BrainStuff

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.how...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnys...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/liste...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.