Stuff You Should Know
By HowStuffWorks
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Description
How do landfills work? How do mosquitos work? Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the Stuff You Should Know about everything from genes to the Galapagos in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
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1 |
CleanAre Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting? | Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it harder for groups that traditionally vote Democrat to cast their ballots? | 5/30/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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2 |
CleanSYSK Selects: How Beer Works | In this week's SYSK Select episode, at long last, Josh and Chuck take on perhaps their most important topic ever. Learn about the history of beer, how it’s made -- the whole shebang, basically -- in this watershed episode of Stuff You Should Know. | 5/27/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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3 |
CleanHow Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement | Schoolhouse Rock is possibly the best children's program of all time. Join Josh and Chuck as they tell the story of SR, featuring an interview with Pavement's Bob Nastanovich, contributor to the '90s Schoolhouse Rock tribute record. | 5/25/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanIs a head transplant really a thing? | 'Head transplant' is a bit of a misnomer, because it's more like a body transplant. But either way, the idea is that one human will wake up from surgery with a decidedly different look. Is it possible? Probably not. But there are a couple of surgeons who | 5/23/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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5 |
CleanSYSK Selects: How Magic Mushrooms Work | In this week's SYSK Select episode, for thousands of years, humans have used hallucinogenic mushrooms for spiritual reasons. Today, however, having them can get you thrown in prison. How do magic mushrooms do what they do? Can they help the mentally ill? | 5/20/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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6 |
CleanHow the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis Work | It wasn't too long ago that humans thought the polar lights were signs from the afterlife. Thanks to a 19th century Norwegian, we now understand that they are a fascinating interplay with Earth's magnetic field and wind from the sun. | 5/18/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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7 |
CleanHow Champagne Works | Sure we can all agree that champagne is probably the greatest thing humans have or ever will invent, but how much do we understand how it's made? | 5/16/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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8 |
CleanSYSK Selects: Gesundheit! How Allergies Work | In this week's SYSK Select episode, about 30-40 percent of humans suffer from some sort of allergy. The big joke, though, is that every sufferer is the victim of mistaken identity. Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system mistaking a har | 5/13/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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9 |
CleanHow Charismatic Megafauna Work | Charismatic Megafauna is not just a great band name. It's really just a fancy word for the cutest and most personality plus animals at the zoo. We're talking pandas, elephants and anything else you might see on a poster. Their mission? To help raise aware | 5/11/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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10 |
CleanHow Itching Works | It was only in the last few decades that science became aware that itches aren't just low-level pain. And in that time, the mystery of how we itch and why we scratch has gotten even more baffling. | 5/9/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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11 |
CleanSYSK Selects: What's the 10,000 Year Clock? | In this week's SYSK Select episode, in a desert in Texas a 200-feet-tall clock is being constructed deep inside a mountain. Once completed, it will keep time for the next 10,000 years, even if there are no humans around to use it. Tune in as Chuck and Jos | 5/6/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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12 |
CleanSome Nutso Fan Theories | It turns out that the characters in your favorite TV shows and the like are actually dead, dreaming, dying or don't exist. | 5/4/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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13 |
CleanHow Poetry Works | Poetry is a broad and expansive art form. From dramatic verse to haiku, rhyming poetry and spoken word, there are many hats a poet can wear. Join Josh and Chuck today as they break down the history of poetry, a dive into what's so great about it. | 5/2/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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14 |
CleanSYSK Selects: How Revisionist History Works | In this week's SYSK Select episode, perhaps you equate the term to conspiracy theories and Holocaust denials, but revisionism is a genuine discipline in the field of historical study. And thanks to revisionists, we now include a lot more reality – and p | 4/29/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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15 |
CleanHow Multiple Sclerosis Works | When the immune system mistakes the tissue covering neural connections as foreign invaders, the result can devastate the body. There is hope, however, in a new radical treatment that resets the immune system. | 4/27/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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16 |
CleanHow the National Security Council Works | Until recently, most people probably never paid much attention to the National Security Council. It's been around a long time though, and the president has quite a bit of leeway as to who sits at the table. Learn all about this important group of individu | 4/25/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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17 |
CleanSYSK Selects: How Breast Implants Work | In this week's SYSK Select episode, the first attempt at breast augmentation surgery was on a dog. The second on a woman who went in for tattoo removal. From those weird origins hundreds of thousands of breast implant procedures are now carried out each y | 4/22/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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18 |
CleanHow Swearing Works | 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, and are beloved by others? Does it help to relieve stress to swear? Are there general rules of thumb ab | 4/20/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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19 |
CleanHow Corsets Work | Sure, we're doing an episode on corsets. Why do you ask? | 4/18/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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20 |
CleanSYSK Selects: Lying Liars: How Lying Works, Liar | 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 involve lies. What gives with everyone fudging? Chuck and Josh explore the philosophy, psychology and reality | 4/15/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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21 |
CleanHow Supervolcanoes Work | Until recently, volcanologists thought supervolcanoes were simply massive volcanoes. But further research has revealed that they are far different - and far more dangerous - than previously imagined. | 4/13/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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22 |
CleanHow Supreme Court Nominations Work | 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, Josh and Chuck take a look at the process of getting named to America's highest court. | 4/11/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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23 |
CleanSYSK Selects: Can you die of a broken heart? | 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 inexplicable heart attacks. From this first investigation has come a scientific mystery: Is it possible that | 4/8/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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24 |
CleanHow Empathy Works | 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 indicate sociopathic tendencies, but that's not always true either. So what is empathy and what makes someone | 4/6/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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25 |
CleanComposting: Nature's Most Interesting Process | 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 compost pile is a microcosmic universe doing some magical stuff. | 4/4/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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26 |
CleanSYSK Selects: How Filibusters Work | 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 U.S., this ancient method of stalling legislation was actually brought about in America by accident. Lear | 4/1/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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27 |
CleanThe Shroud Of Turin: No Ordinary Bed Sheet | 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, we'll probably never know what it really is. The mystery of the Shroud of Turin awaits you... | 3/30/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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28 |
CleanHow Foreign Accent Syndrome Works | 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 different accent, usually from some kind of head trauma. Learn all about this decidedly rare affliction to | 3/28/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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29 |
CleanHow the Hyperloop Will Work | 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 for a 700 mph thrill ride from LA to SF in 35 minutes - coming soon! | 3/23/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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30 |
CleanSolitary Confinement: Cruel and Unusual | 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, sometimes for protection of the inmates themselves. However, leaving people in solitary for weeks, mont | 3/21/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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31 |
CleanSoutherners Aren’t Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm | 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 this stereotype was rooted in fact. Hookworms, it turns out, were sapping Southerners’ life force. | 3/16/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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32 |
CleanPain Scales: Yeeeow! | 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 medicine came up with pain scales. | 3/14/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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33 |
CleanHistory of the Trail of Tears, Part II | In the second of two parts, what was once a voluntary resettlement program becomes a violent, forced relocation under the leadership of President Andrew Jackson. | 3/9/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHistory of the Trail of Tears, Part I | 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 what may be the most brutal decade in American history. | 3/7/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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35 |
