Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Episodes
The Scientist and the Shaman: My Egoic Mind
05 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A shaman consumes a psychedelic mushroom and visits the spirit world. Meanwhile, a scientist studies the effects of psilocybin on depression and conce...
Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 2
31 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Can science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this episode, Robert and Julie d...
Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 1
29 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Can science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this episode, Robert and Julie d...
Lost Continent: Part 2
24 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There's something intoxicating about the notion of a lost continent. Imagine an entire landscape - perhaps even an entire civilization untouched by We...
Lost Continent: Part 1
22 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There's something intoxicating about the notion of a lost continent. Imagine an entire landscape - perhaps even an entire civilization untouched by We...
Humanity's Lullaby
17 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Lullabies are soothing, grotesque and universal. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie explore the surprisingly rich world of h...
Earwax: Portable Time Capsules
15 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we have ear wax? Why does it build up and what can it tell us about ourselves? Enter the mysterious ear canal in this sticky new episode of Stu...
Ballad of the Electric Fish
10 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How does the electric eel generate its juice and how did six different lineages of bioelectric fish evolve on this planet of ours? Find out in this ep...
Junk Food Junkies
08 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Why does junk food hold such power over us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie get to the bottom of modern humanity's favori...
Designer Genes
03 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gene therapy, DNA analysis and genetically modified organisms are increasingly part of our everyday reality. But where is this road taking us and how ...
Summer Reading 2014
01 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for a good, intelligent beach read? Join Robert and Julie for their annual Summer Reading episode, loaded with fiction and non-fiction reading...
A Perfect Circle
26 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What is a mathematically perfect circle and why doesn't it exist in our universe? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind as Robert and Ju...
Neural Pixie Dust
24 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The future of brain-machine interaction will expand human intelligence and forever alter our experience of reality, but where are we now and how long ...
The Science of H.P. Lovecraft
19 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Legendary weird fiction author H.P. Lovecraft revolutionized our understanding of supernatural horror in the early 20th century, but he was also a sci...
Listener Mail: The Power of Names
17 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As a follow-up to their podcast episode on the nominative determinism, Robert and Julie share YOUR thoughts on names and the power of names in this sp...
The Future of Addiction
12 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Highly addictive substances like meth and heroine are formidable enemies for the recovering addict, but what does the future hold for their treatment?...
The Science of Addiction
10 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What is addiction? Why are some people predisposed to it and what happens in the brain when addiction takes hold? In this episode of Stuff to Blow You...
The Status of Flatus
05 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Status of Flatus: What is a fart? What's the science behind passing gas and why does volume, frequency and stench very so much from person to pers...
The Troglofauna of Fraggle Rock
03 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Troglofauna of Fraggle Rock: What do the fun-loving denizens of Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" have in common with real-life cave animals? Find out i...
Supernormal Stimuli
29 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
No longer limited by the constrains of their environment or biology, humans have remade their world. Why walk when you can soar? Why shout when you ca...
Heartbeat in the Brain, Hole in the Skull
27 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Trepanation is an ancient surgical procedure and we've found the millennia-aged skulls to prove it - each punctured and gouged to relieve inner-pressu...
You Are Here: Proprioception
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How do we know who and where we are in this ocean of chaos? It's easy to take this question for granted, but the answer goes beyond our five senses an...
A Boy Named Sue
20 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A Boy Named Sue: What's in a name? Does a parentally-bestowed "Fred" force one fate on a hapless child and "Moon Unit" or "Brock" quite another? Join ...
The Science of Beards
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably been wondering, "Is there any data about facial hair, particularly gloriously groomed beards?" Why, yes, there is. Find out how facial...
Over the Moon
13 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Over the Moon: What if we, over at the mother company Earth, Inc., looked at "assets" in our solar system like a corporation looks at its assets? What...
Future Shock: Part II
08 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Future Shock: Back in 1970, Alvin Toffler's book "Future Shock" envisioned a future human civilization outpaced, overstimulated and mentally stunned b...
Future Shock: Part I
06 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Future Shock: Back in 1970, Alvin Toffler's book "Future Shock" envisioned a future human civilization outpaced, overstimulated and mentally stunned b...
