Your Brain on Facts

You want it, you need it, but if you get too much, it could kill you. Salt is so much more than just a seasoning; it has changed the course of human history! 03:00 your body and salt 05:55 drinking saltwater 11:10 paying Roman soldiers in salt 14:50 how salt makes food taste good 17:40 salt mining and a big booboo 24:33 zany alternatives to road salt Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Support the show. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Einstein didn't flunk math, people in Columbus's time didn't think the earth was flat, and lemmings don't fling themselves off cliffs. Why is it the false facts spread so quickly and dig in so deep? 02:10 Everything you think you know about pirates 08:00 Ellis Island name changes 13:05 Sharks don't get cancer 20:50 Alpha wolves Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Support the show. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My father was a sci-fi fan of the old school. The man had the entire original Star Trek series on VHS, commercial free, and an Enterprise technical manual. So in his honor, a little late for Father's Day, we go back in time to look to the future as we dive into the wormhole of classic sci-fi. With segments voiced by Shaun Ennis, host of Stories of Yore and Yours. You can find all the links used to research this episodes on our website, but here's the one you wanted, the pics of the skant uniform. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Support the show. Music by Kevin MacLeod and sound effects from freesound.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Science With Savannah, Age 7 will be on the YBOF feed while we try to work out some technical problems with its feed.) How do dogs bark? Do they have different barks for different reasons? Do wolves bark? Music by audionautix.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(the system ate my show notes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Science With Savannah, Age 7 will be on the YBOF feed while we try to work out some technical problems with its feed.) Why is all this air moving? Are there different kinds of wind? What is equilibrium? Music by audionautix.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Pride Month in June? Did Marsha P Johnson really throw the first brick at Stonewall Inn? Did the Stonewall Riots start the gay rights movement? Read the full script and find sources. Support the show. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Science With Savannah, Age 7 will be on the YBOF feed while we try to work out some technical problems with its feed.) How do fish breathe underwater and worms breath in the dirt? Do insects have lungs? Why are things in the air more harmful to birds than other animals? Which animals breathe through their butts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a special trio of topics for your Tuesday (or whenever!): Great Moments in Forgetting Your Mic Was On Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Childish Weapons of WWII Read the full script and find sources. Support the show. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Post-op's been a bit rough, so to tide you over until the next proper episode, here are some fan-selected favorite clips as well as the first episode of our new show, Science with Savannah Age 7. Support the show. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first "Like Butter in the Bank," we talked about strategic reserves -- Canadian maple syrup, Chinese pork, Indian cotton, European butter, and American raisins -- intended to stabilize prices. Today we look at stockpiles designed to help us survive, in both the short and long term. Read the full script and find sources. Support the show. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the most iconic photos of the 20th century, from "Migrant Mother" during the Great Depression to "The Dying Marine" in Vietnam, were taken by women making their way in an industry that was not prepared for them. Mentioned in the show: Migrant Mother Pics *of* Jessie Beals Dickie Chapell's Last Rites Read the full script and find sources. Support the show. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod and Audionautix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is something in modern man that makes him look at society and say “I could do this better, but smaller, and over there.” What does it take to build a utopia? No one knows yet, because they've all failed. Support the show. Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod and Twin Musicom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This topic came from our monthly Patreon topic poll. It didn't win, but a patron was curious how I would make this topic interesting. What do you know about Finland? ... That's what I thought! So sit back, close your eyes (unless you're driving) and fill your brain with fine Finnish facts. Guest segment from Conspiracy Theoryology Audio feedback from Bunny Trails podcast Support the show. Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Thanks to special guests Sophia and Matryoshka for jingling their collars in range of the mic.) The havoc that human beings (and a cat named Tibbles) can wreak on native birds, in an episode that wasn't supposed to be all-bird, but here we are. Podcast partner: The Short Stories of Augie Peterson Mentioned: mustached kingfisher Support the show. Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow the stories of five people (an outlaw, a murderess, a nightclub dancer, a natural wonder, and a first lady) who covered a lot of ground... after they died. Mentioned: Marie O'Day's Palace Car Support the show. Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram, email, and you can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Music by Kevin MacLeod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voice acting is so much more than just cartoons; it’s documentary narration, GPS voices, smart speakers, and so much more. And if you can get in good, your career will be legendary, even if no one knows your name or what you look like. Support the show. