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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.

Episodes

BrainStuff Classics: How Effective Are Bulletproof Vests?

Bulletproof vests have certainly saved lives, but exactly how bulletproof are they? Learn what they're made of and how they can fail to protect wearers in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/how-bulletproof-are-bulletproof-vests.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 28, 20235 min

Introducing: On the Job, Episode 4

We've teamed up with the podcast On the Job to bring you a preview of episode 4: If You Build A Pizza Oven, They Will Come. Jake Wright is a self-described rambling pizza rover. After a failed attempt at a career in music production, Jake decided to combine the two things in life that most excite him: pizza and welding. Now, he tows his mobile pizza oven around Texas, making pizzas at music festivals and rodeos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 27, 20236 min

How Was an American Mercenary Briefly President of Nicaragua?

Before the U.S. Civil War, American mercenaries called 'filibusters' attempted to claim territory in Mexico and Central America for themselves. Learn about the well-deserved fate of one William Walker in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/william-walker.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 26, 202311 min

Why Do We Call It a 'Piggyback Ride'?

The etymology of the term 'piggyback' goes back to the 1500s, when it had nothing to do with pigs. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/piggyback-ride.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 25, 20234 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Did People Once Rob Graves for Science?

In the United Kingdom in the 1800s, anatomists wanted to study real bodies, but laws and cultural stigma made bodies hard to come by. Learn how the shocking Burke & Hare murder trials changed that in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/burke-and-hare-murderers-for-moneyand-science.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 20236 min

Introducing: On the Job, Episode 3

We've teamed up with the podcast On the Job to bring you a preview of episode 3: Four Decades and Counting. Meet Terri Weldon, who has been working for Express Employment Professionals for over 40 years. She shares her secrets to long-term professional happiness -- ones that can apply to any workplace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 20, 20236 min

How Did Utahraptor Work?

The Utahraptor was the largest known raptor -- up to 800 pounds, about the size of a large black bear or small grizzly. Learn how salt helped preserve their fossils in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/utahraptor.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 19, 20238 min

Who Is the Legendary Green Man?

Artists and sculptors have adorned their work with foliate heads for over a thousand years, but the myth of the Green Man only goes back a century. Learn how this motif became an icon in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/green-man.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 17, 20236 min

How Did Cleopatra Work?

Many of our ideas about Cleopatra are based in contemporary propaganda and later pop culture, from Shakespeare to cinema. Learn the truth behind some of these myths in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/cleopatra.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 20238 min

Introducing: On the Job, Episode 2

We've teamed up with the podcast On the Job to bring you a preview of episode 2: A Mother to the Rescue. As a thrill seeker and born caretaker, Aysia Bly found her dream job as a pediatric flight nurse — where she performs her duties while soaring above Philly in a helicopter. But the job is inherently dangerous, and as a mom to a young son, Aysia must contend with that risk every day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 13, 20236 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Did Fruit Evolve in Different Colors?

Brightly colored fruit stands out against green leaves, but why is some red or pink, while others skew yellow or purple? And why are some fruits smellier than others? Learn what new research says about fruits' evolution in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 12, 20234 min

How Did Art Help Spin the Civil War?

In the late 1800s, a Georgian businessman retooled a giant painting of the Battle of Atlanta to portray the South winning. Learn the history of this epic cyclorama -- and where you can see it today -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/atlanta-cyclorama.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 09, 202310 min

What Can Cause a Late or Missed Period?

You can miss a period for lots of reasons other than pregnancy. Learn how stress (be it mental or physical), illness, and other factors can prevent menstruation in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/conception/5-common-reasons-for-late-period.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 08, 20237 min

Why Don't All Cans Have Pull-Tabs?

Cans make preserving and transporting food and drinks simple, but canning technology is very complex. Learn the history of pull-tabs and can openers in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://money.howstuffworks.com/food-cans-pull-tabs.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 07, 20237 min

Introducing: On the Job, Season 7

We’ve teamed up with the podcast On the Job to bring you a preview of their new season. In this first episode, ‘Now’s the Time’, economist, author, and baseball fan Michael Walden gives us a macro look at an economy that has bounced back surprisingly well post-COVID, and offers a generally favorable outlook about what’s coming down the pike. You can purchase his 'economic thrillers' at this Amazon Author Page . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 06, 202315 min

Why Is AAPI Heritage Month Celebrated in May?

Every May, the U.S. celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in recognition of the contributions of this diverse group, past and present. Learn how two women campaigned to get it started in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/aapi-month-may.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 05, 20235 min

Can Parasitic Worms Control Snails' Minds?

A genus of flatworms called banded broodsacs have a lifecycle that seems to involve purposefully getting eaten first by snails and then by birds, using a combination of biomimicry and biohacking. Learn about Leucochloridium worms in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/parasitic-worms-snails.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 02, 20237 min

BrainStuff Classics: What Was the First Computer?

The first machine for computation was designed in the 1800s! Learn how its creators, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, set about inventing it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/who-invented-the-computer.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 30, 20236 min

BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Elephants' Skin So Wrinkly?

Elephants have a thick hide that's wrinkled from birth, but why? Learn about the research that's revealed the secrets to elephant skin in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/scientists-figure-out-why-elephants-skin-so-cracked.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 29, 20234 min

What's the World's Skinniest Skyscraper?

The world's slimmest skyscraper is in New York City, where it's less than one-third of the width of comparable buildings. Learn about Steinway Tower in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/architecture/steinway-tower-news.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 28, 20235 min

How Did Hazardous Nuclear Testing Help Science?

Aboveground nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and '60s has exposed every living thing on Earth to harmful radiation -- but has also made dating the remains of living things much more accurate. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-tests-bomb-pulse.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 27, 20239 min

Why Does Your Stomach Growl?

Sometimes our guts rumble when we're hungry, and sometimes when we're full. What gives? Learn about the digestive system and borborygmus in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/digestive/stomach-growling.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 26, 20234 min

Why Do Some People Believe Conspiracy Theories?

Buying into disproven conspiracy theories has been scientifically linked with a few unhelpfully human patterns of thought, including illusory pattern perception and confirmation bias. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/conspiracy-theorists-brains-really-are-different.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 25, 20237 min

What's the History of License Plates?

Motor vehicle license plates have been in use since 1903 in the U.S., and they've changed a lot over the years, from lifetime leather plates to newfangled digital ones. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/cost-of-car-ownership/history-license-plates-in-us.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 24, 20238 min

How Can Glass on the Moon Contain Water?

Researchers have found tiny glass beads on the moon, created by meteorite strikes, with droplets of water attached. Learn how they work -- and how we might be able to harvest that water -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/moon-glass-beads-water.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 17, 20234 min

How Did Hedy Lamarr Change Communications Technology?

Hollywood bombshell Hedy Lamarr was as interested in engineering as she was in acting, but she's only recently been recognized for her scientific contributions. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this episode: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/hedy-lamarr.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 15, 20239 min

How Do Maraschino Cherries Work?

https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-science/maraschino-cherries.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 14, 20235 min

Why Are Fingerprints (Almost) Unique?

Even identical twins have different fingerprints -- that's because more than just genetics goes into their formation. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/why-even-identical-twins-have-different-fingerprints.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 13, 20234 min

What's the Legacy of African American Spirituals?

The spirituals created by enslaved African Americans as a means of expression and communication have impacted both artistic and social movements throughout U.S. history. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/slave-spiritual-music.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 12, 20239 min
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