Episodes

  • How Does the Blue-Tongued Skink Work?
    Jul 30 2024

    These blue-tongued lizards look like snakes with stubby legs -- and that's just one feature they use to make predators think they're more dangerous than they are. Learn more (including why they can make great pets for an experienced owner) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/blue-tongued-skink.htm

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    7 mins
  • How Can Forest Fires Be Beneficial?
    Jul 29 2024

    Although wildfires can be scary, serious disasters, forests and the animals that inhabit them can actually benefit from fires. Learn how controlled burns work and why they help wildlife in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/how-forest-fire-benefit-living-things-.htm/printable

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    7 mins
  • BrainStuff Classics: What Is Light?
    Jul 28 2024

    Is light a particle or a wave? Or both? Or neither? Learn how humans have defined light throughout history -- including our best attempts today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

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    6 mins
  • BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Peat Bogs So Good at Preserving Human Remains?
    Jul 27 2024

    Human bodies buried in bogs can retain some features -- like perfectly preserved skin, right down to forehead wrinkles -- for thousands of years. Learn how this natural mummification process works in today's classic episode of BrainStuff.

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    7 mins
  • How Did the Word 'Hack' Get Hacked?
    Jul 26 2024

    The word 'hack' was once simply a verb meaning to cut roughly -- it's now a noun and verb with several meanings, from a bad writer to computer criminal. Learn how it transformed in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/word-hack.htm

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    5 mins
  • How Do Sharks' Senses Work?
    Jul 25 2024

    Sharks are such successful hunters in part because their senses are so well-adapted to finding prey in the water. Learn about sharks' senses of smell, hearing, sight, taste, and electroreception in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-senses.htm/printable; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-yummy-hum.htm

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    8 mins
  • How Did Annie Londonderry Rock the World on a Bicycle?
    Jul 15 2024

    The first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle embarked in 1894, a time when it was still a little scandalous for women to ride bikes at all. Learn the story of Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/annie-londonderry.htm

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    9 mins
  • Is It Safe to Eat Raw Oysters During Any Month?
    Jul 6 2024

    You may have heard that you shouldn't eat oysters in any month without the letter R in its name. Learn where this idea came from -- and why it's not true anymore -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/food-nutrition/raw-oysters-are-safe-to-eat-every-month-year.htm

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    5 mins