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of world-saving heroes, you think Superman, Captain America, Randy Quaid in Independence Day. But there are real life people who have saved thousands, even millions of lives within living memory, and you’ve probably never even heard their names. Support the show. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Twinkies and PMS to sleepwalking and The Matrix, we look at brilliantly bizarre legal strategies people have tried and sometimes even succeeded with. Mentioned: Abused Goddess photo campaign Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From military dolphins to railroad monkeys, hear about some of the more surprising jobs that our cousins in the animal kingdom can do. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script and find sources. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the third installment of our infrequent series: We Can’t Have Nice Things. This time, we’re looking at people who, through ignorance or malice ruins something not theirs -- vandals. Their motives range from greed, to anger, to unchecked egomania. Some get caught, while others get away to screw things up somewhere else. If researching this script taught me anything, it’s that nothing is sacred to them, literally. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since colonial times, African-Americans have fought in America’s wars. Black soldiers have put their lives on the line for a country that for centuries has enslaved, segregated, and discriminated against them. Until the Korean War, blacks served in segregated units under racist leadership and were often relegated to labor and service units. Despite the continuous discriminatory treatment that denied blacks full participation in America’s wars and military efforts, these brave men and women lived lives that deserved to be remembered. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The human body can be a frail and fragile thing; we can be taken out by a small clump of our own cells. Then there are some bodies that seem to be made out of pure testicular fortitude. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've all been through bad break-ups, but we should count ourselves lucky we were exiles, imprisoned or beheaded. Special guest: Fan Theory World Check out our new tiers and limited time special offer on Patreon. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the third installment of our sometimes-series We Can't Have Nice Things, we get back to basics and look at brazen acts of vandalism on natural wonders, works of art, and more. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From using a train in a car race to marathon doping with deadly poison, there's far more excitement in racing than simply declaring a winner. Check out our new tiers and limited time special offer on Patreon. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, even if it means inhaling strange gasses, being stung by wasps, or swallowing patient's bodily fluids. Check out our new tiers and limited time special offer on Patreon. Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the oldest playable instrument we've found? How do you make music with lightning? From clacking rocks together to the magnificent Marble Machine, musical instruments are as varied as our imaginations. Special guest, Elizabeth from Archivists Bet On Sexy Witches Music by Kevin MacLeod All music used remains property of its original owner and was used under the fair use doctrine for educational purposes. Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mankind has waged war for many reasons: land, oil, a pretty face, a wooden bucket, you name it. How did a pig put the US and UK on the brink of war in Canada? Who declares hostility over watermelon? And what about the Golden Stool? Support the show Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the fill script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sigmund Freud may be the father of psychoanalysis, but he got a LOT of stuff wrong. Special guest extravaganza with Bunny Trails, Ignorance Was Bliss, Interesting Sex, and The Story Behind podcasts. Support the show Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the full script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 billion people spread across 59 million square miles, but we all need to eat and we eat more things that are than same than different. Learn about pizza preference, drunk foods, and truly unique fare around the world. Support the show Music by Chris Haugen Read the fill script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. You can also leave a question or fact of your own on my voicemail at 804-404-2669. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You've probably heard about the Austrian Christmas demon Krampus, but what about Befana, the Italian Christmas witch? In what country do you need reservations for Xmas dinner at KFC? Where do people wish you happy holidays with a specific request for presents? Promo: Soulstory podcast Watch the Yule Goat. Support the show Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the fill script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our instantly-connected world, there are entire groups of people you may never have heard of, whether they have never had contact with others or they live alongside the better known population. Learn about the Sami of Norway, Yali of New Guinea, Ladakhi of India, and more. Support the show Music by Kevin MacLeod and Audionautix. Read the script. Reach out and touch Moxie on FB, Twit, the 'Gram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As long as we have had media on which to record our art, there have been competing formats. While more modern examples like Betamax vs VHS or Blu-ray vs HD DVD may leap to mind, format wars go back as far as the days of Thomas Edison and the first audio media, wax cylinders. We'll also look at 8-tracks, 16-2/3 RPM records, "self-destructing" DVD's, and a string of Sony failures. Mentions: EngineerGuy Music by Kevin MacLeod Read the script. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From naming ceremonies around the world and adult circumcisions, to unexpected disasters and baptising the dead whether they want it or not, we look at different ways people are made part of their faith or community. Music by Kevin MacLeod and Tabletop Audio. Read the script. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think you don't speak French because you failed it in high school? Wouldn't know Hindi from Urdu? You actually speak them every day! Mentions: NativLang, Marge Bruchac's letter Music by Kevin MacLeod, and Chris Haugen. Read the script. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the Yellow Pages and Golden Book, to Mao's little red book, three different green books and more! Music by Kevin MacLeod, Audionautix, and Rooster Teeth (I love you, please don't sue). Read the script. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From music hall to Red Dwarf, pantomime to Absolutely Fabulous, we look at the history of British comedy, the names, shows, and historical events that made it what it is today. Like what you hear? Become a patron of the arts for as little as $2 a month! Music: Kevin MacLeod and John Phillips Sousa. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many reasons why an individual or group would eat other people - religious rites, shows of strength, signs of respect, and of course desperation. Cannibalism can be split into four often overlapping categories: by choice, by necessity, endo-cannibalism (eating people within your group), and exo-cannibalism (eating people outside your group). Special guests: Heather from Nature Vs Narcissism and Seth from Sketch Nerds. Music: Kevin MacLeod and Tabletop Audio Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Carlin wasn't wrong with his list of 7 dirty words you can't say, but he missed a whole lot. Everyday parts of our media and surprisingly innocuous things were banned from movies, TV, and radio for the better part of the twentieth century. Lucille Ball was pregnant on "I Love Lucy," but they weren't allowed to say the word 'pregnant.' Movies were forbidden from showing drugs, murder, silhouettes of nudity, "excessive kissing," and a lot more. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. I Am Running Down the Long Hallway of Viewmont Elementary by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some musicians that leave an enduring legacy through long and storied careers, like the Rolling Stones, who formed in 1962 and swear 2018 for be their final year touring, for real this time. There are actors who are iconic because they have been on our TV’s or the silver screen for decades, like Sean Connery, James Earl Jones, and our beloved Betty White. But by the same token, there are musicians, actors, and shows that are like a stone dropped in a pond -- their appearance was brief, but their ripples continue to this day. With special guest, Dan LeFebvre from Based On A True Story podcast. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept 15 to Oct 15. Join us in celebrating cultural touchstones and famous people, as well as learning things like the distinction between Latino and Hispanic. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Shel Silverstein turn your kids into cannibals? Is a baby penguin spreading the "gay agenda"? We look at children, young adult, and LGBTQ books challenged or banned for silly reasons. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Learn why parents objected to such diverse classics as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Ender's Game and which book is banned in the most countries. With special guest Megan Dangerous from Oh No! Lit Class podcast. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Goats are the internet’s second favorite animal, a ruminant quadruped that gives us milk, meat, fiber, and hilarious videos. Legend has it they also discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, cataract surgery, and coffee. They can climb seemingly impossible heights and escape every kind of fence mankind has invented. They feature in the zodiac and the mythologies of most of the world. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s in a name? That which we call a city by any other name would smell as sweet. Some nicknames are obvious. Denver, CO is the Mile High City because it’s precisely one mile above sea level. Dallas, Texas is The Big D; everything’s bigger in Texas. But which American city can also be called The Emerald City, which state is the Land of Lincoln and what’s a buckeye or a Sooner? Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to open an actual door to the past, you’ll have to do it without a doorknob. The patent for the a knob that turns to move a latch inside the door wasn't filed until 1878. Lots of things, from CPR to timezones to sliced bread, that seem like they've been around forever are actually quite young. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Genghis Kahn's empire killed 2/3 of Northern China, but people under his rule knew unrivaled gender equality and religious freedom. Mother Teresa gave aid to the poor, but also encouraged their suffering. Spiky cacti sometimes contain life-sustaining water, and even the most beautiful roses have thorns. We’re all some mix of good and bad. Thanks to our special guests Dimly Lit podcast. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a literal world of funeral practices to choose from, from an Irish wake to Tibetan sky burial, from New Orleans Jazz funerals to Balinese ngaben cremation, from being buried in a car-shaped coffin in Ghana to burying the head of family with a funnel in their mouth in Nigeria, so you can give them palm wine during the funeral. Thanks to our special guests from Life in Stories podcast. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tests are all around us. You probably took one the minute you were born. We look at tests named for the people who created them - Bechdel, Myers-Briggs, Apgar, and more. 01:25 Bechdel-Wallace 09:00 DuVernay 13:40 Myer-Briggs 18:10 Apgar Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music by Kevin MacLeod . Links to all the research resources are on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices