Stuff You Should Know

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...

Can you live without a bank account?

27 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Seems like it would be nearly impossible to live without a bank account these days. But it is possible! Learn all about banking and personal finance i...

The Stuff You Should Know 2016 Christmas Extravaganza in 3-D!

22 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the most wonderful time of year again! Time for Josh and Chuck to take you on a cozy, hall-decked ride full of glad tidings right into the hear...

The Golden Age of Grave Robbing: Stuff You Should Know Live in London

20 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

There was a brief period in the US, UK and Ireland when a dead body could fetch a pretty penny for a person willing to dig it up and sell it to surgeo...

How Porta-Potties Work

15 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Despite our lengthy history of evacuating our bowels and bladders, it wasn’t until the relatively recent 1940s that we began to construct portable, ...

Will We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects?

13 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evidence of massive engineering projects that encapsul...

Is computer addiction a thing?

08 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Computer addiction is really an umbrella term for the various addictions that can come along with the computer. We're talking video games, porn, gambl...

Horoscopes: Written in the Stars?

06 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of people read their daily horoscopes, but does anyone really take stock in them? Turns out the answer is yes, even though there is no evidence ...

How a Flea Circus Works

01 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever seen a flea circus, then count yourself among the few. It's a dying art, but back in the day they thrilled and delighted young and old ...

Frostbite: Yeeeow!

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Up to the 1950s most reports of frostbite came from the world’s militaries, but as outdoor sports have gotten more popular, so have frostbite cases....

Should Advertising to Kids Be Banned?

24 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As kids’ buying power in America has exploded in recent decades, so too has the amount companies spend advertising to them. But because of a quirk o...

The Kitty Genovese Story

22 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Most people have heard of the story of Kitty Genovese. She was murdered near her apartment in 1964 and her neighbors didn't do much to help. It caused...

What's the Deal with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?

17 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Concussions are bad enough for football players, but research has found all of those smaller hits can add up to massive brain trauma later in life too...

How Fireplaces Work

15 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

They are dirty, harmful to your health, bad for the environment and utterly charming. Wood-burning fireplaces have been with us for centuries and, des...

How Monty Python Worked: SYSK Live from LA Podfest

10 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Things get awesome when Josh and Chuck do a live show on Monty Python at the LA Podcast Festival. Hang out as the duo dives into the "Beatles of Comed...

Do sin taxes work?

08 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Taxing things like alcohol, tobacco and gambling is big money and has been for a long time. But are these "sin taxes" keeping people from indulging or...

A Partial History of Action Figures

03 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots of dolls came along at just the right time to capt...

Ham Radio and the Hams Who Use Them

01 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you thought that Ham Radio enthusiasts were (mostly) men and boys who sit alone late at night in order to scan frequencies searching for a human co...

SYSK The Podcast: Special Halloween Bonus Episode 2016, The Sequel – From Hell

31 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lock your doors and grab something heavy to defend yourself, like a candlestick or something, because Josh and Chuck are going to scare the wits out o...

The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders

27 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In 1922, a little farm in the woods of Bavaria became the site of what would become Germany’s most famous unsolved murder, when six people were brut...

How Sleep Paralysis Works, or The Worst Thing That Can Happen While You're Sleeping

25 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

For as long as people have been sleeping, about half of us have probably suffered from sleep paralysis. Thanks to an unusual fluke in the sleep cycle,...

Living Underground in Beijing

20 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Chairman Mao’s paranoia of a Soviet invasion led to hundreds of thousands of Beijing residents put to work for a decade building an 85-square-km und...

What's the What with Fish Fraud?

18 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Fish fraud, misrepresenting a fish as a more expensive one, costs Americans $25 billion a year. And because less than 100 inspectors check for fraud i...

How the Census Works

13 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Counting humans has been happening for a long, long time. It usually had to do with taxing them, but now census data can reveal a lot about a populati...

Hibernation: Not a Snooze

11 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When animals are faced with scarce food in the winter, they have two choices to stay alive: migrate or hibernate. For hibernators, their bodies underg...

Why Did Easter Island's Civilization Collapse?

06 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When the first Europeans landed on Rapa Nui, which they renamed Easter Island, they were puzzled by what happened there. Only a few thousand people li...

The Amazing History of Soda

03 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The soda we get instantly mixed at a fast-food joint owes a lot to a rich history going back to the Roman baths, that features drugs, diseases and exp...

How Polar Bears Work

29 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Polar bears are more than just lovable creatures that roam the ice in search of food. They're one of the most fascinating animals on planet Earth. Sad...

How Ice Ages Work

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Believe it or not, we live in an ice age. The polar glaciers give it away. Those glaciers used to come clear down to New York. We now know the traces ...

All we know about Zika so far...

22 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Zika is all over the news these days, yet in America, people don't seem to be too concerned just yet. Some say it's a case of the media crying wolf. O...

How Cerebral Palsy Works

20 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Cerebral palsy isn’t a disease, but an umbrella term for conditions arising from brain damage suffered in the womb or shortly after birth. The facto...

What's the deal with Stradivarius violins?

