Brainstuff

Cars have shoulder seat belts to protect passengers, so why not large airplanes? Learn the physics involved, plus why buckling up on planes is important, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the way some people talk, it may seem like immigrating to America is simple -- but the wait list can actually be more than 20 years long. Learn more about how immigration works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over-simplifications about how our brains work abound, even among educators and neuroscientists. Discover what these myths are, and why it's important to fight them, in this episode of BrainStuff.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Birds everywhere add insect-repelling plants to their nests, but urban birds have to get a little creative. Learn how cigarette butts help city birds stay healthy in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you see something, say something' works great -- until racial bias and other prejudices enter the picture. Learn what some organizations are doing to fight those prejudices (and what you can do, too) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spoiler alert: Yep! Well, sometimes. In this episode of BrainStuff, learn how one African ant species nurses its wounded soldiers, yielding a surprising survival rate. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snow usually appears white, but it can come in a few other colors -- and in the case of red snow, that vibrant color may be a warning from Mother Nature. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Including 'tasty' and 'not necessarily made up of five spices,' Chinese 5-spice powder can be a lot of things, but it's all rooted in ancient medicine -- and philosophy. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Happiness Report usually ranks wealthy Nordic countries as the happiest, but what factors is it taking into account? Based on other data, Colombia and El Salvador come out on top. Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're not asking anyone to give up chocolate, but researchers have posed an important question: How can we make it more environmentally friendly? Learn why in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists have figured out a lot about Earth's history, but there are still a few gaps. Learn how a dinosaur may help fill in one of those gaps in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The heat of nuclear weapons is enough to melt sand into glass. Learn the story of trinitite, the glass from the first atomic test site, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It can sound off-putting, but it turns out that people who talk about themselves in the third person may be giving themselves a mental boost. ("You're nailing this episode description, Lauren!") Learn why in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OK, 'happy' might be a stretch, but researchers are looking into how cows given positive interactions (like back scritches) grow and produce milk versus less-content cows. Learn what the results say in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The season you were born in helps determine whether you'll have allergies, but science has never understood why. Learn what a team of researchers are discovering in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many spray canisters call for being shaken, but not compressed air. Learn how both types work (and the dangers of shaking the wrong type) in this episode of BrainStuff.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your tongue is an amazing sensory instrument -- so why can't it taste itself? Many philosophers have pondered the same thing. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science fiction buzzes with evil robots and AI, but real-life machines are much less sinister -- if not less potentially deadly. Learn the real concerns (and possible solutions) about killer robots in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The way we tip and pay servers in North American restaurants fosters unfair and unequal paychecks for the whole staff. But it's so entrenched -- how can we fix it? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1947, U.S. military scientists launched the very first Earth animals into space: fruit flies. But why these diminutive bugs in particular? Learn about their trip to the final fronteir in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.