Stuff You Should Know

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 are actually handed down by anonymous employees of a...

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 significant troves of Pleistocene fossils, but the La Brea ...

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 about "the beautiful game", from its prehistory, ru...

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 your whereabouts through your phone. And because of h...

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. Insanely high prices, wars and even slavery couldn't undo...

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. It wasn't until the 1980s that the placebo effect...

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 dominate the race for outer space. The Soviets got out to...

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 engineers are working hard on the MOSE project - huge g...

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 are one part scientist, one part scholar, and one p...

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's precisely what experts prescribe parents do to d...

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 builds. Learn about the science of how these natur...

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 metal and plenty of other gross and interesting s...

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's based on? And did you know that the saturated f...

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 results would be startling: Only 1 percent would be hum...

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 mania and depression are just the headlines. There are...

How Gypsies Work

06 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gypsies were called that because they were long ago mistaken as Egyptians. Even their more appropriate name, Roma, is a misnomer since they're not fro...

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 vilified, unfairly say many. Weed has done lots of go...

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 ACLU ultimately displays no allegiance to any politic...

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 marketing ploy to modern weight loss diets that can indu...

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 100 degrees, but early on it and Earth were pract...

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 for empowering women that later gave rise to the s...

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 hysteria brought on by the movie-mad public and unscrup...

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 really it's natural selection that is the engine dri...

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 selection, but he became its father and icon. Learn...

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. Join Josh and Chuck as they look into the history an...

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 costs come down, the list of things you can print ex...

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 they wreak on the people and towns they cover, their...

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 actually not too far off from the reality of amnesia....

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. But what exactly is electricity and how does it ...

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 in them. From then on, with a few notable exception...

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 of what went wrong to prevent future accidents. Le...

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 a few improvements to the design, it took off like...

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 as long as the Internet itself. So what exactly i...

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 death is a scary one indeed, and one both Spain and th...

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 unthinkable when Ohio guardsmen opened fire on prote...

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. They build ventilation systems into their mounds,...

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 until the American Civil War and its 50,000 amputation...

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 human body needs salt so much we have developed a ...

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. Sure prehistoric hominids used caves sometimes but th...

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 took up the investigation into materialism and expe...

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 hard-pressed to sign with a British person. Find out...

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, technology is meeting the desire for individuals' res...

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 collections of private enthusiasts of the occult. Disc...

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 the executive branch hostage to its demands, but ...

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, the types of web pages that turn up in your search ...

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 false. Join Josh and Chuck as they put on their bere...

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 communicate with animals has grown. Today, the co...

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 and united it was first written about, his story wa...

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 the 21st century, doctors have gotten pretty handy a...

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 each year? It's a comparatively small amount, in tru...

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 within as little as a few decades and it doesn't r...

How Fire Breathing Works

26 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

As part of their strange, ongoing suite on circus arts, Chuck and Josh discuss one of the more dangerous crowd favorites, aspirating extremely flammab...

Josh and Chuck's Warm and Cozy Christmas Extravaganza 2013

24 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's finally here, the best episode of the year! It's time to settle in by a nice fire, wrap up in a blanket, heat up a toddy and gather your loved on...

Is lethal injection humane?

19 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Supreme Court's ban on capital punishment was reversed, states have sought a humane method of killing sentenced criminals. They settled on l...

How Manhunts Work

17 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

When a suspect or prisoner goes on the lam there are plenty of ways to hide: in plain sight, in the mountains, in another country. There are as many t...

How Underwater Tunnels Work

12 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's a pretty amazing feat to dig a tunnel beneath a body of water that's big enough (and safe enough) to drive a train through. While humans have bee...

How Maglev Trains Work

05 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the amazing properties of magnets, clever engineers have figured out how to make entire trains levitate above their tracks, letting them mov...

How Castration Works

03 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Josh and Chuck teach you everything you ever wanted to know but were too freaked out to ask about castration. Learn about the history...

How Black Friday Works

28 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

On the day after Thanksgiving, Americans go kind of crazy for the deep discount sales that kick off the holiday shopping season in stores. So crazy, i...

Is there a scientific formula for funny?

26 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded live at the Los Angeles PodFest, this episode of SYSK delves into the longstanding attempt to break down what humans find funny into a scient...

Who killed JFK?

21 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

For the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Josh and Chuck delve into the killing, the investigations and th...

How Chocolate Works

19 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

People have been consuming chocolate for at least a couple thousand years, but it's only been in the last hundred that humanity has arrived at its cro...

How Werewolves Work

14 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever been bitten by a wolf, you're probably familiar with the anxiety of waiting for the next full moon to see if you become a werewolf. Lea...

Some Interesting Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

12 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Everybody knows that cosmologist Stephen Hawking has an enormous brain, but did you also know he has an equal wit? Learn about some of the lesser-know...

How Lewis and Clark Worked

07 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

They may be the most famous explorers in U.S. history, but there are plenty of interesting details to the Lewis and Clark expedition that history has ...

How Chess Works

05 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its knights, bishops and castles, the game of chess has been around a lot longer since the Medieval Age. And it wasn't even invented in Europe...

What's with the Winchester Mystery House?

31 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

After her daughter and husband died, heiress Sarah Winchester became obsessed with the idea that spirits haunted her and to appease them she had to ha...

