BrainStuff

iHeartPodcasts

Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

2,688 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes2688

Newest first

February 18 · 7 min
How Did the Jane Collective Work?
When abortion was illegal throughout the U.S., it was still perfomed -- just dangerously or expensively. Learn about the Jane Collective -- an underground network that helped people access safe, affordable, illegal abortions -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/jane-collective.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
February 17 · 7 min
How Do Ducks Float?
Ducks can hold extra air in their feathers and bodies, making it easy for them to float -- and to squeeze out the air and dive when they want to. Learn more about ducks and bouyancy in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/duck-float.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
February 1 · 6 min
BrainStuff Classics: What Was the Emu War?
Following World War II, Austrialia became embroiled in another war -- with a population of emu. Learn how the Emu War unfolded in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/ridiculous-history-emu-war.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 31 · 7 min
BrainStuff Classics: Do Truly Unselfish Acts Really Exist?
Neurologists and philosophers alike may argue that altruism doesn't exist because no act is ever completely unselfish. Learn why -- and why humans may have evolved this way -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/unselfish-act.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 28 · 7 min
How Is Forest Lawn Memorial Park the 'Disneyland of Cemeteries'?
Just outside Los Angeles, Forest Lawn Memorial Park is the resting place of many celebrities -- and also home to art, architecture, and celebrations of life. Learn about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/funerals/forest-lawn-memorial-park.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 27 · 10 min
What Colors Can Blood Be Other Than Red?
Not all animals have red blood -- it can also come in green, blue, clear, and even dichroic varieties. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/5-animals-whose-blood-isnt-red.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 26 · 6 min
What Caused the Laughter Epidemic of 1962?
At a girls' boarding school in what's now Tanzania, a fit of giggles expanded into a months-long epidemic of stressed-out laughter affecting hundreds of people. Learn what we know (and still don't know) about this mass psychogenic illness in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/behavior/1962-tanganyika-laughter-epidemic.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 23 · 11 min
What's the History of Remote Controls?
Today, we use remote controls for everything from televisions to car doors to Mars rovers. Learn about the history and technologies behind them (including radio-frequency, ultrasonic, and infrared remotes) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/repurposed-inventions/history-of-remote-control.htm; https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/remote-control.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 22 · 10 min
How Did One Portuguese Diplomat Save Thousands of Holocaust Refugees?
During WWII, a diplomat by the name of Aristides de Sousa Mendes disobeyed his government in order to provide safe passage to thousands of people fleeing fascist violence in Europe. Learn how his descendents are working together with descendents of those he saved to tell his story in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/aristides-de-sousa-mendes.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
January 1 · 10 min
How Do Search-And-Rescue Dogs Work?
When every minute counts, search-and-rescue dogs can help locate disaster victims far faster than humans alone. Learn about how they're trained in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/sar-dog.htm/printable See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 31, 2025 · 5 min
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Drop a Ball on New Year's Eve?
The tradition of dropping a ball in Times Square to mark the beginning of a new year only goes back about a century. Learn about the history -- plus four weird things that other cities drop instead -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 30, 2025 · 8 min
Can You Really Die of Boredom?
No, you can't literally die of boredom -- but it can lead to some high-risk behaviors. Learn more about boredom, ennui, and how to shake them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/bored-to-death.htm; https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/ennui See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 26, 2025 · 7 min
BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Cashmere Cost So Much?
Cashmere can be more expensive than other wools because producing it is such an intensive process -- for the goats that grow it and the humans who care for them. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/why-is-cashmere-so-expensive.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 25, 2025 · 6 min
Why Is There a Pooping Figurine in Some Nativity Scenes?
In Catalonia, there's a two-hundred-year-old tradition of including a figurine of a man pooping in the shadows of Nativity scenes. Learn about el caganer in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/pooping-man-catalan-nativity-scene.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 24, 2025 · 10 min
How Do Rice Cookers Work?
These small appliances help home cooks achieve excellent rice via two categories of technology: ingeniously simple physics, or incredibly complex algorithms. Learn about heat-sensitive switches and fuzzy logic in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/rice-cooker.htm/printable For more about the history of rice cookers, check out this episode of Lauren's other podcast, Savor: The Warm and Fuzzy Rice Cooker Episode See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 23, 2025 · 10 min
How Can Mudlarking Turn Trash Into Treasure?
Mudlarking means sifting through riverbank muck in hopes of finding lost or discarded historical artefacts. Learn how it works, especially in the River Thames, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/archaeology/mudlarking.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 22, 2025 · 11 min
How Do Walruses Work?
These arctic animals have complex social structures and may eat 6,000 clams in a single meal. Learn more walruses in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/walrus.htm/printable See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 9, 2025 · 12 min
What Happens When Your Immune System Turns on You?
Your adaptive immune system remembers specific germs and fights them really effectively -- but it can sometimes make mistakes and attack your own healthy cells. Learn how the adaptive immune system works (and how it can go wrong) in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 8, 2025 · 8 min
How Can Slime Mold Think Without a Brain?
Slime molds are collectives of single-celled organisms that don't have neurons, much less brains, but they can move, solve mazes, and remember where food is located. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/biology-fields/slime-mold-facts.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 5, 2025 · 7 min
What's the Difference Between Cougars, Pumas, and Mountain Lions?
Although there can be small differences, all of these are local names for the same species of cat, Puma concolor. Learn about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/cougar-vs-mountain-lion.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.