Deep in the back of your mind, you’ve always had the feeling that there’s something strange about reality. There is. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they examine neurological quandaries, cosmic mysteries, evolutionary marvels and our transhuman future.
Most of us have spent far more time at home this year, which raises the question: Just what sort of artificial interior environments have we created? What lives there besides our family and pets? And what are we missing out on? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore.
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Anticipating a fall from 10,000 feet or more? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss your chances of survival. (Originally published 8/15/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhether plotting to build a great northern wall or an aircraft carrier made of ice instead of steel, the substance you’re looking for is Pykrete. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss what makes this super-strong ice so durable and why there was an actual plan to build ships out of the stuff during the Second World War.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver feel like everyone in the Zoom call is looking at you? Ever astonished to find your contribution to a project goes unrecognized, or that your latest faux pas didn’t destroy you? Perhaps you’re not the central character in this narrative after all. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the spotlight effect and what it teaches us about our own perception of reality and those around us.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThis episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind takes listeners to Transylvania, where a rogue baron made important early strides in the field of paleobiology and where, during the Late Cretaceous period, giant pterosaur dubbed “Dracula” feasted on pony-sized dwarf sauropods. (Originally published 8/13/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom our earliest experiences with paleoart to tales of Pompeii and visions of modern catastrophes, it’s easy to associate volcanoes with death and destruction. But what if it’s less a case of Mount Doom and more a case of Mount Life, at least from a broader environmental point of view? Robert and Joe explore the question in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe continue their exploration of helmets -- both the horned and the non-horned variety. Learn about the beautiful complexity of Japanese samurai helmets, perhaps the weirdest helm ever donned by a king and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the second of two classic episodes, Joe and Christian continue their discussion of animal cognition, including animal morality, tool use, mental time travel, culture, and other strange clues to the intellectual complexity of our cousins in the animal kingdom. Afterwards, they speak to Dutch-American primatologist Frans de Waal about his book and his thoughts on the future of animal intelligence research. (Originally published 2/23/2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFantasy fiction is lousy with horned helmets -- and more than a few non-Vikings wore them historically. So what’s the deal with horned helms? Why are they impractical from an offensive standpoint? For that matter, just where do helmets come from and are there any animals that wear them? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce again, Robert and Joe call forth the mailbot to read and discuss listener mail in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the first of two classic episodes, Joe and Christian discuss the work of Dutch-American primatologist Frans de Waal, and ask the question of not just whether animals are smarter than we understand, but why the evidence of animal cognition is often so difficult for we humans to grasp. (Originally published 2/21/2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe chats with Kat Arney about her upcoming book "Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal."
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMajorities of Americans believe in the literal existence of Heaven and Hell, but where did these concepts originally come from, and how have they changed over the centuries? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe chats with Bart Ehrman, author of 'Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.'
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow will you feel the day you finally delete all your social media accounts? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss some of the arguments for doing just that in Jaron Lanier’s book “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.” (Originally published 8/6/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersGold from the ocean? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the basic idea behind the accumulation of oceanic gold and the fascinating historical hoax based on the notion. Plus, where does gold come from and how will deep sea gold mining endanger thermal vent ecosystems? Find out.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTravel has long inspired the mind and engaged the senses, but just what's going on in the human body when we venture near or far? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere do teeth come from and how do different dental variations in the animal world force us to rethink our glorious chompers? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore dental evolution and the wondrous marching molars of elephants and manatees. (Originally published 7/23/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEggs are amazing and some of the varieties we find in nature are wonderfully weird, riveling or exceeding anything you’d ever find on a fictional derelict spaceship. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some curious specimens from the world of eggs.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSome problems are so big and complex that there’s not enough computational power on Earth to tackle them. Enter Quantum computing, a new kind of computing that can change how we solve problems forever. In this episode of Stuff To Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Director of IBM Quantum Strategy and Applications Research, Katie Pizzolato and ExxonMobil VP of R&D, Dr. Vijay Swarup.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are capable of amazing technological and societal feats, but we’ve also brought much misery, death and destruction to our world. We are currently in the midst of the sixth great extinction event -- the Holocene extinction -- and the ravages of human activity extend back throughout our history as a dominator species. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe focus in on some of the key extinctions that occurred during the Roman Empire. (Originally published 6/27/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat exactly is kimchi and what is the chemistry of its deliciousness? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore this spicy, fermented staple of Korean cuisine.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFireworks are a staple of celebrations around the world, but where does this invention come from and what’s the basic chemistry of their combustion? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe light the fuse and find out.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo what extent does the act of smiling generate happiness in the mind of the smiler? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the Facial Feedback Hypothesis and what it means for our complex human emotions. (Originally published 6/20/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe war has raged for at least 100 million years. Armored warriors boil up out of the ground and surge across the battlefield. Mandibles clash. Bodies are torn asunder. As the will of one colony clashes with another, forces advance, withdrawal and sometimes whole populations perish in the Earth. Such are the wars of the ants, compared to which the wars of humanity are but a blip. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the history and tactics of ant warfare, and what humans can learn from it all.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersProject Debater is the first AI system that can debate humans on complex topics, with a larger ambition of helping people build persuasive arguments and make well-informed decisions. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Project Debater Lead Researcher, Noam Slonim and IBM VP for Data and AI, Madhu Kochar.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIs there ever a good scientific reason to turn brains into soup? What does all of this have to do with the concept of “liquid brains?” Robert and Joe explore on Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published 6/11/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe war has raged for at least 100 million years. Armored warriors boil up out of the ground and surge across the battlefield. Mandibles clash. Bodies are torn asunder. As the will of one colony clashes with another, forces advance, withdrawal and sometimes whole populations perish in the Earth. Such are the wars of the ants, compared to which the wars of humanity are but a blip. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the history and tactics of ant warfare, and what humans can learn from it all.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe war has raged for at least 100 million years. Armored warriors boil up out of the ground and surge across the battlefield. Mandibles clash. Bodies are torn asunder. As the will of one colony clashes with another, forces advance, withdrawal and sometimes whole populations perish in the Earth. Such are the wars of the ants, compared to which the wars of humanity are but a blip. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the history and tactics of ant warfare, and what humans can learn from it all.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersA brief note from Stuff to Blow Your Mind in support of racial justice.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat monsters of fatty flesh lie slumbering in the sewer guts of our great cities? Join Robert and Joe as they venture into the dark to discover the beast we all made together. (Originally published 6/4/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe notion of a subterrene, or underground drilling vehicle, is well established within the realm of science fiction, but what are the real-world possibilities for vehicles that drill or melt their way through the subterranean world. Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind…
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow is AI helping organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the topic with Ritika Gunnar, Vice President of IBM’s Data and AI Expert Labs and Learning, and Jay Bellissimo, IBM’s General Manager for the U.S. Public and Federal Market.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFor centuries, sailors have told stories of mountainous killer waves that rise out of the ocean without warning. Join Robert and Joe for a discussion of the history and science of rogue waves. (originally published 5/30/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBooks are one of humanity’s greatest inventions, but where do they come from? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the history of book technology, from ancient clay tablets and papyrus scrolls to the codex and beyond.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBooks are one of humanity’s greatest inventions, but where do they come from? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the history of book technology, from ancient clay tablets and papyrus scrolls to the codex and beyond.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss Doppelgangers, fairy imposters, the brain basis for the feeling of familiarity, and a unique way of understanding the impact of social media and modern communications technology. (originally published 5/28/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's time for another listener mail episode, this time with your thoughts on hobbits, gorgons, pointing and much more...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe supply chain is vital to life in the modern world, and the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted this flow of goods and materials to a considerable degree. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with IBM Global Managing Director for Consumer Industries Luq Niazi and Partner at the Consumer Center of Competence (CoC) at IBM Karl Haller.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHarry Potter sends messages by owl. The characters of ‘Game of Thrones’ employ ravens. Meanwhile, real-life messenger pigeons have carried messages for thousands of years. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider just why the homing pigeon is perfect for this job -- and why owls and ravens are not. (originally published 5/9/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere do new words come from? Robert and Joe explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere do new words come from? Robert and Joe explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou may very well encounter barbed wire everyday -- and, in all likelihood, you see THROUGH this flesh-ripping barrier. Where did this invention come from? How did it change the world? Robert and Joe discuss “the devil’s rope” in this episode.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe continue the month’s journey through human CULINARY techno-history -- this time with the story of the turnspit dog. This now-extinct breed of dog turned the meat in many a European kitchen, before it was replaced by machines.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersA fungal accident in the early 20th century opened the door for the medical wonders of the antibiotic age. In this episode, Robert and Joe explore what came before and how Alexander Fleming’s discovery changed the world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere do museums come from? Explore their history in this episode...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersShades didn't invent themselves. Robert and Joe explore their origins...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChopsticks may seem like a basic invention, but this invention has a fascinating history...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt took my quarters and gave me candy, but who invented this machine? Find out...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt cuts heads off, but who invented it? Robert and Joe explore.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's time for another listener mail episode, this time with your thoughts on teleportation mishaps, the mighty moa and much more...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFew places in the Star Wars universe are regarded with as much horror as the Great Pit of Carkoon, within the Dune Sea of Tatooine. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the mighty Sarlacc and compare what we know about this organism to denizens of the natural world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes these breathtaking environments? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the wonder and science of sacred mountains. (originally published 4/25/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBoard games have only grown in variety and complexity in recent decades, but just how far back in time do these curious physical simulations go? In this episode of Invention, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the meeples of ancient history.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBoard games have only grown in variety and complexity in recent decades, but just how far back in time do these curious physical simulations go? In this episode of Invention, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the meeples of ancient history.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe spear is a truly ancient human technology, but this preceded one of humanity’s oldest mechanical inventions: the atlatl or spear thrower. In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe explore the history and physics of this amazing hunting device.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCondoms are an important part of human health and medicine, but where did this invention come from? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Invention.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAir conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAir conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAir conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWho invented toast? Who then went on to invent the toaster? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe chase the origins of bread transformed through the Maillard reaction and consider the origins of the specialized mini-oven we use to do it.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou love it. You put it on everything. But where does ketchup come from? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe explore the mysterious origins of everyone’s favorite sweet red sauce -- and consider the jaw-dropping fact that ketchup isn’t always red and isn’t always made from tomatoes.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Mai Tai isn’t only the most famous Tiki cocktail, it’s one of the most well known cocktails on the planet. But where does it come from? Who invented it? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe turn to noted Tiki historian and mixologist Jeff “Beachbum” Berry for answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is pointing such a central part of human communication? How does it relate to culture, technology and our relationship to non-human animals? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe look for answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is pointing such a central part of human communication? How does it relate to culture, technology and our relationship to non-human animals? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe look for answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes these breathtaking environments? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the wonder and science of sacred mountains. (originally published 4/23/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of bubble wrap...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the toilet...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the toilet...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of braille...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of walls...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the wheel...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the wheel...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of roads...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the saxophone...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe explore the origins and impact of toothpaste...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster come from and why has she lingered so very long in our art, minds and culture? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe venture to the Gorgade isles in search of answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster come from and why has she lingered so very long in our art, minds and culture? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe venture to the Gorgade isles in search of answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter. (originally published 3/28/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAt least giant spiders are not trying to eat us. Right? Right? Let's close out Halftober Monsterfest with 2016's episode about what it would be like to be eaten by a giant spider.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalftober Monsterfest is about to get even weirder. Explore the basics of incubus and succubus myths, a few international variants and the possible biological, psychological and neurological explanations for these paranormal encounters.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDemogorgon wasn't enough for you? Fine. Here's our 2016 episode on Dungeons and Dragons' fantastic mindflayer monster and how it matches up with the natural world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalftober Monsterfest continues with Stuff to Blow Your Mind's 2016 episode about carnivorous plants in nature and myth.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAre you a werewolf? You have to tell me if you're a werewolf. It's the law. Up next on the Halftober Monsterfest Playlist is the 2017 episode "A Game of Werewolf" about the deep psychology of a beloved social game.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's go back to 2017. Heck, let's go back 500 million years to the monster-haunted waters of the Cambrian period. Halftoberfest now.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe most recent Friday the 13th holiday was kind of a bummer, so let's play catch-up with this 2018 episode about masked killers in reality, fiction and culture.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is a curse and how does the concept factor into the human experience? The playlist continues with this 2018 Halloween episode from Robert and Joe.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHaftober Monsterfest continues with Robert and Joe's 2019 discussion on the origins of Dungeons and Dragons’ ultimate demon lord, the interdimensional beast from “Stranger Things” and an enigma of translated texts and gnostic mysticism.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalloween in March? It's happening. Here's our episode "I Drink Your Blood Type" from 2019. Drink up.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFor many futurists, the long term survival of humanity depends on its ability to become a true interplanetary and even interstellar species. But what is the potential moral cost of such a great technological and cultural leap forward? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the potential for astronomical suffering in the wake of Earth’s outward expansion.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’re all probably using a lot more soap these days, but… what is it exactly? How does it work? Who invented it and how has it changed the world? Join Robert and Joe as they explore the invention of Soap. If you enjoyed the podcast Invention, stick with Robert and Joe as they continue to explore these same topics as part of Stuff to Blow Your Mind’s regular offerings.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter. (originally published 3/26/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Here's their episode on the x-ray.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Since we're already talking about optics, let's consider the telescope...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's finish their three-part look at motion pictures...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Here's their sidebar with Scott Benjamin about a mysterious death in the history of motion picture technology...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's continue with the history of motion pictures...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's move on from the camera to motion pictures...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Up first, the camera obscura...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTheoretical Physicist Brian Greene’s new book “Until the End of Time” contemplates the entirety of human history and the known universe in a single volume. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with the author about the cosmos, the human experience and science communication during a global pandemic.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat exactly is space? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, physicist Daniel Whiteson, co-host of the podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, drops by for another chat with Robert and Joe.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBelief in UFOs is very much like a religion. It can fulfill the same purpose in an individual's life, give them a community of believers and provide grander framework for mundane life. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the similarities between the so-called “men in black” and the devil. (Originally published 3/21/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLadies and gentlemen, just a word of warning. If any of you are not convinced that you have a tingler of your own, the next time you're frightened in the dark... don't scream.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt calls back a time when there were flowers all over the Earth... and there were valleys. And there were plains of tall green grass that you could lie down in - you could go to sleep in. And there were blue skies, and there was fresh air... and there were things growing all over the place, not just in some domed enclosures blasted some millions of miles out in to space.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou're afraid to dive into the plasma pool, aren't you? You're afraid to be destroyed and recreated, aren't you?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go. I've given you the knowledge. I've set you free. Do you understand?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersContemplate this on the tree of woe.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNow they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they learn why they fear the night.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersI thought I'd gone to the limits. I hadn't. The Cenobites gave me an experience beyond limits. Pain and pleasure, indivisible.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEnd, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMost people have a full measure of life... and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up... at one time... in one place... you can accomplish something... glorious.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom an imagined palace constructed out of bone to the curious ways in which animals and humans use bone for tools and construction materials, take a stroll through halls of bone with Robert and Joe in this pair of episodes from Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom an imagined palace constructed out of bone to the curious ways in which animals and humans use bone for tools and construction materials, take a stroll through halls of bone with Robert and Joe in this pair of episodes from Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver feel like there are bugs crawling around in your body? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore alleged incidents, medical publications and the reality of delusional parasitosis. (originally publsihed 3/19/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersExplore tales and traditions from Taoist sorcery, alchemy and Chinese folktales.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom myth to biology, the hydra hungers and grows.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is the meaning of Poseidon's divine weapon?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDiscover the power and symbolism of the unicorn.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWho is the slayer and why is this figure so important to our ancient and modern myths?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMeet the demon slayer Zhōng Kuí and follow a procession of spirits across the sea to Japan.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersGet to know everyone's favorite ancient bronze age robot.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersExplore the place where geology and mythology converge.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersVenture into the world of Quetzalcoatl.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is mythology and why is it so important? Find out...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is déjà vu and how does it relate to dreams and anxiety? Robert and Joe discuss what is known about this curious anomaly of memory on Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is déjà vu and how does it relate to dreams and anxiety? Robert and Joe discuss what is known about this curious anomaly of memory on Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain. (originally published 3/5/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about life beyond Earth's magnetosphere. Here's our 2018 chat with astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about heredity. Here's our 2018 chat with acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer about his book “She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.”
