Brainstuff

There are indeed gusts of wind strong enough to knock a person off their feet, but for most of us, it'd take a lot of wind. Learn more about how wind works in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shangri-La began as a work of fiction, but it's loosely based in Buddhist mythology and has borne a couple namesakes in the real world. Learn about Shangri-La in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA tests everything it sends into space for a lot of things -- including stinkiness. Learn who NASA's odor volunteers are and what they do in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the Civil War, Americans have taken a day in late May to honor fallen soldiers. Learn two theories on how this tradition began in today's episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever gotten a hot shock from someone flushing a toilet while you were taking a shower, there's an easy fix for that. Learn why it happens and how to fix it in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Depending on the camera settings and recording technology used to film helicopters, the blades can appear to bend, fragment, stand still, or move backwards. Learn why in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karl Marx was one of the most influential (and, ultimately, destructive) thinkers in history. Learn about his life, what he wrote, and why his ideas are still worthwhile in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eighth planet in our solar system is fairly mysterious: Why is it tilted on its side? Why is it so much colder than similar planet? Learn what we know -- and what we don't know -- about Uranus in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cuttlefish are clever cephalopods that communicate with color. Learn the basics about cuttlefish in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Together, Mitsuye Endo and James C. Purcell -- a Japanese-American woman and her lawyer -- brought down Executive Order 9066, which interred Japanese Americans during WWII. Learn about the order and its demise in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From an uncertain start to an empire of kitsch, Chia Pets have become an American icon. Learn the history behind the trend in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s almost impossible to trick your brain in order to tickle yourself. Learn why, and how tickling works to begin with, in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anxiety is a normal, healthy response in the human body, but when it interferes with daily life it can become a disorder. Learn about anxiety's symptoms and biochemistry -- and how you treat it -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antibodies are an important part of our immune system's toolkit in identifying and fighting infections. Learn how they work -- and what antibody tests can tell us -- in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, NASA has a beach house, and yes, it's the setting for some fabulous stories. Learn the history of the the Kennedy Space Center Beach House and Conference Center in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

African American folk spirituals were participatory music meant not just to comfort but to convey messages among enslaved people. Learn how historians think they worked -- and how they influenced modern music -- 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 heard a group of birds cawing their little lungs out for minutes on end, you may have heard a bird mob. Learn how bird mobs work in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tales of honorable samurai and unscrupulous ninja abound, but are these legends based in reality? (Spoiler alert: uh, sorta.) Learn about the real history of samurai and how the stories came about in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard that if you keep your eyes open during a sneeze, they could pop out of their sockets -- but is that true? Learn the science of how your eyes stay in your head -- and why they can pop out -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sure, night vision looks cool in the movies - but what is it, exactly? Learn how can a scope or a pair of goggles help you see in near-absolute darkness in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.