Stuff You Should Know

How Ghosts Work

20 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

According to a 2009 poll, more Americans believe in ghosts than don't. But what are ghosts exactly? If they do exist, what are they made of and why ar...

How Bitcoin Works

17 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In 2008 Bitcoin, the world's first decentralized, anarchistic all-digital currency, was introduced to the world. Its value has risen, fallen and risen...

Capgras Syndrome: You Are Not Who You Think You Are

11 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

There is an extremely rare condition where the sufferer is convinced that everyone around him is an impostor posing as their friends and family. Learn...

How Drag Queens Work

11 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You can trace the origin of men dressing as women in public back to classic Greek theater, but modern drag queens owe their real inception to vaudevil...

How do trees affect the weather?

06 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, you know that trees have an impact on climate change: to wit, fewer trees mean more atmospheric CO2. But did you know that trees can actually im...

What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke?

04 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Before Jamestown became the first successful English colony in the New World, an entire group of settlers vanished. For the last 430 years, Roanoke ha...

How Coffins Work

28 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, you've probably laid in one at the store or a funeral home, but how much do you know about receptacles used to bury the dead? We'll bet you'll l...

How Police Chases Work

28 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Entire TV shows are dedicated to them and Americans love to watch a live one, but police chases aren't as routine as they seem. While police assert ch...

How PTSD Works

23 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder the sufferer relives, over and over again, the worst moment of his life. What's worse is medicine still doesn't kn...

How Cicadas Work

21 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Cicadas are crawling out from underground, where they have been hiding in the darkness for almost two decades. As of May 2013, they're invading the Ea...

How Aerosol Cans Work

16 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In the 87 years since they were invented aerosol cans have protected soldiers, temporarily fixed flat tires, killed a boy who used too much deodorant ...

How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works

14 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

With the exception of lobotomies, no other psychological treatment has a worse reputation. But thanks to some thoughtful tweaks, ECT has lately emerge...

How Foot Binding Worked

09 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Once in a while, all the necessary factors converge to produce a peculiar nationalized sexual fetish. In China, that fetish was foot binding and over ...

How Fair Trade Works

07 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The West has gotten rich off the backs of underpaid labor living elsewhere; people who are dedicated to Fair Trade feel it's time people at a disadvan...

How Dungeons and Dragons Works

02 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Despite what you've heard, Dungeons and Dragons isn't just for geeks, it isn't satanic and it's actually a pretty great way to exercise your imaginati...

What makes us yawn?

25 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What is it that makes us suddenly draw in a deep breath through a wide-open mouth? The beautiful thing about yawning is that researchers really don't ...

How Magnets Work

23 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You can stick them to the fridge or use them to transpose sound to tape, whatever they are used for magnets are surprisingly interesting. And knowing ...

Uses of the Insanity Defense

18 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The idea that a person who can't understand the crime they've committed is wrong lets them off the hook from culpability for their actions is a longst...

How Marriage Works

16 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You can tell a lot about a culture through marriage statistics: what age people get married, how many divorce, who is excluded from legal marriage. It...

Do men and women have different brains?

11 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's a pretty touchy subject because of the possible implications - if you find differences between the brains of men and women, does that mean there ...

What's the deal with duckbill platypuses?

09 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It is pretty much impossible to describe duckbill platypuses without using the word "hodgepodge" and for good reason. These mammals also share feature...

How Grief Works

04 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You can probably name the five stages of grief - from denial to acceptance - they've become pretty well known since being proposed in 1969. But later ...

How the Panama Canal Works

02 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's on more than one list of the Seven Wonders of the World and for good reason - the Panama Canal is one of the great feats of engineering ever unde...

How No-fly Zones Work

28 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

They have become such a ubiquitous tool used by the UN and NATO to intervene in international crises, that it seems like no-fly zones have been around...

How Apartheid Worked

19 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

After WWII, while the rest of the world grew more socially progressive, the government of South Africa turned inward to focus its attention on dominat...

How the U.S. Postal Service Works

14 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The USPS is currently teetering on the edge of going under and there are a lot of plans to save it, from cutting Saturday service to creating federall...

