BrainStuff
iHeartPodcasts
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
Mentioned books
Oct 30, 2018 • 3min
Are Any Superstitions Universal?
Do you knock on wood or avoid particular numbers? People around the world adhere to superstitions to attempt to change their luck -- and some of those superstitions are remarkably similar. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 29, 2018 • 7min
Would You Really Stay Conscious After Being Decapitated?
For everything we know about the human brain, consciousness is still mysterious. Could reports of people remaining conscious after being executed by decapitation be true? Learn what science has to say in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 28, 2018 • 3min
Would Cannibalism Have Been Calorically Worthwhile?
Our paleolithic ancestors ate people sometimes. But did they partake because they were really that hungry, or for some other, cultural reason? Learn what researchers think in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 27, 2018 • 7min
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. Lean the story of how its strange construction was one woman's unending quest in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2018 • 3min
Why Do We Carve Pumpkins Around Halloween?
The tradition of carving jack-o'-lanterns around Halloween goes back centuries to a folktale about a stingy man who outwits the devil. Learn the tale (and why pumpkins weren't the original carving vegetables) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 25, 2018 • 5min
Why Do We Make Our Monsters Cute?
Pop culture loves making horrific figures adorable, from Cthulhu plushies to 'cute' Freddy Krueger costumes. But why? Learn what researchers think about the spectrum of cute to monstrous in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 24, 2018 • 5min
Would Psychic Powers Really Cause Nosebleeds?
You've seen the trope: a character strains their psychic powers and gets a nosebleed to show for it. But would this actually happen if psychic powers were real? Learn the hypothetical science in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 23, 2018 • 6min
Were Unicorns Always Sweet?
The modern image of the elegant, gentle unicorn is a relatively recent invention. Learn about the history of unicorn myths and legends in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 22, 2018 • 5min
Do Boomers and Gen-Xers Really Work Harder Than Millennials?
Millennials approach their jobs differently than previous generations, but research shows it's not how they were raised -- it's a mark of their youth. Learn how age and generational differences intersect in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 21, 2018 • 5min
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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
