Brain Junk

You know what happens when Amy and Trace are finally back in the same recording studio? We talk about farts. Our inner twelve-year-old selves love all things gross and we had the best time laughing about animals that pass gas and those that don’t. The very beginning of this podcast started out three years ago with the two of us giggling about whale farts–this episode is classic Brain Junk! Manatee...

Stop snickering Americans, it’s not what you think. Starting with the industrial revolution in the UK, people were employed as human alarm clocks, waking people up for their shifts at work. It was a job that was particularly popular with women and elderly men as a way to make extra pocket money and help to support their families. Mary Anne Smith with her pea shooter A helpful fellow “knocking peop...

If you’re like Trace, the thought of math makes you want to run and hide; that anxiety, that tightness in your chest, the weird shooting pains (wait, is that just Trace?!). You’ll be relieved to know that those pains aren’t a figment of your freaked out imagination! We’ve got the science to prove it. Show Notes:  Math, or anxiety about math, really can cause physical pain! Wireless.com: Painful Ma...

It’s the Civil War and you’re in the medical tent. In the darkness the man next to you has wounds glowing an eerie blue. Turns out, the men who had the glow were more likely to survive. The curious reason for Angel’s Glow won two high school students an international science award in 2001. It’s so gross. Your inner twelve-year-old will love it. The Battle of Shiloh 1862 & nematodes with biolum...

Tues August 30th, 1904: Why NOT start an Olympic marathon in the middle of a hot summer afternoon? Because people aren’t going to finish. It was a complete disaster. Some of the marathon contestants before the 1904 race. Show Notes:  Wikipedia: 1904 Summer Olympics Marathon-The Facts Buzzfeed.com: Weird Historical Events Smithsonian.com: 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been The Strangest Ever (they...

There’s a long tradition of Japanese folklore around the possible relationship between large mushroom harvests and lightning. Researchers decided to put stories to the test. What they discovered was shocking. 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

During the 1300-1500s there were several accounts of people being afflicted with spontaneous dancing. One group of 400 people were struck with the strange affliction, spent an entire month dancing, and some even died. Amy dives into the hows and whys of the disease. Show Notes: HistoryExtra.com: Medieval Dancing HistoryExtra.com: The Medieval Dance of Death HistoryExtra,com: 7 Oddest Moments in Hi...

Talk about teamwork! Bacteria and a tiny snail work together to make an iron sulfide infused shell and scaly foot. These intrepid snails live super deep in the ocean the volcanic vents. Nature is so weird and excellent! Scaly Foot Snail image by Julia Sigwart from The Conversation (also the Smithsonian) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...

Middle Island off the south-western shore Victoria, Australia had a fox problem. A man by the name of Swampy Marsh had the bright idea to protect endangered penguins with Maremma sheepdogs. Penguin meets dog. image by: Global Screen Learn more and if you the area, you can meet the dogs! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episod...

This episode is probably not safe for work. Could your middle schooler listen and giggle like only a 12-year-old could? Certainly. But we’re marking it explicit so you don’t accidentally have your littles listening to something you aren’t ready for. Amy got to wondering: what’s out there in the plant world that looks like something besides your garden variety flower. And she landed on the Naked Ma...

Once again we dive into a piece of history that should be explored in schools. Thousands of American born Japanese defied prejudice and hate to fight for the US in segregated units during WWII. Want to learn more? Go For Broke 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

This amazing image by Tiffanie Fisher says everything you need to know about today’s episode. And no, this isn’t an X-file or the Magnus Archives. This is nature at her weirdest. Show Notes:  Ethology: A Case of Consensual Decision: Collective Movement in Earthworms LiveScience.com: Squirming Worm Tornado   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get a...

It’s that time again for all those bits and pieces that aren’t quite long enough for their own episodes! We’ve mashed together etymology, space toilets, polar bears, an unusual festival where people attack each other with flour and eggs, and so much more into this almost 29 minute monstrosity of facts! Show Notes (in no particular order): Blue Dragon nudibranch: NO TOUCH! Pug Nosed Tree Frog If yo...

In a pitched battle against the voracious tomato fruit worm, (aka. corn earworms or cotton bollworm) tomato plants have one sneaky defense…a wasp. It’s a slow plan, but it’s a plan that works. 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

Researcher Sridhar Ravi of UNSW Canberra looks to the humble bumblebee to answer questions about how to program a more nimble drone. The way he and his researchers studied bumbles is totally charming. Check out these Bumblebees in action! Here’s the scientific paper is you want to know more: Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences Of the United States of America (Whew…big title This is a p...

Way back in August of 2018, Phobia was our 16th episode. We were in person (thanks COVID 19) and still working out how to actually do this podcast thing. We thought it would be fun to dust off one of our oldies and give it a listen. Your extreme and irrational fear of spiders or public speaking or of heights is called a phobia. It doesn’t make sense, often can’t be rationalized, and woe betide the...

There’s a strange connection between King penguins, one of their favorite islands, and Nitrous Oxide gas. Penguin image by Sybille H. on Pixabay. Map by Google Maps 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

Our best topics come from late night dinner table conversations with our kids. Amy attempts to answer the question: Are there herds of hamsters roaming the wilds? The answer might surprise you. image: Pixabay 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

Imagine if you could block out loud noises at a party by taking a really deep breath. That’s how the female American Green Tree Frog manages to filter out interesting male love songs from among all other competing singers. image: Joe Myers ( Reptile Magazine ) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast....

Can a cuttlefish master a test that very young children often struggle to pass? Instead of using marshmallows like we do with people, scientists used tasty shrimp to test if cuttlefish know how to delay gratification. Image: Cuttlefish by Naveen Manohar (pixabay) Terribly Lazy Show Notes -by Amy Barton Science Alert Cuttlefish Cognitive Test Royal Society Publishing Cuttlefish Cognitive Test Need...

Arachnophobes BEWARE! Imagine a spider that uses special silk to lift something that’s 50 times bigger than itself. There is a video! You must watch after you listen to the episode. Come on–don’t be a chicken–Trace watched & it’s too cool to miss so you should too. Want to know more? Here’s the paper . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...

Our longest Brainstorm YET! Who knew there was so much to know about pinball?! Amy dives into the origins, history, and shady past of this quintessential arcade game. from the Roanoke Pinball Museum, pixabay images, and the B&W is pinballers from 1941 Show Notes: Trace has done a whizz bang job of documenting awesome pinball machines, so for show notes you just get my links so you can read my...

What is that weird smell? It’s called trimethylamine (TMA) and for most of us it stinks like rotten fish. For a small percentage of people it smells very different. The reason is in your genes. Rosa Gisladottir and Kari Stefansson at deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik and their colleagues scoured the DNA of more than 11,000 people in Iceland for genetic variants that influence odor perception.  Here’s t...

What if we burned calories the same way cars use gas for fuel? Amy fell down the comparison hole trying to figure out the “car calories” for humans in motion. Get your bicycles tuned up, make a gallon of bananas, and get ready to RIDE! Show notes: How Stuff Works-Questions-Gallon of Gas in Calories . Riding a bicycle at 15 miles per hour burns 0.049 calories per pound per minute. 175-pound person...

It’s Spring Break over at Brain Junk! We’re taking the week off and bringing you one of our oldie but goodies: #21 Grab Bag. This super long episode (29 minutes!!!) originally aired in September of 2018 and has all sorts of strange and cool stuff. Really, all you need to know is “death farts” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...