Brain Junk

It sounds like impossibly futuristic sci-fi but, a machine learning algorithm and videos of bat behavior were used to partially decode the language of Egyptian Fruit Bats. I KNOW! You have to give this a listen. image by David Mark on Pixabay For adorable pictures of the Egyptian fruit bats https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-translate-bat-talk-and-they-argue-lot-180961564/ Get into the scholarly research nitty-gritty: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.21215 Want to learn more about Wild dog communication? Listen to this oldie but a goodie, http://brainjunkpodcast.com/podcast/bf-12-sneeze-voting/

Also known as devil squid because of the bright red color they sometimes display: Humboldt squid have on occasion attacked divers. But mostly they hunt in packs for fish. Mostly. (What's up Aliens reference?!

Let's talk about people who look remarkably similar. For example: Bryan Cranston and Mr. Kerr (Don't tell Chas we're matching him up with Breaking Bad's Walter White again.

In 1964 researchers discovered the sharp beaked ground finch aka the vampire finch. FOR REAL!!! These finches have adapted to long hot dry seasons by drinking blood. Take a look at these blood thirsty birbs on Galapagosislands.com National Geographic vid of the Vampires in action! Not for the faint of heart! In case you wanted to give it a listen: Ologies Vampire episode with Dr. Jeff Holdeman

Trace here: I've got one arm trapped under a grumpy old-man-cat named Jack. Jack does not care about science or glowing glass or the fact that my back is starting to cramp. Enjoy this trip down the fancy serving ware aisle and drop us a picture on Facebook if you own any of this really cool glass! image from pixabay. More resources to check out! https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/for-educators/08.pdf https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/consumer/glass/vaseline-uranium-glass.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_glass https://www.iflscience.com/uranium-glass-the-radioactive-glassware-that-could-be-hiding-in-plain-sight-64052 If you're still here, this is Jack perched on his support person, Beckett.

Look grammar police, it's octopuses and we don't have to like it, BUT you are going to love learning that just like humans, octopuses do seem to have a preferred hand. Arm? Tentacle? OMG here we go again. Just listen to the episode, it's a hoot. The actual paper! Hold your phone in whatever hand you prefer while reading https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01402-6 Just incase you need MORE of on octopus fix...Amy's husband Chris says it's amazing! Additional research: University of Minnesota Research Brief Check out the California two-spot octopus on

Grab a snack and listen to how sneaky research was done on hungry people. It's devious and a great example of how being hungry influences mood. Also Amy mentions Larks and Owls do a fun quiz on yourself to find out what kind of a person you are: Chronobiology Quiz Some extra research⬇⬇⬇ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269629 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325694374_Feeling_Hangry_When_Hunger_Is_Conceptualized_as_Emotion

Itchy fish scratching wherever they can! Even on the nubby sides of SHARKS!! Need to know more about those other episodes we mentioned? Episode 93: Farting Herring & 206:The Smartest Fish? Measuring Cough Rates in Fish : from the EPA PBS Fish have Feelings Too

That's right! We're back with a little more NSFW (Not Safe For Work)! We had so much fun doing Episode #222 After Dark that we just had to do a part two. It's longer and weirder and we definitely need you to tell us if you crave more. Here's a little breakdown of the mayhem we cover in this super extra long episode. Historical Euphemisms for sexy time fetishes & feet https://www.audacy.com/kluv/latest/biologist-explains-why-some-people-have-foot-fetishes https://www.livescience.com/33525-foot-fetishes-toe-suck-fairy.html https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1057.2762&rep=rep1&type=pdf Achaemenian Empire and Scaphism Butterflies drinking blood Shrike People pig snacks Human blood sword Female Hyena "junk" Check out some more research: https://www.holekamplab.org/ Wounds (ew, ick, gross) and foreskin

We're digging deep into right brain / left brain communication! But metaphorically, not like...with a spoon. Want to get really into the weeds on this Brain Storm? Check out the PubMed.gov abstract: Running speed and REM sleep control two distinct modes of rapid interhemispheric communication

Brach's has done it again with the flavors you'd savor at a tailgate party. There's hot dog and hamburger candy corn that is...well, if not good, at least fun to talk about. The fruit punch was a particular favorite of Trace's and Amy double dipped on the popcorn. There's some fun Brach's history facts tossed into the pick-a-mix too!