How Police Sketches Work

12 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Creating composite drawings of suspected criminals from eyewitness accounts has been around since a Frenchman introduced it in the 19th century. Despi...

Can We Build an Elevator to Space?

09 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

With the end of the shuttle program and an International Space Station still in need of supplies, the aerospace industry is working the kinks of out o...

Do People Really Run Off to Join the French Foreign Legion?

07 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone who knows anything about Jean-Claude Van Damme knows he played a French legionnaire in the movies. He was just one of many actors to star in fi...

What Makes a One-hit Wonder?

05 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The term "one-hit wonder" gets thrown around a lot, and - yes - you probably are using it correctly, but Chuck Bryant went to the trouble to really de...

How the Papacy Works

28 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In February 2013, Pope Benedict said he would become the first pope to retire in 600 years. Check out this episode of Stuff You Should Know to find ou...

How CPR Works

26 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You have a golden opportunity to make yourself into a worthwhile human being simply by learning how to perform CPR. The chances are you'll never need ...

How Spies Work

23 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Psst. You want to know how governments and corporations get the drop on one another? The frontline of intelligence is populated by spies. Learn about ...

What Would Happen If the World Stopped Spinning?

21 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last 400 million years, the day has grown longer by two full hours thanks to a slowing of the rotation of the Earth on its axis. While it wil...

How Surfing Works

19 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You know the Beach Boys and you've seen those Hang Ten shirts with the little feet emblem, but there's a lot more to surfing than appears on pop cultu...

Myths About the Brain

14 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

As is usual for SYSK, Josh and Chuck go over some, but not all, of the entries in this list of ten common myths about the brain. While it lives there ...

How Jet Lag Works

12 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It was only since 1958 that the Jet Age began, and jet lag became a real condition. Also known as desynchronosis, jet lag can lead to all manner of ai...

How Weather Modification Works

09 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It began with old-timey guys dropping dry ice on clouds. Since then weather modification was used to keep the 2008 opening ceremonies dry and flood th...

How Willpower Works

07 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You use it every day to overcome your lower self (which wants you to eat cake until your vision blurs) in pursuit of the goals of your higher self (wh...

How Garbage-powered Cars Could Work

05 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

We're not so far off from being able to power our cars using beer and banana peels, like Doc in Back to the Future. Rather than solving the energy cri...

How Gold Works

31 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Only 161,00 metric tons of gold has been mined in the entire history of the world. Considering about 85 percent of the precious mineral is recycled, t...

How Stuntmen (and -women) Work

29 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

They get blown up, shot, drowned and thrown out of windows on the silver screen - and we don't even know their names. Stuntpeople are the unsung heroe...

How Bees Work

26 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

With less than a million neurons in their tiny heads, bees shouldn't be able to do much more than eat, sleep and reproduce. And yet, bees are capable ...

How the Frick Fracking Works

22 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Fracking, the process of breaking trapped resources like natural gas and oil from shale, has led to a revolution in energy production in the U.S. It's...

Does the five-second rule work?

17 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You know when you drop a piece of food and if you pick it up within five seconds it's still good to eat? Researchers have studied whether that's true ...

How Death Masks Work

15 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

One of the earliest civilizations we've detected, the Myceneans, kicked off the habit of creating a mask of a deceased person's face in deathly repose...

Can you outrun an alligator in a zig-zag?

08 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You've heard the warning before: If you're being chased on land by an alligator, run in a zig-zag. Of course, the average person should be capable of ...

What was America's first terrorist threat?

03 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

From the moment it was established, the United States had headaches with terrorism of the pirate variety. For decades, the federal budget even include...

How Bigfoot Works

01 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries North American tribes have told stories of a hairy wild giant in the wilderness, and once Europeans arrived they claimed to see it, too....

How Dog Shows Work

27 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

You know those shows where people wearing sensible shoes jog dogs around in circles? They actually represent the pinnacle of a long and complex path t...

