Stuff You Should Know

Latest Episodes:

Selects: The Science of Break-Ups Mar 09, 2024

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Breaking up is hard to do. Your brain might even think you're getting over a cocaine addiction. Learn all about the science behind break-ups in this classic episode!

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The Smiley, Stubborn Llama Mar 07, 2024

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Llamas are pretty great. They smile! They also spit and if they feel overworked will just lay down. There's a lot to admire there.

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Short Stuff: Roly Poly...Bugs? Mar 06, 2024

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Roly Poly bugs go by many names. They look like tiny armadillos. They're great for your garden. And they're crustaceans. Yeah, you read that right.

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Multitasking: Working slower with worse results Mar 05, 2024

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Multitasking isn't really possible, because of the way the human brain works. We know you think you're getting more done, but you're really working slower and with worse results than working sequentially. We promise.

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Selects: The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti Mar 02, 2024

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The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of the century." But did they do it? To this day there is speculation that they did not. Learn all about this famous case in this classic episode.

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Wireless Electricity: When Can We Unplug Our TVs? Feb 29, 2024

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You know all of those cords and cables and wires that we use to connect our stuff to the electrical grid so they’ll, you know, work? Imagine a day when energy flies through the air like wifi, utterly cord-free. Well, imagine no more! That day is coming!

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Short Stuff: Smudging: Not just for hippies Feb 28, 2024

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Smudging is the process of wafting around the smoke of burning white sage. What is it good for? Listen in and find out.

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Haile Selassie: Statesman, Colonizer, God? Feb 27, 2024

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If you grew up outside of Africa, you might know Haile Selassie’s name from reggae music - the man who ruled Ethiopia is considered a god in Jamaica. In Ethiopia opinions are more varied.

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Selects: How Zero Population Growth Works Feb 24, 2024

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In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich's predictions didn't pan out but his ideas launched a debate still raging today. Learn all about it in this classic episode.

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The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout Feb 22, 2024

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David Hahn was a kid who was really into science. So much that he built a nuclear reactor in his mother's potting shed. And it worked.

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