step to being prepared. Find out more on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Second Breakfasts Can Be Good For You
A second breakfast can be just as beneficial as a first breakfast. Find out why on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jellyfish Are Brainless, But Still Sleepy
Do jellyfish sleep? Learn more about a new study on the need for sleep in animals, and in jellyfish, in this BrainStuff episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's a Bump Fire Stock Do To A Gun?
Bump fire stocks enable a shooter like Las Vegas killer Steven Paddock to fire a semi-automatic rifle at nearly the rate of an automatic. How do they work? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Origins of Boston and New York’s Accents
What does Boston have against the letter 'R'? BrainStuff digs into the origins of 2 American accents. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Squirrels Organize Their Nuts?
A new study suggests squirrels use memory strategies to remember where they put the good nuts. Find out more on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can You Pass A Drug Test With Someone Else's Urine?
Have you ever tried to beat a drug test? OR Labs are usually able to bust people using someone else's urine. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Number Zero Might Be Older Than We Thought
A new analysis of the ancient Indian Bakhshali manuscript suggests the numerical symbol zero, as we use it today, may be centuries older than previously believed. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Albums Aren't Dead
Do you buy vinyl records? OR Do you still listen to music albums? In which format? Find out how vinyl and streaming complement each other. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Great Archaic Ways To Insult Someone
Kim Jong-un called Donald Trump a dotard. Here are some equally entertaining out-of-date options the 45th president could've thrown back in his face. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wolves Are Smarter Than Dogs?
A new study put dogs and wolves head to head in the intelligence department. Guess which species won? Find out on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What can we learn about ourselves from epic space missions?
Now that Cassini has met its end by plunging into Saturn, it's time to reflect on what we've learned over the decades. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Less people are killed by lightning every year
In the 1940s and '50s, lightning strikes killed hundreds of Americans each year. Now, that number's dropped to only a few dozen. What's changed? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Balloons Stick To Our Hair?
It's a hair-raising experience. BrainStuff explains the secrets of static electricity. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Neanderthals Used Glue
Neanderthals distilled tar more than 100,000 years before modern humans created glue; archaeologists compared three potential ways this ancient tech was used. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Getting a Doctorate Can Affect Your Mental Health
A new study shows doctoral programs can incite some serious psychiatric problems. Learn how getting a Ph.D. affects mental health on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why is the Caspian Sea Evaporating?
The largest lake in the world is gradually shrinking thanks to a changing climate, and beach towns could become landlocked. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There Was a Brutal Prehistoric "Hell Ant"
Instead of a mouth, the hell ant had blades and a metal horn. Learn more about this prehistoric creature on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Which Computer Keys Wear Out First?
As casual computer users shift to touchscreens, wear patterns on computer keyboards have evolved, affecting suppliers of replacement letters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ruined City Under Tunisia's Waters
Archaeologists discovered what they believe to be ruins of the Roman city of Neapolis — underwater near Tunisia. Find out more on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Do Hurricane Categories Mean?
Hurricanes are the strongest storms on the planet. Learn more about how we categorize them from BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Is a Brain-Shaped Blob In Canada?
The magnificent bryozoan is a colonial organism that lives in warm ponds and lakes usually east of the Mississippi River. So what's it doing in western Canada? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the Best Way To Park?
Do people who back their cars into parking spaces slow down the flow? Or are they the smartest in the lot? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Orange Peels Can Revive Landscapes
Decades after a company dumped truckloads of orange peels onto a degraded plot of land, the pasture is flourishing. Learn more on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Voyager 1 is Traveling Through Interstellar Space
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is celebrating its 40th year in space this year. Learn more about its journey on this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Researchers Preserve Smells?
Scents affect how we experience different culures and places, and researchers believe they have historical value. So, how are we preserving them? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Plesiosaurs Use Their Flippers to Swim?
A recent study suggests that these aquatic reptiles used all of their flippers to move efficiently underwater. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Mysteries Behind Abandoned Ships
Have you ever heard about ships that wash up on shores under strange circumstances and without a crew? Learn about abandoned ships on this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Floating Fire Ant Rafts Are Both Dangerous and Cool
Learn about the dangers of floating fire ant colony rafts on this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Did The T. Rex Have Tiny Little Arms?
Tyrannosaurus rex was a giant predator that roamed the earth, so why did it have such tiny arms? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is Not Having A Job Better Than A Bad Job?
Unemployment has negative health effects, but having a bad job can cause stress that's detrimental to well-being. Learn more in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do We Need Treatment Centers For Internet Addiction?
Internet addiction is classified as an epidemic in some Asian countries, but not in the U.S. This episode of BrainStuff looks at internet addiction treatment centers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did a Dinosaur Killing Asteroid Change The Environment?
A new model describes in more detail how the Chicxulub asteroid affected our planet, from dropping temperatures to pausing photosynthesis, with soot playing an integral part. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Can You Use The Emergency Lane?
That driver who uses the highway shoulder in bad traffic could face penalties. Learn when driving in the emergency lane is legal in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do People Walk In Predictable Paths?
What guides the direction a person chooses to move? Learn about what habit and handedness have to do with it in this BrainStuff episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How 'Fido' Became The Name For A Dog
Why is Fido shorthand for a friendly dog? Learn more about the origins of the dog name Fido in this BrainStuff episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did The Grandfather Clock Get Its Name?
In this episode, we’ll look at the history behind how the grandfather clock got its name — and it's probably not what you expect. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When is it Safe to Eat Raw Oysters?
In this episode, BrainStuff looks at if there's any truth behind the old wives' tale that you can't eat oysters in months without the letter 'R.' Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Gut Bacteria Could Become Your Next Sports Drink
Do microbes inside our body have their own circadian rhythms? Learn more about the gut microbiome and circadian rhythms in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Einstein's Right Again
Astronomers have detected hints of Einstein's general relativity in the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Defining Personal Space
How close is too close? In this episode, BrainStuff looks at personal space around the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Swift Lizard Evolution
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Should You Eat A 106-Year-Old Fruitcake?
What relics of South Pole expeditions have turned up? Learn more about Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic fruitcake in this BrainStuff episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Goldfish Make Their Own Alcohol
How do goldfish survive in icy lakes and your poorly cleaned aquarium? Learn more about goldfish and alcohol on this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Separating Ninja Facts From Ninja Fiction
A new ninja research center opened in Japan. This episode looks at the myth of the ninja and what the research center hopes to solve and study. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can NASA Hit An Asteroid with a DART?
In 2022, NASA is planning on ramming a spacecraft into an asteroid to knock it off course. Learn more about the DART mission on this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Millennials Buy Homes For Their Dogs
Millennials are buying real estate, but not for reasons you'd expect. A third of them say they bought their house for their dog. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.