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about the love life of coral with "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah J. Hardt.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about alien philosophy. Here's our 2017 chat with Canadian author R. Scott Bakker, discussing his dark fantasy novels as well as his paper 'On Alien Philosophy,' published in the The Journal of Consciousness Studies.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about penis transplants. Here's our 2016 chat with author Mary Roach, who devotes two chapters of her book "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War" to urotrauma and genital transplant surgery.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about salamanders. Here's our 2018 chat with Mark Mandica, executive director of The Amphibian Foundation.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about ancient Egyptian bee keeping. Here's our 2016 chat with "The Tears of Re" author entomologist Gene Kritsky.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about the Chinese typewriter. Here's our 2018 chat with Thomas S. Mullaney about his book “The Chinese Typewriter: A History.”
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about string theory, super AI and animal emotions. Here are our 2018 World Science Festival interviews with physicist Brian Greene, physicist Max Tegmark and anthropologist Barbara J. King.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLet's talk about deep sea ecology and conservation. Here's our 2019 chat with deep sea marine biologist Diva Amon.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain. (originally published 2/28/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe catch you up to date on the podcast’s production schedule and generally check in with listeners in the wake of current events.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIrish myth tells of a spear so deadly, that its deployment is certain death. Forged from the bones of sea monsters, the Gáe Bulg would send barbs through its victim’s every vein -- but only if the hero threw it with their foot. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick unravel the myth, history and science of this impractical Irish wonder weapon. (originally published 2/21/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNot to question the wisdom of Gandalf the Grey, but a hobbit might seem like a poor choice for a continent-sprawling journey to rid the world of evil. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe return to the science of Middle Earth with a look at scientific breakdowns of hobbit diet, hobbit physiology and hobbit vitamin requirements.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and this time Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick are bound for the world of Thra in Jim Henson’s 1982 masterpiece “The Dark Crystal.” What are we to make of these complex creatures, mythological themes and cosmological alignment? (originally published 4/4/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom a self-hypnosis practice rooted in early 20th century psychiatry to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals, Robert and Joe discuss autogenics training and its creator, Johannes Heinrich Schultz.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs the world reacts to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Robert and Joe devote an episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind to cover what’s currently known about the virus and what you can do as infections continue to spread.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans. (originally published 1/17/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans. (originally published 1/15/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another hefty dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail. Join Robert and Joe as they read and answer your emails on facial recognition, gods, volcanoes the future and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, and this time Robert and Joe consider David Cronenberg’s 1986 sci-fi remake “The Fly.” It’s time to drink deep, or taste not, the plasma spring!
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the aftermath of Valentine's Day, join Robert and Joe as they revisit last year's interview with marine biologist and "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah Hardt. It's a chat with STBYM's only four-time guest about all manner of marine invertebrate reproduction.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s a standard tool of skeptical thinking: When presented with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well, choose the simpler of the two. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the history, nature and complexities of Occam’s Razor.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore this terrifying episode in history and what we can learn from it.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s Valentine’s Day again, which summons images of mythic Cupid and his bow. But we often forget that Cupid has TWO arrows in his quiver: the golden arrow of desire and the leaden arrow of aversion. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the mythic lead-slinger and the nature of his gray metal. (originally published 2/14/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore this terrifying episode in history and what we can learn from it.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future of privacy? How did we get to this point in techno-history and where do we go from here? In this multi-episode look from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore facial recognition technology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf science were a candle in the dark, we’d need only spread its light to combat climate change denial and vaccine conspiracy theories. But what if the problem is more complex than that? What if a quirk of human cognition enables us to remain willingly in the dark, even as we hold the very candle? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the concept of motivated numeracy. (originally published 11/15/2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe continue the month’s journey through human CULINARY techno-history -- this time with the story of the turnspit dog. This now-extinct breed of dog turned the meat in many a European kitchen, before it was replaced by machines. (originally published 11/11/2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future of privacy? How did we get to this point in techno-history and where do we go from here? In this multi-episode look from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore facial recognition technology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future of privacy? How did we get to this point in techno-history and where do we go from here? In this multi-episode look from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore facial recognition technology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat if the Ark of the Covenant was actually a bronze-age machine capable of storing an electrostatic charge? It almost certainly wasn't, but the idea is a great excuse to explore the understanding of electricity in the ancient world. Join Robert and Joe for another Ark-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLalibela, Ethiopia is home to one of the true wonders of the world: a series of 11 rock-hewn monolithic churches -- all interconnected by tunnels and passages that connect to catacombs and hermit caves. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the details of these 12th century marvels.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThere’s often a gap between feeling and understanding, but language and classification provide us with tremendous tools for self-reflection. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the concept of kama muta, a broad categorization of emotional states that include loved belonging, patriotism, cuteness, spiritual communion and the feels.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat was the Ark of the Covenant? A mere ceremonial vessel for sacred items? A radio for speaking to God? The golden chest of the ancient Hebrews has fascinated historians, theologians, scientists, dreamers and Nazi-punching archeologists for ages. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some of the more thought-provoking ideas concerning its nature. (originally published 12/6/2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTheir fossils date back 450 million years and their copper-rich blue blood continues to benefit various medical applications. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the science and history of horseshoe crabs.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYes, tomorrow marks ten years of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In celebration, original cohost and HowStuffWorks editor Allison Loudermilk pops by to speak with Robert and Joe about science, science communication and some recent headlines.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBehold the Great Basilisk, the crowned monster whose mere glance can kill a mortal and reduce wilderness to desert ash. Medieval bestiaries attest to its might, but today some futurists dread its name as an all-powerful malicious artificial intelligence. Will it imprison all those who oppose it within a digital prison of eternal torment? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the horror of Roko’s Basilisk. (Originally published 10/9/2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom its literary origins in the mirror realm of Lewis Carroll to its terrifying appearance in Charlie Brooker's “Black Mirror,” the frumious Bandersnatch is a monster from which it is useless to flee. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe follow its trail through a maze of choice, freewill, advertising and streaming media.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe chats with Brandon Fibbs, host of the new podcast "9 Days in July," which explores each of the nine days of the Apollo 11 Mission, day by day, in nine 60-minute-long episodes. Listen to "9 Days in July" on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are found: megaphone.link/9daysinjuly
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a machine told you it was conscious, how could you tell if it was lying? Indeed, how can you tell that any random human in your life is lying when they speak of their own consciousness. Join Robert and Joe for a stirring discussion on AI consciousness, philosophical zombies and the coming techno-cognitive dilemma. (Originally published April 12, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOur understanding of history and cosmos continues to evolve -- and that means episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind are likely to require updates. In this episode, Robert and Joe discuss recent updates to topics discussed in past episodes ‘The First Monster” and their coverage of Oumuamua.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the book “Chasting New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto,” authors Dr. Alan Stern and Dr. David Grinspoon recount the riveting history of the quest to send a spacecraft to the planet Pluto. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Grinspoon chats about the book, the planet and the nature of space exploration.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all know teasing when we see it or experience it, but what role does it play in human interactions? Join Robert and Joe in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind as they explore hurtful, playful and educative teasing. (Originally published Sept. 11, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's boxing day in many holiday traditions: A time to give a gratitude box to postmen, errand boys and servants. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe present just such a box to the mailbot Karnie and read some listener mail as well.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHe knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, but is Santa Claus merely a magical entity or does he rise to the status of a god? In this pair of STBYM episodes, Robert and Joe discuss the general attributes of a deity and consider the awesome, reality-warping powers of the one we call Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and of course Santa Claus.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to Christmas Island, a place where it’s still only Christmas once a year… but where red crabs swarm across the land and enormous coconut crabs feast on carrion in the forests. So deck the halls with boughs of SCUTTLING HORROR as Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick celebrate the holiday season in style. (Originaly published Dec. 27, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHe knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, but is Santa Claus merely a magical entity or does he rise to the status of a god? In this pair of STBYM episodes, Robert and Joe discuss the general attributes of a deity and consider the awesome, reality-warping powers of the one we call Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and of course Santa Claus.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDid 20-foot-tall giant fungi rule the earth 400 million years ago? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the puzzling prototaxites fossils from the Devonian period.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to Christmas Island, a place where it’s still only Christmas once a year… but where red crabs swarm across the land and enormous coconut crabs feast on carrion in the forests. So deck the halls with boughs of SCUTTLING HORROR as Robert and Joe celebrate the holiday season in style. (Originally published Dec. 25, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe natural world evokes various feelings in the mind, but humans spend a great deal of their time within spaces that they themselves designed and built out of the environment. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe consider the ways that architecture impacts our thoughts and feelings.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe natural world evokes various feelings in the mind, but humans spend a great deal of their time within spaces that they themselves designed and built out of the environment. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe consider the ways that architecture impacts our thoughts and feelings.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersStuff to Blow Your Mind frequently discusses thought experiments on the show, from Schrödinger's Cat to the Infinity Hotel. But what constitutes a thought experiments? How long have they been around and what are the seven categories? Robert and Joe explore… (Originally published Jan 3, 2019)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHeute Nacht ist Krampusnacht. Besprechen Sie mit Robert und Joe auf STBYM die beliebtesten Urlaubsmonster aller.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s the first week of December and holiday music is already playing in retail stores around the world. Sure, this is supposed to infuse you with the holiday spirit and perhaps kickstart your holiday shopping blitz, but at what cost? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the pros and cons of all that Christmas music.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPaleolithic tools inform not just our understanding of prehistoric lives, but also the evolution and nature of the human mind. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Emory University’s Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Dietrich Stout about the hand ax, tool use and even "2001: A Space Odyssey.” (Originally published Nov. 13, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTis the season of thankfulness, so in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the science of Gratitude.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs is tradition, Stuff to Blow Your Mind prepares for seasonal feasts with a look at dangerous foods -- this time with a focus on peculurial and sometimes frightful additives such as lead, mercury and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNo discussion of great sci-fi cinema is complete without mention of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The 1968 classic is 50 years old this year, so Robert and Joe figured it the perfect time to board the Discovery One and discuss its many scientific and futurist elements, as well as the legacy of Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s creation. (Originally published Aug. 14, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers“You are what you eat,” the saying goes -- but does that apply to memories as well? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, join Robert and Joe on a journey through the world of Planaria worms, controversial research, regineration, behaviorism and even the machinations of the unabomber.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers“You are what you eat,” the saying goes -- but does that apply to memories as well? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, join Robert and Joe on a journey through the world of Planaria worms, controversial research, regineration, behaviorism and even the machinations of the unabomber.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAn ancient ship rots in the harbor and so we restore it piece by piece until nothing of the original ship remains. Is it still the same ship? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss one of history’s more mind-boggling thought experiments. (Originall published Aug. 21, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHave you ever dreamt that you forgot about a college class until the morning of the final exam — and then dreamt that a black hole swallowed the entire university? Yes, it’s time for yet another Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalloween may be over, but Robert and Joe have a bunch of spooky listener mail to unpack before the other holidays kick in. Grab whatever is left of the Halloween candy and tune in...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou might think you know squirrels, but what do you REALLY know about these woodland tree rodents? In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss their appetite for meat, their alleged acts of savagery and various other facts that will make you reconsider the skugg and respect its kingdom. In this episode, things get weird. (Originally published Aug. 30, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYes, it’s time once more for us to cover the Ig Nobel prizes. This year on Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider cubical wombat poop, truly dirty money, diaper-changing robots and much more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDive right into the first episode of the new sci-fi horror podcast "The Second Oil Age." When an oil executive goes missing aboard the deep-sea Atlas Station, the company sends agent Synøve Pan down for answers — and she’s just the woman to get them. Immerse yourself in a post–energy-crisis world in which humanity’s thirst for oil is satisfied through a bargain with a mysterious deep-sea species.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is yoga? How can it heal our bodies and minds? And where do we draw the line between spiritual models of the human condition and proven biology? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Ann Swanson, author of “Science Of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect your Practice” drops in for a chat about yoga research and the benefits of mindfulness.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou might think you know squirrels, but what do you REALLY know about these woodland tree rodents? In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss their appetite for meat, their alleged acts of savagery and various other facts that will make you reconsider the skugg and respect its kingdom. Up first, let’s talk about their bloody diet... (Originally published Aug. 28, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe time has come. Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind reaches into the depths of TV horror anthology history, pulls out a handful of episodes and spins science and wonder out of the monstrosities therein. For this year’s installment, Robert and Joe discuss episodes The Outer Limits and The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe time has come. Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind reaches into the depths of TV horror anthology history, pulls out a handful of episodes and spins science and wonder out of the monstrosities therein. For this year’s installment, Robert and Joe discuss episodes of Monsters and The Twilight Zone.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom “Night Gallery” to “Tales From the Crypt,” everyone loves a great horror anthology show. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a new ghoulish tradition, as they pick a few notable installments from horror anthology TV and cinema history in order to explore the real-life science and history behind the blood and madness. (Originally published Oct. 30, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert and Joe have such sights to show you in this movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join them as they discuss Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” and the questions it raises about monastic traditions, flagellation, puzzle boxes and the science of pain.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDive into the haunted seas of history as Joe chats with cartography historian Chet van Duzer about sea monsters, strange maps and the dark mysteries of the global ocean.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt seems the unavoidable fate of all terrifying monsters, doesn’t it? We reduce the most horrifying creatures of myth, legend and folklore to an adorable kids costume or a mega-cute illustration. Why can’t we help ourselves? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the battle between cuteness and monstrosity, with examples drawn from Japanese traditions. (Originally published Oct 31, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers“My name is Legion.” In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the Biblical tale of exorcism and swine. What did the story mean? How was it used to enforce our relationship with animals and just how intelligent are pigs?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the VHS horrors of “The Ring” and claims of psychic photography to cutting edge research into neuro technology, humanity continues to wrestle with the notion of the mind’s eye. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe dive into the mystifying world of the mental image.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMyth and folklore are full of monsters and the heroes who slay them. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick meet some of these fabulous slayers and discuss the science and potential meaning of their bloody endeavors. (Oct. 25, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the VHS horrors of “The Ring” and claims of psychic photography to cutting edge research into neuro technology, humanity continues to wrestle with the notion of the mind’s eye. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe dive into the mystifying world of the mental image.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the cognitive effects of driving. How does it alter our perceptions of self? How might driving prevent cognitive decline? What are the benefits of automotive ergonomics and how do we avoid the risks of road rage is aggressive?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAccording to certain English folktales, a vile creature lurks in the slime-caked dark of local ponds. When little ones wander too close to shore, she lashes out to drown them in her slippery embrace. She has many names: Nelly Longarms, Peg Powler, the Grindylow... and Jenny Greenteeth. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss these old tales of aquatic terror, their instructional nature and the real-world predators who swim the shores in search of terrestrial prey. (Originally published Oct. 2, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersGather round ye blood drinkers and children of the night, for in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe will discuss human blood types -- what they are, why they exist and what powers they hold. It’s all required listeners for any serious vampires.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou probably know the Demogorgon as the powerful demon lord from Dungeons and Dragons, or perhaps as the interdimensional monster from “Stranger Things.” But where does this curious name come from? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe pursue the origins of the Demogorgon through modern pop culture, romantic poetry, translated texts and Gnostic mystery.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou've consumed enough science fiction to know something the average red shirt doesn't: Never take your space helmet off on a foreign planet. But if you're still tempted to breathe deep the gathering gloom, how about five compelling scientific reasons not to? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss "Alien: Covenant" and explore some very compelling biological and radiological reasons to remain helmeted on an alien hell world. (Originally published May 25, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMark Mandica, executive director of the Amphibian Foundation, returns to Stuff to Blow Your Mind to discuss the ongoing challenges of amphibian conservation as well as the value of two unfairly-vilified reptiles: the copperhead snake and the common snapping turtle.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow do we relate to the unseen worlds of particle physics and distant stars? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, physicist Daniel Whiteson, co-host of the podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe drops in for a chat about particle physicists, science communication and the wonders of our cosmos.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSure, euphemisms allow us to talk about something unpleasant or taboo without actually invoking the dreaded word or words -- but what else is going on? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe explore the linguistic power of euphemisms to alter and transform the tone or meaning of everyday communication. (Originally published Dec. 13, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOne Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the most powerful artifact in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series and how it relates to real-life metallurgy.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersA super massive black hole broods at the center of our galaxy. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss just what that means -- and doesn’t mean -- for humanity, our solar system and our future.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion and plunged the depths of human knowledge in age of great change. In this second of two episodes on the topic, Robert and Christian discuss Dr. Dee’s involvement in science, statecraft, cryptography and espionage. (Originally published Dec. 8, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersA super massive black hole broods at the center of our galaxy. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss just what that means -- and doesn’t mean -- for humanity, our solar system and our future.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's never too late for Summer Reading! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe welcome back former co-host Christian Sager, host of the podcast Supercontext for a discussion of recent reads. Jump on it before summer ends!
