Stuff To Blow Your Mind

In this special interview episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog and volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer about their new documentary "Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds," which deals with meteors and comets and their influence on ancient religions and other cultural and physical impacts they've had on Earth. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

As usual, Robert and Joe take time in early November to discuss some of the winners from this year's Ig Nobel Prizes -- the awards ceremony that celebrates the weirder and more absurd corners of very real scientific investigation. This year, it's frozen feces knives, narcissistic eyebrows, arachnophobic entomologists and helium gators. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastn...

Yes, it’s time once more for us to cover the Ig Nobel prizes. This year on Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider cubical wombat poop, truly dirty money, diaper-changing robots and much more. (Originally published 11/7/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Troll 2” is a titan of b-movie goodness -- but it’s also overflowing with weirdness. In this edition of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss this 1990 tale of vegetarian goblins -- as well as a couple of additional films written and/or directed by Claudio Fragasso and Rosella Drudi: “Night Killer” and “Robowar.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnyst...

From the horror of “melt movies,” in which the melting human takes on nightmarish qualities, to far more benign and even sublime takes on the concept of the melt, there does seem to be something to our fascination with personal phase transition. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe try to figure out what it all means as they round out 2020’s Halloween offerings. Learn more ab...

The Halloween tradition continues -- even as Halloween comes to a close. Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on the STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. This year, they examine episodes of the 1990s Outer Limits revival, The Hammer House of Horror, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Creepshow and Are You Afraid of...

From the VHS horrors of “The Ring” and claims of psychic photography to cutting edge research into neuro technology, humanity continues to wrestle with the notion of the mind’s eye. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe dive into the mystifying world of the mental image. (Originally published 10/10/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne...

Welcome to Weirdhouse Cinema, a new weekly offering from the hosts of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, published in the STBYM feed. In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss "Without Warning," a perfectly serviceable sci-fi horror film directed by Greydon Clark. The year is 1980 and only a delusional Martin Landau and a Captain Ahab-esque Jack Palance can stop an extraterrestrial killer fr...

The Halloween tradition continues as, once more, Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on the STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. This year, they examine episodes of the 1990s Outer Limits revival, The Hammer House of Horror, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Creepshow and Are You Afraid of the Dark. Learn more abo...

The Halloween tradition continues as, once more, Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on the STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. This year, they examine episodes of the 1990s Outer Limits revival, The Hammer House of Horror, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Creepshow and Are You Afraid of the Dark. Learn more abo...

The time has come. Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind reaches into the depths of TV horror anthology history, pulls out a handful of episodes and spins science and wonder out of the monstrosities therein. For this year’s installment, Robert and Joe discuss episodes The Outer Limits and The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. (Originally published 10/31/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

According to Russian folklore, ancient, beastial spirits guard the depths of the forest, raging with each other and punishing any human who might break the law of the forest. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss these haunters of the woodland depths. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Today on Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe talk with IBM's Joel Mangan, Executive Director of P-TECH, and recent P-TECH graduates Suyhalia Karim-Doran and Eric Cholula-Martinez about how P-TECH, a groundbreaking public education model, is addressing education and workforce development challenges for underserved students. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.co...

Have you ever had the feeling that someone or something is watching you? Perhaps you even feel a tingle on the back of your neck. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore this creepy feeling, research into its perception and what it means to meet another being’s gaze. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The time has come. Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind reaches into the depths of TV horror anthology history, pulls out a handful of episodes and spins science and wonder out of the monstrosities therein. For this year’s installment, Robert and Joe discuss episodes of Monsters and The Twilight Zone. (Originally published 10/29/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetw...

Take the Minotaur out of its maze and you have but another beast man -- but within his manufactured environment, he is a singular terror in myth and popular consciousness. But where does this monster come from? What does his existence mean? What does the stalker of these bloody halls reveal about the human mind and human history? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe d...

To fully understand the minotaur myth, we also have to consider the Minoan civilization of Crete. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Professor Nicoletta Momigliano, author of “In Search of the Labyrinth: The Cultural Legacy of Minoan Crete.” Learn all about ancient Creteomania as well as modern artistic treatments of the minotaur. Learn more about your ad-choices...

Robert and Joe have such sights to show you in this movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join them as they discuss Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” and the questions it raises about monastic traditions, flagellation, puzzle boxes and the science of pain. (Originally published 10/24/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

From fictional tales of vampire thrust to to real-life medical research, the notion of synthetic blood brings with it a lot of possibilities. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the strange history of purported blood substitutes and possible ramifications if scientists ever solve this riddle in the blood. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcast...

Take the Minotaur out of its maze and you have but another beast man -- but within his manufactured environment, he is a singular terror in myth and popular consciousness. But where does this monster come from? What does his existence mean? What does the stalker of these bloody halls reveal about the human mind and human history? In this pair of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe dis...

How can advertising evolve to respect the growing privacy concerns of consumers? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the future of artificial intelligence in digital advertising with Sheri Bachstein, Global Head of Watson Advertising and The Weather Company, an IBM Business. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/l...

Gather round ye blood drinkers and children of the night, for in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe will discuss human blood types -- what they are, why they exist and what powers they hold. It’s all required listeners for any serious vampires. (Originally published 10/3/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener...

Wax Museums are frequent haunts in horror cinema, but where do they really tie into our sense of revulsion and anatomical unease? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe kick off a month of Halloween-themed episodes with a science-filled night in the house of wax. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

What does our growing understanding of neuroplasticity reveal about our brains and the future of technology? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with neuroscientist David Eagleman about his new book “Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the cognitive effects of driving. How does it alter our perceptions of self? How might driving prevent cognitive decline? What are the benefits of automotive ergonomics and how do we avoid the risks of road rage is aggressive? (Originally published 10/8/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com...