The Cuckoo Mafia
29 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Cuckoo Mafia: Sure, humans have their organized crime, but what about the Earth's other residents? Are their animal mafias? How does "crime" even ...
The Habitable Epoch
24 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Habitable Epoch: What if we're wrong. What if life isn't a rarity in a dead cosmos, but rather a common occurrence in the habitable epoch 10 to 20...
Rise of the Vampire Bat
22 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rise of the Vampire Bat: It's a hard-knock life for an exclusive blood drinker, yet somehow three species of vampire bat take full honors as the only ...
The Shadow People
17 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Do strange shadow people haunt the corners of our existence, or is there a scientific answer within the human brain? Join Robert and guests Ben and Ma...
Rites of Spring
10 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The season of rebirth may be one of the most uplifting seasons humans experience, with a sense of renewal and meaning materializing before their eyes ...
Through the Looking Glass
08 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What are we to make of the mirror world? We surround ourselves with looking glasses, yet rarely understand exactly what we're observing. Our reflected...
Extreme Survivors of the Animal World
03 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Extreme Survivors of the Animal World: Think you've got what it takes to hack it in an unforgiving world? You may have the brains, human, but creature...
Outsourcing Memory
01 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Outsourcing Memory: From digital photography to Internet spellcheckers, we allocate more and more of our cognitive processes to the cloud. But what do...
Labyrinths
27 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Labyrinths: Join Robert and Julie once more for their classic series on mazes and labyrinths. Having escaped from the confusion of the Minoan maze, it...
Mazes
25 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mazes: Join Robert and Julie once more for their classic series on mazes and labyrinths. In this episode, enter the Minoan maze and wander its endless...
Acid Flashbacks
20 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Acid Flashbacks: Are acid flashbacks real or are they merely a ghost story of psychedelic culture or anti-drug messaging? In this episode of Stuff to ...
A Musical Time Machine for the Brain
18 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A Musical Time Machine for the Brain: What is music doing to our perception of time? It seems to transport us to the past. It speeds things up and slo...
Your Body Odor,Your Destiny
13 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Your Body Odor,Your Destiny: Can body odor be destiny? Can it portend health or illness, who we're attracted to and repulsed by? Find out in this pung...
Maneater
11 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Maneater: What happens when an animal turns maneater? Is it the irresistible taste of human flesh? Is it the ease of a human kill? In this episode of ...
Listener Mail: Strange Sleep and Past Lives
06 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Strange Sleep and Past Lives: In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie once again call forth the robot and take care of some accum...
The Barry White Effect
04 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Barry White Effect: What does voice quality tell us about sexual fitness in a potential mate? Do the deep, velvet tones of Barry White have a scie...
Empathic Elephants
27 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Empathic Elephants: The elephant is Earth's largest surviving land creature and an example of nature at its most majestic. But these amazing creatures...
The Illusion of Continuity
25 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Illusion of Continuity: What is perceptual constancy and how does the illusion of continuity pull a fast one over our brains? Find out in this epi...
Reincarnation Blues
20 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The metaphysics of reincarnation are nothing short of enthralling, from the notion of an immortal soul drifting through myriad life forms to the intim...
Night Janitors of the Brain
18 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Night Janitors of the Brain: Do you think other species ever look at humans and raise an eyebrow at the amount of sleep we need? Do cockroaches an...
My Slimey Valentine: Slug Sex Revisited
13 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Slug Sex: Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a Valentine's hater, Robert and Julie have quite the episode for you. Prepare to have your mind blown ...
The Problem of Immortality: Terror Management Theory
11 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are haunted by death. It awaits us all with open arms and all we can do is dream of its blissful antithesis: immortality. And so we've construc...
Leechpunk: The Power of Leeches
06 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Power of Leeches: Are leeches mere bloodsucking parasites or do these creatures have a place in modern medicine? Plus learn about the very real 19...
The Meaning of Stonehenge
04 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Meaning of Stonehenge: Stonehenge remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the ancient world. Was it a burial ground for aristocratic famili...
