The Best of Stuff

What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are psychedelics? How have these substances influenced human minds and culture? What exactly do they invoke in the brain and how could a renaissance of scientific study into their properties improve our lives? In this series of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe explore the world of entheogens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do new words come from? Robert and Joe explore... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do new words come from? Robert and Joe explore... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may very well encounter barbed wire everyday -- and, in all likelihood, you see THROUGH this flesh-ripping barrier. Where did this invention come from? How did it change the world? Robert and Joe discuss “the devil’s rope” in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe continue the month’s journey through human CULINARY techno-history -- this time with the story of the turnspit dog. This now-extinct breed of dog turned the meat in many a European kitchen, before it was replaced by machines. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fungal accident in the early 20th century opened the door for the medical wonders of the antibiotic age. In this episode, Robert and Joe explore what came before and how Alexander Fleming’s discovery changed the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do museums come from? Explore their history in this episode... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shades didn't invent themselves. Robert and Joe explore their origins... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chopsticks may seem like a basic invention, but this invention has a fascinating history... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took my quarters and gave me candy, but who invented this machine? Find out... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It cuts heads off, but who invented it? Robert and Joe explore. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Board games have only grown in variety and complexity in recent decades, but just how far back in time do these curious physical simulations go? In this episode of Invention, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the meeples of ancient history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Board games have only grown in variety and complexity in recent decades, but just how far back in time do these curious physical simulations go? In this episode of Invention, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick consider the meeples of ancient history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The spear is a truly ancient human technology, but this preceded one of humanity’s oldest mechanical inventions: the atlatl or spear thrower. In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe explore the history and physics of this amazing hunting device. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Condoms are an important part of human health and medicine, but where did this invention come from? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Invention. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air conditioning has had a profound impact on modern life -- and in more ways than you might realize. In this trio of Invention episodes, Robert and Joe explore pre-AC cooling methods, the invention itself and the many ways it changed the shape (and temperature) of our lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who invented toast? Who then went on to invent the toaster? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe chase the origins of bread transformed through the Maillard reaction and consider the origins of the specialized mini-oven we use to do it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You love it. You put it on everything. But where does ketchup come from? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe explore the mysterious origins of everyone’s favorite sweet red sauce -- and consider the jaw-dropping fact that ketchup isn’t always red and isn’t always made from tomatoes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mai Tai isn’t only the most famous Tiki cocktail, it’s one of the most well known cocktails on the planet. But where does it come from? Who invented it? In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe turn to noted Tiki historian and mixologist Jeff “Beachbum” Berry for answers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of bubble wrap... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the toilet... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the toilet... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of walls... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of braille... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the wheel... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the wheel... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of roads... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of the saxophone... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert and Joe explore the origins and impact of toothpaste... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least giant spiders are not trying to eat us. Right? Right? Let's close out Halftober Monsterfest with 2016's episode about what it would be like to be eaten by a giant spider. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demogorgon wasn't enough for you? Fine. Here's our 2016 episode on Dungeons and Dragons' fantastic mindflayer monster and how it matches up with the natural world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halftober 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://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halftober Monsterfest continues with Stuff to Blow Your Mind's 2016 episode about carnivorous plants in nature and myth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you a werewolf? You have to tell me if you're a werewolf. It's the law. Up next on the Halftober Monsterfest Playlist is the 2017 episode "A Game of Werewolf" about the deep psychology of a beloved social game. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's go back to 2017. Heck, let's go back 500 million years to the monster-haunted waters of the Cambrian period. Halftoberfest now. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most recent Friday the 13th holiday was kind of a bummer, so let's play catch-up with this 2018 episode about masked killers in reality, fiction and culture. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is a curse and how does the concept factor into the human experience? The playlist continues with this 2018 Halloween episode from Robert and Joe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halloween in March? It's happening. Here's our episode "I Drink Your Blood Type" from 2019. Drink up. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Haftober Monsterfest continues with Robert and Joe's 2019 discussion on the origins of Dungeons and Dragons’ ultimate demon lord, the interdimensional beast from “Stranger Things” and an enigma of translated texts and gnostic mysticism. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a feminist discussion on women in entertainment, this is the playlist for you! We dig into topics around women in revenge, movies, tabletop gaming, and Harry Potter. Come take a listen, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Here's their episode on the x-ray. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Since we're already talking about optics, let's consider the telescope... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's finish their three-part look at motion pictures... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Here's their sidebar with Scott Benjamin about a mysterious death in the history of motion picture technology... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's continue with the history of motion pictures... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Let's move on from the camera to motion pictures... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Enjoy their three-part look at the camera... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Invention podcast ends, discussions of techno-history become part of STBYM again. So let's explore some past episodes of Robert and Joe's other series. Up first, the camera obscura... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another curated playlist for you listeners! This time we're presenting a grabbag look at women in pop culture, from clowns to puppeteers to monsters to gameshows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Contemplate this on the tree of woe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they learn why they fear the night. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I thought I'd gone to the limits. I hadn't. The Cenobites gave me an experience beyond limits. Pain and pleasure, indivisible. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go. I've given you the knowledge. I've set you free. Do you understand? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It calls back a time when there were flowers all over the Earth... and there were valleys. And there were plains of tall green grass that you could lie down in - you could go to sleep in. And there were blue skies, and there was fresh air... and there were things growing all over the place, not just in some domed enclosures blasted some millions of miles out in to space. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're afraid to dive into the plasma pool, aren't you? You're afraid to be destroyed and recreated, aren't you? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ladies and gentlemen, just a word of warning. If any of you are not convinced that you have a tingler of your own, the next time you're frightened in the dark... don't scream. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people have a full measure of life... and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up... at one time... in one place... you can accomplish something... glorious. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

End, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From myth to biology, the hydra hungers and grows. Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick to learn more! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they explore tales and traditions from Taoist sorcery, alchemy and Chinese folktales. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick to discover the power and symbolism of the unicorn. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the meaning of Poseidon's divine weapon? Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick and find out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is the slayer and why is this figure so important to our ancient and modern myths? Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick and find out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the demon slayer Zhōng Kuí and follow a procession of spirits across the sea to Japan with Stuff to Blow Your Mind! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss the place where geology and mythology converge. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they venture into the world of Quetzalcoatl. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get to know everyone's favorite ancient bronze age robot with Stuff to Blow Your Mind! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is mythology and why is it so important? Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick to find out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1980s, a mysterious organization terrorized candy companies in Japan - then disappeared. What was the Monster with 21 Faces, and what happened to it? Are any members alive today? Join Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown for the Stuff They Don't Want You to Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no secret that the border between the United States and Mexico has been the subject of recent, intensely divisive debate. There have been numerous reports (some more reliable than others) detailing the rise or decline of crime along the border -- after all, chaotic times create opportunities for crime -- but one story slipped through the cracks. It appears that there was an active serial killer on the US border, and he worked for Uncle Sam. Join Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown for the Stuff They Don't Want You to Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India controls numerous islands in the Indian Ocean, and they have a strange set of rules for North Sentinel Islands -- a tiny, remote place most people wouldn't visit anyway. You see, the Indian government maintains a 'zone of exclusion' surrounding the island, with no ships, helicopters or people allowed within miles of the shore. Ordinarily one might assume this is a secret military base or the site of an environmental disaster -- but the real answer is even stranger. Join Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown to learn more about the mystery of North Sentinel Island. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genghis Khan was one of the world's most successful conquerors, and his empire left an indelible mark across Eurasia. Yet upon his death his body was spirited away to an unmarked grave, and everyone associated with the burial -- so far as we know -- was put to death in an effort to keep the location secret. So what exactly happened to Genghis Khan? Could it be possible that someone actually knows where it is, and has somehow kept the location hidden for almost 800 years? Join Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown for the Stuff They Don't Want You to Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the close of the Paris Peace Accords, the US and Vietnam agreed to return any POWs to their home country -- however, for decades after the close of the conflict, people in country reported seeing missing American soldiers, sometimes held by foreign officials, sometimes on their own in the jungle. Join Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown for a discussion of what happened to the hundreds of missing soldiers in the Vietnam War... and how much did the US government actually know about it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Months after the murder of Teresita Basa, her former coworker began falling into trances, a voice identifying itself as Teresita issuing from her mouth. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, these statements turned out to be true, leading to the conviction of 32 year-old Allen Showers. But what's the real story? Was this justice beyond the grave or beyond the law? You can turn back now, or learn the Stuff They Don't Want You to Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of listener requests, Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown finally explore the mysterious story of the legendary Georgia Guidestones. Who built this monument, and why? Listen in to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently employees at the US Embassy in Cuba reported a strange and disquieting phenomenon. They complained of vertigo, nausea, hearing loss and more accompanied by a strange hum and whine that followed them into their homes. The State Department refused to comment on the cause of these symptoms even as they shipped employees back home to the States. However, some anonymous government officials stated that the employees fell victim to an unorthodox, top-secret, sound-based weapon. Could it be true? You can turn back now, or learn The Stuff They Don't Want You To Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2013, Canadian college student Elisa Lam disappeared while on a solo trip through California. For weeks law enforcement was at a loss to explain the disappearance -- until, that is, a maintenance worker at the Cecil Hotel discovered her body in a water tank. And with that, what should have been the end of a tragic tale instead became the prologue to a mystery that, according to many, remains unsolved in the present day. Join Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown as they discuss the unsolved mystery: What happened to Elisa Lam? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did a group of private assassins use a series of sleazy websites as fronts for their base of operations? Join Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick and Noel Brown as they delve into the mysterious story of Lake City Quiet Pills. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they talk about life beyond Earth's magnetosphere with astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they talk about heredity with acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer, author of “She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join the Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts as they talk about alien philosophy 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join the Stuff to Blow Your Mind hosts they talk about penis transplants 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss salamanders with Mark Mandica, executive director of The Amphibian Foundation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they talk about ancient Egyptian beekeeping with "The Tears of Re" author and entomologist Gene Kritsky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they talk about the Chinese typewriter with Thomas S. Mullaney. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they discuss string theory, super AI and animal emotions with physicist Brian Greene, physicist Max Tegmark and anthropologist Barbara J. King at the World Science Festival. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stuff to Blow Your Mind's Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick as they talk about deep sea ecology and conservation with deep sea marine biologist Diva Amon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of women's history month (and more of us staying in), we've compiled a list of pioneering women you should know from around the world, and throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From professional streamers to full-blown championship tournaments, where did eSports come from and is it really that big a deal? We talk with representatives from Alienware and ELEAGUE about professional gaming. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Internet Radio to the emergence of TechStuff, we look at the long and colorful history of podcasts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 2000s, a company called Infinium Labs promised to revolutionize gaming with a console called The Phantom. It never materialized. What happened? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did broadcast radio get its start? What were the challenges and controversies? And how did the golden age fade into history? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s nothing more boring than watching grass grow, which is why Josh and Chuck aren’t asking you to do that. Instead, you can learn about all sorts of neat things about grass - like how American became obsessed with perfect lawns - in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain and united it was first written about, his story was already hundreds of years old. And while many of the details of his life and adventures, from the Lady of the Lake to Merlin the Magician, seem fictional some archaeologists believe that Arthur -- and much of his life -- was real. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanely high prices, wars and even slavery couldn't undo world's need for a sugar fix. Today that fix is responsible for the obesity epidemic facing the West. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan and Chris discuss the most famous weapon in the "Star Wars" universe -- the lightsaber -- in this episode of TechStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 1, pranks run wild in the tech sector. In this podcast from HowStuffWorks, the TechStuff guys tickle your funny bone with a list of famous April Fool's tech pranks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 1, 1982, EPCOT Center opened at Walt Disney World. But that Epcot wasn't the same thing as Walt Disney's initial vision. We look into the history of a futuristic community. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Lisberger, writer and director of the 1982 film Tron, joins the show to talk about the tech of making the film and the mythology of Tron itself. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jess Royal and John Hilton drop what they're doing on Stranger Things to come by the studio and talk about what their jobs require. From Christmas lights to the upside down, we learn about what it takes to make a show work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The creators of Homestar Runner hop on TechStuff to talk about their pioneering work in web series production and how StrongBad is going to catch up on that huge email backlog. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In fall 2017, we talked about a strange cultural phenomenon. For a brief window from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, people in the United States were watching train wrecks for fun. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2015, we talked about Franz Liszt, who was a pianist, a composer and a conductor, and basically the first rock star who drove fans into fits of swooning and screaming. Some fans even stole the detritus of his life (unfinished coffee, broken piano strings) to carry with them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This offbeat 2015 episode covers a series of 1835 news articles about some utterly mind-blowing discoveries made by Sir John Herschel about the lunar surface. The serial had everything: moon poppies, goat-like unicorns, lunar beavers and even bat people. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers have set out to catalog the scent compounds that make books and libraries smell so welcoming. Learn how in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Words like 'poop' and 'wiggle' are inherently humorous, and science may have figured out why. Learn what science has to say about why some words tickle us in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard that people share about 50 percent of their DNA with bananas, and while there's a seed of truth to that, it's not quite right. Learn about our genetic similarity to fruit and other life forms in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue out offbeat 2015 story. Once the effort to import hippos to the U.S. got the backing of a politician, two men with intertwined histories, Frederick Russel Burnham and Fritz Duquesne, were brought on board to serve as experts and advocates. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second part of this offbeat revisit! As the New York Sun's series of astonishing moon discoveries concluded, most people recognized that it was a hoax. But what made people buy into the tall tale in the first place? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An offbeat episode from 2015: In 1910, the U.S. a meat shortage, and a water hyacinth overgrowth problem. The obvious solution to the dilemma: Import hippos from Africa. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One guy is responsible for what we think pirates sounded like. Learn how actor Robert Newton changed the world in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in 2014, we tackled SPAM's story. This famous Hormel Foods product was invented in the 1930s to make use of a surplus of shoulder meat from pigs. It played a huge role in WWII, and shaped the cuisines of many Pacific Island nations. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As it turns out, most flying squirrels glow hot pink in ultraviolet light. Learn what researchers think may be the reason in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It might sound gross, but it's eco-friendly: Paper is made from plant pulp. Animals that eat plants excrete plant pulp. Learn why some scientists have high hopes for poo-pyrus in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2017 we covered the offbeat life of Marchesa Luisa Casati. While many have admired heiress Casati over the years for her life led entirely based on her aesthetics, she was also entirely self-serving. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a 2019 show about urine! Spoiler alert: Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous by boiling pee. But he was trying to do something else: He thought the secret to the philosopher’s stone might be found in urine.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 2017, we talked about mysterious prints that looked like hoof marks appeared all over the English seaside county of Devon in February 1855. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems that dogs make more expressive faces when humans are watching. Are they trying to communicate? Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bigger that numbers get, the harder they are for us to conceive of -- but that doesn't mean they can't be useful. Learn about some just ridiculously huge numbers in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's somewhere between tempting and inevitable to break into song in the shower. But why? Learn about the psychology and physiology of shower singing in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucille Ball's ex-husband wasn't just her 'I Love Lucy' co-star and writing partner -- Desi Arnaz changed the way television is produced and watched. Learn about his contributions to the industry in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in 2014, we tackled SPAM's story. This famous Hormel Foods product was invented in the 1930s to make use of a surplus of shoulder meat from pigs. It played a huge role in WWII, and shaped the cuisines of many Pacific Island nations. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.