Yesterday

What If Earth Had Rings?

Planetary rings are gorgeous, temporary structures created when a planet's gravity captures and tears apart smaller objects. Learn why Earth doesn't have rings (right now!) and what other planets' rings are like in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://s ... Show More

12m 46s

Aug 31

Why Do We Blush When We're Embarrassed?

Blushing is an involuntary reaction that can seem to draw more attention to yourself at exactly the worst moment. Learn why this embarrassing response to embarrassment can actually be useful in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.co ... Show More

10m 23s

Aug 29

BrainStuff Classics: How Are Ethnicity and Race Different?

The concepts of ethnicity and race are both human inventions with no basis in science, but these concepts have huge impacts on us and our world. Learn the difference between ethnicity and race in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffw ... Show More

9m 41s

Mar 2022

Making Sense: No one nose

Dogs can smell cancer, Covid-19, and many other health problems in humans. Now, scientists are trying to duplicate these powers in robotic sniffers. But there’s a big challenge here: Scientists don’t really understand how smell works. This is the third episode of our six-part ser ... Show More

29m 15s

Dec 2022

Basic instinct

How do animals know how to do things like spin a web or build a dam? A neuroscientist argues it's not “instinct.” Something bigger is going on. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Als ... Show More

28m 32s

Mar 2021

No one nose

Believe it or not, scientists still don't know how the sense of smell works. But they're looking at how powerful it is - dogs can actually sniff out cancer and many other diseases - and they're trying to figure out how to reverse engineer it. In fact, one MIT scientist may have b ... Show More

29m 25s

Mar 2023

Origins: How did Earth get its water?

Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?” This is the first episode in our new three-part series, Origins, about the beginnings and boundar ... Show More

26m 4s

Apr 2023

366: Just Science Day (w/ Deboki Chakravarti!)

What does water smell like? Did bipedal dinosaurs get back pain? Is my perception of time related to my heart rate? Does getting fresh air when you're sick actually doing anything? Are orange peels airtight? Why can't I smell ants? Why can't humans drink river water anymore? Debo ... Show More

59m 19s

Oct 2012

How do Animals Map the World?

<p>Humans aren't the only map masters on the planet. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert explore the amazing ways that animals turn space into place and navigate the world around them.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.i ... Show More

20m 44s

Apr 2025

What Does Water Taste Like?

Today, Josh & Nicole debate the taste of water – does it even have a taste? Plus, they test the acidity of their spit!Leave us a voicemail at (833) DOG-POD1Check out the video version of this podcast: http://youtube.com/@mythicalkitchen

45m 16s

Oct 2021

The Weirdness of Water, Part 2

“I don’t really understand why water has so many properties on different scales ranging from very large and cosmic to very small quantum and quarky - Could you help by zooming in and out on water to explain what is known about it? "Asks Neil Morton in Stirling. “Why does boiling ... Show More

40m 20s

Apr 2024

How did Earth get its water?

Life as we know it needs water, but scientists can’t figure out where Earth’s water came from. Answering that question is just one piece of an even bigger mystery: “Why are we here?” (Updated from 2023) For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts For more, go to vox.com/un ... Show More

25m 31s

May 2021

Roses Smell Different in Space

Learn about emotions in online reviews; how flowers smell in space; and how water efficiency affected human evolution.Emotions matter more than ratings when it comes to online reviews by Kelsey Donk“Emotional” reviews predict business success, new study shows. (2021). Northwester ... Show More

13m 37s

Why Didn't We Evolve to Smell Water?