Stuff To Blow Your Mind
2,469 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★ - 5.5K ratingsDeep in the back of your mind, you’ve always had the feeling that there’s something strange about reality. There is. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they examine neurological quandaries, cosmic mysteries, evolutionary marvels and our transhuman future.
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Episodes
From the Vault: Bugs Under The Skin
April 04, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBEver feel like there are bugs crawling around in your body? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore alleged incidents, medical publications and the reality of delusional parasitosis. (originally publsihed 3/19/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 10: Chinese Immortality
April 03, 2020 14:06 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBExplore tales and traditions from Taoist sorcery, alchemy and Chinese folktales. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 9: Wound Mouth of the Undying Hydra
April 03, 2020 14:06 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBFrom myth to biology, the hydra hungers and grows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 7: The Trident
April 03, 2020 14:04 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBWhat is the meaning of Poseidon's divine weapon? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 8: Unicorns of the Mythic World
April 03, 2020 14:04 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBDiscover the power and symbolism of the unicorn. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 6: The Slayer
April 03, 2020 14:01 - 1 hour - 81.8 MBWho is the slayer and why is this figure so important to our ancient and modern myths? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 5: Demon Eaters and Possessed Tools
April 03, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBMeet the demon slayer Zhōng Kuí and follow a procession of spirits across the sea to Japan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 3: Talos
April 03, 2020 13:59 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBGet to know everyone's favorite ancient bronze age robot. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 2: The Myth-Fleshed Fossil
April 03, 2020 13:59 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBExplore the place where geology and mythology converge. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 4: Bones of the Plumed Serpent
April 03, 2020 13:59 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBVenture into the world of Quetzalcoatl. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Realms of Myth Playlist, Part 1: Unraveling the Mythic
April 03, 2020 13:58 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBWhat is mythology and why is it so important? Find out... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Déjà vu, Anxiety and Dreams, Part 2
April 02, 2020 17:09 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBWhat is déjà vu and how does it relate to dreams and anxiety? Robert and Joe discuss what is known about this curious anomaly of memory on Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Déjà vu, Anxiety and Dreams, Part 1
March 31, 2020 15:55 - 1 hourWhat is déjà vu and how does it relate to dreams and anxiety? Robert and Joe discuss what is known about this curious anomaly of memory on Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Déjà vu, Anxiety and Dreams
March 31, 2020 15:55 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBWhat is déjà vu and how does it relate to dreams and anxiety? Robert and Joe discuss what is known about this curious anomaly of memory on Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: The Lost Daughters of Aten, Part 2
March 28, 2020 07:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain. (original...
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 10: Dr. Jeff Hoffman
March 27, 2020 15:24 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBLet's talk about life beyond Earth's magnetosphere. Here's our 2018 chat with astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 9: Carl Zimmer
March 27, 2020 15:22 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBLet's talk about heredity. Here's our 2018 chat with acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer about his book “She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 8: Marah Hardt
March 27, 2020 15:20 - 1 hour - 65.4 MBLet's talk about the love life of coral with "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah J. Hardt. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 7: R. Scott Bakker
March 27, 2020 15:17 - 1 hour - 65.6 MBLet's talk about alien philosophy. Here's our 2017 chat with Canadian author R. Scott Bakker, discussing his dark fantasy novels as well as his paper 'On Alien Philosophy,' published in the The Journal of Consciousness Studies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 6: Mary Roach
March 27, 2020 15:10 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBLet's talk about penis transplants. Here's our 2016 chat with author Mary Roach, who devotes two chapters of her book "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War" to urotrauma and genital transplant surgery. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 5: Mark Mandica
March 27, 2020 15:07 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBLet's talk about salamanders. Here's our 2018 chat with Mark Mandica, executive director of The Amphibian Foundation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 4: Gene Kritsky
March 27, 2020 15:02 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBLet's talk about ancient Egyptian bee keeping. Here's our 2016 chat with "The Tears of Re" author entomologist Gene Kritsky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 3: Thomas S. Mullaney
March 27, 2020 14:58 - 1 hour - 58.7 MBLet's talk about the Chinese typewriter. Here's our 2018 chat with Thomas S. Mullaney about his book “The Chinese Typewriter: A History.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 2: Brian Greene, Max Tegmark and Barbara J. King
March 27, 2020 14:53 - 1 hour - 63.4 MBLet's talk about string theory, super AI and animal emotions. Here are our 2018 World Science Festival interviews with physicist Brian Greene, physicist Max Tegmark and anthropologist Barbara J. King. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview Interlude Playlist, Part 1: Diva Amon
March 27, 2020 14:51 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBLet's talk about deep sea ecology and conservation. Here's our 2019 chat with deep sea marine biologist Diva Amon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Twilight of the Moa
March 26, 2020 12:52 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBThe Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rise of the Moa
March 24, 2020 07:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBThe Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: The Lost Daughters of Aten, Part 1
March 21, 2020 07:00 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBPluto may not be a planet, but it definitely exists. Not every case is so clear. The history of near-Earth astronomy contains many cases of bodies that may or may not have ever existed in the solar system we call home. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick take a journey through space to survey once-hypothetical bodies that took work to prove, once-imagined bodies that are now confirmed phantoms, and the unsolved mysteries where questions remain. (original...
