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Stuff You Should Know

#10
#52
Language: en-US Society & Culture
Last Checked: 2024-12-26 02:10:46

Short Stuff: Captain Santa

Wed, 25 Dec 2024

Herman Scheunemann wasn’t the only captain carrying Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to Chicag...

The 2024 SYSK Christmas Extravaganza!

Mon, 23 Dec 2024

Welcome to the end of 2024 and our annual Christmas Extravaganza episode, brought to you ad-free for...

Selects: Frances Perkins: Influential and Unknown

Sat, 21 Dec 2024

Frances Perkins was an incredibly influential American yet is virtually unknown. What did she do? A ...

The Trivial Pursuit Trivia Edition

Thu, 19 Dec 2024

For our annual pre-Holiday-Special-holiday-episode-about-a-holiday-toy we are jumping into one of th...

Short Stuff: Feed A Cold, Starve a Fever

Wed, 18 Dec 2024

You know that old adage that you should feed a cold but starve a fever? It’s an ancient idea and w...

Taylorism: Work Faster!

Tue, 17 Dec 2024

If you’ve ever lost your job thanks to a management consultant coming through your company or been...

Selects: The Texas City Disaster of 1947

Sat, 14 Dec 2024

In 1947 the port town of Texas City, Texas became the site of the largest industrial disaster in Ame...

Tugboats: Pushing Their Way Around Since 1803

Thu, 12 Dec 2024

Tugboats are amazing because they do the dirty work without much recognition. Well that's changing t...

Short Stuff: Joro Spiders

Wed, 11 Dec 2024

These invasive spiders are everywhere these days. But how did they get to the USA and are they harmf...

Ba-Gawk! How Peacocks Work

Tue, 10 Dec 2024

If you’ve ever wanted to know why peacocks have such amazing feathers, why they’re not all calle...

Selects: How The Pill Changed the World

Sat, 07 Dec 2024

When the birth control pill hit the market in 1960 it landed like a social bomb. Almost overnight, w...

The Ruby Ridge Standoff

Thu, 05 Dec 2024

The Ruby Ridge standoff still lingers after more than 30 years. But who was at fault for the lives l...

Short Stuff: Franca Viola

Wed, 04 Dec 2024

One of the world’s unsung heroes – at least outside of Italy – is a brave woman who stood up t...

Solipsism: This Is All In My Mind?

Tue, 03 Dec 2024

As the philosophical holds, there’s a chance you don’t exist, that not only you, but this episod...

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Sat, 30 Nov 2024

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

LIVE: Minneapolis - The Madd Gasser of Mattoon

Thu, 28 Nov 2024

Please enjoy our 2024 live show about the wild tale of the Madd Gasser of Mattoon. See omnystudio.c...

Short Stuff: Erfurt Latrine Disaster

Wed, 27 Nov 2024

A terrible thing happened in Germany in the summer of 1184.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

The Wild History of Tetris

Tue, 26 Nov 2024

Tetris is an iconic game with a fascinating history. Dive in today to learn all about this classic p...

Selects: How the Stanford Prison Experiment Worked

Sat, 23 Nov 2024

The infamous Stanford Prison Experiment wasn't really much of an experiment as it turns out. It was ...

The Story of Tavern on the Green

Thu, 21 Nov 2024

Tavern on the Green is a legendary NY eatery that has never rated particularly well with food critic...

Short Stuff: The Gaslighting of Martha Mitchell

Wed, 20 Nov 2024

Martha Mitchell, the wife of Nixon's Attorney General, was well-known to spread a juicy rumor. That'...

The Saga of Silk Road

Tue, 19 Nov 2024

The US government took a thumb in the eye with the creation of the Silk Road website. Right there on...

Selects: The Cleveland Torso Murders

Sat, 16 Nov 2024

During the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland’s most vulnerable and destitute residents wer...

The Fascinating History of Dandelions

Thu, 14 Nov 2024

Dandelions are way more interesting than you think. Trust us and click play. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Short Stuff: The wAve

Wed, 13 Nov 2024

It’s a thrill to stand and, raise your arms, maybe give a woo! then sit down again, especially if ...

Kids' Chemistry Sets: KABOOM!

Tue, 12 Nov 2024

A surprising number of Nobel Prize winners credit their childhood chemistry set for sparking their i...

Selects: What's a quinceañera anyway?

Sat, 09 Nov 2024

A quinceañera is the celebration of a girl of Hispanic heritage becoming a young woman on her 15th ...

ADHD pt 2

Thu, 07 Nov 2024

Today, the conclusion of the two-part episode on ADHD.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Short Stuff: Tornado Alley

Wed, 06 Nov 2024

North America gets as many as 1400 tornadoes a year. The place with the next highest is the UK at 33...

ADHD pt 1

Tue, 05 Nov 2024

Today, Josh and Chuck dive into part one of their two-part suite on ADHD.See omnystudio.com/listener...

Selects: The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys

Sat, 02 Nov 2024

Anyone who ever picked up a comic book as a kid probably marveled at the ads for the mysterious Sea ...

15th Annual SYSK Halloween Spooktacular!

Thu, 31 Oct 2024

Buckle up folks, it's time for another of our favorite traditions, the SYSK Halloween Spooktacular! ...

Short Stuff: Two Scary True Shorties!

Wed, 30 Oct 2024

Josh and Chuck dive into two spooky true stories in today's Short Stuff.See omnystudio.com/listener ...

The Mystery of the Skeletons of Roopkund Lake

Tue, 29 Oct 2024

One of the greatest unsolved historic mysteries is found in a lake atop a mountain glacier high up i...

Selects: Why Landmines Are The Deadliest Legacy Of War

Sat, 26 Oct 2024

One of the worst legacies of war are the millions of landmines left behind. They hide for decades af...

Spend Some Time with Fairies

Thu, 24 Oct 2024

Most people think of Tinkerbell when we think of fairies, but the Disney versions capture only the l...

Short Stuff: The Story of Spirit Halloween

Wed, 23 Oct 2024

Every August, abandoned storefronts across America are filled with the spirit of Halloween, by way o...

Q Anon: When Wild Conspiracy Went (sort of) Mainstream

Tue, 22 Oct 2024

Q Anon believes many things, including that Tom Hanks is a Satan-worshipping, child-eating pedophile...

Selects: Porcupines: Little Stabby Cutie Pies

Sat, 19 Oct 2024

We love animals. A lot. Especially underrated ones like the darling porcupine. Listen in to this cla...

Kudzu: The Vine That Just Won't Stop

Thu, 17 Oct 2024

If you're from the American South, then kudzu is something that cannot be avoided. But how did this ...

Short Stuff: Redacted!

Wed, 16 Oct 2024

The process of redacting sensitive information is long and storied. But are there even any rules tha...

The Anarchist Cookbook: Funny but Dangerous

Tue, 15 Oct 2024

You might have owned the Anarchist Cookbook once, but you probably didn’t use it to turn a shotgun...

Selects: How Paramedics Work

Sat, 12 Oct 2024

Paramedics are not EMTs. Or fire fighters. Or cops. But they do ride around in ambulances (and drive...

Swatches!

Thu, 10 Oct 2024

The story of the Swatch is super cool and one of the great retail successes. Listen in today to find...

Short Stuff: Mystery of the Sarah Jo

Wed, 09 Oct 2024

In another chapter of our continuing mysteries of the sea theme, we deliver a truly baffling mystery...

Gobekli Tepe

Tue, 08 Oct 2024

Gobekli Tepe is a profoundly ancient spiritual site that shouldn’t exist, according to conventiona...

Selects: How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked

Sat, 05 Oct 2024

In 1962, three ordinary criminals transcended into folk heroes when they crawled out of their cells ...

The Strange Story of Lysol

Thu, 03 Oct 2024

The Lysol we know now is sold as disinfectant only. But at one time it was also marketed as a means ...

Short Stuff: Flower Power

Wed, 02 Oct 2024

What we equate with acid, hippies, and garish polyester prints actually began as a theatrical way of...

The Shadow Biosphere: Is There Other Life on Earth?

Tue, 01 Oct 2024

As far as we know life evolved once in the universe – here on Earth in the form of life as we know...

Selects: Rosa Parks: Agent of Change

Sat, 28 Sep 2024

Rosa Parks finishes out our Black History Month episodes in grand fashion. While most know her from ...

The Judas Priest Suicide Trial

Thu, 26 Sep 2024

A greatest hit of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s came when the metal band Judas Priest was put on tr...

Short Stuff: The SS Ourang Medang

Wed, 25 Sep 2024

We love our ghost ships here at SYSK and this is one of the better ones. But did it really even exis...

Four Eyes Good: The History of Glasses

Tue, 24 Sep 2024

Glasses as we know them have only been around for a few hundred years. So what did people do before ...

Selects: How Government Shutdowns Work

Sat, 21 Sep 2024

Every year Congress decides how the federal government will spend money. Simple enough, but in pract...

Tom Slick: Not the Cartoon

Thu, 19 Sep 2024

There's a good chance that if you don't live in San Antonio, Texas, you may not know who scientist/a...

Short Stuff: The Killing Stone

Wed, 18 Sep 2024

The Killing Stone looms large in Japanese folklore, so when it split in half in March 2022, people w...

Would A Love Drug Be Ethical?

Tue, 17 Sep 2024

What if science could create a drug that made you connect with people more deeply, let your emotions...

Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 2

Sat, 14 Sep 2024

Listen in to this classic episode for the conclusion of the story of the Manson Family Murders.See o...

Celebration Florida: The Story of a Utopia that Never Was

Thu, 12 Sep 2024

The town of Celebration, Florida was supposed to be a utopia. What it ended up as is a mediocre neig...

Short Stuff: Uncle Sam Wants YOU!

Wed, 11 Sep 2024

Who is Uncle Sam anyway? Was it a real person or just a marketing exercise? And why does he refuse t...

Henry Ford: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Tue, 10 Sep 2024

Henry Ford was an odd guy, but one who had a vision for America that centered around a populist, aff...

Selects: How Futurology Works

Sat, 07 Sep 2024

Science fiction writers have made some amazingly accurate predictions over the years, but in 1945 th...

Ludwig II: The Only Real King of the 19th Century

Thu, 05 Sep 2024

Outside of Germany, King Ludwig II is relatively unknown. And, yet, he is one of history’s most tr...

Short Stuff: Rescuing Mistreated Pets

Wed, 04 Sep 2024

You – yes, you! – can be a hero to neglected and abused animals. But there’s a right way to do...

The History of Streaming Music

Tue, 03 Sep 2024

When Napster reared its head in 1999, it marked the beginning of the end of the compact disc era. To...

Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 1

Sat, 31 Aug 2024

The '60s ended with a lot of turbulence, not the least of which was the Manson Family Murders. What ...

How Bomb Disposal Works

Thu, 29 Aug 2024

Out of all the jobs a person can have, few are as overtly dangerous as making sure bombs don’t go ...

Short Stuff: Skid Row (not the band)

Wed, 28 Aug 2024

How did a large section of downtown Los Angeles become a permanent fixture of unhoused individuals? ...

The Strange Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon

Tue, 27 Aug 2024

The Olympic marathon of 1904 is an incredible story filled with wacky characters, cheating, heat and...

Selects: Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom

Sat, 24 Aug 2024

If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count ...

The Luddites: Misunderstood Working Class Heroes

Thu, 22 Aug 2024

Today we think of Luddites as people who don’t know how to use technology or are maybe even afraid...

Short Stuff: Chupacabra

Wed, 21 Aug 2024

What in the world is a chupacabra? Is it even real or is it the stuff of legend? Listen in to find o...

True Mysteries of the Internet

Tue, 20 Aug 2024

There is A LOT of made-up stuff on the internet that gets passed off as true. But once in a while so...

Selects: Body Language!

Sat, 17 Aug 2024

Body language is how you communicate without words. Some say it bears more impact in communication t...

The Cher Episode

Thu, 15 Aug 2024

Cher is an icon, with hits spanning an unbelievable SEVEN decades. So kick back as we laud the singe...

Short Stuff: Tarring and Feathering

Wed, 14 Aug 2024

Being tarred and feathered is an old trope in America, but the actuality of it was pretty brutal, no...

Minecraft! Minecraft! Minecraft!

Tue, 13 Aug 2024

It’s so simple, yet so compelling: you mine blocks and cut down trees to put things together to ma...

Selects: Genghis Khan: Madman or Genius?

Sat, 10 Aug 2024

Depending on who you talk to, Genghis Khan was either a sadistic madman or one of the great leaders ...

The Call of the Void: Don’t Pick Up!

Thu, 08 Aug 2024

Many of us have experienced the odd sensation that we shouldn’t trust ourselves not to simply jump...

Short Stuff: Pruney Skin

Wed, 07 Aug 2024

We know how our skin prunes, but we don't know for sure why. Chuck likes the leading theory, Josh do...

The Story of Rudolf Diesel

Tue, 06 Aug 2024

Rudolf Diesel was a game changing inventor, though his most famous product was not used how he envis...

Selects: Timber! How Timber Works

Sat, 03 Aug 2024

Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting pr...

The One About Car Washes

Thu, 01 Aug 2024

The car wash you get to ride through on a journey to sparklingness is made of a handful of different...

Short Stuff: ZIP Codes!

Wed, 31 Jul 2024

ZIP codes are pretty self-explanatory, but there are all kinds of fun facts around the topic. Listen...

Who was Dr. Bronner?

Tue, 30 Jul 2024

You may have his soap in your shower, but what do you know about the man himself? Buckle up, here co...

Selects: The Tulsa 'Race Riots'

Sat, 27 Jul 2024

In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to histo...

The KILLDOZER Rampage

Thu, 25 Jul 2024

The Killdozer rampage is one of those stories you just couldn't make up. Yet it happened. And we're ...

Short Stuff: The Ritchie Boys

Wed, 24 Jul 2024

Who were the Ritchie Boys? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Phone Phreaking: The Advent of Hacking

Tue, 23 Jul 2024

Years ago the telephone network was like the internet is to us today: a vast, interconnected means o...

Selects: The Duality of Caffeine

Sat, 20 Jul 2024

Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad ...

HPV and You

Thu, 18 Jul 2024

Human papilloma virus, HPV, is an unusually common bug among humans. Most of the time it’s benign ...

Short Stuff: Sitzpinklers Unite

Wed, 17 Jul 2024

Sitzpinklers - men who sit down to pee - is a big thing in Germany, and a handful of other places. A...

The Puritans in America

Tue, 16 Jul 2024

The founding of New England by the Puritans is quite a story. Today, we dive into who those people w...

Selects: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Feminist Physician

Sat, 13 Jul 2024

Becoming the first licensed woman physician in America was tough, convincing male surgeons to wash t...

Salsa: NOT THE DANCE

Thu, 11 Jul 2024

Salsa is one of the great inventions of the culinary world. Here in the USA it's mainly a vehicle fo...

Short Stuff: Milk Wars

Wed, 10 Jul 2024

If you’re a mobster and you can’t make money off of booze any longer what should you move to nex...

Jane Goodall: All Good

Tue, 09 Jul 2024

There aren’t too many people walking around today who get a pass from the entire world for anythin...

Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part II

Sat, 06 Jul 2024

In this classic episode, we finish revisiting our 2017 tour of the best sights of the ancient world ...

Salute to Women Inventors

Thu, 04 Jul 2024

Women inventors have always had a tough time, for obvious reasons. So we're here today to pay tribut...

Short Stuff: POW Olympics

Wed, 03 Jul 2024

While it sounds like something out of a movie, some POWs in WWII really held an Olympics. And it hap...

How Dopamine Works

Tue, 02 Jul 2024

Dopamine is perhaps the most talked-about, most misunderstood biochemical in our bodies. It’s link...

Selects: How Restaurant Health Inspections Work

Sat, 29 Jun 2024

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know the feeling that occurs when the health inspector pa...

EXTRA! EXTRA! The Newsboy Strike Episode!

Thu, 27 Jun 2024

When paperboys stopped delivering a couple of very big newspapers in 1899 it was a big deal. Big eno...

Short Stuff: James Dean's Car

Wed, 26 Jun 2024

The story of what happened to the car that James Dean crashed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Whistling!

Tue, 25 Jun 2024

Whistling is pretty cool when you think about it because it can mean many things, from simple happy ...

Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part I

Sat, 22 Jun 2024

Long before slide rulers and pocket protectors, civilizations across the world used their noggins to...

The Big Episode on Wikipedia

Thu, 20 Jun 2024

Wikipedia changed the world. Before it came along, you had to go to the library to get the answers y...

Short Stuff: Hostile Architecture

Wed, 19 Jun 2024

Those armrests in the middle of benches aren’t just for your comfort, they’re intended to keep t...

Why Must Widowhood Be So Difficult?

Tue, 18 Jun 2024

In almost every part of the world, in some form or fashion, widows have things harder than they did ...

Selects: The Murder Mystery of Ötzi the Iceman

Sat, 15 Jun 2024

About 5,300 years ago a Copper Age shepherd was murdered. He just happened to die in a place where h...

A Brief History of Air Travel

Thu, 13 Jun 2024

Today we take to the friendly skies to detail the fascinating history of air travel. From planes wit...

Short Stuff: Peace Sign

Wed, 12 Jun 2024

The peace sign is one of the most globally recognized symbols around today, but it’s only a few de...

Coercive Control, the Invisible Basis of Abuse

Tue, 11 Jun 2024

When we think of an abused spouse we tend to think of horrific physical or emotional violence. But o...

Selects: Sunburn, Suntans and Sunscreen

Sat, 08 Jun 2024

It's pretty obvious something's gone wrong when you get a sunburn, but did you know a tan means you'...

The Ballad of Grit

Thu, 06 Jun 2024

In the last decade American schools became enrapt by a new psychological concept centered on perseve...

Short Stuff: Amber Alerts

Wed, 05 Jun 2024

Learn all about the saddest phone notification in today's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

Conductors: What the heck is going on there?

Tue, 04 Jun 2024

You've probably been to a symphony performance and wondered, what in the heck are conductors doing u...

Selects: What are think tanks all about?

Sat, 01 Jun 2024

Think tanks? More like stink tanks! We're kidding. Think tanks do valuable work, when they operate i...

The Guinness Book of Records

Thu, 30 May 2024

If you grew up in the 70s and 80s in America, you probably have the image of your tattered Guinness ...

Short Stuff: What's a mudlarker?

Wed, 29 May 2024

Mudlarking is a uniquely British hobby, though you can dig through river mud anywhere there's a rive...

The shameful and harrowing story Unit 731

Tue, 28 May 2024

Unit 731 was a secret group within the Japanese Army in WWII that committed unspeakable atrocities a...

Selects: How Vomit Phobia Works

Sat, 25 May 2024

No one - no one - likes to vomit, but there are some people who would prefer to die rather than vomi...

J. Edgar Hoover: Evil G-Man Pt. 2

Thu, 23 May 2024

In the exciting conclusion of our two-part episode on Hoover, we come in at the Cold War and end on ...

Short Stuff: Hobo Signs

Wed, 22 May 2024

By definition hobos are people who travel from town to town taking odd jobs as they go. But some tow...

J. Edgar Hoover: Evil G-Man Pt. 1

Tue, 21 May 2024

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that J. Edgar Hoover was perhaps the most powerful American...

Selects: The Great War of the Worlds Panic Myth

Sat, 18 May 2024

On Halloween 1938 young radio star Orson Welles scared the pants off of America with a fictional new...

The Silurian Hypothesis

Thu, 16 May 2024

The idea that we aren’t the first advanced civilization to live on Earth sounds like a fringe theo...

Short Stuff: Zambonis!

Wed, 15 May 2024

Even the dullest hockey game is worth seeing when the Zamboni comes out to resurface the ice.See omn...

NYC Trash: A study in persistence

Tue, 14 May 2024

Taking care of 12,000 tons of residential trash every day is a hard job. But how does that even work...

Selects: How Stuttering Works

Sat, 11 May 2024

Despite as much as one percent of the adult population having the condition, science doesn't actuall...

10 - Yes, 10! - Dumb Criminals

Thu, 09 May 2024

Sometimes you just have to turn it off for a while – all the thinking, and overthinking, analyzing...

Short Stuff: Titanic Survivors!

Wed, 08 May 2024

We all know the story of the Titanic and the tragedy of lives lost. So hey, let's talk about the sur...

Misophonia: More Than an Annoyance

Tue, 07 May 2024

Misophonia is a condition in which certain sounds trigger people in very negative ways that can real...

Selects: The Legends of Lost Nazi Gold

Sat, 04 May 2024

As if being murdering SOBs weren’t enough, the Nazis were also thieving rats. During WWII, they st...

Atomic Clocks, Ahoy!

Thu, 02 May 2024

The only thing more complicated than an atomic clock is researching how they work and then figuring ...

Short Stuff: Getting Winded

Wed, 01 May 2024

Getting the wind knocked out of you is scary, but passes quickly. Learn exactly what's happening wit...

The Village People Episode

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

The Village People were a smash hit singing group that came and went in under two years. Then other ...

Selects: How the Beagle Brigade Works

Sat, 27 Apr 2024

If you've ever been to an international airport, you've probably seen one of the keenest spotters of...

The Awful Crimes of Georgia Tann

Thu, 25 Apr 2024

Georgia Tann was a bad human. We feel safe in saying that because she kidnapped babies from poor fam...

Short Stuff: The Sad, Strange Tale of Margaret Schilling

Wed, 24 Apr 2024

Not too much is known about Margaret Schilling. She was the kind of person whose memory might have b...

The Power of the Wind

Tue, 23 Apr 2024

You probably know wind energy projects have been around since the 90s, but did you know they now pro...

Selects: Special Effects: A Short History

Sat, 20 Apr 2024

Special effects have been around since the first movies. In fact, the techniques the earliest filmma...

Hitchhiking: Two thumbs out!

Thu, 18 Apr 2024

Today we go down the road a bit, thumbs out, to explore the rich history of hitchhiking. See omnyst...

Short Stuff: The Amazing Tale of Juliane Koepcke

Wed, 17 Apr 2024

Few people have been more qualified to survive a plane crash alone in the Amazon for almost two week...

The Dubious Science of Arson Investigation

Tue, 16 Apr 2024

Arson investigation has changed a lot over the years. There is actual science available now, but the...

Selects: How Famines Work

Sat, 13 Apr 2024

It's common knowledge that famines are usually caused by major droughts: Rain doesn't fall, crops d...

Testosterone and Estrogen: Wondrous Hormones

Thu, 11 Apr 2024

We think of estrogen and testosterone as the female and male sex hormones and they may seem kind of ...

Short Stuff: Straitjackets

Wed, 10 Apr 2024

Straitjackets aren't really a thing anymore unless you're watching a movie or TV show. Or in prison....

The 1977 Women's Conference That Changed America

Tue, 09 Apr 2024

The 70s were the decade of the woman in the US. America finally was coming around to the understandi...

Selects: All the Gold In Fort Knox: Meh

Sat, 06 Apr 2024

When Fort Knox was built in the 1930s to house America’s gold supply, it was billed as an impenetr...

The Everglades: Wowee

Thu, 04 Apr 2024

One of America’s most important ecosystems takes up more than half the state of Florida. It’s a ...

Short Stuff: Knock on Wood

Wed, 03 Apr 2024

What's the deal with knocking on wood? It's an action one takes to ensure good luck. Which doesn't e...

Greedflation Is Real

Tue, 02 Apr 2024

One of the things we rely on is for the companies who make the stuff we need to not stick it to us, ...

Selects: Who is The Man of the Hole?

Sat, 30 Mar 2024

In 2018, there's a man from a lost tribe still living deep in the jungles of Brazil who has been all...

The Pulitzer Prize: A major award!

Thu, 28 Mar 2024

It doesn't get much bigger than the Pulitzer Prize if you're a journalist. Or a novelist. Or really ...

Short Stuff: Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre

Wed, 27 Mar 2024

The strange thing about the story of the Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre is that it didn't happen. ...

Love Canal: Even Dirtier Than It Sounds

Tue, 26 Mar 2024

A man with an unfulfilled vision left a huge gash in the ground near Niagara Falls. Then a chemical ...

Selects: MOVE: Or When the Philly Police Dropped a Bomb on a Residential Neighborhood

Sat, 23 Mar 2024

Believe it or not, in 1985 the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto ...

Peanuts (the comic) Part II

Thu, 21 Mar 2024

Today is part II of our tribute to one of the most iconic pieces of American culture.See omnystudio....

Short Stuff: Mariko Aoki Phenomenon

Wed, 20 Mar 2024

Ten percent of people – in Japan at least – get the urge to poop when they visit bookstores. But...

Peanuts (the comic) Part I

Tue, 19 Mar 2024

Today we pay tribute to one of the most iconic pieces of American culture. Listen in to hear us gush...

Selects: How Dyslexia Works

Sat, 16 Mar 2024

For a learning disability that everyone seems to know about, dyslexia is maybe the most commonly mis...

The Alien Abduction Phenomenon of the Mid-20th Century

Thu, 14 Mar 2024

It started with New Hampshire couple Betty and Barney Hill, who learned under hypnosis they’d been...

Short Stuff: Skittles and TIO2

Wed, 13 Mar 2024

There’s an ingredient in Skittles and lots of other food that Dunkin Donuts stopped using it in th...

Leave Brutalism Alone!

Tue, 12 Mar 2024

The most reviled, hated, despised, no-good, low down, dirty rotten architectural style of all time i...

Selects: The Science of Break-Ups

Sat, 09 Mar 2024

Breaking up is hard to do. Your brain might even think you're getting over a cocaine addiction. Lear...

The Smiley, Stubborn Llama

Thu, 07 Mar 2024

Llamas are pretty great. They smile! They also spit and if they feel overworked will just lay down. ...

Short Stuff: Roly Poly...Bugs?

Wed, 06 Mar 2024

Roly Poly bugs go by many names. They look like tiny armadillos. They're great for your garden. And ...

Multitasking: Working slower with worse results

Tue, 05 Mar 2024

Multitasking isn't really possible, because of the way the human brain works. We know you think you'...

Selects: The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti

Sat, 02 Mar 2024

The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of t...

Wireless Electricity: When Can We Unplug Our TVs?

Thu, 29 Feb 2024

You know all of those cords and cables and wires that we use to connect our stuff to the electrical ...

Short Stuff: Smudging: Not just for hippies

Wed, 28 Feb 2024

Smudging is the process of wafting around the smoke of burning white sage. What is it good for? List...

Haile Selassie: Statesman, Colonizer, God?

Tue, 27 Feb 2024

If you grew up outside of Africa, you might know Haile Selassie’s name from reggae music - the man...

Selects: How Zero Population Growth Works

Sat, 24 Feb 2024

In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich'...

The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout

Thu, 22 Feb 2024

David Hahn was a kid who was really into science. So much that he built a nuclear reactor in his mot...

Short Stuff: Benin Bronzes

Wed, 21 Feb 2024

One of the world’s cultural treasure troves were created in West Africa. But for over a century th...

Ray and Charles Eames: More than Chairs

Tue, 20 Feb 2024

Charles and Ray Eames were superstar designers who dreamed up some of the most iconic pieces of furn...

Selects: Geodesic Domes: The Wave of the Future That Wasn't

Sat, 17 Feb 2024

Sometimes a good idea doesn’t pan out in real life. Take Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome: It ...

Like, here's the episode on "like"

Thu, 15 Feb 2024

Like is a very divisive word. Purists think it's like, a filler word born in the 80s that's like, de...

Short Stuff: The Original Snake Oil Salesman

Wed, 14 Feb 2024

There’s a great origin story behind snake oil salesmen, and it has to do with just one guy who sin...

What Americans Ate When There Were No Food Laws

Tue, 13 Feb 2024

There was a brief period in America’s history – after people left the farm to work in the city a...

Selects: The Unabomber: Misguided to say the least

Sat, 10 Feb 2024

The Unabomber was one of the most notorious and longest lasting cases in the history of the FBI. Jus...

What's the Pygmalion Effect?

Thu, 08 Feb 2024

Do teachers and managers give special treatment to those who they're told have great academic or pro...

Short Stuff: School Bus Yellow

Wed, 07 Feb 2024

Why are all school buses the same color? Because one man made it so. This is that story. See omnyst...

Clue(do): Third Best Board Game Ever

Tue, 06 Feb 2024

Whether you know it as Clue or Cluedo, the whodunnit mystery board game is one of the best of all ti...

Selects: How Disgust Works

Sat, 03 Feb 2024

Disgust is an odd thing. It makes sense that we would feel a sense of revulsion at the thought of pu...

The History of Las Vegas

Thu, 01 Feb 2024

How did the sleepy Nevada town of Las Vegas become LAS VEGAS? Well, we'll let you know over the cour...

Short Stuff: Wainscoting: When Half a Wall is Enough

Wed, 31 Jan 2024

Wainscoting is a beloved and time-tested decorative way to spruce up your walls. But what is it anyw...

The Harrowing Story of the North Hollywood Shootout

Tue, 30 Jan 2024

Tune in today to listen to the story of when North Hollywood became a war zone after a brazen bank r...

Selects: A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer

Sat, 27 Jan 2024

We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker an...

Esperanto: Tre Mojosa

Thu, 25 Jan 2024

One thing you could do is create your own language. Some people do and for lots of different reasons...

Short Stuff: Hot Cold Plunge

Wed, 24 Jan 2024

Jumping into a cold pool after a long sauna or hot tub can be pretty great. Saunas have proven healt...

The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

Tue, 23 Jan 2024

The murder of Ken McElroy comes off like a story from a cheap paperback book you’d get to read on ...

Selects: Is yogurt a miracle food?

Sat, 20 Jan 2024

Yogurt has been touted as a health food, but is it? Maybe. If you eat it every day. We get into the ...

Jonestown

Thu, 18 Jan 2024

We all know what happened at Jonestown, but who was Jim Jones before the tragedy at the People's Tem...

Short Stuff: Frozen Dead Guy

Wed, 17 Jan 2024

Back in 1994, Nederland, Colorado found out it had a resident it hadn’t accounted for.See omnystud...

Dry Cleaning: Not Really Dry(!)

Tue, 16 Jan 2024

Dry cleaning is one of those things that we’re all familiar with but don’t actually know much ab...

Selects: History's Greatest Traitors

Sat, 13 Jan 2024

The annals of history hold a special place for people who have carried out treachery and betrayed th...

How Cranes Work

Thu, 11 Jan 2024

You’ve probably seen cranes moving elegantly in the sky, but did you know what an important role t...

Short Stuff: NYT Bestseller List

Wed, 10 Jan 2024

What kind of black magic goes into deciding who makes the NYT Bestseller List? Well you probably don...

Kenton Grua: Grand Canyon Legend

Tue, 09 Jan 2024

Tune in today to listen to the amazing story of Colorado River guide Kenton Grua's wild 277 mile rec...

Selects: Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Sat, 06 Jan 2024

The Seuss is loose in this episode about legendary children's book author Ted Geisel. The funny thin...

The 2000 Presidential Election: A Real Cluster

Thu, 04 Jan 2024

When George W Bush and Al Gore ran against one another, most pundits predicted a tight race. Absolut...

Short Stuff: Blueprints

Wed, 03 Jan 2024

The story of why blueprints were blue is more involved than you think. It involves a chemical proces...

SYSK Live in Nashville: The Biosphere II Experiment

Tue, 02 Jan 2024

Hello, friends! Join us today for our annual live show release, recorded in beautiful Nashville. On ...

Selects: Nuclear Semiotics: How to Talk to Future Humans

Sat, 30 Dec 2023

The nuclear waste we produce will be dangerous for a very long time. We’ve figured out how to safe...

How Primitive Will Our Descendants Find Us?

Thu, 28 Dec 2023

It’s all fun and games to think about how backwards and misguided some things people did in the pa...

Short Stuff: Scheele's Green

Wed, 27 Dec 2023

Can you imagine a color so alluring that even though you know it’s toxic you’d still use it to y...

How Snails Work

Tue, 26 Dec 2023

They seem gross and bothersome at first, but once you get down to ground level and get to know snail...

Selects: How Fireplaces Work

Sat, 23 Dec 2023

They are dirty, harmful to your health, bad for the environment and utterly charming. Wood-burning f...

The 2023 SYSK Ho-Ho-Holiday Spectacular!

Thu, 21 Dec 2023

Happy Holidays, friends! Tune in today to listen to our annual ad-free holiday extravaganza. There w...

Short Stuff: Christmas Lights

Wed, 20 Dec 2023

Just three years after the lightbulb was invented a compadre of Thomas Edison thought to use them to...

Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion

Tue, 19 Dec 2023

The world has seen a lot of weird investment bubbles in its time, but few of them rival the fever th...

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Sat, 16 Dec 2023

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

Selects: How Dictators Work

Fri, 15 Dec 2023

There are many types of dictators, from so called "benevolent" ones to the kind who rule with an iro...

What was the Skeleton Army?

Thu, 14 Dec 2023

The Skeleton Army was a rowdy group of folks in England who battled, sometimes violently, with the S...

Short Stuff: Pickles

Wed, 13 Dec 2023

Josh loves pickles but hates cucumbers. Chuck loves cucumbers but hates pickles. WHO WILL WIN?See om...

The Matewan Massacre

Tue, 12 Dec 2023

The Matewan Massacre was a pivotal moment for the US mining industry and the labor movement as a who...

Selects: What were the Freedom Schools?

Sat, 09 Dec 2023

Freedom Schools were set up in Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, with the aim o...

The Murder of John Lennon

Thu, 07 Dec 2023

On December 8th, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York Ci...

Short Stuff: Boba Tea

Wed, 06 Dec 2023

Boba tea is bubble tea. But what are the bubbles? Tapioca pearls! Listen in today to learn about the...

The Life and Works of J.D. Salinger

Tue, 05 Dec 2023

J.D. Salinger was a complicated and problematic human who stopped publishing soon after creating one...

Selects: Beavers: Tail Slapping Fun

Sat, 02 Dec 2023

Beavers are in fact, very busy. They're builders and solid family members, husbands and wives. Learn...

You Down With OED?

Thu, 30 Nov 2023

The story of the Oxford English Dictionary is really something. From its origin to its crowd-sourced...

Short Stuff: The Zipper Merge

Wed, 29 Nov 2023

When you switch lanes on the highway after noticing that the lane you’re in is ending up ahead, yo...

Plate Tectonics Are What Makes Earth Inhabitable

Tue, 28 Nov 2023

It’s time to get jazzed about Earth science again. It’s only been 60 or so years since we’ve k...

Selects: NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel

Sat, 25 Nov 2023

Getting the rain and melted snow from upstate NY into the taps of every NYC resident and business is...

The Wreck of the Costa Concordia

Thu, 23 Nov 2023

It’s astounding that with the exceptional navigational equipment aboard a cruise ship can run agro...

Short Stuff: Magnetic Pole Switcheroo

Wed, 22 Nov 2023

Everyone once in a while, say a few hundred thousand years or so, the north and south poles of Earth...

Legs! Legs! Legs! (The Periodic Table)

Tue, 21 Nov 2023

If you’ve ever wanted to listen to two totally untrained, non-chemists who are fully unqualified t...

Selects: E.T.: Is It Really the Worst Video Game of All Time?

Sat, 18 Nov 2023

If you play video games you probably have an easy answer to worst game of all time: ET. But it turns...

Diners: The Most American Establishment?

Thu, 16 Nov 2023

Diners may just be the most American establishment there is. They were born in the USA, thanks to Eu...

Short Stuff: Liberty Bell

Wed, 15 Nov 2023

The story of the Liberty Bell is far more confusing than we imagined.See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The Tragic Death of Natalie Wood

Tue, 14 Nov 2023

Natalie Wood was Hollywood royalty who tragically drowned after a long night of partying with her hu...

Selects: Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?

Sat, 11 Nov 2023

Josh and Chuck dive into history in this classic episode to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers.S...

How Scuba Works

Thu, 09 Nov 2023

It’s a good, old fashioned how it works episode where we break down all of the nuts and bolts and ...

Short Stuff: Petrified Wood

Wed, 08 Nov 2023

Petrified wood isn't just hard wood. Listen in today to learn all about this unique process. See om...

Things We Believed Before the Scientific Method

Tue, 07 Nov 2023

It’s easy to think of people in the distant past as kinda dumb for believing things like that mice...

Selects: Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?

Sat, 04 Nov 2023

Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it ...

The Harlem Globetrotters: American Treasures

Thu, 02 Nov 2023

The Harlem Globetrotters are an American entertainment institution. Their story may not be quite wha...

Short Stuff: White Dog Poop

Wed, 01 Nov 2023

If you grew up from the 70s to the 90s you know white dog poop. It’s the old, crusty – yes, whit...

The 14th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!

Tue, 31 Oct 2023

As per tradition, today Josh and Chuck perform a spooky Halloween story reading to delight, amuse an...

Selects: How Mummies Work

Sat, 28 Oct 2023

A mummy is a human being whose soft tissue has been preserved after death, and there are mummies aro...

Naked Mole Rats: A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Thu, 26 Oct 2023

Naked mole rats are funny looking to be sure, but neither moles nor rats. So what are they? You'll h...

Short Stuff: Bed Sheet Ghosts

Wed, 25 Oct 2023

The simple bed sheet has provided countless kids and adults with an easy go-to Halloween costume. Bu...

The Compton Cafeteria Riot

Tue, 24 Oct 2023

Three years before the riots at Stonewall, the LGBTQ community of San Francisco's Tenderloin rose up...

Selects: Where Did Trick-Or-Treating Come From?

Sat, 21 Oct 2023

We aren’t exactly sure who invented trick-or-treating – kids who realized they could extort adul...

Kindness: Do It

Thu, 19 Oct 2023

In the tradition of our episodes on forgiveness and revenge, comes the third installment in the Emot...

Short Stuff: Candy Corn

Wed, 18 Oct 2023

Is it vile? Is it delicious? It seems to be both! Hear all about the history of candy corn, how it’...

The Criminal Father of Criminology

Tue, 17 Oct 2023

Eugene Francois Vidocq is without a doubt one of the most interesting figures in modern history. He’...

Selects: Pain Scales: Yeeeow!

Sat, 14 Oct 2023

Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat p...

How Intellectual Property Works

Thu, 12 Oct 2023

Intellectual property sounds as dry as can be, but it’s actually very interesting. It’s at the h...

Short Stuff: Longyou Caves

Wed, 11 Oct 2023

What’s better than discovering a mysterious cavern? Discovering five!See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Parasocial Relationships: That Podcaster is Your Friend!

Tue, 10 Oct 2023

Parasocial relationships are fascinating and it turns out Chuck knows what it's like from both sides...

Selects: How Motion Sickness Works

Sat, 07 Oct 2023

Motion sickness is the worst and hits about 25 to 40 percent of humans when they ride in cars, boats...

How Andy Warhol Worked

Thu, 05 Oct 2023

You know Andy Warhol from his quip on being famous for 15 minutes and paintings of soup cans, but ev...

Short Stuff: Rhodium

Wed, 04 Oct 2023

Rhodium is one of the most valuable precious metals on Earth, though it has dropped in value by abou...

Night of the Grizzlies

Tue, 03 Oct 2023

Grizzly bears had never killed a person in Glacier National Park until the night of August 12, 1967....

Selects: Social Security Numbers: Less Boring Than You'd Think

Sat, 30 Sep 2023

Do you know that up until July 2011 an ambitious hacker with a good software program could deduce yo...

Revenge: Bitter, Not Sweet

Thu, 28 Sep 2023

Someone cuts you off in traffic or makes fun of your friend and all you can think of is how to get b...

Short Stuff: The Dakota

Wed, 27 Sep 2023

The Dakota is one of New York City's great buildings. And its backstory is pretty great to boot. Se...

The Amazing Life of Christine Granville

Tue, 26 Sep 2023

Christine Granville was about as James Bond as it gets. Stories of her life as a spy during World Wa...

Selects: Cockney Rhyming Slang: Beautiful Gibberish

Sat, 23 Sep 2023

What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we kno...

Kombucha: Fizzy Goodness

Thu, 21 Sep 2023

Kombucha is pretty popular right now. But what is it exactly and where did it come from? The answers...

Short Stuff: Origin of Math Signs

Wed, 20 Sep 2023

Have you ever stopped mid-pencil mark and realized to your astonishment where the plus sign came fro...

10ish Worst Business Decisions Ever

Tue, 19 Sep 2023

It’s easy (and kind of fun) to laugh at the misfortune of CEOs and other high up business types wh...

Selects: How Floods Work

Sat, 16 Sep 2023

Floods happen when more water is introduced to an area than can be quickly removed. That's about it,...

The Hyatt Regency Skywalk Disaster

Thu, 14 Sep 2023

In 1981 America suffered the worst accidental structural collapse in its history. Listen in today to...

Short Stuff: Why Spilling Salt is Unlucky

Wed, 13 Sep 2023

Face it, when you spill salt your life goes totally off the rails, maybe even forever. Fortunately, ...

Axolotls: The Smiling Salamander from Mexico

Tue, 12 Sep 2023

It’s a listener request! Axolotls are one of the more amazing animals roaming the planet right now...

Selects: How Space Stations Work

Sat, 09 Sep 2023

It seems like we largely take it for granted these days, but the fact that we have humans living in ...

Native American Reservations

Thu, 07 Sep 2023

Today we dive into the history and current state of Native American reservations. This serves as a n...

Short Stuff: History of OK

Wed, 06 Sep 2023

Is OK the best word? It's certainly one of the most versatile. Check the interesting history of this...

The Made-up Disease of Syndrome K

Tue, 05 Sep 2023

In WWII, Italy went through its own Jewish Holocaust, terrible at first then horrific as the Nazis t...

Selects: Body Odor: You Stink

Sat, 02 Sep 2023

Chuck and Josh end up making reduxes of past episodes on things like sweating and deodorant in this ...

Laurens Hammond: The Non-Musical Genius Who Changed Popular Music

Thu, 31 Aug 2023

Laurens Hammond invented the Hammond organ and in the process changed music history. But he was much...

Short Stuff: Evil Eye

Wed, 30 Aug 2023

You've seen the evil eye. Many Middle Eastern cultures have a long history with it. Learn how to thw...

Fordlandia: Brazil Isn't Michigan

Tue, 29 Aug 2023

Henry Ford tried to build a Midwestern American town in the Amazon rainforest in the 1920s. It's tru...

Selects: How Toy Testing Works

Sat, 26 Aug 2023

It's every kid's dream - a job playing with toys that pays in toys. It's a real thing and has been a...

Plant Migration

Thu, 24 Aug 2023

Climate change is having sweeping effects on our climate and this is changing the world, not just fo...

Short Stuff: Saturn's Rings

Wed, 23 Aug 2023

Friends, treasure Saturn’s rings while they are young. They won’t be around forever.See omnystud...

Farmer's Almanac: Literature to Poop To

Tue, 22 Aug 2023

The Farmer's Almanac has a long rich history that is more than just moon phases and long-term weathe...

Selects: How Music Sampling Works

Sat, 19 Aug 2023

Today music sampling is a common practice, especially in electronic or hip-hop music. But how does i...

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Franklin Expedition

Thu, 17 Aug 2023

One of the great Arctic mysteries was the disappearance of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition in sear...

Short Stuff: Edward Mordake

Wed, 16 Aug 2023

In the 19th century news spread of an unfortunate man who was born with an evil second face on the b...

How We’re Learning to Talk to Animals

Tue, 15 Aug 2023

If we could talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals, what would we say? ...

Selects: How Magnets Work

Sat, 12 Aug 2023

You can stick them to the fridge or use them to transpose sound to tape, whatever they are used for ...

Xenobiotics

Thu, 10 Aug 2023

Science is just realizing the extent of the tiny pollutants that have entered ecosystems across Eart...

Short Stuff: History of English

Wed, 09 Aug 2023

Who spoke English first and what was it like? Nothing like it is today. Listen in to learn all about...

Dear Diary...

Tue, 08 Aug 2023

Diaries have been around for a long time. There are many famous ones, and tens of millions that will...

Selects: Rainbows: Delighting humanity since forever

Sat, 05 Aug 2023

Rainbows seem to defy nature, but they're really pretty simple when it comes down to it. Turns out i...

The Last Meal Ritual

Thu, 03 Aug 2023

The last meal of the executed is a longstanding tradition. Listen in today to learn about the dark h...

Short Stuff: NATO Alphabet

Wed, 02 Aug 2023

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. This is the NATO alphabet. But where did it come from?See omnystudio.com/list...

BPD: The Worst Disorder or Not a Disorder at All?

Tue, 01 Aug 2023

Borderline Personality Disorder has been described as emotional “third degree burns over ninety pe...

Selects: What's the deal with Stradivarius violins?

Sat, 29 Jul 2023

The Strad violin is noted for its tonal qualities and superior craftsmanship. And for its price tag....

MAD Magazine: A Tribute

Thu, 27 Jul 2023

Chuck and Josh grew up on MAD Magazine and we hope you did too. What started out as a comic book tha...

Short Stuff: Blue Highway Signs

Wed, 26 Jul 2023

In the US those ubiquitous blue highway signs that tell you which direction you’ll find a Burger K...

Learning a Foreign Language

Tue, 25 Jul 2023

Today, Chuck and Josh dive into the ins and outs of language learning. See omnystudio.com/listener ...

Selects: Nirvana: Not The Band

Sat, 22 Jul 2023

Hinduism and Buddhism are closely related in a number of ways, including their vision of what comes ...

Magic Eye Illusions

Thu, 20 Jul 2023

What became the Magic Eye illusion fad of the 1990s was born by way of the stereogram of the 1950s (...

Short Stuff: Pie-In-The-Face Gag

Wed, 19 Jul 2023

Throwing a pie in someone’s face was groundbreaking comedy once upon a time.See omnystudio.com/lis...

Insomnia: Why you can't sleep

Tue, 18 Jul 2023

Insomnia is rough stuff. Listen in and learn all about why you can't fall asleep and what you can do...

Selects: How Police Lineups Work

Sat, 15 Jul 2023

Police lineups are something most people have never had any firsthand experience with. What you see ...

How PCP Works

Thu, 13 Jul 2023

There is probably no drug more mythologized than PCP. It drives users insane and has the unfortunate...

Short Stuff: Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Wed, 12 Jul 2023

The most famous cemetery in Paris has some of the most famous people in the world buried there. And ...

Birth Order: So nice, we did it twice

Tue, 11 Jul 2023

This is a very special episode, the first one we've ever fully recorded a second time and decided to...

Selects: How Bats Work

Sat, 08 Jul 2023

They are creepy, sure, but they are also useful, cute and in great danger of extinction. Get a new l...

James Beard: Food Legend

Thu, 06 Jul 2023

James Beard is well-known now for the annual awards named in his honor. But he used to be the most f...

Short Stuff: Hollywood Sign

Wed, 05 Jul 2023

The Hollywood sign is an iconic landmark that started out as a real estate billboard. Can you believ...

How Trucking Works

Tue, 04 Jul 2023

If truckers suddenly vanished the global economy would come to a grinding halt in a couple days. But...

Selects: What Makes Lead So Poisonous?

Sat, 01 Jul 2023

The people of Flint, MI were horrified to find their drinking water was poisoned with lead. As we le...

Butterflies: Caterpillars with Wings!

Thu, 29 Jun 2023

If you thought caterpillars were awesome, just wait until you see them with colorful, iridescent win...

Short Stuff: Fahrenheit or Celsius

Wed, 28 Jun 2023

Fahrenheit or Celsius? Why not both? If they can agree - exactly at -40 degrees  - then it seems li...

Caterpillars: Nature's Magicians

Tue, 27 Jun 2023

Caterpillars are simply the best. Don't think so? Well listen in and you'll soon agreeSee omnystudio...

