BrainStuff
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 Do Your Nerves Tell Your Muscles to Function?
Every movement our bodies make -- from waving at a friend to pumping blood -- is goverened by complex electrochemical handshakes among our nerves and our muscles. Learn how voluntary, involuntary, and reflexive movements work in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/musculoskeletal/muscle.htm; https://health.howstuffworks.com/hu
Why Did the Massive Maginot Line Fail to Stop Hitler?
After years of trench warfare in WWI, France built a line of massive underground bunkers and other defensive fortifications along hundreds of miles of its border. Learn how the Maginot Line worked -- and why it failed to stop the Nazi invasion -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/maginot-line.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for p
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Some Americans Cancelling Columbus Day?
Some U.S. cities and states have officially changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Learn why -- and why some Americans disagree with the change -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/columbus-day.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
American Versus British English: What Are Biscuits, Muffins, and Pudding?
The English-language terms for different baked goods vary based on where English is being spoken. Learn why an American cookie is a British biscuit, an American biscuit is a British scone, our muffins have nothing to do with each other, and pudding doesn't have to involve pudding at all in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/
How Do Sunspots Work?
When dark spots appear on the surface of the Sun, we're actually seeing the result of massive distortions in solar magnetic fields caused by roiling plasma -- and they appear in regular(ish) 11-year cycles. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about sunspots in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/sunspot.htm/printableSee omnystudio.com/listener f
Did the Lost Continent of Lemuria Really Exist?
A sunken continent called Lemuria was first proposed as a scientific explanation for lemur populations in the mid-1800s, but it quickly became part of the mythology of Theosophist mystics and Tamil cultural activists alike. Learn the truth and myths behind Lemuria (plus what Darwin had to do with it) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history
BrainStuff Classics: How Did a Mad King Design Disney's Castle?
Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle -- the centerpiece of Disneyland and the Disney logo -- on a real castle in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Learn about Neuschwanstein Castle's strange and tragic history in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/neuschwanstein-castle.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio
Could the Bird Flu Cause a Human Pandemic?
Since the early 2000s, the H5N1 bird flu has sickened wild and domestic birds around the world -- and sometimes humans and other mammals, too. Learn how this strain of avian influenza works (and why it seems unlikey to cause a pandemic, but researchers are still watching it closely) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic
Where Do Butternut Squash Come From?
Humans started domesticating edible gourds thousands of years ago, but one of today's most popular varieties has been around for less than a century. Learn about the history and science behind butternut squash (plus how big the heaviest on record was) in today's episode of BrainStuff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the Great Stink of London Work?
In London in the summer of 1858, a Great Stink settled over the city. The sewage from its growing population was baking in the streets -- and infiltrating the city's water supply. Learn how this smelly situation led to some incredible sewer engineering still in use today (plus a change in the understanding of how infection works) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://histor
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Blue Whales Work?
It's a good question. The blue whale is the largest known animal to ever grace the planet (they may be twice as big as Megalodon was! Their tongues are as heavy as elephants!), but they're still mysterious. Learn what science knows (and doesn't know) about blue whales in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/blue-whale.htmSee omnyst
Do Political TV Ads Really Change Minds?
Every U.S. election cycle, political campaigns bombard American televisions with advertisements for candidate X versus Y. But can these ads really make a difference, especially with shifts in the way we watch TV? Learn when they actually work in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/do-campaign-tv-ads-change-voters-minds.htmSee omnystudio.com/listen
How Does Myasthenia Gravis Work?
What happens when your immune system attacks the point of communication between your nerves and muscles? That's an autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis, and it leads to muscle weakness that starts around the eyes and can progress to the face, neck, and limbs. Learn about its symptoms, what causes them, and how different treatments can help relieve them in today's episode of BrainStuff.See
What Is It Like In Our Asteroid Belt?
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is made up of sparse, tiny bodies of rock, ice, and metal that give us a window into our solar system's early days. Learn how Jupiter helped form the astroid belt and how asteroids might've given Earth its water (and life!) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/asteroid-belt.htmSee omnystudio.com/listen
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Fish & Chips Become England's National Dish?