CleanHow Optical Illusions Work | 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 perception and reality? Learn all about this visual trickery in today's episode. | 3/2/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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36 |
CleanHow Free Speech Works | 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 expressions are restricted. Learn all about the ins and outs of this cherished right in today's episode. | 2/28/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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37 |
CleanHow Famines Work | 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 research suggests that while weather may trigger famines, they may actually be more of a human-made catast | 2/23/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe ins and outs of the DEATH TAX | 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 help prevent resting on your inheritance laurels. Others say it's straight up double tax robbery. Learn al | 2/21/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Black Panther Party | 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 actually men and women trying to effect change in their community. Their history is one of the more inter | 2/16/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanTardigrades: Nature's Cuddly, Indestructible Microanimal | 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 learn about the tiny animals that are so astoundingly durable, they can survive conditions not found here on | 2/14/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanLive from San Francisco: How Malls Work | 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 of consumerism and what it means for local communities and our capitalist society at large when malls die | 2/9/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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42 |
CleanThe Quinoa Revolution! | 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 all. Technically it's a pseudo-cereal. But it is tasty and nutritious, a true superfood. Learn all about | 2/7/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the future of virtual sex? | 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're talking virtual sex here. Couple VR with high tech, smart sex toys and intercourse as we know it may be | 2/2/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanElastics: Where God and Science Smooch | 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 underwear is a global drama, replete with war, industrial espionage, colonialism, destitute inventors – everyt | 1/31/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Pacifism Works (And Could It?) | There is deep disagreement over whether humans are essentially peaceful or essentially warlike. Depending on your view you may see pacifism as either hopelessly naïve or the unsung response to conflict that’s kept us from wiping ourselves out. | 1/26/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Dictators Work | 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 into power, and they don't all include violence. Learn all about dictators past and present in today's episo | 1/24/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Soylent Works | 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 a movie. Learn all about this odd concoction in today's episode. | 1/19/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanAre Artificial Sweeteners Really Bad For You? | 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 artificial sweeteners cause real harm? A mounting body of studies is starting to paint a pretty grim pictur | 1/17/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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49 |
CleanHow Watersheds Work | 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 hydrology are an important contributor to the rain cycle and yet we humans tend to abuse them. | 1/12/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the deal with Baby Boomers? | 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 know today? Find out all about the big boom in today's episode. | 1/10/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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51 |
CleanHow Feeding Babies Works: The Bottle | 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 social implications. But is bottle feeding a bad thing? And are benefits of breast-feeding overestimated? | 1/5/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Feeding Babies Works: The Breast | 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 alone. Learn all about the most fascinating milk around and the science behind it in this episode. | 1/3/2017 | Free | View in iTunes |
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53 |
CleanHuman Blockheads: A Real Thing | 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. Just please don't try to. | 12/29/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanCan you live without a bank account? | 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 in today's riveting episode. | 12/27/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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55 |
CleanThe Stuff You Should Know 2016 Christmas Extravaganza in 3-D! | 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 heart of the holiday spirit! | 12/22/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Golden Age of Grave Robbing: Stuff You Should Know Live in London | 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 surgeons for dissection. It turns out that there was no shortage of ghoulish types willing to do just that. | 12/20/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Porta-Potties Work | Despite our lengthy history of evacuating our bowels and bladders, it wasn’t until the relatively recent 1940s that we began to construct portable, self-contained toilets to accept our waste. Dive into the world of porta-potties in this episode. | 12/15/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWill We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects? | In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evidence of massive engineering projects that encapsulate stars with solar arrays to harness their energy. Could we humans ever make one ourselves? | 12/13/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanIs computer addiction a thing? | Computer addiction is really an umbrella term for the various addictions that can come along with the computer. We're talking video games, porn, gambling and the like. We dive deep into the world of digital addiction in today's episode. | 12/8/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHoroscopes: Written in the Stars? | 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 of their accuracy. Learn all about horoscopes today. | 12/6/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow a Flea Circus Works | 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 alike. Learn all about the tiny big tops in today's episode. | 12/1/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanFrostbite: Yeeeow! | 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. Learn about how frostbite wreaks havoc on your extremities, even literally freezing off your tookus. | 11/29/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanShould Advertising to Kids Be Banned? | 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 of brain development, kids aren’t equipped to understand ads are manipulating them. Should they be banne | 11/24/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Kitty Genovese Story | 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 a nationwide outcry, but the story has often been misrepresented. We'll set the record straight. | 11/22/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the Deal with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy? | 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, leading to a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition the NFL sought to cover up. | 11/17/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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66 |
CleanHow Fireplaces Work | They are dirty, harmful to your health, bad for the environment and utterly charming. Wood-burning fireplaces have been with us for centuries and, despite their many drawbacks, are sticking around. Learn more than you thought possible about the fireplace. | 11/15/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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67 |
CleanHow Monty Python Worked: SYSK Live from LA Podfest | 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 Comedy,' what made them tick, what made them so funny, the whole bit. Plus, Kevin Pollak crashes the stage. | 11/10/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanDo sin taxes work? | 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 are they simply a way to raise revenue? Learn all about sin taxes in today's episode. | 11/8/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanA Partial History of Action Figures | 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 capture the hearts and minds of children everywhere. Learn all about the partial history of action figures ri | 11/3/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHam Radio and the Hams Who Use Them | 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 connection then you're absolutely correct. But it's much more than that. | 11/1/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanSYSK The Podcast: Special Halloween Bonus Episode 2016, The Sequel – From Hell | 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 of you, courtesy of a story from The Grabster and listeners who submitted two-sentence horror. Scary! | 10/31/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders | 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 brutally killed with a pick axe. What led up to it and followed is nothing short of bizarre. | 10/27/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Sleep Paralysis Works, or The Worst Thing That Can Happen While You're Sleeping | 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, the sufferer feels paralyzed and consumed by fear as something on their chest tries to kill them. | 10/25/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanLiving Underground in Beijing | 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 underground city to serve as a massive bomb shelter. Instead it’s illegal underground housing today. | 10/20/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the What with Fish Fraud? | 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 in the US and everyone from wholesalers to sushi restaurants are free to rip off their customers. | 10/18/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Census Works | 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 population and help satisfy its needs. Count us in for this episode. | 10/13/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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77 |