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion and plunged the depths of human knowledge in age of great change. In this first of two episodes on the topic, Robert and Christian discuss the world, life and magic of the enigmatic Dr. Dee. (Originally published Dec. 6, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBrowse the libraries of the world and you’ll find nothing stranger and perplexing than the so-called Voynich Manuscript, a 15th century tome that has perplexed linguists and codebreakers for hundreds of years -- and remains a mystery. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss just why we can't stop looking to its weird pages.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBrowse the libraries of the world and you’ll find nothing stranger and perplexing than the so-called Voynich Manuscript, a 15th century tome that has perplexed linguists and codebreakers for hundreds of years -- and remains a mystery. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss just why we can't stop looking to its weird pages.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a lie is repeated often enough, are we more likely to believe it? Sadly, the answer is yes. Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect and it influences both our daily lives and the larger movements of politics and culture. Join Robert and Joe for a two-part discussion of untruths, the human mind and just what you can do to fight the big lies at work in your world. (Originally published July 12, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYes, it's listener mail time once more, this time with e-mails about B.U.M.M.E.R. social media platforms, planetary defense, the Tingler, psychedelics and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat do recent studies about surfer’s ear and neanderthals reveal about their relationship with the ocean? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the condition and some recent findings regarding the neanderthals.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a lie is repeated often enough, are we more likely to believe it? Sadly, the answer is yes. Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect and it influences both our daily lives and the larger movements of politics and culture. Join Robert and Joe for a two-part discussion of untruths, the human mind and just what you can do to fight the big lies at work in your world. (Originally published July 10, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHave you ever experienced dreams of forgotten classes, impossible exams and other examples of school-age anxiety? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the pervasive nature of the school dream.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou’ve probably heard the Biblical tale of Lot’s wife, in which a trio of angels destroy a couple of ancient cities and the resulting blast turns a woman into a pillar of salt. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe set aside most of the theology to ponder if and how a human body could become a big old chunk of salt.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen you hear the word “neuroplasticity,” you probably think of it in terms of a young brain’s ability to learn or an older brain’s struggles to rebound from injury. The possibility of a neuroplasticity-boosting drug remains one of medicine's true holy grails, but is there a dark side? Robert and Joe discuss the balance of plasticity and stability in the human mind. (Originally published July 5, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAnticipating a fall from 10,000 feet or more? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss your chances of survival.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThis episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind takes listeners to Transylvania, where a rogue baron made important early strides in the field of paleobiology and where, during the Late Cretaceous period, giant pterosaur dubbed “Dracula” feasted on pony-sized dwarf sauropods.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, you’re already quite familiar with the notion the ancient astronauts visited the earth and gave humans the tech support they needed to climb the ladder of civilization. There's no true proof to back it up, yet ancient astronaut speculation is a 20th century invention -- and one tied closely to a single bestselling author. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss Erich von Däniken and Carl Sagan's thoughts on ancient aliens. (Originally published June 28, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe near-Earth object (NEO) known as Asteroid 2019 OK just made an unexpected close pass, raising the hair on the back of humanity’s collective neck. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe weigh the risks posed by other NEOs and discuss what we’re doing to track them and even stop an incoming doomsday rock.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFormer Stuff to Blow Your Mind producer and host of the podcast Ephemeral drops in for a chat about the media of yesteryear and related topics. Listen in and learn more at www.ephemeral.show
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow will you feel the day you finally delete all your social media accounts? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss some of the arguments for doing just that in Jaron Lanier’s book “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.”
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat’s the key to a lasting myth, a captivating religion or a sensational film pitch? Some cognitive scientists and anthropologists argue that the key is a minimally counterintuitive narrative: the right balance of the mundane with just a dash of the unreasonable and unexpected. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss the minimal counterintuitiveness effect. (Originally published August 2, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and you might be surprised to discover all the weird and wonderful themes at work in the often-dismissed 1959 Vincent Price film “The Tingler.” Not only does it dwell on fear and symbiosis, but it also features the first reference to LSD in a major motion picture.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s listener mail time again, this time devoted entirely to feedback on Stuff to Blow Your Mind’s five-part series on psychedelics. Join Robert and Joe as they read everyone’s submitted thoughts and experiences.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSome of you have tried the ecstasy. Others have merely heard about the drug on a TV sitcom, or heard about it in a news report. Either way, MDMA's power resonates through our culture -- and sometimes it's hard to distinguish the truth form the misinformation. But what exactly is this psychoactive agent? Where does it come from and what sort of effect does it have on the human experience? Join Robert and Christian as they explore the origins and properties of MDMA. (Originally published Dec. 17, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s easy to think of electricity as the domain of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Street Fighter’s Blanka. But as Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, it’s also the domain of microbes -- and it will change the shape of future technology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere do teeth come from and how do different dental variations in the animal world force us to rethink our glorious chompers? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore dental evolution and the wondrous marching molars of elephants and manatees.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSome of you have tried the ecstasy. Others have merely heard about the drug on a TV sitcom, or heard about it in a news report. Either way, MDMA's power resonates through our culture -- and sometimes it's hard to distinguish the truth form the misinformation. But what exactly is this psychoactive agent? Where does it come from and what sort of effect does it have on the human experience? Join Robert and Christian as they explore the origins and properties of MDMA. (Originally published Dec. 15, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersKatie Goldin is back with a new season of Creature Feature, so she joins Robert and Joe on Stuff to Blow Your Mind for a chat about strange and amazing teeth in the animal kingdom.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIdolized by some and reviled by others, Timothy Leary remains an icon of 1960s counterculture and psychedelic self-exploration. But who was this rebel, psychologist and celebrity? What did he reveal about LSD’s power and potential? Join Robert and Christian for a special two-part look at the man, the time and the drug he championed. Turn on, tune in, drop out... (originally published Sep 21, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIdolized by some and reviled by others, Timothy Leary remains an icon of 1960s counterculture and psychedelic self-exploration. But who was this rebel, psychologist and celebrity? What did he reveal about LSD’s power and potential? Join Robert and Christian for a special two-part look at the man, the time and the drug he championed. Turn on, tune in, drop out... (originally published Sep 19, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThere's more to butter than meets the eye. Each yellow pat of fatty goodness is nothing short of processed solar energy, and its long history entails many a magical and sacred rite. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian consider the curious nature of butter. (Originally published Jan 10, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are capable of amazing technological and societal feats, but we’ve also brought much misery, death and destruction to our world. We are currently in the midst of the sixth great extinction event -- the Holocene extinction -- and the ravages of human activity extend back throughout our history as a dominator species. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe focus in on some of the key extinctions that occurred during the Roman Empire.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's time for another listener mail and this time we have field reports from the war on fatbergs in the world's sewers -- plus various other e-mails related to recent episodes.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is a fart? From what foul bodily depths does it arise? Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they crack open the Fartomicon. Explore the fascinating chemistry of flatus, recoil in horror at the thought of medieval fart demons and consider the curious creatures that enjoy a flatulence-free existence. (Originally published April 17, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo what extent does the act of smiling generate happiness in the mind of the smiler? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the Facial Feedback Hypothesis and what it means for our complex human emotions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and this time Robert and Joe are talking about 1972’s “Silent Running,” in which Bruce Dern and his robot pals are caught in an endless chase. It’s a discussion of sci-fi, space botany, environmentalism and the relationship between humans and the forest.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe planet Venus might seem a hellish destination and an unlikely place to find extraterrestrial life. And yet, many experts agree that life may have existed in the planet's ancient oceans -- and may thrive yet within the upper atmosphere. Join Robert and Joe in a quest for Venusian aliens. (Originally published May 17, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIs natural selection REALLY survival of the fittest? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss where the phrase comes from and how well it actually matches up with our understanding of evolution.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIs there ever a good scientific reason to turn brains into soup? What does all of this have to do with the concept of “liquid brains?” Robert and Joe explore on Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow do you play the game of life? Do you play it as a finite game or an infinite one? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the 1986 philosophy book “Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility” by American scholar James P. Carse. (Originally published May 31, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode “Quetzalcoatl: The Winged Serpent,” Robert and Joe discussed the feathered snake god of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica -- as well as the giant pterosaur named after it. In this episode, fossils and myth come together in a discussion of Adrienne Mayor’s geomythology take on the plumed serpent.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat monsters of fatty flesh lie slumbering in the sewer guts of our great cities? Join Robert and Joe as they venture into the dark to discover the beast we all made together.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile hackers and malware can certainly cause a great deal of damage and misery, these dangers can’t hurt us physically, right? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe are sorry to say you’re wrong -- and as more biotechnology and brain-computer interface creeps into our lives, the risk will only go up. Tune in for a discussion on inherent vulnerability, looming technology and what needs to happen to protect us. (Originally published June 1, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFor centuries, sailors have told stories of mountainous killer waves that rise out of the ocean without warning. Join Robert and Joe for a discussion of the history and science of rogue waves.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss Doppelgangers, fairy imposters, the brain basis for the feeling of familiarity, and a unique way of understanding the impact of social media and modern communications technology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom bad CGI characters to creepy humanoid robots, everyone knows the uncanny valley effect when they see it. But where did this idea come from and to what extent is it actually a thing? Join Robert and Joe as they descend into the uncanny valley and explore just what's going on in our minds when we lock eyes with less-than-human simulacrums. (Originally published April 6, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another bag of Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail, plus a minor update on sacred squirrels. Join Robert, Joe and your friendly neighborhood mailbot dig into your thoughts on recent episodes.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with deep sea marine biologist Diva Amon about life in the deep ocean -- from the wonderous organisms that thrive there to the human activities that threaten their future.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe far side of the uncanny valley rises steeply, assaulting our psyche as our artificial human likenesses creep ever closer toward perfection. But what happens when we actually emerge on the other side? What happens to human society when video footage is no longer the gold standard? Robert and Joe investigate. (Originally published April 4, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie-themed Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode. In fact, it's TWO episodes. This time Robert and Joe discuss the 1982 sword and sorcery picture “Conan the Barbarian.” Join them as they gush over the film’s charismatic villain Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and explore the real world of giant snakes, Set, snake arrows and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind -- and this time Robert and Joe are discussing the 1982 sword and sorcery picture “Conan the Barbarian.” Join them as they gush over the film’s charismatic villain Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and explore the real world of giant snakes, Set, snake arrows and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy does heredity hold such power over us? How did the ancients contemplate it and how is genetic technology changing the shape of future heredity? In this classic episode, Robert and Joe chat with acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer about the topics explored in his book “She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.” (Originally published June 14, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHarry Potter sends messages by owl. The characters of ‘Game of Thrones’ employ ravens. Meanwhile, real-life messenger pigeons have carried messages for thousands of years. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider just why the homing pigeon is perfect for this job -- and why owls and ravens are not.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat’s the line between cannibalism and mere predation? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some thought-provoking cases of predation and cannibalism in the animal world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSure coral reefs are rich, vibrant ecosystems, but did you know they also have a kinky side? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah J. Hardt returns to chat about coral reproduction and the role this vital, threatened organism plays in our world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow do we consider and predict the actions and intentions of others? How much do we lean on an individual’s presumed internal disposition versus the particulars of their situation? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe consider the fundamental attribution error, which breaks down the errors and even dangers of causal cognition.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow do we consider and predict the actions and intentions of others? How much do we lean on an individual’s presumed internal disposition versus the particulars of their situation? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe consider the fundamental attribution error, which breaks down the errors and even dangers of causal cognition.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHave you subscribed to Robert and Joe's other podcast INVENTION yet? If not, here's a taste of what they're up to in part 1 of their look at toilet technology, from the oldest latrine pit to the modern flushing commode.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes these breathtaking environments? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the wonder and science of sacred mountains.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes these breathtaking environments? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the wonder and science of sacred mountains.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans have known about cannabis for thousands of years, crafting hemp textiles and consuming its psychoactive THC. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Christian Sager examine the cannabis plant, its travels through human populations and its famed sensory and psychological effects. (Originally published May 3, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1845, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a tale about a man overcome by the compulsion to confess to the heinous crime he sought to keep secret. The conundrum pops up in other Poe tales as well, but the so called “Imp of the Perverse” also invades the human mind with alarming regularity. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe attempt to understand just why, considering Freud, neuroscience, Ironic Process Theory and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAtmospheric pressure. Water pressure. Geologic pressure. What exactly IS pressure and how do humans interact with it? Join Robert and Joe for a look at examples on and within planet Earth -- as well as beyond.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” hypothesized that ancient humans heard hallucinated voices in place of conscious thought, and presented archaeological, literary, historical and religious evidence to support this highly controversial view. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they dissect bicameralism and discuss the evidence, the criticisms and more in this two-parter. (originally published Sep 28, 2017)
Related Content: Bicameralism, Part 1: The Voice of God (podcast)Bonus Episode: R. Scott Bakker on Consciousness & Consult (podcast)Where is my mind? (podcast)What Mind Control Feels Like(podcast)Outside Content:The Julian Jaynes Society'The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind' by Julian Jaynes
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s hard to imagine human beings without storytelling and literature. Surely, these are some of the very things that define us. Narratives give our lives and our world meaning, but what if there’s a dark side to their sorcerous power? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the storyteller’s potent spell.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s hard to imagine human beings without storytelling and literature. Surely, these are some of the very things that define us. Narratives give our lives and our world meaning, but what if there’s a dark side to their sorcerous power? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the storyteller’s potent spell.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” hypothesized that ancient humans heard hallucinated voices in place of conscious thought, and presented archaeological, literary, historical and religious evidence to support this highly controversial view. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they dissect bicameralism and discuss the evidence, the criticisms and more in this two-parter. (originally published Sep 26, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s time for another movie-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and this time Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick are bound for the world of Thra in Jim Henson’s 1982 masterpiece “The Dark Crystal.” What are we to make of these complex creatures, mythological themes and cosmological alignment?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce more, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick bust out some listener mail -- with the aid of their mailboy Karny, who was accidently infected by the recent “Highlander 2” episode and is now displaying symptoms of multiple Highlander personality disorder.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThroughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural selection? Indeed, what can science offer us in the way of eternal youth? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick seek to find out in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration. (Originally published Jan. 9, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter. In this second episode, the joke's on us.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThroughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural selection? Indeed, what can science offer us in the way of eternal youth? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick seek to find out in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration. (Originally published Jan. 4, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBelief in UFOs is very much like a religion. It can fulfill the same purpose in an individual's life, give them a community of believers and provide grander framework for mundane life. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the similarities between the so-called “men in black” and the devil.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver feel like there are bugs crawling around in your body? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore alleged incidents, medical publications and the reality of delusional parasitosis.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhether you draw your wisdom from 18th century poems or experience in the surf, you probably know that drinking seawater is a terrible idea. But exactly why shouldn’t you drink saltwater? What happens if you do? Can it really drive you mad with hallucinations? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick look to the world of biology for answers. (Originally published Jan. 16, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy are humans so fascinated by lists? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the reason we can’t pass a top 10 clickbait headline and are forever haunted by incomplete lists.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow deep into the Earth have humans traveled? How far have we drilled? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore some interesting lows from the history of mining, geologic exploration and good old fashioned subterranean living.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChinese aristocracy of the Western Han Dynasty embarked on their journey into the afterlife within garments of stone -- luxurious suits of jade armor entailing thousands of individual plates sewn together with gold, silver or silk. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Christian Sager explore this ancient funeral custom and both the scientific and superstitious qualities of jade. (Originally published May 9, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYes, the time of the Quickening is at hand! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick finally make good on their threat to devote an entire episode to the 1991 film "Highlander II: The Quickening" and whatever science might be rendered from its plot. They wanted this to be a six-part series, but our boss tells us... there can be only one.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick continue their journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain. This time, the destination is a hypothetical planet beyond the orbit of Pluto.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAmong the many humanoid gods and bestial monsters of Greek mythology, one finds a peculiar outlier: Talos the bronze automaton. Said to stalk the shores of Crete, Talos pelted suspicious ships with rocks and immolated enemy soldiers with its smoldering embrace. Does this myth reveal Greek attitudes toward technology? What existing technologies can we decode in its description? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published Jan. 2, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’ve all heard about crop circles, and the entirely terrestrial reason they pop up in the occasional wheat field. But what about strange circles on the bottom of the sea? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the mystery of these ephemeral patterns and what scientists discovered about their origin.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo you feel like a different person during the winter? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick examine the extent to which winter affects human health and culture. From the winter transformations of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people to the latest studies on seasonal genetic changes, prepare to contemplate the icy dark. (Originally published Dec. 28, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIrish myth tells of a spear so deadly, that its deployment is certain death. Forged from the bones of sea monsters, the Gáe Bulg would send barbs through its victim’s every vein -- but only if the hero threw it with their foot. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick unravel the myth, history and science of this impractical Irish wonder weapon.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat’s an ideophone? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the place where sounds, meanings and the possible roots of language converge.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo you feel like a different person during the winter? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick examine the extent to which winter affects human health and culture. From the winter transformations of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people to the latest studies on seasonal genetic changes, prepare to contemplate the icy dark. (Originally published Dec. 26, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s Valentine’s Day again, which summons images of mythic Cupid and his bow. But we often forget that Cupid has TWO arrows in his quiver: the golden arrow of desire and the leaden arrow of aversion. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the mythic lead-slinger and the nature of his gray metal.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's listener mail time again and Karnie the mailbot seems rather grumpy about a particular holiday. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they read and respond to various listener mail from the past month.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe're all wired to enjoy different forms of music, but for some of us the wiring is missing entirely. Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager as they explore the curious conditions of amusia and auditory agnosia in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. (Originally published July 28, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's almost Valentine's Day, so it's time to invite marine biologist and "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah Hardt back on the show again! Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they chat with STBYM's only four-time guest about all manner of marine invertebrate reproduction.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs we slide into the Year of the Earth Pig, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick turn to the legend of the demon slayer Zhōng Kuí and follow a procession of spirits across the sea to Japan, where discarded tools spark spirit possessions, not joy. Sorry, Marie Kondo.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the sirens of 'The Odyssey' to 'The Creature From the Black Lagoon' and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe discuss the revealing myth and fiction of mermaids and gillmen -- as well as the aquatic ape theory and the biological possibilities of an aquatic humanoid.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWater vessels serve the humans who made them, but that doesn’t mean other lifeforms don’t benefit as well. In this pair of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the various organisms that thrive aboard functional, abandoned and sunken ships
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWater vessels serve the humans who made them, but that doesn’t mean other lifeforms don’t benefit as well. In this pair of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the various organisms that thrive aboard functional, abandoned and sunken ships
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the sirens of “The Odyssey” to “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the revealing myth and fiction of mermaids and gillmen -- as well as the aquatic ape theory and the biological possibilities of an aquatic humanoid. (Originally published Jan. 23, 2018)
Related Content: Aquatic Humanoids, Part 2 (podcast)Don't Drink the Salt Water (podcast)Here There Be Sea Monsters (podcast)Outside Content: 'Horror Noire' by Robin R Means Coleman
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen mysterious globs of meat wash up on the shores of human civilization, we have a tendency to see beasts in the blobs and have always tried to imagine the creature in the carnage. Welcome to the world of globsters, where mounds of putrid sea flesh birth cryptozoological dreams and science tends to have the last world. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen mysterious globs of meat wash up on the shores of human civilization, we have a tendency to see beasts in the blobs and have always tried to imagine the creature in the carnage. Welcome to the world of globsters, where mounds of putrid sea flesh birth cryptozoological dreams and science tends to have the last world. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a world previously unseen by human beings. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss humanity’s prior understanding of the deep ocean and Beebe’s astounding reports from the world a half mile down. (Originally published March 29, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a world previously unseen by human beings. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss humanity’s prior understanding of the deep ocean and Beebe’s astounding reports from the world a half mile down. (Originally published March 27, 2018)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs humans, we’re quite accustomed to our weird vertical spines and precarious two-legged gait. But habitual bipedalism is far from the norm. When did it first occur on planet Earth? Will the robotic future walk on two legs? And can we reasonably expect alien lifeforms to follow suit? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you were to create the most unpleasant room humanly possible, what sort of design choices would you employ? What would the space look like and, more to the point, how would it make you feel? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy are humans so drawn to the natural world of biodiverse organisms? Is this longing merely part of our culture or do we possess an innate and even genetic tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss Edward O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis and explore arguments for and against this captivating view of nature lovers. (Originally published July 18, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersStuff to Blow Your Mind frequently discusses thought experiments on the show, from Schrödinger's Cat to the Infinity Hotel. But what constitutes a thought experiments? How long have they been around and what are the seven categories? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore…
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's a new year full of new topics, but first comes a final bag of listener mail from 2018. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider your thoughts and experiences on the previous month's episodes.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are creatures of gravity. We’re born into it. Life as we know it evolved to thrive in it. So what’s a gravitational organism to do in the low-gravity and zero-gravity expanses beyond Earth? You can’t bring it with you, but scientists have cooked up a few different schemes to replicate its effects. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a full exploration in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. (Originally published July 13, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to Christmas Island, a place where it’s still only Christmas once a year… but where red crabs swarm across the land and enormous coconut crabs feast on carrion in the forests. So deck the halls with boughs of SCUTTLING HORROR as Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick celebrate the holiday season in style.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to Christmas Island, a place where it’s still only Christmas once a year… but where red crabs swarm across the land and enormous coconut crabs feast on carrion in the forests. So deck the halls with boughs of SCUTTLING HORROR as Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick celebrate the holiday season in style.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSacred trees. World trees. Holy trees of wisdom, immortality and the soul. They seem to grow from every culture on Earth and their roots dig deep into the soil of prehistory. What do they mean? Why are we so drawn to their symbolic power? Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager for a stirring exploration. (Originally published Nov. 30, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFor Christians, the Christmas centers around a miraculous virgin birth. But don’t worry, secular holiday revelers, because nature has its own virgin births to wonder over. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the world of parthenogenesis.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersStuff to Blow Your Mind hosts Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick have a brand new show -- and they're dropping a full episode of it into the STBYM feed. The show is INVENTION and this episode dives into the history, invention and legacy of the head-chopping French guillotine. What happens when we use our technology to create a more humane form of public execution? Find out, and be sure to subscribe to Invention wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTwas the night before Christmas and deep in the woods, a sacrifice was planned by the Gauls and their Druids… Yes, in this holiday episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the curious biology of everyone’s favorite smooch-inducing tree parasite -- as well as some of its alleged magic powers and scientifically-studied properties.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’ve all marveled at the grotesque, oddly-proportioned old man babies in medieval art -- but why did artists of the period pain such creatures? In this special Christmas episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the convergence of the homunculus theory of human reproduction, the nativity and the infants of medieval and renaissance art. (Originally published Dec. 21, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMammals are the true milk-bearers of nature, but there are a host of non-mammals that secrete various strange and wonderful milk-analogues. From avians to invertebrates, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the anomalous world of non-mammalian milk in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, guest Katie Goldin from the podcast 'Creature Feature' drops in to chat with Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick about weird biology and maybe a monster or two.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo engage the ships of Byzantine Empire was to risk the horrors of Greek fire, a medieval weapons system that empowered ships to spew forth flaming liquid on enemy ships and crew members. The secrets of Greek fire are lost to history, but historians and scientists continue to theorize its formula and deployment details. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss the weapon’s history, predominant theories on its specifics and the risks and rewards of secret keeping. (Originally published Aug. 22, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat if the Ark of the Covenant was actually a bronze-age machine capable of storing an electrostatic charge? It almost certainly wasn't, but the idea is a great excuse to explore the understanding of electricity in the ancient world. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for another Ark-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat was the Ark of the Covenant? A mere ceremonial vessel for sacred items? A radio for speaking to God? The golden chest of the ancient Hebrews has fascinated historians, theologians, scientists, dreamers and Nazi-punching archeologists for ages. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider some of the more thought-provoking ideas concerning its nature.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are we to make of alleged ritual satanic abuse and the moral panic that spread in the 1980s and 90s? Robert Lamb and Christian Sager enter a world of religion, fear and demons of the mind. (originally published April 16, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEveryone’s favorite interstellar travel has been back in the news, thanks to curious speed increases and an intriguing paper on the possibility of alien solar sail technology. So join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they dock once more with ‘Oumuamua as it tumbles out of our solar system.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean all the ghosts and ghouls are banished to the cellar. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they bust dive into the listener mail bag from October 2018.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThanksgiving is a time of feasting and the wages of feasting, and so Robert and Joe are here to dish up a third installment of Stuff to Blow Your Mind’s “Dangerous Foods” series. Do you dare bite into the likes of licorice, giant Namibian bullfrog, hallucinogenic fish and wriggling octopus tentacles? (Originally published Nov. 23, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHalloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean all the ghosts and ghouls are banished to the cellar. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they bust dive into the listener mail bag from October 2018.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThanksgiving is a time during which many Americans eat things they shouldn’t -- so it’s a perfect time to discuss coprophagia in the animal kingdom. But, unlike many holiday dinners, these examples of poop-eating organisms are not exercises in dysfunction. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick invite you to join yet another feast of knowledge.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCan your heart stand the shocking facts about toxic potatoes, mad honey and the mysteries of the dead man’s fingers? In this classic episode, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick enjoy a heaping helping of potentially dangerous menu choices. (Originally published Dec. 22, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf science were a candle in the dark, we’d need only spread its light to combat climate change denial and vaccine conspiracy theories. But what if the problem is more complex than that? What if a quirk of human cognition enables us to remain willingly in the dark, even as we hold the very candle? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the concept of motivated numeracy.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPaleolithic tools inform not just our understanding of prehistoric lives, but also the evolution and nature of the human mind. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick chat with Emory University’s Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Dietrich Stout about the hand ax, tool use and even ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow deep-seated are today's racial issues? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Julie Douglas explore how something so abstract - like unconscious racial biases - can have real-world implications. (Originally published March 31, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEach year, the Ig Nobel prizes honor the weirdest and wackiest contributions to humanity’s scientific understanding of the natural world. In this pair of Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast episodes, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick unpack each of this year’s winners.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEach year, the Ig Nobel prizes honor the weirdest and wackiest contributions to humanity’s scientific understanding of the natural world. In this pair of Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast episodes, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick unpack each of this year’s winners.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to the ocean of monsters. In this classic episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick travel back 500 million years to the monster-haunted waters of the Cambrian period. Meet the monstrous trilobite, anomalocaris, opabinia, hallucigenia, wiwaxia, pikaia and leanchoilia. Plus, Dr. Anton Jessup drops by for a visit. (Originally published Oct 19, 2017)
Related Content: Original publication (with species illustrations)
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Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo follow up our two-part look at the secret, bloody life of the common squirrel, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick present an entire listener mail episode devoted to your field reports on skuggs.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom “Night Gallery” to “Tales From the Crypt,” everyone loves a great horror anthology show. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a new ghoulish tradition, as they pick a few notable installments from horror anthology TV and cinema history in order to explore the real-life science and history behind the blood and madness.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBonus episode! Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they chat with Bret Wood, writer and director of "The Control Group," a fiction podcast from How Stuff Works that explores the dark history of CIA-funded mind control experiments. The entire series is out now and ready for your Halloween binge-listening.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans love monsters, but when did we first dare to dream up bestial hybrids and chimerical horrors? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the 35-40 thousand-year-old Löwenmensch statues. Who created these images of lion-headed men? What do they represent and what do they reveal about human cognition? (Originally published October 27, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMyth and folklore are full of monsters and the heroes who slay them. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick meet some of these fabulous slayers and discuss the science and potential meaning of their bloody endeavors.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the Aztec temples of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica to the 1980s monster film “Q: The Winged Serpent,” the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl soars high over the human imagination. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the history of this winged wonder -- as well as the prehistoric Quetzalcoatlus named after the ancient Lord of the Dawn.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat happens when we slip into a costume? Be it a monster pelt, a sexy witch or a simple children's ghost mask, a psychological transformation takes place. Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager for a fittingly seasonal look at enclothed cognition and deindividuation. (Originally published October 8, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersVampire legends are a global phenomenon, and the trope of the blood-sucking humanoid shows no signs of vanishing from human traditions. But can we trace its origins back to any specific diseases and medical symptoms? In this blood-stained episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick haul up the vampire’s casket and look for signs of rabies, syphilis, dermatitis, tuberculosis and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersVampire legends are a global phenomenon, and the trope of the blood-sucking humanoid shows no signs of vanishing from human traditions. But can we trace its origins back to any specific diseases and medical symptoms? In this blood-stained episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick haul up the vampire’s casket and look for signs of rabies, syphilis, dermatitis, tuberculosis and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf your fictional diet contains significant quantities of horror or dark fantasy, then you've likely encountered the ghoul: a scavenging, grave-robbing race of unnatural beings with an insatiable hunger for the dead. As Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode, the roots of ghouldom sink back into pre-Islamic Arabic folklore -- as well into the distant evolutionary history of humanity itself. (Originally published October 29, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat does it mean when a beggar, wizard or witch spits a curse at another human being? Why does this particular work of magic weigh so heavily in human history? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a scientific, historical and cultural look at various curse traditions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBehold the Great Basilisk, the crowned monster whose mere glance can kill a mortal and reduce wilderness to desert ash. Medieval bestiaries attest to its might, but today some futurists dread its name as an all-powerful malicious artificial intelligence. Will it imprison all those who oppose it within a digital prison of eternal torment? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the horror of Roko’s Basilisk.