Light and tender fried fish plated with crisp fried potatoes is a classic English comfort meal, but it's only a little over a century old. Learn the history of fish and chips in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/fish-and-chips.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Lemmings Really Jump Off Cliffs?
Lemmings are small, fierce rodents that make their home in Arctic environments -- and (spoiler alert) the idea that they kill themselves by following each other off cliffs is a myth. Learn what Disney had to do with it (and what lemmings are really like) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/lemmings.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for pr
What Would Happen If You Drank Saltwater?
Our bodies need salt and our bodies need water, so why is drinking saltwater not good for you? Learn what salt does in our bodies and why seawater will actually dehydrate you in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-you-drink-saltwater.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Is Tungsten So Hard and Heat-Resistant?
Tungsten's boiling point is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and as tungsten carbide, it's one of the hardest materials we know. Learn how it's used for everything from armor-piercing bullets to electron microscopes to ballpoint pens in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/tungsten.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Does the Hippocampus Work?
Without the hippocampus, our brains have serious trouble recalling and recording certain types of long-term memories. Learn how this brain structure works in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/hippocampus.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Happened During Agatha Christie's Mysterious Disappearance?
In 1926, detective novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days under strange circumstances. Learn about her life and record-setting, best-selling works (second only to the Bible and Shakespeare) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/agatha-christies-disappearance.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Escargot Work?
Escargot is just one of many ways that humans enjoy eating land snails -- and we've been eating them for 30,000 years. Learn about the snails in question, how they're farmed, and why it's so hard to find them fresh in the U.S. (outside of your garden, anyway) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/escargot.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for priva
How Does a Geiger Counter Work?
The Geiger counters we use to detect harmful radiation today are 100-year-old technology that works based on simple behaviors of electrons and ions. Learn about ionizing radiation and the invention of the Geiger-Müller counter (including why it clicks) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/geiger-counter.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for p
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Starling Murmurations Work?
Starlings flock in swooping, harmonious groups of thousands of birds called murmurations. Learn how these birds pull off such an amazing feat through simple actions in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/starling-murmurations.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Was Rome's Emperor Commodus So Hated?
You may know him as the villain in the film 'Gladiator', but the real-life Emperor Commodus is said to have been even more cruel and megalomaniacal. Learn about his unusual upbringing, how he made himself into a gladiator and an image of Hercules, and his eventual assassination in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/commodus.ht
What If Earth Had Rings?
Planetary rings are gorgeous, temporary structures created when a planet's gravity captures and tears apart smaller objects. Learn why Earth doesn't have rings (right now!) and what other planets' rings are like in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-earth-had-rings.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/planets-
Why Do We Blush When We're Embarrassed?
Blushing is an involuntary reaction that can seem to draw more attention to yourself at exactly the worst moment. Learn why this embarrassing response to embarrassment can actually be useful in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/blush.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Are Ethnicity and Race Different?
The concepts of ethnicity and race are both human inventions with no basis in science, but these concepts have huge impacts on us and our world. Learn the difference between ethnicity and race in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/race-vs-ethnicity.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Butter Get Its Texture, Flavor, and Color?
Turning cream into a stick of butter involves some complex chemistry, crystallization, and (traditionally) fermentation. Learn more -- plus the difference between sweet cream, cultured, and European butters -- in today's episode of BrainStuff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Do We Call Dibs and Shotgun, and Who Was the Real McCoy?
Some idioms have a fairly clear origin, but others have been lost to time and legend. Learn about the game that inspired calling dibs, the media that created calling shotgun, and why the 'real' McCoy was probably a number of people -- all in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/why-do-people-call-things-the-real-mccoy
Why Is Siberia's Batagaika Crater Known as the Doorway to Hell?
The Batagaika crater (or, technically, megaslump) is a massive pit caused by thawing permafrost -- and it's only getting bigger. Learn what paleontologists have found there (and why geoscientists are worried about it) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/batagaika-crater.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/envir
BrainStuff Classics: How Would Authorities Handle a Murder in Space?
Investigating murders right here on planet Earth can be tricky -- how would it be handled in space? Who would even be in charge? Learn what current and future laws may apply in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/murdered-in-space.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Taste Work?