If you follow XKCD you know the author, Randall Monroe, applies science to absurd questions. One of those questions had to do with the possibility of soccer ball size hail. Cover up with your steel umbrella and listen to find out if it's actually possible! XKCD you should take a look! images from Pixabay

Okay, they're really falling with style. But it's still cool that the Wandering salamander in the redwood forests of north western California can glide. Check out the Current Biology paper if you want to read more! And OF COURSE there's video!

Amy shares the solved mystery and history of Ponyhenge in Lincoln, MA. Atlas Obscura article by Jessica Hester ! Click the link

Wouldn't it be cool if we could just put our eggs in a warmer instead of being pregnant for months and months?!?! We dive into some big science and BIG science words. Get ready for syncytin and viruses. Check out the brain behind this topic, Dr. Noc on TikTok Also Mammals Made By Viruses by Carl Zimmer

Why won't your teenager listen to you? Their brain. For real. Insert teenage eye roll here. Want to know the deets? Mom's Voice study from Stanford

In the mood for a LONG episode?!?! Wish granted! We're snacking on packages of Taco flavored jellybeans from Brach's as we snack our way through fun facts about food trucks, the history of the pique-nique, and just what's in horchata. And if you need more of us taste testing, check out Episode 138: Turkey Candy Corn image: Instagram @thejunkfoodaisle

Fresh off the research presses in early 2022, a new study on how honey bees navigate the world while they fly. Turns out still water and mirrors are equally vexing for bees. Check out the paper: Honeybees Flying Over a Mirror Irremediably Crash And video!

We don't know about you, but 2022 has been a MOOD so we're starting Halloween a little early this year. Be prepared! Starting Aug 17th, we have a season of witches and cat nights. Amy also tosses a few fun extra facts into this almanac Brain Storm! Need more Almanac facts try out Farmer's Almanac!

It's 1576 and you don't have a young boy to spare to turn your meat while it cooks. So what could you use? A dog.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a naughty summer break episode. If you’re of an age that hasn’t covered human growth and development yet, this warning is for you and your parents: we are talking about everything in the no-no squares. Don’t know what that is? Maybe don’t Google it. Just ask […]

Harriet lived from around 1835 to 2006! She is believed to be one of the Earth’s longest lived creatures ever recorded. image from Australia Zoo via the AP file of Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, and Harriet

If you grew up on the east coast of the US, you might’ve had Hellmann’s mayo and on the west coast you’d have Best Foods. But here’s the thing, it’s the same product. The reasons why we have similar foods with different labels from coast to coast are as varied as the products we buy. […]

In the 16 and 1700s, wife selling was a type of marital separation that people did when they couldn’t afford divorce. It was shaming, mysoginistic, and patriarchal (basically it was a terrible time to be female). BUT wife selling was an attempt to work within a crushingly unfair system and sometimes even worked to the […]

Seldom written about, female gladiators fought for glory and Rome from around 509 BCE to 200 AD. What little information we have about them was in a few historical writings and one remaining frieze. image: Amazonia and Achillea

2012 published research detailed how you could influence someone’s honesty on say, a test. It all depended on if they signed an agreement to be truthful at the beginning or the end of the test. A lot of what is discussed in the paper feels like common sense. And was also hard to reproduce. How […]

In 1948, Idaho Fish and Game got the bright idea to transport beavers into the back country with PARACHUTES. It was a wild and wacky compromise to save dwindling beaver populations, promote healthy forests, and keep beavers out of post WWII housing developments.

It’s 1789 and the beginning of bureaucracy in the United States. James Madison is writing letters to smooth the path of George Washington’s disorganized congress. The way it all went down is hilarious. Not one of the 4 letters BUT this one was written by James Madison to George Washington on Dec. of 1789. He […]

While baby Egyptian fruit bats start life getting carried around, once they get too heavy, their mothers leave them in a cave while they forage. It’s tough love that gets them out of the cave and learning how to find home and food. image by Yuval Barkai from New York Times Science Current Biology article […]

The first roller skates were patented by John Joseph Merlin in 1760. He showed off his new fangled wheeled shoes with an epic entrance to a party that ended not quite how he thought it would.

