Brain Junk

We're both married to redheads and have kids with that redhead gene! From ginger beards to coppery locks, is there any truth to the belief that redheads handle pain meds and anesthesia differently? Show Notes: NIH report on Redheads and pain thresholds 2004 Study by Daniel Sessler and ( Edwin B Liem   1 ,  Chun-Ming Lin ,  Mohammad-Irfan Suleman ,  Anthony G Doufas ,  Ronald G Gregg ,  Jacqueline...

Uguisubari aka nightingale floors were a Japanese innovation. This super squeaky floor was an early version of an alarm. The specially constructed floors were in only a select number of castles, but they would alert guards and residents to a shinobi attempting to be sneaky. Show Notes: Check out this Wiki entry on nightingale floors Trace talked about. This is a public episode. If you would like t...

When your city is used to having smoke and coal dust and fog all mix together into a "pea soup" yellow fog that chokes the city for days each year, life goes on through the murk. But the Great Smog from Dec 5 - 9th, 1952 was so bad, an estimated 12,000 people died. It was the kind of weather and pollution combination that spurred people to change air quality regulations. (Amy mentions 4,000 people...

It's our TWO-HUNDRED and FIFTIETH episode!!!!! AND we've made it this far because of your love and support for the show. Thank you so so much! To celebrate we've got a long Valentine deep dive into the history and weird facts around the holiday. SHOW NOTES: Amy mentions the Valentines Day Massacre but we didn't want to bring down the mood. Read up here if you want to know Galentine's Day is Feb 13...

Found for the first time in Upper Michigan by rock hound, Erik Rintamaki in 2017, this accidental finding is SO COOL. Under UV light they look like fiery dragon eggs. We mentioned the yooperlite store in our episode too. There aren't any free Google pictures (sad face) So here's a LINK to pictures of the glowing rocks!!! Also we talked about strange waves called seiches. Check them out HERE Episod...

Paul Bunyan: hero of North American oral tradition, origins of our stories about a burly logger and his big blue ox came from multiple versions. Paul Bunyan might've been based on a man, but whatever his beginning, his stories came from the imaginations of bored loggers. Show Notes: Wikipedia on Paul Bunyan Want to road trip to all the statues? Check out this road map This is a public episode. If...

Most headstones have a person's name, some significant dates and maybe a quote. But imagine if your family made it possible for you to share your very best recipe with delighted strangers. Our research adventure into headstone recipes began with stumbling onto a post by Rosie Grant, aka @ghostly.archive on Instagram. Check out her posts for great pictures! Show Notes! Washington Post recipes in ob...

We know continents shift around like furniture in a room. But can you believe that Australia is on the planet's fastest moving tectonic plate and it's moving on the scale of inches per year? Far enough and fast enough that GPS tracking had to be updated. Nation Geographic article with more deets: Nat Geo This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

Often when we talk about historical corset wearing, the first thing we think of is the patriarchy. Because corsets are objects of waist cinching oppression known for mutilating a woman’s internal organs. Right? Turns out, not always. Many women wore them for comfort, designed them to keep their breasts supported, and oh yeah, that patriarchy bit? Well sometimes, men wore them too. image collated f...

Happy 2023!!! We're starting the year with an episode to satisfy your inner 12 year old! Pop some popcorn and join us in exploring the weirdly unexpected scents of Bear Cats (aka Binturong), lemon ants, copperhead snakes, and so many more smelly animals. The facts and data behind the smell of the Binturong https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/cen-09417-scicon004 This is a public episode. If you w...

Just like sea horse dads, some poison dart frog dads take a hand in helping to raise their children. We talk about a Stanford University study designed to figure out how and if these little tropical frogs have a mental map of their environment. image from: Andrius Pašukonis  Stanford University (Dad frog wearing his kids and a radio tracker speedo) Evolutionarily Ecology article: https://link.spri...

It sounds like impossibly futuristic sci-fi but, a machine learning algorithm and videos of bat behavior were used to partially decode the language of Egyptian Fruit Bats. I KNOW! You have to give this a listen. image by David Mark on Pixabay For adorable pictures of the Egyptian fruit bats https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-translate-bat-talk-and-they-argue-lot-180961564/ Get i...

Also known as devil squid because of the bright red color they sometimes display: Humboldt squid have on occasion attacked divers. But mostly they hunt in packs for fish. Mostly. (What's up Aliens reference?! 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

Let's talk about people who look remarkably similar. For example: Bryan Cranston and Mr. Kerr (Don't tell Chas we're matching him up with Breaking Bad's Walter White again. 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

In 1964 researchers discovered the sharp beaked ground finch aka the vampire finch. FOR REAL!!! These finches have adapted to long hot dry seasons by drinking blood. Take a look at these blood thirsty birbs on Galapagosislands.com National Geographic vid of the Vampires in action! Not for the faint of heart! In case you wanted to give it a listen: Ologies Vampire episode with Dr. Jeff Holdeman Thi...

Trace here: I've got one arm trapped under a grumpy old-man-cat named Jack. Jack does not care about science or glowing glass or the fact that my back is starting to cramp. Enjoy this trip down the fancy serving ware aisle and drop us a picture on Facebook if you own any of this really cool glass! image from pixabay. More resources to check out! https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/fo...

Look grammar police, it's octopuses and we don't have to like it, BUT you are going to love learning that just like humans, octopuses do seem to have a preferred hand. Arm? Tentacle? OMG here we go again. Just listen to the episode, it's a hoot. The actual paper! Hold your phone in whatever hand you prefer while reading https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01402-6 Just incas...

Grab a snack and listen to how sneaky research was done on hungry people. It's devious and a great example of how being hungry influences mood. Also Amy mentions Larks and Owls do a fun quiz on yourself to find out what kind of a person you are: Chronobiology Quiz Some extra research⬇⬇⬇ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269629 https://www.researchgate.net/publicati...

Itchy fish scratching wherever they can! Even on the nubby sides of SHARKS!! Need to know more about those other episodes we mentioned? Episode 93: Farting Herring & 206:The Smartest Fish? Measuring Cough Rates in Fish : from the EPA PBS Fish have Feelings Too This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodc...

That's right! We're back with a little more NSFW (Not Safe For Work)! We had so much fun doing Episode #222 After Dark that we just had to do a part two. It's longer and weirder and we definitely need you to tell us if you crave more. Here's a little breakdown of the mayhem we cover in this super extra long episode. Historical Euphemisms for sexy time fetishes & feet https://www.audacy.com/klu...

We're digging deep into right brain / left brain communication! But metaphorically, not like...with a spoon. Want to get really into the weeds on this Brain Storm? Check out the PubMed.gov abstract: Running speed and REM sleep control two distinct modes of rapid interhemispheric communication This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Brach's has done it again with the flavors you'd savor at a tailgate party. There's hot dog and hamburger candy corn that is...well, if not good, at least fun to talk about. The fruit punch was a particular favorite of Trace's and Amy double dipped on the popcorn. There's some fun Brach's history facts tossed into the pick-a-mix too! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

If you follow XKCD you know the author, Randall Monroe, applies science to absurd questions. One of those questions had to do with the possibility of soccer ball size hail. Cover up with your steel umbrella and listen to find out if it's actually possible! XKCD you should take a look! images from Pixabay This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

Okay, they're really falling with style. But it's still cool that the Wandering salamander in the redwood forests of north western California can glide. Check out the Current Biology paper if you want to read more! And OF COURSE there's video! 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

Amy shares the solved mystery and history of Ponyhenge in Lincoln, MA. Atlas Obscura article by Jessica Hester ! Click the link 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