Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Episodes
Psychedelics: The Manifested Mind, Part 4
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissa...
Psychedelics: The Manifested Mind, Part 3
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissa...
From the Vault: Timothy Leary, Part 1
06 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Idolized by some and reviled by others, Timothy Leary remains an icon of 1960s counterculture and psychedelic self-exploration. But who was this rebel...
Psychedelics: The Manifested Mind, Part 2
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissa...
Psychedelics: The Manifested Mind, Part 1
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissa...
From the Vault: The Science of Holy Butter
29 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There'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 ...
Roman Extinctions
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are capable of amazing technological and societal feats, but we’ve also brought much misery, death and destruction to our world. We are curre...
Listener Mail: Fatberg City
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It'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 r...
From the Vault: The Fartonomicon
22 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What 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 Fa...
The Facial Feedback Hypothesis
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
To 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 discus...
Silent Running
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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 whic...
From the Vault: Life on Venus
15 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The planet Venus might seem a hellish destination and an unlikely place to find extraterrestrial life. And yet, many experts agree that life may have ...
Against ‘Survival of the Fittest’
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is 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 an...
Brain Soup and Liquid Brains
11 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is 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 ...
From the Vault: Finite and Infinite Games
08 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How 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 discu...
Q2: Bones of the Plumed Serpent
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode “Quetzalcoatl: The Winged Serpent,” Robert and Joe discussed the feathered snake god of pre-Columbian Mesoa...
The Soap Dragon
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What 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 b...
From the Vault: Neurosecurity: Dawn of the Brain Hackers
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While 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 t...
The Great Wave
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, sailors have told stories of mountainous killer waves that rise out of the ocean without warning. Join Robert and Joe for a discussion ...
The Doppelganger Network
28 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss Doppelgangers, fairy imposters, the brain basis for the feeling of familiarity, and...
From the Vault: Beyond the Uncanny Valley
25 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From 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...
Listener Mail: Sacred Squirrels and More
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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 neig...
Deep Sea Ecology with Diva Amon
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 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 wond...
From the Vault: Into the Uncanny Valley
18 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The far side of the uncanny valley rises steeply, assaulting our psyche as our artificial human likenesses creep ever closer toward perfection. But wh...
The Science of Thulsa Doom, Part 2
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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 ...
The Science of Thulsa Doom
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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 pict...
From the Vault: Carl Zimmer on Heredity's Power
11 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why 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...
Send an Owl/Raven/Pigeon!
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Harry Potter sends messages by owl. The characters of ‘Game of Thrones’ employ ravens. Meanwhile, real-life messenger pigeons have carried message...
Almost Cannibals
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the line between cannibalism and mere predation? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some thought-provoking c...
From the Vault: Coral Sex in the Sea
04 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sure 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, "...
The Fallacy of Alignment: Fundamental Attribution Error, Part 2
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How 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...
The Fallacy of Alignment: Fundamental Attribution Error, Part 1
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How 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...
Invention: Toilets, Part 1
27 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have 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 te...
The Sacred Mountain, Part 2
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes th...
The Sacred Mountain, Part 1
23 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do sacred mountains exist in so many cultures and myths? To what extent could high altitude conditions contribute to the way our mind processes th...
From the Vault: Humanity's THC Odyssey
20 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Humans have known about cannabis for thousands of years, crafting hemp textiles and consuming its psychoactive THC. In this classic episode of Stuff t...
The Imp of the Perverse
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 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 p...
The Pressure
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Atmospheric pressure. Water pressure. Geologic pressure. What exactly IS pressure and how do humans interact with it? Join Robert and Joe for a look a...
From the Vault: Bicameralism, Part 2
13 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Cons...
Against Narrative: Are stories bad for us? Part 2
11 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard to imagine human beings without storytelling and literature. Surely, these are some of the very things that define us. Narratives give our...
Against Narrative: Are stories bad for us? Part 1
09 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard to imagine human beings without storytelling and literature. Surely, these are some of the very things that define us. Narratives give our...
From the Vault: Bicameralism, Part 1
06 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1976, psychologist Julian Jaynes presented the world with a stunning new take on the history of human consciousness. His book “The Origin of Cons...
The Dark Crystal
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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...
Listener Mail: The Quickening
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Once 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...
From the Vault: Eternal Youth, Part 2
30 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what come...
Flatus Ex Machina, Part 2
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lam...
Flatus Ex Machina, Part 1
26 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it so hilarious when robots and artificial intelligence fail? What does it reveal about comedy itself and our technological anxiety? Robert Lam...
