Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Episodes
Packing for Mars with Mary Roach
07 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
As a science writer, Mary Roach has penned books on everything from cadavers to astronauts. In this episode, Allison and Robert interview Mary Roach a...
Emoticons Saved My Life
02 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
An emoticon is a series of punctuation marks used to draw a picture and convey an emotion. But how did these emoticons come about, and why do they see...
Mulling over Maggots
31 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Maggots have a distinctive (and, some would say, repulsive) appearance. But throughout history doctors and healers have used maggots to treat ulcers a...
Latching on to Leeches
26 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
There are hundreds of different leech species, but they're all built for one thing: sucking blood. Join Allison and Robert as they take a closer look ...
Drilling for Offshore Oil
24 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Robert and Allison broke down the science behind oil exploration. In the second segment of this series, the hosts explore the process of dr...
In Search of Offshore Oil
19 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In an economy driven by fossil fuels, oil exploration is big business -- but how do scientists actually find oil? In this podcast, Allison and Robert ...
Are you mosquito bait?
17 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Why do mosquitoes love biting certain people (and ignore others)? In this podcast, Robert and Allison take a closer look at the science behind mosquit...
Prehistoric Monsters of the Deep
12 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The Blue Whale is the largest living animal on Earth, but it isn't the first gigantic sea creature. In this podcast, Allison and Robert examine the pr...
Are lefties better at sports?
10 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Roughly 10 percent of the human population is left-handed. This minority lives in a right-handed world, and many tools are made for right-handed peopl...
Evolution in Action
05 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Darwin's revolutionary study of evolution isn't even two hundred years old yet. In terms of evolutionary processes, this is a miniscule amount...
Diamonds Are a Scientist's Best Friend
03 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Although diamonds are incredibly expensive, they're only lumps of concentrated carbon (one of the most common elements on earth). So how do these diam...
The Smelly Science of Perfume
29 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Designed entirely to cater to the sense of smell, perfume occupies a unique position in fashion and society. But when we catch the whiff of a passing ...
Smells like Science
27 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Smells surround us: Astronauts say that space and the moon possess unique aromas, and many animals also have their own unmistakable odors. In this epi...
The Great Space Elevator
22 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that space shuttles need a vast amount of fuel to escape the pull of gravity -- but are space elevators a better alternative? In this e...
The Kardashev Scale
20 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
When Nicolai Kardashev began searching the universe for intelligent life, he built an energy-based scale to measure the progress of any given civiliza...
What is the smart grid?
15 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Think of the U.S. power grid as one gigantic (and outdated) machine. This system works relatively well, but it has a lot of drawbacks. In this episode...
Growing a Green Roof
13 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Are you stuck in the city, sweltering under the summer heat and missing the trees and grass of the natural world? Then why not transform the nearest r...
Prosthetic Limbs
08 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Prosthetic limbs have been around for thousands of years, but could they eventually become superior to organic appendages? In this episode, Allison an...
Predators, Reapers and Robotic War
06 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
We know that robots are taking over more and more tasks traditionally performed by humans -- but assembling cars isn't the same thing as waging war. I...
World-Changing Science Experiments: Part Two
01 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In the second installment of Robert and Allison's two-part series on history's world-changing science experiments, your favorite science writers take ...
World-Changing Science Experiments: Part One
29 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Science experiments aren't just for high school students. In the first installment of this special two-part series, Allison and Robert take a look at ...
Science and Wine
24 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Is the sense of taste subjective? Why are some wines bad news for people with particular allergies? If you're anxious for the answers, never fear: In ...
Death on Ice
22 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to freeze a body and bring it back to life? Through cryonics, scientists preserve bodies at extremely low temperatures, hoping to reviv...
Time Travel: Hey, Grandpa
17 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of this two-part series, Robert and Allison check out the possibilities of travelling into the past. From wormholes to the grand...
Time Travel: Hey, Future Self
15 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone's familiar with the idea of time travel -- but how would it work? This week Robert and Allison explore time travel, and this episode focuses ...
Galactic Youngsters
10 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
It's difficult -- some would say impossible -- to comprehend the sheer size of one galaxy, much less the universe. But how do these gargantuan galaxie...
Will aliens destroy us?
08 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In science fiction, aliens are usually either incredibly benevolent or incomprehensibly evil -- but how would real extraterrestrials behave? Learn mor...
What's the dirt on composting?
03 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
If you're concerned about generating waste in your household, why not start composting? Breaking solid waste down with some help from microorganisms i...
Are robots alive?
01 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
With each year, scientists are building increasingly complex robots, leading to one vital question: At what point does a robot become defined as a liv...
Road Trip: FIRST Robotics
27 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Robert and Allison take a road trip to the Georgia Dome, where they grab an exclusive look at the FIRST Robotics competition. Tune in...
Birth of a Planet
25 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
To most people, planets are one of the most familiar of astronomical objects. After all, we do live on one. But how do these massive spheres get their...
A Star is Born
20 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Like most things in the universe, stars begin as particles floating around in massive clouds of dust and gas. But what forces these particles to coale...
Why Science Fiction Matters
18 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Even people who don't care for science fiction know about the genre -- thousands of new science fiction stories come out every year. But why does scie...
Toilets in Space
13 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Every astronaut knows that life in space requires numerous adjustments -- after all, things just aren't the same without gravity. So how exactly does ...
