Stuff To Blow Your Mind

When does an appreciation for fire turn into an obsession with the flickering, golden god? Who are firebugs, and what drives them to burn? In this episode, Julie and Robert slip into their best burn suits and hide the matches as they explore pyromania. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waves of protest continue across the globe, but modern protesters benefit from social media technology. In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss history's largest protests, the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and the future of protest. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans rarely seem to agree, but when we do the results can be staggering. How does the phenomenon called protesting actually work? In this episode, Robert and Julie examine the world of protest and share a few tips for surviving your next rally. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will smell-o-vision make a comeback? Will our zombie movies smell like rotten flesh and our video games reek of voided bowels and fear? In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the history of scented media and the emerging technology of printable smells. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our cohabitation with robotic servants is pretty much guaranteed. So what are we doing today to make sure these are the sort of robot we can tolerate? In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss how our robotic caretakers are shaping up. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that smell is the only one of your senses with a direct connection to your brain? Or that fancy cheese and David Beckham's foot odor share the same molecular smells? In this episode, Robert and Julie break down the amazing science of smell. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The robot invasion of our homes has begun, and the future is bright with robotic caregivers. But how to we plan to keep this cohabitation from feeling creepy? In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss "robot skin," thought-anticipating machines and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all seen images of saints and martyrs rising above their torments, but is it really possible to find transcendence on the rack? In this episode, Robert and Julie look into the connections between physical pain and religious experience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julie and Robert examine the neurological side of your trip to the museum. What happens when we lose ourselves in Mona Lisa's smile or the nightmare worlds of Hieronymus Bosch? Were artists the first neuroscientists? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do humans devote so much time to organized sports? As it turns out, the roots of sports run deep. In this episode, Julie and Robert explore the evolutionary, tribal and neurological reasons to cheer on the Cornish Hens against the Fighting Cloacae. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apocalyptic Love Affair: Human beings are in love with the end. Ruined cities fill our dreams, and fears steers our thoughts through landscapes of bones and zombie hordes. In this episode, Robert and Julie examine the cognitive science behind our apocalyptic love affair. Image: From Bruegel the Elder's "The Triumph of Death." (Imagno/Getty Images) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ih...

Frankenstein's Monster: What are the ramifications of mad science? Frankenstein's tortured creation has become an avatar for scientific horror. Join Robert and Julie as they explore the roots of Frankenstein's monster. Learn more about the past and future of science-gone-wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Gather round the cauldron with Julie and Robert as they ladle out hefty servings of magical thinking, medieval psychedelics, feminist history and the power of ritual. Just what was old-school witchery all about? This episode has the answers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether scarfing down gummy worms or pouring an endless cascade of sugar into their breakfast cereal, children's appetite for sweets seems insatiable. In this episode, Julie and Robert break down the science of childhood sugar madness. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do kids chat with invisible friends? Those creepy encounters are just part of how the human brain works. Even the average adult brain engages in something very similar. Join Robert and Julie as they enter the world of imaginary friendship. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can a grieving mother summon the strength of 12 Hulk Hogans and lift a full-sized automobile up off the ground to save her son? In this episode, Robert and Julie take on the subject of hysterical strength and discuss the science behind hulking out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next time your car breaks down, count the number of vehicles that pass you by. That's the bystander effect in action. But why do people in crowds tend not to help those in need? Tune in to learn more about crowd apathy and what it says about humans. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do psychologists think about your lucky rabbit's foot? In this episode, Robert and Julie break down the science of good luck rituals and charms. They look at what luck reveals about the human mind, as well as whether any of it actually works. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever want to live alone in the desert, or does an afternoon alone give you the chills? Either way, isolation can have a profound influence on our health. In this episode, Robert and Julie wade into their isolation chambers to sort it all out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can science explain why other people's phone calls are so annoying? Or why Julie hates fake lavender scents and Robert flies into a rage over turn signals? In this episode your hosts discuss why everything is the worst and what we can do to cope. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Robert and Julie interview astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. What does the planet's leading science communicator have to say about the future of space travel, mind-blowing cosmology and the science in America? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does the sound of someone smacking gum drive you crazy? It's possible you're just a cranky jerk, but science presents another possibility: misophonia. Tune in to learn more about the mysterious condition that makes some noises so difficult to cope with. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your life is filled with choices and first steps down - or is it? According to many neuroscientists, free will is a sham. In this episode, Julie and Robert have no choice but to take a sobering look at decision making and the unconscious brain. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine life on a cubed Earth. How would this alter our experience of gravity? How would it affect global climate? In this episode, Robert and Julie step foot on the impossibly square planet to better understand our world's shape and properties. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could fretting over insignificant choices decrease your decision making effectiveness later in the day? Join Robert and Julie as they look at the causes -- and effects -- of decision fatigue. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.