Selects: How Ocean Currents Work

Sat, 24 Jun 2023

It's easy to overlook the importance of ocean currents - they move along out at sea, while we stay m...

How Afrofuturism Works

Thu, 22 Jun 2023

Black sci-fi writers were shut out of their genre in the 20th century so they created their own visi...

Short Stuff: Chia Pet

Wed, 21 Jun 2023

It has arrived, the most important podcast episode in the history of the world. See omnystudio.com/...

Large Language Models and You

Tue, 20 Jun 2023

There is a good chance that in March of 2023, humans crossed a threshold into a transformative new e...

Selects: SYSK Live: Back When Ford Pintos Were Flaming Deathtraps

Sat, 17 Jun 2023

For this special live benefit episode recorded in Atlanta, Josh and Chuck go back to the 70s and loo...

How Alumin(i)um Works

Thu, 15 Jun 2023

Humans made it through the Bronze Age and Iron Age, then we dabbled in steel, and now we are living ...

Short Stuff: Suicide Forest

Wed, 14 Jun 2023

The suicide forest in Japan is a beautiful place with a checkered reputation. Trigger Warning: This ...

The Stinky History of Human Hygiene

Tue, 13 Jun 2023

Ever wondered when and why people started caring about body odors and cleanliness? Well look no furt...

Selects: How Audience Testing Works

Sat, 10 Jun 2023

Did you know some of our most beloved movies originally had different, sometimes better, endings? Th...

Is Reality Real?

Thu, 08 Jun 2023

Philosophers have been wondering whether we experience reality as it is for millennia now. They’ve...

Short Stuff: DNA Data Storage

Wed, 07 Jun 2023

One of the more futuristic things around right now on Earth is research into encoding data into stri...

Why Manners?

Tue, 06 Jun 2023

Keeping your elbows off the table, keeping your fingers out of the gravy boat – at some point thes...

Selects: Pterosaurs: Not Flying Dinosaurs

Sat, 03 Jun 2023

Almost everything you know about pterosaurs is wrong. They weren't birds, they weren't flying dinosa...

What's the deal with intermittent fasting?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023

Could eating at only certain times of the day lead to weight loss? Possibly! See omnystudio.com/lis...

Short Stuff: Rube Goldberg

Wed, 31 May 2023

Everyone knows what a Rube Goldberg machine is, but what do you know about the cartoonist who they'r...

The Saga of Milli Vanilli

Tue, 30 May 2023

For a moment Milli Vanilli was the hottest musical act in the world. Then came the news that it was ...

Selects: How Color Works

Sat, 27 May 2023

Science doesn't have a good explanation for why we sense color, yet it is everywhere and affecting u...

The Semi-Recent History of Exercise

Thu, 25 May 2023

Humans exercising for better health has not been around that long. Today we dive into this fun histo...

Short Stuff: Pollen Count

Wed, 24 May 2023

If you watch the news and hear the pollen count is high for some particular type of plant then it’...

What is the Bechdel Test?

Tue, 23 May 2023

The Bechdel Test is a is a measure of the representation of women in film. You'd be surprised how ma...

Selects: How Dog Shows Work

Sat, 20 May 2023

You know those shows where people wearing sensible shoes jog dogs around in circles? They actually r...

How Juries Work

Thu, 18 May 2023

It’s totally bonkers that in the US and other countries, the job of determining the guilt or innoc...

Short Stuff: Mood Rings

Wed, 17 May 2023

Mood Rings were all the rage in the 1970s. Then they went away, and fast. What's your color today?Se...

The Inflammation Theory of Disease

Tue, 16 May 2023

Not too long ago we thought that germs were the cause of most diseases, leading to germ theory. But ...

Selects: How Slinky Works

Sat, 13 May 2023

It has been called a "glorified spring", but Slinky is one of the best selling toys of all time. Fro...

How TV Weathercasters Work

Thu, 11 May 2023

TV weather people can seem corny and maybe a little nerdy, but beneath that toothsome exterior lies ...

Short Stuff: Frances Kelsey: Hero of the FDA

Wed, 10 May 2023

Who is Frances Kelsey? Well, she's a semi-unsung hero of the FDA whose work helped save a lot of kid...

The Colosseum

Tue, 09 May 2023

It's funny how similar The Colosseum in Rome is to modern day arenas. They really had it figured out...

Selects: Does the body replace itself?

Sat, 06 May 2023

Does the human body really replace itself every few years? The answer is yes, but different parts of...

Introducing Smell-O-Vision!

Thu, 04 May 2023

Smell-O-Vision was a post-war movie theater gimmick that delivered well-timed scents to the noses of...

Short Stuff: Dunbar's Number

Wed, 03 May 2023

There’s a theory that all of us have a maximum number of friendships that we can maintain – 150,...

Nerf!

Tue, 02 May 2023

Another classic toys edition is at your collective feet. Today, we dive into the soft, padded world ...

Selects: How Manhunts Work

Sat, 29 Apr 2023

When a suspect or prisoner goes on the lam there are plenty of ways to hide: in plain sight, in the ...

Carbon Monoxide: Please Just Listen Anyway

Thu, 27 Apr 2023

It might not be the sexiest topic we’ve ever covered (and by “might”, we mean “definitely”...

Short Stuff: Botox Brain

Wed, 26 Apr 2023

Botox can chase away the lines on your face, apparently it can chase away your depression, borderlin...

Why does everyone love Dolly Parton?

Tue, 25 Apr 2023

Today we dive in to celebrate the international treasure that is Dolly Parton. Why is she nearly uni...

Selects: Was There A Real Robin Hood?

Sat, 22 Apr 2023

Is it true that Robin Hood hung out in Sherwood Forest and stole from the rich to give to the poor? ...

METI: Existential Threat? Probably Yes

Thu, 20 Apr 2023

We've wanted to contact extraterrestrials for as long as we've suspected they're out there. But as w...

Short Stuff: Routines

Wed, 19 Apr 2023

Routines are a key part of a successful life. Ask anybody about theirs and they'll be happy to share...

Should Rich Countries Cancel Poor Countries’ Debt?

Tue, 18 Apr 2023

It sounds controversial, but there are persuasive arguments for the wealthy Global North to write of...

Selects: How Coffins Work

Sat, 15 Apr 2023

Sure, you've probably laid in one at the store or a funeral home, but how much do you know about rec...

John Brinkley: The Quackiest Quack in History?

Thu, 13 Apr 2023

John Brinkley was perhaps the biggest quack who ever claimed to be practicing medicine. Learn all ab...

Short Stuff: Red Snow

Wed, 12 Apr 2023

Thanks to green algae, there's such a thing as red snow. And we've recently found it can accelerate ...

How Skydiving Works

Tue, 11 Apr 2023

At 13,000 feet the ground is nothing but far-away squares of land, and you can even see some clouds ...

Selects: Some Nutso Fan Theories

Sat, 08 Apr 2023

It turns out that the characters in your favorite TV shows and the like are actually dead, dreaming,...

Playing Cards? You Got That Right!

Thu, 06 Apr 2023

If you've ever wanted to learn more about playing cards, now is your big chance. See omnystudio.com...

Short Stuff: Beethoven’s DNA

Wed, 05 Apr 2023

It's been all over the news, Beethoven's DNA has revealed some interesting things about his health.S...

What Caused the Late Bronze Age Collapse?

Tue, 04 Apr 2023

Humans’ first attempt at civilization went pretty well for the first thousand years. Important stu...

Selects: How Jet Lag Works

Sat, 01 Apr 2023

It was only since 1958 that the Jet Age began, and jet lag became a real condition. Also known as de...

What's the deal with dowsing?

Thu, 30 Mar 2023

Dowsing, aka water-witching has been around a long time. And you might be surprised that's still a t...

Short Stuff: Theme Park Cremations

Wed, 29 Mar 2023

There’s a little-discussed trend you might run into at your favorite theme park – people scatter...

The First Road Trip

Tue, 28 Mar 2023

Back when cars were a brand new thing, before people even knew they'd stick around, two men and a do...

Selects: Is The Uncanny Valley Real?

Sat, 25 Mar 2023

In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the m...

An Interesting, Vastly Incomplete Look at Baseball Cards

Thu, 23 Mar 2023

One of the all-stars of the hobby world is collecting baseball cards. Over time it’s gone from a k...

Short Stuff: Semantic Satiation

Wed, 22 Mar 2023

You know when you read a word over and over it starts to lose its meaning? There’s a term for that...

The Tragic Tale of Floyd Collins

Tue, 21 Mar 2023

Floyd Collins was a natural-born caver who met a terrible fate, becoming stuck underground where no ...

Selects: Do People Really Run Off to Join the French Foreign Legion?

Sat, 18 Mar 2023

Anyone who knows anything about Jean-Claude Van Damme knows he played a French legionnaire in the mo...

Arcades: Nostalgia Abounds

Thu, 16 Mar 2023

Chuck and Josh were around during the Golden Age of the arcade. And look how they turned out! Join t...

Short Stuff: John Cage's 639 Year Concert

Wed, 15 Mar 2023

John Cage was a unique artist to say the least. Learn all about this avant-garde composer today.See ...

That's Amaro!

Tue, 14 Mar 2023

Amaro is a delicious traditional liqueur, usually from Italy, that has delighted diners and drinkers...

Selects: The Time Nazis Invaded Florida

Sat, 11 Mar 2023

During World War II, Nazis invaded the United States with saboteurs bent on fomenting chaos. Three t...

Woodstock: The Festival for Stardust, Golden Hippies

Thu, 09 Mar 2023

You may have heard your parents or – gasp – grandparents prattle on about how amazing the origin...

Short Stuff: Paprika

Wed, 08 Mar 2023

Paprika is more than a smoky Hungarian spice. Actually, that's not true, that's exactly what it is. ...

Noncompete Agreements, Come On

Tue, 07 Mar 2023

A noncompete agreement, a pledge not to work for a competitor for a set amount of time, makes sense ...

Selects: Live From San Francisco: How Malls Work

Sat, 04 Mar 2023

In this classic show recorded live on January 5, 2017 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Josh and ...

Crosswords episode, perhaps?

Thu, 02 Mar 2023

Crossword puzzles have an interesting history and are a lot of fun to do. Dive in today to learn abo...

Short Stuff: La Pascualita

Wed, 01 Mar 2023

In a bridal shop in Chihuahua, Mexico a mannequin has been standing in the window since the 1930s th...

The Awe-Inspiring, Absolutely Crucial Amazon

Tue, 28 Feb 2023

If you’ve ever thought, “What’s the Amazon rainforest ever done for me? Nothin, that’s what,...

Selects: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

Sat, 25 Feb 2023

In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept...

Naps: Chuck's Secret Talent

Thu, 23 Feb 2023

Naps are great if you can manage to find the space to take them. The trick is to do it for the right...

Short Stuff: Sleeping On It

Wed, 22 Feb 2023

It’s pretty well known that if you wait to make a big decision until after you get some sleep, you...

The Mystery of the Lost Amber Room

Tue, 21 Feb 2023

Chuck and Josh turn into the Hardy Boys for one of the great unsolved mysteries of WWII, a work of a...

Selects: The Max Headroom Affair

Sat, 18 Feb 2023

In 1987, a very strange broadcast intrusion occurred in the city of Chicago. For just a couple of mi...

The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

Thu, 16 Feb 2023

The fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club was not in Los Angeles, but Kentucky. Which happened to be...

Short Stuff: Beulah Mae Donald

Wed, 15 Feb 2023

In 1981 a Mobile mother of six was forced into the role of civil rights activist when the Klan murde...

The Glorious Flamingo

Tue, 14 Feb 2023

Flamingos are much more than just pretty pink birds. They are in fact, quite remarkable! Listen and ...

Selects: Cave Diving: Totally Nuts

Sat, 11 Feb 2023

There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engag...

How (O)possums Work

Thu, 09 Feb 2023

Josh and Chuck take a listener’s suggestion – many, many suggestions – and learn that possums ...

Short Stuff: No Shirt, No Shoes, WTF

Wed, 08 Feb 2023

You can thank your parents and grandparents for the longstanding ban against dining shirtless and sh...

Honey: Nature's Wonder Sugar

Tue, 07 Feb 2023

Honey is an amazing thing. Just ask any bee. They make a ton of it. So much that humans get what bee...

Selects: How Easy Bake Ovens Work

Sat, 04 Feb 2023

Easy Bake Ovens are as iconic as a toy can get, as American as apple pie or baseball. Learn all abou...

The Largely Equine History of Veterinary Medicine

Thu, 02 Feb 2023

Vets have been around for a long time, but mainly to care for horses. When horse travel went away, g...

Short Stuff: Bird Migration

Wed, 01 Feb 2023

Where are all those birds flying anyway? How do they decide? When do they do it? All of these questi...

Must We Suffer Emotional Pain?

Tue, 31 Jan 2023

It’s part of the human condition, to feel the pain of sorrow, loss, embarrassment. But isn’t it ...

Selects: Elephants: The Best Animals?

Sat, 28 Jan 2023

Elephants are pretty much the best. Why? Josh and Chuck will let you know in great detail in this cl...

How Attachment Theory Works

Thu, 26 Jan 2023

A theory in the field of psychology has become so pervasive, it’s generally taken on faith that it...

Short Stuff: Adam's Apples and Throat Lumps

Wed, 25 Jan 2023

This week's short stuff is all about throat lumps and Adam's apples.See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

Let's Talk About John DeLorean

Tue, 24 Jan 2023

John DeLorean: visionary, car maker extraordinaire, buyer of large amounts of cocaine, provider of t...

Selects: How Game Shows Work

Sat, 21 Jan 2023

Join Josh and Chuck and a whole bunch of great people at the Gothic Theatre in Denver for this live ...

Toast: As in browned bread

Thu, 19 Jan 2023

Toast is bread that has been browned by heat. It's delicious. This is our ode to toast.See omnystudi...

Short Stuff: Women Pirates

Wed, 18 Jan 2023

The Golden Age of Pirates didn’t have just men floating on the high seas. Some women became very s...

The Louisiana Purchase: Not a Purchase

Tue, 17 Jan 2023

Turns out the Louisiana Purchase was not so much a purchase, but the right to (steal) purchase it fr...

Selects: How Therapeutic Hypothermia Works

Sat, 14 Jan 2023

Physicians noticed centuries ago that people exposed to cold temperatures often have amazing recover...

How Tarot Works?

Thu, 12 Jan 2023

This is not a hit piece! Tarot helps plenty of people navigate their lives and reflect on their feel...

Short Stuff: Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Wed, 11 Jan 2023

Forest Lawn is no ordinary cemetery. Why? Listen in and find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

How Enron Fooled the World

Tue, 10 Jan 2023

Until the 2007, the largest single corporate bankruptcy was Enron, a $67 billion energy trading comp...

Selects: How Perfume Works

Sat, 07 Jan 2023

Women consistently rate scent as the most important factor in a man's attractiveness and men have be...

When Mount St. Helens Blew Its Top

Thu, 05 Jan 2023

Mount St. Helen's is a lovely sight to behold, but was a pretty scary thing to be around in the Spri...

Short Stuff: Dangers of Nose Picking

Wed, 04 Jan 2023

You don’t have to lie - everybody picks their nose. But did you know it can be life-threatening? I...

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (not the song)

Tue, 03 Jan 2023

Today Josh and Chuck delve into the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Not the song, but the maritime a...

Selects: Could There Be A Loch Ness Monster?

Sat, 31 Dec 2022

People have believed something strange lives in Loch Ness for at least 3500 years. Thousands of peop...

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Podcast Episode

Thu, 29 Dec 2022

This one goes out to the SYSK Army as a special request. Let's do the time warp again!See omnystudio...

Short Stuff: Mesas: Flat

Wed, 28 Dec 2022

Mesas, buttes and plateaus are all very similar. We'll break down the differences in each one just t...

Juicy: The Fried Chicken Story

Tue, 27 Dec 2022

Fried chicken is Chuck’s favorite food, and Josh sure doesn’t dislike it. It is with this apprec...

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Sat, 24 Dec 2022

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

2022 Holiday Spectacular!

Thu, 22 Dec 2022

Another year comes to a close here at SYSK, which means our annual Holiday Spectacular is at hand. S...

Short Stuff: Snow Globes

Wed, 21 Dec 2022

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was Dorothy Parker, really?

Tue, 20 Dec 2022

She was known for her quick wit and sharp tongue. But she was also a poet, screenwriter and activist...

Selects: Nostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much.

Sat, 17 Dec 2022

Nostradamus delighted us all in grade school, but it turns out the real guy wasn't quite as prescien...

Interesting Origins of Everyday Phrases

Thu, 15 Dec 2022

We don’t think about the words and phrases we use all the time - until Josh and Chuck look into th...

Short Stuff: The Atlanta Washer Woman Strike

Wed, 14 Dec 2022

One of the very first union strikes in US history was mounted by a group of African American women i...

How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever

Tue, 13 Dec 2022

For the holidays in 1986 (and ’87) (and ’88) the most stupendous, most wanted, most amazing thin...

Selects: How Polar Bears Work

Sat, 10 Dec 2022

Polar bears are more than just lovable creatures that roam the ice in search of food. They're one of...

True Crime: The Phantom of Heilbronn

Thu, 08 Dec 2022

After the murder of a cop in southwest Germany in 2007 a massive hunt was launched across Europe. Th...

Short Stuff: Birthday Paradox

Wed, 07 Dec 2022

The Birthday Paradox involves math, so you know this one will go perfectly.See omnystudio.com/listen...

How Face Blindness Works

Tue, 06 Dec 2022

It’s not that the person who can never remember meeting you is snobby or even absent-minded; they ...

Selects: The Rubik's Cube Episode

Sat, 03 Dec 2022

Rubik's Cubes. Ronald Reagan. Jerry Falwell. Just Say No. One of these things was awesome. Take a gu...

How Down Syndrome Works

Thu, 01 Dec 2022

People with Down syndrome lead rich, complex lives like any other human, but it’s only been in the...

Short Stuff: Goosebumps

Wed, 30 Nov 2022

Goosebumps are a pretty cool evolutionary holdover from our earlier days as furry beasts. Don't beli...

Peripersonal Space: Humans’ Got Talent

Tue, 29 Nov 2022

The space around you that you can reach with your arms is a very special place. It’s where we inte...

Selects: How Umami Works!

Sat, 26 Nov 2022

For millennia humans have recognized four tastes, but in the 1980s a fifth taste first isolated in J...

Roller Skating: Fun and Cool

Thu, 24 Nov 2022

The Victorians were the first to go bonkers for roller skating and since then the pastime has had bu...

Short Stuff: Liquid Paper

Wed, 23 Nov 2022

Correction fluid goes by many names, but the OG was Liquid Paper. And it has a pretty cool origin st...

Typewriters: Mechanical Brilliance

Tue, 22 Nov 2022

Chuck loves typewriters because he loves mechanical brilliance. Dive into the cool history of these ...

Selects: How Dark Money Works

Sat, 19 Nov 2022

Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in the Citizens United case that political contributions are s...

Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff?

Thu, 17 Nov 2022

The question of Shakespeare's authorship has been around since at least the mid-1800s. Is there anyt...

Short Stuff: Incomplete Yawns

Wed, 16 Nov 2022

Is there anything – anything – worse than a yawn you can’t finish? It’s hard to think of any...

The Sordid History of Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

Tue, 15 Nov 2022

When it comes to pre-wedding festivities, bachelor and bachelorette parties take the penis-shaped ca...

Selects: Finders Keepers: Real Law

Sat, 12 Nov 2022

You know that heartbreak of the schoolyard – finders keepers, losers weepers? That’s actual law ...

How Owls Work

Thu, 10 Nov 2022

It’s time for another great animal episode and in this one we swoop into the world of owls – nat...

Short Stuff: Dodleston Messages

Wed, 09 Nov 2022

It’s not everyday that a message from the 16th century appears on a computer from the 1980s, so wh...

What's so important about legal precedent?

Tue, 08 Nov 2022

Legal precedent is an odd thing. It matters, but it isn't codified. There are advantages and disadva...

Selects: What is an invasive species?

Sat, 05 Nov 2022

Invasive species can mean a lot of things, from fungus to feral pigs and European starlings to kudzu...

Vaudeville: Step Right Up!

Thu, 03 Nov 2022

In today's episode, you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about vaudeville, whether you ...

Short Stuff: Birth Certificate Access

Wed, 02 Nov 2022

It’s unjust but true – if you are an adoptee in the US you may not have the same right to access...

The Harvey's Casino Bombing of 1980

Tue, 01 Nov 2022

In August of 1980 a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite was quietly delivered to Harvey’s, a ...

Selects: How Vampires Work

Sat, 29 Oct 2022

Out of obligation, Chuck and Josh mention Twilight, but it is the longstanding vampire lore that get...

The 13th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!

Thu, 27 Oct 2022

It's hard to believe, but this is our 13th edition of the Halloween Spooktacular! So pour up a creep...

Short Stuff: Robert the Doll

Wed, 26 Oct 2022

Robert the Doll is decidedly creepy. So is his story. Listen in to this spooky tale right now!See om...

The Tale of the Bloody Benders

Tue, 25 Oct 2022

Long before we knew what serial killers were, a family in remote Kansas was disposing of victims at ...

Selects: 10ish Cases of Really Bad Luck

Sat, 22 Oct 2022

Some guys have all the luck, some guys have all the pain. So said Rod Stewart. And if this list is a...

Fundamentalism: Menace II Society

Thu, 20 Oct 2022

Fundamentalism is usually thought of as a problem religions have to deal with, but not all fundament...

Short Stuff: Water Towers

Wed, 19 Oct 2022

Water towers are so ubiquitous you can look right past them, despite them being giant balls of water...

The History of Fake Towns.

Tue, 18 Oct 2022

There have been a lot of fake towns built throughout history for a lot of different reasons. Tune in...

Selects: How Pompeii Worked

Sat, 15 Oct 2022

What must be one of the most famous natural disasters in history took place when Mt Vesuvius buried ...

10 Cases of Mistaken Identity

Thu, 13 Oct 2022

There’s a lot that can go wrong when your identity is at question. Charged with abandoning a baby?...

Short Stuff: Blaschko's Lines

Wed, 12 Oct 2022

Did you know you have stripes? It’s true, you just can’t see them. Learn all about these little-...

Doppelgängers: Hey you, you're me!

Tue, 11 Oct 2022

Seeing your near twin is probably pretty weird. But could there be a genetic commonality as well? Yo...

Selects: Josh and Chuck's List of Horror Movies that Changed the Genre

Sat, 08 Oct 2022

Once in a while a movie comes along that's so forward-thinking it changes the way that horror is don...

How License Plates Work

Thu, 06 Oct 2022

The first tags were required just a few years after the firs cars debuted, as a way to catch jerks s...

Short Stuff: Scratching

Wed, 05 Oct 2022

Listen in today as we salute turntablism, aka, record scratching.See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Vinyl Records: Black Magic at Work

Tue, 04 Oct 2022

Despite reading all about how vinyl records are recorded and made, it's still a bit like black magic...

Selects: How Clowns Work

Sat, 01 Oct 2022

Jesters of some sort have been around since ancient Egypt and China. Our modern clown was invented a...

How The Rosenhan Experiment Worked

Thu, 29 Sep 2022

In 1973 a study was published in Science where psychologist David Rosenhan revealed he had duped hun...

Short Stuff: Curse Tablets

Wed, 28 Sep 2022

Curse tablets are exactly what you think - tablets with curses inscribed on them. But what were they...

Vasectomies: Stop Being A Wimp

Tue, 27 Sep 2022

You can uncross your legs you big babies. Getting a vasectomy isn’t bad at all – recovery time i...

Selects: How LSD Works

Sat, 24 Sep 2022

In 1943 Swiss chemist Albert Hofman discovered he'd created what may be the most potent hallucinogen...

Sitcoms Part II

Thu, 22 Sep 2022

Listen in now for part II of our homage to sitcoms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Short Stuff: Laugh Tracks

Wed, 21 Sep 2022

Laugh tracks have been around since the early 1950s and it’s all thanks to one (reviled) sound eng...

Sitcoms Part I

Tue, 20 Sep 2022

Traditional multi-camera sitcoms have fallen out of style in recent years, but the golden age of the...

Selects: Frida Kahlo: Painter, Icon, Genius

Sat, 17 Sep 2022

Frida Kahlo was a painter who transcended her own work to became an icon. Learn all about her fascin...

Pearls: Second Best Thing About Oysters

Thu, 15 Sep 2022

Pearls are super cool. And humans figuring out how to make them is even cooler. Learn all about the ...

Short Stuff: Hangry?

Wed, 14 Sep 2022

When you’re hungry, you’re not yourself. So say the good people at Snickers and it turns out sci...

The Georgia Guidestones: The Elite Have a Laugh

Tue, 13 Sep 2022

In 1980 the “rural as rural can be” town of Elberton, Georgia erected a granite monument with a ...

Selects: What Happened to the Neanderthals?

Sat, 10 Sep 2022

As recently as 40,000 years ago we lived among humans from an entirely different species – Neander...

Everything We Know About Squids

Thu, 08 Sep 2022

Squids are very closely related to our old friend the octopus, but there are some key differences. Y...

Short Stuff: RIP Man of the Hole

Wed, 07 Sep 2022

The Man of the Hole has died and we're pretty sad to hear it. Listen in to our tribute to this solit...

Did Mallory Make it to the Top of Everest First?

Tue, 06 Sep 2022

George Mallory was a member of the first three European expeditions to Everest, world’s tallest mo...

Selects: How the Pony Express Worked

Sat, 03 Sep 2022

For as long a shadow as it casts across the history of the Old West, the Pony Express was a failed b...

Rolling Stone Magazine

Thu, 01 Sep 2022

Part celebration and part take down, this episode on Rolling Stone magazine dives into the highs and...

Short Stuff: Mason-Dixon Line

Wed, 31 Aug 2022

The dividing line between the North and South is purely political. But the story of its creation is ...

We Need More Sustainable Packaging, Like, Yesterday

Tue, 30 Aug 2022

Since the advent of single-use plastics, we’ve become awash in waste. Barrels of petroleum are ext...

Selects: Knife Throwing: Super Cool

Sat, 27 Aug 2022

Sure knives can cut through a steak or slash through jungle vines, but probably the coolest thing yo...

Kissing Cousins: A History of Marrying Family

Thu, 25 Aug 2022

Despite the overall creepiness of it, marrying family members is way more common than you might thin...

Short Stuff: Marrying Up

Wed, 24 Aug 2022

The idea of "marrying up" is as old as the hills, but things are, and have been, changing for quite ...

Introvert or Extravert: Which are you? (Probably both)

Tue, 23 Aug 2022

The world isn’t divided into cat people and dog people, or Beatles fans and Rolling Stones fans (o...

Selects: How Gossip Works

Sat, 20 Aug 2022

You know what I heard? That Josh and Chuck hate each other and they're just faking being friends for...

How Enemas Work

Thu, 18 Aug 2022

If you think about it, enemas are kind of gross. And if you don’t now you definitely will by the e...

Short Stuff: Selling the Brooklyn Bridge

Wed, 17 Aug 2022

You've heard the phrase "If you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you." But did you k...

Mariachi: The Rodney Dangerfield of Music

Tue, 16 Aug 2022

Mariachi bands have a bad rap as nothing more than "restaurant music." But there is a rich and long ...

Selects: Desert Survival: Josh and Chuck Save Your Tookus

Sat, 13 Aug 2022

The chances are pretty low that you’ll find yourself lost in the desert, but on the off chance you...

The Origins of Breakfast Foods

Thu, 11 Aug 2022

Who doesn't love breakfast? But do you know where most of the typical breakfast foods come from? Wel...

Short Stuff: The Berners Street Hoax

Wed, 10 Aug 2022

A full 200 years on, we're still talking about one of the most sweeping hoaxes of all time. See omn...

What's the deal with energy drinks?

Tue, 09 Aug 2022

Chuck hates them, Josh has flirted with them. Energy drinks. Listen in to learn all about this canne...

Selects: How Droughts Work

Sat, 06 Aug 2022

Droughts can be an inevitable feature of a local climate or a catastrophic result of human meddling....

Thrill to the Stunning Bicameral Mind Hypothesis

Thu, 04 Aug 2022

Psychologist Julian Jaynes came up with a stunning hypothesis in 1976, that human consciousness only...

Short Stuff: Divorcing Your Parents

Wed, 03 Aug 2022

It really happens! But most people call it emancipation of a minor. Either way, there's some interes...

Silly String: Disaster in a Can

Tue, 02 Aug 2022

It's been a while since we tackled a classic toy, so here we go with all you ever wanted to know abo...

Selects: Some Movies That Changed Filmmaking

Sat, 30 Jul 2022

An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this e...

How Menstruation Works

Thu, 28 Jul 2022

Two dudes talking about menstruation? You bet! And there’s no way you could be any more nervous to...

Short Stuff: The Mars Rock with Signs of Life?

Wed, 27 Jul 2022

In 1996, real-deal NASA scientists announced they had discovered signs of ancient microbial life in ...

Where Did Human Intelligence Come From?

Tue, 26 Jul 2022

We humans are smart, to be sure, but if we’re so smart then how come we can’t figure how we got ...

Selects: What's the misery index?

Sat, 23 Jul 2022

Economists love their data because somewhere in the numbers lies the answer to the ills of the count...

Googie: The Architecture of the Space Age

Thu, 21 Jul 2022

You may not have heard of it, but you’ve definitely seen it before – 50s buildings with bright, ...

Short Stuff: Death from Astral Projection

Wed, 20 Jul 2022

In 1975, yoga enthusiast Robert Antoszczyk retired to his room in a group house in Ann Arbor, MI to ...

Supernovae: Best Around, Case Closed

Tue, 19 Jul 2022

Face it, supernovae are the most interesting phenomena in the universe. Black holes are cool, but di...

Selects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?

Sat, 16 Jul 2022

It’s bad enough when the government knows you’re alive – there are taxes to pay, laws to be fo...

Why Bowling is Awesome

Thu, 14 Jul 2022

Bowling is awesome. It just is. And if you don't think so, maybe take a listen to today's episode. ...

Short Stuff: Catatumbo Lightning

Wed, 13 Jul 2022

Catatumbo lightning is one of nature's most amazing displays of showiness, with strikes occurring 28...

Mangroves: Nature's Best Tree?

Tue, 12 Jul 2022

Mangroves are incredible survivors and adapters. They're also amazing at lessening the impact of tro...

Selects: How Ayahuasca Works

Sat, 09 Jul 2022

One day in the Amazon Basin, a shaman put together a plant containing DMT with a vine that allows th...

The Maya Civilization

Thu, 07 Jul 2022

After inspiration from Chuck's recent trip to the Yucatan, the fellas dive into the Maya Civilizatio...

Short Stuff: Alligator Gar

Wed, 06 Jul 2022

The alligator gar is one scary looking fish. Learn all about these monsters in today's episode.See o...

How Ultraprocessed Foods Work

Tue, 05 Jul 2022

Ultraprocessed is a new term for junk food, but it means much more than that – it’s also a cauti...

Selects: How Freak Shows Worked

Sat, 02 Jul 2022

Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with a physical disformity...

A Dispassionate Review of Roe v Wade

Thu, 30 Jun 2022

Given the landmark undoing of Roe v Wade, Chuck and Josh lay out all the relevant facts of the 1973 ...

Short Stuff: What did we use before infant formula?

Wed, 29 Jun 2022

There's an infant formula shortage. But infant formula is relatively new. So what did we do before i...

How Alien Contact Might Work

Tue, 28 Jun 2022

If we ever found evidence of intelligent alien life (or they found us) what would we say? Who would ...

Selects: Chiggers: The Phantom Menace

Sat, 25 Jun 2022

Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. ...

What's up with bariatric surgery?

Thu, 23 Jun 2022

Bariatric surgery can also be called weight loss surgery. Some people think it's a highly underused ...

Short Stuff: Do Fish Get Thirsty?

Wed, 22 Jun 2022

One of the greatest questions we’ve ever heard, answered (in a roundabout way).See omnystudio.com/...

The Appalachian Trail: A Heckuva Hike

Tue, 21 Jun 2022

A few short years after the hiking trails from Maine to Georgia were connected into the world’s lo...

Selects: How Steadicams Work

Sat, 18 Jun 2022

There have been many inventions that have advanced filmmaking, but maybe none as important as the st...

What were the IRA hunger strikes?

Thu, 16 Jun 2022

In the early 1980s, imprisoned IRA members went on a prolonged hunger strike, leading to the death o...

Short Stuff: HR8 Gun Legislation

Wed, 15 Jun 2022

Today we dive into HR8, a gun bill supported by 90% of Americans that will likely never get through ...

How Wind Works

Tue, 14 Jun 2022

Beloved egghead Buckminster Fuller said the wind doesn’t blow, it sucks. And he was pretty muc...

Selects: How Drowning Works

Sat, 11 Jun 2022

Hundreds of thousands of people drown around the world every year, and yet it can be easily prevente...

The 4-minute Mile: Greatest Sports Story?

Thu, 09 Jun 2022

Nobody thought the 4-minute mile was humanly possible, until it was. The story of how it happened is...

Short Stuff: Cleveland’s Infamous 10-Cent Beer Night

Wed, 08 Jun 2022

In 1974, the Cleveland (then Indians) baseball club held an unlimited 10 cent beer promotion to attr...

How Freedom of the Press Works

Tue, 07 Jun 2022

Countries around the world – capitalist democracies to communist unitary states – guaran...

Selects: How Satanism Works

Sat, 04 Jun 2022

Satanism may be the most misunderstood "religion" in the world. Part of that is because there are, a...

Kidney Donation: You Could Be A Saint!

Thu, 02 Jun 2022

Kidneys are one of the few organs that you can donate while you’re alive. And the vast majorit...

Short Stuff: Happy Foods!

Wed, 01 Jun 2022

Some foods make you happy. But they aren't necessarily comfort foods. You know what they call that? ...

The Scintillating World of Interest Rates

Tue, 31 May 2022

When the Fed raises interest rates a half point, the world market reacts. But why does this tiny per...

Selects: Waterbeds: The Sexiest Bed?

Sat, 28 May 2022

Waterbeds came and went pretty quickly in the United States, but despite their marketing as sex beds...

The Myth of Absinthe

Thu, 26 May 2022

Absinthe makes you hallucinate and possibly even have a seizure, right? Nope. It's all a part of the...

Short Stuff: Do people move in predictable directions?

Wed, 25 May 2022

Depending on where you are in the world, you either have an instinct to go left or right when enteri...

Cats: Invasive Species?

Tue, 24 May 2022

Josh and Chuck wade into dangerous waters with the debate over just how destructive cats are for loc...

Selects: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five

Sat, 21 May 2022

In 1978, five friends set out for home from a basketball game. The next day, their car was discovere...

What's in a surname?

Thu, 19 May 2022

Surnames are way more interesting that you think, trust us. Just hit play and prepare to be wowed.Se...

Short Stuff: Artificial Banana Flavor

Wed, 18 May 2022

In the Watermelon episode, Chuck and Josh stumbled into a bit of little-known history about why arti...

Squirrels, Ahoy!

Tue, 17 May 2022

Squirrels are rodents, sure, but they’re rodents with personalities the size of Las Vegas and ...

Selects: How Lizzie Borden Worked

Sat, 14 May 2022

Everybody knows how many whacks Lizzie Borden gave her mother and father with that axe, but there is...

Rhinoplasty, aka Nose Jobs

Thu, 12 May 2022

Nose jobs have been around a lot longer than you think. And the process is pretty interesting. Tune ...

Short Stuff: Fainting At The Sight Of Blood

Wed, 11 May 2022

As many as 15% of people faint when they see blood! And it’s not just blood that gets them. It...

What are land acknowledgments?

Tue, 10 May 2022

Land acknowledgements are all the rage in some parts of the world. But they also open a can of worms...

Selects: How Champagne Works

Sat, 07 May 2022

Sure we can all agree that champagne is probably the greatest thing humans have or ever will invent,...

Marcus Garvey: Black Moses

Thu, 05 May 2022

One of the more controversial black leaders, Marcus Garvey divided black and white Americans with hi...

Short Stuff: Shar Pei

Wed, 04 May 2022

Today we dive into the lovable folds of the Shar Pei.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The Mystery of Coal

Tue, 03 May 2022

There’s a mystery afoot! Almost all of the coal we use around the world was created in the sam...

Selects: How Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA

Sat, 30 Apr 2022

Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. ...

Understudies: Hardest Workers on Broadway?

Thu, 28 Apr 2022

Being an understudy is far more challenging than simply learning the lines of a lead actor in case o...

Short Stuff: Smelly Homes

Wed, 27 Apr 2022

Does your house smell? No? What if we told you it’s impossible for you to know whether  i...

“Postmodernism:”

Tue, 26 Apr 2022

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: The Baffling Case of the Body On Somerton Beach

Sat, 23 Apr 2022

Since his corpse was found in 1948, wearing a nice suit in summer on an Australian beach, an unident...

Just Say No to... Bottled Water

Thu, 21 Apr 2022

Bottled water is huge business, and terrible for the environment. But where did this all start? List...

Short Stuff: Salute the Grilled Cheese

Wed, 20 Apr 2022

Today we pay tribute to the comfiest of comfort food, the grilled cheese sandwich.See omnystudio.com...

The Christine Collins Story

Tue, 19 Apr 2022

When Christine Collins' son disappeared in 1928, she thought that was the worst that could happen. &...

Selects: What happens to abandoned mines?

Sat, 16 Apr 2022

Did you know there are as many as 500,000 abandoned mines in the US, but the federal government know...

How Mensa Works

Thu, 14 Apr 2022

Most of us know Mensa’s a smart people club. And that Geena Davis is a member. But did you kno...

Short Stuff: Animal Politicians

Wed, 13 Apr 2022

Small towns around the world have a longstanding tradition of nominating – and voting for &nda...

The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Tue, 12 Apr 2022

If you've ever been to Philadelphia then you've probably walked right by a Toynbee Tile embedded in ...

Selects: A Partial History of Action Figures

Sat, 09 Apr 2022

Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots ...

The Delightful History of Pubs

Thu, 07 Apr 2022

In today's episode, Chuck and Josh dive into the wonderful history of the public house. So pull up a...

Short Stuff: The Church Choir That Didn't Explode

Wed, 06 Apr 2022

Perhaps the most amazing coincidence ever documented took place when a church in a tiny town in Nebr...

Watermelons: Nature's Gift to the World

Tue, 05 Apr 2022

Turns out most people love watermelons. Why? Because they're delicious. And they also have a pretty ...

Selects: How No-fly Zones Work

Sat, 02 Apr 2022

They have become such a ubiquitous tool used by the UN and NATO to intervene in international crises...

What’s NATO All About?

Thu, 31 Mar 2022

NATO formed at a time when Russia threatened Europe as a potential invader. Then the Soviet Union br...

Short Stuff: Greenbrier Bunker

Wed, 30 Mar 2022

The Greenbrier Bunker was a secret nuclear hideout for Congress, until it wasn't. Once it was expose...

How Light Pollution Works

Tue, 29 Mar 2022

Artificial light at night, aka light pollution, affects almost everyone on Earth. And not just peopl...

Selects: The Tylenol Murders, Part II

Sat, 26 Mar 2022

The panic that began in Chicago spreads and begins to change the world. The investigation into the m...

Selects: The Tylenol Murders, Part I

Sat, 26 Mar 2022

On one terrible day in Chicago in 1982, seven people died suddenly and mysteriously. In just a matte...

The Truth Behind Cage-Free and Free-Range

Fri, 25 Mar 2022

You’d think terms like cage-free and free-range means the chickens we eat are frolicking happi...

Short Stuff: Magnet Fishing

Wed, 23 Mar 2022

Magnet fishing has nothing to do with fish. It's more like metal detecting in waterways. Please enjo...

Why was Titicut Follies banned?

Tue, 22 Mar 2022

Titicut Follies is a documentary made famous by its banning. But why was it banned? And what was it ...

Selects: How Hate Works

Sat, 19 Mar 2022

Hate is generally defined as an extreme hostility to something or someone, usually stemming from fea...

How Rewilding Works

Thu, 17 Mar 2022

A big new push toward nature conservation (and saving the planet) is based on a simple premise: remo...

Short Stuff: Nose Breathing

Wed, 16 Mar 2022

Nose breathing > mouth breathing for many reasons. Listen and learn!See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Operation Northwoods: The False Flag Op That Never Was

Tue, 15 Mar 2022

There is presumably some very dark, very depressing stuff in the annals of America’s secret hi...

Selects: A Brief Overview of Punk Rock

Sat, 12 Mar 2022

Punk rock really needs about 10 episodes to do it justice, but we'll try and tackle anyway. Learn al...

Aleister Crowley: Blowhard Narcissist?

Thu, 10 Mar 2022

Aleister Crowley was known as the "wickedest man in the world." But was he really just a blowhard na...

Short Stuff: Great Smog of London

Wed, 09 Mar 2022

In 1952 London was gripped by a acrid smog that settled throughout the city so thickly residents cou...

Behold, National Parks!

Tue, 08 Mar 2022

The National Park system is one of America's great achievements. We'll take you on a journey, from s...

Selects: How Tabloids Work

Sat, 05 Mar 2022

Having started as an egalitarian answer to 19th-century newspapers, tabloids came to peddle shock an...

How Effective Altruism Works

Thu, 03 Mar 2022

A branch of philanthropy led by philosophers is dedicated to finding the most impactful ways to help...

Short Stuff: Friends of Dorothy

Wed, 02 Mar 2022

The gay community had to use code not too many years ago and one way they identified was as “Frien...

What's the deal with phantom pain?

Tue, 01 Mar 2022

Phantom pain is when you sense pain from a lost limb. We don't entirely know how why, but we have so...

Selects: Is the Pied Piper About a Real Historic Tragedy?

Sat, 26 Feb 2022

In the German town of Hameln a tragedy that took place on a specific date in 1284 and befell specifi...

How Mindfulness Works

Thu, 24 Feb 2022

What has become a buzz word for corporate retreats and a way to get a discount on your health insura...

Short Stuff: Commensalism

Wed, 23 Feb 2022

What's commensalism? Sort of nature's way of sponging off something, but that something doesn't mind...

The Improbable Story of Martin Guerre

Tue, 22 Feb 2022

Like most 16th-century French peasants, Martin Guerre’s life seemed likely to be lost to history. ...

Selects: How Moss Works

Sat, 19 Feb 2022

Think you have moss figured out? You probably don't. Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as ...

The Ins and Outs of Albinism

Thu, 17 Feb 2022

Today we dive into the science behind the genetic condition albinism, which is not pronounced how yo...

Short Stuff: Cassowary

Wed, 16 Feb 2022

Australia is home to a kind of bird that is the second largest in the world and can kill a human bei...

Leeches: Oh Hell No!

Tue, 15 Feb 2022

Leeches are pretty creepy. They feed on blood, they stick to you body. We get it. But they're also p...

Selects: The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping

Sat, 12 Feb 2022

Who wants fresh honey? We do! Learn all about the ancient art of beekeeping today in this classic ep...

Littering: Not Cool

Thu, 10 Feb 2022

The history of litter is in lock step with the history of disposable packaging. Learn all about this...

Short Stuff: Schmidt Stinging Pain Index

Wed, 09 Feb 2022

If you want to know how the pain from that yellowjacket sting on your arm compares to stings from ot...

The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

Tue, 08 Feb 2022

The largest ever kidnapping case in the United States went down in the small town of Chowchilla, CA....

Selects: What's the Deal With Staring?

Sat, 05 Feb 2022

Gazing too long upon another person is almost universally viewed as anywhere from impolite to hostil...

How the Nobel Peace Prize Works

Thu, 03 Feb 2022

The Nobel Peace Prize is perhaps the most prestigious award in the world, yet there are plenty of ot...

Short Stuff: Firewalking

Wed, 02 Feb 2022

It’s pretty amazing to see a human walk over a bed of hot coals – until you learn the physics be...

How Tacos Work

Tue, 01 Feb 2022

It’s Taco Tuesday! If you like eating tacos, you’re going to love learning all about them in thi...

Selects: How Sloths Work

Sat, 29 Jan 2022

Everyone knows sloths are super slow, but do you know they’re slow because their bodies produce an...

How Forgiveness Works

Thu, 27 Jan 2022

For most of history, forgiveness fell under the domain of religion. But in the 1980s science started...

Short Stuff: Arctic Fox

Wed, 26 Jan 2022

The Arctic Fox is one of the cutest critters on the planet. It also has an amazing ability to surviv...

Tug of War

Tue, 25 Jan 2022

Tug of War is a simple display of strength, but is there more to it than that? Listen in to find out...

Selects: How SETI Works

Sat, 22 Jan 2022

SETI stands for 'search for extraterrestrial intelligence,' and the term is used to describe both th...

How Classified Information Works

Thu, 20 Jan 2022

The government loves to mark just about any information as secret, which wouldn’t be a big deal if...

Short Stuff: Jaywalking

Wed, 19 Jan 2022

Jaywalking is a crime. Sort of. But why? Learn all about this weird law today. Learn more about you...

Rock Paper Scissors: Decider of Things

Tue, 18 Jan 2022

Rock Paper Scissors is a child's game. But it's more than that if you can believe it, and it has a p...

Selects: Project Azorian: The CIA's Super 70s Mission To Steal A Sunken Soviet Sub

Sat, 15 Jan 2022

In 1974 the CIA undertook one of its most brazen operations – secretly raising a sunken Soviet sub...

What were the black codes?

Thu, 13 Jan 2022

The black codes were proposed laws that basically tried to keep a form of slavery alive and well aft...

Short Stuff: Fortune Cookies

Wed, 12 Jan 2022

Everything you thought you knew about fortune cookies is wrong. Learn all the right stuff in this ep...

The Circleville Poison Pen Letters Mystery

Tue, 11 Jan 2022

For 20 years, a tiny town in Ohio was held enrapt by the prolific author of a series of unhinged let...

Selects: Carl Sagan: American Hero

Sat, 08 Jan 2022

Carl Sagan was the world's first mainstream media super scientist, capapble of breaking down complex...

Ants! Part 2!

Thu, 06 Jan 2022

The exciting conclusion of Ants Part 2! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodca...

Short Stuff: The Casket Racket

Wed, 05 Jan 2022

And you thought we were done with talking about funeral homes. Well guess again! Learn more about y...

Ants! Part 1!

Tue, 04 Jan 2022

Ants are pretty much amazing. So we're gonna spend two episodes talking all about them. Please enjoy...

Selects: Horoscopes: Written in the Stars?

Sat, 01 Jan 2022

A lot of people read their daily horoscopes, but does anyone really take stock in them? Turns out th...

Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

Thu, 30 Dec 2021

No, we didn’t find another international distress signal we forgot to mention in our Mayday! Short...

Short Stuff: Traffic Signals

Wed, 29 Dec 2021

The history of traffic signals is way more interesting than you might think. Trust us.  Learn more...

Unsung Heroes of the Court

Tue, 28 Dec 2021

Attorneys and judges get all the press. What about bailiffs, court reporters and sketch artists? Yea...

Selects: How Tipping Works

Sat, 25 Dec 2021

Tipping is commonly expected in some places, such as U.S. restaurants. Yet this practice varies acro...

SYSK’s 2021 Glad Tidings Bonanza Holiday Special

Thu, 23 Dec 2021

Josh and Chuck’s holiday mojo has returned and they’re back in the saddle to rustle up some holi...

Short Stuff: Christmas Cards

Wed, 22 Dec 2021

You ever thought about where those cards you send out during the holidays came from? Prepare to do j...