CleanHibernation: Not a Snooze | When animals are faced with scarce food in the winter, they have two choices to stay alive: migrate or hibernate. For hibernators, their bodies undergo some mind-boggling physiological changes in the coldest months. Could humans ever do it too? | 10/11/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhy Did Easter Island's Civilization Collapse? | 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 lived there but there were signs of a massive civilization that once flourished. What happened there? | 10/6/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Amazing History of Soda | 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 explosions. Learn all about soda and soda fountains in this surprisingly interesting episode. | 10/3/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Polar Bears Work | 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. Sadly, as ice shrinks, so does their habitat. Learn all about these huggable beasts in today's episode. | 9/29/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Ice Ages Work | 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 they left are everywhere if you know what to look for; it just took some Swiss peasants to figure it out. | 9/27/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanAll we know about Zika so far... | 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. Others say it's because the risk factors for zika are limited. Learn all about the latest virus to take ce | 9/22/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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83 |
CleanHow Cerebral Palsy Works | 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 factors involved are so divergent no two cases of CP are alike, making it – and people who have CP – fasci | 9/20/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the deal with Stradivarius violins? | 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 great, from the wood to the lacquer, to the simple fact that Antonio Stradivari was really good at what he | 9/15/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanAlexander Hamilton: Most Influential American? | 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 history. A brash genius, Hamilton wasn't much of a politician. He was all about policy. Learn all about Hami | 9/13/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanDo Animals Have Natural Rights? | Animals have had legal protection from unnecessary harm since the 19th century. Yet what harm is necessary is open to interpretation and animals continue to suffer and die for science and commerce. Should they have the right to freedom from humans? | 9/8/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Animal Testing Works | 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 animals as literal and figurative guinea pigs is undeniable. But do we have the right to do that? | 9/6/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Negro Leagues Worked | A decade before the U.S. officially segregated in 1896, baseball banned black players. A decade before the US integrated, baseball broke the color barrier. Between, the Negro Leagues produced some of the finest players to ever take the field. | 9/1/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Food Tasters Work | 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, grueling job that destroys your very love of food. | 8/30/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThis Custom of Customs | Customs may be a pain when you're traveling, but it's a necessary instrument the government uses to regulate trade. Your passport please? | 8/25/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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91 |
CleanJellyfish: Even Cooler than Octopi? | Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into their juvenile stage when resources are scarce, reproduce in massive groups and kill an adult human, among lots of other neat stuff. Learn all about em! | 8/23/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Delightful History of Steam Technology | 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 America's electricity comes from steam turbines. | 8/18/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Woolly Mammoths Worked | It was only 11,000 years ago that the last true woolly mammoths died out, close enough to the modern age that humans lived alongside them. But were humans the cause of mammoths’ sudden extinction or was climate change to blame? | 8/16/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanEvel Knievel Part II | 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 career as the world's most legendary daredevil. | 8/11/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanEvel Knievel Part I | 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 hopes that he crashed. And crash he did. A lot. Learn all about this icon in this special two part episod | 8/9/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanMermaids: Not a real thing | 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 stuff. Learn all about these half women/half fish today. | 8/4/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Night Terrors Work | Night terrors, an uncommon sleep disorder, happen when the brain doesn’t transition correctly to deep sleep. The result is terrifying, with the sufferer genuinely terrified, swatting at invisible attackers, and screaming for help – all while sound asl | 8/1/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat is exploding head syndrome? | 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 be freaked out. The good news is, despite its name, it's not dangerous at all. | 7/28/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Triage Works | Triage is a system that provides immediate attention and categorization for medical emergencies that hopefully will never be a big part of your life. Unless you work in an ER. Learn all about the interesting history and current methods for this life savin | 7/26/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Moonwalk Works | 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, before reappearing via mimes and West Coast poppers in the 70s. Follow the circuitous route of an iconic move. | 7/21/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Chaos Theory Changed the Universe | 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 of the universe could be predicted. But the universe, it turns out, is not so tidy. | 7/19/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Gettysburg Address: Short and Sweet | 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 this commemoration? We'll give you the skinny right here and now. | 7/14/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Radiation Sickness Works | Fortunately, science has very few instances where humans have been exposed to acute radiation poisoning to study for clues to treating radiation sickness. They have found, though, that those few instances have been grave. | 7/12/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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104 |
CleanWhat's with this "Internet of Things"? | You may have heard about the Internet of Things and not known what the term meant. It's basically a collection of object connected to your life and the internet. We're talking everything from your smart phone to your fitness tracker. Cool stuff, but fraug | 7/7/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanResearch tips from SYSK | 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 studies from the good ones. Learn all about shady studies and reporting right now! | 7/5/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Lighthouses Work | People have been burning fires on cliffs as long as other people have used boats, but after the Age of Exploration, lighthouses took their unmistakable form and the great stories of the people who kept the lights around the world began. | 6/30/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Underground Mining Works | 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-boggling process for efficiently removing stuff we want from inside the planet. | 6/28/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the misery index? | 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 can relate to. Such is the case with the famous "misery index." | 6/23/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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109 |
CleanHow Space Stations Work | 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 century old. Visit the space stations orbiting Earth past, present and future in this episode. | 6/21/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Steadicams Work | There have been many inventions that have advanced filmmaking, but maybe none as important as the steadicam. Invented in the mid-70s, it literally changed the way movie making happened, and made the impossible possible. Learn about the fascinating history | 6/16/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhy Are So Many Disembodied Feet Washing Ashore In British Columbia? | Between 2007 and 2016, 17 disembodied feet - still wearing shoes - have washed ashore between Washington and British Columbia. What’s behind the sudden influx of Vancouver’s mystery feet? | 6/14/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the deal with controlled burns? | 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 prevent forest fires. They're also a vital part of keeping the local ecosystem healthy and thriving. Learn | 6/9/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Motion Sickness Works | 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 we break down the science behind this nausea-inducing affliction. | 6/7/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Gene Editing Works | 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 by simply and precisely editing our genes. But there is also a potential dark side to gene editing. | 6/2/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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115 |
CleanHow SuperBalls Work | 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 aroused in America for the invention of SuperBall! Learn the history and physics of this bouncy legend. | 5/31/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Crumple Zones Work | 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, these zones are designed to break apart and absorb impact, so you don't have to. | 5/25/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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117 |
CleanChiggers: The Phantom Menace | Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. But they aren't insects - mites are actually part of the arachnid family and behave a little like ticks. Learn all about these nearly invisible pests in to | 5/23/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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118 |
CleanThe Unsolved Mystery Disappearance of the Sodder Children | In 1945 a house fire took the lives of five children - except that their bodies were never found. Dive into the longstanding mystery of the odd circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the Sodder children. | 5/18/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Bonsai Works | For thousands of years people have been taking normal trees and forcing them into miniature tableaux of nature, creating living works of art. Learn all about the history and art of this strangely engrossing pastime. | 5/16/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanTrue stories of survival cannibalism! | Cannibalism is the macabre practice of eating other humans. But sometimes, people have no choice if they want to survive. It's called survival cannibalism and it tastes like chicken. | 5/11/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Snake Handlers Work | Snake handling ranges from professional snake milkers for antivenin to religious handlers who tend to get bitten and sometimes die from it. Either way, it can be a dangerous business. Learn all about snake handling right here, right now. | 5/9/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow LSD Works | In 1943 Swiss chemist Albert Hofman discovered he’d created what may be the most potent hallucinogen known to humankind. Then he took a bike ride. Learn about the chemistry, neurology, history and cultural impact of LSD-25. | 5/5/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Megalodon Worked | Between 2 to 20 million years ago, the biggest shark with perhaps the most devastating bite of any animal ever ruled the oceans with an iron jaw. Despite its fierceness, megalodon went extinct while other species that swam with it survive today. Why? | 5/3/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat was Operation Plowshare? | America had already used two nuclear bombs to devastating effect when researchers thought "maybe we can used these bombs to dig big holes instead." That's right, atom bombs to replace bulldozers. And it worked great. | 4/28/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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125 |
