BrainStuff

Spoiler alert: There are Greenland sharks alive today that were likely born in the 1600s. Learn more about these fascinating sharks in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living things need nitrogen in order for our cells to function, and there's plenty in the air, but it's impossible for most of us to access. Learn how the nitrogen cycle brings it to us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Giganatosaurus is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs that ever lived, rivaling the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Learn more about these dinos in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pyrite is often called fool's gold, but it's easy to tell the two apart if you know what to look for. Learn more about these two minerals in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As climate change affects the planet's weather patterns, some parts of the world will see the seasons bleed together. Tune in to learn how we define the seasons now, and how some researchers think that should change. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have all kinds of superstitious beliefs -- so are other animals superstitious, too? Learn more about superstition works in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1960s, civil rights leaders organized the Poor People's Campaign to bring awareness and change to economic injustices in the United States. Learn how it began and how it's being revived today in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cats and dogs know their humans' schedules, but do they really have a sense of time similar to ours? Learn about how non-human animals perceive time in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people experience paranoid feelings sometimes, but more rarely, those feelings can seem to take over a person's life. Learn about what paranoia is and how it's treated in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States holds elections the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November because that was deemed most convenient for the citizen farmers of the 1800s, when election dates were written into law. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fabien Cousteau, one of Jacques Cousteau's grandsons and himself an aquanaut, is helping plan the largest, most advanced underwater research station yet. Learn how the PROTEUS station will work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did the generals of the Revolutionary War really try to hand George Washington a monarchy? Learn the truth behind this slightly tall tale in today's classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tradition of carving jack-o'-lanterns around Halloween goes back centuries to a folktale about a stingy man who outwits the devil. Learn the tale (and why pumpkins weren't the original carving vegetables) in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samhain is a pagan holiday celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice that helped form modern, secular Halloween celebrations. Learn about Samhain in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a sixth sense that we're not often aware of -- the sense of controlling and owning our own bodies. Learn how proprioception works -- and what happens to people when it doesn't work -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The USSR banned lots of music after WWII, but young Soviet culture hounds called stilyagi bootlegged black market records onto discarded X-ray sheets. Learn about these bone records in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are vampire legends all over the world, but 'nosferatu' isn't a word from any of them. Learn where Bram Stoker may have gotten it, and how 'Dracula' popularized it, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before modern anesthesiology, sterilization, and other medical technology, the quicker a surgery was the better your odds for survival. Learn about Robert Liston, an infamously fast surgeon, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salt has kept entire civilizations alive thanks to its abilities to preserve food and protect it from harmful germs. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cash bail punishes the poor by setting a high price on freedom -- literally. But are there any better alternatives that won't break local governments' budgets? We explore in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hand sanitizer is a good alternative to hand washing when running water isn't available, but as it turns out, it's also great at preserving the DNA in insect samples. Learn how this may help citizen science in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often receive very little warning about impending tornadoes, making these storms all the more dangerous. Learn how researchers are figuring out how to use infrasound to detect tornadoes long before they form in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During her time as a Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't always agree with the majority opinion of the Court. Learn about a few of her dissents in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most venomous snakes in the world live in the oceans, but they still breathe air, drink fresh water, and some can even crawl on land. Learn about sea snakes in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bronze disk found near Nebra, Germany may be the oldest know scientific depiction of the night sky -- or it may be a thousand years younger than that. Learn the story of this mysterious disk in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.