Related Content: Machine God: Artificial Superintelligence (podcast)World Science Festival 2018 Field Report (podcast)
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Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAre humans truly safe from the hunger of meat-eating plants? Can we trust the trees that loom over us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss myths and fictions of killer trees, the science of carnivorous plants and the curious absence of mean-eating plants in our natural world. (Originally published October 18, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe masked psychopathic killer is a staple of horror fiction, and yet almost no real-life serial killers employed masks in the commission of their crimes. Why is this? What does the discrepancy between fact and fiction reveal both about the reality of murderer and the nature of our myth-making? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAccording to certain English folktales, a vile creature lurks in the slime-caked dark of local ponds. When little ones wander too close to shore, she lashes out to drown them in her slippery embrace. She has many names: Nelly Longarms, Peg Powler, the Grindylow... and Jenny Greenteeth. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss these old tales of aquatic terror, their instructional nature and the real-world predators who swim the shores in search of terrestrial prey.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe figure of John C. Lilly as psychedelic dolphin communicator burns in the collective memory as a counterculture avatar, yet his legacy embodies far more than the mythologized and/or vilified figure that most of us know. Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager as they examine the life, career and ideas of Lilly the scientist, Lilly the counterespionage researcher and Lilly the psychonaut. Welcome to the province of the mind. (Originally published Feb. 23, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's listener mail time again and the plan to gradually replace every part of our mailbot Karnie is complete. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they read and respond to various listener mail from the past month.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWade into the amazing and weird world of salamanders and other notable amphibians as Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick chat with Mark Mandica, executive director of The Amphibian Foundation. Gain a new level of appreciation for these fabulous organisms and learn what you can do to help them.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile the cocktail is an inherently American invention, the history of combining alcohols with other substances to create potent, drinkable concoctions dates back to ancient times. While you might expect dangerous ingredients to have a place in a wizard’s potion or a philosopher's goblet, modern cocktails and spirits have also dabbled with nefarious elixirs. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they explore the history, myth and science behind it all in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published Jan. 12, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersScientific consensus currently holds that the Earth is a 4.5 billion-year-old planet in a 13.8 billion-year-old universe. But how do we know? Why do religious models of a much younger (or older) Earth fail to pass the baloney test? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersScientific consensus currently holds that the Earth is a 4.5 billion-year-old planet in a 13.8 billion-year-old universe. But how do we know? Why do religious models of a much younger (or older) Earth fail to pass the baloney test? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDoctors have called it the great imitator because this destructive venereal disease can manifest almost any symptom. Initially spreading through sexual contact, Syphilis can remain dormant in the body for decades before flaring up again in brutally disfiguring, debilitating and deadly ways. It's difficult to overstate the impact of syphilis on the Western world, and it remains a threat to this day despite effective antibiotic treatments. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Julie Douglas explore the history of the illness and its cultural effects, from powdered wigs and false noses to surgical advances and vampire myths. (Originally published August 26-28, 2014)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is truly obvious in life? What does the word even mean? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a look at how we engage with the natural world -- from invisible gorilla experiments to the realm of phenomenology.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all know teasing when we see it or experience it, but what role does it play in human interactions? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind as they explore hurtful, playful and educative teasing.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Kaaba marks the geographic center of the Islamic world, and here one finds Al-Hadjar Al-Aswad, the Holy Black Stone of Mecca. Islamic traditions hold that the once white white stone blackened with humanity’s sins, but various scientific theories point to geological and potentially cosmic origins. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the mythic, historical and scientific substance of the Kaaba. (Originally published on Feb. 16, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all daydream and many of us funnel our imagination into creative acts. But what happens when these exercises overpower us? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the strange case of nuclear physicist Kirk Allen, whose imagination may have gotten the better of him -- and his psychoanalyst. Dive into the world of cooperative illusions and maladaptive daydreaming.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all daydream and many of us funnel our imagination into creative acts. But what happens when these exercises overpower us? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the strange case of nuclear physicist Kirk Allen, whose imagination may have gotten the better of him -- and his psychoanalyst. Dive into the world of cooperative illusions and maladaptive daydreaming.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver wrestle with the illogical quasi-compulsion to throw yourself off a cliff or building? Don’t worry! You’re probably not suicidal, but merely touched by the 'call of the void' or 'high place phenomenon.' In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Christian Sager explore some of the more enlightening theories about this experience.(Originally published Feb. 9, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou might think you know squirrels, but what do you REALLY know about these woodland tree rodents? In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss their appetite for meat, their alleged acts of savagery and various other facts that will make you reconsider the skugg and respect its kingdom. In this episode, things get weird.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou might think you know squirrels, but what do you REALLY know about these woodland tree rodents? In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss their appetite for meat, their alleged acts of savagery and various other facts that will make you reconsider the skugg and respect its kingdom. Up first, let’s talk about their bloody diet...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the history and science of MSG and explore just why we demonized it for so long. (Originally published Aug. 30, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat would the world be like without predators? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the essential role of predators in Earth’s ecosystems and the terrible, cascading effects of their loss. A world without predators isn’t heaven. It’s hell.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAn ancient ship rots in the harbor and so we restore it piece by piece until nothing of the original ship remains. Is it still the same ship? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss one of history’s more mind-boggling thought experiments.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the perverse world of unintended consequences and the cobra effect. (Originally published Sept. 13, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's time for another dose of listener mail. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they read YOUR feedback on recent episodes related to coffee in space, tridents, Jungfrau Park and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNo discussion of great sci-fi cinema is complete without mention of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The 1968 classic is 50 years old this year, so Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick figured it the perfect time to board the Discovery One and discuss its many scientific and futurist elements, as well as the legacy of Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s creation.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMost scientists declare empirical falsifiability -- the notion that a theory may be proven right or wrong via scientific investigation -- to be the core principle of science. Others, such as string theorists, think science should move beyond those boundaries. Is empiricism an unnecessary straight jacket? Is “post-empirical science” an oxymoron? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. (Originally published Sept. 15, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe often focus our fear in the wrong direction -- developing flying anxieties when we should be more concerned about that ride to the airport. We also tend to focus on autonomous weapons when we should be thinking more about autonomous CYBER weapons. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a discussion of cyber warfare.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are we to make of the trident? The three-toothed spear has seen service as the divine weapon of mythic deities, the fishing implement of common mortals and a symbolic weapon in gladiatorial combat. What does it mean, and was it ever a practical weapon? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick look for answers in myth, archaeology and military history.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver wanted to climb into the safe, metal womb of an escape pod and blast yourself free of this doomed vessel called life? Sure you have, but in the meantime consider some of the real-life air, space and terrestrial escape capsules that humans have envisioned over the years. Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick tell you all about it in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. (Originally published Nov. 24, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat’s the key to a lasting myth, a captivating religion or a sensational film pitch? Some cognitive scientists and anthropologists argue that the key is a minimally counterintuitive narrative: the right balance of the mundane with just a dash of the unreasonable and unexpected. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss the minimal counterintuitiveness effect.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow can humanity ever hope to thrive without Earth if it can’t even function without its morning cup of coffee? Fortunately, engineers have devised increasingly practical means of brewing and sipping coffee in space -- neither of which are easy feats in microgravity. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a consideration of space coffee.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat began as a 1960s term for a retrofitted human space explorer has become a focal point for considerations of human and machine interaction, technological culture, biomechanics and feminist identity. Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager as they set aside the brain/computer interfaces for a discussion of what it is to be a "cyborg" in 2016. (Originally published April 19, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's a summer tradition! Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind devotes a summer episode to the discussion of fiction, non-fiction and children's books that the hosts read over the course of the last year. So listen in and maybe one of these books will accompany you on your next beach trip.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's a summer tradition! Once more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind devotes a summer episode to the discussion of fiction, non-fiction and children's books that the hosts read over the course of the last year. So listen in and maybe one of these books will accompany you on your next beach trip.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat do the transhumanist visions and singularitarians have in common with Christian rapture doctrine, apocalyptic prophesies and far-future saviors? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they explore the space for common ground -- and conflict -- between genetically modified cyborgs and Heaven-teleported believers in this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published Aug 25, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDoes the dark side of Venus occasionally glow with a dim, haunting phosphorescence? It’s one of astronomy’s oldest and most enduring mysteries. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for an examination of the ashen light.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a technological civilization manages to survive itself, how will it fare against the larger challenges of a changing and hostile universe? If humanity ascends the Kardashev scale, how will our unrecognizable and godlike descendants cope with the end of the universe itself? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for an exploration of the cosmic end times.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat do the transhumanist visions and singularitarians have in common with Christian rapture doctrine, apocalyptic prophesies and far-future saviors? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they explore the space for common ground -- and conflict -- between genetically modified cyborgs and Heaven-teleported believers in this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published Aug 23, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a lie is repeated often enough, are we more likely to believe it? Sadly, the answer is yes. Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect and it influences both our daily lives and the larger movements of politics and culture. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a two-part discussion of untruths, the human mind and just what you can do to fight the big lies at work in your world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a lie is repeated often enough, are we more likely to believe it? Sadly, the answer is yes. Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect and it influences both our daily lives and the larger movements of politics and culture. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a two-part discussion of untruths, the human mind and just what you can do to fight the big lies at work in your world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSex between humans and machines is nothing new in the world of science fiction. Their forms range from angelic mechanoids to victimized humanoids, but the robotic lover is almost always an expression of purely human anxieties. Yet as real-world technology advances, we’re left to ponder the emerging form of the sex bot -- and the possibilities range from mere animate fetishes to therapeutic surrogates. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Christian Sager consider arguments for and against the embrace of synthetic paramours.(Originally published March 30, 2017)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen you hear the word “neuroplasticity,” you probably think of it in terms of a young brain’s ability to learn or an older brain’s struggles to rebound from injury. The possibility of a neuroplasticity-boosting drug remains one of medicine's true holy grails, but is there a dark side? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the balance of plasticity and stability in the human mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce more, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick turn to Karnie the Mailbot for listener reactions and commentaries on recent episodes. Strap in for discussion of dreams, submarines, ancient goddesses and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to the Kingdom of the Inca, where hundreds of rope bridges connect an imperial highway system and fiber-armored soldiers wield woven slings against the enemies of the Emperor. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the khipu system of knotted, colored string that served as a physical notation system in lieu of written language. (Originally published March 8, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, you’re already quite familiar with the notion the ancient astronauts visited the earth and gave humans the tech support they needed to climb the ladder of civilization. There's no true proof to back it up, yet ancient astronaut speculation is a 20th century invention -- and one tied closely to a single bestselling author. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss Erich von Däniken and Carl Sagan's thoughts on ancient aliens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNothing can escape the pull of a black hole, not even Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a three-part exploration of these incredible, invisible regions of the cosmos where ponderous mass warps the very fabric of space and time. In this final episode, cross the event horizon...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChimpanzees are humanity's closest living relative, but there's both wonder and existential horror in that closeness. A species barrier separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, but what if a chimp/human hybrid were to bridge that barrier? Join Robert Lamb and Christian Sager as they explore the case history of Russian biologist Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov and his attempts to breed a human/chimp hybrid in the early 20th century. (Originally published Jan. 21, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNothing can escape the pull of a black hole, not even Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a three-part exploration of these incredible, invisible regions of the cosmos where ponderous mass warps the very fabric of space and time. In this episode, learn all about the science of black hole detection.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNothing can escape the pull of a black hole, not even Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a three-part exploration of these incredible, invisible regions of the cosmos where ponderous mass warps the very fabric of space and time. Up first, learn how the idea of black holes emerged as a mere ghost in the math.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all have a pretty good notion of noise, but what exactly is silence? Is it a substance or an absence? Between the mindflaying quiet of soundless rooms to wildlife ambience and white noise machines, what is the ideal balance of silence? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe look for answers and, yes, also discuss a few sound-sensitive monsters and the likelihood of blowing up a humanoid head with sound. (Originally published on Aug. 31, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy does heredity hold such power over us? How did the ancients contemplate it and how is genetic technology changing the shape of future heredity? Robert and Joe chat with acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer about the topics explored in his new book “She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.”
