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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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Episodes

Boxer Crabs Use Anemones as Weapons

Researchers have observed a species of crab clutching anemones and using them as weapons. Even weirder: The crabs clone their anemones. Weirder still: The anemones might be otherwise extinct. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 29, 20184 min

Can Beaches Be Saved by Adding Sand?

Beaches around the world are erode faster than we've ever seen. Some efforts to save them involve adding more sand from offshore -- but can that really work? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 28, 20186 min

When Will Arlington Cemetery Run Out of Space?

The U.S.'s most honored national cemetery is vast, but it only has so much space -- and it's running out. Learn some of the proposed solutions in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 27, 20187 min

How Can the Fashion Industry Better Serve People with Disabilities?

Finding something to wear can be especially challenging for people with limited dexterity or mobility, but some fashion designers are starting to change that. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 26, 20186 min

Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible?

Although doctors have long believed that Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition, research shows that it can be reversed -- and that with work to maintain weight loss, former patients can live without medication. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 20184 min

What Is Music's 'Word' for Death?

Composers use musical references to classics in their own work to help create mood -- and as a wink at other music lovers. Learn how one such reference, 'Dies Irae', or 'The Day of Wrath', is often used in film soundtracks in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 22, 20185 min

Can Copper Create Mummies?

After anthropologists discovered a child's mummified hand, they discovered that a copper coin might be responsible for the preservation. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 21, 20183 min

Do Dogs Use Facial Expressions to Communicate with Us?

It seems that dogs make more expressive faces when humans are watching. Are they trying to communicate? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 20, 20183 min

Is Life on Earth of Alien Origin?

The idea that life on Earth was seeded from outer space is called Panspermia, and some researchers are looking into how (and when) it could've happened. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 20184 min

Is Cockroach Milk the Next Big Thing?

The food industry has brought us all kinds of non-dairy milk alternatives, but researchers are working on what's arguably the weirdest yet: cockroach milk. Learn how (and why) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 18, 20183 min

Are We Moving Closer to 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'?

We build memories through our experiences. But what if we could transfer memories to other people? It's happening -- in snails. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 15, 20183 min

Why Does Microwaved Coffee Taste So Bad?

Once a cup of coffee goes cold, it'll never taste the same -- but why? Learn the science behind the weird flavors of microwaved coffee in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 14, 20185 min

The Man Behind Rube Goldberg Machines

Who was Rube Goldberg, and how did he come up with his famously weird contraptions? Learn the history behind this classic American cartoonist in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 13, 20186 min

Can You Really Catch Up on Sleep?

Good news, fellow weekend sleep-in-ers: recent research shows that 'catching up' on sleep on your off days can help you stay healthy. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 12, 20183 min

How Do Sea Spiders Breathe Through Their Legs?

Sea spiders have way more leg than body, and scientists have never been able to pinpoint how they breathe -- until now. Learn what they found in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 11, 20183 min

How One Blood Donor Saved Over 2 Million Babies

A man with a rare antibody in his blood spent 63 years donating, and has touched millions of lives. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 08, 20184 min

Does Spicy Food Burn Your Tastebuds?

Hot chili peppers can make you feel like your mouth is on fire, but are they actually doing any damage? Learn about the science of spice in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 07, 20184 min

Could a Plastic-Eating Enzyme Help Save the Planet?

We humans produce a LOT of plastics that wind up as harmful waste, but researchers have isolated an enzyme that may help reduce the problem. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 06, 20183 min

What Can't You Name Your Baby?

The possibilities for a baby's name aren't quite as endless as they seem -- some national and local governments restrict what you can legally name your baby. Learn what some of those restrictions are (and why they exist) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 05, 20185 min

What Happens to Red Carpet Dresses?

After celebrities wear a gown to a glitzy award show or festival, it's often archived, but sometimes sold, reproduced, or even stolen. Learn the life story of red carpet fashion in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 04, 20184 min

Will the Paper of the Future Be Made from Poop?

It might sound gross, but it's eco-friendly: Paper is made from plant pulp. Animals that eat plants excrete plant pulp. Learn why some researchers have high hopes for poo-pyrus in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 01, 20183 min

Does Earth's Crust Have Its Own Tides?

You've probably seen ocean tides making the seas rise and fall, but solid land has tides, too. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 31, 20186 min

How Can You Be Your Own Twin?

In a genetic condition called chimerism, DNA from someone else (an unborn twin, an organ donor, or even your own baby) is at work in your body. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 30, 20185 min

Can You Microwave a Steak to Perfection?

While it may not be our first choice in cooking methods, yes, you can microwave a steak to a perfect medium-rare. Learn how, plus how microwaves work, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 29, 20185 min

Why Do Turtles Have Shells?

It seems obvious that turtles' shells would have evolved to protect them from predators, but researchers have found that they probably first evolved to help turtles dig. Learn what that's all about in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 28, 20183 min

Why Does Uranus Stink?

It's not a joke: Scientists have confirmed that Uranus stinks. Learn how they found out -- and why it's actually really cool -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 25, 20185 min

Is Coffee Good or Bad for You?

Will coffee really stunt your growth? Or give you heart problems? What about your teeth? Learn the truth behind common myths about that cuppa joe in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 24, 20186 min

How Do Snails Grow Their Shells?

A snail's shell is its permanent home -- but how do these wee, soft, slimy creatures grow hard, beautiful shells? Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 23, 20185 min

What Was Stephen Hawking's Final Project?

Days before his death, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking finished what would be his final research paper. Learn about his last take on the multiverse in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 22, 20189 min

Why Is Popping Zits So Satisfying?

Humans love popping zits so much precisely because it's gross. Learn about all the fascinating reasons why we find pimples so fascinating in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 20185 min
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