Brainstuff

Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday celebrating Pan-African culture, and the unity, creativity, and determination of its peoples. Learn the basics about Kwanzaa in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us break our New Years resolutions — and researchers have found a few reasons why. Learn how to build a better resolution in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although it's an integral part of many people's lives today, the smartphone is bound to be replaced by the next big thing. We explore what (and when) that might be in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the Puritans began colonizing North America, they did not bring Christmas traditions with them. Learn why celebrating was not widespread and sometimes even illegal in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Santa Claus is known for getting gifts to every child in the world on Christmas Eve, but how could such a quick, efficient sleigh work? With all due respect to the reindeer, we propose an antimatter engine in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a traditional Nativity scene in Catalonia, you're likely to find a figure of 'el caganer' -- a person squatting with a pile of poop. Learn how this sometimes cheeky tradition may have gotten started in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In many cities, the most ancient monuments are obelisks taken from Egypt. Learn more about why and how these architectural masterpieces were constructed (and moved) in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba, tested in 1961, was thousands of times more powerful than even the large nuclear weapons of its time. Learn more about this bomb and why such large designs were abandoned in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During one Christmas in WWI, enemy soldiers called an unofficial ceasefire and even shared holiday treats with each other. Learn the story behind this small miracle from the Great War in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bats use sonar to find food in the dark -- but they've got a lot of competition from other bats. Learn about echolocation and how bats go on the offensive in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once every 20 years, Saturn and Jupiter appear very close together in the sky from Earth's point of view, but this year they're closer than they've been in 800 years. Learn more about this astonomical event in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Manischewitz Company produces all kinds of kosher foods, but is most famous for its sweet, inexpensive wines. Learn how the company got started in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Galileo Galilei is famous today for defying the Catholic Church in the 1600s with his (correct) astronomical hypotheses. Learn more about his work and how he became famous in his own time in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The larynx contains the voice box or vocal cords, and it's one of the organs that helps humans speak. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever seen crystals at the bottom of a wine bottle, glass, or cork, don't worry -- they're considered a sign of quality. Learn what so-called wine diamonds are and how they form in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A widescale genetic survey has shown that despite common misconceptions, race really is only skin deep. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A huge cache of ancient pterosaur eggs has been unearthed in China. Learn what this find can tell us about these flying contemporaries of dinosaurs in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After World War II, what came to be known as the Truman Doctrine pulled the U.S. out of its previously isolationist stance and into global relationships that endure today. Learn more about it in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The venom of black widow spiders can indeed be deadly, but they almost always avoid attacking -- and they don't often eat each other, either. Learn more about these arachnids in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This simple spinning device helps keep object at hand on tabletops and in tight cabinets -- but why is it called a lazy susan? Learn a few of the hypotheses in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.