Explore every episode of the podcast BrainStuff

In a bustling plaza in the heart of Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the Arc de Triomphe as a monument to his victories -- but he didn't live to see it completed. Learn more about its history in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/architecture/arc-de-triomphe.htm

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Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was a fairly common criminal until he got involved in shootout with federal agents in 1933. Learn about his life and crimes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/pretty-boy-floyd.htm

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It's not just malice -- there are several psychological reasons why people get so mean and angry online. Learn what experts say (and how to stop the cycle) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/psychological-reason-mean-on-internet.htm

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The pink fairy armadillo looks like a fantasy illustration and is so elusive that it's practically mythical. Learn what we know (and don't know) about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/pink-fairy-armadillo.htm

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America's founders created the three branches of the government -- executive, legislative, and judicial -- to check and balance each other. Learn how the system struggles and works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/three-branches-government.htm

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Short answer: Nope! As it turns out, Saturn's rings are fairly new, and they'll only be around a while longer. Relatively speaking. Learn how researchers discovered this in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/saturns-rings-blip-in-time.htm

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Whale songs are eerie, beautiful, and -- as it turns out -- completely on-trend. Learn how humpback whales share tunes among herds in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/humpback-whales-start-new-songs-old-too-complex.htm

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The internet is a daily fixture in our lives, and it all started with the diligent work of Department of Defense-funded researchers in the 1960s. Learn how ARPANET bloomed into the internet as we know it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/internet-start.htm

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Every year on January 1, a new batch of movies, books, songs, and other works of art enters the public domain, meaning they're free to use and repurpose. (In 2024, after 95 years of copyright, we got the original Mickey Mouse cartoon, 'Steamboat Willy'.) Learn how public domain and copyright law intersect to encourage artists in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/what-does-public-domain-mean.htm

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Pelicans use their huge gular pouch to easily scoop up fish in water but consume only the fish. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/pelican-bill-vs-belly.htm

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Having a plan in place when a hurricane approaches can help keep you safe -- and take some of the stress out of these scary storms. Learn the basics of hurricane preparedness in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/prepare-for-hurricane.htm Go to Ready.gov for more info.

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Barbie is an American icon now -- but she wasn't an instant success, and she actually has roots in a slightly ribald German cartoon from the 1950s. Learn how Ruth Handler made Barbie a phenomenon in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/barbie-history.htm

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These blue-tongued lizards look like snakes with stubby legs -- and that's just one feature they use to make predators think they're more dangerous than they are. Learn more (including why they can make great pets for an experienced owner) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/blue-tongued-skink.htm

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Although wildfires can be scary, serious disasters, forests and the animals that inhabit them can actually benefit from fires. Learn how controlled burns work and why they help wildlife in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/how-forest-fire-benefit-living-things-.htm/printable

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Is light a particle or a wave? Or both? Or neither? Learn how humans have defined light throughout history -- including our best attempts today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

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Human bodies buried in bogs can retain some features -- like perfectly preserved skin, right down to forehead wrinkles -- for thousands of years. Learn how this natural mummification process works in today's classic episode of BrainStuff.

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The word 'hack' was once simply a verb meaning to cut roughly -- it's now a noun and verb with several meanings, from a bad writer to computer criminal. Learn how it transformed in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/word-hack.htm

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Sharks are such successful hunters in part because their senses are so well-adapted to finding prey in the water. Learn about sharks' senses of smell, hearing, sight, taste, and electroreception in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-senses.htm/printable; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-yummy-hum.htm

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The first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle embarked in 1894, a time when it was still a little scandalous for women to ride bikes at all. Learn the story of Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/annie-londonderry.htm

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You may have heard that you shouldn't eat oysters in any month without the letter R in its name. Learn where this idea came from -- and why it's not true anymore -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/food-nutrition/raw-oysters-are-safe-to-eat-every-month-year.htm

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Using the bathroom in near-zero gravity is exactly as tricky as it sounds. Learn how space bathrooms have worked (and sometimes not worked) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/10-moments-space-bathrooms.htm

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These large, intelligent North American birds weren't everyone's first choice for a United States icon. Learn more about bald eagles in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/bald-eagles.htm

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It seems miraculous that art can be so moving, but there are several scientific theories about it. Learn what we know (and what we don't) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/music-and-art-move-us.htm/printable

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In the 1930s, stones surfaced that might explain what happened to the settlers of the lost colony of Roanoke. Learn their story -- plus how modern science might help determine whether they're real -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/dare-stones-forgery-or-key-to-lost-colony-roanoke-mystery.htm

