BrainStuff

Planets and stars are basically spheres, but why? We explore the science in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The female praying mantis: maneater or misaligned? Learn the science behind this popular semi-myth in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The human brain is full of mysteries, and why we dream is a big one. Learn the leading theories about why we dream in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do students of hot yoga, who practice at 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), reap more health benefits than room-temperature practitioners? Learn what the research says in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spoiler alert: Not yet. But researchers are working on it. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sea turtle's sex is determined by the temperatures in its hatching site, and global warming is making the Great Barrier Reef warmer than ever before. What could this mean for the future of sea turtles? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are divided on whether modern lifestyle factors, like social media use and smaller family units, are leading to greater lonliness. Either way: What can we do about it? We explore in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It sounds gross, but stick with us: Researchers are working on recycling astronauts' waste into food for edible stuff. Learn how (and why) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the incredible future, robots may be able to drive your car -- but will they be able to speed? Today's self-driving cars can. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers and chefs in Japan have invented an ice cream that doesn't melt on sunny days -- and it's all thanks to deformed strawberries. 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.

Libraries are bastions of knowledge -- but are they also bastions of germs? Short answer: Nope! For the long answer, tune in to this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did real-life raptors work together they way they do in 'Jurassic Park' movies? Do we even have the right raptors? Learn the leading theories in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A database of rhinoceros DNA is helping catch violent poachers looking to sell rhino horns on the black market. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although psychadelic drugs are largely recreational these days, scientists are looking into potential therapeutic uses -- especially in patients for whom nothing else works. Learn how psilocybin may fight depression in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feelings of euphoria leading to obsessive behavior and potentially life-ruining decisions: Love can be as powerful as any drug. Learn how love affects the brain in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Automatic-flush toilets are supposed to be more sanitary, but does that come at an environmental price? Learn why phantom flushes happen and what the industry is doing about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festive beads are key to New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebration, but they're also causing a major headache to the city's sanitation department. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OK, it's not technically an allergy, but yes: People can have extreme skin reactions to water. 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.

Undersea internet cables connect continents and transmit virtual tons of data. Amidst concerns that these cables could be sabotaged, digital industry experts weigh in on this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent study found that bug biomass has been steadily decreasing -- in some areas, we may only have 25% of the insects that we had 30 years ago. But what's to blame, and what could this mean for the future? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are plenty of potential reasons for a boom to rumble through the air, but skyquakes don't seem to be attached to any of the usual suspects. Learn more about these mysterious phenomena on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all flatulence is created equal -- your diet has a huge impact on the gas you pass. So whose farts are smellier: vegetarians or omnivores? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are drinking more wine than they used to. Could the ever-increasing size of wine glasses be behind this trend? Learn how today's average serving stacks up against history's in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop culture often shows cats happily sipping saucers of milk, but giving a cat milk isn't actually the best treat for it -- or you. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Due to states' differing taxes and needs, some give the U.S. federal government far more money than they receive, and some receive far more than they pay. Interestingly, this tends to fall along party lines. 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.