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
May 1, 2018 • 6min
Can Talking About Yourself in the Third Person Make You Feel Better?
It can sound off-putting, but it turns out that people who talk about themselves in the third person may be giving themselves a mental boost. ("You're nailing this episode description, Lauren!") Learn why in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 30, 2018 • 4min
Do Happy Cows Really Make Better Milk?
OK, 'happy' might be a stretch, but researchers are looking into how cows given positive interactions (like back scritches) grow and produce milk versus less-content cows. Learn what the results say in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 27, 2018 • 5min
How Can Your Birth Season Determine Your Allergies?
The season you were born in helps determine whether you'll have allergies, but science has never understood why. Learn what a team of researchers are discovering in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 26, 2018 • 2min
Why Shouldn't Compressed Air Canisters Be Shaken?
Many spray canisters call for being shaken, but not compressed air. Learn how both types work (and the dangers of shaking the wrong type) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 25, 2018 • 3min
Why Can't I Taste My Tongue?
Your tongue is an amazing sensory instrument -- so why can't it taste itself? Many philosophers have pondered the same thing. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 24, 2018 • 4min
What Was the First Killer Robot?
Science fiction buzzes with evil robots and AI, but real-life machines are much less sinister -- if not less potentially deadly. Learn the real concerns (and possible solutions) about killer robots in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 23, 2018 • 6min
Is Our Tipping System Gratuitous?
The way we tip and pay servers in North American restaurants fosters unfair and unequal paychecks for the whole staff. But it's so entrenched -- how can we fix it? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 20, 2018 • 4min
Why Were Fruit Flies the First Animal in Space?
In 1947, U.S. military scientists launched the very first Earth animals into space: fruit flies. But why these diminutive bugs in particular? Learn about their trip to the final fronteir in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 19, 2018 • 3min
Did an 19th-Century Man Predict Your Death?
In the 1820s, an insurance actuary by the name of Benjamin Gompertz wrote an equation that reliably predicts when people are going to die. Learn how it works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 18, 2018 • 6min
Is the Human Brain Hardwired for Poetry?
Poems activate different parts of the human brain than other types of literature do, and our brains seem hardwired to enjoy the patterns in poetry. Learn why this may be in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
