Stuff To Blow Your Mind

Sideshow Secrets Revealed

06 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What's the real science behind beds of nails, sword swallowing and headless women? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie strip ...

The Science of Hell

01 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Science of Hell: Artists aren't alone in their fascination with Hell. Scientists two have long sought to breach the fiery gates and figure out jus...

The Problem of Hell

30 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Belief in Hell is problematic at best. How do we relate to our fellow human beings while sorting them into an imagined afterlife of torment? How do we...

Roller Derby Microbiome

25 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Roller Derby Microbiome: Once upon a time, the word "outdoors" wasn't a thing. But then humans invented "indoors," and with it an artificial environme...

Cubicle Doom

23 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Cubicle Doom: Can your office cubical kill you? Might an open-floor office plan save your life or drive you to madness? In this episode of Stuff to Bl...

The Mystery of Human Consciousness

18 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What is consciousness? Can we test for it? And how to we rectify the seemingly disparate realities of physical brain and immaterial mind? In this epis...

Insect Love Song

16 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Insect Love Song: The night is alive with insects. To our human ears their song is mere cacophony, but it's actually a vast web of communication signa...

Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands

11 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands:Resist the urge to clap at the next concert or play you attend - IF YOU DARE! Because as Robert and Julie explain in this ...

Grunting the Conqueror Worm

09 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Grunting the Conqueror Worm: Behold the conqueror earthworm, a creature introduced to North America mere centuries ago and now virtually unstoppable. ...

A Cuppa Joe

04 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A Cuppa Joe:Just what's in a cup of coffee? Why does it make us feel so invincible and why does it make us poop so much? Find out in this episode of S...

How to Beat the Thought Police

02 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

How to Beat the Thought Police: Want to know how to beat a polygraph test? How about current and near-future fMRI lie detection tests? In this episode...

Isolation Chambers: Float Follow-Up

27 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Isolation Chambers: Float Follow-Up: In a previous episode, Robert and Julie discussed the science of sensory deprivation chambers and now they're bac...

Clocking In: The Nature of Time

25 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Clocking in: What is time? What's the best way to measure it? And is it all an illusion anyway? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and...

Summer Reading: Guest Picks

20 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie invite six guests to share their recommendations for summer reading. You'll hear ...

Summer Reading: Robert and Julie's Picks

18 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Summer Reading: Robert and Julie's Picks: Once again, your Robert and Julie are here to share some summer reading recommendations with their curious l...

The Quietest Room in the World

12 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Quietest Room in the World: In Minneapolis, MN there's a room that blocks 99.99 percent of all sound. It's a place of intense silence, intense cal...

Sensory Deprivation Chambers

11 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sensory Deprivation Chambers:Fancy a return to the womb? Ready to shut off the world of senses and dive into the inner you? Well, the sensory deprivat...

Finnish Ed

05 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Finnish Ed: STEM education in the US has been on educators and policymakers' minds. One of the reasons is that the US has become far less competitive ...

Invisible World of the No. 7

04 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Invisible World of the No. 7:The 7 deadly sins, the 7 continents, the 7 seas: The no. 7 is everywhere. But is its prevalence simply a byproduct of th...

Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies

30 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies: It's time to rediscover ventriloquism, the surprisingly deft art of illusion that relies on a keen sense of com...

Extreme Mammals Part II

28 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Extreme Mammals Part II: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count ...

Extreme Mammals Part I

23 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Extreme Mammals Part I: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count d...

The Science of Beards

21 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Science of Beards: Why do human males have beards? Do they protect us? Do they make us more fearsome? Better looking? More trustworthy? Find out i...

The Status of Flatus

16 May 2013

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...

Zombie Apocalypse PSA

14 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Atlanta is in shambles. Parasite-infected humans wander the streets, stinking of death and attacking everyone in sight. Meanwhile Robert and Julie hol...

From Nose to Tail: The Colon

09 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

From Nose to Tail: The Colon: Finally, everything comes out in the end - which is to say it comes out of the end. Robert and Julie finish up their dig...