15 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Strad violin is noted for its tonal qualities and superior craftsmanship. And for its price tag. There are many theories why the Strad sounds so g...

Alexander Hamilton: Most Influential American?

13 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Alexander Hamilton, the "ten dollar founding father," is more than the toast of Broadway. In fact, he just may be the most influential American in his...

Do Animals Have Natural Rights?

08 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Animals have had legal protection from unnecessary harm since the 19th century. Yet what harm is necessary is open to interpretation and animals conti...

How Animal Testing Works

06 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The use of animals for commercial and scientific testing is a quietly controversial topic. That we humans have advanced as a species because we use an...

How the Negro Leagues Worked

01 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A decade before the U.S. officially segregated in 1896, baseball banned black players. A decade before the US integrated, baseball broke the color bar...

How Food Tasters Work

30 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Some people might think that tasting food for a living is the best job in the whole wide world. But think again! The reality is, it can be a tedious, ...

This Custom of Customs

25 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Customs may be a pain when you're traveling, but it's a necessary instrument the government uses to regulate trade. And it has a very fascinating hist...

Jellyfish: Even Cooler than Octopi?

23 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into their juvenile stage when resources are scarce, r...

The Delightful History of Steam Technology

18 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

One of the coolest things humans have ever figured out is how to use steam as power. It made the Industrial Revolution possible and even today, 88% of...

How Woolly Mammoths Worked

16 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It was only 11000 years ago that the last true woolly mammoths died out, close enough to the modern age that humans lived alongside them. But were hum...

Evel Knievel Part II

11 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, we cover part two of our Evel Knievel suite. The man, the myth, the legend. Check in and listen to the latter stages of Evel's car...

Evel Knievel Part I

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Evel Knievel was perhaps the world's most legendary daredevil. He came along at a time when the world ate up this kind of entertainment, partially in ...

Mermaids: Not a real thing

04 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Mermaids aren't real. That much we know. But the history and lore of these magical and sometimes menacing creatures of the sea is pretty interesting s...

How Night Terrors Work

01 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Night terrors, an uncommon sleep disorder, happen when the brain doesn't transition correctly to deep sleep. The result is terrifying, with the suffer...

What is exploding head syndrome?

28 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Exploding head syndrome isn't nearly as weird as it sounds, and there are no brain parts being damaged. But if you suffer from it, you will definitely...

How Triage Works

26 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Triage is a system that provides immediate attention and categorization for medical emergencies that hopefully will never be a big part of your life. ...

How the Moonwalk Works

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk in 1983 the world was enrapt. The dance goes back farther, to the 1930s, and pops up again in the 50s, befor...

How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe

19 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Since the age of Descartes, science has put all of its eggs in the basket of determinism, the idea that with accurate enough measurements any aspect o...

The Gettysburg Address: Short and Sweet

14 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in political history, despite only being a few hundred words long. What was so special about...

How Radiation Sickness Works

12 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Fortunately, science has very few instances where humans have been exposed to acute radiation poisoning to study for clues to treating radiation sickn...

What's with this "Internet of Things"?

07 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard about the Internet of Things and not known what the term meant. It's basically a collection of object conected to your life and the...

Research tips from SYSK

05 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'll give you some tips on how to root out the bad st...

How Lighthouses Work

30 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

People have been burning fires on cliffs as long as other people have used boats, but after the Age of Exploration, lighthouses took their unmistakabl...

How Underground Mining Works

28 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

People used to use deer antlers to beat the minerals out of rock hidden in the earth. Luckily, they got better at it, and now modern mining is a mind-...

What's the misery index?

23 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Economists love their data because somewhere in the numbers lies the answer to the ills of the country. They also love to frame data in a way people c...

How Space Stations Work

21 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like we largely take it for granted these days, but the fact that we have humans living in space is the realization of a scientific dream a c...

How Steadicams Work

16 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

There have been many inventions that have advanced filmmaking, but maybe none as important as the steadicam. Invented in the mid-70s, it literally cha...

Why Are So Many Disembodied Feet Washing Ashore In British Columbia?

14 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Between 2007 and 2016, 17 disembodied feet - still wearing shoes - have washed ashore between Washington and British Columbia. What's behind the sudde...

What's the deal with controlled burns?

09 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Starting a fire to prevent fire seems counterintuitive, but it makes a lot of sense once you understand it. But controlled burns aren't just to help p...

How Motion Sickness Works

07 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Motion sickness is the worst and hits about 25 to 40 percent of humans when they ride in cars, boats, or simply watch the wrong 3-D movie. Join us as ...

How Gene Editing Works

02 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

With the discovery of a surprising immune response in E coli bacteria, we are facing a new era of freedom from genetic mutations that lead to disease ...

How SuperBalls Work

31 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

You can thank Wham-O's SuperBall for inspiring the name of the NFL's Big Game (buh) and you can thank the fear and the Soviet launch of Sputnik arouse...

How Crumple Zones Work

25 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever been in a bad accident in a newer car, you probably have crumple zones to thank for your life. Much more interesting than you think, th...

Chiggers: The Phantom Menace

23 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. But they aren't insects - mites are actually part ...