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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.

Episodes

How Does the Cerebellum Work?

This small structure of the brain plays a huge role in coordinating our movements, speech, and maybe even emotion. Learn about the cerebellum in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/cerebellum.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 05, 20217 min

Who's Been Sending NASA Flowers for Thirty Years?

When NASA returned to crewed missions following the Challenger disaster, one family decided to send a simple thank-you: flowers. Learn how this gesture became a 30-year tradition in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/shelton-family-flowers-to-nasa.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 04, 20217 min

How Does the Invasive Joro Spider Work?

Residents of the American South may have noticed a new spider on the, er, web -- the beautiful, fascinating Joro spider. Learn about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/joro-spider.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 03, 20215 min

How Much Starlight Has Been Emitted Since the Beginning of Time?

Measuring something as ubiquitous as starlight is no small task, but a group of researchers think they've found an answer. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/much-starlight-has-been-emitted-since-beginning-time.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 02, 20214 min

Would We Have Pumpkin Pie If Mastodons Had Survived?

Pumpkins as we know them only evolved after North American megafauna like woolly mammoths and mastodons died off. Learn the connection in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/megafauna-died-for-pumpkin-spice-latte.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 01, 20214 min

BrainStuff Classics: What Is Music's 'Word' for Death?

Composers use musical references to help create mood -- and as a wink at other music lovers. Learn how 'Dies Irae', or 'The Day of Wrath', is often used in film soundtracks in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/why-soundtracks-love-day-wrath.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 31, 20215 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/archaeology/anthropologists-discover-mummified-green-baby-hand.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 30, 20214 min

Devil's Den: Is Gettysburg Haunted?

The Battle of Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest, and ghosts have been reported in one area in particular: Devil's Den. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/devils-den.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 29, 20218 min

How Did Benjamin Franklin Help Create the Jersey Devil?

The Jersey Devil is an all-American cryptid -- born partially of a publishing rivalry in the 1700s involving Ben Franklin. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/jersey-devil.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 28, 20219 min

Were Witches Really Burned at the Stake in Salem?

People were executed as witches in Salem in the 1690s, but no one was burned at the stake. Learn what really happened in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/witches-burned-at-stake-in-salem.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 27, 20214 min

How Do Fruit Bats Work?

Bats are a part of spooky Halloween imagery, but fruit bats are a wide category of helpful (and even cute!) pollinators and seed dispersers. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/fruit-bats.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 26, 20217 min

Do You Have to Tell Buyers Your House Is Haunted?

The law requires a homeowner to disclose anything that might affect the property's value to a potential buyer -- and in some cases, yes, that can include purported ghosts. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/selling-home/haunted-house-for-sale.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 25, 20217 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dogs-make-more-expressive-faces-when-we-watch.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 24, 20213 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/style/fashion/body-type/clothing-industrys-narrow-focus-sidelines-people-disabilities.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 23, 20216 min

How Did Stegosaurus Work?

The Stegosaurus was a huge herbivore in a time of giants -- and it had some impressive defenses. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/stegosaurus.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 22, 20217 min

Why Is Rudeness So Contagious?

Just witnessing an act of rudeness can make us more likely to be rude ourselves. Learn why -- and what you can do about it -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-rudeness-contagious.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 21, 20214 min

Do Our Brains Have Fingerprints Too?

Researchers working with MRI have found that human brains produce recognizable 'fingerprints' in just a couple of minutes. Learn about connectomes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brains-fingerprints-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 20, 20214 min

What Really Happened at the O.K. Corral?

The gunfight in Tombstone in 1881 between some tough-nosed lawmen and hard-headed outlaws went down in history -- thanks to Hollywood. Learn the story behind it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/gunfight-ok-corral.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 19, 20219 min

How Do Blue-Ringed Octopuses Work?

The tiny, strikingly beautiful blue-ringed octopus is also the ocean's deadliest. Learn how they work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/blue-ringed-octopus.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 18, 20216 min

BrainStuff Classics: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible?

Doctors used to think Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition, but 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/diabetes/turns-out-type-2-diabetes-is-reversible-after-all.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

Oct 17, 20215 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-science/why-microwaved-coffee-tastes-bad.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 16, 20216 min

Why Are Airplane Windows Round?

The windows in our homes and cars tend to be rectangular(ish) -- so why are airplane windows always round? Learn the science in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airplane-windows-round.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 15, 20214 min

How Do Sea Otters Work?

Sea otter populations, once endangered because of their super-cozy fur -- are doing a lot better these days. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/sea-otter.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 14, 20217 min

How Does Long COVID Work?

Spoiler alert: No one's really sure, but researchers are working on it. Learn what long-term COVID symptoms can look like and what's being done about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/infectious/long-covid-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 13, 20218 min

Could a Spaceship Ignite an Alien Atmosphere?

Our rockets use combustion for power. Some planets have atmospheres made of flammable stuff like hydrogen and methane. Learn why we probably wouldn't cause a planetary fire in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/rockets-accidentally-ignite-alien-world-atmosphere.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 12, 20216 min

How Did Nigersaurus Work?

Nigersaurus was a dinosaur with over 500 teeth that's been described as a Mesozoic cow with a face like a vacuum cleaner. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/nigersaurus.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 11, 20218 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/did-alien-seeds-cause-explosion-life-earth.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 10, 20215 min

BrainStuff Classics: 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 classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/eternal-sunshine-snail-mind.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 09, 20214 min

What Did the 2020 Census Reveal?

The initial results of the 2020 United States census are in. Learn a bit about how America has changed in the past decade in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/2020-census-news.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 08, 20215 min

How Do Starfish Work?

Starfish, more properly called sea stars, have some amazing (and amazingly weird) abilities. Learn about them in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/starfish.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 07, 20216 min
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