Brain Junk

Trace found some delightful random facts about birds! Today we're talking "anting", talons locked to the death, and musical cockatoos. Show Notes : Journal of Ornithology: Anting behavior in birds Video of crow anting : aka the spicy spa Bird Note: anting Facebook video of bald eagles cartwheeling Bird Note: Eagles cartwheeling Palm Cockatoos playing their instruments Research paper on Palm Cockat...

We recorded IN PERSON! Trace brought back a whole bunch of fun flavored chips from Uwajimaya , a fantastic Asian grocery store in Seattle! Check out the show notes for our 5 other taste test episodes! Show Notes : P.S. If you like the Non Newtonian fluid cup, it's in our Merch store ! P.S.S. in defense of the Pizza flavored chips, when Trace tried them the next day, she could taste the peperoni. O...

From wheat to mice to rabbits to...you won't believe the techniques we've used to determine if a woman is pregnant. The history of detecting pregnancy is long, inexact, and strange. Buckle up for some crazy science. Show Notes: Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Pee is for Pregnant: The history and science of urine-based pregnancy tests NIH t imeline of the history of the pre...

We're officially pros now right?!?! We dug deep into the internet's brain junk drawer for a random smash-up of whatever facts tickled our fancy. Thank you for listening and loving this show as much as we do. Show Notes : Check out our shop for fun stuff SHIRTS, CUPS, & MORE Guinness book of World Records: Most hugs , fastest 300km cycle , 300 pound dead weight hang Bones in a baby's body Julia...

We might quit Brain Junk and run off to the University of Exeter for their brand new Masters program in MAGIC. Not Hogwarts (darn) but you'd be studying the role of magic in society. Listen to our podcast while you apply!!!! Show Notes : University of Exeter Magic and Occult Science MA NPR interview with Prof. Sajjad Rizvi Fun book recommendation (that is not for young kids): The Magicians A secon...

Apologies for the sound quality. Trace solemnly swears this is our last Zoom recorded episode. In 1886, the US government decided it was time we cataloged every fruit. Lacking the ability to take color pictures, a small group of artists, led by a talented female painter, began to create a record of over 6,000 fruits. Show Notes : USDA Pomological Watercolors United States Dept of Agriculture: Ag m...

Hold onto your top hats, we're striding into the historical world of competitive race walking! Can you even imagine walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours (FYI 1000 hours is nearly 42 days) Image: Emma Sharp Show Notes : BBC: The strange 19th century sport that was cooler than football Wikipedia: Foster Powell National Galleries of Scotland: Captain Robert Barclay-Allardyce Ultrarunninghistory.com : The...

Go look up the Carl Straat diving bell ship. It's insane to think that it's possible for people to walk on the bottom of a river in regular clothes and rubber boots. There's no special equipment except for the boat and compressed air. Show Notes : Carl Straat diving bell ship (the video Amy watches during the episode): https://www.tiktok.com/@machinepix/video/7255824577534725418 wocomoMOTORS video...

Up until 2020, If you loved cats but your allergies didn't love them back, you had to live with runny eyes, hop yourself up on Benadryl, or live a sad cat free life. Now there's something that might reduce the amount of Fel d1 that cats produce! The less Fel d1 in your environment, the less severe your allergic response. Stay tuned at the end for Amy's recap of how Thanksgiving and Christmas went...

Are you team killer whale or team crab eating seal? We're cheering for both... Watch the movies in the show notes if you dare. There's no blood and guts but the hunting style of the B1 pod is still a complete horror show. image: AlKalenski from pixabay, Antarctic seal and iceberg Show Notes : Lindblad Expedition with national Geographic movie More National Geographic Research Gate diagrams of wave...

From Sugar the long lost Australian sheep to an unfortunate Bulgarian man who became mummified way faster than scientists would expect, Amy's bringing it with a fact double header! P.S. Sugar the sheep had 28 pounds of wool shorn off. That'd make a lot of sweaters! Show Notes : Brain Junk Merch Sugar the Sheep article on UPI with a great link to an Instagram video of Sugar getting sheared LittleCr...

First off, we recorded on Zoom ( I KNOW it's ). Sorry about the sound quality. Trace is working on a new platform for us. But okay, magnets! You asked & we are here to demystify those wacky magnets you've got stuck all over your fridge. Show notes : US Energy Information Administration magnetism explanation with diagrams Magnets and repelling sharks ! YouTube sharks vs magnets ! Jenny Lawson a...

