Brainstuff

Automatic-flush toilets are supposed to be more sanitary, but does that come at an environmental price? Learn why phantom flushes happen and what the industry is doing about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festive beads are key to New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebration, but they're also causing a major headache to the city's sanitation department. 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.

OK, it's not technically an allergy, but yes: People can have extreme skin reactions to water. 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.

Undersea internet cables connect continents and transmit virtual tons of data. Amidst concerns that these cables could be sabotaged, digital industry experts weigh in on this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent study found that bug biomass has been steadily decreasing -- in some areas, we may only have 25% of the insects that we had 30 years ago. But what's to blame, and what could this mean for the future? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are plenty of potential reasons for a boom to rumble through the air, but skyquakes don't seem to be attached to any of the usual suspects. Learn more about these mysterious phenomena on BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all flatulence is created equal -- your diet has a huge impact on the gas you pass. So whose farts are smellier: vegetarians or omnivores? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are drinking more wine than they used to. Could the ever-increasing size of wine glasses be behind this trend? Learn how today's average serving stacks up against history's in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop culture often shows cats happily sipping saucers of milk, but giving a cat milk isn't actually the best treat for it -- or you. 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.

Due to states' differing taxes and needs, some give the U.S. federal government far more money than they receive, and some receive far more than they pay. Interestingly, this tends to fall along party lines. 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.

Fringe theorists sometimes question whether the 1969 moon landing actually happened. In this episode of BrainStuff, we explore how astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have reacted when asked whether it's all a conspiracy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flying robotic drones equipped with cameras are a lot cheaper than helicopters for catching events as they happen. But they do have downsides. Could they really replace news choppers? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Body odor happens when bacteria thrive in our sweat, so the ways your clothes deal with sweat can make a difference. 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.

With some reports questioning the American president's mental stability, some pundits have asked whether the 25th Amendment might be enacted to remove him. But what does this Amendment say, and what can it really do? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the black plague ravaged the rest of France, Paris remained relatively untouched -- and they may have had their fondness for lemonade to thank. 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.

Spoiler Alert: Yes. Researchers have found nearly pure water ice just below the surface of Mars, in regions easy to reach by human explorers or colonists. 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.

Slow-motion video is often used to show jurors how a possibly criminal event took place, but is this practice fair to the accused? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bats, dolphins, and other animals all use sonar to navigate, but the narwhal has them all beat, and it's thanks to narwhals' distinctive horns. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anxiety can cause sweaty palms and armpits -- but why? And how can you combat 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.

Over the years, the U.S. government has funded several programs that investigate alleged UFO sightings. How much does the public know about what they found? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.