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Bruises can turn a rainbow of colors before they heal -- but why? Learn the science behind color-changing contusions in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/health-factors/why-do-bruises-change-colors-as-heal.htm

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Sound needs matter to travel through -- and matter is scattered pretty far and wide in space. Learn more about how hearing works and how space works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/humans-hear-in-space.htm/printable

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Dingoes are Australia's wiley wild canines -- and yes, they can be dangerous to humans. Learn about the origin of this pop culture phrase in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/dingo.htm

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The Emanicaption Proclamation didn't immediately free any enslaved people -- it wasn't meant to. Learn how it succeeded at its actual purpose -- demoralizing the Confederacy -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/lincoln-emancipation-proclamation.htm

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Pickled cucumbers are a simple snack favored by everyone from deli-goers to Cleopatra. Learn the science and history behind pickling in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-science/pickle-history.htm

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All exercise is good for keeping us healthier and happier -- but some kinds of exercise can actually help you live longer, too. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/which-athletes-live-longest.htm

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If you take a pull of air from a helium balloon, you'll sound like a cartoon version of yourself for a few seconds. Learn why helium makes you so high pitched in this episode of BrainStuff.

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After our sun dies, it and many other stars will eventually crystallize. Learn how astrophysicists figured this out -- and how it works -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/after-sun-dies-itll-become-stellar-crystal.htm

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Though his formal education and financial means were limited, Cesar Chavez succeeded in unionizing California farm workers as no one had before. Learn about his life and dedication to La Causa in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/cesar-chavez.htm

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Giraffe's necks contain only seven vertabrae, just like ours, but can be several feet long. Learn how their bodies adapted to this amazing structure in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/giraffe-neck.htm/printable

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Aspic is savory gelatin that can serve as a sort of showstopping, jiggly salad. Learn the science behind how it's made (and a few guesses about why) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/aspic.htm

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It wasn't a total cultural collapse, but several Maya cities were abandonded all around the same time. Learn how natural and human-driven climate change may have been key in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/climate-change-end-mayan-civilization.htm/printable

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The nail polishes popular today owe their existence to the automotive industry, but the history of nail colors and varnishes goes back millennia. Learn the history of nail polish in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/nail-care/tips/colorful-history-nail-polish.htm

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The photos on social media are arguably the cutest, but how do dogs feel when we dress them up? Can dogs feel emarrassment? Learn what science has to say in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/do-dogs-get-embarrassed.htm

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If a traffic light seems stuck on red, you're not stuck too. Learn what's legal and what's safe to try in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/if-light-is-stuck-on-red-are-stuck-too.htm

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Benedict Arnold is the United States' most famous traitor. Learn about his journey from hero to villain of the Revolutionary War in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/benedict-arnold.htm

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These small, wild cats with famously grumpy expressions are uniquely adapted to their frigid high-altitude environtments. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/pallas-cat.htm

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Popular culture throws around the terms 'sociopath' and 'psychopath' a lot, but neither is a real mental health diagnosis. Learn about the actual traits and conditions behind these terms in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/sociopath-vs-psychopath.htm

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The majority of humans become lactose intolerant as they grow up. Learn how ancient herders changed our digestive gene pool in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/humans-built-drink-milk-adults.htm

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https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/auto-safety-testing/escape-sinking-car.htm; https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/auto-glass.htm

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Cherry blossom trees are so celebrated because their beautiful blooms are so short-lived. Learn about these trees (and how so many wound up in Washington, D.C.) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/cherry-blossom.htm

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Starting in the 1930s, this adventurous Black woman toured the U.S., performed stunts, and served her country on motorcycles. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/bessie-stringfield.htm

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It turns out that some tree squirrels have complex organization systems for their stashes. Learn how they hide and find exactly what they want in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/squirrels-really-organize-nuts.htm

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Given the right depth, temperature, and access to volcanic gases, lakes can explode and kill thousands in the process. Learn how these limnic eruptions happen in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/what-makes-killer-lake-explode.htm

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Palm oil is in lots of foods, cosmetics, and household products -- and that's a very serious thing. Learn the problems (and solutions) that palm oil presents in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/palm-oil-is-everywhere-heres-why-that-matters.htm

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OK may be the most frequently spoken word in the world -- but what does it stand for? How did it get here? Learn the etymology behind it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article -- okay? Okay! https://people.howstuffworks.com/history-ok.htm

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