Stuff To Blow Your Mind
2,469 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month 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
Cubicle Doom
July 23, 2013 15:51 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBCubicle Doom: Can your office cubical kill you? Might an open-floor office plan save your life or drive you to madness? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie examine the science and psychology of our artificial work spaces. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Mystery of Human Consciousness
July 18, 2013 16:31 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBWhat is consciousness? Can we test for it? And how to we rectify the seemingly disparate realities of physical brain and immaterial mind? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie consider the hard problem of human consciousness and the philosophic warnings of the New Mysterians. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Insect Love Song
July 16, 2013 13:35 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBInsect Love Song: The night is alive with insects. To our human ears their song is mere cacophony, but it's actually a vast web of communication signals. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie decode the Insect Internet for the meanings behind insect songs. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
July 11, 2013 15:35 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBClap, Clap, Clap Your Hands:Resist the urge to clap at the next concert or play you attend - IF YOU DARE! Because as Robert and Julie explain in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, applause is viral. It's hard-coded into our mental capacity for synchronicity and social adaptation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Grunting the Conqueror Worm
July 09, 2013 15:04 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBGrunting the Conqueror Worm: Behold the conqueror earthworm, a creature introduced to North America mere centuries ago and now virtually unstoppable. And yet some humans know the means of summoning these worms from the Earth using only music or the rhythmic rubbing of stakes. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie take you inside the world of worm grunting. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
A Cuppa Joe
July 04, 2013 15:27 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBA Cuppa Joe:Just what's in a cup of coffee? Why does it make us feel so invincible and why does it make us poop so much? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How to Beat the Thought Police
July 02, 2013 18:41 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBHow to Beat the Thought Police: Want to know how to beat a polygraph test? How about current and near-future fMRI lie detection tests? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie take you to the place where neuroscience and criminal investigation collide. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Isolation Chambers: Float Follow-Up
June 27, 2013 14:18 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBIsolation Chambers: Float Follow-Up: In a previous episode, Robert and Julie discussed the science of sensory deprivation chambers and now they're back from their own first-hand experiences inside the womb-to-tomb wet box. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clocking In: The Nature of Time
June 25, 2013 16:15 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBClocking in: What is time? What's the best way to measure it? And is it all an illusion anyway? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss the fourth dimension and the clock on the wall. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summer Reading: Guest Picks
June 20, 2013 14:12 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBIn this special episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie invite six guests to share their recommendations for summer reading. You'll hear from science author Mary Roach, musician DJ Food and author David Barnett. Plus fellow HowStuffWorks podcast hosts Cristen Conger, Lauren Vogelbaum and Tracy V. Wilson pop in with titles as well. And don't forget to check out the accompanying blog post for a complete list of titles. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcas...
Summer Reading: Robert and Julie's Picks
June 18, 2013 17:55 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBSummer Reading: Robert and Julie's Picks: Once again, your Robert and Julie are here to share some summer reading recommendations with their curious listeners. Explore their delightful buffet of science, sci-fi, children's books, literary fiction and graphic novels. Something here might just make your summer. And don't forget to check out the accompanying blog post for a complete list of titles. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/lis...
The Quietest Room in the World
June 12, 2013 17:45 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBThe Quietest Room in the World: In Minneapolis, MN there's a room that blocks 99.99 percent of all sound. It's a place of intense silence, intense calm and possibly intense madness. What happens when things are too quite? Robert and Julie explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sensory Deprivation Chambers
June 11, 2013 15:59 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBSensory Deprivation Chambers:Fancy a return to the womb? Ready to shut off the world of senses and dive into the inner you? Well, the sensory deprivation chamber awaits you. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie breakdown the science of the womb-to-tomb wet box. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Finnish Ed
June 05, 2013 14:21 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBFinnish Ed: STEM education in the US has been on educators and policymakers' minds. One of the reasons is that the US has become far less competitive in terms of turning out a knowledge-based society. Could Finland hold the answer to raising a generation of science literate brainiacs? Stuff to Blow Your Mind travels to Finland (metaphorically) to find out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Invisible World of the No. 7
June 04, 2013 17:01 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBInvisible World of the No. 7:The 7 deadly sins, the 7 continents, the 7 seas: The no. 7 is everywhere. But is its prevalence simply a byproduct of the brain's pattern recognition machinery, does the no. 7 play a significant role in both human psychology and physiology - and to what extent is one driving the other? Find out in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies
May 30, 2013 15:17 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBVentriloquism: The Science of Dummies: It's time to rediscover ventriloquism, the surprisingly deft art of illusion that relies on a keen sense of comic timing and obsessive technique from the performer, as well as a buy-in into the illusion from the audience member. Why do we fall for it? What's going on in the brain? All shall be explained in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for p...