From Nose to Tail: Into the Intestines

07 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

From Nose to Tail: Into the Intestines: In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie continue to follow the journey of a haggis throug...

Nude Space Walk

02 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nude Space Walk: In order to travel in space, humans have to bring a fragment of their native environment with them in the form of a compressed capsul...

Emotions in Outer Space

30 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Emotions in Outer Space: Space madness. Freezing tears. Delirious astronauts tranquilized, duct taped to the wall and forced to listen to Phillip Glas...

Eaten Alive!

25 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ah, to be swallowed whole and hugged within the stomach of a colossal beast. To some this idea is bliss; to most it's the stuff of nightmares. But can...

From Nose to Tail: Can You Stomach It?

23 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Can You Stomach It?: Why doesn't the stomach digest itself? What sorts of chemical wonders go on inside the human gut and what strange language is it ...

Talking 'Gulp' With Mary Roach

18 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Roach Interview: We all love Mary Roach, so in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind Robert and Julie invite the "Stiff" author on the show to ...

From Nose to Tail: Mysteries of the Mouth

16 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

From Nose to Tail: Mysteries of the Mouth: Food goes on quite a fantastic journey through the human body and Stuff to Blow Your Mind is here to guide ...

Human Lightning Rods

11 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Human Lightning Rods: Some folk claim to attract undue attention from electrical storms. Some even insist it's hereditary. But what does science have ...

Watch Stoppers

09 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Watch Stoppers: We've all heard tales of individuals who simply cannot wear wrist watches. The time pieces simply stop working, time and time again. S...

3D Printer of the Gods II

04 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

3D Printer of the Gods II: Oh, you're into 3D printing? How 20 years ago. It's one thing to print in the three spatial dimensions, quite another to fa...

STBYM Listener Mail Extravaganza

01 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Stuff to Blow Your Mind listeners regularly send in imaginative and jaw-dropping correspondence. Sadly, Julie and Robert rarely have time to read it a...

3D Printer of the Gods, Part 1

29 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sure 3D printers are cool, but where will they ultimately take us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss some of the am...

Slay Your Paper Tigers

28 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Slay Your Paper Tigers: Sure, we all know a pile of paperwork or a job interview is nothing like a bloody battle to the death with a saber toothed tig...

Objects of Love

26 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Objects of Love: We live in a world of objects to which we assign varying degrees of worth, from old newspapers to treasured action figures, family he...

Talking 'Space Chronicles' with Neil DeGrasse Tyson

22 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson chats with Robert and Julie about his new book "Space Chronicles" as we...

SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Part 2

21 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Is there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert ...

SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Part 1

19 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Is there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert ...

Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 2

18 Mar 2013

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 second part of this series,...

Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 1

14 Mar 2013

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...

Leprechaun Hallucinations

12 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Leprechaun Hallucinations: As Saint Patrick's Day nears, our minds inevitably turn to the little people of Irish folklore. But diminutive fairy folk p...

Pica: Dirt for Dinner

07 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Chances are you didn't pack mud pies or clay bricks for lunch, but humans - like many animals - are not above pica in their diet. In this episode, Rob...

Elevators and the Humans who Use Them

05 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Like most ubiquitous technology, elevators are often ignored. But there would be no skyscrapers without them. There would be no tightly-packed awkward...

Regurgitation Celebration

28 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

While humans generally try to avoid puking, an upchuck is just another biological function for other creatures. In this episode, Robert and Julie pres...

Ghost in the Genetic Machine: Humans

26 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

To what extent are we shackled to genes? How does our upbringing, environment and our grandfather's life choices affect the expression of our genome? ...

Ghost in the Genetic Machine: Animals

21 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Between the code and the creature lies the epigenome, where environmental impulses alter genetic expression. Join Robert and Julie as they introduce e...

The Memory of Slime

19 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

So you're telling me slime molds can solve mazes and recreate trade routes? Yes, indeed we are. In this episode, Julie and Robert explore the "intelli...

