BrainStuff

Latest Episodes:

BrainStuff Classics: What Can Babies See in the Womb? May 30, 2026

Show notes

A human fetus doesn't develop retinas until around gestational week 28. Learn how researchers have tried to figure out what babies can see in the few remaining weeks before they're born in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/fetal-development/what-do-babies-see-before-birth.htm

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Can You Really Escape an Alligator by Running Zigzag? May 29, 2026

Show notes

You could probably outsprint an alligator no matter what pattern you ran in -- but it's extremely unlikely that you'd ever need to. Learn how alligators do and don't attack in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/alligator-zigzag.htm

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What Fueled the Feud of the Hatfields and McCoys? May 28, 2026

Show notes

The 30-year feud between these two families is more dramatic than fiction -- and may be the starting point of negative stereotypes about Appalachia. Learn about the story behind the Hatfields and McCoys in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/hatfields-and-mccoys.htm

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How Does Mayonnaise Work? May 27, 2026

Show notes

Love it or hate it, mayo achieves a creamy texture without any dairy thanks to the science of emulsions. Learn how it works -- and why it's not the real danger in potato salad -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/question617.htm Listen to the Savor episode about mayo here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://omny.fm/shows/savor/mayonnaise-and-mayo-nays

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How Did a Wisconsin Woman Lead a German Resistance to Nazis? May 20, 2026

Show notes

Mildred Harnack was an American literature professor living in Berlin when the Third Reich took control. Learn how she and her husband led a resistance ring that enraged Hitler in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/mildred-harnack.htm Find the book 'All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days' here: https://www.rebeccadonner.com/

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Are Lobsters Functionally Immortal? May 19, 2026

Show notes

It's true that lobsters don't age, but that doesn't quite make them immortal, and it's far from the only fabulously weird thing about them. Learn about lobsters -- including why they're biologically immortal, and how that might help human health in the future -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/400-pound-lobster.htm; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/10-weird-facts-lobsters.htm

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Is It 'Jerry-Rigged' or 'Jury-Rigged'? May 18, 2026

Show notes

Both of these terms are actually valid, though they have slightly different meanings, and only one of them is based in sailors' slang. Learn the history of 'jury-rigged' and 'jerry-rigged' -- and how to use them correctly -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/jury-rigged-vs-jerry-rigged.htm

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How Did Beer Help Sell the Myth of Custer's Last Stand? May 12, 2026

Show notes

The idea of General George Custer's deadly military blunder being a heroic last stand was constructed over decades to encourage U.S. colonization of the West. Learn how Anheuser-Busch helped in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/custers-last-stand.htm

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How Does Bioluminescence Work? May 11, 2026

Show notes

When organisms like fireflies, fungi, and fish glow with cold light, there's chemistry at work. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about bioluminescence -- including how humans are harnessing it -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/bioluminescence.htm/printable

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How Is Maillardet's Automaton Still Wowing Us After 200 Years? May 08, 2026

Show notes

Around the year 1800, Swiss clockmaker Henri Maillardet created a mechanical doll that moves like a person as it produces drawings and poems with a pen on paper -- it's programmed for seven in total, without having any electrical parts. Learn how it and other automata work in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/maillardets-automaton.htm

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