BrainStuff
2,648 episodes — Page 43 of 53
Do Supplemental Vitamins Actually Work?
A vitamin a day keeps you healthy to play. Or does it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Night Vision Work?
For the vast majority of international travelers, a passport is a necessity. But why? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do I Need A Passport To Travel?
For the vast majority of international travelers, a passport is a necessity. But why? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Bed Bugs Work?
These insects live in your bedroom, drink your blood and stain your sheets. How do you get rid of them? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What If The Moon Disappeared?
Without the moon, how would Earth's environment be affected? Would we survive? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is "Ranch" Flavor?
A plumber in Alaska invented a bizarre condiment that launched a multimillion dollar industry, and today ranch is the most popular salad dressing in the US. But what exactly is this stuff? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is Fracking?
You’ve heard of fracking, and you’re pretty sure lots of people don’t like it, but do you know how it actually works? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Science of Glow Sticks
What do fireflies, TVs, neon signs, and glowsticks have in common? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does Your Name Determine Your Future?
How much does your name actually matter? Are some names going to make you rich, while others make you poor? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Happens When I Have A Hangover?
If you've ever had a few too many beers at a party, then you've probably encountered the symptoms of a hangover -- the pulsing headache, dry mouth, nausea and more. But what's actually happening to you? And what is it about alcohol that can turn a wonderful Saturday night into an agonizing Sunday morning? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Laugh Tracks Work?
Sitcoms use laugh tracks all the time. But where do they come from? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice?
The recorded sound of your voice usually makes you cringe because of two ways vibrations reach your ear. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Air Force One Work?
When the President travels the friendly skies, he does it in style. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Marijuana Affect Your Memory?
People who smoke pot have a reputation for being forgetful or absentminded. But what's the real science behind this? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Looked Like?
Can we really reconstruct a dinosaur’s appearance from a bunch of million-year-old fossils? How? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does Eating Before Bed Give You Nightmares?
Why do some foods affect our dreams? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do Men Have Nipples?
Men don’t usually lactate – but they can! Christian explores how breast tissue develops in human embryos of both sexes, and explains why mice are more advanced, evolution-wise. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Does Gasoline Smell So Good?
Some people sense a sweet, euphoric odor when pumping gas into their car. Why is that? And is it hazardous? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Is The Oldest Living Thing?
From eldritch aspen colonies to immortal jellyfish, the world is lousy with long-lived organisms. But what’s the oldest? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do We Sleep?
Sleeping is frustrating for many of us. So why do we have to do it? Christian reviews several possibilities and reveals all the bad things that can happen if you sleep too much... or not at all. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Captain America's Shield Work?
Let's take a look at the fictional history of Captain America's indestructible shield and try to figure out how it might have been forged and how aerodynamic it could be. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Sleepwalking Work?
Have you ever walked in your sleep? Somnambulism isn't as rare as you might think. Join Christian as he explores the facts and fiction about sleepwalking, from its many possible causes to whether you can safely wake up a somnambulist mid-stroll. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Shouldn't I Rob A Bank?
Robbing a bank is a dumb idea. And not just because it's illegal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can Absinthe Make You Hallucinate?
Absinthe has a dangerous reputation. But will you really meet The Green Fairy if you drink it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Don't Humans Have Tails?
Whether they’re swatting away horseflies or helping a monkey swing through the forest, tails are a pretty amazing adaptation. So why don’t humans have them? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Where Is The Biggest Garbage Dump On Earth?
Even though 80% of trash starts on land, tons of it ends up in the ocean, swirling around in a massive patch of plastic debris. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do You Really Need To Wash Your Jeans?
You might have heard this odd advice from fashion gurus before – “don’t wash your jeans!” But why? Is it real advice, or just a prank pulled on unsuspecting, dim-witted denim rubes? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do People Go Bald?
For most men, losing your hair is an inevitable side effect of aging. Christian describes the growth cycle of hair, types of baldness that affect men and women, and how most ladies feel about bald dudes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are Humans Still Evolving?
We may not have mutant powers like the X-Men, but natural selection is still changing humanity… for the better. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Can't You Tickle Yourself?
It’s almost impossible to trick your brain so you can tickle yourself. Unless you're schizophrenic… Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are Pop Rocks Dangeorus?
Did Pop Rocks really blow the door off of a delivery van? Has anyone ever died from eating these popping bits of sugar? The answers might surprise you. Join Christian as he looks into the truth behind the rumors surrounding the uniquely (and surprisingly loud) candy called Pop Rocks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does Hypnosis Actually Work?
We see hypnosis in movies and TV all the time – after a few swings of a watch, some poor sap starts clucking like a chicken or crying like a baby – but is there any truth to this? Can you actually hypnotize someone? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do We Get Bags Under Our Eyes?
We all get bags under our eyes that make us look tired. Here's how it inevitably happens and some remedies to look your best. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Radiation Sickness Work?
Christian explains the science behind the healthy green glow. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is There A Noise Loud Enough To Kill You?
Loud noises suck. But are they deadly? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does LASIK Work?
Christian explains the process and risks of LASIK surgery, from preoperative exams, to lasers in your eyes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?
At first, it sounds crazy -- wouldn't hot water take longer to freeze? Weirdly enough, the opposite is sometimes true. Join Christian to learn more about a mystery that's puzzled humanity for centuries in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Can't People Remember Being Born?
You probably remember your 18th birthday, but not your first – or your zeroth. Why is that? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Bitcoin Work?
If money is only valuable when we believe in it, how much is a Bitcoin actually worth? Christian explains the virtual currency as well as how to mine it and the risks involved in investing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do IUDs Work?
Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are a popular and effective method of birth control. So why don't Americans use them? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Silica Gel Work?
What is silica gel, and why do I find little packets of it in everything I buy? Christian explains it all in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Do Those Tabs On Rearview Mirrors Actually Do?
Sure, rearview mirrors are cool -- but how do they actually work? How can the same piece of glass have two different amounts of reflection? Join Christian as he explains the science behind these handy devices. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Figs Really Have Dead Wasps In Them?
Some figs need fig wasps to pollinate their fruit. But are we eating dead wasps every time we bite into a fig? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Accents Work?
Have you ever wondered how accents work? Tune in to this episode of BrainStuff to find out about the ever-evolving accent. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Causes Chapped Lips?
For some people, winter means a daily battle against cracking, scaling or peeling lips. But what actually causes chapped lips? How can you prevent it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How (And Why) Do Cats Purr?
Cats purr for all kinds of reasons, including communication and healing themselves. Christian explains how purring works and which cats can't do it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Don't Humans Ride Zebras?
They’re just horses with stripes, right? So why don’t we ride them around like Seabiscuit or Black Beauty? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How does your stomach keep from digesting itself?
The stomach is a hollow, many-layered organ that produces powerful acids to break down food -- and another substance to protect the stomach from being digested. Find out what this substance is, and learn more about the stomach, in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is the battery light on your car's dashboard for?
Cars rely on batteries to keep their electrical parts running and alternators to keep their batteries alive. Battery lights come into play when there's a charging problem. Find out more about battery lights in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why is cotton more absorbent than nylon?
When water comes in contact with the complex molecules that make up cotton and nylon, it causes a different action in each material -- but why? Listen in as Marshall Brain breaks down the science behind water absorption in this podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.