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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

Does the Community of Lily Dale Reconnect the Living and the Dead?

Spiritualism is a 19th-century belief system that holds that the living can communicate with spirits of the dead through mediums. Learn about the community where spiritualism is famously practiced, Lily Dale, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 06, 20207 min

How Did the Bear-Sized Beaver, Castoroides, Work?

A couple million years ago, species of bear-sized beavers roamed North America. Learn more about how Castoroides lived in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 05, 20204 min

BrainStuff Classics: Did Neanderthals Use Glue?

Neanderthals distilled tar more than 100,000 years before modern humans created glue. Learn how archaeologists compared three potential ways they might've done it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 04, 20205 min

BrainStuff Classics: How Does Captain America's Shield Work?

Captain America's indestructible shield may be a work of fiction, but that won't stop us from trying to figure out how it might work in the real world. Learn more about the history and science behind Cap's shield in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 03, 20205 min

What's It Like to Live and Work in Antarctica?

The South Pole's frigid desert continent bears very little natural life, but hundreds of researchers and support staff live and work there. Learn what that's like in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 02, 20206 min

What's Up With America's European Replica Towns?

Scattered throughout the U.S. are small towns built to look like old-timey European villages. Learn the stories behind a few such towns in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 01, 20205 min

Did the Pilgrims Really Land at Plymouth Rock Because They Ran Out of Beer?

The Pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower were supposed to start their colony further south, but dwindling rations made them settle for Plymouth Rock. Learn why beer was so key in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 30, 20204 min

Why Do People Store Art in Freeports?

Some of the world's most precious antiquities and works of art aren't in museums or private homes -- they're stored away in freeports. Learn how freeports work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 20208 min

Does Element 115 Really Have a Connection With UFOs?

Element 115, also known as moscovium, was first created by humans in 2003 -- but does it have any connection with the element by the same name rumored to have been worked with in Area 51? Learn the stories behind both in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 28, 20208 min

BrainStuff Classics: What Have the Voyager Spacecraft Taught Us?

Voyager 1 and 2 have left the solar system, but we're still learning about ourselves and our galaxy from the information they've sent. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 27, 20205 min

BrainStuff Classics: Can Simple Fruit Peels Revive Dead Land?

Decades after a truckloads of orange peels were added to a degraded plot of land, the pasture is flourishing. Learn more about this experiment 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.

Sep 26, 20205 min

Why Do Dogs Love Belly Rubs But Cats Don't?

Going in for a belly rub can garner a significantly different reaction from a cat versus a dog. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 25, 20205 min

How Have Hispanic Americans Helped Shape the U.S.?

The United States has grown and thrived thanks to the contributions of Hispanic Americans. Learn about a few key moments in American history made possible by its Hispanic citizens in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 24, 20206 min

Is Stainless Steel Really Stainless?

No, stainless steel isn't completely stain-proof or damage-proof, but this category of steels is very tough and versatile. Learn more about types of stainless steel and how to care for them in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 23, 20207 min

What Are Some of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Landmark Cases?

As a Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped decide some truly landmark cases, resulting in a more just world for all Americans. Learn about a few of them in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 22, 20208 min

How Do Mantis Shrimp Work?

These crustaceans are so powerful that they can kill prey with a single blow -- and they communicate in ways no other animals can. Learn more about the amazing mantis shrimp in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 21, 20207 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Lightning Strikes Killing Fewer People?

In the U.S., deaths from lightning strikes have declined a lot in recent years -- but why? Learn how technology has made us collectively safer in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 20, 20205 min

BrainStuff Classics: Do Jellyfish Sleep?

Jellyfish don't have brains, but (spoiler alert) they do seem to sleep. Learn how this may teach us more about human sleep 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.

Sep 19, 20204 min

Who Does the Cooking for Cooking Shows?

Lots of the prep and plating that we see on cooking shows happens off camera. Learn more about how cooking shows work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 18, 20204 min

How Does the Great Green Wall Work?

The Great Green Wall is an African environmental project that's both massive and locally led, and it stands to help communities create and restore healthy land like never before. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 17, 20207 min

Is It Safe to Drive Without a Gas Cap?

Modern cars have lots of failsafes to help you remember to reattach your gas cap after feuling -- but what if you drive off without it? Learn what can happen and what to do about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 16, 20204 min

What Happens If a Dog Loses Its Sense of Smell?

Like humans, dogs can lose some of all of their sense of smell due to illness or injury. Learn the common causes os anosmia in dogs -- and why afflicted pups usually do just fine -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 15, 20207 min

Can Foods Really Boost Your Immune System?

Eating particular foods can indeed help your immune system -- but it's not exactly a boost. Learn how certain nutrients help your body fight infections (and how to get those nutrients) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 14, 20207 min

BrainStuff Classics: Can Playing Pretend Help Kids Focus?

When kids pretend to be a hero like Batman, it lets them separate themselves from temptation and stay on task. Learn more about the Batman Effect in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 13, 20204 min

BrainStuff Classics: What Can Space Missions Teach Us About Ourselves?

NASA's epic Cassini mission taught us a lot about Saturn and its moons -- and about ourselves, too. Learn more about it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 12, 20204 min

Why Does Grief Sometimes Come in Waves?

A grief attack, sometimes called a Sudden (or Subsequent) Temporary Upsurge in Grief, can feel debilitating -- but they are temporary. Learn more about STUGs in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 11, 20208 min

How Did Triceratops Work?

These gigantic, plant-eating, three-horned dinosaurs were some of the last that walked the Earth. Learn more about Triceratops in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 10, 20207 min

How Are Hot Dogs Made?

What actually goes into these sausages that American eat by the billion? Learn how hot dogs work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 09, 20205 min

How Does the Butterfly Effect Work?

The term 'butterfly effect' was coined in the 1960s to help explain how complicated weather is, but it can be applied to many complex or chaotic systems. Learn more about the butterfly effect (and what we often get wrong about it) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 08, 20207 min

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day signals the end of summer in the United States and Canada, but it began as a celebration of workers and their hard-earned rights. Learn about the history of Labor Day in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 07, 20207 min
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