The Empty House

30 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's Halloween, and Josh and Chuck are ready to creep you out with this year's spooky story, Algernon Blackwood's scary short story, The Empty House. ...

How Ouija Boards Work

29 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Although most people who've used Ouija boards don't think they're communicating with the beyond, there is something mysterious about how it works. Lea...

How Guide Dogs Work

22 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You know how when you see a guide dog leading a blind person to their destination and you think, "There goes a truly great dog?" It turns out you are ...

10 Easy Ways to Save Money

17 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Times are still kind of tough, but there are some time-tested and easy ways to get ahead and in this episode Josh and Chuck explore them. Learn about ...

How the Maori Work

15 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's a familiar theme, an indigenous group's culture falls apart when exposed to European ideals, weapons and disease. For the Maori of New Zealand, h...

Did Archimedes build a death ray?

08 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

During the siege of Syracuse in 214 BCE, the city-state's resident genius, Archimedes, built a number of clever war machines to thwart the invading Ro...

Can NASA predict natural disasters?

03 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The US has developed some great equipment for peering into deep space that can also be used to great effect when trained on Earth. Now NASA is using s...

What's the deal with diplomatic immunity?

01 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You've heard all about diplomatic immunity, but we'll bet you don't really know how it works. Take some time to get into the nuts and bolts of this an...

Does owning a gun change your behavior?

26 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the 1990s, Congress effectively banned the scientific study of gun violence. Still, a handful of researchers plugged on and produced a small b...

How Crack Works

24 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the mid-1980s a new and extremely potent drug hit the scene: crack cocaine. In short order, America was in the grip of both a sweeping addicti...

How Dying Works

19 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck and Josh have covered just about every aspect of death except dying itself. Here, they fulfill the death suite of podcasts with an in-depth look...

How IEDs Work

17 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Improvised explosive devices were the primary killer of American troops in Iraq and continue to top the list in Afghanistan. Their use is so prevalent...

How much money is in the world?

05 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

There are few things more futile than trying to count all of the money in the world. Even many governments have no idea how much currency they have is...

How the Rosetta Stone Works

03 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes providence smiles on historians. Thus is the case with the Rosetta stone, an ancient Egyptian tablet that served as the key for unlocking hi...

How did 168 conquistadors take down the Inca empire?

29 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Just before Francisco Pizarro arrived in South American in 1532, the Inca empire covered 350,000 square miles and boasted a million inhabitants. Yet P...

How Broken Bones Work

27 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's a pretty miserable thing to break a bone. There's the initial blinding pain, all of the medical procedures during a trip to the hospital and then...

History's Greatest Traitors

22 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The annals of history hold a special place for people who have carried out treachery and betrayed their own. Thousands of years later, their names are...

How Ejection Seats Work

20 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

When the Jet Age came about, pilots found they had a brand new problem with their brand new planes: how to bail out when they found themselves in a pi...

How Cockroaches Work

15 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You've seen them in your home and probably squealed in terror, but now it's time to learn all about cockroaches. From their ability to run incredibly ...

Why was Davy Crockett king of the wild frontier?

13 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

If there is an American legend who is both real-life and larger-than-life it is Davy Crockett. While he may not have ""kilt him a b'ar"" when he was t...

How does a diving bell work?

08 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

About 2,400 years ago Aristotle mentions the use of diving bells, apparatuses that convey divers to the bottom of the sea -- or at least below the sur...

The Shark Diaries

07 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode of Stuff You Should Know, Chuck and Josh tip their hats to Shark Week with an old-fashioned radio play. Join the guys (and a f...

How Horseshoes Work

06 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

That laziest of backyard games, horseshoes, is also a very ancient one, developed by people following Greek armies more than 2,000 years ago. Since th...

How Fingerprinting Works

01 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Babylonians, one of the earliest civilizations, were the first to use fingerprints to differentiate people, but it wasn't until the 19th century t...

How LARP Works

30 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Dressing up in duct tape-covered cardboard suit of armor and pretending you're an elf warrior for a weekend at a state park might sound like a pretty ...

Why should you never scare a vulture?

23 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Being ravenous eaters of decaying flesh, vultures have long been shunned by humans. But because of their disgusting habits, vultures provide a much-ne...

Who owns an abandoned house?

18 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the real estate bubble in the U.S. burst in 2008, American cities have had to deal with a substantial uptick in abandoned houses. Faced wit...

How Building Implosions Work

16 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

When you need to take down a 20-story building, a wrecking ball won't do. Instead, you'll need to turn to the handful of companies in the world that a...

How Hip-hop Works

11 Jul 2013

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...

10 Medieval Torture Devices

09 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: This episode on instruments designed solely to produce extreme human suffering during the Middle Ages in Europe is very graphic in nature. Se...

How Miranda Rights Work

04 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 1966, the Supreme Court decided that suspects in criminal cases had the right to be reminded that they didn't have to talk to the fuzz if they...

How Pollen Works

02 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

For about 375 million years, plants have been using pollen (aka plant sperm) to propagate their species. And the technique has stuck around because it...

How Burning Man Works

27 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You've probably heard about Burning Man, it's a week-long party in the middle of a desert made of 50 thousand people living pretty much without rules,...