Stuff You Should Know

SYSK Selects: How Handwriting Analysis Works

16 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, one of the fields of forensic investigation, handwriting analysis is based on the principle of uniqueness - that e...

How the Secret Service Works

14 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Secret Service began after a mandate from President Lincoln called for a service to combat counterfeiters. Since then, they have become more ...

How Psychopaths Work

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are people who walk among us who seem normal, maybe even more charming or intelligent than average, yet they hide disturbing and at times danger...

SYSK Selects: How Hip-hop Works

09 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select, what you hear is not a test, instead it's Chuck and Josh discussing the cultural history of the Hip-Hop movement. Born out...

Are crickets the future of food?

07 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Crickets are part of a larger insect-based diet enjoyed in most parts of the world. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein, and green to boot, cri...

The Baffling Case of the Body On Somerton Beach

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Since his corpse was found in 1948, wearing a nice suit in summer on an Australian beach, an unidentified man has refused to fade into obscurity, grip...

SYSK Selects: How Shrunken Heads Work

02 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, although U.S. museum collections are rife with counterfeits, shrunken heads are far from fiction. The Shuar tribe ...

How Satanism Works

31 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Satanism may be the most misunderstood "religion" in the world. Part of that is because there are, and have been, many offshoots of Satanism, from The...

A Lip-Smacking Look at Barbecue

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Barbecue, or for the lazy, BBQ, is a Southern cooking tradition, but also much more than that. It's a cultural touchstone of the South where people of...

SYSK Selects: Is Stockholm Syndrome real?

26 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, since a hostage standoff in Sweden took place in 1972 a peculiar and mysterious psychological phenomenon has had a...

How Personality Tests Work

24 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For millennia, we have tried to put human personalities into neat types, an effort psychology took up early in its history in an effort to legitimize ...

Is the Uncanny Valley Real?

22 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the more they unsettle humans. His theory became the Un...

SYSK Selects: How Exploitation Films Work

19 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In today's SYSK Select episode, we learn about exploitation films. During the 1930s-80s, the work of directors operating in the shadows of Hollywood l...

What's the deal with accents?

17 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Accents are truly fascinating. Put simply, they are how a person sounds when they talk. From England to America and all over the world, the way people...

How Stuttering Works

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Despite as much as one percent of the adult population having the condition, science doesn't actually know how stuttering works. The best it's come up...

SYSK Selects: How McCarthyism Works

12 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, if you're accusing someone of disloyalty or subversion without decent evidence, then you may be guilty of McCarthy...

How Bioarchaeology Works

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to advancements in fields like genetics, and molecular chemistry, archaeology is undergoing a renaissance and opening up new understanding of t...

Do motivational speakers motivate people?

08 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are all kinds of motivational speakers, from people who have overcome incredible hardships to those who hold pep-rally style events in stadiums....

SYSK Selects: Why do men have nipples?

05 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, they're always right there, taunting you: why do you have me, they ask? Why do men have nipples? It turns out ther...

Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

03 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept. Local reputations were ruined when accusations f...

How Public Broadcasting Works

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Public broadcasting works a bit differently depending on where you are in the world. American TV made the leap more toward commercial broadcasting in ...

SYSK Selects: How Disco Works

29 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In today's SYSK Select episode, fly, robin, fly indeed. No musical genre has risen and burned out as quickly as disco, and historians are still trying...

A Dry Look at Toilet Paper

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Over or under? One ply or two? How about six? TP has not been around that long, but is has been embraced in a big way by the United States. Learn all ...

What is Ghost Fishing?

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It sounds cool, but ghost fishing is actually a tragic byproduct of modern fishing practices, where abandoned nylon nets can trap and kill sealife for...

SYSK Selects: How the Sun Works

22 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, amateur astrophysicists Josh and Chuck break out the stats and attempt to explain the complex, boiling ball of gas...

All We Know About Guessing

20 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Guessing is a weird thing. For millennia, it could have meant the difference between life and death. Now it's not as vital, but we still do it every d...

Sunburn, Suntans and Sunscreen

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's pretty obvious something's gone wrong when you get a sunburn, but did you know a tan means you've damaged your DNA? Dive into the three Ss of sum...

SYSK Selects: Why can't we find Amelia Earhart?

15 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, famed aviator Amelia Earhart's disappearance in 1937 is a mystery that endures to this day. Why don't we know what...

How Fever Dreams Work

13 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Fever dreams can be unsettling experiences. These ramped up nightmares are vivid, detailed and only happen when the human body experiences a fever. Wh...

Why is There a Battle Over Net Neutrality?

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Net neutrality is the idea that the internet is a public good and that everyone should have equal, unfettered access to it. Though the FCC strongly su...

SYSK Selects: How HeLa Cells Work

08 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, after she was diagnosed with the cervical cancer that shortly killed her, a tissue sample was taken from Henrietta...

Josh and Chuck's List of Horror Movies that Changed the Genre

06 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Once in a while a movie comes along that's so forward-thinking it changes the way that horror is done. A new subgenre is spawned, new tropes are estab...

What exactly is stoicism?

04 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The word stoic has taken on its own meaning apart from the philosophical movement which gave it life. Learn all about the early stoics, what the philo...

SYSK Selects: Why isn't the U.S. on the metric system?

01 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, the U.S. stands proudly defiant and the world looks at Americans as dopes for the U.S.'s stubborn refusal to go me...

How Standardized Patients Work

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Even the most brilliant medical minds need a good bedside manner, and thanks to standardized patients, they can improve their skills. What are they? P...

Remembering Stonewall

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

One of American history's darker moments, the Stonewall Riots were also the event that galvanized the gay rights movement in the United States. Today ...

SYSK Selects: Scooby Dooby Doo, Where Are You?

24 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, for decades, Scooby Doo has captivated children across the world. It's been translated to multiple languages and r...

How Ketchup Works

22 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Little-known fact: Ketchup, possibly the most all-American of condiments, evolved from fermented fish sauce people in Southeast Asia have been making ...

How Seed Banks Work

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Since the advent of agriculture, humans have been storing seeds. But as sea levels rise and climates change around the world, our reasons for banking ...

SYSK Selects: Do you stay conscious after being decapitated?

17 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, historically speaking, decapitation was a popular means of execution -- it's been used by everyone from ancient Ro...

What was Camp X?

15 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the early days of World War II, there was a secret training program in Canada that taught Allied saboteurs everything from espionage and bridge blo...

How the Beagle Brigade Works

13 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever been to an international airport, you've probably seen one of the keenest spotters of illegal contraband - The Beagle Brigade! These cu...

SYSK Selects: How Maps Work

10 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, yes, your brain may have just flash-dried from boredom at the thought of learning about maps, but it turns out the...

Why Are Whale Strandings Still a Mystery?

08 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For millennia, mass strandings of whales have confounded us. Why should dozens or more whales come onto shore only to die a terrible and lengthy death...

How Coelacanths Work

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Coelacanths are incredibly interesting as far as fish go. For one, they were thought to have gone the way of the dinosaur, along with the dinosaur. Th...

SYSK Selects: What's the deal with Rasputin's death?

03 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, Grigori Rasputin, the Russian charismatic cleric and political adviser to the ruling Romanovs, is said to have bee...

The Stories Behind A Few Food Fads

01 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

America loves to go nuts over new food trends and it turns out that the 20th century was a boon time for them. Learn more about your ad-choices at ht...

Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?

30 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it harder for groups that traditionally vote Democrat...

SYSK Selects: How Beer Works

27 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, at long last, Josh and Chuck take on perhaps their most important topic ever. Learn about the history of beer, how...

How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement

25 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Schoolhouse Rock is possibly the best children's program of all time. Join Josh and Chuck as they tell the story of SR, featuring an interview with Pa...

Is a head transplant really a thing?

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Head transplant" is a bit of a misnomer, because it's more like a body transplant. But either way, the idea is that one human will wake up from surge...

SYSK Selects: How Magic Mushrooms Work

20 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, for thousands of years, humans have used hallucinogenic mushrooms for spiritual reasons. Today, however, having th...

How the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis Work

18 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn't too long ago that humans thought the polar lights were signs from the afterlife. Thanks to a 19th century Norwegian, we now understand that ...

How Champagne Works

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sure we can all agree that champagne is probably the greatest thing humans have or ever will invent, but how much do we understand how it's made? Lea...

SYSK Selects: Gesundheit! How Allergies Work

13 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, about 30-40 percent of humans suffer from some sort of allergy. The big joke, though, is that every sufferer is th...

How Charismatic Megafauna Work

11 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Charismatic Megafauna is not just a great band name. It's really just a fancy word for the cutest and most personality plus animals at the zoo. We're ...

How Itching Works

09 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It was only in the last few decades that science became aware that itches aren't just low-level pain. And in that time, the mystery of how we itch and...

SYSK Selects: What's the 10,000 Year Clock?

06 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, in a desert in Texas a 200-feet-tall clock is being constructed deep inside a mountain. Once completed, it will ke...

Some Nutso Fan Theories

04 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It turns out that the characters in your favorite TV shows and the like are actually dead, dreaming, dying or don't exist. Learn more about your ad-c...

How Poetry Works

02 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Poetry is a broad and expansive art form. From dramatic verse to haiku, rhyming poetry and spoken word, there are many hats a poet can wear. Join Josh...

SYSK Selects: How Revisionist History Works

29 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, perhaps you equate the term to conspiracy theories and Holocaust denials, but revisionism is a genuine discipline ...

How Multiple Sclerosis Works

27 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When the immune system mistakes the tissue covering neural connections as foreign invaders, the result can devastate the body. There is hope, however,...

How the National Security Council Works

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Until recently, most people probably never paid much attention to the National Security Council. It's been around a long time though, and the presiden...

SYSK Selects: How Breast Implants Work

22 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, the first attempt at breast augmentation surgery was on a dog. The second on a woman who went in for tattoo remova...

How Swearing Works

20 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Swearing is something that's been done across all cultures, virtually since humans began speaking. What is it about these taboo words that offend some...

How Corsets Work

18 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, we're doing an episode on corsets. Why do you ask? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/l...