Josh and Chuck's Christmas Extravaganza 2012

21 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Kick back and raise a glass of eggnog to Josh and Chuck as they carry on a new holiday tradition of exploring the ins and outs of all things Christmas...

How Barbie Doll Works

20 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the history, cultural impact and feminist ire raised by the Barbie doll. The boys are joined by Gordon Javna, ...

Lab-grown meat: Order up!

18 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Since Winston Churchill predicted we'd grow meat in a lab by 1981, researchers have considered doing just that. And thanks to the current work of abou...

How Condoms Work

13 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The earliest depiction of a condom is found in a 15,000-year-old cave painting. Ever since humans realized sex led to children, we've been using condo...

Will we reach peak oil?

06 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

A 2012 report showed that the U.S. may be energy-independent in just a few years, but not too long ago the specter of peak oil loomed large on the pol...

How Vampires Work

04 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Out of obligation, Chuck and Josh mention Twilight, but it is the longstanding vampire lore that gets the most attention in this examination of how th...

How Caving Works

29 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Entrances to the underworld have been places of wonder for eons, and humans have ventured into caves to sleep, hunt, create art and explore. Thanks to...

Why do leaves change colors in the fall?

27 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Ah, autumn - arguably the most beautiful time of the year, thanks to the vibrant colors trees put on display as they close up for the winter. Ever won...

Philanthropy: Humankind and Loving It

22 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Sure the fatcats get all the credit for donating millions, but did you know US households making $20,000 or less contribute the highest percentage of ...

Should we be designing our children?

20 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009, a fertility clinic controversially offered parents the ability to customize their children. How will society take the idea of designing child...

How Meth Works

15 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

You know how when you do a lot of crystal methamphetamine you get meth mouth, where your teeth decay? Of course you don't! So check out this in-depth ...

How close are we to holographic environments?

13 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Star Trek was famous for its holodeck, a completely immersive holographic environment that could be any space a user wanted. Thanks to telemersion tec...

What will happen when we reach the Singularity?

08 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Futurists have unnervingly predicted an impending moment in human history: the Singularity, when a superhuman artificial intelligence is created. What...

Yakuza: From Samurai to Slot Machines

06 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The Yakuza trace their lineage back to the 18th century samurai, left masterless following political upheaval, who turned to lives of crime. After cen...

SYSK's Halloween Horror Fiction Winner!

30 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Josh and Chuck have been planning this thing since spring and it's finally here! Tune in to hear which listener's scary story won the SYSK Halloween H...

Exoskeletons: How's it coming?

25 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 1960s, the Pentagon has called for a suit that can make a soldier jump higher, run faster longer and generally be a badder dude. It's only n...

How Commercial Jingles Work

23 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

You probably can recite five right now. Commercial jingles are designed to hijack your working memory and implant a product or service and they really...

How Lion Taming Works

18 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Bossing a lion around in front of a crowd at a circus has been an attraction for 200 years, but exactly how lion tamers get their captive wild animals...

How Black Holes Work

16 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn't too long ago when black holes were strictly predictions in theoretical math. Over decades, astronomy has gotten better at uncovering these c...

How Pizza Works!

11 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Sure it's everywhere and there's a more-than-90-percent chance you eat it once a month. But we'll bet you don't know the full history of that pizza (o...

How Rainforests Work

09 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It's been called the world's lungs, the world's pharmacy and the world's air conditioner. It takes up only 6 percent of Earth's land, yet houses 50% o...

How Fire Works

04 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Creating fire was possibly the most important human discovery, but it's easy to take for granted. But. Josh and Chuck get to the bottom of the chemist...

How Whiskey Runners Worked

02 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, Chuck and Josh have discussed it before, but it's worth revisiting: Running moonshine led to the creation of NASCAR. Chuck and Josh aren't even ...

Subways: HUH! What are they good for?

27 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

As ubiquitous as they've become, it's easy to overlook the marvels of engineering that are subways. Chuck and Josh go boring as they explore these sys...

Q: Are we in the midst of cyberwar? A: Yes

25 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

There's a secret war going on around us, and it's happening on a daily basis. The Air Force recently launched a new unit specifically designed to carr...