Extreme Mammals Part II
May 28, 2013 15:46 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBExtreme Mammals Part II: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count down their favorite weird warm bloods from the smallest to largest. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Extreme Mammals Part I
May 23, 2013 14:38 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBExtreme Mammals Part I: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count down their favorite weird warm bloods from the smallest to largest. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Science of Beards
May 21, 2013 17:52 - 44 minutesThe Science of Beards: Why do human males have beards? Do they protect us? Do they make us more fearsome? Better looking? More trustworthy? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Status of Flatus
May 16, 2013 15:54 - 38 minutesThe Status of Flatus: What is a fart? What's the science behind passing gas and why does volume, frequency and stench very so much from person to person? Answers await, gentle listener, as Robert and Julie discuss the biology behind breaking wind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Zombie Apocalypse PSA
May 14, 2013 18:17 - 39 minutes - 36 MBAtlanta is in shambles. Parasite-infected humans wander the streets, stinking of death and attacking everyone in sight. Meanwhile Robert and Julie hold up in the HSW headquarters to shed light on the so-called "zombie outbreak" by highlighting real-world examples of minds hijacked and bodies zombified by tiny parasitic organisms. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Nose to Tail: The Colon
May 09, 2013 19:42 - 40 minutes - 37 MBFrom Nose to Tail: The Colon: Finally, everything comes out in the end - which is to say it comes out of the end. Robert and Julie finish up their digestive journey with discussions of colon science, nutrient enemas, prison wallets and other astounding things. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Nose to Tail: Into the Intestines
May 07, 2013 21:09 - 8 minutes - 8.1 MBFrom Nose to Tail: Into the Intestines: In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie continue to follow the journey of a haggis through the digestive system of man. Listen in as the small intestines absorb all sorts of vital nutrients from your liquefied food. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nude Space Walk
May 02, 2013 22:06 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBNude Space Walk: In order to travel in space, humans have to bring a fragment of their native environment with them in the form of a compressed capsule or EV suit. But what would happen if you took off your helmet or simply launched yourself out the airlock in the buff? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie look for the answers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Emotions in Outer Space
April 30, 2013 18:12 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBEmotions in Outer Space: Space madness. Freezing tears. Delirious astronauts tranquilized, duct taped to the wall and forced to listen to Phillip Glass. Yes, in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie examine the mental strains of life and space and how to address them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Eaten Alive!
April 25, 2013 17:10 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBAh, to be swallowed whole and hugged within the stomach of a colossal beast. To some this idea is bliss; to most it's the stuff of nightmares. But can any creature on Earth truly swallow a human whole and alive? How likely is it? Join Robert and Julie on this Stuff to Blow Your Mind adventure deep inside the belly of a colossal whale. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Nose to Tail: Can You Stomach It?
April 23, 2013 19:55 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBCan You Stomach It?: Why doesn't the stomach digest itself? What sorts of chemical wonders go on inside the human gut and what strange language is it speaking after a heavy dinner? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss some stomach science. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Talking 'Gulp' With Mary Roach
April 18, 2013 20:50 - 5 minutes - 5.42 MBMary Roach Interview: We all love Mary Roach, so in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind Robert and Julie invite the "Stiff" author on the show to chat about her latest book "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal." Plus she'll answer listener questions and discuss how to eat with your butt. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Nose to Tail: Mysteries of the Mouth
April 16, 2013 18:37 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBFrom Nose to Tail: Mysteries of the Mouth: Food goes on quite a fantastic journey through the human body and Stuff to Blow Your Mind is here to guide you on the way. Join Robert and Julie as they begin at digestion's base camp: a world of smell, taste, saliva and gnashing teeth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Human Lightning Rods
April 11, 2013 21:01 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBHuman Lightning Rods: Some folk claim to attract undue attention from electrical storms. Some even insist it's hereditary. But what does science have to say about individuals who incur the wrath of Thor upwards of six or seven times? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie explore the world of human lightning strikes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Watch Stoppers
April 09, 2013 17:21 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBWatch Stoppers: We've all heard tales of individuals who simply cannot wear wrist watches. The time pieces simply stop working, time and time again. So what' happening? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss personal magnetism and why your watches keep breaking. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3D Printer of the Gods II
April 04, 2013 20:31 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB3D Printer of the Gods II: Oh, you're into 3D printing? How 20 years ago. It's one thing to print in the three spatial dimensions, quite another to factor in the fourth dimension of time. But it's happening. And in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert break down exactly what it's all about and discuss the future of manufacturing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
STBYM Listener Mail Extravaganza
April 01, 2013 15:04 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBStuff to Blow Your Mind listeners regularly send in imaginative and jaw-dropping correspondence. Sadly, Julie and Robert rarely have time to read it all. So here's a bonus episode devoted to your listener mail, courtesy of everyone's favorite mailbot. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3D Printer of the Gods, Part 1
March 29, 2013 23:16 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBSure 3D printers are cool, but where will they ultimately take us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss some of the amazing things happening in 3D printing, what the future will bring and whether it will destroy us all. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Slay Your Paper Tigers
March 28, 2013 20:06 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBSlay Your Paper Tigers: Sure, we all know a pile of paperwork or a job interview is nothing like a bloody battle to the death with a saber toothed tiger - but do our bodies know that? Is our brain still wired for fight or flight regardless of the modern stakes? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss how and why our brains interpret minor annoyances as ancestral enemies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com...
