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
Apr 21, 2020 • 4min
Can a Cell Phone Make a Gas Pump Explode?
There's a modern myth that using your cell phone while pumping gasoline may cause a fire or explosion, but it's been debunked. Learn why (and why static electricity may have started the myth) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 20, 2020 • 10min
How Is Our Food Supply Chain Changing?
Don't worry, there isn't any kind of shortage of food in the United States due to COVID-19 -- but our supply chain is changing. 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 19, 2020 • 6min
BrainStuff Classics: Why Don't All Skeletons Become Fossils?
If every animal that ever lived became fossilized, we'd be swimming in seas of fossils right now. Learn why we aren't in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 18, 2020 • 3min
BrainStuff Classics: Why Can It Be Painful To Bite Aluminum Foil?
If you've ever gotten a painful shock from biting down on a piece of aluminum foil, it's becauce dental metal in your mouth formed a type of battery with the foil. Learn how it works in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 17, 2020 • 9min
How Was the Golden Gate Bridge Designed?
A bridge connecting San Francisco to the Marin Headlands was proposed 60 years before construction actually began. Learn how it finally happened (and why you shouldn't call the iconic Golden Gate Bridge 'red') in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 16, 2020 • 6min
What's the Difference Between Turtles and Tortoises?
Tortoises are a type of turtle, but the differences among these reptiles aren't always clear. Learn more about these shelled reptiles in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 16, 2020 • 8min
Why Do Stores Keep Running Out of Toilet Paper?
Of all things to run low on during a pandemic: Why toilet paper? Learn the reasons behind the perceived shortage and empty shelves in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 14, 2020 • 3min
Is Glass a Liquid or a Solid?
Glass isn't a liquid, but it's not quite a normal solid, either. Learn why glass is an amorphous solid (and why old window panes have ripples) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 13, 2020 • 5min
How Did Gregor MacGregor Swindle People into Moving to a Country that Didn't Exist?
In the early 1800s, one swindler tricked hundreds of people into investing in a nonexistent country -- and even into moving there. Learn about Gregor MacGregor's invented kingdom of Poyais in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 12, 2020 • 5min
BrainStuff Classics: Does 'Power Dressing' Actually Work?
Dressing up to feel powerful may have been a fashion fad of the 1970s and '80s, but do we really think and act differently if we wear formal clothes? Learn the psychology of power dressing in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