Your sense of taste isn't just a chemical catalog of what's in a food or drink -- it's a complex physiological and psychological process. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about taste in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/perception/taste.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Weasels Get a Bad Rap?
Weasels have a bad reputation among bird farmers and have been cast as literal villains in books and cartoons, but they can actually help control vermin populations -- and ferrets can make great pets. Learn more about various types of weasels (including why they dance) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/weasels.htm; https://animals.
How Did Napoleon I, the Emperor of the French, Rise and Fall?
In the midst of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rode his hubris straight into an emperorship, but he was fated to fail. Learn how he came to power twice, why Waterloo was his downfall, and why he actually wasn't that short in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/napoleon.htm; https://history.howstuffworks.com/europea
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Alchemy Create Chemistry?
Alchemists may have never turned lead into gold, but they did create the field of chemistry. Learn how the study of alchemy worked in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/alchemy-to-chemistry.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did Sundown Towns Say the Quiet Part Out Loud?
Sundown towns are places in the United States where, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, white communities kept Black Americans and other groups out for decades, on purpose. Learn how they came to be -- and how some sundown towns are in recovery -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/sundown-towns.htm. Check out Dr. James
Why Do We Yawn, and Why Is It Catching?
Science isn't entirely sure why humans and other animals yawn, let alone why yawning can be contagious -- but we've got some good hypotheses. Learn about them, from cooling the brain to spreading alertness, in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question572.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-
How Do Rip Currents Work?
Rip currents are dangerous flows of water that can drag you away from the shore and out into the deep. Learn how they form, what to watch for, and how to escape one by swimming sideways or riding it out in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/rip-current.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: Can the Same Animal Evolve Twice?
Remote islands are excellent laboratories for observing evolution at work -- and in the case of a flightless bird called the Aldabra rail, we can observe how its evolution happened twice. Learn about iterative evolution in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/iterative-evolution.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf
Where Did Tomatoes Come From?
The tomato originated in the Americas and spread during European colonization. But was it really thought to be poisonous (or cause lycanthropy) when it first came to Europe? Learn about the legends behind tomatoes -- and how we got the sturdy ones sold in stores -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/where-did-the-tomato-come-from.htmSee omnys
How Does Aspirin Know Where to Go in Your Body?
OK, that's a trick question. Aspirin goes everywhere in your body -- and wherever it goes, it works by preventing processes that amp up pain signals, encourage inflammation, cause fever, and more. Learn about the history and workings of aspirin (aka acetylsalicylic acid) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin.htmSee omnyst
What Is the Deepest Hole in the World?
Alongside the Space Race, the mid-1900s saw another contest of engineering -- a race downward, into the Earth. Learn why the USSR created the Kola Superdeep Borehole (the deepest artificial or natural hole we know of), what we learned from it, and how this research continues in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/kola-superdeep-
BrainStuff Classics: Is Canned Food Really Worse Than Fresh or Frozen?
Canning foods preserves them, but the texture and nutritive value can suffer -- and what about the potential dangers of BPA and botulism? Learn what's true and what's myth when it comes to canned food in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/canned-food-bad.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Octopuses Work?
These marine invertebrates can solve puzzles, use tools, and camouflage themselves by changing their very skin -- yet they live only three to five years, and die after mating. Learn more about octopuses in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus.htm/printable; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/why-is-octopus-blood-bl
How Do We Get Iron and Steel Out of Stone?
Iron processing is a benchmark of civilization for good reason -- this metal makes a lot of technology possible. Learn about the history and science of refining iron and steel in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did a Journalist's Probe into JFK's Assassination Lead to Her Death?
In the mid-1900s, Dorothy Kilgallen was a famous journalist and popular media personality -- but her investigation into the deaths of President Kennedy and his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, may have gotten her killed, too. Learn about the alledged organized crime coverup Kilgallen was looking into in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-
BrainStuff Classics: Could the Great Depression Happen Again?
There were many factors that led to the depth and length of the Great Depression, but some of these mistakes are being repeated today. Learn what historians and economists are saying we should watch out for in this classic-but-relevant episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/great-depression.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa
How Many Arachnids Live in Your Eyelashes?
Pretty much every human has thousands of microscopic mites living in the hair follicles on their face, feeding off of the dead skin cells and oils there. Learn why you probably shouldn't worry about Demodex mites in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/eye/are-there-really-arachnids-living-in-my-eyelashes.htmSee omnystudio.com/li
Are Induction Cooktops Better than Gas or Electric?
Instead of putting a pan on a source of heat (like a gas burner or electric element), an induction cooktop creates heat in the pan itself thanks to the principles of electromagnetism and resistance. Learn how it works -- plus the pros and cons of the technology -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/induction-cooktops.htm/printableSee omnystudio.
How Did Mastodons Defend the Legitimacy of America?
In the 1700s, fossil finds along the Ohio and Hudson Rivers indicated that North America was home to mysterious beasts. Learn how mastodon bones proved both that extinction is real and that America isn't full of degenerates in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/mastodon-boneyard-that-stole-thomas-jeffersons-heart.htmSee omnystudio.c
BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Some People Eat Dirt?
The craving for and practice of eating earth is more widespread than you might think. Learn why researchers think people engage in this form of pica (i.e., geophagy) in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/why-do-people-eat-dirt.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Advice About Lightning Is Wrong?
A lot of sayings and ideas about how to avoid getting struck by lightning are misguided. Learn how to stay storm safe in a building, a vehicle, or outside in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/do-rubber-tires-insulate-car-from-lightning.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/10-lightn
How Did Wild Bill Hickok Become America's First Gunslinger?
In the mid-1800s, the archetype of the gentleman gunslinger emerged through tall tales of real people like James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok. Learn how Wild Bill became a legend in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/wild-bill-hickok.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Colors Are Impossible?
All colors only really exist in the mind of the beholder -- and there are colors that we can't perceive, or can only perceive under particular circumstances. Learn about impossible colors and how to see them in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/impossible-colors.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: What's the Controversy Behind 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'?
No, it's not the lyrics -- the author of this nursery rhyme is what's in question. Learn why (and how Henry Ford was involved) in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/controversy-behind-mary-had-little-lamb.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Was the World's Largest Nuclear Weapon?
In 1961, the USSR set off a 57-megaton atomic bomb, nicknamed the Tsar Bomba. It's still by far the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built. Learn how its test changed history in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/tsar-bomba.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Red-Tailed Hawks Work?
This large, loud hawk is probably North America's most common because it's so adaptable. Learn more about red-tailed hawks in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/red-tailed-hawk.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Ketchup Work?
This all-American condiment got its start as a fermented fish sauce and featured in the formation of the Food and Drug Administration. Learn about the history of tomato ketchup -- and why it's so hard to get out of bottles -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/ketchup.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: How Can You Help a Friend with Depression?
We all know we're supposed to reach out to friends and family experiencing depression, but it's an intimidating prospect. Learn how to get a conversation started in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/depression/questions/help-friend-with-depression.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does the Myth of the Minotaur Work?
The Minotaur -- a monstrous half man, half bull -- has raged through stories for millennia. But where did he and his labyrinth come from? Learn the ancient history and modern psychology behind both in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/minotaur.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Do Manatees Work?
Manatees swim the calm waterways of tropical Atlantic coastlines with no worries of natural predators. Learn why humans are their only real danger -- and how we can help -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees.htm; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees-see-underwater.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor
Why Do We Put Diamonds on Engagement Rings?
The tradition of putting diamonds on engagement rings is less than a century old, but some 80% of engagement rings in the U.S. now bear them. Learn how a cartel and an ad campaign created such a pervasive demand for diamonds in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://money.howstuffworks.com/true-story-blood-diamonds.htm and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IceJ-gUm
How Did the Stonewall Riots Work?
The police raid and ensuing riots at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969 became a turning point in queer civil rights because of the larger movement that coalesced around it. Learn about its place in LGBTQIA history in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/stonewall-riots.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did the Smallest Primates Get Such Big Eyes?
Tarsiers are our palm-sized primate cousins that evolved in the forests of Southeast Asia to have long limbs and huge, round eyes. Learn how we've learned about them in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/tarsier.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Would Happen If You Swallowed a Leech?
This isn't just the least-fun thought experiment, it's a medical malady common enough to have its own name. Learn how internal hirudiniasis works (and why you don't need to panic if if happens to you) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/swallow-leech.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Can Rhubarb Grow in the Dark?
We know rhubarb as a tart fruit that looks like pink celery, but it also has a bulbous underground storage unit that was used medicinally for millennia -- and lets it grow in complete darkness. Learn about the pie plant (and how rhizomes work) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/rhubarb.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does the Blue-Footed Booby Work?
This marine bird carries the color of the ocean in its webbed feet, was named after an insult, and uses its excrement in creative ways. Learn about the blue-footed booby in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/blue-footed-booby.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who Was Helen of Troy?
Helen is a figure from Greek myth -- a daughter of Zeus with a mortal woman, and said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. Learn more about her (and how she perhaps inadvertently started the Trojan War) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/helen-of-troy.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Your Heart Get Blood?
Your heart needs blood as much as any other muscle in your body, and it receives it the same way -- just a little earlier than anyone else. Learn how the coronary arteries work (and what can go wrong when they don't) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/circulatory/heart-pump-blood.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor
How Do Butterflies Get Their Brilliant Colors?
Butterfly wings often come in striking, iridescent colors -- but it's not from pigments (or not entirely). Learn how microscopic structures give butterfly wings their flash in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/butterfly-colors.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Did William the Conquerer Transform England?
In the year 1066, the illigitimate son of a Norman duke conquered England and became its king, changing English history (and language!) forever. Learn how William the Conquerer rose and ruled in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/william-conqueror.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could Dilophosaurus Really Spit Poison?
OK, we're almost sure the answer is no. But there was a fossil-based reason that 'Jurassic Park' included this detail. Learn about the real-life Dilophosaurus in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/dilophosaurus.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do Our Pinky Toes Serve a Purpose?
Your pinky toes are actually powerhouses of locomotion. Learn how they help us move -- and what can go wrong if they get injured -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/parts/surprise-pinky-toe-does-serve-purpose.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Where Did the At Symbol Come From?
The @ sign goes by many names today, but it's only so commonplace because of medieval merchants and one 1970s programmer. Learn more about the at sign (or arroba, Klammeraffe, strudel, grisehale, or gül) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/arroba.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BrainStuff Classics: What Can Babies See in the Womb?
A human fetus doesn't develop retinas until around gestational week 28. Learn how researchers have tried to figure out what babies can see in the few remaining weeks before they're born in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/fetal-development/what-do-babies-see-before-birth.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for
Can You Really Escape an Alligator by Running Zigzag?
You could probably outsprint an alligator no matter what pattern you ran in -- but it's extremely unlikely that you'd ever need to. Learn how alligators do and don't attack in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/alligator-zigzag.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Fueled the Feud of the Hatfields and McCoys?
The 30-year feud between these two families is more dramatic than fiction -- and may be the starting point of negative stereotypes about Appalachia. Learn about the story behind the Hatfields and McCoys in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/hatfields-and-mccoys.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Does Mayonnaise Work?
Love it or hate it, mayo achieves a creamy texture without any dairy thanks to the science of emulsions. Learn how it works -- and why it's not the real danger in potato salad -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/question617.htm Listen to the Savor episode about mayo here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://omny.fm/shows/sav
How Did a Wisconsin Woman Lead a German Resistance to Nazis?
Mildred Harnack was an American literature professor living in Berlin when the Third Reich took control. Learn how she and her husband led a resistance ring that enraged Hitler in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/mildred-harnack.htm Find the book 'All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days' here: https://www.rebeccadonner.com/See om
Are Lobsters Functionally Immortal?
It's true that lobsters don't age, but that doesn't quite make them immortal, and it's far from the only fabulously weird thing about them. Learn about lobsters -- including why they're biologically immortal, and how that might help human health in the future -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/400-pound-lobster.htm; https://anim
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