BrainStuff

In the 1850s, a newspaper published anonymous details about a mysterious set of encoded papers that supposedly point to buried treasure -- but they've never been cracked. Learn about the Beale Ciphers in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/beale-ciphers.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com...

Paprika is a lot more than a just pretty topping. Learn how paprika is made and where it comes from in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/paprika.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elephants get cancer so rarely that researchers went looking for a genetic reason, and they found one. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/zombie-gene-protects-elephants-from-cancer.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chicken eggs come in a spectrum of colors, but they all cook up the same. Learn how they're created in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/white-brown-green-chicken-eggs-whats-difference.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most hazardous air pollution may be particles too tiny to see, but it also may be easily avoided. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/when-it-comes-to-air-pollution-tiniest-particles-might-be-worst.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Koalas eat nothing but eucalyptus, which is poisonous to many mammals in large amounts. Learn how they do it (and how they smell) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/koala-smell-like-cough-drop.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of astronauts have performed music in space, just for fun or for wider audiences. Learn what considerations it takes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/astronauts-play-music-in-space.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of attention is paid to an American president's first 100 days in office, but why? Learn the history (and why we have FDR to thank) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-do-we-care-the-first-100-days.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In some situations, whistling just makes more sense than talking. Learn about whistled languages in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/whistled-languages.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mesa Verde National Park, the only national park devoted primarily to a historic cultural site, is home to dwellings built impressively into steep cliffs. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/mesa-verde-national-park-ga.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Being surprised by a roach in your kitchen (which is very clean, thank you) can be enough to wish the whole genus would just go away. Learn what the world would be like if it did in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-there-were-no-cockroaches.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne...

Research indicates that sleep is one of the many factors in how our bodies create, store, and burn fat. We explore in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/sleep-obesity.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Yiddish word 'chutzpah' has come to mean that someone has a lot of nerve, but in a way you respect. Learn the word's history and usage in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/chutzpah.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hunt for Noah's Ark is ongoing, probably futile, and always intriguing. Learn how researchers have tried to unravel the real history of this biblical myth in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this episode: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/hunt-noahs-ark-podcast.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

The United States Secret Service does a lot more than protect the president and other political bigwigs. Learn about its origins with the Treasury and other work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/secrets-about-secret-service.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Petrichor is the name for that fresh, sweet, earthy smell after it rains. Learn what causes petrichor in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question479.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These small-to-medium snakes are everywhere in North America -- luckily they're mostly harmless, and even good for your garden. Learn more about garter snakes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/snakes/garter-snakes.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seawater is salty because of several quirks in Earth's water cycle. Learn the reasons why in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/why-is-seawater-salty.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying potential medical treatments on animals was once the best that science could do, but new technologies could make animal testing obsolete. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tech-transport/does-technology-make-us-drive-worse.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

It takes a particular kind of person to go from average citizen to amateur spy. Learn what history and psychology have taught us in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-do-ordinary-people-commit-acts-of-espionage.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These large, leggy birds can run fast and make friends faster. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/emu.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Herd immunity can help keep a population healthier, but achieving it can be difficult. Learn about vaccines and vaccination reluctance in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/herd-immunity.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1850s, Oregon voted to outlaw slavery in their state -- but also to outlaw free Black people from living there. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/racial-history-oregon-was-whites-only-until-1926.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Climate change is affecting French wine-producing regions -- for the worse and for the better. Learn how grape growers and winemakers may have to adjust in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/climate-change-is-affecting-french-wines-good-bad.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/li...

Some fish that strut the seafloor share a common ancestor with humans, so researchers are hoping that studying these fish could help us understand how we walk. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/extinct-animals/ancient-fish-strutted-seafloor-before-land-animals.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne...