Boomerangs: Magic Sticks of Physics
16 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The physics behind returning boomerangs literally may be the most difficult concept to understand in...
Homeschooling: Not Just For Hippies and Religious People Anymore
11 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the 1970s, homeschooling was illegal in the U.S., but after activists of all stripes lobbied...
How The Hum Works
09 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There is a mysterious droning sound often described as like a diesel engine idling that is severely ...
How X-Rays Work
04 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medica...
How Leper Colonies Worked
02 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, used to mean a one-way ticket to banishment. But once medic...
How Terraforming Will Work
27 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of great thinkers are warning that if humans are to survive as a species we are going to have ...
How Kickstarter Works
25 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With billions of dollars raised, Kickstarter has singled itself out as the go-to site for creative c...
What is Collective Hysteria?
20 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the history of the world, there have been many cases of what is known as collective hyste...
How the Enlightenment Works
18 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in re...
What's the deal with crop circles?
13 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
For a while in the 1980s, people were fascinated and confused about what exactly crop circles were. ...
How Patents Work
11 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technologica...
How Limousines Work
06 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The first limousines weren't even cars! Learn all about the history of limousines, how they're made ...
Can Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World?
04 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The world's energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working on...
SYSK's Halloween Scare Fest
31 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready to be creeped out and join Chuck and Josh as they read you with two spooky classic horror ...
How Haunted House Attractions Work
30 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of s...
Is there a disease that kills by preventing sleep?
28 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The strange disease of fatal familial insomnia was first recorded in the 18th century. Its victims l...
How Animal Camouflage Works
23 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The wild kingdom is filled with examples of animals that can camouflage themselves into their enviro...
How Extinction Works
21 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have d...
How The Great Train Robbery Worked
16 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In 1963, 15 men got together in England to pull off one of the most daring heists in history. The Gr...
Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck
14 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're...
How Skywriting Works
09 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the 1920s, skywriting was invented to communicate with troops, but it quickly found its foot...
How Karate Works
07 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Karate, meaning "open" and "hand", was developed in Okinawa before being exported to Japan and then ...
How Panic Attacks Work
02 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Almost three percent of Americans suffer from a debilitating disorder that causes them to suffer int...
How Rogue Waves Work
30 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rogue waves come out of nowhere and tower as much as 100 feet over hapless ships they encounter, bre...
How Animal Domestication Works
25 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domest...
How Police Interrogation Works
23 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, police across the U.S. get thousands of criminals to confess to their crimes. The troubl...
How Currency Works
18 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Even if you entirely eschew the concept of money, we'll bet you'd be hard pressed not to trade in so...
How Socialism Works
16 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In America it's virtually a dirty word, but after being dragged through the mud for a century, socia...
How Stem Cells Work
09 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Since scientists realized there is a type of cell that can grow into any other type, they have worke...
How TV Ratings Work
04 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder why some great shows go off the air after a season or less? Blame it on the Nielsen comp...
How Pinball Works
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornogra...
How Blimps Work
28 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
After newsreels captured the Hindenburg erupting in fire in 1937, the promising development of airsh...
What's the deal with headstones?
26 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Headstones have quite an interesting history. From the beginnings of marking graves with simple wood...
How the Berlin Wall Worked
21 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's hard to believe now, but just over 25 years ago there was a giant concrete wall separating East...
Going Up: Elevators
19 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Elevators are way more interesting than you might think. In this week's episode, Chuck and Josh boar...
How Ebola Works
14 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A disease that was discovered and contained to Central Africa in the 1970s has revived and spread in...
How the NSA Works
12 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck and Josh dive into the secret world of the National Security Agency, from the origins of the s...
What is a Numbers Station?
07 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
If you think secretly coded messages sent via short wave radio is Cold War relic, think again. Chuck...
How Play-Doh Works
05 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Do you love Play-Doh? Chuck and Josh certainly love to talk about it, from its interesting history a...
How Morgellons Disease Works
31 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There is a condition that can cause people to feel bugs crawling beneath their skin so acutely that ...
Is there a dark side of the moon?
29 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck explore the old notion that there's a dark side of the moon. There is, but it turns o...
The Skinny on Probiotics
24 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
You can find probiotics - bacteria thought to have healthful benefits for humans - in everything fro...
How Trickle-Down Economics Works
22 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The concept of trickle-down economics is tied to Ronald Reagan, but the idea's been around and in us...
How In Vitro Fertlization Works
17 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In the U.S. alone, more than 6 million people are affected by infertility and science has taken up t...
How Sushi Works
15 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sushi grew out of a way to ferment fish a couple thousand years ago and in the late 20th century beg...
How Grass Works? Yes, How Grass Works
10 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There's nothing more boring than watching grass grow, which is why Josh and Chuck aren't asking you ...
Is brain size related to intelligence?
08 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that the larger the brain, the higher the intelligence is an old one, but it's pretty much ...
How Monopoly Works
03 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you're probably familiar with the board game Monopo...
How The Louvre Works
01 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The most famous museum in the world, France's Louvre, has been the seat of high art and culture for ...
How the MPAA Works
26 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
You may be surprised to learn those ubiquitous ratings, from G to NC-17, put on movies in America ar...
How the La Brea Tar Pits Work
24 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's surprising that a few 12-feet-deep pools of asphalt have proven to be one of the most significa...
How Soccer Works
19 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe you hail from a soccer crazed country - or from the U.S. Either way, there's lots to discuss a...
Is your employer spying on you?
17 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Your employer may be secretly reading your emails, watching what websites you visit and tracking you...