STBYM Halftober Monsterfest Playlist, Episode 8: Demon in the Halls of Sleep
March 20, 2020 18:06 - 1 hourHalftober Monsterfest is about to get even weirder. Explore the basics of incubus and succubus myths, a few international variants and the possible biological, psychological and neurological explanations for these paranormal encounters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Space Between: A STBYM Update Episode
March 19, 2020 16:22 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe catch you up to date on the podcast’s production schedule and generally check in with listeners in the wake of current events. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Invertebrate Emotions, Part 2
March 17, 2020 16:59 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBHumans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: Gáe Bulg
March 14, 2020 07:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIrish myth tells of a spear so deadly, that its deployment is certain death. Forged from the bones of sea monsters, the Gáe Bulg would send barbs through its victim’s every vein -- but only if the hero threw it with their foot. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick unravel the myth, history and science of this impractical Irish wonder weapon. (originally published 2/21/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omn...
Invertebrate Emotions, Part 1
March 12, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBHumans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Biology of the Hobbit
March 10, 2020 15:10 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBNot to question the wisdom of Gandalf the Grey, but a hobbit might seem like a poor choice for a continent-sprawling journey to rid the world of evil. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe return to the science of Middle Earth with a look at scientific breakdowns of hobbit diet, hobbit physiology and hobbit vitamin requirements. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: The Dark Crystal
March 07, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBIt’s time for another movie-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and this time Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick are bound for the world of Thra in Jim Henson’s 1982 masterpiece “The Dark Crystal.” What are we to make of these complex creatures, mythological themes and cosmological alignment? (originally published 4/4/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Autogenics
March 05, 2020 08:00 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBFrom a self-hypnosis practice rooted in early 20th century psychiatry to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals, Robert and Joe discuss autogenics training and its creator, Johannes Heinrich Schultz. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
March 03, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 62 MBAs the world reacts to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Robert and Joe devote an episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind to cover what’s currently known about the virus and what you can do as infections continue to spread. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: Split Brain, Part 2
February 29, 2020 08:00 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans. (originally published 1/17/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Overconfidence: The Icarus Paradox
February 27, 2020 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBWhat is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Overconfidence: Hubris and Nemesis
February 25, 2020 08:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBWhat is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: Split Brain, Part 1
February 22, 2020 08:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBOur brains are composed of two hemispheres, but in what ways are they truly separate? In which ways are they one? In this bisected Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore what we’ve learned from split brain experiments in animals and humans. (originally published 1/15/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listener Mail: In Your Face!
February 20, 2020 14:50 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBIt’s time for another hefty dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail. Join Robert and Joe as they read and answer your emails on facial recognition, gods, volcanoes the future and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Fly: Into the Plasma Pool
February 18, 2020 14:54 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBIt’s time for another movie episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, and this time Robert and Joe consider David Cronenberg’s 1986 sci-fi remake “The Fly.” It’s time to drink deep, or taste not, the plasma spring! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: Snail Sex in the Sea
February 15, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBIn the aftermath of Valentine's Day, join Robert and Joe as they revisit last year's interview with marine biologist and "Sex in the Sea" author Dr. Marah Hardt. It's a chat with STBYM's only four-time guest about all manner of marine invertebrate reproduction. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Occam's Razor
February 13, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBIt’s a standard tool of skeptical thinking: When presented with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well, choose the simpler of the two. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the history, nature and complexities of Occam’s Razor. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lessons of Vesuvius, Part 2
February 11, 2020 05:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBIn the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore this terrifying episode in history and what we can learn from it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the Vault: Cupid's Leaden Arrow
February 08, 2020 05:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBIt’s Valentine’s Day again, which summons images of mythic Cupid and his bow. But we often forget that Cupid has TWO arrows in his quiver: the golden arrow of desire and the leaden arrow of aversion. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick discuss the mythic lead-slinger and the nature of his gray metal. (originally published 2/14/2019) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Lessons of Vesuvius, Part 1
February 06, 2020 05:00 - 45 minutes - 42 MBIn the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore this terrifying episode in history and what we can learn from it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Facial Recognition Machinery, Part 3
February 04, 2020 14:30 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBChances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future of privacy? How did we get to this point in techno-history and where do we go from here? In this multi-episode look from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore facial recognition technology. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/lis...
From the Vault: Motivated Numeracy and the Politics-ridden Brain
February 01, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBIf science were a candle in the dark, we’d need only spread its light to combat climate change denial and vaccine conspiracy theories. But what if the problem is more complex than that? What if a quirk of human cognition enables us to remain willingly in the dark, even as we hold the very candle? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the concept of motivated numeracy. (originally published 11/15/2018) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcas...