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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.
Son Epizodlar
2612 epizod
What Happens When Your Immune System Turns on You?
Your adaptive immune system remembers specific germs and fights them really effectively -- but it can sometimes make mistakes and attack your own heal...
How Can Slime Mold Think Without a Brain?
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 f...
What's the Difference Between Cougars, Pumas, and Mountain Lions?
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...
Who Named the Americas?
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 m...
BrainStuff Classics: Would Turkey Be So Popular Without Thanksgiving?
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...
Could a Solar Flare Wipe Out Earth's Electronics?
Powerful events on the surface of the sun, like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, produce radiation and magnetic waves that could indeed affect...
How Can Dolphins Detect Sea Mines?
The U.S. Navy has been training bottlenose dolphins for operations like detecting undersea mines and guarding vessels since the 1960s. Learn about the...
How Does the Skin Barrier Work?
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...
What's the History of Skid Row?
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 o...
How Do You Make Hoshigaki?
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 epi...
How Does Psoriasis Work?
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...
Could 'Y'all' Fill a Gap in Modern English?
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, ba...
Introducing: Health Stuff
Hi, BrainStuff listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Health Stuff!
Health Stuff: On Health...
BrainStuff Classics: How Do Paleoartists Create Dinosaur Drawings?
Short answer: Very carefully. Learn about the history and modern practices of paleoart in this classic episode of BrainStuff.
See omnystudio.com...
BrainStuff Classics: Why Is the Winchester House Built So Strangely?
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 cons...
Is the 'Number of the Beast' an Ancient Riddle?
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...
Could Piranhas Really Eat a Cow in Under a Minute?
Piranhas are very efficient eaters, but their frothing feeding frenzy seen in horror movies is mostly based on a myth started by Theodore Roosevelt. L...
Göbekli Tepe: How Does Humanity's Most Ancient Monument Work?
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-gathe...
Why Are There Sriracha Shortages?
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 wea...
How Do Levees Protect Us?
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 levee...
What's the Difference Between Socialism and Communism?
Socialism and communism are often mentioned in the same breath, and they do share a common history, but socialists aren't necessarily communists -- an...
How Do Vaccines Prevent Diseases?
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...
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Sealab Work?
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 h...
How Do Slow Lorises Work?
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...
How Do Venus Flytraps Work?
Venus flytraps can photosynthesize like most other plants, but they supplement their diet by catching insects and arachnids. Learn what we know (and d...
How Did Jerry Lawson Change the Course of Video Gaming?
In the 1970s, Jerry Lawson was instrumental in creating the first cartridge-based video game console and the first digital joystick -- and he did it a...
Why Is Glass Transparent?
Glass windows are as solid as the materials that surround them, yet they let light through. Learn the physics of why glass can be so transparent -- an...
BrainStuff Classics: Should We Retest Licensed Drivers Periodically?
Although some driving skills can deteriorate with age, experienced drivers tend to be the safest drivers. To an extent. Learn when and how experts thi...
How Did President Jimmy Carter Work?
As a U.S. President, Jimmy Carter championed education and renewable energy as keystones of a healthy nation. Outside of office, he helped other natio...
Why Are Truffles So Expensive?
Truffles are fungi that grow underground, are almost exclusively foraged, and taste best extremely fresh. Learn about truffle biology, truffle flavori...
How Do Alligator Snapping Turtles Work?
This positively prehistoric-looking freshwater turtle is the largest in North America -- and it catches fish by wiggling a worm-like lure. Learn more...
Did Victorians Really Have a Language of Flowers?
In floriography, flowers and other plants are associated with meanings or sentiments (like physical emoji) -- but could you really send a message with...
How Did the Cowboy Gallop into American History?
Cowboy culture didn't start in the Wild West. Learn about the Spanish, Indigenous, and Black history of cowboys in this episode of BrainStuff, based o...
How Does Skin Tan and Burn?
When our skin deepens in color after sun exposure, it's trying to protect us from damage. Learn how it works -- plus why you should help it out with s...
BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Opossums Awesome?
They eat trash and they look a little freaky, but the North American opossum is a smart, clean, disease-fighting, and all-around fascinating creature....
BrainStuff Classics: What Happens to Donated Blood?
After you donate blood, it goes through a complex system of testing, processing, and storage before it can be delivered to patients who need it. Learn...
6 Historical Words That Don't Mean What You Think
Originally, Hedonists believed in moderation and Luddites were just looking to protect their job security. Learn about these and other words that've c...
How Do HeLa Cells Work?
Most of the human cells grown in labs that are used for scientific research come from samples taken from one woman in the 1950s. Learn about the amazi...
Why Is North Sentinel Island Totally Off-Limits?
This small island in the Bay of Bengal is home to one of the last uncontacted peoples on the planet -- and they seem to want to keep it that way. Lear...
How Have Obituaries Changed?
Public death notices about common people are a fairly recent development, and they've changed a lot since their inception. Learn how obituaries went f...