My Slimey Valentine: The Slug Life

14 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

My Slimey Valentine: Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a Valentine's hater, Robert and Julie have quite the episode for you. Prepare to have your ...

Trilogy of Slime: Tales of Slimedom in the Animal Kingdom

12 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

We all love slime, but do we really respect it in all its glory? Join Julie and Robert for a mucus-coated journey through the slime of slugs, sea hags...

Multitasking Maniacs and the One Track Mind

07 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Is multitasking a female super power, a learnable skill or pure myth? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert consider our multit...

Interrupting Cow: Multitasking, Interruptions and Distractions

05 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

All joking aside, the Interrupting Cow takes a real toll on your brain and your work life. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Juli...

Pineal Optics: My Third Eye

31 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Pineal Optics: Prepare to open that third eye, listeners, because Robert and Julie are taking you on a journey from philosophical ponderings about hum...

Undercover Actors and the Shadow Self

29 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Undercover Actors and the Shadow Self: In this episode, we discuss the place where cover and identity collide in the human mind. It's a topic we first...

Wrestling with Kayfabe (with guest Colt Cabana)

24 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Wrestling with Kayfabe: Professional wrestling is somewhat of a cultural oddity, as it blurs the lines between reality, fiction, sport and theater. Jo...

Cool Science You May Have Missed in 2012

22 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of cool science went down in 2012, but it's possible you missed some of these smaller stories amid all the Mars landing and Higgs searching. In ...

Big Science of 2012

17 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

As you leave 2012 in the dust, join Julie and Robert as they take one last look in the rearview mirror at some of the truly mind blowing science that ...

Willpower

15 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Temptation is all around us and as humans we only have so much willpower in the tank to fight it. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the scienc...

Labyrinths

10 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Having escaped from the confusion of the Minoan maze, it's time to walk the serene, calming paths of the Chartres Labyrinth. Why is this experience so...

Mazes

08 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Enter the Minoan maze and wander its endless halls. Feel your heart race. Feel your limbs quiver as the minotaur's roar echoes through the walls. Join...

I Was a Teenage Teen: The Science of Teen Angst

03 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The teenage brain is a wonderful thing, full of intense rewiring and rapid shifts in priority. In this episode, Robert and Julie reminisce about the t...

New Year's Life Hacks

01 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

New Year's Life Hacks: Want improved focus this year? A better creative flow or stronger decision-making skills? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your...

The Shaman and the Scientist: Hallucination

27 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The Shaman and the Scientist: Hallucination: Join Robert and Julie as they continue their discussion of the overlap between shamanism and cognitive ne...

The Shaman and the Scientist: My Egoic Mind

21 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The Shaman and the Scientist: My Egoic Mind: A shaman consumes a psychedelic mushroom and visits the spirit world. Meanwhile, a scientist studies the ...

Nutmeg: The Scary Spice

20 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, you sprinkle nutmeg indifferently on your eggnog, but do you know its bloody history and psychotropic properties? In this episode, Julie and Rob...

The Dark Side of Creativity

13 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Creative minds make our favorite art and develop unique solutions to real-world problems. But is there a dark side? Are creative minds more prone to m...

Parasite Got Your Tongue?

11 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Organisms do what they can to get ahead and sometimes that means crawling inside a fish head and chewing out a niche. In this episode, Robert and Juli...

The Killing Joke

06 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Modern minds likely turn to Monty Python when the notion of lethal comedy arises, but accounts of death by laughter date back to ancient times. Can a ...

The Healing Power of Laughter

04 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

They say laughter is the best medicine, but is there any science to back that up? In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss what laughter does to us p...

Why Fingerprints?

29 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we have fingerprints? Why are the human versions generally more complex than those of other animals? Join Robert and Julie as they delve into w...

Jive Turkey

27 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jive Turkey: As another Turkey Day dawns on the United States, Julie and Robert stop to consider the great bird itself. Join them as they dive into th...

The Science of Comfort

22 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What does comfort mean to you? Thanksgiving dinner? A cup of tomato soup and a warm blanket? In this episode, Julie and Robert examine the particulars...