With enough pressure and heat, just about anything with enough carbon in it could become a diamond. And thankfully for us, when a scientist was asked, could he turn peanut butter into a diamond, he decided to find out. How NOT to make a diamond at home:

How do whales open their mouths to grab a mouthful of food without drowning?! Because it’s not just krill that goes in, but hundreds of gallons of water. Amy digs into why. The adaptation is remarkable. Check out Science News magazine for a cool diagram! And here’s my other (Amy’s) sources:  EurekAlert Baleen Whales use […]

In 2007, a woman’s 5,000 year old skeleton was found in Burnt City, Iran. She was at least six feet tall and had what researchers think may be the first example of a prosthetic eye. image: Check out the original paper!

In cases of emergency, lizards pop off their tails to get away. Evolution made it possible for that tail to stay on when tugged but not twisted. It all comes down to physiology and a cool adaptation called nanopores. Close up of the nanopores and detached tail: image from NAVAJIT S. BABAN/NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ABU […]

It wasn’t just fame and glory that inspired Lewis and Clark’s expedition across this great land. It took a “medication” so powerful that people would pray before they took it. Researchers figured out how to locate campsites from that 1804-1805 trip by analyzing dirt for Mercury. Because of course they were using medicine that was […]

Anything that scatters when you turn on the light…does it have a personality? Is the cockroach urge to run an indicator of a bold or timid world view? So many questions. Of course Amy found us some answers. Cockroaches with their little monitors. image from Reuters and Science Alert

Set aside your mammal bias because this week we’re celebrating the unexpected smarts of archerfish and goldfish! Turns out, goldfish might be able to drive a car and archerfish might just be able to count. Sit back and get ready for your mind to be blown. Goldfish research with cars. Watch out Tesla, they’re coming […]

Amy pulled out all the stops for this shenanigan filled episode. Don’t be an April’s Fool like Trace. image from Snopes Amy’s Sources (aside from her shenanigan-filled heart):  Snopes.com  Blandx.com 1936 Olympics Article

In 1978, Dr. Alexander Schauss and a research assistant mixed 1 gallon of white latex paint with a pint of shiny red and created P-618 aka Baker Miller Pink. They thought it would relax people, especially people in stressful situations, like prison. Take a look at that powerful pink and you be the judge.

We always hear about research “wins”. Rarely do we discuss “failures”–and we should. Today we dive into a few examples of how not getting the “right” answer isn’t wrong. Loma Pendergraft: Fussing Over Food Amy’s Sources: Clever Hans:Wikipedia: Observer Expectancy EffectWikipedia Clever HansCrow Vocalizations:Corvid Research Blog Part ICorvid Research Blog Part II

Imagine you’re an ant living in an arid climate. There’s no grocery stores! How do you keep enough food on hand for when things are scarce? You won’t believe it. […]

What happens when you are the Emperor of France and your hunting party plans go completely wrong? You get attacked by rabbits. This isn’t a Monty Python skit, its history! […]

To celebrate our 200th episode, we’re going back to 1822 to share cool facts from two-hundred years ago! Listen in to a cornucopia of historical cooking, human experimentation, the discovery […]

Gifts. Just because that decorative paper is slapped on with yards of tape doesn’t mean what’s inside isn’t something you’d want. Amy dives into a study about how we feel […]

Mary McLeod Bethune was the daughter of former slaves and a founder of Bethune-Cookman University. She was often the only woman of color with a seat at the table in […]

Give a captive gorilla tasty food, they often vocalize in ways that sound a lot like singing. It’s so charming! But scientists thought this “singing” was a response to living […]

One of the highest achievements in martial arts is the black belt. And Amy, OUR Amy Barton has reached that pinnacle in Taekwondo. How cool is that?!? To celebrate we’re […]

We’re diving into a long episode chock-a-block full of weird facts. Get ready for German phrases, the history of bullion, hot dogs, neurons, and more (and OF COURSE a little […]

You might think you’re special because you can flex your nostrils or flap your ears–but it turns out that there is a person out there who can voluntarily move their […]

The US military uses more than boats to protect our Naval bases. This episode brings a whole new meaning to “Navy seals”. Check out this AP archive video — it’s […]

Welcome to 2022!! Over the next few episodes we’re changing things up a bit. Let us know what you think! Email us at Brainjunkpodcast@gmail.com or drop us a message on […]