CleanMyths and Truths About Tornadoes | Tornadoes can make mincemeat out of houses, people, cars, you name it. So do you know what to do - and what not to do – when there’s one headed your way? | 4/25/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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126 |
CleanDoes Kin Selection Explain Altruism? | There’s a curious puzzle unanswered by the theory of evolution: why do some animals give up their chance to reproduce to help others reproduce instead? For decades biologists have suggested family was the reason, but that has recently been challenged. | 4/21/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat Makes Lead So Poisonous? | The people of Flint, MI were horrified to find their drinking water was poisoned with lead. As we learn more about lead’s effects and realize how persistent it is, the more worrying it becomes. What makes lead so toxic? | 4/19/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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128 |
CleanHow Big Bang Theory Works, with Neil deGrasse Tyson | There are a number of theories for how the universe evolved but none are more widely accepted than the Big Bang theory. Learn about the mind-boggling details of the early universe and hear Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson talk about what it will take for us to kno | 4/14/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Gender Pay Gap Works | The gender pay gap is the amount of time into the next year a woman must work to earn as much as a man did the previous year. And it's narrowing at a snail's pace. | 4/12/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Labor Strikes Work | Labor strikes are the last resort of a workforce frustrated with low pay or dangerous working conditions. A big part of winning a wage war is having the public in your side. Learn all about strikes in today's episode. | 4/7/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanOur cats episode - right here, right meow | Cats are the most popular pet in the United States, despite the fact that we've only been keeping them indoors for 50-60 years. Learn about more cat facts in today's episode. | 4/5/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanNostalgia is not the most toxic impulse | Nostalgia is a funny thing. It's not home sickness, it's more connected to emotions and a time in your life. But is nostalgia worthwhile? Nascent science says it just might be. | 3/31/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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133 |
CleanWhat Was the Deal With the Hatfields and McCoys? | It was America's most famous family feud, but the history of the Hatfields vs the McCoys is fraught with bias and inaccuracies. Dig into a disagreement in 19th-century Appalachia that became a very big deal around the world. | 3/29/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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134 |
CleanHow TED Talks Work: Featuring Roman Mars | TED is not a person, it's an annual conference hosting some of the brightest minds in the world giving talks meant to enlighten and inspire. This episode features TED talker and fellow podcaster Roman Mars of 99% Invisible. | 3/24/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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135 |
CleanWho Gets to Name Continents? | America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, right? Maybe not. And who named Australia? Find out the unusually uncertain origins of the continents and other interesting stuff in this episode. | 3/22/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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136 |
CleanHow Makeup Works | Humans have been wearing makeup for a few thousand years now and yet, here in the US the chemicals used in them are still not understood and not really regulated. Delve into the history of makeup and the psychology and feminist theory around it. | 3/17/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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137 |
CleanSome Really Interesting Cases of Mass Hysteria | Around the world and across time, people have fallen victim to one of the strongest contagions of all – the power of suggestion. Here are just a few examples of these bizarre cases. | 3/15/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Dark Money Works | Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in the Citizens United case that political contributions are speech and should be protected, the floodgates of anonymous political contributions have opened. But does absolute funding corrupt absolutely? | 3/10/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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139 |
CleanHow The Iditarod Works | Each year hundreds of dogs haul humans in sleds as part of the 1,100 plus mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It's grueling and not without controversy but one thing is for sure, these are some amazing dogs. | 3/8/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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140 |
CleanHow Freak Shows Worked | Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with a physical deformity. They were called freakshows and they began in large part thanks to P.T. Barnum, whose circus we still enjoy today. Sounds awful, but some of these perform | 3/3/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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141 |
CleanHow El Nino Works | El Nino may mean "the little boy" or "Christ Child" in Spanish, but this weather phenomenon really means crazy things for Planet Earth. We're talking rain where it's typically dry and drought where it's usually wet. Learn why today. | 3/1/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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142 |
Clean(Approximately) 10 Things That Vanished Mysteriously | Sometimes things - like dentures, airplanes or even people - go missing. And when they never turn up again they become enduring, and engrossing, mysteries. | 2/24/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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143 |
CleanThe Future of Renewable Energy, Featuring Bill Gates | Renewable energy could be the key to ensuring the future prosperity and health of Planet Earth and humankind. In this very special episode, we sit down and discuss the possibilities with Bill Gates. | 2/23/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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144 |
CleanHow Nitrous Oxide Works | For about 175 years people have been huffing nitrous oxide for everything from vision quests to anesthetic to get plain old high. And after all that time we are only now beginning to understand how it works on our brains. | 2/18/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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145 |
CleanHow Jackhammers Work | It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have hummed along quite so smoothly. Certainly a lot more trains would go around mountains than through them. Learn about this essential tool here. | 2/16/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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146 |
CleanWhat's the Deal With Poop? | We are going to get down and dirty with all things poop in this episode: What a healthy poop looks like, how to poop your best, the history of using poop to survive in the Canadian wild and lots more interesting stuff. | 2/11/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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147 |
CleanHow Rabies Works | Rabies may have gotten a lot of attention in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, but it's still an issue in developing countries. Learn all about this nasty virus in today's episode. And stay away from raccoons and bats. | 2/9/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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148 |
CleanHow Land Diving Works | On Pentacost Island the ritual that preceeded bungee jumping is alive and well. Just why do these tribesmen risk life and limb? To ensure a hearty yam harvest. Great reason. | 2/4/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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149 |
CleanOperation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis | In World War II, a secret department of British ‘corkscrew thinkers’ hatched a plan to use the cadaver of an unclaimed homeless man to turn the tide of the war in the Allies’ favor. It worked. | 2/2/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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150 |
CleanDoes Whole-Body Cryotherapy Work? | Forty years after a Japanese doctor began using whole body cryotherapy to treat patients with arthritis; the technique has made its ways to med-spas and locker rooms throughout the West. But does it actually do anything? | 1/28/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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151 |
CleanHow Personalized Medicine Works | Hippocrates realized that it is even more important to understand the patient than to understand the disease and now, 2000 years later, we are coming back to that way of thinking with personalized medicine. | 1/26/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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152 |
CleanTimber! How Timber Works | Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting practices. This has come at the cost of much legal battling and a century of practice. | 1/21/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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153 |
CleanSir Isaac Newton: Greatest Scientist of All Time? | There have been a lot of great scientist throughout history, but Sir Isaac Newton might just take the cake. But while he was a certified genius, he was also a little screwy. Dive into the life of this fascinating chap in today's episode. | 1/19/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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154 |
CleanThe Duality of Caffeine | Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad and ugly about this everyday stimulant in today's episode. | 1/14/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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155 |
CleanHow Futurology Works | Science fiction writers have made some amazingly accurate predictions over the years, but in 1945 the pace of technological change created a field that spun off of sci-fi forecasting, futurology. | 1/12/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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156 |
