Brain Junk

Here we all thought the drive-thru window was something new and innovative. And it was…in Pompeii in 79AD. Back in the day the Romans and Greeks and probably other large civilizations had walk up restaurants that catered to busy citizens. We dive into the cool history of thermapolia and early fast food. (FYI thermapolia is plural and thermapolium is singular. Gotta love that Latin) An undated phot...

Warning: Content of a slightly more adult kind. We use a few swear words, talk about illuminated manuscript penis trees, and yes, we may have talked about undescended testicles. Friends, no lie, 2020 was A YEAR. We went from working in person to recording remotely. It was a huge learning curve changing how we work, but there was one shining star in the whole experience so far–I had so much footage...

Traffic lights, a hair relaxant, gas masks, the zig-zag stitch on sewing machines…all of these important inventions have one thing in common, Garrett A. Morgan. Give this episode about a prominent Black innovator and inventor a listen! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Who knew a tiny animal could contain such a multitude of cool facts? For our 150th episode we dive into the life of the shrew. It’s a phenomenal creature with a 1500 heart beat per minute metabolism who is always up for a fight to the death. BUT WAIT…there’s so much more! Show Notes: The shrew (image by Rhae on Pixabay) Shrew Train! Thank you Richard Attenborough (we love you) Skip to 2:33 for the...

Originating in India, the western version of the red bandana began in 1800s England with the use of snuff. Over the years the pattern has changed slightly, but that red bandana has become ubiquitous. image: AnnaliseArt from Pixabay Even goats like a little bandana fashion This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brain...

We catch you up with an update on fluorescing animals and then jump right into new research on Longfin Damsel fish that use Mysid shrimp to farm algae. Stegastes nigricans, photo by Andrew Green Mysid shrimp image: Melev’s Reef Check out more about this mutualistic relationship here: https://theconversation.com/we-found-algae-farming-fish-that-domesticate-tiny-shrimp-to-help-run-their-farms-151615...

In WWI and WWII women were super sneaky and ingenious using their yarn and knitting needles to covertly transport coded messages. That’s right, today we’re talking about steganography. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor via British Library There are over 70 examples of knights fighting snails in illuminated manuscripts from the 1300s. But why? First meme? A silly inside joke? A weird allegory? Listen to the episode and check out our link in the show notes. Or better yet, just Google Snail Knights! Show Notes: More Snail Knights from the British Library This is a public episo...

When music comes on, can you clap along or do you struggle to find the beat? If you have a hard time keeping up with the rhythm, there’s a reason and it’s happening in your auditory cortex.   Show Notes:  PopSci: Why Some People are Bad at Dancing Science Alert: Are You Beat Deaf? Primary auditory cortex and Auditory association areas.jpg Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons via the Creative Commons L...

Col. William H Jackson had a favorite tree. So, somewhere around 1832, Colonel Jackson gave the white oak tree to itself (and the city of Athens, GA played along). As of this broadcast, that tree’s offspring still grows on the same spot. We have so many questions. image by Felix Wong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this w...

Help us lean into the New Year with the many Scottish traditions surrounding Hogmanay! There are wee drams of whiskey and balls of fire and cleaning out the house to get ready for the coming year. Raise a glass with us in the hopes of a better 2021. Show Notes: Hogmanay Wiki Visit Scotland: Hogmanay Trip Savvy: Hogmanay Comrie Flambeaux   Awesome Stonehaven Fireballs!:   Biggar Bonfire Photo Credi...

Happy almost New Year! Amy and Trace got together to socially distance snack. We try some dried mushrooms, chips, a surprise snack, and some candy. We had a fantastic time getting back together in person! All the snacks! Happy New Year!!! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Tired of cold feet and longs nights huddled under not quite warm enough blankets? Maybe you need a box bed. Originating in medieval times, making a bed walled in on all sides made for a cozy night’s sleep. And sorry again for Zoom remote sound quality. Thanks for being so understanding! Show Notes: The double-decker-box-bed below can be found on A Strange and Wonderful Collection along with many o...