SYSK Selects: Lying Liars: How Lying Works, Liar

15 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, studies find that absolutely everyone lies - some have found as much as a quarter of our daily interactions involv...

How Supervolcanoes Work

13 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Until recently, volcanologists thought supervolcanoes were simply massive volcanoes. But further research has revealed that they are far different - a...

How Supreme Court Nominations Work

11 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Being nominated as a Supreme Court Justice is no small thing, and it doesn't always go as planned. With this week's confirmation of Justice Gorsuch, J...

SYSK Selects: Can you die of a broken heart?

08 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, in the early 1990s, Japanese researchers found a strange anomaly in their study subjects, five people who had inex...

How Empathy Works

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either one of those. Some say a lack of empathy can indic...

Composting: Nature's Most Interesting Process

04 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you're not looking closely enough. Inside that compos...

SYSK Selects: How Filibusters Work

01 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's SYSK Select episode, although lots of people incorrectly believe the filibuster was an intentional rule created by the founders of the ...

The Shroud Of Turin: No Ordinary Bed Sheet

30 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Shroud of Turin is no ordinary bed sheet. Some think it's the burial cloth of Jesus. Others think it's an amazing piece of artwork. The truth is, ...

How Foreign Accent Syndrome Works

28 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Foreign accent syndrome isn't when your mom talks funny when she goes abroad. It's an actual condition where people wake up one day with an entirely d...

How the Hyperloop Will Work

23 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re out there, Elon Musk, this one’s for you (although you already know everything in this episode). Everybody else, buckle in and sit back ...

Solitary Confinement: Cruel and Unusual

21 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our continuing exploration of crime and punishment, we take a look at the practice of solitary confinement. To be sure, it has its place in prisons...

Southerners Aren’t Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm

16 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a stereotype that still somewhat survives today. But...

Pain Scales: Yeeeow!

14 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat pain, it helps to quantify it, which is why medicin...

History of the Trail of Tears, Part II

09 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the second of two parts, what was once a voluntary resettlement program becomes a violent, forced relocation under the leadership of President Andr...

History of the Trail of Tears, Part I

07 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this first of two episodes on the Trail of Tears, learn about the forces that converged to create the series of events that formed the basis of wha...

How Optical Illusions Work

02 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Now you see it, now you don't — optical illusions can fool us into seeing what's not actually there. But what causes that disconnect between percept...

How Free Speech Works

28 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment doesn't really define free speech, and plenty of expre...

How Famines Work

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It’s common knowledge that famines are usually caused by major droughts: Rain doesn’t fall, crops don’t grow, and people go hungry. But recent r...

The ins and outs of the DEATH TAX

21 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The estate tax, also known as the death tax, is not new. It's actually been around in some form since ancient Rome. Some say it's a necessary tax to h...

The Black Panther Party

16 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant group who hated white people. Far from it, they were ...

Tardigrades: Nature's Cuddly, Indestructible Microanimal

14 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You can burn them, freeze them, shoot them into space – they wouldn’t bat an eyelash, even if they had eyelashes. Go into the microcosmos and lear...

Live from San Francisco: How Malls Work

09 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this show recorded live on January 5, 2017 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Josh and Chuck delve into the history and the heyday of the church ...

The Quinoa Revolution!

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Quinoa is a trendy food, right alongside kale and anything else farm to table. But it's really an ancient grain. Although it's not exactly a grain at ...

What's the future of virtual sex?

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the not too distant future, sex may not involve being in the same room as your partner. In fact, your partner may not even have to be a human. We'r...

Elastics: Where God and Science Smooch

31 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You could be forgiven for thinking the story behind elastics was boring. You’d still be wrong, though. The story of what’s holding up your underwe...

How Pacifism Works (And Could It?)

26 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There is deep disagreement over whether humans are essentially peaceful or essentially warlike. Depending on your view you may see pacifism as either ...

How Dictators Work

24 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are many types of dictators, from so called "benevolent" ones to the kind who rule with an iron fist. There are also many ways they can come int...

How Soylent Works

19 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Soylent is a meal replacement drink, but not really. So what is it? Total sustenance in a glass? Some say so. Is it made from humans? No, that's just ...

Are Artificial Sweeteners Really Bad For You?

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial sweeteners have gotten a bad rap in the press for as long as they’ve been in use. But is it just the result of a fear of science or do ar...

How Watersheds Work

12 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Unless you happen to be standing on a hilltop or swimming in the ocean right now, you are on a watershed. These unsung wonders of topography and hydro...

What's the deal with Baby Boomers?

10 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Baby Boomers are probably the most talked about generation in American history. But who are these people and how did they help shape the country we kn...

How Feeding Babies Works: The Bottle

05 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The decision to bottle feed a baby instead of breast-feeding is a weighty one these days, fraught with supposed developmental pitfalls and very real s...

How Feeding Babies Works: The Breast

03 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Breast milk is considered a perfect food for infants, so much so that for the first four to six months of life, a baby can subsist on mother’s milk ...

Human Blockheads: A Real Thing

29 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Human blockheads are performers who hammer nails and things into their noses. Yup. That's a thing. And it isn't a trick either - anyone can do it. Jus...