CleanBody Language! | Body language is how you communicate without words. Some say it bears more impact in communication than speaking words. Learn about how you say what you say could mean more than you think. | 1/7/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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157 |
CleanThe "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s | In the late 1980s, the United States experienced a "Satanic Panic," leading parents to fear for the safety of their children. But were there any real examples of Satanic ritual abuse? Find out this and more in today's episode. | 1/5/2016 | Free | View in iTunes |
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158 |
CleanHow Lizzie Borden Worked | Everybody knows how many whacks Lizzie Borden gave her mother and father with that axe, but there is plenty about the infamous double homicide that remains unresolved, like who actually did it. Travel into the mystery of Lizzie Borden in this episode. | 12/31/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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159 |
CleanThe Great Wall of China Episode | The Great Wall of China is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. How'd it get built? How old is it? What's the current condition? Learn this and more in today's episode. | 12/29/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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160 |
CleanThe Stuff You Should Know 2015 Jolly Christmas Extravaganza | It’s the most wonderful time of year again! Join Chuck and Josh as they explore Christmas traditions around the world, tidbits about Elf, holiday foods and lots more joyous stuff in this glad tidings-packed episode. | 12/24/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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161 |
CleanHow Gossip Works | You know what I heard? That Josh and Chuck hate each other and they're just faking being friends for the show. That's called gossip, folks and it can do serious damage. Learn all about it in today's episode. | 12/22/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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162 |
CleanThe Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978 | Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made. What happened on the night of November 17, 1978 can never be fully explained, but we make our best effort in a very special edition of SYSK. May the forc | 12/17/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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163 |
CleanHow the Antikythera Mechanism Works | In 1900 sponge divers found the wreck of a 2000 year-old treasure ship that contained within it a machine that should not exist. Learn of the device that reveals an understanding of the cosmos far more sophisticated than anyone knew the Greeks possessed. | 12/15/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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164 |
CleanHow Reverse Psychology Works | You have very likely used reverse psychology before, trying to persuade someone to do something you want by suggesting they do the opposite. What’s behind the bizarre reaction this elicits? | 12/10/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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165 |
CleanCarl Sagan: American Hero | Carl Sagan was the world's first mainstream media super scientist, capapble of breaking down complex ideas for the common folk. But what made him tick? Billions and billions of great ideas. | 12/8/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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166 |
CleanHow HIV/AIDS Works, Part II | In part two of the series on HIV/AIDS, Chuck and Josh explore how the battle against the disease is being fought and won thanks to new treatments and possible cures. | 12/3/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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167 |
CleanHow HIV/AIDS Works, Part I | AIDS is one of the most well-known and most misunderstood diseases humans are susceptible to. In part one of this two-part series, Josh and Chuck explain how the disease is contracted and how it works. | 12/1/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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168 |
CleanLive in Chicago: How Public Relations Works | After a year of taking it on the road, Josh and Chuck are releasing their show on public relations. Learn all about the ways you’re manipulated on a daily basis and the man who invented it in this fascinating live episode. | 11/26/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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169 |
CleanThe Lowdown on Anonymous | Anonymous is an amorphous group of hacktivists with no single leader or power structure. Some call them heroes, others call them criminals. Can they be both? | 11/24/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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170 |
CleanHow Dementia Works | The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to explode in the coming decades and, in a pleasant surprise, countries around the world are taking steps to plan for the increase in friendly, caring ways. | 11/19/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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171 |
CleanHow Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA | Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. Get to know this legendary comic who was nearing 50 when he got his break. | 11/18/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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172 |
CleanWhat's the Deal With Staring? | Gazing too long upon another person is almost universally viewed as anywhere from impolite to hostile, which is odd considering science isn’t fully certain why we stare – and why we’re so good at knowing when we’re being stared at. | 11/17/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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173 |
CleanHow The Voynich Manuscript Works | Since its re-discovery in the early 20th century, the Medieval codex the Voynich Manuscript has thoroughly puzzled anyone who has tried to unlock its secret language and bizarre drawings. Will it ever give up its secrets? | 11/12/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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174 |
CleanMaggots: Good For Healing Wounds, Turns Out | Cultures around the world over the years have been inspired by, then repulsed, then inspired by maggots’ ability to heal persistent wounds. We are in an inspired-by phase right now. | 11/10/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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175 |
CleanHow Grimm's Fairy Tales Work | Unless you were raised alone in a basement (in which case you may be the subject of one), you probably grew up on fairy tales. That’s appropriate because they may be humanity’s greatest psychic projection screen. | 11/5/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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176 |
CleanThe Dark Origins of Fairy Tales | Fairy tales are for kids right? Well not at first they weren't. They were dark tales of murder, rape, incest, cannibalism and mayhem geared toward adults. What changed? Chuck and Josh will drop that knowledge and more in today's episode. | 11/3/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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177 |
CleanJosh N Chuck's Hallowe'en Spooky Scarefest | Each year, Chuck and Josh read a couple of scary stories and this year they have a pair of truly frightful tales about a haunted bog and a terrifying spider exhibit. | 10/29/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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178 |
CleanHow Passports Work | The concept of passports – that people should enjoy protected freedom of movement - is an ancient one. It wasn’t until WWI that they became universal. Learn all about this overlooked, important document. | 10/27/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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179 |
CleanVocal Fry and Other Speech Trends | You've heard lots of complaints about vocal fry, mostly from older white men. But it's not exclusive to the Kardashians. Learn all about vocal fry, upspeak and other quirky speech trends in today's episode. | 10/22/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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180 |
CleanPlease Listen to How Plasma Waste Converters Work | There is a way to not only sustainably get rid our household waste, but also produce enough energy from it to power the process and even create electricity for the grid. The future is here. | 10/20/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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181 |
CleanHow Wine Fraud Works | Wine fraud may be a case of rich con artists tricking wealthy people into parting with money, but it's still a crime. Learn all about this weird, widespread practice in today's episode. | 10/15/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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182 |
CleanHow Vestigial Organs Work | Darwin asserted that seemingly useless organs and behaviors are left over from our evolutionary history. But as more are found to have a function, the idea has become a flashpoint for the battle between science and religion. | 10/13/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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183 |
CleanWhat was the Philadelphia Experiment? | The Philadelphia Experiment is a bad movie from the 1980s, and also the conspiracy theory that refuses to die, despite virtually zero evidence of its occurrence. Learn all about this strange non-event in today's show. | 10/8/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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184 |
CleanHow Lobbying Works | Lobbying is an entrenched part of American politics and one that many people think is breaking government. But petitioning the government is protected in the Constitution. How can this system be fixed? | 10/6/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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185 |
CleanHow PEZ Works | PEZ began in Vienna as a mint meant to help people quit smoking. But once American kids got ahold of it, the candy took off and a symbol of childhood – and healthy secondary market among collectors – was born. | 10/1/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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186 |
CleanChuck and Josh Make It Through Female Puberty | In part two of the SYSK puberty saga, Josh and Chuck venture into new territory as they explore all of the amazing changes girls face when they come of age. | 9/29/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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187 |
CleanGeothermal Energy: Earth's Gift to Mankind | Green energy is good for all, and it doesn't get much greener than using the Earth's own heat to warm your home or office. Learn all about geothermal energy in today's new episode. | 9/24/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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188 |
CleanHow Cult Deprogramming Worked | The fear of cults in the 1970s drove Americans to look the other way on kidnappings, abuse and torture of cult members by deprogrammers – but did it even work? | 9/22/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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189 |
