The tradition of dropping a ball in Times Square to mark the beginning of a new year only goes back about a century. Learn about the history -- plus four weird things that other cities drop instead -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
No, you can't literally die of boredom -- but it can lead to some high-risk behaviors. Learn more about boredom, ennui, and how to shake them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/bored-to-death.htm; https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/ennui See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Cashmere can be more expensive than other wools because producing it is such an intensive process -- for the goats that grow it and the humans who care for them. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/why-is-cashmere-so-expensive.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Catalonia, there's a two-hundred-year-old tradition of including a figurine of a man pooping in the shadows of Nativity scenes. Learn about el caganer in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/pooping-man-catalan-nativity-scene.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
These small appliances help home cooks achieve excellent rice via two categories of technology: ingeniously simple physics, or incredibly complex algorithms. Learn about heat-sensitive switches and fuzzy logic in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/rice-cooker.htm/printable For more about the history of rice cookers, check out this episode of Lauren's other podcast, Savor: The Warm and Fuzzy Rice Cooker Episode See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Mudlarking means sifting through riverbank muck in hopes of finding lost or discarded historical artefacts. Learn how it works, especially in the River Thames, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/archaeology/mudlarking.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
These arctic animals have complex social structures and may eat 6,000 clams in a single meal. Learn more walruses in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/walrus.htm/printable See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Your adaptive immune system remembers specific germs and fights them really effectively -- but it can sometimes make mistakes and attack your own healthy cells. Learn how the adaptive immune system works (and how it can go wrong) in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Slime molds are collectives of single-celled organisms that don't have neurons, much less brains, but they can move, solve mazes, and remember where food is located. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/biology-fields/slime-mold-facts.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Although there can be small differences, all of these are local names for the same species of cat, Puma concolor. Learn about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/cougar-vs-mountain-lion.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the early 1500s, a sailor by the name of Amerigo Vespucci published lurid pamphlets about his travels to a distant continent. Learn how a pair of mapmakers regretted naming that continent after him in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/amerigo-vespucci.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Americans eat a LOT of turkey around the winter holidays, but why? Learn about turkey's festive history and when we eat the most of it in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/turkey-popularity.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Powerful events on the surface of the sun, like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, produce radiation and magnetic waves that could indeed affect electrical and communications systems here on Earth -- though they'd have to be massive. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The U.S. Navy has been training bottlenose dolphins for operations like detecting undersea mines and guarding vessels since the 1960s. Learn about the Marine Mammal Program in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/dolphin-disarm-sea-mine.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our skin is our first line of defense as we move through the world, providing both a physical barrier and an immune barrier against microbes and other dangers that could make us sick. Learn how the skin barrier works in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In downtown Los Angeles, the 50-block neighborhood called Skid Row is home to thousands of low-income people who live in tents, run-down hotels, and other temporary shelters on a permanent basis. Learn how Skid Row came about (and has persisted) in such a wealthy place in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/skid-row.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hoshigaki are a type of dried fruit made by massaging a persimmon every day for weeks. Learn more about this traditional Japanese treat in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/hoshigaki.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Psoriasis is a condition where an overactive immune system causes discomfort and discoloration of the skin. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about how psoriasis works in this episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Unlike other languages, modern English doesn't have a second-person plural pronoun. Learn how 'y'all' is stepping up in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/yall.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Short answer: Very carefully. Learn about the history and modern practices of paleoart in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We can't prove whether the Winchester Mystery House is really haunted, but it was definitely built for ghosts. Learn the story of how its strange construction was one woman's unending quest in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/winchester-mystery-house.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The number 666 has been adopted by modern horror media as a demonic symbol, but what (or whom) does this number really refer to? Learn about the Book of Revelation and ancient wordplay via numbers in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/666.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Piranhas are very efficient eaters, but their frothing feeding frenzy seen in horror movies is mostly based on a myth started by Theodore Roosevelt. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/piranha-eat-cows.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Turkey, a set of prehistoric columns rivals Stonehenge -- but they're 6,000 years older. Learn what we know (and don't know) about the hunter-gatherers who built Göbekli Tepe in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/gobekli-tepe.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This blockbuster style of hot sauce started with the Huy Fong brand, but that original 'rooster sauce' is often out of stock. Learn how a combo of weather and legal drama are at the root in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/sriracha.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Levee systems make it possible for us to live alongside bodies of water with less danger of flooding. Learn how engineers design them -- and why levees sometimes fail -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/levee.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Socialism and communism are often mentioned in the same breath, and they do share a common history, but socialists aren't necessarily communists -- and vice versa. Learn more about both concepts and how they've been put into practice in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/socialism-vs-communism.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our bodies can often prevent us from catching the same illness twice, and vaccines use that bodily system to prevent us from getting sick in the first place. Learn how the immune response works, what goes into vaccines, and why vaccines are safe for kids in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/preventive-care/vaccine.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the 1960s, advances in technology allowed brave aquanauts to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before, but the project was shut down. Learn how Sealab worked -- and how that technology is still used today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The slow loris is the world's only venomous primate, but it looks like a cuddly plush toy. Learn why you shouldn't go in for a snuggle in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/slow-loris.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