Why does music provoke emotion?

20 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

A well-crafted piece of music can bring us to incredible highs and crushing lows, sometimes within the same song. Why does music affect humans this wa...

Are we all Martians?

18 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

There's a very good question that no one has yet satisfactorily answered: Where did life on Earth come from? Some look to the Red Planet as the source...

How Book Banning Works

13 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to control the masses, control what they read. After all, books are seeds that germinate new points of view. As a result, the struggle aga...

How Asexuality Works

11 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

When Alfred Kinsey conducted his sex surveys he turned up, but ignored, a fourth sexual orientation: people who don't experience sexual attraction. It...

Bioluminescence: A Bright and Shiny Fish

06 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Science has a handle on fireflies and glowworms, but most bioluminescent animals live in the ocean and are tough to study. Today, researchers are stil...

Can you test a nuclear weapon without a fallout?

04 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of human existence, thousands of nuclear weapons have been exploded on Earth and in space. With all of those tests, one can't help but...

How Flesh-eating Bacteria Work

30 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Possibly the most horrifically-named disease anyone could contract, flesh-eating bacteria can lead quickly lead to amputations and death. Learn about ...

How the Electoral College Works

28 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

When you vote in an American presidential election, you're not voting for your candidate - you're voting for a group of people you hope will in turn v...

What happens to abandoned mines?

23 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know there are as many as 500,000 abandoned mines in the US, but the federal government knows where only 30,000 of them are? Learn about these...

Why You Probably Have a Criminal Record

21 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

If you're an American adult, there's a 1 in 4 chance you have a criminal record. While it's less likely you've committed any serious crime, there are ...

Did Reagan's Star Wars program win the Cold War?

16 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Putting lasers in space to blast Soviet missiles out of the air was a very real part of Ronald Reagan's defense policy. While his "Star Wars" program ...

The Shark Diaries

14 Aug 2012

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 Shark Attacks Work

09 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

A shark attack is a terrifying experience for the victim -- but are sharks really man-eating monsters with a taste for human flesh? Join Josh and Chuc...

How Ramadan Works

07 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It's the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, and for good reason. It was during the month of Ramadan that Mohammed began to issue the Koran. Learn a...

Can we build an elevator to space?

02 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

With the end of the shuttle program and an International Space Station still in need of supplies, the aerospace industry is working the kinks of out o...

How the Musketeers Worked

31 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

You know and love them as a fluffy chocolate nougat and maybe as a book and a movie, but musketeers were quite real and quite deadly. Visit with Josh ...

How Time Travel Works (Live at SD Comic-Con)

26 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How does time travel work? Could it ever cross the line from science fiction into science fact? Join Josh and Chuck -- along with a live audience at t...

How White-collar Crime Works

24 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

White-collar crime often involves fraud and other nonviolent acts. For most people, the term "white-collar crime" conjures up images of CEOs conniving...

How Lightning Works

12 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

You've seen lightning before, and maybe you're even afraid of it. You should be. The air is ripped apart and a sudden electrical discharge burning six...

Geysers: Nature's Innuendo

10 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The spectacular eruptions of steam and water we call geysers are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, the result of thousands of years of specific ...

How Tabloids Work

05 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Having started as an egalitarian answer to 19th-century newspapers, tabloids came to peddle shock and sleaze. They've cleaned up a bit, but they remai...

Is the Dead Sea dead?

03 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

An anomaly of geography, the shores of Dead Sea form the lowest dry spot on Earth. It's been visited by millions, including King Herod and Cleopatra, ...

What's the deal with Executive Orders?

28 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Depending on who's in office, they're either a presidential tradition or the acts of a despot. Executive orders are not spelled out in the Constitutio...

10 Accidental Inventions: By the Numbers

21 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Every once in a while Chuck and Josh do things by the numbers and here's a good example. Turns out a surprising amount of ubiquitous items in our ever...

How Icebergs Work (Very Cool)

19 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

" Icebergs: floating chunks of ice. True, but whoa there. Scientists are learning that there's a lot more to icebergs. Appropriately enough, we've onl...