How Snowmen (And Snowwomen) Work

Tue, 21 Dec 2021

The details may vary but building snowmen is pretty much universal where there’s snow. Humans have...

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Sat, 18 Dec 2021

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

Kidney Stones: No! Please, NO!

Thu, 16 Dec 2021

Kidney stones are widely considered the most painful affliction a person can endure, even worse than...

Short Stuff: Charity Tips

Wed, 15 Dec 2021

It's the end of the year so we thought we might give you some advice on how to better pick out a cha...

Palm Trees: Technically, Giant Plants

Tue, 14 Dec 2021

Palm trees. You see them all over the world and for good reason. There are more than 2,500 varieties...

Selects: How the Terracotta Army Works

Sat, 11 Dec 2021

In 1974, Chinese farmers discovered the first of what would number 7,000 terracotta soldiers meant t...

What's the deal with blue people?

Thu, 09 Dec 2021

The famous blue people of Kentucky are no longer blue. But why were they like that in the first plac...

Short Stuff: Funny Bone

Wed, 08 Dec 2021

Hitting your funny bone doesn’t just hurt, it feels really weird too. That’s because you’re no...

Why Do Great Flood Myths Seem To Be Universal?

Tue, 07 Dec 2021

If look into the mythology of just about any culture in the world, you will find a myth about a grea...

Selects: What Is Collective Hysteria?

Sat, 04 Dec 2021

Throughout the history of the world, there have been many cases of what is known as collective hyste...

Your Gut Is Also A Brain

Thu, 02 Dec 2021

Your gut – not your spare tire, but your digestive tract – is deceptively smart. Not only does i...

Short Stuff: SINA

Wed, 01 Dec 2021

In the 1950s a group dedicated to clothing animals out of a sense or morality gained momentum. “A ...

The Twisted History of Dentistry

Tue, 30 Nov 2021

If you think going to the dentist now is not fun, just wait until you hear about what they did in th...

Selects: Why Do Lefties Exist?

Sat, 27 Nov 2021

For at least the last 200,000 years, between 10-15% of the human population are left-handed and this...

Python-a-palooza!

Thu, 25 Nov 2021

Pythons are big snakes. Really big. But there's more to them than their size. Learn all about these ...

Short Stuff: Mayday!

Wed, 24 Nov 2021

Say it three times and help may arrive. But where did "Mayday!" come from? Listen in to find out.  ...

The Apache Wars

Tue, 23 Nov 2021

America’s longest-running war was between the US government and the loosely-confederated groups we...

Selects: How Hoarding Works

Sat, 20 Nov 2021

You may be familiar with compulsive hoarding from TV, but something that’s often missing from thos...

Why Is DC Not A State?

Thu, 18 Nov 2021

The residents of Washington, D.C., the capital of the oldest democracy in the world, are not allowed...

Short Stuff: The Paper Dress Fad

Wed, 17 Nov 2021

There was a brief period when it was highly on trend to wear a super short dress made out of paper. ...

Hot Dog!(s)

Tue, 16 Nov 2021

No, there aren’t snouts and anuses in your hot dogs, so go ahead and chow down. There are, however...

Selects: How Feng Shui Works

Sat, 13 Nov 2021

Feng Shui is an Asian concept that strives to unlock your chi by how your home or office is arranged...

The Flannan Isles Mystery

Thu, 11 Nov 2021

In December 1900 three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace from a deserted island in Scotlan...

Short Stuff: Your Dirty Bed

Wed, 10 Nov 2021

Is your bed dirty? You bet it is. Are chimpanzee beds dirty? Not as dirty as yours! Learn more abou...

What are blue laws?

Tue, 09 Nov 2021

Blue laws are laws that restrict certain activities on certain days. Are they antiquated? Yes! Are t...

Selects: The Stories Behind A Few Food Fads

Sat, 06 Nov 2021

America loves to go nuts over new food trends and it turns out that the 20th century was a boon time...

The Rock Ampersand Roll Hall of Fame

Thu, 04 Nov 2021

Cleveland rocks! So said the city of Cleveland when they lobbied for the "Rock Hall" way back in 198...

Short Stuff: Friendly Floatees

Wed, 03 Nov 2021

In 1992 more than 28,000 rubber ducks got loose in the ocean and began a decades-long experiment in ...

How mRNA Vaccines Work

Tue, 02 Nov 2021

The two mRNA Covid vaccines are the first vaccines to come out of a new field of immunology and repr...

Selects: What is folklore?

Sat, 30 Oct 2021

What is folklore? Turns out it's just about anything you can think of that's shared by more than two...

2021 Halloween Spooktacular!

Thu, 28 Oct 2021

Dim the lights and join Josh and Chuck for their annual spooky Halloween story reading.  Learn mor...

Short Stuff: Most Haunted House in England

Wed, 27 Oct 2021

In the 1930s paranormal investigator declared Borley Rectory the “most haunted house in England”...

Salem Witchcraft Trials: More Bonkers Than You Know

Tue, 26 Oct 2021

Looking back 300 years on, it’s easy to overgeneralize why the Salem Villagers decided to persecut...

Selects: Will We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects?

Sat, 23 Oct 2021

In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evid...

Harry Houdini: More than Magic

Thu, 21 Oct 2021

Harry Houdini was a master magician. He was also a movie star. And an inventor. And an aviator. List...

Short Stuff: Bloody Mary

Wed, 20 Oct 2021

In this edition of Short Stuff we may accidentally conjure a deadly spirt, so look out! Learn more ...

Heat Waves!

Tue, 19 Oct 2021

Heat waves are one of the easiest natural disasters to overlook yet they kill more people in the US ...

Selects: Why is Venice so wet?

Sat, 16 Oct 2021

Venice, Italy has a problem. It's sinking, and the water around it is rising. Thankfully, some engin...

Noise Pollution: Arrrgh!

Thu, 14 Oct 2021

If you’ve ever found your blood pressure rising because some guy down the street doesn’t know ho...

Short Stuff: Jack O'Lanterns and Sleepy Hollow

Wed, 13 Oct 2021

We launch our spooky October episodes with a little bit on Jack O' Lanterns and Sleepy Hollow. Lear...

Venus Flytraps: Plant or Monster?

Tue, 12 Oct 2021

After looking into the Venus Flytrap, we quickly moved it to the top of our favorite plant list. Par...

Selects: How X-Rays Work

Sat, 09 Oct 2021

Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medica...

The Tale of the Church of the SubGenius

Thu, 07 Oct 2021

The Church of the SubGenius is a religion, but really a parody of religion. Learn all about this gro...

Short Stuff: Dingoes!

Wed, 06 Oct 2021

Are dingoes dogs? Not really? Then what are they? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad-c...

Research Bias: Sort It Out, Science

Tue, 05 Oct 2021

There’s a sticky issue scientists have to deal with – science is carried out by humans. We human...

Selects: How Empathy Works

Sat, 02 Oct 2021

Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either ...

All About Alligators

Thu, 30 Sep 2021

Here at SYSK, we love alligators? Why? Because they're basically living dinosaurs. Dive in (metaphor...

Short Stuff: Exploring Irish Monk

Wed, 29 Sep 2021

There’s a long-standing legend that an Irish monk was the first European to sail to America - in 5...

How Numerology Works

Tue, 28 Sep 2021

The premise of numerology - that numbers are responsible for our destinies and personalities - is pl...

Selects: Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy

Sat, 25 Sep 2021

If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old ...

The Statue of Liberty

Thu, 23 Sep 2021

You've seen her there in NY Harbor, standing tall. But do you know the story of how she came to be? ...

Short Stuff: Lake Erie's Rights

Wed, 22 Sep 2021

The good people of Toledo, OH are leading the environmental pack by giving legal rights to Lake Erie...

How Mail Order Marriages Work

Tue, 21 Sep 2021

Everybody knows mail order marriages are at best a last resort for jerks looking to boss a foreign s...

Selects: How Free Speech Works

Sat, 18 Sep 2021

Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment does...

What's the deal with crash testing?

Thu, 16 Sep 2021

Crash testing has been around since the 1930s, but only got serious in the 1970s. Today we dive in a...

Short Stuff: The Javelina

Wed, 15 Sep 2021

Pigs, hogs, boars and javelinas. What's the difference? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ...

How Embalming Works

Tue, 14 Sep 2021

The Death Suite continues! In this installment, Josh and Chuck go over what it takes to preserve a h...

Selects: Southerners Aren't Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm

Sat, 11 Sep 2021

There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a ...

How the Magna Carta Worked

Thu, 09 Sep 2021

In 1215 at Runnymede (doo dah, doo dah) the nobles and the king agreed to end a rebellion against th...

Short Stuff: Chameleons

Wed, 08 Sep 2021

In today's short stuff, we bust a few myths about cute little chameleons. Learn more about your ad-...

The Creepy Legacy of the Hotel Cecil

Tue, 07 Sep 2021

The Hotel Cecil in downtown Los Angeles has had no less than 16 unnatural deaths, from suicides to m...

Selects: How Temper Tantrums Work

Sat, 04 Sep 2021

When your kid boils over in the grocery store, it can be tough to stay calm and ignore it, but that'...

Criminal Records: No Thanks!

Thu, 02 Sep 2021

And you thought our crime and punishment suite was finished. Not yet it isn't! Not before we cover c...

Short Stuff: Handwashing vs Dishwashers

Wed, 01 Sep 2021

Josh and Chuck finally put to rest the age old debate over which is better – and learn a little ab...

How Trepanation Worked

Tue, 31 Aug 2021

One of the oldest medical procedures in human history is also one of the riskiest. For thousands of ...

Selects: Composting: Nature's Most Interesting Process

Sat, 28 Aug 2021

You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you...

Les Paul & Leo Fender Part II

Thu, 26 Aug 2021

Today we continue the story of Les Paul and Leo Fender, inventors, innovators and rivals. Learn mor...

Short Stuff: Jackalope

Wed, 25 Aug 2021

Jackalopes aren’t real, right? Wouldn’t you like to know, city slicker. Learn more about your a...

Les Paul & Leo Fender Part I

Tue, 24 Aug 2021

The story of Les Paul and Leo Fender defines rock and roll music. Listen in to part one of the tale ...

Selects: How Pet Psychics Work

Sat, 21 Aug 2021

In the early 21st century a trend of people who claim to be able to telepathically and clairvoyantly...

Y2K: Much Ado About Something

Thu, 19 Aug 2021

Y2K was a special time when we all thought nothing bad would really happen at the stroke of midnight...

Short Stuff: 5 Lazarus Species

Wed, 18 Aug 2021

Lazarus species were thought to be gone, but had something else in mind. Today we talk about 5 of th...

How MRI Works

Tue, 17 Aug 2021

At long last Chuck and Josh dive into the nuts and bolts of what makes the Wonder Machine so wondrou...

Selects: How Animal Domestication Works

Sat, 14 Aug 2021

It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domest...

How Fireflies and Lightning Bugs Work

Thu, 12 Aug 2021

Whether called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glow worms, the tiny, bioluminescent bugs that light up...

Short Stuff: Humpty Dumpty

Wed, 11 Aug 2021

Humpty Dumpty is not a good nursery rhyme. And what was Humpty anyway? Listen in to find out. Learn...

Child Labor: Not Funny

Tue, 10 Aug 2021

Child labor is no laughing matter. Even though we've taken care of it in the USA (mostly), it's stil...

Selects: How Landslides Work

Sat, 07 Aug 2021

Landslides are a form of mass movement of the Earth, and with the amount of death and destruction th...

How Transcendentalism Works

Thu, 05 Aug 2021

Every teenager in America knows the transcendentalists were a handful of goofy 19th century philosop...

Short Stuff: Calamity Jane

Wed, 04 Aug 2021

Calamity Jane is group with the legends of the Wild West. Who was she really? A tough woman who made...

The Three Christs of Ypsilanti Experiment

Tue, 03 Aug 2021

In the early 1960s, one of the most unethical experiments in psychology’s history was quietly cond...

Selects: How Police Interrogation Works

Sat, 31 Jul 2021

Every year, police across the U.S. get thousands of criminals to confess to their crimes. The troubl...

How Sarcasm Works

Thu, 29 Jul 2021

In this episode, we get to the bottom of why people sometimes talk like jerks some and how sarcasm i...

Short Stuff: Space Hurricanes

Wed, 28 Jul 2021

Space hurricanes are officially a thing. What does that mean for us here on Earth? Probably not much...

Conservatorships: #freebritney

Tue, 27 Jul 2021

Britney Spears has made a lot of noise lately in her bid to nullify her conservatorship. But what ar...

Selects: How Mars Works

Sat, 24 Jul 2021

Sure today Mars would kill you with its thin, toxic atmosphere and cold desert temperature swings of...

The Origins of Some Everyday Superstitions

Thu, 22 Jul 2021

Why exactly do we avoid walking under a ladder? Why is stepping on a crack in the sidewalk such a bi...

Short Stuff: RICO Act

Wed, 21 Jul 2021

If you’re even passingly interested in mobsters you’ve heard of the RICO Act, but most people do...

Stranger Danger!

Tue, 20 Jul 2021

If you grew up in the 1980s, you thought you had a 50% chance of getting kidnapped every time you le...

Selects: How Ketchup Works

Sat, 17 Jul 2021

Little-known fact: Ketchup, possibly the most all-American of condiments, evolved from fermented fis...

How Reverse Osmosis Will Save the World

Thu, 15 Jul 2021

Can we save the future of the human race with some thin membranes riddled with ultra-tiny holes? Sci...

Short Stuff: Hanged, Drawn and Quartered

Wed, 14 Jul 2021

The words "hanged, drawn and quartered" are an accurate description of the grizzly execution process...

The Radium Girls

Tue, 13 Jul 2021

The Radium Girls painted watched with glow-in-the-dark radium in the 1920s and '30s. Most got sick, ...

Selects: How Historic Districts Work

Sat, 10 Jul 2021

A fascinating thing about Americans is that we can disagree on anything. Such is the case with histo...

SYSK Live: Koko, the Gorilla Who Talked

Thu, 08 Jul 2021

Recorded live before the pandemic in January 2020 at the Castro Theatre for San Francisco Sketchfest...

Short Stuff: Sulfanilamide Disaster

Wed, 07 Jul 2021

In the 1920s, before the era of consumer protection, a poison entered the medicine supply and killed...

The Sad Story of William James Sidis

Tue, 06 Jul 2021

Are geniuses made or born? Listen in today to the story of child prodigy William James Sidis. Learn...

Selects: Are good samaritan laws effective?

Sat, 03 Jul 2021

Good samaritan laws have been around for many years, helping to provide legal protections for people...

The Grand Ole Opry Cast

Thu, 01 Jul 2021

Josh and Chuck take a virtual walk through country music's legendary music venue.  Learn more abou...

Short Stuff: Beast of Gevaudan

Wed, 30 Jun 2021

The first truly international news story covered a beast that terrorized the French countryside, evi...

Poison Control Centers: A Good Thing

Tue, 29 Jun 2021

Poison control centers are one of those things you don’t think about until you need it. With all t...

Selects: How Royalty Works

Sat, 26 Jun 2021

In some nations royals are so ingrained in the national fabric they are considered part of the count...

How Faraday Cages Work

Thu, 24 Jun 2021

Faraday cages are one of those peculiar miracles of nature that we can actually explain – not to m...

Short Stuff: Chastity Belts

Wed, 23 Jun 2021

Were chastity belts real? Sort of. But not in the way you might think. Tune in to hear the real stor...

The Mystery of Damascus Steel

Tue, 22 Jun 2021

Damascus steel and the recipe behind it remained a mystery for many years. But it turns out the key ...

Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis

Sat, 19 Jun 2021

In World War II, a secret department of British ‘corkscrew thinkers’ hatched a plan to use the c...

How Venus Works

Thu, 17 Jun 2021

Venus is so hot lead would melt on the planet’s surface. It spins backwards. Its year is shorter t...

Short Stuff: Mojave Megaphone

Wed, 16 Jun 2021

What is the Mojave Megaphone? Well, nobody really knows. Listen in today to learn about this desert ...

Seven - No, Wait, Five - Mysteries of the Art World

Tue, 15 Jun 2021

When you get a bunch of artistic types together into a community – aka, the art world – some int...

Selects: How Sea Monsters Work

Sat, 12 Jun 2021

Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited them with cr...

POGs: The 90s in a Bottle Cap

Thu, 10 Jun 2021

Today, Chuck and Josh go down a 90s rabbit hole with another in their classic toy series. This time,...

Short Stuff: Chinatowns

Wed, 09 Jun 2021

If you live in a major city in the USA, you probably have a Chinatown. Listen in and learn all about...

Slime Mold: 0% Mold, 100% Amazing

Tue, 08 Jun 2021

If you’ve ever wandered past what looked like a pile of dog barf on a log during a hike in the woo...

Selects: Who was America's first murderer?

Sat, 05 Jun 2021

John Billington didn't just sign the Mayflower Compact -- he was also the colony's first criminal, a...

John Muir: Outdoor Enthusiast

Thu, 03 Jun 2021

John Muir loved being outside. So much so that he dedicated his life to helping preserve it, but not...

Short Stuff: Runner's High

Wed, 02 Jun 2021

Listen in to today's short stuff to learn if a runner's high is really a thing. Learn more about yo...

What Causes Inflation?

Tue, 01 Jun 2021

Inflation seems super boring, but if you know how it works (important point: no one really does) you...

Selects: How Nitrous Oxide Works

Sat, 29 May 2021

For about 175 years people have been huffing nitrous oxide for everything from vision quests to anes...

Night Trap: The Video Game Failure that Changed the Industry

Thu, 27 May 2021

In the early 90s a video game was released that changed the industry, despite poor sales and bad gam...

Short Stuff: Parachute Emergency!

Wed, 26 May 2021

Your parachute won’t open – now what?! Listen up to Josh and Chuck and you may make it out of th...

How Cleft Lips and Palates Work

Tue, 25 May 2021

Cleft lips and palates are common birth defects, but for the kids who have them (and their parents),...

Selects: How Hot Wheels Work

Sat, 22 May 2021

If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your...

Girl Scouts: More than cookie sellers

Thu, 20 May 2021

We put our research to the test and it turns out the Girl Scouts is a great organization. Learn mor...

Short Stuff: Speed Reading

Wed, 19 May 2021

Back in the 60s and 70s, a speed reading craze broke out. Tough luck that speed reading is bunk. Le...

The Cleveland Torso Murders

Tue, 18 May 2021

During the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland’s most vulnerable and destitute residents wer...

Selects: How Limousines Work

Sat, 15 May 2021

The first limousines weren’t even cars! Learn all about the history of limousines, how they’re m...

How Monster Trucks Work

Thu, 13 May 2021

If you’ve never seen a huge truck with gigantic tires do backflips or roll backward perched only o...

Short Stuff: Garter Snakes

Wed, 12 May 2021

Garter snakes aren’t scary, they’re pretty great! Learn all the reasons why in this episode! Le...

The Ivy League

Tue, 11 May 2021

The Ivy League is technically a sports conference, but it's much more than that. Enjoy this special ...

Selects: How Snake Handlers Work

Sat, 08 May 2021

Snake handling ranges from professional snake milkers for antivenin to religious handlers who tend t...

How Uranium Mining Works

Thu, 06 May 2021

Mining uranium is dangerous work. Not only does it involve mining, which is dangerous itself, uraniu...

Short Stuff: Squarer Than Wombat Poop

Wed, 05 May 2021

One of the cutest animals on the planet is also the only one that squeezes out cube-shaped poop. Fin...

The Appendix: No Respect

Tue, 04 May 2021

The poor appendix. Despite findings that it serves a purpose, many people still cast it off as a sec...

Selects: How Cave Dwellers Work

Sat, 01 May 2021

You know the cavemen, a race of human cousins who lived exclusively in caves? They didn’t exist. S...

How Corporate Taxes Work

Thu, 29 Apr 2021

There are lots of reasons to tax corporations: as a check on their power, to help pay for infrastruc...

Short Stuff: Ivar The Boneless

Wed, 28 Apr 2021

Was Ivar the Boneless a real Viking warrior? Probably. Did he really have no bones? Probably not. L...

Truffles: Underground Treasures

Tue, 27 Apr 2021

Truffles are rare, expensive and apparently delicious. Learn all about these earthy fungi today. Le...

Selects: How Profiling Works

Sat, 24 Apr 2021

At its base, criminal profiling is a legitimate investigatory tool. The Supreme Court has drawn a cl...

How Stamp Collecting Works

Thu, 22 Apr 2021

Over the last two centuries philatelists – stamp collectors – have learned just about everything...

Short Stuff: Madam C.J. Walker

Wed, 21 Apr 2021

Join us today as we dive into the story of the first female self-made millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker...

Mechanical Bulls!

Tue, 20 Apr 2021

Mechanical bulls are kind of weird, but they have certainly made a place in American pop culture ove...

Selects: How Tupperware Works

Sat, 17 Apr 2021

Tupperware won immediate design acclaim when it was released in 1947, but it took a pioneering femal...

Hair Loss: The Pits

Thu, 15 Apr 2021

Losing your hair is a situation that seems to be universally considered to absolutely stink. Unsurpr...

Short Stuff: Palindromes

Wed, 14 Apr 2021

Chuck loves palindromes. So much that his very name is one. Oh wait... Learn more about your ad-cho...

How the Electrical Grid Works

Tue, 13 Apr 2021

The electrical grid that provides power to the US is one of those things you don’t give a second t...

Selects: The Unsolved Mystery Disappearance of the Sodder Children

Sat, 10 Apr 2021

In 1945 a house fire took the lives of five children - except that their bodies were never found. In...

Muzak: Easy Listening Goodness

Thu, 08 Apr 2021

Muzak got a bad reputation as bland garbage music. We aim to set the record straight. Learn more ab...

Short Stuff: Venus de Milo

Wed, 07 Apr 2021

Step into today's short stuff to learn all about the armless wonder! Learn more about your ad-choic...

Havana Syndrome: ¿Qué Diablos?

Tue, 06 Apr 2021

In 2016, diplomats at the American embassy in Cuba began suffering weird neurological symptoms after...

Selects: How Circus Families Work

Sat, 03 Apr 2021

Don't be confused - this one is about actual circus acts made of family members, not the controversi...

How the Titanic Worked: Part Two

Thu, 01 Apr 2021

After the Titanic sank recriminations and blame followed, sometimes ruining careers unjustifiably. A...

Short Stuff: What's the oldest book?

Wed, 31 Mar 2021

In order to figure out what the oldest book is, one has to define what a book actually is. Listen in...

How the Titanic Worked: Part One

Tue, 30 Mar 2021

When the Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage in April 1912, the world was divided into two types o...

Selects: What was the Philadelphia Experiment?

Sat, 27 Mar 2021

The Philadelphia Experiment is a bad movie from the 1980s, and also the conpiracy theory that refuse...

Space Junk, Ahoy!

Thu, 25 Mar 2021

The orbits hundreds to thousands of miles above Earth are littered with garbage. Space garbage, sure...

Short Stuff: Cellphones on Airplanes

Wed, 24 Mar 2021

Are we finally at the place where we can make cell phone calls on airplanes? PLEASE NO! Listen in to...

What is biophilic design?

Tue, 23 Mar 2021

Biophilic design is all about bringing the outside in. But it's also much more than that. Open your ...

Selects: How Lighthouses Work

Sat, 20 Mar 2021

People have been burning fires on cliffs as long as other people have used boats, but after the Age ...

The Texas City Disaster of 1947

Thu, 18 Mar 2021

In 1947 the port town of Texas City, Texas became the site of the largest industrial disaster in Ame...

Short Stuff: Brazilian Jars

Wed, 17 Mar 2021

In the 1970s big news was made when some underwater artifacts were found in a bay by Rio de Janeiro ...

The Parrot Episode

Tue, 16 Mar 2021

If you think parrots are simply mimics that fly, you're wrong. Tune in and learn about these colorfu...

Selects: Please Listen to How Plasma Waste Convertors Work

Sat, 13 Mar 2021

There is a way to not only sustainably get rid of our household waste, but also produce enough energ...

Karaoke: Tuesday Night Fever

Thu, 11 Mar 2021

Listen in and learn all about the fascinating history of everybody's favorite pastime... karaoke! L...

Short Stuff: Tooth Fairy: Not Real

Wed, 10 Mar 2021

Today we break down the history of everyone's favorite home invader, the tooth fairy. Learn more ab...

Dragons: As Real as Mermaids

Tue, 09 Mar 2021

Dragons are like mermaids in that they're not real. And that's about where the comparison ends. Lear...

Selects: Mermaids: Not a real thing

Sat, 06 Mar 2021

Mermaids aren't real. That much we know. But the history and lore of these magical and sometimes men...

Why is the Equal Rights Amendment still not ratified?

Thu, 04 Mar 2021

The United States is one of only 28 countries in the world that doesn’t have equal protection for ...

Short Stuff: Dog Suicide Bridge

Wed, 03 Mar 2021

A bridge at the town of Dumbarton in Scotland has a terrible reputation as a site where dogs inexpli...

Is the Free Radical Theory of Aging Wrong?

Tue, 02 Mar 2021

In the 1990s we thought we’d identified the root cause of aging: nasty molecules called free radic...

Selects: Bridges: Nature Abhors Them

Sat, 27 Feb 2021

From prehistoric logs across streams to the 102-mile Kunshan Grand Bridge, nature works ceaselessly ...

How Bruce Lee Worked

Thu, 25 Feb 2021

Bruce Lee may have introduced more Westerners to Asian culture than any person in history. And, beca...

Short Stuff: The Body in the Cylinder

Wed, 24 Feb 2021

In 1945, residents of a Liverpool neighborhood found a desiccated body in a long cylinder they’d b...

What Will Farming 4.0 Look Like?

Tue, 23 Feb 2021

The human population is expected to increase by a couple billion people in the next 30 years and tho...

Selects: How Chili Peppers Work

Sat, 20 Feb 2021

Born and raised in South America, chilis were the earliest crop domesticated in the continent and am...

How Blue Holes Work

Thu, 18 Feb 2021

Geologists and biologists have recently realized that the planet’s oceans and coasts are littered ...

Short Stuff: Freedom House Ambulance Services

Wed, 17 Feb 2021

As part of Black History Month, we wanted to share the little known story of the Freedom House Ambul...

The Disappearance of Lars Mittank

Tue, 16 Feb 2021

In 2014, a young German man walked into an airport in Bulgaria with a flight booked, then suddenly r...

Selects: Why Are So Many Disembodied Feet Washing Ashore In British Columbia?

Sat, 13 Feb 2021

Between 2007 and 2016, 17 disembodied feet - still wearing shoes - have washed ashore between Washin...

How Housing Discrimination Works

Thu, 11 Feb 2021

Owning a home in the US is a way to pass wealth down from one generation to the next and lift famili...

Short Stuff: How California Got Its Name

Wed, 10 Feb 2021

California is a pretty cool name. And the story about where it came from is even cooler. Learn more...

Sacagawea: Impressive Teen

Tue, 09 Feb 2021

Sacagawea was only 16 when she joined the Corps of Discovery. That is one seriously impressive teena...

Selects: Earwax: Live With It

Sat, 06 Feb 2021

Despite tons of people using cotton swabs each day to clean the earwax from their ears, cerumen (as ...

The NAACP

Thu, 04 Feb 2021

The NAACP has long been one of the most robust and effective non-profits in the USA. And while it ha...

Short Stuff: Balloonfest

Wed, 03 Feb 2021

In 1986 Cleveland released more than a million helium balloons at once! It didn’t go at all accord...

How Groundhog Day Works

Tue, 02 Feb 2021

You know Groundhog Day – the holiday on February 2 when you wake up and have to go through the sam...

Selects: Maggots: Good For Healing Wounds, Turns Out

Sat, 30 Jan 2021

Cultures around the world over the years have been inspired by, then repulsed, then inspired by magg...

How Hydropower Works

Thu, 28 Jan 2021

Humans have been stealing energy from flowing water for at least two thousand years. It wasn’t unt...

Short Stuff: Vantablack

Wed, 27 Jan 2021

How black is vantablack? About as black as you could imagine. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...

The KKK: Loathsome Cosplay Rednecks

Tue, 26 Jan 2021

The history of the KKK is rooted in hatred and racism, and it still is today. Learn all about these ...

Selects: How Blimps Work

Sat, 23 Jan 2021

After newsreels captured the Hindenburg erupting in fire in 1937, the promising development of airsh...

Finding the Fenn Treasure

Thu, 21 Jan 2021

In 2010 an eccentric art dealer hid a treasure chest with $2 million in valuables somewhere in the R...

Short Stuff: Necco

Wed, 20 Jan 2021

If you think Necco Wafers are the most disgusting candy on the planet, you are not alone. But it tur...

What does a tire company know about food?

Tue, 19 Jan 2021

The Michelin Guide is an institution. But why does the famous tire manufacturer even put this restau...

Selects: What Was the Deal With the Hatfields and McCoys?

Sat, 16 Jan 2021

It was America's most famous family feud, but the history of the Hatfields vs the McCoys is fraught ...

The Science of Cute

Thu, 14 Jan 2021

If you took our advice and looked up baby beavers a few episodes back, you probably found them soooo...

Short Stuff: Silverfish

Wed, 13 Jan 2021

Should you be afraid of these creepy little creatures you find in your basement? Only one way to fin...

Hell! Hell! Hell!

Tue, 12 Jan 2021

What is Hell? It's complicated and depends on which religion you're talking about. We dive into this...

Selects: How Skateboarding Works

Sat, 09 Jan 2021

Skateboarding started out as something bored surfers did when the waves weren't breaking, but after ...

The Wright Brothers

Thu, 07 Jan 2021

Orville and Wilbur Wright were not trained professionals, but they were rigorous experimenters who e...

Short Stuff: Is It Theater or Theatre?

Wed, 06 Jan 2021

Have you ever noticed sometimes theaters – we mean, theatres – oh, forget it – places where yo...

Space Weather - What's That?!

Tue, 05 Jan 2021

Did you know space has weather? It’s true! In our solar system, tons – literal tons – of highl...

Selects: How Auto-Tune Works

Sat, 02 Jan 2021

What began as a challenge to an oil engineer to make a terrible singer into a pitch-perfect one, Aut...

La Dame de Fer (Eiffel Tower)

Thu, 31 Dec 2020

The Eiffel Tower is one of the top destinations on Planet Earth. It turns out to be a pretty cool fe...

Short Stuff: Ig-pay Atin-lay (Sorry)

Wed, 30 Dec 2020

Turns out we have little kids from the 19th century, the Three Stooges, and an odd musical composer ...

Theremins: World's First Electronic Music

Tue, 29 Dec 2020

In 1919 a brilliant Russian scientist accidentally stumbled onto the first electronic musical instru...

SYSK Selects: Sugar: It Powers the Earth

Sat, 26 Dec 2020

Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanel...

The SYSK 2020 Holly Jolly Extravaganza!

Thu, 24 Dec 2020

It's here again! Our annual ad-free holiday spectacular. So pour up a hot toddy, throw a log on the ...

Short Stuff: Chinese Food on Christmas

Wed, 23 Dec 2020

What started out as a tradition among Jewish people on the Lower East Side at the turn of the last c...

How Buffets Work

Tue, 22 Dec 2020

Buffets are every kid’s dream – until they grow up enough to realize how gross communal spreads ...

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

Sat, 19 Dec 2020

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

Aspirin: The Wonder Drug

Thu, 17 Dec 2020

Humans have been using a form of aspirin for pain relief since at least the Sumerians. But in recent...

Short Stuff: Modern Funerals

Wed, 16 Dec 2020

The way we deal with our dead has changed a lot over the past 50 years. Learn all about it in 12-15 ...

Joseph Merrick, aka "The Elephant Man"

Tue, 15 Dec 2020

Joseph Merrick was known as The Elephant Man because of his suffering from what we now know was Prot...

SYSK Selects: What is a hangover, really?

Sat, 12 Dec 2020

After a night of heavy boozing, many partygoers find themselves the victim of a hangover. But what e...

The Taliesin Massacre

Thu, 10 Dec 2020

Everyone knows who Frank Lloyd Wright is, but did you know there was a grisly massacre at his home i...

Short Stuff: Cramming

Wed, 09 Dec 2020

Cramming is no way to study. Learn why in today's short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at ...

How Class Action Lawsuits Work

Tue, 08 Dec 2020

Class action lawsuits seem a little odd – a bunch of people get together for a sue-fest against so...

SYSK Selects: How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe

Sat, 05 Dec 2020

Since the age of Descartes, science has put all of its eggs in the basket of determinism, the idea t...

John Lennon and the FBI

Thu, 03 Dec 2020

Did you know that Richard Nixon had a FBI case file open on Beatle John Lennon? Well he did! Why? Li...

Short Stuff: Pimento Cheese!

Wed, 02 Dec 2020

Pimento cheese was originally nothing like it is now: It was mass produced, it was made from cream c...

Cabbage Patch Kids: Must-Have Toy of the Century

Tue, 01 Dec 2020

Surprisingly, Cabbage Patch Kids have turned up on SYSK almost as much as the Nazis or Seinfeld. It’...

SYSK Selects: How Tea Works

Sat, 28 Nov 2020

Legend has it that tea was discovered by a curious Chinese emperor after leaves blew into his boiled...

Gobble Gobble: Turkeys!

Thu, 26 Nov 2020

Turkeys are a very interesting bird as it turns out. Which may be why many people are leaving it off...

Short Stuff: How Eyes In a Painting Follow You

Wed, 25 Nov 2020

Ever noticed how eyes in a painting sometimes follow you around the room? It’s weird! But it’s a...

Patty Hearst: Brainwashed or Bandit?

Tue, 24 Nov 2020

Patty Hearst was a young heiress living a quiet life studying art history at college when one Monday...

SYSK Selects: Whatever happened to acid rain?

Sat, 21 Nov 2020

Along with the hole in the ozone layer, acid rain was one of the first international environmental t...

The Great War of the Worlds Panic Myth

Thu, 19 Nov 2020

On Halloween 1938 young radio star Orson Welles scared the pants off of America with a fictional new...

Short Stuff: Squirrel Nuts

Wed, 18 Nov 2020

We know squirrels hide nuts. But it's actually more complex a system than you think. Learn more abo...

How Pain Works

Tue, 17 Nov 2020

In recent decades we’ve come to understand that there’s a lot more to pain than: touch hot stove...

SYSK Selects: Who Gets to Name Continents?

Sat, 14 Nov 2020

America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, right? Maybe not. And who named Australia? Find out the unu...

How Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Works

Thu, 12 Nov 2020

For almost a century, Macy’s department store has kicked off the holidays in America with a grand ...

Short Stuff: Plastic Pink Flamingos

Wed, 11 Nov 2020

Plastic flamingos started out as innocent yard art, transformed into folk art, and have become a (ki...

The Bay of Pigs Disaster

Tue, 10 Nov 2020

The Bay of Pigs is one of the blackest of eyes on American foreign policy. Learn all about this dark...

SYSK Selects: Geysers: Nature's Innuendo

Sun, 08 Nov 2020

The spectacular eruptions of steam and water we call geysers are only the tip of the proverbial iceb...

All the Gold In Fort Knox: Meh

Thu, 05 Nov 2020

When Fort Knox was built in the 1930s to house America’s gold supply, it was billed as an impenetr...

Short Stuff: Fruit Flies, Why?

Wed, 04 Nov 2020

Have you ever wondered why we do so much scientific testing on fruit flies? Turns out they make bett...

The Amazing Roberto Clemente

Tue, 03 Nov 2020

Roberto Clemente was what’s called a “complete” baseball player – he could hit, run and, man...

SYSK Selects: How Ghosts Work

Sat, 31 Oct 2020

According to a 2009 poll, more Americans believe in ghosts than don't. But what are ghosts exactly? ...

SYSK’s Scare Your Pants Off (and Back On) Halloween Spooktacular

Thu, 29 Oct 2020

It’s that time of year again! So turn down the lights, pull the sheets over your eyes and prepare ...

Short Stuff: Poe Toaster

Wed, 28 Oct 2020

For at least sixty years a mysterious person (or persons) showed up at Edgar Allen Poe’s grave to ...

A History of Nursing Homes

Tue, 27 Oct 2020

In America, we've treated our senior citizens in very different ways over the years. Tune in to hear...

Chuck Bryant On The Why I’m Voting Podcast

Sun, 25 Oct 2020

Hey, SYSK listeners! We wanted to make sure you heard Chuck on iHeartRadio’s Why I’m Voting podc...

SYSK Selects: How Book Banning Works

Sat, 24 Oct 2020

If you want to control the masses, control what they read. After all, books are seeds that germinate...

Beavers: Tail Slapping Fun

Thu, 22 Oct 2020

Beavers are in fact, very busy. They're builders and solid family members, husbands and wives. Learn...

Short Stuff: Haunted Real Estate

Wed, 21 Oct 2020

Do you have to disclose the notion that your house may be haunted upon sale? Listen in to find out. ...

10 Voter Suppression Methods

Tue, 20 Oct 2020

Voter suppression in the USA is as old as voting itself. Listen in to hear about 10 ways we stifle t...

SYSK Selects: How Sushi Works

Sat, 17 Oct 2020

Sushi grew out of a way to ferment fish a couple thousand years ago and in the late 20th century beg...

Porcupines: Little Stabby Cutie Pies

Thu, 15 Oct 2020

We love animals. A lot. Especially underrated ones like the darling porcupine. Listen in today to le...

Short Stuff: What is Latinx anyway?

Wed, 14 Oct 2020

We love to keep up with the current terminology for groups of people. Learn about the origin of Lati...

Wind Tunnels: More Important Than You Realize

Tue, 13 Oct 2020

Without wind tunnels we may not have airplanes right now. Early aviationists built them to puzzle ou...

SYSK Selects: How Bigfoot Works

Sat, 10 Oct 2020

For centuries North American tribes have told stories of a hairy wild giant in the wilderness, and o...

Printing press? Big deal!

Thu, 08 Oct 2020

Was the printing press a big deal? You bet it was. One of the biggest. Learn all about the early his...

Short Stuff: Lying in State

Wed, 07 Oct 2020

After RBG passed away she had the honor of lying in state. Who decides this? Listen and you'll know....

What's the deal with swing states?

Tue, 06 Oct 2020

Swing states are all the rage once again this election season, but the makeup has changed a bit. Lea...

SYSK Selects: How the Electoral College Works

Sat, 03 Oct 2020

When you vote in an American presidential election, you're not voting for your candidate - you're vo...

Fallout Shelters: Probably Useless (Let’s Never Find Out)

Thu, 01 Oct 2020

The advent of nuclear weapons and the Cold War kicked off a craze in the US for building rec rooms w...

Short Stuff: That's A Head Scratcher

Wed, 30 Sep 2020

It’s actually really strange that scratching your head is a widely understood sign that you’re p...

Conjugal Visits: Not exactly what you think

Tue, 29 Sep 2020

After reaching their peak, conjugal prison visits are all but gone in the U.S. Learn all about these...

SYSK Selects: How Rabies Works

Sat, 26 Sep 2020

Rabies may have gotten a lot of attention in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, but it's still an issue in...

At Long Last: Hawaiian Overthrow Episode

Thu, 24 Sep 2020

By longstanding listener request, we look at how Hawaii was basically stolen by the United States in...

Short Stuff: Petticoat Rulers

Wed, 23 Sep 2020

Petticoat rulers were women who ran the show long before anyone thought they could. We’re talking ...

How Sweepstakes Work

Tue, 22 Sep 2020

Sweepstakes were invented as marketing tools to drum up interest for a product or sales. But winning...

SYSK Selects: How White-collar Crime Works

Sat, 19 Sep 2020

White-collar crime often involves fraud and other nonviolent acts. For most people, the term "white-...

How Election Polling Works and Doesn't Work

Thu, 17 Sep 2020

Election polling had a pretty good rep until 2016. But it turns out they weren't far off even then. ...

Short Stuff: Black Cowboys

Wed, 16 Sep 2020

Most people don't realize that around a quarter of the cowboys found in the Old West during the gold...

Origami: Folding Goodness

Tue, 15 Sep 2020

Origami is an amazing art that consists of making folds in paper to create something beautiful. Lear...

SYSK Selects: How Porta-Potties Work

Sat, 12 Sep 2020

Despite our lengthy history of evacuating our bowels and bladders, it wasn’t until the relatively ...

Wetlands! Wetlands! Wetlands!

Thu, 10 Sep 2020

It’s time to get jazzed up for some Earth science of the waterlogged variety. Join Chuck and Josh ...

Short Stuff: Streisand Effect

Wed, 09 Sep 2020

What does Barbra Streisand have to do with the internet? Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad...

Frances Perkins: Influential and Unknown

Tue, 08 Sep 2020

Frances Perkins was an incredibly influential American yet is virtually unknown. What did she do? A ...

SYSK Selects: How Police Chases Work

Sat, 05 Sep 2020

Entire TV shows are dedicated to them and Americans love to watch a live one, but police chases aren...

The Disturbing Disappearance of Tara Calico

Thu, 03 Sep 2020

When Tara Calico mysteriously vanished in 1988, suspected to be the victim of foul play, her case ma...

Short Stuff: More Phrase Origins

Wed, 02 Sep 2020

We're back with another handful of phrase origins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....

How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked

Tue, 01 Sep 2020

In 1962, three ordinary criminals transcended into folk heroes when they crawled out of their cells ...

SYSK Selects: Polyamory: When two just won't do

Sat, 29 Aug 2020

In this classic episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of polyamory. T...

Blacksmiths? You got that right!

Thu, 27 Aug 2020

Blacksmiths? You got that right. Learn all about this age old occupation in today's episode. Learn ...

Short Stuff: Carrots and Your Eyes

Wed, 26 Aug 2020

Join Chuck and Josh as they learn that one of the great childhood truths – that carrots help you s...

How Sneezing Works

Tue, 25 Aug 2020

Unless you have an arcane disorder from a lesion on a very specific spot on our medulla, the chances...

SYSK Selects: How Panic Attacks Work

Sat, 22 Aug 2020

Almost three percent of Americans suffer from a debilitating disorder that causes them to suffer int...

1-800-PODCAST

Thu, 20 Aug 2020

Chuck and Josh dive into the wacky world of 800 and 900 phone numbers. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Short Stuff: The Great American Coin Shortage of 2020

Wed, 19 Aug 2020

In addition to all the lousy things that’s come out of the Coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. is also ...

How Anti-Dieting Works

Tue, 18 Aug 2020

There’s a movement afoot that says we should all stop thinking about our weight and just enjoy foo...

SYSK Selects: How The Human Microbiome Project Works

Sat, 15 Aug 2020

If it was possible to take a full scan of all of the DNA of every cell in and on your body the resul...

Olympic Torches: Remember Those?

Thu, 13 Aug 2020

Back in the pre-pandemic days we had a sporting event called The Olympic Games. And at those games t...

Short Stuff: The Return of Bill Gates!

Wed, 12 Aug 2020

Our old pal Bill Gates is back for a very special short stuff where we talk all about Covid vaccines...

Pirate Radio: Mavericks on the High Seas

Tue, 11 Aug 2020

Pirate radio started out in England as a way to sidestep the regulations of Big Radio. While outlawe...

SYSK Selects: How The Moonwalk Works

Sat, 08 Aug 2020

When Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk in 1983 the world was enrapt. The dance goes back farther,...

How Miniature Golf Works

Thu, 06 Aug 2020

Playing miniature golf is a very fun thing to do and, you’re about to find, learning about its ori...

Short Stuff: Jigsaw Puzzles

Wed, 05 Aug 2020

Who doesn't love a good puzzle? Tune in to learn a few facts and figures about jigsaw puzzles right ...

Wasps: Not as cute as bees

Tue, 04 Aug 2020

Wasps have a bad rap. Because their sting really hurts and they don't make honey like their cousins....

SYSK Selects: How the Rosetta Stone Works

Sat, 01 Aug 2020

Sometimes providence smiles on historians. Thus is the case with the Rosetta stone, an ancient Egypt...

How Soap Works

Thu, 30 Jul 2020

Soap is a miraculous substance – and mysterious too: we have no idea how humans first figured out ...

Short Stuff: Habsburg Jaw

Wed, 29 Jul 2020

The Habsburg Jaw is the result of inbreeding. But what is it? Click play and learn! Learn more abou...

How Hurricanes Work

Tue, 28 Jul 2020

Hurricanes are perhaps the most destructive force of nature we have to deal with here on Earth. When...

SYSK Selects: How Lobbying Works

Sat, 25 Jul 2020

Lobbying is an entrenched part of American politics and one that many people think is breaking gover...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mobile Phones

Thu, 23 Jul 2020

Today we deep dive on mobile phones, wonders of the modern world! Learn more about your ad-choices ...

Short Stuff: The Death of Billy the Kid

Wed, 22 Jul 2020

Sure, together Young Guns and Young Guns II form an exhaustive biography of Billy the Kid’s li...

How We Almost Got Rid of Polio

Tue, 21 Jul 2020

For more than half of the 20th century parents in the industrialized world were freaked out by an un...

SYSK Selects: How a Flea Circus Works

Sat, 18 Jul 2020

If you've ever seen a flea circus, then count yourself among the few. It's a dying art, but back in ...

Robber Barons!

Thu, 16 Jul 2020

The robber barons were not a group of evil super villains. OR WERE THEY? Learn all about these titan...

Short Stuff: Centralia Coal Fire

Wed, 15 Jul 2020

An old coal mine in Pennsylvania caught fire one day in the 60s and it’s been burning ever since. ...

Flagpole Sitting: A Real Fad

Tue, 14 Jul 2020

The 1920s were just absolutely nuts. People got into weird fads really intensely and one of the stra...

SYSK Selects: How Landfills Work

Sat, 11 Jul 2020

Well-planned landfills have only recently come into widespread use. Recently, waste managers have fo...

Essential Oils: Nature's Cure?

Thu, 09 Jul 2020

Essential oils are from plants and they can help the human body in a lot of ways. There are also man...

Short Stuff: The @ Symbol

Wed, 08 Jul 2020

You know the at symbol? This thing: @? There’s a name for it, just not in English. We just call it...

What was the KGB?

Tue, 07 Jul 2020

The KGB was the notorious strong arm of the Kremlin. Run afoul and you died. Learn all about them to...

SYSK Selects: All We Know About Guessing

Sat, 04 Jul 2020

Guessing is a weird thing. For millennia, it could have meant the difference between life and death....

Oh Yes, How Soil Works

Thu, 02 Jul 2020

There is maybe nothing that sounds more boring than hearing two people talk about soil, but friend, ...

Short Stuff: The Science of Funny Words

Wed, 01 Jul 2020

Why are some words funnier than others? Well, one man has sought to figure that out. We'll tell you ...

Bruxism: Grinding Your Teeth Is the Pits

Tue, 30 Jun 2020

Researchers have noticed that as incidence of anger increases so too has teeth grinding, known clini...

SYSK Selects: Juggling: What the Heck

Sat, 27 Jun 2020

There is a lot – A LOT – to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion’s share of it in this...

Matcha: That Ain't Just Tea

Thu, 25 Jun 2020

Matcha is something else, healthy and delicious and all the rage. Learn all about this trendy bevera...

Short Stuff: Nouns of assemblage... assemble!

Wed, 24 Jun 2020

A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. Nouns of assemblage are awesome and we talk about them for abo...

How Ultrasound Works

Tue, 23 Jun 2020

Sure you know all about ultrasound. You can see pictures of little babies right there cozy in the wo...

SYSK Selects: Research tips from SYSK

Sat, 20 Jun 2020

People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'l...

The Manhattan Grid

Thu, 18 Jun 2020

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listene...

