Brainstuff

The internet is a daily fixture in our lives, and it all started with the diligent work of Department of Defense-funded researchers in the 1960s. Learn how ARPANET bloomed into the internet as we know it in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/internet-start.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year on January 1, a new batch of movies, books, songs, and other works of art enters the public domain, meaning they're free to use and repurpose. (In 2024, after 95 years of copyright, we got the original Mickey Mouse cartoon, 'Steamboat Willy'.) Learn how public domain and copyright law intersect to encourage artists in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/what-does-public-domain-mean.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pelicans use their huge gular pouch to easily scoop up fish in water but consume only the fish. Learn more about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/pelican-bill-vs-belly.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having a plan in place when a hurricane approaches can help keep you safe -- and take some of the stress out of these scary storms. Learn the basics of hurricane preparedness in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/prepare-for-hurricane.htm Go to Ready.gov for more info.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barbie is an American icon now -- but she wasn't an instant success, and she actually has roots in a slightly ribald German cartoon from the 1950s. Learn how Ruth Handler made Barbie a phenomenon in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/barbie-history.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/printableSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Using the bathroom in near-zero gravity is exactly as tricky as it sounds. Learn how space bathrooms have worked (and sometimes not worked) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/10-moments-space-bathrooms.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These large, intelligent North American birds weren't everyone's first choice for a United States icon. Learn more about bald eagles in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/bald-eagles.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems miraculous that art can be so moving, but there are several scientific theories about it. Learn what we know (and what we don't) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/music-and-art-move-us.htm/printableSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1930s, stones surfaced that might explain what happened to the settlers of the lost colony of Roanoke. Learn their story -- plus how modern science might help determine whether they're real -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/dare-stones-forgery-or-key-to-lost-colony-roanoke-mystery.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruises can turn a rainbow of colors before they heal -- but why? Learn the science behind color-changing contusions in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/health-factors/why-do-bruises-change-colors-as-heal.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sound needs matter to travel through -- and matter is scattered pretty far and wide in space. Learn more about how hearing works and how space works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/humans-hear-in-space.htm/printableSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dingoes are Australia's wiley wild canines -- and yes, they can be dangerous to humans. Learn about the origin of this pop culture phrase in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/dingo.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.