It's our last week of Thanksgiving break! Hope this finds you contentedly full from a good meal and hanging out with the people you adore. Trace pulled out all the stops with audio buffet of animal episodes. The bell bird, honeypot ants, and unexpected animal buddies. Also shout out to Hank the dog, he was a goofy guy and much loved by Amy and her family. RIP Hank, you'll be missed. This is a publ...

Brain Junk is still on break but whooo-boy we've got a trip down memory lane for y'all! Picture it, September 2020, Trace and Amy sitting a million socially distant miles apart while tasting the flavor sensation of the season--turkey flavored candy corn. We still have TFSD (turkey flavored stress disorder). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get a...

Brain Junk is taking Thanksgiving break! Trace has some writing projects she needs to get off the ground and Amy has a teenager at home(do we need to say more?) We've got some fun episode mashups coming the next three weeks. Don't worry, we'll be back with all new stuff in December! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

We've got a vocab "argument" when it comes to the beauty industry. They say that super hydrating lotion has snail mucins. Scientists say mucins are in a protein family secreted by animals for a whole host of reasons. Come clean beauty industry! It's snail mucus. Show Notes : NIH National Library of Medicine: Super cool snail slime paper NPR scientist interview Snail Facial with REAL SNAILS! Transc...

It's the 31st of October and we've got some tricks and treats for you! We've dug up a whole bag of weird facts from ghost month in China to brain worms to devil's chairs. Settle in with your pile of candy and unwrap this creepy episode with us. P.S. Trace's lovely sister-in-law, Kathleen made an Excel spreadsheet of all our episodes and it's coming soon to our website for you to dig through. Show...

Let's look into the past with time capsules! People have stashed important items in clay pots or the walls of buildings for centuries. It wasn't until 1939 that the phrase "time capsule" became popular as a way to explain the fascination we have with saving bits of ourselves for the future. image : US Army photo of 1905 Arlington national Cemetery time capsule being opened We didn't hear him in ba...

In Wisconsin's Chippewa Flowage (what the heck is that? OMG it's amazing) there are floating islands of peat. Covered with trees and doing what they want. You've got to check out the videos in our show notes! P.S. Today is Amy Barton's birthday!!!!! DM her on our Instagram with Bday wishes! image: Yahoo news Show Notes : YouTube: Discover Wisconsin Boats moving the floaty islands! YOU HAVE TO WATC...

Back in 1984, Coca-Cola and Pepsi started a very short space race. In 1985, Cans and soda went on the STS 51-F shuttle flight. It was sticky and fizzy and burping was a DISASTER. Amy takes us on a Vomit Comet ride to the stars talking burps, tears, and all things gastrointestinal in low gravity. Show Notes : Check out our merch SHOP ! Air and Space museum Coke can and Pepsi can Microgavity ? What...

We've decided the Hoatzin is Brain Junk's new mascot! It's the weirdest, cow poop smelling, leaf-burping bird from the Andes. We adore them. image: Pixabay, Herbert Bieser Show notes : Video of climbing baby Hoatzin: Youtube Current Biology: Hoatzin quick guide Earth Planet Youtube This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...

It's October 1910 and the first attempt to cross the Atlantic in an airship is all ready to go. They've got a crew of six, a fancy new radio, and a...cat. We'll give you three guesses as to which of those things were NOT supposed to be on the airship. image: Library of Congress Show Notes : Smithsonian Nation Air and Space Museum go here for pictures of: Kiddo the cat Need some in-depth detail on...

Back in 1881, two young towns in Eastern Washington wanted to be the county seat in newly created Spokane county. Spokane vs. Cheney had rich businessmen turning out to vote. What happened next is still hotly contested (depending which city's historical society you ask). Show notes : Historylink.org by Jim Kershner: Armed Cheney citizens forcibly remove the county seat from Spokane Falls to Cheney...

We've plucked a bunch of random facts from the junk drawer! Tree rings, platypusary, and death by salt are just a few of the super cool facts curated for your ears! Care to share a little Brain junk with your friends? Check out our new merch! https://brain-junk-merch.printify.me/products Show Notes: Funny thing, Trace used articles from C&EN news but some of those articles aren't available to...

A huge reason you have a touch screen on your smart phone is because of a pigeon and a bomb? Let's talk about WWII pigeon pilots! Show Notes : TikTok pigeon pilot footage NIST history report on pigeons and invention Wikipedia: Project Pigeon 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