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert Lamb attended the 2018 World Science festival in New York City and had the chance to chat with its founder, physicist Brian Greene -- as well as a couple of noted panelists: physicist Max Tegmark and anthropologist Barbara J. King. This episode features those green room interviews, plus Robert and Joe’s discussion of their answers on theoretical physics, artificial intelligence and the evolution of religion.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat does it mean to solve a problem in our universe? That's a trickier question than you might think, with some fairly high-stakes ramifications in the worlds of computing and even philosophy. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the inherent logic of problem-solving in our universe, with some attention to a special example of an outstanding problem in computer science: P vs. NP. (Originally published April 12, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat roles does sleep play in human creativity? Can we learn in our dreams? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a look at famous accounts of dream inspiration and scientific research into the link between creativity and sleep. And yes, they want you to tell them your dreams.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s hard enough to sleep just knowing that dozens of nuclear ballistic missile submarines haunt the oceans, each containing the means to rain nuclear annihilation on the world. But what’s it like to sleep aboard these arks of doom? It actually ties into long-term military study, and the results may help us send humans to other planets. Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElectricity lost its magic over the course the 18th and 19th centuries. The "invisible fire" steadily transitioned from a mysterious force of wonder to a mundane reality of daily modern life. In this two-part edition of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the various electrical experiments, stunts, inventions, performances, innovations, occultisms and atrocities that transformed the tractable thunder. (Originally published Feb 11, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow do you play the game of life? Do you play it as a finite game or an infinite one? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the 1986 philosophy book “Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility” by American scholar James P. Carse.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is quantum immortality? How do we get from quantum physics to thought experiment suicide machines and what does it all say about the nature of our reality? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick dive into the multiverse.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElectricity lost its magic over the course the 18th and 19th centuries. The "invisible fire" steadily transitioned from a mysterious force of wonder to a mundane reality of daily modern life. In this two-part edition of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the various electrical experiments, stunts, inventions, performances, innovations, occultisms and atrocities that transformed the tractable thunder. (Originally published Feb 9, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat happened to the worship of goddesses? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore Leonard Shlain’s hypothesis from his 1998 book “The Alphabet Versus the Goddess,” in which the author argues that the brain-altering power of written language unbalanced human civilization in favor of misogyny, tyranny and the worship of abstract, masculine gods.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat happened to the worship of goddesses? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore Leonard Shlain’s hypothesis from his 1998 book “The Alphabet Versus the Goddess,” in which the author argues that the brain-altering power of written language unbalanced human civilization in favor of misogyny, tyranny and the worship of abstract, masculine gods.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe often think of technology and religion as distinct and separate worlds, but what happens when they converge? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick in this two-part episode as they examine religious world views shaped by technology, such as John Murray Spear’s electrical messiah, the simple prayer wheel and the psycho-spiritual technologies of Scientology. (Originally published Jun 11, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe planet Venus might seem a hellish destination and an unlikely place to find extraterrestrial life. And yet, many experts agree that life may have existed in the planet's ancient oceans -- and may thrive yet within the upper atmosphere. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick in a quest for Venusian aliens.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo crazy ants crave electronics? Do they feast on that sweet, sweet juice? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick dispel some myths and explore the science of this particular insect invader.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe often think of technology and religion as distinct and separate worlds, but what happens when they converge? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick in this two-part episode as they examine religious world views shaped by technology, such as John Murray Spear’s electrical messiah, the simple prayer wheel and the psycho-spiritual technologies of Scientology. (Originally published Jun 9, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce more, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consult recent offerings of listener mail for your thoughts on artificial intelligence, demonic flatulence and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSpace brains. Religious models of infinity. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they revisit the topic of Boltzmann brains and discuss the general history of infinity.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSexual cannibalism is a rarity in the natural world, and scientists are still attempting to understand the act as practiced by mostly arachnids and insects. Why consume your mate after or during sexual intercourse? Why venture into such a scenario in the first place? Join Robert and Joe as they explore the thoroughly inhuman world of sexual cannibalism. (Originally published March 10, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile the unicorn itself is a creature of fantasy and legend, one-horned and one-tusked animals do reside in the natural world. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they examine several extant and extinct species noted for their solitary protrusions -- including the narwhal and a certain circus unicorn.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJorge Luis Borges tells us that the oldest unicorn legends are nearly identical to the most recent ficitonal treatments -- but why is that? Why is the notion of a sacred, one-horned horse so resilient in human culture? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a look at the history of global unicorn myths and legends. Plus, don't be shocked if a satyr shows up.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFish belong in the water, right? What business do they have leaping out of their world and into ours? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the surprisingly fascinating, dangerous and mysterious world of leaping, jumping and gliding fish. From skewering swordfish and breaching sharks to the alleged urethra-bound candiru, nature provides more than a few mind-blowing specimens of note. (Originally published July 14, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow have birds adapted to the artificial environments of human cities? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick sit down with educator, writer and Audubon Society birder Jason Ward about everything from urban hawks to Atlanta’s wild turkeys.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHuman cities are the ultimate artificial environments -- and we're not the only organisms to call them home. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider some of the adaptive animals that have taken to city life and thrive within its challenging complexity.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn Jorge Luis Borges' masterful short story "The Library of Babel," librarians and cultists wander a vast honeycomb library of hexagonal rooms -- rooms that contain not only all books but all possible books, from unwritten masterpieces to tomes of typographical nonsense. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick venture into this metaphoric labyrinth for contemplations of genetics, cosmology, philosophy, computer programing and magic. (Originally published Aug 2, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat's it like to live with prosopagnosia or face blindness? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they devote an entire Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode to listener thoughts, observations and experiences.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is a fart? From what foul bodily depths does it arise? Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as the crack open the Fartomicon. Explore the fascinating chemistry of flatus, recoil in horror at the thought of medieval fart demons and consider the curious creatures that enjoy a flatulence-free existence.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the corrosive blood of the "Alien" xenomorph to the various Bond and Batman villains' use of the iconic acid vat, popular media presents us with a dramatic and largely unrealistic vision of acidic power. What are our strongest acids and superacids actually like? How do they generate those acid effects in the movies? And just what sort of blood courses through the xenomorph's veins? Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published May 12, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf a machine told you it was conscious, how could you tell if it was lying? Indeed, how can you tell that any random human in your life is lying when they speak of their own consciousness. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a stirring discussion on AI consciousness, philosophical zombies and the coming techno-cognitive dilemma.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe twin Egyptian statues erected by Amenophis III were already ancient relics when Roman travelers visited them in the first century CE. One stood tall and unconquered by some 1400 years of sun and sand, the other lay toppled by a recent earthquake. The Romans mistakenly called them the Colossi of Memnon, and inscribed proof of their visit on the legs of the toppled colossus -- because it spoke to them. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the singing colossus. Why did it start speaking? Why did it stop?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAre the fossilized monsters of paleontology and the fantastic monsters of myth one and the same? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss the realm of of geomythology, entailing the possible ancient real-world origins of dragons, griffins, giants the cyclops and other wonders. (Originally published Jun 28, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s easy to take the human brain’s facial recognition powers for granted, unless there’s a malfunction. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the science of prosopagnosia or face blindness.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo Cambodian temple ruins speak to a time when humans and dinosaurs coexisted? Absolutely not, but it’s a great excuse for Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick to talk about the armored stegosaurus, Ta Prohm temple, young Earth creationism and avian evolution.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe planet Saturn offers far more than rings to those who venture within its gravitational influence. This wind-swept gas giant also holds sway over no fewer than 53 moons, including such wonders as the atmosphere-shrouded Titan, two-faced Iapetus and sponge-like Hyperion. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the mysteries of the Saturnian moons. (Originally published Aug 4, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a world previously unseen by human beings. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss humanity’s prior understanding of the deep ocean and Beebe’s astounding reports from the world a half mile down.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a world previously unseen by human beings. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss humanity’s prior understanding of the deep ocean and Beebe’s astounding reports from the world a half mile down.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOf all the moons of Jupiter, Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io tantalize us the most. These alien worlds of ice, fire, desolation and hidden oceans tantalize us with their possibility for extraterrestrial life and human exploration of the outer solar system. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a mind bending exploration of the great gas giant's Galilean Moons. (Originally published April 26, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCanst thou draw out Livyatan melvillei with a hook? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the awesome undersea world of carnivorous whales -- as well as the sperm whale ancestor that may have preyed on its fellow toothed cetaceans.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLife on Earth depends on the planet’s natural shielding, otherwise solar and cosmic radiation would ravage our small blue world. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, sponsored by the National Geographic Channel’s series 'One Strange Rock,' Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the wonders of the magnetosphere and discuss the risk of radiation with one of the few humans to ever venture beyond the shield: astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJust what are the upper limits of avian cognitive ability? Various studies reveal how certain bird species engage in mental time travel, tool use, self recognition, theory of mind and even meta-cognition. But how do their non-mammalian brains actually work, and what might a technologically-advanced bird species even look like? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they explore the avian mind. (Originally published March 31, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo your ever have the feeling that your entire reality is just a momentary hallucination inside a randomly formed space brain? If so, then this is the podcast episode for you! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the existential nightmare of Boltzmann brains, a thought experiment that questions the nature of self and cosmos. Plus, expect some discussion of Descartes’ evil demon, brain in a vat and the Hindu concept of Māyā.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Book of Changes stands as one of the most important divination texts in human history -- and a foundational text of Chinese culture in general. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the I Ching. How does it work? How does it relate to other divination traditions and why do humans, concerned with uncertainty, turn to randomness generators?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYour know the feeling. You're trying to recall the name of a time-keeping musical device or the the actor who played Fredo in 'The Godfather' and all that comes to mind is a memory-hole in the shape of a metronome or John Cazale. It's on the tip of your tongue and it's a universal experience of memory retrieval. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss the science of TOT phenomenon and what you can do to prevent it. (Originally published April 14, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce again, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick read listener mail related to recent episodes. You'll hear myths about the anus, reflections on samurai crab faces, Egyptian religion, salt water consumption, virtual reality and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe history of war is filled with examples of soldiers who, in the heat of battle, fail to register the full extent of their injuries. In fact, some of our oldest accounts of battle seem devoid of pain’s emotional context. For humans possess two systems of pain: sensory pain and conscious pain. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a discussion that spans the battlefields of human history and future, invoking everything from the bicameral mind to current neuroscience.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen does a protest religion become an actual faith? What happens when purely fictional modes of belief leak off the page or screen? Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss modern religious movements, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the rise of so-called hyper-real religions like Jediism and Dudeism (Originally published March 29, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAre apps, smart phones and social media sucking us dry? As Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, the modern media experience certainly depletes our attention. Learn all about the ramifications of this dystopian reality, as well as some tips to combat these neurological vampires.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAre apps, smart phones and social media sucking us dry? As Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, the modern media experience certainly depletes our attention. Learn all about the ramifications of this dystopian reality, as well as some tips to combat these neurological vampires.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersUnless you've lived your life in a childless fortress of seclusion, you've likely encountered the maddening, high-pitched whine of a complaining child. But what is whining? Is it universal? Why is it so annoying and just what's being communicated between parent and child? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore. (Originally published November 24, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat effect does a virtual reality avatar have on the user? Can it alter your identity? Can it change how you behave in the real world? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore the Proteus Effect, named for the shape-shifting, formless Greek sea god.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersLegend has it that a variety of crabs contain the ghosts of a drowned samurai army -- and each bears a grimacing warrior face on their backs to prove it. But what can we really gather from this biological peculiarity? In the book and TV series “Cosmos,” Carl Sagan argued that it presented a case of artificial selection, but critics disagree. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick for a discussion of the Heikegani.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrank Herbert's 1965 novel 'Dune' is a game-changing saga of space-age feudalistic intrigue, rampaging sandworms and prescient mind drugs on a desert world. Even today, the work resonates with scientific wonder and philosophical intrigue, so join Robert and Joe for a two-part exploration of the science of 'Dune.' In this episode, explore the lifecycle of the sandworm, mentats and the power of the spice. (Originally published Oct. 1, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhere the technolingustic systems of the west meet the non-alphabetic written characters of the east, the Chinese typewriter emerges. It’s a story of technological innovation, linguistic imperialism and China’s 19th and 20th century struggle over national identity. Join Robert and Joe as they chat with Thomas S. Mullaney about his book 'The Chinese Typewriter: A History.'
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou’ve seen the photos of the famed terracotta warriors, but no one in over 2200 years has glimpsed inside the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It’s a chamber where rivers of mercury trace the empire’s form beneath a ceiling starscape of precious stones. We know where it is, yet it remains just outside of our scientific reach. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the first emperor’s life and afterlife. Plus Anney and Lauren from FoodStuff drop by to discuss their episode on lunar new year foods.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrank Herbert's 1965 novel 'Dune' is a game-changing saga of space-age feudalistic intrigue, rampaging sandworms and prescient mind drugs on a desert world. Even today, the work resonates with scientific wonder and philosophical intrigue, so join Robert and Joe for a two-part exploration of the science of 'Dune.' First up, consider the real-life possibilities of water-recycling stillsuits, the Holtzman Effect and the war against thinking machines. (Originally published Sept. 29, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are the shadiest lies in the animal kingdom? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert and Joe as they explore six different organisms and the fabulous ways they deceive each other and rival species. Meet cuckoos, cuttlefish, mountain alcon blue butterflies, nursery web spiders, femme fatal lightning bugs and the death's head hawk moth.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAnchoring bias is one of the most powerful and easily exploited vulnerabilities in the human mind. Throughout your life, people, companies and organizations will use it to influence your thoughts and control your behavior. In this episode of Stuff to Blow to Your Mind, Robert and Joe tell you what you need to know and to fight the anchor in your mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, enter a kingdom within a kingdom: the remarkable honey-and-wax monarchy within a beehive and the organizational complexity of ancient Egypt. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss the importance of apiculture in ancient Egypt and chat with 'The Tears of Re' author entomologist Gene Kritsky. (Previously published Mar 17, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChances are, you take the anus for granted -- at least so long as it’s behaving itself. Yet this fascinating anatomical feature has a deep evolutionary history and is itself a marvel of engineering. Join Robert and Joe for a look at this most marvelous alimentary portal.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPrior to the germ theory of disease, miasma theory ruled the day -- the notion that bad air, full of destructive particles, wafted out from the foul places of the earth to corrupt everything it touched. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the origins or the theory, its effects on society and how it eventually gave way to an accurate understanding of contagion.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou've always wanted to meet a sensitive alien telepath who could understand you like no one else, but SETI is really dropping the ball on your galactic personal ad. Could new technologies that push the frontiers of brain science allow telepathic communication between humans? Join Robert and Joe as they make a case for the slogan, 'Talk is cheap. Scan me!' (Previosuly published Dec. 22, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the sirens of 'The Odyssey' to 'The Creature From the Black Lagoon' and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe discuss the revealing myth and fiction of mermaids and gillmen -- as well as the aquatic ape theory and the biological possibilities of an aquatic humanoid.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom the sirens of 'The Odyssey' to 'The Creature From the Black Lagoon' and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe discuss the revealing myth and fiction of mermaids and gillmen -- as well as the aquatic ape theory and the biological possibilities of an aquatic humanoid.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn their previous episode, Robert and Joe explored the geometric hallucinations of Tetris syndrome. Now they're back for a serious look at the ways in which a good dose of cascading, interlocking tetrominoes might just cure what ails ya -- from lazy eye to full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder. (Previously published Dec. 3, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJoin Robert and Joe for another round of Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail, in which they read and attend to your thoughts and insight on recent episodes. This round features discussions on the speed of Talos, homunculi generations, Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw traditions, werewolves and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhether you draw your wisdom from 18th century poems or experience in the surf, you probably know that drinking seawater is a terrible idea. But exactly why shouldn’t you drink saltwater? What happens if you do? Can it really drive you mad with hallucinations? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe look to the world of biology for answers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo play a game of “Tetris” is to invite a geometric invasion into your mind. After hours of intense block manipulation, you finally set aside your gaming device. You take a deep breath, close your eyes -- and there the frenzied, multicolored tetrominoes continue to cascade across your vision. They build walls in your dreams and shape the patterns of your very thought. What’s going on inside the mind of a 'Tetris' player and what can we learn from so-called 'Tetris' syndrome. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore. (Originally published Dec 1, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe all know what meditation looks like, and many of us know what it feels like. But what does it provide us in return for these brief periods of mental and physical stillness? Join Robert and Joe as they talk to Emory University meditation researcher Dr. Jennifer Muscaro about the challenges of objective scientific meditation research and the empathetic potential of compassion meditation. Plus they’ll check in with Vedic meditation instructor Jill Wener and discuss stress and adaptation energy.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThroughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural selection? Indeed, what can science offer us in the way of eternal youth? Robert and Joe seek to find out in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMental images play an important role in our daily experience of reality, from thoughts of the past to daydreams, fantasies and entire worlds of the imagination. Just what’s happening when we see through the mind’s eye and what on Earth is it like for individuals who experience aphantasia and experience no visual imagination at all? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore. (Originally published May 10, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThroughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural selection? Indeed, what can science offer us in the way of eternal youth? Robert and Joe seek to find out in this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAmong the many humanoid gods and bestial monsters of Greek mythology, one finds a peculiar outlier: Talos the bronze automaton. Said to stalk the shores of Crete, Talos pelted suspicious ships with rocks and immolated enemy soldiers with its smoldering embrace. Does this myth reveal Greek attitudes toward technology? What existing technologies can we decode in its description? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom palm-reading fortune tellers to professionally-administered Myers Briggs test, everyone’s a sucker for a an ego-stroking personality assessment. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the subtle forces of the Forer effect. (Originally published July 23, 2015)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo you feel like a different person during the winter? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe examine the extent to which winter affects human health and culture. From the winter transformations of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people to the latest studies on seasonal genetic changes, prepare to contemplate the icy dark.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo you feel like a different person during the winter? In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe examine the extent to which winter affects human health and culture. From the winter transformations of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people to the latest studies on seasonal genetic changes, prepare to contemplate the icy dark.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersMadness has always intrigued artists, and medieval paintings sometimes presented this malady's treatment via the surgical removal of cranial stone. What was the stone of madness? Was it mere fantasy, metaphor or an actual medical condition? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe collect their trepanation tools and investigate. (Originally published Jan 7, 2016)
