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 8, 2020 • 6min
Is Betelgeuse About to Go Supernova?
Betelguese is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, but in 2019 it dimmed -- a lot. Learn what researchers think caused this and what it could mean in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 7, 2020 • 8min
What's the Difference Between Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx?
The official U.S. government definitions of 'Hispanic' and 'Latino' differ from how people often refer to themselves in real life -- and new terms like 'Latinx' are gaining popularity, too. Learn what these terms mean and how language is evolving in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 6, 2020 • 7min
Does the Community of Lily Dale Reconnect the Living and the Dead?
Spiritualism is a 19th-century belief system that holds that the living can communicate with spirits of the dead through mediums. Learn about the community where spiritualism is famously practiced, Lily Dale, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 5, 2020 • 4min
How Did the Bear-Sized Beaver, Castoroides, Work?
A couple million years ago, species of bear-sized beavers roamed North America. Learn more about how Castoroides lived in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 4, 2020 • 5min
BrainStuff Classics: Did Neanderthals Use Glue?
Neanderthals distilled tar more than 100,000 years before modern humans created glue. Learn how archaeologists compared three potential ways they might've done it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 3, 2020 • 5min
BrainStuff Classics: How Does Captain America's Shield Work?
Captain America's indestructible shield may be a work of fiction, but that won't stop us from trying to figure out how it might work in the real world. Learn more about the history and science behind Cap's shield in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 2, 2020 • 6min
What's It Like to Live and Work in Antarctica?
The South Pole's frigid desert continent bears very little natural life, but hundreds of researchers and support staff live and work there. Learn what that's like in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 1, 2020 • 5min
What's Up With America's European Replica Towns?
Scattered throughout the U.S. are small towns built to look like old-timey European villages. Learn the stories behind a few such towns in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 30, 2020 • 4min
Did the Pilgrims Really Land at Plymouth Rock Because They Ran Out of Beer?
The Pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower were supposed to start their colony further south, but dwindling rations made them settle for Plymouth Rock. Learn why beer was so key in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 29, 2020 • 8min
Why Do People Store Art in Freeports?
Some of the world's most precious antiquities and works of art aren't in museums or private homes -- they're stored away in freeports. Learn how freeports work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
