Episodes

  • BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Our Galaxy Warped?
    Jun 4 2025

    Our galaxy isn't a flat disk -- it's warped like melted vinyl record. Learn how researchers discovered this and why they think it happened in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

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    4 mins
  • BrainStuff Classics: How Long Can Animals Hold Their Breath?
    Jun 3 2025

    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

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    4 mins
  • How Did the Dawes Act Steal 90 Million Acres of Land from Native Americans?
    Jun 2 2025

    In the 1880s, an unlikely collaboration between land-hungry capitalists and social progressives ended in the sale of over 60 percent of Native American lands to non-Native people and corporations. Learn how it happened in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/dawes-act.htm

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    10 mins
  • How Do You Make Hummingbird Food Safely?
    May 22 2025

    A hummingbird feeder can help out your local birds (and allow you some prime birdwatching), but it's important to keep one safely and responsibly. Learn how to make hummingbird food with sugar and water, and keep a feeder clean, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/hummingbird-food-recipe.htm

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    6 mins
  • How Do Ghana's Fabulous 'Fantasy' Coffins Work?
    May 21 2025

    In parts of Ghana and Togo, it's common to send the deceased off in style with coffins carved and brightly painted to resemble anything from chili peppers to taxi cabs to brand-name shoes. Learn about abebu adekai, also known as fantasy coffins, in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/funerals/ghana-fantasy-coffins.htm

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    7 mins
  • How Did Frances Perkins Create America's Social Safety Net?
    May 20 2025

    FDR's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, pushed to create Social Security and expand workers' rights -- and she was the first woman to serve in a U.S. president's cabinet. Learn about her life and work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/frances-perkins.htm

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    13 mins
  • How Did POGs Become a '90s Phenomenon?
    May 19 2025

    For a brief period in the 1990s, a simple game played with flashy paperboard discs ruled American playgrounds. Learn the history behind POGs in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/backyard-fun-games/pogs.htm

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    9 mins
  • BrainStuff Classics: Can the Fear of Public Speaking Be Conquered?
    May 11 2025

    As many as 7 in every 10 Americans have a fear of public speaking. Learn how this type of social anxiety develops -- and what you can do to fight it -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/anxiety/conquering-fear-public-speaking.htm

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    7 mins
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