Objects of Love
March 26, 2013 17:01 - 38 minutesObjects of Love: We live in a world of objects to which we assign varying degrees of worth, from old newspapers to treasured action figures, family heirlooms and golden idols. What's it all about? Where does this object attachment come from? Tune in to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Talking 'Space Chronicles' with Neil DeGrasse Tyson
March 22, 2013 20:57 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBIn this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson chats with Robert and Julie about his new book "Space Chronicles" as well as mad science, philosophy, dark matter and humanity's future amid the stars. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Part 2
March 21, 2013 20:50 - 26 minutes - 24 MBIs there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert discuss the history of SETI as well as what classic TV shows our alien neighbors might be listening to. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Part 1
March 19, 2013 19:52 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBIs there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert discuss the history of SETI as well as what classic TV shows our alien neighbors might be listening to. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 2
March 18, 2013 18:38 - 32 minutesCan science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this second part of this series, Robert and Julie continue exploring of posthuman philosophy and the possibility of winged humans. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 1
March 14, 2013 20:34 - 24 minutesCan science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss Joseph Rosen's posthuman philosophy and ponder what we'd have to do to transform arms into wings. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Leprechaun Hallucinations
March 12, 2013 18:52 - 45 minutesLeprechaun Hallucinations: As Saint Patrick's Day nears, our minds inevitably turn to the little people of Irish folklore. But diminutive fairy folk pop up in folk traditions around the world. Listen in for a celebration of the myth and science behind those Leprechaun encounters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Pica: Dirt for Dinner
March 07, 2013 22:41 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBChances are you didn't pack mud pies or clay bricks for lunch, but humans - like many animals - are not above pica in their diet. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the practice of dirt and mineral consumption and just what impulses are at work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elevators and the Humans who Use Them
March 05, 2013 17:42 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBLike most ubiquitous technology, elevators are often ignored. But there would be no skyscrapers without them. There would be no tightly-packed awkwardness, no dusting of claustrophobic fear. Tune in to learn about the psychology and science of elevators. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Regurgitation Celebration
February 28, 2013 19:50 - 29 minutes - 27 MBWhile humans generally try to avoid puking, an upchuck is just another biological function for other creatures. In this episode, Robert and Julie present a vomitory smorgasbord of cud-chewing monkeys, acid-puking spiders, corpse-hurling vultures and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ghost in the Genetic Machine: Humans
February 26, 2013 17:38 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBTo what extent are we shackled to genes? How does our upbringing, environment and our grandfather's life choices affect the expression of our genome? Join Julie and Robert as they discuss epigenetic research and ponder underlying questions of free will. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ghost in the Genetic Machine: Animals
February 21, 2013 18:13 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBBetween the code and the creature lies the epigenome, where environmental impulses alter genetic expression. Join Robert and Julie as they introduce epigenetics and gene memory. Join them as they discuss Lamarckian Evolution, mice, rats and flat worms. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Memory of Slime
February 19, 2013 17:41 - 18 minutes - 17 MBSo you're telling me slime molds can solve mazes and recreate trade routes? Yes, indeed we are. In this episode, Julie and Robert explore the "intelligence" of slime molds and why they force us to re-think the evolution of intelligence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
My Slimey Valentine: The Slug Life
February 14, 2013 21:33 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBMy Slimey Valentine: Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a Valentine's hater, Robert and Julie have quite the episode for you. Prepare to have your mind blown as they expose the daring, disgusting, weaponized, cannibalistic and marathon lovemaking ways of slugs and snails. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trilogy of Slime: Tales of Slimedom in the Animal Kingdom
February 12, 2013 20:24 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBWe all love slime, but do we really respect it in all its glory? Join Julie and Robert for a mucus-coated journey through the slime of slugs, sea hags and fish. Learn how it provides locomotion, protection, communication and food. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.