CleanThe Great Nuclear Winter Debate of 1983 | At the height of the Cold War, a group of concerned scientists promoted their findings on the horrific aftereffects of nuclear war and were accused of fear-mongering. But were they right after all? | 9/17/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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190 |
CleanHow Publicists Work | Some people call them flacks. Other people call them liars. But if you’re in the public eye and suddenly have an image problem, you’ll call them your best friend. | 9/15/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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191 |
CleanHow Chili Peppers Work | Born and raised in South America, chilis were the earliest crop domesticated in the continent and among the first items brought back to Europe by Columbus. Today people are really, really into them. | 9/10/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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192 |
CleanHow Police Dogs Work | Police dogs have been used since the 19th century - one WWI German defector became a major movie star. But in the US the post-9/11 era has seen a K9 unit boom and questions and concerns have increased as well. | 9/8/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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193 |
CleanHow Alcoholism Works | In the US, 17 million people are alcoholics. Not merely abusing alcohol, these sufferers become physically dependent on it, forming a chronic disease. Learn about the effects on the body, the brain, and the life of an alcoholic and ways to get help. | 9/3/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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194 |
CleanHow to Donate Your Body to Science | Donating your whole body to further science and medicine is probably the best thing you could do with your corpse. Which is why the industry that handles those gifts need regulating. | 9/1/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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195 |
CleanNirvana: Not The Band | Hinduism and Buddhism are closely related in a number of ways, including their vision of what comes after we exit this mortal coil. Learn about the religions’ interesting interpretation of the state of existence outside space-time. | 8/27/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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196 |
CleanHow Hot Air Balloons Work | Arguably the most beautiful objects in the entire world, hot air balloons take advantage of some interesting physics and have a long history of killing their occupants. Find out more. | 8/25/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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197 |
CleanHow Umami Works! | For millennia humans have recognized four tastes, but in the 1980s a fifth taste first isolated in Japan gained worldwide acceptance – and took off like a rocket! Learn about meaty, musty, savory umami in this episode. | 8/20/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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198 |
CleanPigeons: Homing, Passenger, Carrier and Otherwise | Pigeons can get a little confusing. Passengers, messengers, carriers, homing - the list goes on. But when it comes down to it, they're all variations of the same smart bird with a knack for getting home to roost. Learn about these clever creatures in toda | 8/18/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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199 |
CleanHula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape | We've covered our fair share of pop-culture icons and here is another - Hula-Hoops. They've been around since ancient time in some form or another, but made their name in during the Hoop Boom of the 1950s. Learn all about this popular fad and more. | 8/13/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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200 |
CleanHow Auto-Tune Works | What began as a challenge to an oil engineer to make a terrible singer into a pitch-perfect one, Auto-Tune has become a ubiquitous (and, to many, obnoxious) part of the musical soundscape. | 8/11/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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201 |
CleanHow Droughts Work | Droughts can be an inevitable feature of a local climate or a catastrophic result of human meddling. In this episode, learn the ins and outs of droughts, including the American mother of them all, the Dust Bowl. | 8/6/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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202 |
CleanHow Earth-Like Planets Work | Since the Kepler telescope went online, astronomers have found there may be an estimate 40 billion planets like Earth in the Milky Way galaxy alone. What does it take for a planet to be considered Earth-like? | 8/4/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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203 |
CleanHow Bats Work | They are creepy, sure, but they are also useful, cute and in great danger of extinction. Get a new lease on life with a new view of bats in this episode. | 7/30/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Profiling Works | At its base, criminal profiling is a legitimate investigatory tool. The Supreme Court has drawn a clear line that bans profiling when it includes race. So why do we still do it? | 7/28/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanRoad Rage: GRRRR!!! | About half of all people experience rage on a daily basis when they get behind the wheel. What is it about driving that ticks us off so badly? | 7/23/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Citizen's Arrests Work | In some states, it is not only your right but your duty to arrest someone you see committing a crime. Learn all about why you should basically never do that in this episode. | 7/21/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThe Time Nazis Invaded Florida | During World War II, Nazis invaded the United States with saboteurs bent on fomenting chaos. Three times. | 7/16/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Terracotta Army Works | In 1974, Chinese farmers discovered the first of what would number 7,000 terracotta soldiers meant to protect China's first emperor in the afterlife. | 7/14/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Brickfilm Works | What began as a pair of teens who made a film for their grandparents has exploded into its own art form. Learn all about how stop-motion Lego films are made. | 7/9/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Egypt's Pyramids Work | Pyramids can be found in ruins around the world, but no civilization perfected the feat of engineering like Pharaonic Egypt. Learn about the mysteries that still surround these giants. | 7/7/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Circus Families Work | Don't be confused - this one is about actual circus acts made of family members, not the controversial comic strip. | 7/2/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Audience Testing Works | Did you know some of our most beloved movies originally had different, sometimes better, endings? That is until they were tested in front of focus groups. | 6/30/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanMosquitoes: The Worst | Sun Tzu said know your enemy, and so it is in that spirit that we present this episode on one of the worst airborne pests in the world. | 6/25/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Landfills Work | Well-planned landfills have only recently come into widespread use. Recently, waste managers have found that they work a little too well and now the landfill is being reinvented. | 6/23/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanAre You My Mother?: How Animal Imprinting Works | What do little baby ducklings have to do with Nazis? A lot actually. Find out about animal imprinting experiments and the debate over their ethics. | 6/18/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow BASE Jumping Works | You should never BASE Jump. It is one of the most genuinely dangerous sports on the planet. But with that out of the way, you should definitely learn all about this pastime where people jump from tall structures and outcroppings for fun and thrills. | 6/16/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanBridges: Nature Abhors Them | From prehistoric logs across streams to the 102-mile Kunshan Grand Bridge, nature works ceaselessly to take down spans. Learn about the fascinating ins and outs of bridge design and building and the mind-boggling challenges structural engineers face. | 6/11/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Wow! Signal Works | In 1977, Ohio State astronomers discovered a radio transmission from space that was 30 times louder than the cosmic background noise. Since then every explanation of what it was has fallen short and the Wow! Signal remains possible evidence of alien life. | 6/9/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Ocean Currents Work | It’s easy to overlook the importance of ocean currents – they move along out at sea, while we stay mostly on land. But we are globally affected by them every day. Currents form the base of the food chain, drive weather and keep life as we know it goin | 6/4/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Street Gangs Work | The street gang problem in America peaked in the 1990s, but recent FBI reports find that gang membership doubled from 2006-2011. What’s driving this increase, and gangs in general? Wander into gang territory with Josh and Chuck in this episode. | 6/2/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Tupperware Works | Tupperware won immediate design acclaim when it was released in 1947, but it took a pioneering female executive to make a line of plastic food storage into an icon of the American postwar boom. Learn about the surprisingly intriguing history of Tupperware | 5/28/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Junk Food Works | Junk food is literally that, empty calories of energy that provide little nutritional value and usually are stored as fat. Yet junk food is irresistible and for good reason – companies spend tens of millions engineering it to be that way. | 5/26/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Color Works | Science doesn’t have a good explanation for why we sense color, yet it is everywhere and affecting us all the time. But why should minutely different wavelengths of light have such an impact on our moods and motivations? | 5/21/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Internet Censorship Works | Some of it seems innocuous enough: protecting kids from unseemly sites or intellectual property from piracy. But the tools to protect these things are the same that governments can also use to censor ideas and quell dissent. | 5/19/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Pinewood Derbies Work | Tens of millions of Scouts, and their parents, have taken standard blocks of wood and turned them into cars that zip along at up to 20 mph. Learn about the origin, physics and more of Pinewood Derbies in this episode. | 5/14/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanDoes the FDA Protect Americans? | The FDA was the first consumer protection agency in the US. Since 1906, it’s been issuing regulations meant to protect Americans from tainted food, ineffective drugs and pacemakers that don’t work. But is the FDA too cozy with industries it regulates? | 5/12/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanJosh and Chuck Make It Through Male Puberty | Around ages 9 or 10 a boy will begin to undergo a magical, surprising, weird, amazing, totally bonkers transformation from childhood to adulthood. To separate fact from myth, Chuck and Josh take on the role of gym teachers and wade into male puberty. | 5/7/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Therapeutic Hypothermia Works | Physicians noticed centuries ago that people exposed to cold temperatures often have amazing recoveries from serious medical emergencies. Now medicine is learning how to purposefully induce hypothermia in order to buy time to fix otherwise fatal trauma. | 5/5/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Spiders Work | Spiders are second only to snakes in the dread department, but they're actually very helpful arachnids who are only deadly to humans under the worst case scenario. Of the more than 40,000 species, very few spiders are even venomous to humans. Learn everyt | 4/30/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Water Slides Work | Water slides have been around in one form or another since the Romans. But back then they didn't know that they had on their hands. With the birth of the waterpark in the 1970s, these rides have only gotten more extreme, leading up to the birth of today's | 4/28/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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231 |