The Building of Stonehenge
30 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Building of Stonehenge: Rising up from the plains of Salisbury, England is a mammoth structure that has existed for 5,000 years. How was it constr...
It's a Trap!
28 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's a Trap: Humans aren't alone in their ability to craft a clever trap out of their surroundings. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert...
Memory/Story Editing
23 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wish you could take a troubling event from your past and dial down the memory without subjecting yourself to total recall erasure? Explore the sc...
Werewolf Principle: Adapting Humans for Space
21 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Werewolf Principle: Will astronauts of the future be able to adapt their physiology for long-term space travel and life on other planets? In this ...
Hibernation: The Ultimate Suspended Animation
16 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Hibernation: What is hibernation exactly? Is it the opposite of sleep? Is it the future of manned space exploration? Revisit the topic with Julie and ...
The War on Creativity
14 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The War on Creativity: There's an entire industry dedicate to creativity and innovation. But do people - and corporations-really want to "think outsid...
Up in the Air
09 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Up in the Air: How long can a bird stay in the air? How about an airplane? From human flight to the future of laser-powered drone aircraft, the answer...
Brain Hacking 101: New Habits for a New Year
07 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
New Habits for a New Year: How long does it take to make or break a habit? Is this really the year you make major changes or learn a new craft? Robert...
Cluttered Desks, Cluttered Minds & Toddler Hands
02 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Cluttered Desks, Cluttered Minds and Toddler Hands: Toddlers might not seem like scientists when they mash up a banana or throws noodles at the wall, ...
Normalcy Bias and Psychogenic Death
31 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Normalcy Bias and Psychogenic Death: Why do some people continue on with their normal lives when reality comes crashing down on them? Why don't they r...
Comedic Impressions of the Wild
26 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Comedic Impressions of the Wild: Why do birds and other animals imitate other animals? Why would an elephant learn to speak Korean? All of this and mo...
Snowflake Doppelganger
24 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Snowflake Doppelganger: Are snowflakes really one of a kind? How do they form and what do they have to do with grade school art projects, personal ide...
Thanatosis: Playing Dead to Survive
19 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Thanatosis: Playing Dead to Survive: There's more to playing dead that meets the eye. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie exp...
Carrot and Stick: A Genetic Santa Story
17 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Santa or Krampus? Gifts or a stocking full of coal? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie look at negative and positive reinfor...
Fist Bumps vs. Bacteria
12 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Fist Bumps vs. Bacteria: Can a simple fist bump help us out in a war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria? And what strange corners of the Earth migh...
Urine for a Treat
10 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Urine For a Treat: A urine sample reveals a great deal about the person from whence it trickled, but can we drink it? Can it cure what ales us? Does i...
Welcome to the Panopticon
05 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the panopticon, both a prison of design and a prison of the mind, where everyone is susceptible to surveillance and no one knows who's bein...
The Science of Smiles
03 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Science of Smiles: Just try to resist the power of the human smile. We dare you! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie expl...
Gluttony Revisited
28 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Gluttony Revisited: When does mere appetite transform into disorder? And what are we to make of the monstrous "sport" of competitive eating? Join Robe...
Into the Mouth of Thanksgiving
26 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
While your stomach may rumble at the thought of Thanksgiving's bounty, your mouth is trembling in fear. Join Robert and Julie as they discuss the oral...
Skeptics and Sasquatches
21 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptics and Sasquatches: What are we to make of the Sasquatch, bigfoot, skunk ape and yeti? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Ju...
Before Science
19 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Before Science: When did the word "scientist" enter our vocabulary? How did science take off as the driving force of modern culture and what of the na...
The Dexter of Parasites
14 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Dexter of Parasites: Yes, in the same way Dexter preyed on other serial killers, parasitic organisms are targeted by parasites as well. Join Rober...
The Science of Cute
12 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Why do kitten faces and cartoon cuties hold such power over us? Why does the sight of a puppy tug our heart strings? Find out in this Stuff to Blow Yo...
Autotomy: Nature's Dismemberment Plan
07 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Autotomy: Nature's Dismemberment Plan: When threatened, some species of lizards simply jettison their own twitching tails form their bodies. It's gris...
