logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
4m 14s

BrainStuff Classics: How Long Can Animal...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Humans tend to max out at a couple minutes of breath holding, but some air-breathing reptiles and even mammals have evolved to spend extreme lengths of time underwater. Learn how long (and how they manage it) in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/what-animal-can-hold-its-breath-longest.htm

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Sep 27
What's the Difference Between Socialism and Communism?
Socialism and communism are often mentioned in the same breath, and they do share a common history, but socialists aren't necessarily communists -- and vice versa. Learn more about both concepts and how they've been put into practice in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this a ... Show More
11m 9s
Sep 26
How Do Vaccines Prevent Diseases?
Our bodies can often prevent us from catching the same illness twice, and vaccines use that bodily system to prevent us from getting sick in the first place. Learn how the immune response works, what goes into vaccines, and why vaccines are safe for kids in this episode of BrainS ... Show More
13m 39s
Sep 13
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Sealab Work?
In the 1960s, advances in technology allowed brave aquanauts to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before, but the project was shut down. Learn how Sealab worked -- and how that technology is still used today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.See omnystudio.com/listen ... Show More
6m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Selects: Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom
If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also lightning fast and have the endurance of a marathoner and a telethoner put together. Get up to speed on these wonderful c ... Show More
46m 44s
Jul 5
Selects: How Coelacanths Work
Coelacanths are incredibly interesting as far as fish go. For one, they were thought to have gone the way of the dinosaur, along with the dinosaur. They also give birth to live fish and tend to dwell more than 800 feet below the ocean's surface. And this is just the tip of the ic ... Show More
40m 24s
Sep 2024
Introducing Eons: Surviving Deep Time
Introducing Eons: Surviving Deep Time! Season 2 of the Eons podcast is a longform exploration of a question we’re often asked: how long could a human survive if they were dropped into a particular period of the geologic past? --Eons is a production of Complexly for PBS Digital St ... Show More
1m 30s
Nov 2024
Why can't my dog live as long as me?
As we enter our teenage years, many of us feel like life is just getting started. But for dogs, celebrating a ‘teen’ birthday is a sign of old age, entering a phase when things start slowing down. Listener Susan was besotted with her beloved corgi Copper John and wants to know wh ... Show More
28m 44s
Nov 2024
Real-Life Human Hibernation
What would you like to see more of? Let us know!In this episode of Discover Daily, we look at how scientists are getting closer to achieving human hibernation, with Harvard Medical School researchers identifying specific neurons in the hypothalamus that control torpor states in m ... Show More
6m 30s
Sep 2
How Dolphins Work!
E-e-e-eek! E-e-e-eek, we say! Adding to the tradition of our wonderful animal episodes we contribute this amazing installment on one of the all-time great sea creatures, the dolphin! Attach a sponge to your rostrum and dive in with Josh and Chuck!See omnystudio.com/listener for p ... Show More
53m 4s
Jul 2024
Could humans run on water?
Scientists have investigated whether we could mimic basilisk lizards, on Earth or elsewhere 
27m 41s
Apr 2025
Talk Tracks Ep 7: Telepathy Between Species
This week on The Talk Tracks, Ky sits down with Anna Breytenbach, an inter-species communicator who bridges the language divide between humans, animals, insects and plants. From tracking wild creatures across remote landscapes to helping captive lions return to the wild, Anna has ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 15
The Megalodon
For as long as humans have sailed the seas, they have feared the deadly predators lurking just beneath the waves. But what if the most terrifying monster wasn’t a known species, but an ancient ghost of impossible size, a creature science says has been extinct for millions of year ... Show More
27m 7s
Apr 2023
Forget Elephants and Giraffes: The True King of Bigness Will Shock You!
Cosmos science journalist, Evrim Yazgin, is here to settle the question on every toddler’s lips: what’s the biggest animal? The answer will definitely surprise you!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
6m 48s