CleanOh No, Snakes! | If you think snakes are legless reptile carnivores, then you are exactly right. If you think snakes are here to kill you then you are exactly wrong. Learn more about these fascinating and undeservedly condemned animals in today's podcast episode. | 4/23/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Clowns Work | Jesters of some sort have been around since ancient Egypt and China. Our modern clown was invented around 1800 and ever since they have been getting steadily creepier. | 4/21/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Zero Population Growth Works | In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich's predictions didn't pan out but his ideas launched a debate still raging today. | 4/16/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Slinky Works | It has been called a "glorified spring", but Slinky is one of the best selling toys of all time. From accidental origins to an unlikely resurrection, Slinky has a pretty great back story. | 4/14/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat's the deal with blood types? | Blood types have one of the more interesting backstories in medical history. But as much as we've figured out about them and how they work, we still don't know much about why we even have different blood types. Listen in for a truly fascinating look at yo | 4/9/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanPolyamory: When two just won't do | In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of polyamory. Turns out polyamorists aren't aren't weirdos and deviants, they're just regular folks looking for love from more than one person. Learn all you ever needed to know | 4/7/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanThanks, Easter Bunny! Bock Bock! | Happy Easter from Stuff You Should Know! Learn all about Easter, from its humble beginnings as a pagan holiday to the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. We'll cover the Biblical and religious aspects, along with the origins of some of Easter's gre | 4/2/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanDoes the body replace itself? | Does the human body really replace itself every few years? The answer is yes, but different parts of the body do so at different rates. Learn all about which parts of your body are the speediest, and which take the longest to regenerate. | 3/31/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Desalination Works | Why would people want to remove salt from water? To solve the world's water problem, that's why. Learn all about the efforts to desalinate H2O in cheaper and more efficient ways. | 3/26/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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240 |
Clean10 Bizarre Medical Treatments | Medical science has a long and storied history of trying out cures and procedures that later strike us as wacky. And they’re still at it today! Learn about bizarre treatments, from opium for children to tobacco smoke enemas in this episode. | 3/24/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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241 |
CleanEarwax: Live With It | Despite tons of people using cotton swabs each day to clean the earwax from their ears, cerumen (as earwax is clinically known) is actually quite beneficial to the health of your ears – and even kind of ingenious as your body’s defense goes. | 3/19/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Anesthesia Works | The use of general anesthesia is less than 200 years old. Before doctors were able to cause unconsciousness in patients, surgery was brutal for all involved. But despite this advancement in medicine, science still has no idea how it works. | 3/17/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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243 |
CleanHow Tea Works | Legend has it that tea was discovered by a curious Chinese emperor after leaves blew into his boiled water. Now tea is the second only to water in popularity worldwide. And despite the varieties of tea, they all come from a single species of plant. | 3/12/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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244 |
CleanHow Fleas Work | Fleas are the bane of the existence of pet owners. From their eggs to their lifespan to their feeding habits, fleas are practically designed to be a nuisance. They are parasites, after all. Get down on flea level with Josh and Chuck in this episode. | 3/10/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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245 |
CleanHow Stonehenge Works | Even as far back as the Roman invaders, people have had absolutely no idea just what the massive monument complex in England known as Stonehenge was built for. Join Josh and Chuck as they try to get to the bottom of this Neolithic mystery. | 3/5/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow ESP Works(?) | Even though almost half of Americans believe in it, ESP usually is treated as a load of bull by skeptics. But some respected researchers have dared to apply the scientific method to investigate ESP and a few have found some surprising results. | 3/3/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanSome Movies That Changed Filmmaking | An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this episode Chuck and Josh talk about the ones that emerged throughout cinema history to change the course of all movies that followed. Get your popcorn. | 2/26/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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248 |
CleanWhy Do Lefties Exist? | For at least the last 200,000 years, between 10-15% of the human population are left-handed and this fact has utterly left science baffled. In searching to explain handedness, all sorts of contradictory evidence has emerged, creating a fascinating mystery | 2/24/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Perfume Works | Women consistently rate scent as the most important factor in a man’s attractiveness and men have been manipulating that for centuries with scents of all sorts. Learn about the fascinating history -- and, well, art -- of making perfumes in this episode. | 2/19/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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250 |
CleanIs there treasure on Oak Island? | Off Nova Scotia, the tiny spit of land called Oak Island has been host to waves of treasure hunters for more than 200 years. Some of them lost their lives in the search for a treasure reputedly buried in a deep pit. But is anything really there? | 2/17/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanWhat is folklore? | What is folklore? Turns out it's just about anything you can think of that's shared by more than two people. Art, literature, stories, dance, music, traditions, even those family heirlooms qualify. Turns out folklore is pretty neat. Learn all about it in | 2/12/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Feng Shui Works | Feng Shui is an Asian concept that strives to unlock your chi by how your home or office is arranged. Or at least that's the simplified "Western" version. It's a little more complicated than that in reality. We'll unlock your chi by explaining how feng sh | 2/10/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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253 |
CleanHow Ice Cream Works | We all scream for ice cream, sure, but did you know we’re all technically screaming about a colloidal foam? Prepare for deep cravings that will surely emerge as you learn the history of ice cream, how to make it yourself and lots more. | 2/5/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanRainbows: Delighting humanity since forever | 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 air. But they sure do look cool. Learn all about how rainbows are formed in today's episode. | 2/3/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Hot Wheels Work | 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 we discuss these fun and iconic toys. | 1/29/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Poison Ivy Works | 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'll learn just about all there is to know about this itch-causing plant, including how to best avoid it. | 1/27/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanNostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much. | 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 lot of purposefully confusing riddles that people have twisted into meaning exactly what they want them t | 1/22/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the March on Washington Worked | 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 eventful year. Join Josh and Chuck as they get into the story behind the story we learned in school. | 1/20/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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259 |
CleanJuggling: What the Heck | 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 types of juggling in this surprisingly sweeping look at a putatively innocuous pastime. | 1/15/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Scientific Method Works | It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many people - including some scientists – don’t fully understand it. Learn about the basis of how we explore our world in this episode. | 1/13/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Online Gambling Works | 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 gambling have had an unusual and complicated relationship. Learn the ins and outs of this grey area. | 1/8/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Jim Henson Worked | 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 the Muppets who was so much more than just a master puppeteer in this episode. | 1/6/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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263 |
CleanSYSK Live: How Bars Work | 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 history of bars, cocktails and the good people who put them together in new and amazing ways. | 1/1/2015 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Sea Monsters Work | Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited with with creating the universe. Even today when the sea washes something odd ashore we see monsters – we understand there’s much more than appears above the surf | 12/30/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanJosh and Chuck's 2014 Christmas Extravaganza! | 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 about Letters to Santa, A Christmas Story, mulled wine and more neat stuff. | 12/25/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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266 |
