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Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
Transcribed
15 AUG 2026 · Alchemists may have never turned lead into gold, but they did create the field of chemistry. Learn how the study of alchemy worked in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/alchemy-to-chemistry.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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14 AUG 2026 · Sundown towns are places in the United States where, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, white communities kept Black Americans and other groups out for decades, on purpose. Learn how they came to be -- and how some sundown towns are in recovery -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/sundown-towns.htm. Check out Dr. James Loewen's database of sundown towns here: https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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12 AUG 2026 · Science isn't entirely sure why humans and other animals yawn, let alone why yawning can be contagious -- but we've got some good hypotheses. Learn about them, from cooling the brain to spreading alertness, in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question572.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/contagious-yawn.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
10 AUG 2026 · Rip currents are dangerous flows of water that can drag you away from the shore and out into the deep. Learn how they form, what to watch for, and how to escape one by swimming sideways or riding it out in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/rip-current.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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8 AUG 2026 · Remote islands are excellent laboratories for observing evolution at work -- and in the case of a flightless bird called the Aldabra rail, we can observe how its evolution happened twice. Learn about iterative evolution in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/iterative-evolution.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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7 AUG 2026 · The tomato originated in the Americas and spread during European colonization. But was it really thought to be poisonous (or cause lycanthropy) when it first came to Europe? Learn about the legends behind tomatoes -- and how we got the sturdy ones sold in stores -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/where-did-the-tomato-come-from.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
5 AUG 2026 · OK, that's a trick question. Aspirin goes everywhere in your body -- and wherever it goes, it works by preventing processes that amp up pain signals, encourage inflammation, cause fever, and more. Learn about the history and workings of aspirin (aka acetylsalicylic acid) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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3 AUG 2026 · Alongside the Space Race, the mid-1900s saw another contest of engineering -- a race downward, into the Earth. Learn why the USSR created the Kola Superdeep Borehole (the deepest artificial or natural hole we know of), what we learned from it, and how this research continues in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/kola-superdeep-borehole.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
1 AUG 2026 · Canning foods preserves them, but the texture and nutritive value can suffer -- and what about the potential dangers of BPA and botulism? Learn what's true and what's myth when it comes to canned food in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/canned-food-bad.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
31 JUL 2026 · These marine invertebrates can solve puzzles, use tools, and camouflage themselves by changing their very skin -- yet they live only three to five years, and die after mating. Learn more about octopuses in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus.htm/printable; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/why-is-octopus-blood-blue.htmSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.
Information
| Author | How Stuff Works |
| Organization | iHeart Podcasts |
| Categories | Natural Sciences |
| Website | - |
| - |
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