Short Stuff: Haint Blue

Wed, 17 Jun 2020

Haint Blue is a kind of robin's egg color that you might commonly find on porches of the low country...

The War on Fat: The Seven Countries Study

Tue, 16 Jun 2020

The Seven Countries Study was a fairly impressive, long-term study on the effects of fat in our diet...

SYSK Selects: How Flamethrowers Work

Sat, 13 Jun 2020

Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh...

Can You Eat A Tapeworm To Lose Weight?

Thu, 11 Jun 2020

There’s a persistent insistence that you can ingest a tapeworm and as the parasite hijacks a lot o...

Short Stuff: Foie Gras

Wed, 10 Jun 2020

Foie gras means “fatty liver” in French, which makes sense because it’s made from the overripe...

How Project Star Gate Worked

Tue, 09 Jun 2020

In yet another testament to how amazingly great the 70s were, in 1975 the US started a program that ...

SYSK Selects: How The Black Panther Party Worked

Sat, 06 Jun 2020

The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant gro...

The Massacre at Tiananmen Square

Thu, 04 Jun 2020

Tank Man. An indelible image burned in our brains. But what led to this extraordinary event? Chuck a...

Short Stuff: Disappearing Dirty Dancing Lake

Wed, 03 Jun 2020

The lake from one of the all-time great movies (search your feelings, you’ll find that it’s true...

Heroin: The Drug

Tue, 02 Jun 2020

We've covered a lot of drugs in our history, and today we tackle heroin, one of the most dangerous o...

SYSK Selects: How Jackhammers Work

Sat, 30 May 2020

It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution woul...

How Narcolepsy Works

Thu, 28 May 2020

Narcolepsy is one of those amazing rare disorders that everyone thinks they understand – people ju...

Short Stuff: Lawn Darts

Wed, 27 May 2020

There was a time when kids had to look out for flying darts that could pierce their skulls when they...

Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom

Tue, 26 May 2020

If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count ...

SYSK Selects: How The Enlightenment Works

Sat, 23 May 2020

The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in re...

Josh Clark's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020

Fri, 22 May 2020

Hi listeners, in case you haven't heard already, iHeartRadio just released a brand new podcast calle...

How Bras Work

Thu, 21 May 2020

Bras are loved and hated, sometimes at the same time. But as difficult and restrictive as they can b...

Short Stuff: Mary Had A Little Lamb

Wed, 20 May 2020

Did you know the little nursery rhyme is controversial? It’s true: Two towns in New England can ba...

How Spiritualism Works

Tue, 19 May 2020

Something spooky was born on the American frontier in the mid-19th century: the idea that people’s...

Chuck Bryant's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020

Mon, 18 May 2020

Hi listeners, in case you haven't heard already, iHeartRadio just released a brand new podcast calle...

SYSK Selects: How Fire Works

Sat, 16 May 2020

Creating fire was possibly the most important human discovery, but it's easy to take for granted. Bu...

How Peanut Butter Works

Thu, 14 May 2020

No food is more all-American than peanut butter – 80 percent of homes in the country have a jar of...

Short Stuff: Charley Horse

Wed, 13 May 2020

You know those terrible leg cramps that come out of nowhere? They may be named after a drunken baseb...

How Herd Immunity Works

Tue, 12 May 2020

Herd immunity is an epidemiological concept that if enough people are inoculated against a disease t...

SYSK Selects: How Caving Works

Sat, 09 May 2020

Entrances to the underworld have been places of wonder for eons, and humans have ventured into caves...

Zippers: Humans’ Greatest Invention? No, But Still Good

Thu, 07 May 2020

The zipper may be the most unsung invention we humans have ever come up with. Prior to zippers, ever...

Short Stuff: Gibtown: Sideshow Central

Wed, 06 May 2020

There was a glorious time in American history when circus sideshow performers lived together in a sm...

I'm Spartacus!

Tue, 05 May 2020

Spartacus was a real dude. He led a slave revolt, and was pretty successful to boot. I'm Spartacus. ...

SYSK Selects: How do dogs perceive time?

Sat, 02 May 2020

A dog that knows exactly when its owners will arrive home every day seems to have a human perception...

Agatha Christie: Queen of the Murder Mystery

Thu, 30 Apr 2020

Agatha Christie was a great writer of murder mystery novels and is probably the best selling author ...

Short Stuff: Mullets: 'Nuff Said

Wed, 29 Apr 2020

Business in the front, you know the rest. Listen in as we discuss the lifestyle choice that is the m...

How Existential Risks Work

Tue, 28 Apr 2020

An existential risk is a special kind of threat that are different from other types of risks in that...

SYSK Selects: How the U.S. Postal Service Works

Sat, 25 Apr 2020

Back when this episode aired, the USPS was teetering on the edge of going under and there were a lot...

How the Voyager Golden Records Work

Thu, 23 Apr 2020

As part of a super 70s push to get Earth to a seat at the table of the Galactic Federation (in case ...

Short Stuff: The NY Times Crossword

Wed, 22 Apr 2020

Today Chuck and Josh take a shallow dive in the warm pool that is the NY Times Crossword Puzzle. Le...

The Soul Train Episode

Tue, 21 Apr 2020

Today, Chuck and Josh dive into the funky, cool world of the classic TV show, Sooooooooul Train. Le...

SYSK Selects: How Labor Unions Work

Sat, 18 Apr 2020

Yes, it's true: Unions have a shady mob-related past and were originally championed by anarchists. B...

How Wastewater Treatment Works

Thu, 16 Apr 2020

All that gross stuff we humans put in the water that gets flushed down the sewers has to be taken ba...

Short Stuff: Turning Down the Radio When You're Lost

Wed, 15 Apr 2020

It’s a typical human reaction: When you’re driving and you realize that you’re lost, you turn ...

Bidets: Now More Than Ever

Tue, 14 Apr 2020

We all know the benefits of bidets. But with toilet paper in short supply, they're more important th...

SYSK Selects: How Dissociative Identity Disorder Works

Sat, 11 Apr 2020

Dissociative Identity Disorder was known as multiple personality disorder until a case of mass hyste...

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Feminist Physician

Thu, 09 Apr 2020

Becoming the first licensed woman physician in America was tough, convincing male surgeons to wash t...

Short Stuff: AAirpass

Wed, 08 Apr 2020

In the go-go 80s and 90s, American Airlines offered the AAirpass, a lifetime pass for unlimited firs...

The Legends of Lost Nazi Gold

Tue, 07 Apr 2020

As if being murdering SOBs weren’t enough, the Nazis were also thieving rats. During WWII, they st...

SYSK Selects: How the Deep Web Works

Sat, 04 Apr 2020

Perhaps you didn’t realize that when you search the web you’re only skimming the surface. In fac...

Student Loans: UGH!

Thu, 02 Apr 2020

Student loans can be pretty complicated. Luckily Chuck and Josh are here to wade through the financi...

Short Stuff: 666

Wed, 01 Apr 2020

Today, Chuck and Josh dive into that scary number...666. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...

How Dog Training Works

Tue, 31 Mar 2020

Chuck and Josh explore the age-old question: Should you train your dog by treating it like a living,...

SYSK Selects: Can Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World?

Sat, 28 Mar 2020

The world’s energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working ...

How COVID-19 Works

Thu, 26 Mar 2020

We’re in the middle of an odd, tense time and Josh and Chuck are here to explain what’s going on...

Short Stuff: Dagen H

Wed, 25 Mar 2020

One day in 1967, Sweden changed what side of the road its citizens drive on. It went surprisingly we...

Could A Robot Tax Win the War on Poverty?

Tue, 24 Mar 2020

An old idea – giving every resident of a country a set amount of money every month with no strings...

SYSK Selects: Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck

Sat, 21 Mar 2020

Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Jim Henson Worked

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

We’ve already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved int...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: SYSK Live: How Bars Work

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

Join Josh and Chuck live from Vancouver as they dive in to the ins and outs of one of the oldest bus...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Grass Works? Yes, How Grass Works

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

There’s nothing more boring than watching grass grow, which is why Josh and Chuck aren’t asking ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Terraforming Will Work

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

A lot of great thinkers are warning that if humans are to survive as a species we are going to have ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Rogue Waves Work

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

Rogue waves come out of nowhere and tower as much as 100 feet over hapless ships they encounter, bre...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: Was there a real King Arthur?

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain a...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: The Amazing History of Soda

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

The soda we get instantly mixed at a fast-food joint owes a lot to a rich history going back to the ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Pinball Works

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornogra...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: Sugar: It Powers the Earth

Fri, 20 Mar 2020

Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanel...

What was the Falkland Islands War all about anyway?

Thu, 19 Mar 2020

The battle between Britain and Argentina over the rocky, cold Falkland Islands is one of the weirder...

Short Stuff: The Pledge of Allegiance

Wed, 18 Mar 2020

The American Pledge of Allegiance is much more interesting than you might think. Give us 12 minutes ...

Chopsticks > Forks

Tue, 17 Mar 2020

Today Chuck and Josh sit and converse on the simple, elegant chopstick.  Learn more about your ad-...

SYSK Selects: How Monopoly Works

Sat, 14 Mar 2020

Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you’re probably familiar with the board game Mono...

How Ice Climbing Works

Thu, 12 Mar 2020

A few decades ago, some people who liked to climb mountains decided they wanted to make it even hard...

Short Stuff: Teresita Basa

Wed, 11 Mar 2020

In the annals of American justice there is a 1977 case where the police were tipped off to the ident...

How Coyotes Work

Tue, 10 Mar 2020

The coyote truly is wily. Even after a century-long attempt to drive them to extinction, this close ...

SYSK Selects: How Gold Works

Sat, 07 Mar 2020

As of early 2013, only 161,00 metric tons of gold had been mined in the entire history of the world....

Mardi Gras! One month late

Thu, 05 Mar 2020

In true SYSK fashion, Josh and Chuck are late to the game. But never fear, they will still detail Ma...

Short Stuff: Exclamation Points!

Wed, 04 Mar 2020

We all use them! But did we always? NO!! Learn all about everyone's favorite punctuation mark today!...

How Morphic Fields Work?

Tue, 03 Mar 2020

Biologist and science historian Rupert Sheldrake is known as a heretic of science, mostly for his de...

SYSK Selects: Your limb is torn off - now what?

Sat, 29 Feb 2020

Were you to be the unfortunate victim of a limb removal of any sort, you could take hope. Here in th...

Sammy Davis Jr: National Treasure

Thu, 27 Feb 2020

Today Josh and Chuck sit down and detail the complicated life of the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. Le...

Short Stuff: Hawaiian Night Marchers

Wed, 26 Feb 2020

Get ready for some Hawaiian folklore, people. Today we discuss the Night Marchers. Learn more about...

What's the deal with indigo?

Tue, 25 Feb 2020

Indigo is a color with a rich past. Learn all about it today.  Learn more about your ad-choices at...

SYSK Selects: How Cult Deprogramming Works

Sat, 22 Feb 2020

The fear of cults in the 1970s drove Americans to look the other way on kidnappings, abuse and tortu...

Birthmarks: Probably Not the Mark of the Devil

Thu, 20 Feb 2020

It’s a pretty safe assumption that people have been born with birthmarks since humanity began, and...

Short Stuff: Mexican Jumping Beans

Wed, 19 Feb 2020

Mexican jumping beans are a real thing and they really do move around. It’s not magic, it’s natu...

The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances

Tue, 18 Feb 2020

In July 1966, three women out for a day at the beach waded into the water of Lake Michigan, got onto...

SYSK Selects: A Podcast on Zoot Suits? Yes

Sat, 15 Feb 2020

Few riots can be attributed to passing fashions, but zoot suits are top among them. After originatin...

911 Is Not a Joke

Thu, 13 Feb 2020

Josh and Chuck delve into the world of 911 in today's episode.  Learn more about your ad-choices a...

Short Stuff: Body Under The Bed

Wed, 12 Feb 2020

A couple unknowingly spending the night above a dead body stuffed under their bed is a longstanding ...

Optogenetics: Controlling Your Genes with Light

Tue, 11 Feb 2020

What if a genetic brain disease could be turned off simply by flashing a light in your eyes? What if...

SYSK Selects: How Bonsai Works

Sat, 08 Feb 2020

For thousands of years people have been taking normal trees and forcing them into miniature. Learn a...

Why are Pentecostals growing so rapidly?

Thu, 06 Feb 2020

Pentecostals are seemingly taking over the world. Or at least they're making up a larger section of ...

Short Stuff: The Iowa Caucus

Wed, 05 Feb 2020

The Iowa Caucus is super important. But not really. Find out why.  Learn more about your ad-choice...

How AI Facial Recognition Works

Tue, 04 Feb 2020

With the development of increasingly smart artificial intelligence and lots more cameras spread arou...

SYSK Selects: How Maglev Trains Work

Sat, 01 Feb 2020

Thanks to the amazing properties of magnets, clever engineers have figured out how to make entire tr...

Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?

Thu, 30 Jan 2020

Josh and Chuck dive into history today to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers.  Learn more abou...

Short Stuff: The O.K. Corral

Wed, 29 Jan 2020

Listen in as we detail, in short, the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral. Learn more about your ...

Amazing Animal Stories!

Tue, 28 Jan 2020

Regular animal stories are wonderful enough, but when animals lead amazing lives the stories become ...

SYSK Selects: How the Scientific Method Works

Sat, 25 Jan 2020

It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many pe...

Barefoot Running: The Best Podcast Episode in History

Thu, 23 Jan 2020

What is barefoot running? I think you know. But we'll detail all of the ins and outs. Listen and lea...

Short Stuff: Byford Dolphin Incident

Wed, 22 Jan 2020

In 1983, what may be the worst diving catastrophe in the history of deep sea oil exploration took pl...

Why Postal Employees Go Postal

Tue, 21 Jan 2020

1993 was known as the peak of a disturbing trend in America: post office shootings, carried out by p...

SYSK Selects: How the Placebo Effect Works

Sat, 18 Jan 2020

For centuries, doctors have prescribed drugs they knew weren't real – but that still somehow worke...

The Tulsa 'Race Riots'

Thu, 16 Jan 2020

In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to histo...

Short Stuff: The Mona Lisa

Wed, 15 Jan 2020

The Mona Lisa is a captivating work of art. But why? We'll try and figure it out in today's short st...

Transdermal Implants: Body Art or Nightmare Fuel?

Tue, 14 Jan 2020

Transdermal implants are just one in a number of procedures under the banner of extreme body modific...

SYSK Selects: Jellyfish - Even Cooler Than Octopi?

Sat, 11 Jan 2020

Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into...

The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part II

Thu, 09 Jan 2020

In the absence of an official explanation of why flight MH 370 disappeared in 2014, conjecture and c...

Short Stuff: Corduroy

Wed, 08 Jan 2020

Learn 12 minutes worth of stuff about corduroy today! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part I

Tue, 07 Jan 2020

In 2014, a Boeing 777 airliner disappeared. Despite two full years of searching an area of ocean cov...

SYSK Selects: Will Computers Replace Doctors?

Sat, 04 Jan 2020

With savvy and health-conscious people taking control of their wellbeing through apps and sites, tec...

How Safecracking Works

Thu, 02 Jan 2020

Burglars have come up with a whole range of ways to get into a safe. There’s lock manipulation –...

Short Stuff: Why Does Time Speed Up As You Age?

Wed, 01 Jan 2020

It’s not just you – time really does seem to pass faster for people as we age. But exactly why r...

Are broken arrows a problem?

Tue, 31 Dec 2019

Are broken arrows are a problem? After all, they are incidents and accidents involving nuclear warhe...

SYSK Selects: How Wine Fraud Works

Sat, 28 Dec 2019

Wine fraud may be a case of rich con artists tricking wealthy people into parting with money, but it...

SYSK Live: Andre the Giant

Thu, 26 Dec 2019

Andre the Giant was a giant both figuratively and literally. Sure he was a wrestler, but more than t...

Short Stuff: The Santa Claus Association

Wed, 25 Dec 2019

If a con man manages to make needy Christmas wishes come true is he still a con man? (Also, Merry Ch...

The SYSK Holiday Spectacular

Tue, 24 Dec 2019

It's an annual treat, folks. Our holiday special is back and better than ever, and as always, brough...

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

Sat, 21 Dec 2019

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

Cave Diving: Totally Nuts

Thu, 19 Dec 2019

There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engag...

Short Stuff: Obituaries

Wed, 18 Dec 2019

Learn everything we know about obituaries in 12 minutes! Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...

MC Escher and His Trippy Art

Tue, 17 Dec 2019

We love us some MC Escher. Turns out his story is pretty fascinating too. Tune in today.  Learn mo...

SYSK Selects: How Currency Works

Sat, 14 Dec 2019

Even if you entirely eschew the concept of money, we'll bet you'd be hard pressed not to trade in so...

How Anorexia and Bulimia Work

Thu, 12 Dec 2019

Anorexia and bulimia - those twin eating disorders that seem so common and maybe even just a phase f...

Short Stuff: Whisky or Bourbon?

Wed, 11 Dec 2019

What's the difference between whisky and bourbon? We'll tell you if you care to listen. Learn more ...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin

Tue, 10 Dec 2019

If there's one thing we've learned about Chuck over the years it's that he loves his gin. And he lov...

SYSK Selects: How Amnesia Works

Sat, 07 Dec 2019

Those movies where someone gets hit on the head and can't remember who they are anymore? They're act...

What's a gap year anyway?

Thu, 05 Dec 2019

Chuck thought a gap year was post college. Turns out, it's a post high school year off from academic...

Short Stuff: Macadamia Nuts

Wed, 04 Dec 2019

Macadamia nuts aren't nuts! They're seeds! And they are delicious. And good for you in the right amo...

Did Climate Cause the Collapse of the Maya?

Tue, 03 Dec 2019

After millennia of development, the Maya culture suddenly collapsed at its peak. Why is one of the b...

SYSK Selects: Fractals - Whoa

Sat, 30 Nov 2019

In the 1980s, IBM mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot gazed for the first time upon his famous fractal. ...

How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work

Thu, 28 Nov 2019

Conversion therapy is a misguided attempt by religious zealots to convert people from gay to straigh...

Short Stuff: Niagara Falls Dewatered

Wed, 27 Nov 2019

In 1969, the Army Corps of Engineers turned off one of the main waterfalls at Niagara Falls to see w...

How Carbon-14 Dating Works

Tue, 26 Nov 2019

Some of the carbon dioxide in your body is radioactive! Don’t worry, it won’t harm you (not sure...

SYSK Selects: Have all the good ideas already been discovered?

Sat, 23 Nov 2019

It's no secret that human beings have an obsession with innovation -- but has our species already fo...

What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?

Thu, 21 Nov 2019

Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one...

Short Stuff: Backyard Burials

Wed, 20 Nov 2019

Time was that you’d bury a deceased relative in your yard; now it’s just weird. But it’s still...

The Murder Mystery of Ötzi the Iceman

Tue, 19 Nov 2019

About 5,300 years ago a Copper Age shepherd was murdered. He just happened to die in a place where h...

SYSK Selects: How Salt Works

Sat, 16 Nov 2019

A Roman senator once said, "Mankind can live without gold, but not without salt." Right he was. The ...

NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel

Thu, 14 Nov 2019

Getting the rain and melted snow from upstate NY into the taps of every NYC resident and business is...

Short Stuff: The Conch Republic

Wed, 13 Nov 2019

Back in 1982, Key West seceded from the United States. Don’t believe us? It’s true! Just listen ...

Augmented Reality: Coming Soon?

Tue, 12 Nov 2019

Augmented reality adds a digital layer over the real world and soon it will revolutionize how we liv...

SYSK Selects: Can you Treat Mental Illness with Psychedelics?

Sat, 09 Nov 2019

Hallucinogenic drugs are currently illegal, but they were once commonly used in psychological treatm...

Cockney Rhyming Slang: Beautiful Gibberish

Thu, 07 Nov 2019

What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we kno...

How Ironman Triathlons Work

Wed, 06 Nov 2019

Sure, you could train for months to finish a marathon, but why not make things interesting? Ironman ...

Short Stuff: The History of Paternity Testing

Wed, 06 Nov 2019

Paternity testing. It wasn't science for many years, yet they still tried to do it. Learn all about ...

SYSK Selects: Halitosis - Worst Smell Ever?

Sat, 02 Nov 2019

Occasional bad breath is one thing, halitosis is another. Or is it? From its odd origins as a market...

SYSK’s Scare Your Socks Off Halloween Spooktacular 2019

Thu, 31 Oct 2019

Josh and Chuck chose a truly unsettling story by one of the greatest science fiction authors of all ...

Short Stuff: Our Shortie Halloween Spooktacular

Wed, 30 Oct 2019

Join us today as we read three short horror selections from Ambrose Bierce.  Learn more about your...

Where Did Trick-Or-Treating Come From?

Tue, 29 Oct 2019

We aren’t exactly sure who invented trick-or-treating – kids who realized they could extort adul...

SYSK Selects: How Haunted House Attractions Work

Sat, 26 Oct 2019

Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of s...

How Historic Districts Work

Thu, 24 Oct 2019

A fascinating thing about Americans is that we can disagree on anything. Such is the case with histo...

Short Stuff: The Toxic Death of Gloria Ramirez

Wed, 23 Oct 2019

In 1994 the body of a woman who died in a California ER somehow became toxic and sickened 24 people....

What's the deal with subpoenas?

Tue, 22 Oct 2019

Subpoenas are all the rage. But what do they even mean if someone can just ignore it? Learn this and...

SYSK Selects: The 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980s

Sat, 19 Oct 2019

In the late 1980s, the United States experienced a "Satanic Panic," leading parents to fear for the ...

How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt II

Thu, 17 Oct 2019

A rash of UFO sightings kicks off a new spike in America’s UFO fever and new headaches for the Air...

Short Stuff: The Disappearance of Ambrose Bierce

Wed, 16 Oct 2019

Ambrose Bierce was a journalist and writer of short stories. He also disappeared rather mysteriously...

How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt I

Tue, 15 Oct 2019

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listene...

SYSK Selects: How Black Boxes Work

Sat, 12 Oct 2019

Black boxes are designed to be the only survivor of plane crashes so they can live to tell the tale ...

The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping

Thu, 10 Oct 2019

Who wants fresh honey? We do! Learn all about the ancient art of beekeeping today. Learn more about...

Short Stuff: The Devil's Den

Wed, 09 Oct 2019

The Devil's Den is the sight of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Is it haunted? Nope. ...

How Environmental Psychology Works

Tue, 08 Oct 2019

In the 60s, psychology expanded from exploring inside the mind to exploring the inside of buildings....

SYSK Selects: How Pez Works

Sat, 05 Oct 2019

PEZ began in Vienna as a mint meant to help people quit smoking. But once American kids got ahold of...

What were the Freedom Schools?

Thu, 03 Oct 2019

Freedom Schools were set up in Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, with the aim o...

Short Stuff: Fish n' Chips

Wed, 02 Oct 2019

How did these two wonderful strangers meet up and become best friends? The answers lie within today'...

Guardian Angels: Behind the Red Beret

Tue, 01 Oct 2019

If you grew up in the 1980s, then you know who the Guardian Angels are. If you don't then you're in ...

SYSK Selects: What Happened at Kent State?

Sat, 28 Sep 2019

On May 4, 1970, four days of anti-war protests at Kent State University in Ohio culminated in the un...

What are paraphilias?

Thu, 26 Sep 2019

Josh and Chuck dive into the world of paraphilias so you can get the skinny in 45 minutes or less. ...

Short Stuff: Dare Stones

Wed, 25 Sep 2019

What happened to the Lost Colonists who disappeared from Roanoke Island in the 1580s remains a myste...

We Are Running Out of Sand and That Actually Matters

Tue, 24 Sep 2019

Sand, we’re beginning to realize, is a non-renewable resource - and we are consuming it at a vorac...

SYSK Selects: Could You Live Without a Refrigerator?

Sat, 21 Sep 2019

Do you know that hulking refrigerator in your kitchen emits CO2 thanks to the electricity it uses ea...

