Stuff You Should Know

Rainbows: Delighting humanity since forever

03 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Rainbows seem to defy nature, but they're really pretty simple when it comes down to it. Turns out it's just light reacting to water droplets in the a...

How Hot Wheels Work

29 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your engines revved for this trip down memory lane as ...

How Poison Ivy Works

27 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Poison ivy, oak and sumac are all variations of the same plant and they all can make you itch... if you're susceptible that is. In this episode, you'l...

Nostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much.

22 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Nostradamus delighted us all in grade school, but it turns out the real guy wasn't quite as prescient as we were led to believe. In truth, he wrote a ...

How the March on Washington Worked

20 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

1963 was a huge year of conflict and progress for the American Civil Rights Movement and the March On Washington was the high water mark of that event...

Juggling: What the Heck

15 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot - A LOT - to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion's share of it. Delve into the deep history, physics, how-tos and different ty...

How the Scientific Method Works

13 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many people - including some scientists - don't fully und...

How Online Gambling Works

08 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Pretty much immediately after the Internet was opened to the world online gambling sites sprang up. Over the last couple decades, U.S. law and online ...

How Jim Henson Worked

06 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We've already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved into him even further. Learn all about the man behind t...

SYSK Live: How Bars Work

01 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Join Josh and Chuck live from Vancouver as they dive in to the ins and outs of one of the oldest businesses in the world - the bar! Learn about the hi...

How Sea Monsters Work

30 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited with creating the universe. Even today when the sea washes som...

Josh and Chuck's 2014 Christmas Extravaganza!

25 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of year again! Time to get cozy and tuck in with Josh and Chuck as they spread glad tidings and warm Christmas cheer. Tune in to hear a...

How the GED Test Works

23 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The GED test was once part of a non-profit organization. That all changed in 2014, when it was privatized, made more expensive and more difficult to p...

How Cinnamon Works

18 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In another commodities edition of SYSK, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of cinnamon, once the world's most prized and pricey spice. But did you kno...

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 the entire body of science. Join Josh and Chuck a...

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 lawmakers, schooling kids at home has become a vi...

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 impacting the quality of life of 2 percent of peop...

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 medical breakthrough still in use today. Learn about how...

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 medicine trained its sights on wiping out what might be...

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 to find another planet to live on. Terraforming, o...

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 crowdfunding. But not without some controversy alon...

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 hysteria - groups of people, usually young women, who a...

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 reason. Did it shift too far? Learn about this massi...

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. Now we know that they aren't signs left from alien...

How Patents Work

11 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technological advances, the U.S. patent system has become a bi...

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 and some of the most creative and expensive amenit...

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 what could solve the world's energy and climate c...

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 stories, The Striding Place and The Pale Man in th...

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 sophistication in the scares and gore effects conti...

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 lose their ability to sleep, slip into coma and die...

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 environment, but the means and the methods are also wild...

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 disappeared through extinction. This is a natural p...

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 Great Train Robbery was the crime of the century, ca...

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 doing it. Learn everything you ever needed to kno...

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 footing as a popular way for companies to advertise. L...

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 the rest of the world. It is one of the most widel...

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 intense fear seemingly without reason and science has...

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, breaking across the boat and frequently breaking the ...

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 domestication of wild animals, is the single biggest thi...

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 trouble is, the procedure that almost all departments us...

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 some form of currency. Learn how everything from cow...

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, socialism is still a part of the U.S.'s national charac...

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 worked to use them to heal human conditions like Parkin...

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 company, which has for more than 60 years been the alm...

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 pornography shops. The game was finally legalized, thanks ...

How Blimps Work

28 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

After newsreels captured the Hindenburg erupting in fire in 1937, the promising development of airship aviation was cut short. Today companies and mil...

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 carvings to the elaborate tombstones that would c...

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 and West Germany. In this episode, Chuck and Josh...

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 board the lift to enlighten everyone as to the ins and...

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 2014. Now there is an Ebola outbreak that has mov...

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 snooping outfit, to the recent revelations from whi...

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 and Josh are here to dispel that myth, along with...

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 as a wall cleaner, to its more scientific chemical ...

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 they will use tweezers to pluck them from their ey...

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 out it's not always the same side. And yes, there's...

The Skinny on Probiotics

24 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

You can find probiotics - bacteria thought to have healthful benefits for humans - in everything from pills to yogurt. But does any of it work? Listen...

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 use since the 20s. It's simple: Give more money to t...

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 the mantle of helping them to conceive. Learn about...

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 began to take the world by storm. What began as tradi...

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 to do that. Instead, you can learn about all sorts...

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 utterly false. Modern investigation into how the b...

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 Monopoly, but we bet you don't know its secret origins a...

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 several centuries. Its history goes back farther t...

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...