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’ve all marveled at the grotesque, oddly-proportioned old man babies in medieval art -- but why did artists of the period pain such creatures? In this special Christmas episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the convergence of the homunculus theory of human reproduction, the nativity and the infants of medieval and renaissance art.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn recent weeks, the first recorded object from another star system appeared in our solar neighborhood. Dubbed 'Oumuamua,' the interloper stirs both our scientific curiosity and imagination. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the latest findings.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersVoltaire famously postulated that if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. As humanity approaches the technological singularity, this statement takes on new meaning. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe contemplate the nature of gods and what it would mean to create an artificial superintelligence.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is the Mona Lisa of mind control parasites. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the latest findings on its insidious ant-hijacking antics -- as well as a few other favorite biological puppet masters.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is now? What is the present moment? These questions continue to stagger us, for nothing is so simultaneously familiar and alien than the passage of time. Nothing seems more “real” to us that the present, yet it vanishes into nothing at every attempt to capture or quantify it. In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the experience, physics, philosophy and neuroscience of now.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat is now? What is the present moment? These questions continue to stagger us, for nothing is so simultaneously familiar and alien than the passage of time. Nothing seems more “real” to us that the present, yet it vanishes into nothing at every attempt to capture or quantify it. In this special two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the experience, physics, philosophy and neuroscience of now.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSacred trees. World trees. Holy trees of wisdom, immortality and the soul. They seem to grow from every culture on Earth and their roots dig deep into the soil of prehistory. What do they mean? Why are we so drawn to their symbolic power? Join Robert and Christian for a stirring exploration.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOnce more, Stuff to Blow Your Mind powers up the mailbot and considers YOUR comments, stories, insights and questions on recent episodes. In this installment, Robert, Joe and Christian discuss Timothy Leary, bicameralism, twins and all sorts of monsters.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThanksgiving is a time of feasting and the wages of feasting, and so Robert and Joe are here to dish up a third installment of Stuff to Blow Your Mind’s 'Dangerous Foods' series. Do you dare bite into the likes of licorice, giant Namibian bullfrog, hallucinogenic fish and wriggling octopus tentacles?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEarth is our home, but how much longer can it remain so? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian explore the many threats to terrestrial habitability, from the cosmically distant to the frighteningly close at hand.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHuman culture emerges from a legacy of lives lived in close proximity to wild and domesticated animals. We see it in our myths and, in its most taboo and perplexing form, we see it in zoophilia. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian attempt to demystify this abnormal realm of human behavior in a straightforward, tactful manner.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEach year, the Ig Nobel prizes celebrate the most absurd and humorous efforts in legitimate scientific research – and 2017’s winners do not disappoint. Join Robert, Joe and Christian as they discuss all 10 studies in a special three-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind feature. It’s time to finish this three-part series with hair legged vampires, intravaginal music and cheese.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEach year, the Ig Nobel prizes celebrate the most absurd and humorous efforts in legitimate scientific research – and 2017’s winners do not disappoint. Join Robert, Joe and Christian as they discuss all 10 studies in a special three-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind feature. In part 2, you’ll gamble with crocodiles, stare at your twin’s reflection and measure some old man ears.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEach year, the Ig Nobel prizes celebrate the most absurd and humorous efforts in legitimate scientific research – and 2017’s winners do not disappoint. Join Robert, Joe and Christian as they discuss all 10 studies in a special three-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind feature. Up first, prepare yourself for sex-swapped cave bugs, liquid cats, a better way to drink coffee and the health benefits of the didgeridoo.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you've watched Stranger Things 2, then you know another beloved Dungeons and Dragons monster pops up as an analogy for an extra-dimensional menace: the mind flayer. Join Robert and Christian for the 2016 episode 'The Body Illithid: Science of the Mind Flayers,' in which they explore the real-world science behind these tentacled, brain-sucking monsters.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDive into a world of indestructible reptiles, killer video games, bizarre god towers and haunted video tapes as Robert and Christian take on a fourth helping of creepypasta. Join them on Stuff to Blow Your Mind as they seek scientific, psychological and cultural connections between the Internet’s weirdest fiction-shrouded urban legends and the human condition.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt seems the unavoidable fate of all terrifying monsters, doesn’t it? We reduce the most horrifying creatures of myth, legend and folklore to an adorable kids costume or a mega-cute illustration. Why can’t we help ourselves? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the battle between cuteness and monstrosity, with examples drawn from Japanese traditions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans love monsters, but when did we first dare to dream up bestial hybrids and chimerical horrors? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe consider the 35-40 thousand-year-old Löwenmensch statues. Who created these images of lion-headed men? What do they represent and what do they reveal about human cognition?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPseudoscience often enters our world where magic fails us, seeming to make the impossible possible via the invocation of actual scientific and technological marvels. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore the unmistakably necromantic world of optography, a 19th century notion that the last images seen by the dead might be retrieved from the flesh and fluid of the eye.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWelcome to the ocean of monsters. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe travel back 500 million years to the monster-haunted waters of the Cambrian period. Meet the monstrous trilobite, anomalocaris, opabinia, hallucigenia, wiwaxia, pikaia and leanchoilia. Plus, Dr. Anton Jessup drops by for a visit.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you’ve ever played the party game 'Werewolf,' then you know the thrill of weeding out secret lycanthropes in a medieval village -- or devouring the villagers secretly in the night. But the game goes far beyond parlor fun and mild roleplaying as numerous studies in deception, artificial intelligence and game theory look to its complex social mechanics. Join Robert and Joe as they seek for meaning in the long, murderous night of the werewolf.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWith another season of “Stranger Things” just around the corner, the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast explores the mind rending science behind government research into psychic phenomena, sensory deprivation tanks, interdimensional travel and the real-life researcher lurking behind the fictional Dr. Brenner. Join hosts Robert, Joe and Christian for a live journey into the upside-down from New York Comic Con 2017.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHuman superstition provides us with an overwhelming wealth of ghost stories, each an unreal creation that reveals something crucial about culture, history and psychology. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian explore six ghost stories from around the world and discuss what they reveal about the (living) human experience.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you’ve read Stephen King’s “It” or recoiled in fear from the 2017 film and the 1990 miniseries, then perhaps you’ve wondered what science can reveal about Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the horrors of Derry, Maine. Join Robert and Christian as they consider the monster science of the creature itself and various, real world explanations that grown-ups might turn to for a town gone bad.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHave you ever heard inappropriate laughter during a horror movie? For that matter, are you the guilty party? Join Robert and Christian as they explore our curious reactions to frightful cinema and how horror and comedy converge in the human mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn this special bonus episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, author R. Scott Bakker returns to the show for a discussion of consciousness, philosophy, artificial intelligence, inhuman minds and the conclusion to his 2017 novel "The Unholy Consult." Don't worry, Robert and Joe will issue warnings prior to the spoiler section of the episode.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” hypothesized that ancient humans heard hallucinated voices in place of conscious thought, and presented archaeological, literary, historical and religious evidence to support this highly controversial view. Join Robert and Joe as they dissect bicameralism and discuss the evidence, the criticisms and more in this two-parter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” hypothesized that ancient humans heard hallucinated voices in place of conscious thought, and presented archaeological, literary, historical and religious evidence to support this highly controversial view. Join Robert and Joe as they dissect bicameralism and discuss the evidence, the criticisms and more in this two-parter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIdolized by some and reviled by others, Timothy Leary remains an icon of 1960s counterculture and psychedelic self-exploration. But who was this rebel, psychologist and celebrity? What did he reveal about LSD’s power and potential? Join Robert and Christian for a special two-part look at the man, the time and the drug he championed. Turn on, tune in, drop out...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIdolized by some and reviled by others, Timothy Leary remains an icon of 1960s counterculture and psychedelic self-exploration. But who was this rebel, psychologist and celebrity? What did he reveal about LSD’s power and potential? Join Robert and Christian for a special two-part look at the man, the time and the drug he championed. Turn on, tune in, drop out...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJoin Robert, Joe and Christian for another listener mail extravaganza! They'll read your feedback on human memory, science communication, Chinese culture, history and more. Plus is Karny the Mailbot in love? Tune in to find out.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCan a chalice made of rhino horn detect poison? Can its ground powder serve as an aphrodisiac? The science is at best sketchy on both fronts, but such beliefs continue to endanger the world’s remaining rhinoceros species. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the magical beliefs surrounding rhino horn and exactly what science has to say about the matter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDo you have a tattoo? If so, you probably have an interesting story to go with it, or some personal insight into just what the design and the experience mean to you. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian discuss the science of tattoos and the psychology behind why we get them and how the world sees us afterwards.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s easy to assume that spinning, ring-shaped blades are weapons best left to Hindu gods and TV warrior princesses. But long before humans invented the peaceful Aerobie, ancient Indian warriors unleashed spinning chakram against their enemies -- and Sikh warriors continued to use them in combat up into the 19th century. Join Robert and Christian as they explore the mythic power, military history and aerodynamics of this marvelous flying halo.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJoin Robert and Joe as they explore the world of green beard genes and their role in biological altruism. The Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast takes you from the writings of William D. Hamilton and Richard Dawkins to laboratory results entailing ants, slime molds and rodent sperm trains.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you’ve ever reminisced with friends about movies that never existed or historical details that never came to pass, then you’ve experienced the weirdness of shared false memories. Also known as the Mandela Effect, it’s led some to interpret erroneous memories of 90s Sinbad movies as paranormal events. But as Robert and Christian explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, it all boils down to the complex, amazing and fallible way our memory works.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPhilosopher George Santayana said that 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' If that’s true, then can an extensive understanding of past events help human civilization avoid future catastrophes? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian turn to the field of cliodynamics and its attempts to identify the cycles of social unrest and violence. Can we avoid the terror of history?
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTo engage the ships of Byzantine Empire was to risk the horrors of Greek fire, a medieval weapons system that empowered ships to spew forth flaming liquid on enemy ships and crew members. The secrets of Greek fire are lost to history, but historians and scientists continue to theorize its formula and deployment details. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss the weapon’s history, predominant theories on its specifics and the risks and rewards of secret keeping.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDeadly elixirs in tiny bottles play into the cruelest machinations of history, fiction and myth. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, join Robert and Christian as they sneak six of these deadly concoctions from the poisoner’s chest and explore each one’s power and place in human history.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThere’s a total solar eclipse sweeping across the center of the United States on Monday, August 21, 2017, so here’s a special Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast episode to enhance the experience! Join Robert and Joe for practical viewing tips and a rundown on the celestial mechanics at work in the sky above.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are we to make of alien abduction experiences? Scientific investigation points to a barrage of logical explanations for abnormal sensory experience, from sleep paralysis and temporal lobe anomalies to false memory encoding. Interpret it all within the confines of a sci-fi narrative and you have a revealing, kaleidoscopic view of the 20th century zeitgeist in all its wonder, hope, anxiety and yearning. Join Robert and Christian for this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-part examination of paranormal experience in the space age.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhat are we to make of alien abduction experiences? Scientific investigation points to a barrage of logical explanations for abnormal sensory experience, from sleep paralysis and temporal lobe anomalies to false memory encoding. Interpret it all within the confines of a sci-fi narrative and you have a revealing, kaleidoscopic view of the 20th century zeitgeist in all its wonder, hope, anxiety and yearning. Join Robert and Christian for this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-part examination of paranormal experience in the space age.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCan you keep a secret? If so, what's the psychic weight of that secret? How does secret keeping fit into human evolution and the modern shape of human society? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss the science of secrets and secret keeping in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersOne of the largest historical statues in the world, China’s Lèshān Grand Buddha has overlooked the Dàdù river for 1200 years. Carved from the side of a mountain, this serene titan is a testament to human artistry and the Anthropocene Epoch. Join Robert and Joe for a discussion of the Buddha’s history, meaning and the overarching theme of humanity’s remaking of the natural world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf you watch enough 'Jaws' and Shark Week, you’re bound to see sharks as ravenous death machines. But is it really more appropriate to think of these ancient creatures as LIFE machines? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian welcome 'Sex in the Sea' author Marah Hardt back on the podcast for a discussion of embryonic cannibalism, virgin shark birth, conservation efforts and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard has it all: glaciers, polar bears, scientific researchers and an epic seed vault built to survive the apocalypse. Join Robert and Christian as they discuss this frigid environment and the human activities that have come to define it.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's time once again for Robert, Joe and Christian to share a selection of fiction, nonfiction and comic book reads to enhance your summer travels -- or simply boost your reading list. Join your Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts as they discuss volumes about alien worlds, space vampires, nuclear war, content creation, cocktails and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhy are humans so drawn to the natural world of biodiverse organisms? Is this longing merely part of our culture or do we possess an innate and even genetic tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss Edward O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis and explore arguments for and against this captivating view of nature lovers.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans are creatures of gravity. We’re born into it. Life as we know it evolved to thrive in it. So what’s a gravitational organism to do in the low-gravity and zero-gravity expanses beyond Earth? You can’t bring it with you, but scientists have cooked up a few different schemes to replicate its effects. Join Robert and Joe for a full exploration in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersNumerous mythologies speak to the birth of our universe out of darkness and chaos, but can humans follow in the footsteps of the gods? Can we create a universe in the lab? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe explore the primordial darkness of multiple cosmologies as well as the theoretical depths of human-created universes and simulated realities.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’ve all heard charges of cultural appropriation in everything from fashion and music to personal world view, but what’s actually at stake here? What is cultural misappropriation, when does it have negative consequences and how does it fit into our historical and scientific understanding of the human experience? Robert and Christian explore.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAppreciation for the katana cuts across cultures and genres, slicing into the hearts of history buffs, japanophiles, comic book fans and more. But what’s so special about the sword of the Samurai? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian discuss the science of this most skillful blade, the grisly test for its sharpness and its importance in Japanese culture.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTicks are, in the words of Pliny the Elder, 'the foulest and nastiest creature that be.' If these blood sucking arachnids and their mite brethren weren’t horrible enough, they’re second only to the mosquito in the risk of blood borne human pathogens. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss ticks, chiggers and the mysterious illnesses associated with the lone star tick -- one of which generates a meat allergy in the host.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn 1960, scientists Nathan Kline and Manfred Clynes envisioned a spacefaring cyborg, technologically augmented to endure the rigors of space travel. The subsequent six decades of space exploration largely ignored this radical suggestion, but the advent of gene editing tools like CRISPR present raise new questions. Might genetic alterations give future astronauts the 'right stuff?' What would the physiology of a genetically-augmented space traveler even look like? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt’s easy to think yourself a mere brain within a human body -- a cognitive machine making sense out of all the incoming sense data from outside world. But what if other parts of the body and even objects beyond the body serve a vital role in our cognition? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe discuss the concept of extended cognition and how it relates to the human condition, number systems, spider webs, octopuses, mantises and even a fictional alien brain monster.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIs human civilization growing less violent? Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker argued the point in his 2011 book 'The Better Angels of Our Nature,' in which he also defined the 'five inner demons' that push us to wrath. Know them -- speak their true names -- and you have the power to undermine their influence. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore Pinker's thesis and draw in supporting research and dissenting opinions.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJust as manufacturing automation cuts into human jobs, the prospect of creative artificial intelligence raises the specter of robot writers, robot artists and robot musicians who never sleep and always agree with their patron. But paranoia aside, where will creative machine learning take us? Robert and Christian discuss some possibilities in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersScience enabled humans to ascend out of the darkness and tackle life’s problems with systematic, self-correcting rigidity. Yet, when faced with scientific consensus on climate change and other issues, some citizens, politicians and even scientists dig in their heels and deny the shape of our current understand. Why do some people doubt scientific consensus? What’s wrong in science communication? Robert and Joe attempt to find an answer.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersImagine a world in which sailing ships navigate by the yelps of tormented dogs and nuclear submarines whisper to each other via the screams of rabbits and their murdered young? In both of these cases, science won out over magical thinking -- and actual scientific advances stepped in to solve the problems. Join Robert and Joe as the discuss the powder of sympathy and 20th century state-sponsored paranormal research.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAn ancient people build a tower to touch the heavens. A vengeful god disrupts the project through the splintering of human language. Everyone’s left to pick up the pieces. The Tower of Babel myth resonates out from the Mesopotamian cradle of civilization, but what does it mean? Was there really a tower? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss everything from the art of Bruegel the Elder to 'Snow Crash.'
