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BrainStuff

iHeartPodcastswww.iheart.com
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

How Can We Make Better Resolutions?

Humans have been making New Years' resolutions for millennia, but we're still bad at keeping them. Learn some science behind building better resolutions in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 31, 20185 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Don't Humans Have Tails?

Lots of other mammals make great use of their tales, so why don't humans have them? Learn about the science of tails in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 30, 20184 min

BrainStuff Classics: Is There A Noise Loud Enough To Kill You?

You've probably experienced a noise loud enough that it hurt your ears, but could a noise be so loud that it could actually kill you? Spoiler alert: Yes. Learn more in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 29, 20185 min

Do Whales Have Pop Songs?

Whale songs are eerie, beautiful, and -- as it turns out -- completely on-trend. Learn how humpback whales share tunes among herds in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 28, 20183 min

Why Are Some Words Funny?

Words like 'poop' and 'wiggle' are inherently humorous, and science may have figured out why. Learn what research has to say about why some words tickle us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 27, 20187 min

Why Does Beer Foam Last Longer Than Soda Foam?

Beer and soda both form sudsy bubbles when you pour them, so why does soda's foam dissipate while beer's forms a head? Learn about foam physics in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 26, 20183 min

What Exactly Are Frankincense and Myrrh?

Frankincense and myrrh play a part not only in the story of Christmas, but in lots of other religious traditions as well -- and a few practical ones, too. Learn more about these aromatic substances in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 25, 20185 min

Why Are Christmas Trees That Shape?

Most of the trees decorated for Christmas don't naturally grow in a perfect cone shape -- so how do they get that way, and why did we decide on that shape in the first place? Learn about the history of Christmas trees in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 24, 20183 min

Why Is Holly a Christmas Decoration?

Why exactly do folks deck the halls with boughs of holly during the Christmas season? Learn about the history and legends behind holly in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 23, 20185 min

BrainStuff Classics: How Do Accents Work?

Everybody has an accent -- some are just considered neutral by native speakers. Learn how accents develop and how they influence us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 22, 20184 min

What Happens When Elevator Cables Break?

Elevators cables are inspected on the regular, but what happens when one breaks? Learn about the ingenious systems that keep elevators safe when even the worst happens in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 21, 20185 min

Why Do We Sing in the Shower?

It's somewhere between tempting and inevitable to break into song in the shower. But why? Learn about the psychology and physiology of shower singing in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 20, 20183 min

Why Is Palm Oil in So Many Things?

Palm oil is in lots of foods, cosmetics, and household products -- and that's a very serious thing. Learn the problems (and solutions) that palm oil presents in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 19, 20186 min

Do Dogs Get Embarrassed When We Put Them in Costumes?

The photos on social media are arguably the cutest, but how do dogs feel when we dress them up? Can dogs feel emarrassment? Learn what science has to say in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 18, 20185 min

When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?

When we lose weight, it doesn't just vanish. Learn how our bodies shrink fat cells in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 17, 20184 min

BrainStuff Classics: What Is The Oldest Living Thing?

To be fair, the answer to this question depends on what you consider 'living' and 'thing' to mean. Learn a few possible answers in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 16, 20184 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Sleep?

We spend somewhere around a third of our lives sleeping, but why? Learn what happens when you sleep (and what happens when you don't) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 15, 20186 min

Why Are Stop Signs Red?

Stop signs were always the red octagons we know today -- so how was the color chosen, and why has it stuck? Learn about the history and psychology of red traffic signals in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 14, 20184 min

Who Is Krampus?

This horned holiday demon has entered our pop culture consciousness, but where do Krampus legends come from? Learn about the history of Krampusnacht in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 13, 20186 min

How Have Funerals Changed Since the '60s?

The ways we think about funerals are bound to change over time, but the 1960s was a real turning point. 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.

Dec 12, 20185 min

Could Neanderthals Laugh?

Neanderthals were more like us than we previously thought, but could they laugh? Learn why researchers think they could in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 11, 20184 min

How Does Gelatin Work?

Gelatin makes Jell-O wiggle and provides texture to all sorts of products, but what is it made of? Learn what's happening on a molecular level when you use gelatin in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 10, 20186 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do People Go Bald?

Humans are one of the only mammals to commonly experience balding. Learn the science behind thinning hair in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 09, 20185 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice?

Your voice sounds different in recordings than it does to your own ears, but why? Learn the science behind this phenomena in today's classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 08, 20183 min

How Do We Define the Kilogram?

The kilogram used to be measured against an agreed-upon chunk of metal stored in France, but no longer. Learn the new measure of this standard unit of measurement in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 07, 20185 min

How Can I Donate My Brain to Science?

Researchers, like zombies, are interested in brains of all kinds. Learn a few basics about how donating your brain to science works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 06, 20183 min

Could Cheap Magnets Help Save Sharks?

The fishing industry accidentally kills millions of sharks every year, but researchers think they've found a seriously inexpensive solution. Learn how it could work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 05, 20184 min

Why Do We Test Middle Schoolers' Fitness?

From the outdated Presidential Fitness Test to today's FITNESSGRAM, Americans have been giving standardized fitness tests to middle school kids for decades. Learn the past and present of these exams in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 04, 20185 min

What Can Probiotics Really Do?

Some claims make it sound like probiotics are a cure-all, but what has research found so far? Learn more about these supplements for your microbiome in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 03, 20185 min

Will Amazon's Corporate Megadeal Change How Business Works?

Why are some politicians so eager for large businesses to set up shop in their districts? What are those businesses' real motivations in making selections? Learn what some researchers think about corporate megadeals in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 02, 20186 min
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