Something You Should Know

The human body is full of strange, ingenious, and often overlooked features that keep us alive every second of every day. And some of the most fascinating parts are the ones we rarely think about — until something goes wrong. Dr. Jonathan Reisman takes us on an unusual tour inside the human body to reveal what our organs, tissues, and bodily fluids can teach us about how we work. He explains why c...

You know that stretch you instinctively do when you first wake up — arms out, back arched, often accompanied by a yawn or a strange noise? Dogs and cats do it too. There is actually a name for it, and a reason it feels so incredibly good. Listen and discover what your body is accomplishing when you do it. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-does-pandiculation-feel-so-good Something startling is...

You have seen a dollar bill hundreds of times, but have you ever really studied it? It’s fascinating. And the number 13 plays a prominent role. This episode begins with a short tour of a U.S. $1 bill. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/kids/games/riddles/jokes/dollar-bill-trivia You spend a lot of time with clothes – wearing them, buying them, and washing them. How you care for your clothes is impor...

Ever get a song stuck in your head that simply will not leave? That’s an earworm, and while it will eventually fade away on its own, there are some things you can do to help get rid of it sooner. Listen and discover what works. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/songs-get-stuck-head Being a good conversationalist can make an enormous difference in your personal and professional life. Yet most of u...

There are some questions about the universe that are almost too big to wrap your head around. Why are we here? How did everything begin? Are we alone — or is there intelligent life somewhere else? Could aliens already know about us? And if the universe had a beginning, how does this whole thing eventually end? In this episode, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles some of the most fascinating...

What are spiders doing inside your home? You’ve probably spotted a few crawling around, especially in the fall. But contrary to what you might assume, many of those spiders didn’t just wander in from outdoors. And there’s a very specific reason you suddenly start seeing more of them this time of year — it has a lot to do with romance. https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/ar...

Groceries are expensive, but there is a surprisingly simple way to leave the supermarket with a smaller bill — and it has less to do with what you buy than how you shop. I begin this episode with a technique that could help you spend less every time you go to the grocery store. Source: Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko(https://link.amazon/B03ckVUuD) For decades, we’ve been told the future would...

You’ve probably seen the warning on your passenger-side car mirror: “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” Which raises an obvious question: Why put a mirror on your car that deliberately distorts reality? Turns out there is a very good reason—and that distortion may actually help keep you safe. https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/why-objects-in-mirror-closer-t...

Who doesn’t like a bit of juicy gossip? We tend to think gossip is petty, mean or something we probably shouldn’t be doing. Yet practically everyone gossips—and it turns out there are some very good reasons why. Gossip actually serves several useful purposes in our personal and professional lives. It can help us figure out whom to trust, learn what’s going on within a group and warn us about peopl...

If you’ve ever tried to look at your phone while wearing sunglasses and found the screen strangely dark—or even completely black—there’s a fascinating reason why. And you don’t necessarily have to take off your sunglasses to fix it. Listen and discover a very simple trick. https://www.allaboutvision.com/eyewear/sunglasses/lenses/polarized-lenses-and-lcd-screens/ Imagine walking into a meeting, par...

How is your posture right now? If your shoulders are slouched, you may be sending a message to other people that you never intended to send. Your shoulders can communicate confidence, uncertainty, stress and more. Listen as I explain what your posture may be saying about you. https://www.jnforensics.com/post/what-the-shoulders-say-about-us Why are dogs so picky about where they poop? Can cats tell...

When someone gets a nosebleed, what are you supposed to do? Many of us learned that you should tilt your head back. That’s not a good idea. There are a couple of key actions to take when your nose bleeds that many people don’t know or don’t do. https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-nosebleeds/basics/art-20056683 It’s easy to dismiss optimism as hoping for the best or always looking for th...