Immunocontraception and You
11 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Immunocontraception is a humane type of birth control that's used to control wild animal populations. In this episode, Allison and Robert discuss the ...
Regenerate This!
06 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
According to Richard J. Goss, "If there were no regeneration, there could be no life. If everything regenerated, then there could be no death." But ho...
Save the Bats!
04 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
As the only flying mammals, bats play unique roles in our world's ecology. Yet in caves across North America more than a million bats have fallen prey...
Death By Volcano
29 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
People often think of volcanoes as conical mountains erupting ash, smoke and lava into the air. But how do they work? Why are they so dangerous? Liste...
How old is that artifact in the window?
27 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Carbon dating is a way of determining the age of organic matter up to 50,000 years old. But how does it work? Listen in as Allison and Robert explore ...
What drugs are astronauts on?
22 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Make no mistake: Space is a very hostile environment. Astronauts in orbit suffer from conditions caused by the lack of gravity, small living quarters ...
The Virtues of Venom
20 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, venom could kill you -- but it could also cure you. The medicinal use of venom dates back thousands of years and continues to the present day. T...
Tetris vs. PTSD
15 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows that video games are entertaining -- but could they have therapeutical value? Tune in and learn how Tetris may help victims of post-tra...
Velociraptor Awareness Day
13 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Dinosaur appreciation days are few and far between -- but the Velociraptor is a special case. Listen in as Allison and Robert explore the amazing abil...
Black Hole Bonanza
08 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
A black hole forms when a star's core collapses, increasing in density until its gravitational pull becomes too powerful for light to escape. This cre...
Weapons that Changed the World
06 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Here's the crazy thing about war: It breeds innovation. Since the dawn of civilization, human beings have searched for ways to kill each other. Join R...
What can gravity do for you?
01 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Gravity is a pervasive and ambiguous force -- we still don't understand everything about it. Yet every physical act on our planet involves gravity. Jo...
Book Sniffers and You
30 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
You can learn a lot from a book's smell. For example, the books of heavy smokers tend to smell of smoke. When you smell a book, you're encountering mo...
5 Strange Things Written in Your Genes
25 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Genetic polymorphism describes a basic fact of human life -- that every set of genes is unique. However, scientists have been able to detect many phys...
Weighing the Human Soul
23 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1900s, Duncan Macdougall set out to prove the existence of the soul. By placing consumption patients on a scale as they died, he tried to...
How To Get Lost in the Bermuda Triangle
18 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Stretching from Miami to Bermuda and Puerto Rico, the notorious Bermuda Triangle has a bad reputation for wrecking ships and planes. But how much of t...
Are you smarter than a dolphin?
11 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Dolphins are one of Earth's smartest animals. In fact, scientists still aren't sure exactly how smart a dolphin is in relation to the average human be...
Why do whales beach themselves?
09 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
When whales or other aquatic mammals wash onto the shore, they are usually unable to return to the sea without help. What exactly causes a whale to be...
Running with Parasites
04 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a fan of running outside without shoes? Many people enjoy walking barefoot, especially in warmer weather. Yet there's a dark side to the joy o...
How Hurricane Killing Works
02 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
When hurricanes hit land, they can cause enormous damage over a short span of time -- but how can scientists stop these roving natural disasters? The ...
Topsy Rides the Lighting
25 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
What do Edison, Tesla and an unfortunate elephant named Topsy have in common? They were all involved in "The War of Currents," an ongoing battle over ...
Fight Fire with Fire
23 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard the saying "fight fire with fire," but could it actually work? Tune in as Robert and Allison break down the ways in which firefighters...
Those Crazy Komodos
18 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Located in Indonesia, Komodo dragons are one of nature's fiercest living reptiles. They're also the world's largest lizard. Tune in as Robert and Alli...
How well do you know the T. Rex?
16 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The Tyrannosaurus rex is one of history's most well-known, feared and misunderstood dinosaurs. Children often learn that this dinosaur was a ferocious...
What exactly is a gene bank?
11 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
A gene bank is a repository used to preserve genetic material for the future. Gene banks are not a modern concept -- the idea dates back thousands of ...
What can blood spatter tell us?
09 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
To forensic scientists, a bloodstain is more than just a grisly ornament at a crime scene -- so what exactly do they do with it? Turn in and learn mor...
Dinner in Space!
04 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Let's say you're an astronaut: Each day you wake up, conduct research and make adjustments to your orbit. Eventually you grab some chow -- but what ki...
Do I live next to a Grow House?
02 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
When drug dealers want to grow marijuana without getting caught, they often set up a "grow house." These buildings look like any other building, and t...
Are we better off in the dark?
28 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Most city dwellers are familiar with contaminated water and smoggy air -- but have you heard of light pollution? Listen in as Allison and Robert explo...
Mining the Moon
26 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Since helium-3 can be used to power the fusion reactors of the future, it may be one of the world's most important fuel sources. It's rare on Earth, b...
How Exploding Lakes Work
21 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
During 1986, an unusual thing happened in Cameroon: Lake Nyos exploded, expelling a toxic cloud that killed roughly 1700 people. How could this happen...
How Fighting Asteroids Works
12 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Asteroid impacts are inevitable. As they hurtle toward Earth, experts race against the clock to build an effective asteroid deterrent. Will they succe...
Amazing Infestations!
12 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
From hordes of caterpillars in Liberia to the Australian mice plagues, infestations can occur in almost any part of the world. Join Robert and Allison...