There are only approximately 400,000 elephants left in the world. Frustrated and saddened by this stark statistic, Dr. Lucy King set out to find a way to make elephants less of a threat to people and crops. Her ingenious solution does just that AND saves elephant's lives too. Show Notes: African anti-elephant beehive fence. image: Elephantsandbees.com Dr. Lucy King Ted Talk This is a public episod...

Ramesses II (Also known as Ramses or Rameses) became Pharaoh at the age of 14, had more children than any other Egyptian ruler, and reigned during the golden age of Egypt. But of course his history isn’t exactly what we’re talking about on this episode. Show Notes: NatGeo Mummy Passport NatGeo Weird Passports Ripleys: Mummy Passport Ancient Origins Mummy Passport A mock up for the only mummy with...

When we tried to start recording, the neighbors revved up their engines and insisted on mowing their lawns--so we had all the wacky background noise! For Thanksgiving we got together to taste test Brach's Turkey Dinner flavored candy corn. It was an outdoor, socially distanced adventure that we just had to share with you. It's like an episode of Chopped where they tried to make candy corn into a s...

On July 6th, 1930 Fred Newton dipped a toe into the Mississippi river and explained to reporters that he planned to swim from Minneapolis to New Orleans. Along the way he encountered floating rafts of manure and other hazards. It wasn't an adventure for the faint of heart. Show Notes: Smithsonian Magazine - Fred Newton Swims the Mississippi Washington Post-Swimming Down the Mississippi for Dear Li...

In 1532 the Spanish found out what everyone in South America already knew--potatoes are amazing. But when they brought them back to Europe the reception wasn't so great. No one was impressed by a food harvested out of the dirt. When famine hit Prussia in 1774, King Frederick the Great had a plan to get his starving people to eat the dreaded potato. Check out his grave in Germany and leave a potato...

A word on sound quality: We’re still recording remotely. Just pretend Amy is on the moon, reporting from her own personal lunar module. Besides the lander modules left by each mission, there’s a lot of unexpected junk and treasures left behind by America’s six trips to the moon. Show Notes: Check out a hammer vs feather drop experiment done on the moon. Commander David Scott did the demo during th...

An accidental discovery by scientist Jonathan G. Martin lead to a surprise at his bird feeder. Turns out Flying Squirrels in the United States have a special trait. Under ultraviolet light they glow. Ultraviolet light makes flying squirrels turn PINK! image: Northland College If you want to know more about the particulars of ultraviolet light here's a link to a LiveScience.com article. This is a p...

Letting you know straight out the gate that the sound quality of this episode is...eh. We had some remote recording issues again--thanks Covid-- but (get it? Butt Music and but? HA! Dad joke for the win). But, Amy had too much cool stuff to share not to air this episode on Hieronymus Bosch, his painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights, and Amelia Hamrick's discovery of sheet music on a naked but...

The tomato traveled a long strange road of misunderstanding and admiration all the way from the New World to the old and back again. Why did it become the iconic pin cushion shape we all remember and how in the heck did it sprout a little strawberry off the side? P.S. We had some recording issues--darn you COVID-19. The sound quality isn't amazing, but the show is classic Amy and Trace. This is a...

During WWII, special super secret decks of playing cards were used to help American prisoners of war escape from Nazi camps. Show Notes: Check out the articles for some great pictures!  No one knows for sure how many decks were produced, but the only two known surviving decks are in the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. . Plan your road trip and send us pictures! Reddit POW Poker Decks...

Amy and Trace dug deep into their "this is too gross for a podcast" files and decided there was just too much quality disgustingness not to do it anyway!!! WARNING! We aren't kidding. This stuff is all about glowing mouse brains, stomach burrowing eels, maggots, and SO MUCH MORE. Listen if you dare. Show Notes: Live Science - Really Alarming Snake Eels  Spiky, but ripping guys.  Factinate - Hagfis...

This hard to stop insect can shoot a caustic mix 212 degree chemicals out of it's abdomen at 500 times a second. Seriously! Trace shares some super cool facts about this little bug. image: Patrick Coin ( wikimedia) Great video of a variety of beetles using chemical warfare from BBC Earth! Science Magazine : Japanese toad vs. Bombardier Beetle Here's a cool view of what's happening INSIDE the Bomba...