Into the Hologenome
05 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Into the Hologenome... How can the bacterial fauna thriving inside our bodies influence evolution? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind...
Monster Mash: Mummies and Trolls
31 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Monster Mash: Mummies and Trolls: Could real science possible explain a horror movie mummy's murderous escape from a museum or a troll's transformatio...
Wendigo...
29 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Wendigo: What are we to make of this evil spirit of Algonquin folklore, said to transform unfortunate travelers into cannibalistic monsters? Have true...
Tainted Love Hormone
24 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tainted Love Hormone: There's a dark side to oxytocin. Tune into this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind for the latest research on the dark side of t...
Naked Terror
22 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a link between nudity and fear? Does naked combat make us more powerful or more vulnerable? Nudists and never-nudes alike can find out in thi...
Listener Mail Roundup
17 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Mail Roundup: The Stuff to Blow Your Mind mailbag grows and the mail-bot grows increasingly insane in its boredom. To remedy the situation, R...
Ig Nobel Science of 2013
15 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Ig Nobel Science of 2013: The IgNobel Prizes never fail to highlight the absurdity of scientific research. In this episode, Robert and Julie look at f...
STBYM: Three Years of Word Salad
10 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
STBYM: Three Years of Word Salad: Robert and Julie celebrate 3 years of cranium-popping episodes and discuss how Stuff to Blow Your Mind has changed t...
The Science of Uncanny Music
08 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Science of Uncanny Music: Why is scary music so scary? Why does an uncanny tune creep us out so? Is it all context and culture or is there somethi...
Dread Anxiety
03 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
What is dread and how are we supposed to cope with it? Why do we let it control our lives so much? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind...
Teaching Robots to Love
01 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Will our robots ever love us? And what does that question reveal about the true nature of this much-touted human emotion? Find out in this episode of ...
Tyrannosaurus Sex
26 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Climb into the dinosaur hot tub machine with us on this classic STBYM episode featuring the concept of the cloacal kiss and the very direct question: ...
Ouroboros: The Tail-Eating Serpent
24 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a mythical serpent or dragon that bites its own tail. It has come to represent, rebirth, infinity and the contin...
Nostalgia: The Kryptonite of Existential Angst?
19 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Nostalgia: The Kryptonite of Existential Angst? Nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion that evokes a pleasurable memory tinged with the knowledge that yo...
Word Aversion: The Story of Moist
17 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Word Aversion: The Story of Moist: Put your favorite pair of slacks on and join guest host Allison Loudermilk as she and Julie get to the bottom of w...
Fire Tornado vs Sharknado
12 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Fire Tornado vs Sharknado: What would win in a fight, a swirling column of fire or a vortex full of killer sharks? It's not a question to dismiss sli...
Human Paper Dolls: Enclothed Cognition
10 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Human Paper Dolls:Enclothed Cognition: Can a doctor's lab coat make you feel smarter and more confident? Does a police uniform give the wearer a sens...
Microchimerism: The Mother Inside You
05 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Microchimerism: The Mother Inside You: Does a mother retain cells from her child? Does the child retain cells form the mother? In this episode of Stu...
Here There Be Sea Monsters
03 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Medieval and renaissance maps are resplendent with sea monsters, but what were these fanciful beasts all about? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your ...
Fine Young (Animal) Cannibals
29 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Fine Young (Animal) Cannibals: Cannibalism is a bit yucky in the human world, but for animals it's just a matter of economics. In this episode of Stuf...
The Left-Handed Scissors
27 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Left-Handed Scissors: Lefties make up 10 percent of the population, but what are we to make of their curious inversion? Why do they exist? Why do ...
Symbols on the Brain
22 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Symbols on the Brain:A symbol can instantly convey an abstract idea that would require paragraphs of traditional language to relate. So what are they ...
Walls
20 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Walls:Civilizations surround themselves in walls. They raise walls against enemies, against the environment and against the spirit world. In this clas...
The Science of Staring
15 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Science of Staring: Your mother always told you it's not polite to stare - and yet we do. Why is starring a part of who we are? Why do subway star...