From the Vault: Eternal Youth, Part 1
23 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what come...
M.I.B. or N.I.B. ?
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Belief 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 g...
Bugs Under The Skin
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever 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 ...
From the Vault: Don't Drink the Salt Water
16 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you draw your wisdom from 18th century poems or experience in the surf, you probably know that drinking seawater is a terrible idea. But exact...
Let's Make a List
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why 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 ...
The Tunnelers
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How 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 explo...
From the Vault: Jade Immortality
09 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese aristocracy of the Western Han Dynasty embarked on their journey into the afterlife within garments of stone -- luxurious suits of jade armor ...
Highlander 2: The Sciencing
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, 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 threa...
The Lost Daughters of Aten: Planet 9
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pluto 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 tha...
From the Vault: Talos
02 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Among the many humanoid gods and bestial monsters of Greek mythology, one finds a peculiar outlier: Talos the bronze automaton. Said to stalk the shor...
The Lost Daughters of Aten, Part 1
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pluto 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 tha...
Mystery of the Sea Circles
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’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...
From the Vault: The Winter People, Part 2
23 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do 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...
Gáe Bulg: The Spear of Death
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Irish 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 thr...
Ideophones: How does this word feel?
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What’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 t...
From the Vault: The Winter People, Part 1
16 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do 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...
Cupid’s Leaden Arrow
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’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 gol...
Listener Mail: Crab Sabbath
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It'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 a...
From the Vault: Minds of Musical Emptiness
09 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We'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 exp...
Marah Hardt talks Snails, Sex and the Sea
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It'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 L...
Demon Eaters and Possessed Tools
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As 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 o...
From the Vault: Aquatic Humanoids, Part 2
02 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From the sirens of 'The Odyssey' to 'The Creature From the Black Lagoon' and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In this two...
Ships of Life: Shipwrecks
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Water 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...
Ships of Life: Stowaways
29 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Water 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...
From the Vault: Aquatic Humanoids, Part 1
26 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From the sirens of “The Odyssey” to “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” and beyond, humans have always imagined their underwater doubles. In ...
Invasion of the Globsters, Part 2
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When 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 imag...
Invasion of the Globsters, Part 1
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When 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 imag...
From the Vault: Bathysphere, Part 2
19 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a w...
Split Brain, Part 2
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our 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 ...
Split Brain, Part 1
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our 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 ...
From the Vault: Bathysphere, Part 1
12 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1930, American naturalist William Beebe began his descent in a spherical, unpowered submarine known as a Bathysphere -- and in doing so visited a w...
The Alien Biped
10 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As humans, we’re quite accustomed to our weird vertical spines and precarious two-legged gait. But habitual bipedalism is far from the norm. When di...
The Room of Infinite Unpleasantness
08 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If 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, mor...
From the Vault: Biophilia
05 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why 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 g...
Thought Experiments
03 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Stuff to Blow Your Mind frequently discusses thought experiments on the show, from Schrödinger's Cat to the Infinity Hotel. But what constitutes a th...
Listener Mail: The Fires of Orc
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It'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 an...
From the Vault: Artificial Gravity
29 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Humans 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 l...
Christmas Island, Part 2: Deca Deca Pod Y’all
27 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome 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 c...
Christmas Island, Part 1: Crabs Rule Everything Around Me
25 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome 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 c...
From the Vault: Tree of Life
22 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sacred 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...
Virgin Birth
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For Christians, the Christmas centers around a miraculous virgin birth. But don’t worry, secular holiday revelers, because nature has its own virgin...
Invention: The Guillotine
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stuff 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. Th...
Ritual of Oak and Mistletoe
18 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Twas 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 ...
From the Vault: Baby Jesus and the Homunculus
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We’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 ...
Strange Milk
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mammals are the true milk-bearers of nature, but there are a host of non-mammals that secrete various strange and wonderful milk-analogues. From avian...
Katie Goldin talks 'Creature Feature'
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 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...
From the Vault: Greek Fire
08 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
To 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 li...
The Electric Ark
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What 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...
The Ark of the Covenant
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What 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 ...
From the Vault: Satanic Panic
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What 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 worl...
‘Oumuamua II: Revenge of the First Messenger
29 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone’s favorite interstellar travel has been back in the news, thanks to curious speed increases and an intriguing paper on the possibility of a...
Halloween Hangover Listener Mail, Part 2
27 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Halloween 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 ...
From the Vault: Dangerous Foods III
24 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Thanksgiving 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...