Someone says nine wonderful things about you and one negative thing. Which one are you still thinking about hours later? Probably the negative one. Bad experiences, criticism and unpleasant news seem to have more power over us than equally good things. And it turns out there is a reason for that. Psychologists call it the negativity effect — our tendency to give more weight and attention to what g...

Why do your fingers and toes sometimes feel freezing cold when the rest of you feels perfectly comfortable? It’s actually your body doing something very deliberate to protect you. Listen and discover what’s going on — and why warming those fingers and toes back up can be so difficult. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-are-my-hands-and-feet-always-cold-and-should-i-worry Are you getting enough...

We have become much more of a cashless society in the last few years. That turns out to be a good thing because cash is really disgusting. Listen as I explain just how disgusting and you are not going to like it! Source: Elizabeth Scott, author of How to Prevent Food Poisoning (https://amzn.to/3XKAvHf). Horses are the “Swiss army knife of animals.” They can do so much. Consequently, over the last...

Certain smells can instantly transport you back to another time and place — sometimes more vividly than a photograph ever could. Why is your sense of smell so closely tied to memory, and why are those memories often so emotional? Listen and find out. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health Getting good customer service can feel like an obstacle course....

Why does time seem to move faster and faster the older you get? Summers that once felt endless suddenly seem to disappear in a flash. There are some intriguing theories about why our perception of time changes — and what may actually slow it down. Your brain is constantly interpreting the world, making predictions and influencing what you think and do — usually without you realizing it. That helps...

Why do leaves turn such spectacular colors every fall? It seems as if the green simply changes to red, orange or yellow — but that isn’t quite what happens. There is a lot more going on inside those leaves than you might imagine. Listen as I explain the fascinating process that creates the colors of autumn. https://www.weather.gov/dvn/climate_fall_colors When you want to make a big change — lose w...

Some very popular drinks can do a surprising amount of damage to your teeth. Which ones are the worst offenders? This episode begins with what certain drinks do to your tooth enamel and some simple ways to minimize the damage if you drink them. https://news.uthscsa.edu/more-u-s-teeth-susceptible-to-silent-enamel-eating-syndrome/ You are surrounded by gases every moment of your life. They fill your...

When the power goes out, how long will food in your refrigerator and freezer stay safe? And how bad is it to open the door and check? Consumer Reports has some useful answers that could save you from throwing out perfectly good food—or eating something you shouldn’t. https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/emergency-preparedness/what-to-feed-your-family-when-the-power-is-out-a4425760304/ Befor...

Why do you believe some people almost immediately, while others make you skeptical? You might assume credibility comes down to expertise, experience and having the facts on your side. But there is much more going on. Research shows that we respond to subtle signals that can make someone seem more believable — sometimes before we’ve really considered what they’re saying. Even more surprising, some...

Have you ever been completely stuck trying to solve a problem or come up with a new idea? There is a remarkably simple thing you can do that research shows can get your creative juices flowing. And it works surprisingly well. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2014/04/walking-vs-sitting-042414 Can you actually think yourself sick? Absolutely. It’s called the nocebo effect — essentially the evil twi...

Eye contact can be tricky. Too little can make you seem bored or distracted. Too much can get uncomfortable fast. So what is the right amount? This episode begins with some fascinating research on eye contact and the subtle signals you send with your eyes. http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/07/how-eye-contact-works.php Someone tells you a secret and makes you promise not to tell. You intend to keep tha...

Want to significantly improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep? There is one surprisingly simple thing you can do during the day that may actually help you sleep better that night. And no, it doesn’t involve exercise, meditation or giving up your phone. This episode begins with what it is and why it may work. https://sleepopolis.com/news/make-bed-better-sleep/ Every language and every...

Processed food has gotten a pretty terrible reputation. We’re warned to avoid foods with long ingredient lists, mysterious additives and chemical names we can’t pronounce. “Ultra-processed” has practically become another way of saying “bad for you.” But is that a useful way to judge what we eat? After all, almost everything we eat has been processed in some way, and everything we eat — including p...