CleanHow the GED Test Works | 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 pass. But that also brought about a couple of more testing options. Learn all about how high school dropou | 12/23/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Cinnamon Works | 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 know it was really just dried up tree bark? | 12/18/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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268 |
CleanBoomerangs: Magic Sticks of Physics | The physics behind returning boomerangs literally may be the most difficult concept to understand in the entire body of science. Join Josh and Chuck as they try their absolute best to describe how boomerangs work - and maybe even pull it off! | 12/16/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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269 |
CleanHomeschooling: Not Just For Hippies and Religious People Anymore | 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 viable option for parents. And as more and more have chosen it, it’s become more mainstream. | 12/11/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow The Hum Works | 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 people in places around the world. The thing is, no one knows what’s causing it – or if it actually exist | 12/9/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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271 |
CleanHow X-Rays Work | Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medical breakthrough still in use today. Learn about how X-rays are created and why they make such delightful images of our bones. | 12/4/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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272 |
CleanHow Leper Colonies Worked | 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 the most ancient disease to afflict humans, it has become treatable and even accepted. | 12/2/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Terraforming Will Work | 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, or engineering a planet to maintain all of the ingredients to sustain life, seems to be the answer. | 11/27/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Kickstarter Works | With billions of dollars raised, Kickstarter has singled itself out as the go-to site for creative crowdfunding. But not without some controversy along the way. Learn all about how this artistic business model operates in today's episode. | 11/25/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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275 |
CleanWhat is Collective Hysteria? | 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 all exhibit the same physical symptoms of non-existent conditions. Is it psychosomatic? Is it group think? | 11/20/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow the Enlightenment Works | 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 massive shift in thinking which we are still sorting through and coming to understand today. | 11/18/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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277 |
CleanWhat's the deal with crop circles? | 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 aliens, but art made by humans. Learn all about these stunning, large form art installations in today's episod | 11/13/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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278 |
CleanHow Patents Work | What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technological advances, the U.S. patent system has become a big mess. Wade into this surprisingly interesting mire to learn how to save this important institution. | 11/11/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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279 |
CleanHow Limousines Work | 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 amenities you can find inside them in this episode with Josh and Chuck. | 11/6/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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280 |
CleanCan Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World? | 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 change woes for centuries to come – nuclear fusion. Learn about building stars on Earth in this epis | 11/4/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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281 |
CleanSYSK's Halloween Scare Fest | 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 this special bonus Halloween episode. | 10/31/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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282 |
CleanHow Haunted House Attractions Work | Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of sophistication in the scares and gore effects continues to rise over time, but the purpose remains the same: to scare the pants off you. | 10/30/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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283 |
CleanIs there a disease that kills by preventing sleep? | 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. The more we understand about FFI, the more mysterious it becomes. | 10/28/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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284 |
CleanHow Animal Camouflage Works | The wild kingdom is filled with examples of animals that can camouflage themselves into their environment, but the means and the methods are also wildly varied. Learn about the ins and outs of blending in through this episode. | 10/23/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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285 |
CleanHow Extinction Works | Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have disappeared through extinction. This is a natural process typically, but it can also be cataclysmic and it’s becoming clear we are amid a massive one. | 10/21/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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286 |
CleanHow The Great Train Robbery Worked | 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, capturing the public's attention and leaving them torn on who to root for - the cops or the robbers. Learn | 10/16/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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287 |
CleanVirus Talk with Josh and Chuck | 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 know about viruses, including how the common cold works. | 10/14/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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288 |
CleanHow Skywriting Works | "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. Learn all about the aerial acrobatics and mental skill it takes to write mile-high letters backwards." | 10/9/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Karate Works | 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 widely practiced martial arts and one of the most difficult to master. Learn about it in this episode. | 10/7/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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290 |
CleanHow Panic Attacks Work | Almost three percent of Americans suffer from a debilitating disorder that causes them to suffer intense fear seemingly without reason and science hasn’t yet figured out what causes it. Join Josh and Chuck as they get to the bottom of panic attacks. | 10/2/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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291 |
CleanHow Rogue Waves Work | 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 boat and its inhabitants. Investigate the mystery of rouge waves in this episode. | 9/30/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Animal Domestication Works | It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domestication of wild animals, is the single biggest thing to ever happen to humanity. You can thank it for everything from kingdoms to Ebola. | 9/25/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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293 |
CleanHow Police Interrogation Works | 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 use is grounded in bad science and can produce false confessions. Learn about ways of making you talk. | 9/23/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Currency Works | 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 cows to cacao beans to tiny shells from Maldives have served as currency at some time or another. | 9/18/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Socialism Works | 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 character. Learn about this foil and complement to capitalism and why it might not be so bad. | 9/16/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Royalty Works | In some nations royals are so ingrained in the national fabric they are considered part of the country. Join Josh and Chuck as they take a look backward in time at the ancient tradition of despotism and unbridled privilege in this episode. | 9/11/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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297 |
CleanHow Stem Cells Work | 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 Parkinson's and immune disorders. But because stem cells often come from embryos they remain controversial. | 9/9/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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298 |
CleanHow TV Ratings Work | 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 almost exclusive decider of what goes and what stays on TV. | 9/4/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanHow Pinball Works | 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 to a Babe Ruth-style shot by the best player in the world. Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck. | 9/2/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
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300 |
CleanHow Blimps Work | After newsreels captured the Hindenburg erupting in fire in 1937, the promising development of airship aviation was cut short. Today companies and militaries are taking another look at blimps and the unique qualities that may revive them. | 8/28/2014 | Free | View in iTunes |
| 300 Items |
Customer Reviews
Very interesting.....
Who knew?? I found these podcasts to be very interesting and informative. It's refreshing to know that there are people out there who care enough to inform us of interesting facts that fuel our brains rather than the typical trash that floods us daily. Does anybody really care which celebrity went into rehab this week? This makes for much more interesting conversation around the "water cooler". Not to mention that it makes you sound smart :) Keep up the good work!
Interesting
I disagree with the comment above. These topics are interesting, and it's not because I'm old. These people talk about serious topics but in a way that is easliy digestible and entertaining. I like it-- keep up the good work!
How Podcasting Works
Keep it short, stylish, informative, and simple. With the same panache and objectivity found in the website's articles, HowStuffWorks pulls off a great trick by making education interesting. This is a great podcast for fans of random knowledge.