Sugar: It Powers the Earth
12 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanel...
How the Placebo Effect Works
10 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, doctors have prescribed drugs they knew weren't real - but that still somehow worked....
How the Space Race Worked
05 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1950s and 60s, the United States and the Soviet Union battled it out to see who would dominat...
Why is Venice so wet?
03 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Venice, Italy has a problem. It's sinking, and the water around it is rising. Thankfully, some engin...
Archaeology in a Nutshell
29 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
If you thought Indiana Jones was the model archaeologist, you're pretty much right. Archaeologists a...
How Temper Tantrums Work
27 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
When your kid boils over in the grocery store, it can be tough to stay calm and ignore it, but that'...
How Avalanches Work
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, as snow builds on peaks across the world's mountain ranges, the potential for avalanches ...
8 Reasons Why Your Body Is So Gross
20 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Your body right now is home to a liter of mucous, countless fat-loving mites, acid that can dissolve...
How the Paleo Diet Works
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard of the Paleo Diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, but do you know the science it...
How the Human Microbiome Project Works
13 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
If it was possible to take a full scan of all of the DNA of every cell in and on your body the resul...
How Bipolar Disorder Works
08 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Suffering from bipolar disorder means a lot more than your garden variety mood swings. Bouts of mani...
How Gypsies Work
06 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gypsies were called that because they were long ago mistaken as Egyptians. Even their more appropria...
How Marijuana Works
01 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia people used marijuana for fun and medicine. Not until the 20th century that was it vil...
How the ACLU Works
29 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Being a card-carrying member of the ACLU is tantamount to being a super liberal to some, but the ACL...
Halitosis: Worst Smell Ever?
24 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Occasional bad breath is one thing, halitosis is another. Or is it? From its odd origins as a market...
How Mars Works
22 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sure today Mars would kill you with its thin, toxic atmosphere and cold desert temperature swings of...
How Burlesque Works
17 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What's old is new again as far as burlesque is concerned. Come explore what was an old-timey outlet ...
How Dissociative Identity Disorder Works
15 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dissociative Identity Disorder was known as multiple personality disorder until a case of mass hyste...
How Natural Selection Works
10 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
While evolution gets all the spotlight for moving species into better versions of themselves, but re...
How Charles Darwin Worked
08 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Darwin wasn't the first or only scientist to grasp the theory of evolution through natural s...
How Income Taxes Work
03 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
They are among the more reviled concepts of modern life, and yet they are as inevitable as death. Jo...
How 3D Printing Works
01 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With 3D printing you can print not just pictures and words, but actual objects from files. And as co...
How Landslides Work
27 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Landslides are a form of mass movement of the Earth, and with the amount of death and destruction th...
How Amnesia Works
25 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Those movies where someone gets hit on the head and can't remember who they are anymore? They're act...
How Electricity Works
20 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It is literally all around you (and even inside you) - electricity makes up the basis of modern life...
Tattoos: Not Just For Dirtbags Anymore
18 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Most Europeans first encountered tattoos after sailors visiting the South Pacific returned covered i...
How Black Boxes Work
13 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Black boxes are designed to be the only survivor of plane crashes so they can live to tell the tale ...
How Skateboarding Works
11 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Skateboarding started out as something bored surfers did when the waves weren't breaking, but after ...
How Online Dating Works
06 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
No longer weird, possibly still desperate and approaching normal, online dating's been around almost...
How the Spanish Inquisition Worked
04 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of pious monks imbued with unbridled power and with a penchant for dealing torture and deat...
What happened at Kent State?
27 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
On May 4, 1970, four days of anti-war protests at Kent State University in Ohio culminated in the un...
Termites: They Bore But They Aren't Boring
25 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Their soft white bodies look creepy and, to be sure, they are, but termites are pretty amazing bugs....
How Amputation Works
20 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Amputation is one of the oldest surgeries and an even older punishment for crime, but it wasn't unti...
How Salt Works
18 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A Roman senator once said, "Mankind can live without gold, but not without salt." Right he was. The ...
How Cave Dwellers Work
13 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
You know the cavemen, a race of human cousins who lived exclusively in caves? They didn't exist. Sur...
Do objects or experiences make us happier?
11 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Since Sartre classified things that make us happy into the categories of having and doing, science t...
How Sign Language Works
06 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It wasn't until the was developed and despite its co-existence alongside English, a user would be ha...
Will computers replace doctors?
04 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With savvy and health-conscious people taking control of their wellbeing through apps and sites, tec...
What are crystal skulls?
30 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the early 20th-century mysterious skulls made from polished crystals began to enter the coll...
What's the deal with the debt ceiling?
28 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Lately it's been common news fodder that Congress uses its ability to raise the debt ceiling to hold...
How the Deep Web Works
23 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps you didn't realize that when you search the web you're only skimming the surface. In fact, t...
Chuck and Josh Bust a Few Everyday Myths
21 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There are lots of common "facts" that everyone knows, but it turns out a lot of them are actually fa...
How Pet Psychics Work
16 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 21st century a trend of people who claim to be able to telepathically and clairvoyantly...
Was there a real King Arthur?
14 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain a...
Your limb is torn off - now what?
07 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Were you to be the unfortunate victim of a limb removal of any sort, you could take hope. Here in th...
Could you live without a refrigerator?
02 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know that hulking refrigerator in your kitchen emits CO2 thanks to the electricity it uses ea...
Will solar sails take us to the stars?
31 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
We have within our grasp here on Earth the technology that could make interstellar travel a reality ...