We Are All Scientists

20 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

While it might not feel like it, humans were born to crunch numbers, engineer solutions and scientifically evaluate the world. Join Robert and Julie a...

How to Think Like a Child

15 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, a kid's unique perspective allows him or her to see Puff the Magic Dragon and say the darndest things. But, as Julie and Robert discover, childr...

Consider the Packrat

13 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It's true: the word "packrat" is more than slang for hoarders and collectors. Join Robert and Julie as they discuss the pint-size rodent's love of dec...

Hammer of the Witches

08 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Witchcraft trials are a part of our history, but what truly went on during the 1400s? Join Robert and Julie as they explore compelling theories about ...

Anthropocene: The Age of Man

06 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

When viewed from the standpoint of geologic time, what is humanity's ultimate contribution? Have we founded an Age of Man with agriculture, industrial...

Ordovician Waters: Life in the Age of Trilobites

01 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Prepare to explore an alien Earth as Stuff to Blow Your Mind takes you back to the Ordovician Period, when invertebrates thrived in primal seas that c...

Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board

31 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Ever reach out to the spirit world with an ouija board? Or stare into a dark mirror for Bloody Mary? Perhaps peer-assisted levitation was more your st...

The Science of Haunted Houses

25 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

There's a lot more going on at your local haunted attraction than costumes and chainsaws. In this episode, Robert and Julie venture to Atlanta's Nethe...

How do Animals Map the World?

23 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Humans aren't the only map masters on the planet. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert explore the amazing ways that animals t...

Cartocacoethes: Map Mania!

18 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Do you see a Thailand-shaped birthmark on Gorbachev's forehead? Do clouds remind you of Australia and Indonesia? You may have cartocacoethes, the comp...

The Map-addled Brain

16 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Maps show us familiar places as well as far-flung locales that quietly beckon, intertwining the past, present and future. Join Julie and Robert as the...

Ig Nobel: Strange Science Part 2

11 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of their 2012 Ig Nobel Prize coverage, Robert and Julie take listeners through some of the more amazing winners at this year's awards cere...

Ig Nobel: Strange Science, Part 1

09 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, scientists have a sense of humor - and they have to if their big invention is a bra that doubles as a gas mask. Join Julie and Robert as they exp...

Cat People

04 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you prefer cats, dogs or snakes, you have to admit that humanity's relationship with felines is mysterious. Why do we live with these super pr...

The Song of the Bat

02 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Bats live in a sonic universe. They call out into the night and construct the world from their song. They listen to the sounds of prey, predator and t...

The Wild World of Bats

27 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Is the bat the most successful mammal on the planet? Quite possibly! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert explore the insect-m...

Fire Walk With Me

25 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

In 2012, Tony Robbins marched thousands of barefoot followers through the coals, injuring under two dozen of them. What was going on in their minds (a...

Life in the Plastic Palace

20 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How much of your environment is made out of plastic? Where does it come from? Where does it go? How does plastic affect your iPhone's weight? Join Jul...

Sleep No More

18 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could skip a night's sleep without any side effects? It may sound impossible, but the age of sleep replacement drugs is just around the co...

City Creatures

13 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

City Creatures: Does a crowded street make you care less about your fellow man? Population density manipulates organisms in subtle and shocking ways. ...

The Mind of the Kraken

11 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What strange thoughts fill the brains of cephalopods? Do they ponder mysteries in their lightless lairs? Join Julie and Robert as they dive into the f...

The King-sized World of Gigantism

06 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Finally, a podcast about Andre the Giant, dinosaurs and Nuralagus rex the bunny king. In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss gigantism. What causes...

Hear The Mermaids Singing

04 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Hear The Mermaids Singing: Humans have dreamed of mermaids for ages, but is there any substance to these myths? Is the aquatic ape theory more than ju...

Mother's Milk

30 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Mother's Milk: Milk isn't just an infant-sustaining breast beverage. Join Julie and Robert as they explore the world of lactation. How does milk stren...