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile hackers and malware can certainly cause a great deal of damage and misery, these dangers can’t hurt us physically, right? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe are sorry to say you’re wrong -- and as more biotechnology and brain-computer interface creeps into our lives, the risk will only go up. Tune in for a discussion on inherent vulnerability, looming technology and what needs to happen to protect us.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersTall people. Short People. Somewhere-in-between people. What are we to make of human height and its relationship to overall health and personality? Robert and Christian explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. All heights welcome.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou've consumed enough science fiction to know something the average red shirt doesn't: Never take your space helmet off on a foreign planet. But if you're still tempted to breathe deep the gathering gloom, how about five compelling scientific reasons not to? Join Robert and Joe as they discuss 'Alien: Covenant' and explore some very compelling biological and radiological reasons to remain helmeted on an alien hell world.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersCanadian author R. Scott Bakker is best known for his Second Apocalypse saga, a series of dark fantasy novels that explore philosophical and even neuroscientific ideas through a world of sorcery, holy wars and inhuman evil. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Bakker about his recent paper 'On Alien Philosophy,' published in the The Journal of Consciousness Studies. Plus, as a long-time fan, Robert throws in a few questions about Bakker’s approach to fiction and the strange creatures that occupy his created worlds.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHook suspension challenges our perceptions of pain. We see practitioners, pierced through the flesh with hooks, suspended by chains and yet smiling as if lost to a state of bliss. What are they feeling? Where does this practice come from and how does it fit into the larger human experience? Join Robert and Christian as they explore this most-outsider form of masochistic performance art.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersJack Parsons wanted to break free, from both the limits of Earth and the boundaries of traditional early 20th century American thought. He devoted his short life to the scientific pursuit of rocket engineering and the occult exploration of magick. As such, Parsons is a contradiction -- a counterculture figure that continues to fascinate us with his mystery. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore the work and wonder that moved his life.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe world of slugs and snails is a grotesque circus of fever-dream horrors and biological marvels. Join Robert and Christian for a six-species dive into their life cycles of slime, iron plating, deadly neurotoxins and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersChinese aristocracy of the Western Han Dynasty embarked on their journey into the afterlife within garments of stone -- luxurious suits of jade armor entailing thousands of individual plates sewn together with gold, silver or silk. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore this ancient funeral custom and both the scientific and superstitious qualities of jade.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou’ve seen enough Westerns and Game of Throne episodes to know a frontier when you see it, but what exactly is this boundary between the laws of your world and the promise or threat of another? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the membranous nature of frontier in world-systems theory, as well as Frederick Jackson Turner’s influential thesis on the American frontier.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert, Christian and Joe transport you back to the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, when the neoclassical architecture of Daniel Burnham’s White City loomed on the shores of Lake Michigan, Nikola Tesla’s alternating current powered thousands of decorative incandescent lamps, and the original Ferris Wheel gave visitors from all around the world a view from the top. Join them for a live C2E2 2017 discussion on the great wheel, the Parliament of World Religions and the H. H. Holmes Murder Castle.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRobert, Joe and Christian call in the mailbot for yet another dose of listener feedback. Join them as they read your thoughts on everything from the uncanny valley and the Black Stone of Mecca to hook suspension and the science of guessing.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWe’ve all seen the surreal biomechanical art of the late H.R. Giger, but the artist’s mainstream success and the undying appeal of his 'Alien' sometimes prevent a full appreciation of his dark vision. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore the psychology and themes present in Giger’s art and chat with artist E.C. Steiner on Giger’s influences and more.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersToday, most humans accept the brain as the seat of human consciousness, but this was not always the case. Join Robert and Joe as they explore ancient, alternative views on the anatomical center of reason and tackle contemporary mysteries regarding the neurological seat of consciousness. Where is your mind? Prepare to find out…
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFossilized remains provide exciting insight into the biology and behavior of prehistoric beasts, but sometimes the fossil record gives us even more -- a bonafide action scene! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explain fossilization and discuss examples of birth, mating behavior and deadly dinosaur-on-dinosaur combat written in the rocks.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBats have been demonized through history. Our folklore and horror stories tell us they’re something to be afraid of because they’re 'creatures of the night' with weird abilities like echolocation. And recent events tell us they carry diseases that could kill us. But bats could also have super immune systems that allow them to live long lives, avoid cancer and fight off viruses. What can we learn from them? Robert and Christian explore...
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersDemons exist only within the human imagination, but that doesn’t make them harmless. If positive religious world views can result in a more positive state of mind, then might belief in soul-clawing, life-wrecking horned Hell fiends edge one closer to the edge of madness? Join Robert and Christian as they explore a recent study on the topic, and they might even summon a demon or two from the realms of myth.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe far side of the uncanny valley rises steeply, assaulting our psyche as our artificial human likenesses creep ever closer toward perfection. But what happens when we actually emerge on the other side? What happens to human society when video footage is no longer the gold standard? Robert and Joe investigate.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom bad CGI characters to creepy humanoid robots, everyone knows the uncanny valley effect when they see it. But where did this idea come from and to what extent is it actually a thing? Join Robert and Joe as they descend into the uncanny valley and explore just what's going on in our minds when we lock eyes with less-than-human simulacrums.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSex between humans and machines is nothing new in the world of science fiction. Their forms range from angelic mechanoids to victimized humanoids, but the robotic lover is almost always an expression of purely human anxieties. Yet as real-world technology advances, we’re left to ponder the emerging form of the sex bot -- and the possibilities range from mere animate fetishes to therapeutic surrogates. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian consider arguments for and against the embrace of synthetic paramours.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFor 50 percent of the population, ovulation plays a role in human behavior -- but to what extent? Marketing researcher and social psychologist Kristina Durante contends that ovulation plays a large role in the decision making process of fertile females. If her research holds true, then it means corporations and even political parties are already attempting to game ovulation for their own benefit. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian examine and discuss the research.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHow many eyeballs are in the jar? How many piano tuners ply their trade in Chicago and how many intelligent alien civilizations await us in the universe? These questions might seem overwhelming, but Fermi estimation allows us to break down overwhelming mysteries into smaller, digestible problems. Robert and Joe will guide you through the numbers in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersUnnatural tunnels worm and weave their way beneath centuries of accumulated London sprawl, and here a few natural creature assume unnatural behaviors -- including the humble mosquito. For wherever humans travel, into whatever new shapes they give the environment, the drinkers of their blood inherently follow. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the curious ways of the London Underground mosquito. Mind the gap… between species!
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Bulletin of Atomic Scientists continues to calculate humanity’s countdown to annihilation, but who calculates the doomsday clock and what factors bring us closer to midnight? Robert and Christian explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersPatient zero looms large in our collective consciousness. Through carelessness, impropriety or sheer twisted luck, they introduce highly contagious pathogens into new human populations -- if not the human species itself. But where does the science end and the game of scapegoating and othering begin? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore the concept of patient zero in science, history and myth.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile fictional monsters and superheroes consume rads like video game power-ups, radiation is a trickier matter in reality -- from everyday radiation to the destructive exposure associated with nuclear accidents and nuclear war. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe explore the nature of radiation, its effects on living tissue and the curious world of radiotrophic fungi.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou may call it a slot machine, a fruit machine or a one-armed bandit, but the reality is the same: an algorithmically precise machine designed to drain the human gambler of all his or her earnings. Where did these insidious machines come from? How do they ensorcell us? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the science and psychology of slot machine gambling behavior.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe mandalas of Tibetan Buddhism entice us as artistic expressions, meta symbols and conscience expressions of a complex spiritual cosmology. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian explore the nature of Tibetan Buddhism, the meaning within mandalic art and how this all connects to the western mnemonic system known as ‘the memory palace’ and the modern use of simulated worlds.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe libraries of horror fiction typically offer many a dark tome bound in human flesh, but do books like the ‘Necronomicon Ex-Mortis’ of ‘Evil Dead’ really exist? They do, and the true story of skin-clad literature will chill you. Join Robert and Christian as they crack open the history and science of anthropodermic bibliopegy.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the second of two episodes, Christian and Joe continue their discussion of animal cognition, including animal morality, tool use, mental time travel, culture, and other strange clues to the intellectual complexity of our cousins in the animal kingdom. Afterwards, they speak to Dutch-American primatologist Frans de Waal about his book and his thoughts on the future of animal intelligence research.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn the 18th century, David Hume wrote that “no truth appears to me more evident than that beasts are endow’d with thought and reason as well as men.” Yet animal cognition has remained a controversial subject in science ever since. In the first of two episodes, Christian and Joe discuss the work of Dutch-American primatologist Frans de Waal, and ask the question of not just whether animals are smarter than we understand, but why the evidence of animal cognition is often so difficult for we humans to grasp.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe Kaaba marks the geographic center of the Islamic world, and here one finds Al-Hadjar Al-Aswad, the Holy Black Stone of Mecca. Islamic traditions hold that the once white white stone blackened with humanity’s sins, but various scientific theories point to geological and potentially cosmic origins. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the mythic, historical and scientific substance of the Kaaba.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersBoxer crabs stand out amid their crustacean brethren due to their amazing tool use -- a mutualistic relationship between these tiny crabs and the living sea anemones they employ as weapons. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian look at a pair of studies that expand on their amazing use of weapons.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver wrestle with the illogical quasi-compulsion to throw yourself off a cliff or building? Don’t worry! You’re probably not suicidal, but merely touched by the 'call of the void' or 'high place phenomenon.' In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian explore some of the more enlightening theories about this experience.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou might have read that 'love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs,' but would it really be better explained as the behavior of a large aggregation of elementary particles and their quantum mechanical and electrodynamic properties? Would a perfect a scientific worldview ultimately reduce all explanations to fundamental physics, or is there genuine novelty at the higher levels of complexity we find in everything from superconductors to politics? Join Robert and Joe for a journey into the innerverse of complexity, reductionism and emergence.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhen it comes to the particulars of a fictional zombie apocalypse, the particulars are all over the place -- but it’s always fun to throw fantastic monsters up against the wall of science to see what sticks. In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Christian explore a few different studies that examine the undead plague from the standpoint of mathematics and infections disease.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersFrom deathless beheaded warriors and sacrificial heroines to mystical hermits, Chinese mythology is rich with tales of the undying. After all, the notion of immortality is as old as recorded history, so it makes sense to find a diverse, uniquely Chinese take on the trope. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, join Robert and Joe as they contemplate tales and traditions from Taoist sorcery, alchemy and Chinese folktales.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs we celebrate Chinese New Year and enter the year of the fire rooster, join Robert and Joe for an encore Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration of the Chinese zodiac and some interesting studies related to its impact on birth rates, economics and individual destiny. As always, you can take astrology with a grain of salt, but the impact on human behavior and culture is undeniable.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSyfy’s 'The Expanse,' based on the James S. A. Corey book series, revolves around conflict between human-seeded planetary civilizations -- namely a UN-governed Earth and an independent Martian state. How does this vision match up with futurist predictions concerning interplanetary war, the rigors of space travel and postcolonial cultural schisms? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore and even chat with 'The Expanse' executive producer Naren Shankar.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs we sail through this world of technological marvel and complex systems, it’s easy to assume we know the watery depths that yawn beneath our hull. As it turns out, however, it’s all an illusion of explanatory depth. We think we understand day-to-day gadgets, but are at a loss to explain their functionality. We think we understand policy and politics, but are better at explaining why we hold our beliefs than how particular policies might solve life’s hideous problems. In this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dip into the waters of cognitive illusion.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersAs we sail through this world of technological marvel and complex systems, it’s easy to assume we know the watery depths that yawn beneath our hull. As it turns out, however, it’s all an illusion of explanatory depth. We think we understand day-to-day gadgets, but are at a loss to explain their functionality. We think we understand policy and politics, but are better at explaining why we hold our beliefs than how particular policies might solve life’s hideous problems. In this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dip into the waters of cognitive illusion.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersWhile the cocktail is an inherently American invention, the history of combining alcohols with other substances to create potent, drinkable concoctions dates back to ancient times. While you might expect dangerous ingredients to have a place in a wizard’s potion or a philosopher's goblet, modern cocktails and spirits have also dabbled with nefarious elixirs. Join Robert and Joe as they explore the history, myth and science behind it all in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThere's more to butter than meets the eye. Each yellow pat of fatty goodness is nothing short of processed solar energy, and its long history entails many a magical and sacred rite. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian consider the curious nature of butter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersRead the 1872 ghost story “Green Tea” and you might worry that a fresh cup of Sencha might summon visions of a demonic ghost monkey. But don’t fear! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore the myth and likelihood of green tea hallucinations.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou’ve likely never attended an exorcism, but popular culture ensures that you know what one is. Yes, we’re talking the forced removal of a demonic entity from the human psyche, but what else can we glean about this paranormal experience from shamanistic rites of exorcism and the psychological principles of dissociative identity disorder and cognitive dissonance? As 'The Exorcist' creeps in on its 43rd anniversary, Robert and Christian discuss the real and imaginary forces at work in the demon-haunted mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf mind control is possible, whether enabled by hard neurotechnology or good old fashioned social and linguistic suggestion, what does it feel like? What is it like to be controlled by a will other than your own? Would you even know it was happening? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf Dungeons and Dragons has ever touched your life, then you’re probably familiar with the tentacled, brain-sucking Illithids. Even in a fantasy world so rich in bizarre monstrosities, the Mind Flayers stand out as shockingly alien. Yet the Illithids are not without their parallels in the natural world -- and even in human civilization. Join Robert and Christian for a science-grounded look at everyone’s favorite Underdark horror.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIn a world… where few people know the source of their foods and everyday meals seem the safest refuge, some dishes have deadly designs. From the masters of terror who brought you last year’s Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode 'A Six Course Feast of Dangerous Foods' comes the holiday dread of 'Dangerous Foods II: The Second Course.' Can your heart stand the shocking facts about toxic potatoes, mad honey and the mysteries of the dead man’s fingers? 'Dangerous Foods II: The Second Course.' This time, it’s personal.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersConsidering a holiday feast of toxic sushi and deadly casserole? Then this encore presentation is for you. Join Robert and Joe for a six-course meal of culinary danger! Discover six foods that deliver a lethal taste profile when carelessly prepared or consumed by the uninitiated diner -- and tune in for a brand NEW 'Deadly Foods' episode on Thursday.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHeroes permeate our culture, from mythic archetypes and pop-culture superheroes to real-life humans who risk their lives for others. But from where does heroism emerge? Robert and Christian explore the question in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind Podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersSure, euphemisms allow us to talk about something unpleasant or taboo without actually invoking the dreaded word or words -- but what else is going on? In this episode of the Stuff to Blow your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe explore the linguistic power of euphemisms to alter and transform the tone or meaning of everyday communication.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion and plunged the depths of human knowledge in age of great change. In this second of two episodes on the topic, Robert and Christian discuss Dr. Dee’s involvement in science, statecraft, cryptography and espionage.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersElizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion and plunged the depths of human knowledge in age of great change. In this first of two episodes on the topic, Robert and Christian discuss the world, life and magic of the enigmatic Dr. Dee.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIt's listener mail time again! Join Robert, Joe and Christian for listener feedback on combat drugs, only child syndrome, technology without fire, ghost marriage, forensics and more. Plus Karnie the Mailbot scans itself for viruses and reboots for action.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersYou've all witnessed and been witnessed by the Creep, but what attributes compose this unsettling character? Why do we fear the creep and what, indeed, are we to make of the Creep in the mirror? Join Robert and Joe for an autopsy of this most unsavory archetype.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersEver wanted to climb into the safe, metal womb of an escape pod and blast yourself free of this doomed vessel called life? Sure you have, but in the meantime consider some of the real-life air, space and terrestrial escape capsules that humans have envisioned over the years. Robert and Joe tell you all about it in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersIf our collective social, cultural and political angst may be compared to a fire, then social media often seems the kiln that contains it. But are resources such as FaceBook and Twitter mere vessels for the blistering heat, or are they complacent in the flame’s intensity? Robert and Christian explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersThe spiders that occur in nature are not a creeping menace -- rather, they are a true invisible ally of humankind. But if one were to grow to 1950s sci-fi proportions, even the arachnophiliacs among us would have to admit we had a problem on our hands. How do spiders eat their prey, and what would it be like if a human being were consumed by an impossibly large spider? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans existed before their mastery of fire, albeit in a rather primitive state -- and yes, even Earth itself knew an age when fire itself was not only scarce, but chemically impossible. In this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture back to a time before the flame and consider the curious, interconnected ascension of man and fire. In part two, consider how fire enabled the evolutionary and technological ascent of humanity.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisersHumans existed before their mastery of fire, albeit in a rather primitive state -- and yes, even Earth itself knew an age when fire itself was not only scarce, but chemically impossible. In this two-part episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture back to a time before the flame and consider the curious, interconnected ascension of man and fire. In part one, explore the chemistry of a flameless Earth and the possibility of alien technology without fire.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers