BrainStuff

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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.

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2,688 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes2688

Newest first

Dec 4, 2025 · 7 min
Who Named the Americas?
In the early 1500s, a sailor by the name of Amerigo Vespucci published lurid pamphlets about his travels to a distant continent. Learn how a pair of mapmakers regretted naming that continent after him in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/amerigo-vespucci.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 28, 2025 · 4 min
BrainStuff Classics: Would Turkey Be So Popular Without Thanksgiving?
Americans eat a LOT of turkey around the winter holidays, but why? Learn about turkey's festive history and when we eat the most of it in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/turkey-popularity.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 27, 2025 · 9 min
Could a Solar Flare Wipe Out Earth's Electronics?
Powerful events on the surface of the sun, like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, produce radiation and magnetic waves that could indeed affect electrical and communications systems here on Earth -- though they'd have to be massive. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 26, 2025 · 11 min
How Can Dolphins Detect Sea Mines?
The U.S. Navy has been training bottlenose dolphins for operations like detecting undersea mines and guarding vessels since the 1960s. Learn about the Marine Mammal Program in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/dolphin-disarm-sea-mine.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 25, 2025 · 10 min
How Does the Skin Barrier Work?
Our skin is our first line of defense as we move through the world, providing both a physical barrier and an immune barrier against microbes and other dangers that could make us sick. Learn how the skin barrier works in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 21, 2025 · 11 min
What's the History of Skid Row?
In downtown Los Angeles, the 50-block neighborhood called Skid Row is home to thousands of low-income people who live in tents, run-down hotels, and other temporary shelters on a permanent basis. Learn how Skid Row came about (and has persisted) in such a wealthy place in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/skid-row.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 20, 2025 · 6 min
How Do You Make Hoshigaki?
Hoshigaki are a type of dried fruit made by massaging a persimmon every day for weeks. Learn more about this traditional Japanese treat in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/hoshigaki.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 11, 2025 · 12 min
How Does Psoriasis Work?
Psoriasis is a condition where an overactive immune system causes discomfort and discoloration of the skin. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about how psoriasis works in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 10, 2025 · 6 min
Could 'Y'all' Fill a Gap in Modern English?
Unlike other languages, modern English doesn't have a second-person plural pronoun. Learn how 'y'all' is stepping up in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/yall.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 2, 2025 · 6 min
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Paleoartists Create Dinosaur Drawings?
Short answer: Very carefully. Learn about the history and modern practices of paleoart in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 1, 2025 · 7 min
BrainStuff Classics: Why Is the Winchester House Built So Strangely?
We can't prove whether the Winchester Mystery House is really haunted, but it was definitely built for ghosts. Learn the story of how its strange construction was one woman's unending quest in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/winchester-mystery-house.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 31, 2025 · 7 min
Is the 'Number of the Beast' an Ancient Riddle?
The number 666 has been adopted by modern horror media as a demonic symbol, but what (or whom) does this number really refer to? Learn about the Book of Revelation and ancient wordplay via numbers in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/666.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 30, 2025 · 8 min
Could Piranhas Really Eat a Cow in Under a Minute?
Piranhas are very efficient eaters, but their frothing feeding frenzy seen in horror movies is mostly based on a myth started by Theodore Roosevelt. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/piranha-eat-cows.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 29, 2025 · 8 min
Göbekli Tepe: How Does Humanity's Most Ancient Monument Work?
In Turkey, a set of prehistoric columns rivals Stonehenge -- but they're 6,000 years older. Learn what we know (and don't know) about the hunter-gatherers who built Göbekli Tepe in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/gobekli-tepe.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 28, 2025 · 11 min
Why Are There Sriracha Shortages?
This blockbuster style of hot sauce started with the Huy Fong brand, but that original 'rooster sauce' is often out of stock. Learn how a combo of weather and legal drama are at the root in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/sriracha.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 27, 2025 · 9 min
How Do Levees Protect Us?
Levee systems make it possible for us to live alongside bodies of water with less danger of flooding. Learn how engineers design them -- and why levees sometimes fail -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/levee.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 27, 2025 · 11 min
What's the Difference Between Socialism and Communism?
Socialism and communism are often mentioned in the same breath, and they do share a common history, but socialists aren't necessarily communists -- and vice versa. Learn more about both concepts and how they've been put into practice in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/socialism-vs-communism.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 26, 2025 · 13 min
How Do Vaccines Prevent Diseases?
Our bodies can often prevent us from catching the same illness twice, and vaccines use that bodily system to prevent us from getting sick in the first place. Learn how the immune response works, what goes into vaccines, and why vaccines are safe for kids in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/preventive-care/vaccine.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 13, 2025 · 6 min
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Sealab Work?
In the 1960s, advances in technology allowed brave aquanauts to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before, but the project was shut down. Learn how Sealab worked -- and how that technology is still used today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 12, 2025 · 8 min
How Do Slow Lorises Work?
The slow loris is the world's only venomous primate, but it looks like a cuddly plush toy. Learn why you shouldn't go in for a snuggle in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/slow-loris.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.