How the US Interstate System Works

Thu, 19 Sep 2019

Wait! This is actually a good episode! It turns out that America’s 48,000 miles of superhighways –...

Short Stuff: Scurvy

Wed, 18 Sep 2019

Scurvy seems like a terrible way to go: Your gums swell so you can’t eat, your teeth fall out and ...

The Skinny on Lyme Disease

Tue, 17 Sep 2019

If you live in the Northeastern U.S. then you may know someone who has had Lyme disease. But it's sp...

SYSK Selects: How Wills Work

Sat, 14 Sep 2019

Whether it's oral, scrawled in blood or signed on a deathbed everyone should have a will. But how do...

Special Effects: A Short History

Thu, 12 Sep 2019

Special effects have been around since the first movies. In fact, the techniques the earliest filmma...

Short Stuff: Papasan Chairs

Wed, 11 Sep 2019

Oh, the papasan. What a chair! But where did it come from? And what does the name mean? The answers ...

How Government Shutdowns Work

Tue, 10 Sep 2019

Every year Congress decides how the federal government will spend money. Simple enough, but in pract...

SYSK Selects: How Ouija Boards Work

Sat, 07 Sep 2019

Although most people who've used Ouija boards don't think they're communicating with the beyond, the...

What's the deal with MSG?

Thu, 05 Sep 2019

MSG got a bad rap in the 70s and 80s. But what is it exactly and how bad is it for you? The answers ...

Short Stuff: Barbed Wire

Wed, 04 Sep 2019

Barbed wire changed the Western US as much as the railroad and the six-shooter. Before barbed wire a...

Ed Gein: The Serial Killer's Serial Killer

Tue, 03 Sep 2019

Any movie featuring a deranged killer who’s perversely devoted to his mother and makes things out ...

SYSK Selects: How Icebergs Work

Sat, 31 Aug 2019

Icebergs: floating chunks of ice. True, but whoa there. Scientists are learning that there's a lot m...

The Rubik's Cube Episode

Thu, 29 Aug 2019

Rubik's Cubes. Ronald Reagan. Jerry Falwell. Just Say No. One of these things was awesome. Take a gu...

Short Stuff: Dead Bodies and Airline Codes

Wed, 28 Aug 2019

Did you know there are airline codes for pilots and flight attendants? And some of them have to do w...

A Brief Overview of Punk Rock

Tue, 27 Aug 2019

Punk rock really needs about 10 episodes to do it justice, but we'll try and tackle anyway. Learn al...

SYSK Selects: How Sleepwalking Works

Sat, 24 Aug 2019

Sleep behaviors are pretty fascinating. Some people snore, some grind their teeth -- and some take a...

How Ventriloquism Works

Thu, 22 Aug 2019

Ventriloquism – where a skilled performer “throws” their voice, making it seem like a dummy on...

Short Stuff: Horseshoe Crab Blood

Wed, 21 Aug 2019

Perhaps the most expensive liquid on the planet is the blue blood that comes from horseshoe crabs. R...

Nuclear Semiotics: How to Talk to Future Humans

Tue, 20 Aug 2019

The nuclear waste we produce will be dangerous for a very long time. We’ve figured out how to safe...

SYSK Selects: Are We in a Cyberwar?

Sat, 17 Aug 2019

There's a secret war going on around us, and it's happening on a daily basis. The Air Force has a un...

How Peyote Works

Thu, 15 Aug 2019

Josh and Chuck have tackled a lot of drugs on the show, but peyote has loomed like a bad Jim Morriso...

Short Stuff: Petrichor

Wed, 14 Aug 2019

You know that amazing smell when it rains? Kind of clean, kind of earthy, one of a kind? It turns ou...

Solar Power: The Future or What?

Tue, 13 Aug 2019

We’ve been promised solar energy for a while now – where is it? Turns out, it’s been quietly a...

SYSK Selects: What Is a Shotgun House?

Sat, 10 Aug 2019

Shotgun houses are iconic pieces of American architecture: they're long, narrow, and filled with art...

Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2

Thu, 08 Aug 2019

As the operation expands it also begins to unravel. Word starts to leak out of the illegal stuff the...

Short Stuff: Time Zones

Wed, 07 Aug 2019

Time zones are a pain. Let's get rid of them! Can we? Sure! Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...

Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 1

Tue, 06 Aug 2019

When Ronald Reagan was president, America got involved in some deeply shady stuff, not the least of ...

SYSK Selects: How the Black Death Worked

Sat, 03 Aug 2019

The Black Death was gruesome: Symptoms included tumors, purple splotches, fevers and vomiting. But h...

What Were the BONE WARS?

Thu, 01 Aug 2019

A pair of old timey fossil hunters had a rootin’ tootin’ rivalry that spilled from academic jour...

Short Stuff: The Man Who Didn’t Eat for a Year

Wed, 31 Jul 2019

In 1965, a 456-pound man walked into a hospital in Scotland and asked for help with a fast. That was...

Will Deepfakes Ruin the World?

Tue, 30 Jul 2019

Very recently, thanks to a new type of AI, it’s gotten much easier to create convincingly realisti...

SYSK Selects: How Human Cannonballs Work

Sat, 27 Jul 2019

There's no question that human cannonballs are daredevils. They pack themselves into the confines of...

How Eyewitness Testimony Works(?)

Thu, 25 Jul 2019

Few things are more compelling than a witness pointing out a defendant in the courtroom as the perpe...

Short Stuff: Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Wed, 24 Jul 2019

This week we highlight another little known historical hero. In this case, a Portuguese diplomat who...

MOVE: Or When the Philly Police Dropped a Bomb on a Residential Neighborhood

Tue, 23 Jul 2019

Believe it or not, in 1985 the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto ...

SYSK Selects: How Crack Works

Sat, 20 Jul 2019

Back in the mid-1980s a new and extremely potent drug hit the scene: crack cocaine. In short order, ...

Sand Dunes: They Are What You Think They Are

Thu, 18 Jul 2019

Sand dunes are exactly what you think they are. But still pretty interesting. Learn all about them r...

Short Stuff: Yellow Rain

Wed, 17 Jul 2019

After the Vietnam War, the Hmong people told the world a toxic weapon was being used on them. Thus b...

How Going to the Moon Works

Tue, 16 Jul 2019

Fifty years ago, the first humans stepped onto the moon. After going back a few more times, humanity...

SYSK Selects: Duels - A Guide to Throwing Down the Gauntlet

Sat, 13 Jul 2019

Pretty much everything you know about duels is true - it's a challenge to violence to defend honor. ...

How Sloths Work

Thu, 11 Jul 2019

Everyone knows sloths are super slow, but do you know they’re slow because their bodies produce an...

Short Stuff: The Coconut Cult

Wed, 10 Jul 2019

Why we love short stuff - because we can tell stories like this one. A man goes to an island to star...

Cleopatra: Ms. Understood

Tue, 09 Jul 2019

One of the great misunderstood figures in history was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra’s story...

SYSK Selects: What Makes us Yawn?

Sat, 06 Jul 2019

What is it that makes us suddenly draw in a deep breath through a wide-open mouth? The beautiful thi...

How the Fairness Doctrine Worked

Thu, 04 Jul 2019

Back in the day, broadcasters were bound by law to provide contrasting opinions on political matters...

Short Stuff: Mitsuye Endo

Wed, 03 Jul 2019

In today's short stuff, we look at another amazing woman who has all but been ignored by history. Th...

Is photographic memory a real thing?

Tue, 02 Jul 2019

Photographic memory is the stuff of movies and TV, but is it real? Sort of. But not really. But kind...

SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?

Sat, 29 Jun 2019

The term "one-hit wonder" gets thrown around a lot, and - yes - you probably are using it correctly,...

What is the Civil Air Patrol?

Thu, 27 Jun 2019

The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian group of pilots and plane enthusiasts who do a lot of things, nam...

Short Stuff: Prison Food

Wed, 26 Jun 2019

Prison food is kind of a joke, like airplane food. But there are real consequences involved. Let's g...

Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy

Tue, 25 Jun 2019

If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old ...

SYSK Selects: How the Donner Party Worked

Sat, 22 Jun 2019

Did they or didn't they? There is plenty of written evidence that the ill-fated Donner Party resorte...

What happened to the Neanderthals?

Thu, 20 Jun 2019

As recently as 40,000 years ago we lived among humans from an entirely different species – Neander...

Short Stuff: Emperor Norton

Wed, 19 Jun 2019

After a San Francisco real estate mogul went bankrupt, he reinvented himself as the Emperor of the U...

How the Hygiene Hypothesis Works

Tue, 18 Jun 2019

In the early 90s, a new study that found that kids who are exposed to more germs early in life are l...

SYSK Selects: What's the Deal with Crop Circles?

Sat, 15 Jun 2019

For a while in the 1980s, people were fascinated and confused about what exactly crop circles were. ...

How Area 51 Works

Thu, 13 Jun 2019

The secret military base Area 51 is inextricably linked to every secret, shady project the US govern...

Short Stuff: Smoke Signals

Wed, 12 Jun 2019

Were smoke signals real or a Hollywood invention? Turns out, they were indeed a thing and invented b...

What's the gig economy?

Tue, 11 Jun 2019

The gig economy is not new, but it's bigger than ever. Is that a good thing? We'll discuss that toda...

SYSK Selects: How Capgras Syndrome Works

Sat, 08 Jun 2019

There is an extremely rare condition where the sufferer is convinced that everyone around him is an ...

What is perfect pitch?

Thu, 06 Jun 2019

Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, is when you can sing a note with no reference from other notes, pe...

Short Stuff: Robert Johnson and the Devil

Wed, 05 Jun 2019

Did the legendary blues singer really sell his soul to the devil in exchange for amazing musical ski...

How Barcodes Work

Tue, 04 Jun 2019

Barcodes are everywhere. Those little lines and numbers that make up one of the most recognizable ba...

SYSK Selects: How TV Ratings Work

Sat, 01 Jun 2019

Ever wonder why some great shows go off the air after a season or less? Blame it on the Nielsen comp...

The Tylenol Murders, Part II

Thu, 30 May 2019

The panic that began in Chicago spreads and begins to change the world. The investigation into the m...

Short Stuff: Look-Alike Old Couples

Wed, 29 May 2019

You know how some older married couples (sorry, senior adult married couples) start to look alike ov...

The Tylenol Murders, Part I

Tue, 28 May 2019

On one terrible day in Chicago in 1982, seven people died suddenly and mysteriously. In just a matte...

SYSK Selects: How Acne Works

Sat, 25 May 2019

Over the course of our lives, 80 percent of us will experience acne. Ultimately, acne comes down to ...

What was Tin Pan Alley?

Thu, 23 May 2019

Tin Pan Alley was an area of New York around the beginning of the 20th Century that served as ground...

Short Stuff: James Polk, Disinterred

Wed, 22 May 2019

Did you know that former president James Polk had his final resting place moved twice? It's true! An...

How Crystals Work

Tue, 21 May 2019

In a new age shop or on display at the Smithsonian, there are varying interpretations of what crysta...

SYSK Selects: How Dying Works

Sat, 18 May 2019

Chuck and Josh have covered just about every aspect of death except dying itself. Here, they fulfill...

10ish Cases of Really Bad Luck

Thu, 16 May 2019

Some guys have all the luck, some guys have all the pain. So said Rod Stewart. And if this list is a...

Short Stuff: Honorary Degrees

Wed, 15 May 2019

Honorary degrees are not real degrees. They are marketing opportunities for universities. They make ...

How Trampolines Work

Tue, 14 May 2019

The world’s loved trampolines since they were invented by a pair of acrobats in Iowa in the 30s –...

SYSK Selects: How Lie Detectors Work

Sat, 11 May 2019

Instead of actually detecting lies, polygraph machines sense physiological variations, ostensibly br...

Do Dietary Supplements Work?

Thu, 09 May 2019

The world takes $40 billion of dietary supplements – from vitamin A to yohimbe bark – every year...

Short Stuff: Nicknames

Wed, 08 May 2019

What's in a nickname? Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don't. Let's get our shorty on and f...

Remembering Live Aid

Tue, 07 May 2019

Live Aid was a revolutionary concert event in two countries in 1985 that spanned the world via satel...

SYSK Selects: How Does a Diving Bell Work?

Sat, 04 May 2019

About 2,400 years ago Aristotle mentions the use of diving bells, apparatuses that convey divers to ...

What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?

Thu, 02 May 2019

It’s bad enough when the government knows you’re alive – there are taxes to pay, laws to be fo...

Short Stuff: The Number 23

Wed, 01 May 2019

There are people out there who believe that there’s something special about the number 23. Exactly...

Michael Dillon: Trans Pioneer

Tue, 30 Apr 2019

Michael Dillon was a lot of things - author, doctor, and most importantly, trans pioneer. Learn all ...

SYSK Selects: How Zero Works

Sat, 27 Apr 2019

Few numbers have as storied a past as zero. Even fewer have had as great an impact on our ability to...

What Were Human Zoos?

Thu, 25 Apr 2019

One of the off-putting byproducts of 19th century European colonialism were human zoos, living diora...

Short Stuff: Fear of Public Speaking

Wed, 24 Apr 2019

Speaking in public is frequently cited as people’s number one fear, even more fearful than death. ...

Is birth order important?

Tue, 23 Apr 2019

There have been a lot of studies over the years regarding birth order. Some conclude that it's a big...

SYSK Selects: How Marijuana Works

Sat, 20 Apr 2019

For millennia people used marijuana for fun and medicine. Not until the 20th century that was it vil...

How the Hoover Dam Works, Part II

Thu, 18 Apr 2019

And now for something completely different. Just kidding – tune in to hear the thrilling conclusio...

Short Stuff: Emu Wars

Wed, 17 Apr 2019

Did Australians really wage war on a group of emus? YES. Learn all about it in today's short stuff. ...

How the Hoover Dam Works, Part I

Tue, 16 Apr 2019

It’s one of America’s biggest accomplishments in the 20th century, a slab of concrete holding ba...

SYSK Selects: How Yo-Yos Work

Sat, 13 Apr 2019

You may have played with a yo-yo before -- perhaps you've even walked the dog -- but do you know abo...

How the Electric Chair Works

Thu, 11 Apr 2019

The electric chair is an all-American invention. It spread almost nowhere else in the world as a cap...

Short Stuff: Lake Peigneur

Wed, 10 Apr 2019

In 1980 something catastrophic happened to the quiet town of New Iberia, Louisiana. Their wide, shal...

How Free Range Parenting Works

Tue, 09 Apr 2019

Free range parenting is all about giving your child the freedom to play and explore life on their ow...

SYSK Selects: How Pollen Works

Sat, 06 Apr 2019

For about 375 million years, plants have been using pollen (aka plant sperm) to propagate their spec...

Were Nazis Drug-Fueled Crankheads?

Thu, 04 Apr 2019

Nazis were bad people. And it turns out a lot of them were high as kites on speed. Was this a recipe...

Short Stuff: Unspent Campaign Money

Wed, 03 Apr 2019

Have you ever wondered what happens to all those campaign donations when a political campaign goes b...

How Rape Kits Work

Tue, 02 Apr 2019

Rape kits are simple forensic evidence collection kits used when someone is sexually assaulted. But ...

SYSK Selects: How Immigration Works

Sat, 30 Mar 2019

Immigration systems regulate the flow of foreign immigrants into any given country. But why is immig...

Etch A Sketch!

Thu, 28 Mar 2019

The Etch A Sketch is yet another classic toy that Josh and Chuck love and respect. Learn all about t...

Short Stuff: When Elvis Met Nixon

Wed, 27 Mar 2019

Elvis really did meet with Richard Nixon. Because Elvis wanted to help fight the drug trade. True st...

How Druids Worked

Tue, 26 Mar 2019

Anyone who likes Led Zeppelin, plays Dungeons & Dragons, or worships the rising sun at Stoneheng...

SYSK Selects: How Sign Language Works

Sat, 23 Mar 2019

It wasn't until the was developed and despite its co-existence alongside English, a user would be ha...

How Disgust Works

Thu, 21 Mar 2019

Disgust is an odd thing. It makes sense that we would feel a sense of revulsion at the thought of pu...

Short Stuff: The Sandman

Wed, 20 Mar 2019

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream! But who is the sandman? We'll tell you in today's edition of short st...

Desert Survival: Josh and Chuck Save Your Tookus

Tue, 19 Mar 2019

The chances are pretty low that you’ll find yourself lost in the desert, but on the off chance you...

SYSK Selects: Was Atlantis A Real Place?

Sat, 16 Mar 2019

While the search for Atlantis has been pushed to the fringes since the 19th century, archaeologists ...

The Great Stink: The Stench So Bad They Gave It A Name

Thu, 14 Mar 2019

In the summer of 1858, a heatwave dried up the Thames River to a trickle in London. As centuries’ ...

Short Stuff: Bedbugs

Wed, 13 Mar 2019

We eradicated bedbugs so thoroughly in the 50s that generations who came later suspected they weren’...

The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti

Tue, 12 Mar 2019

The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of t...

SYSK Selects: How Wildfires Work

Sat, 09 Mar 2019

Wildfires consume an annual average of 5 million acres in the US. But what causes wildfires? How do ...

How Dyslexia Works

Thu, 07 Mar 2019

For a learning disability that everyone seems to know about, dyslexia is maybe the most commonly mis...

Short Stuff: Wigs in English Court

Wed, 06 Mar 2019

What's the deal with the wigs in the English court system? Learn all about it in today's short stuff...

What's the deal with ASMR?

Tue, 05 Mar 2019

ASMR is soothing to some, maddening to others. Learn all about these whisper tones in today's episod...

SYSK Selects: How the Panama Canal Works

Sat, 02 Mar 2019

It's on more than one list of the Seven Wonders of the World and for good reason - the Panama Canal ...

Tuskegee Airmen: American Heroes

Thu, 28 Feb 2019

The Tuskegee Airmen braved racism and brutally tough training in order to secure their spot in Ameri...

Short Stuff: Black Loyalists

Wed, 27 Feb 2019

The Black Loyalists were a group of Colonial slaves who fought for their freedom alongside the Briti...

The Science of Break-Ups

Tue, 26 Feb 2019

Breaking up is hard to do. Your brain might even think you're getting over a cocaine addiction. Lear...

SYSK Selects: How Lewis and Clark Worked

Sat, 23 Feb 2019

They may be the most famous explorers in U.S. history, but there are plenty of interesting details t...

How Galaxies Work

Thu, 21 Feb 2019

In the universe things tend to cluster. This means there’s a coherent structure to the universe an...

Short Stuff: Turbulence

Wed, 20 Feb 2019

If you’ve ever had a bumpy airplane ride, you know it’s nothing fun. But have you ever noticed t...

Yeti: The Asian Bigfoot

Tue, 19 Feb 2019

We've covered Nessie and Bigfoot, so why not tackle the Yeti? Listen in today and Josh and Chuck cov...

SYSK Selects: Interpol: World Police

Sat, 16 Feb 2019

Interpol is an international police agency that helps other law-enforcement agencies track criminals...

Elephants: The Best Animals?

Thu, 14 Feb 2019

Elephants are pretty much the best. Why? Josh and Chuck will let you know in great detail in today's...

Short Stuff: War of Jenkins' Ear

Wed, 13 Feb 2019

In the 18th century, Spain and England fought each other in the colonies of Georgia and Florida, a w...

Could There Be A Loch Ness Monster?

Tue, 12 Feb 2019

People have believed something strange lives in Loch Ness for at least 3500 years. Thousands of peop...

SYSK Selects: How Coral Reefs Work

Sat, 09 Feb 2019

Coral reefs are the largest organic structures on Earth, yet they're created through a symbiotic rel...

The True Story of BlacKkKlansman

Thu, 07 Feb 2019

In 2018, director Spike Lee brought the story of Ron Stallworth to the big screen to great effect. T...

Short Stuff: Ellen Richards

Wed, 06 Feb 2019

Who is Ellen Richards? One of the most unsung scientists of all time, that's who. Her contribution? ...

The Insidious Abuse of Stalking

Tue, 05 Feb 2019

Stalking has only recently been recognized for what it is – a profound form of psychological abuse...

SYSK Selects: Saunas: More Interesting Than You Think!

Sat, 02 Feb 2019

Although they seem pretty mundane, saunas are surprisingly fascinating inventions. Josh and Chuck br...

How Central Park Works

Thu, 31 Jan 2019

Central Park in Manhattan was America’s first landscaped public park, built at a time when New Yor...

Short Stuff: Johnny Appleseed

Wed, 30 Jan 2019

Johnny Appleseed was real! And he was about as amazing as the legend paints him. He really did plant...

How Ping Pong Works

Tue, 29 Jan 2019

While Asia is well-known for being cuckoo for Ping Pong, the game was actually invented by bored Bri...

SYSK Selects: Bioluminescence: A Bright and Shiny Fish

Sat, 26 Jan 2019

Science has a handle on fireflies and glowworms, but most bioluminescent animals live in the ocean a...

The Legend of Betsy Ross

Thu, 24 Jan 2019

Betsy Ross is an American icon to many, the seamstress who sewed the first U.S. flag because of a pe...

Short Stuff: Thread Count

Wed, 23 Jan 2019

Is thread count all it's cracked up to be? Listen in and find out in today's edition of Short Stuff!...

SYSK Live: The Kellogg Brothers’ Wacky World of Health

Tue, 22 Jan 2019

There’s no way you haven’t had one of their breakfast cereals, but we bet you don’t know the s...

SYSK Selects: How Lobotomies Work

Sat, 19 Jan 2019

Lobotomies -- brain surgeries to relieve psychiatric problems -- are rarely performed today, but the...

The July 20th Plot to Assassinate Hitler

Thu, 17 Jan 2019

A lot of people in Hitler's inner circle wanted him dead toward the end of the war. But he proved im...

Short Stuff: Olestra

Wed, 16 Jan 2019

In the 90s a fat free miracle food came out that promised we could eat all we wanted and not gain we...

How Airbags Work

Tue, 15 Jan 2019

It turns out that the inflatable bag of air that shoots out of your steering wheel or dashboard is t...

SYSK Selects: How Schizophrenia Works

Sat, 12 Jan 2019

Up to 24 million people worldwide have schizophrenia. Despite the vast amounts of research, the diso...

The Great Finger in the Wendy’s Chili Caper

Thu, 10 Jan 2019

In 2005 a woman named Anna Alaya discovered a length of human finger – nail and all – in her Wen...

Short Stuff: How Often Do You Need To Change Your Oil?

Wed, 09 Jan 2019

First things, first: Take that oil change reminder sticker off your windshield and throw it away for...

How the Spanish Flu Worked

Tue, 08 Jan 2019

The Spanish Flu killed anywhere from 20-100 million or more people over 1918/1919. All of this playe...

SYSK Selects: How Munchausen Syndrome Works

Sat, 05 Jan 2019

Why would someone fake an illness? Here's an even better question: Why would someone repeatedly make...

What was the Tunguska event?

Thu, 03 Jan 2019

In 1908, the most powerful meteoroid explosion in recorded history happened over a remote area of Si...

Short Stuff: Khipu

Wed, 02 Jan 2019

Listen in to learn all about the fascinating "language" of the Incan khipu knotted ropes.  Learn m...

Rockettes: Still Kicking After All These Years

Tue, 01 Jan 2019

Tune in today to learn all about the legendary NYC Rockettes, who actually got their start in Missou...

SYSK Selects: How Fossils Work

Sat, 29 Dec 2018

A fossil is a piece of once-living organic material that has undergone a transition from an organic ...

Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Thu, 27 Dec 2018

The Seuss is loose in this episode about legendary children's book author Ted Geisel. The funny thin...

Short Stuff: The Brain-Bladder Connection

Wed, 26 Dec 2018

How much do you know about the brain-bladder connection? In about 15 minutes, it'll be a lot more. ...

SYSK Live Christmas Spectacular!

Tue, 25 Dec 2018

This year, Josh and Chuck go live for their annual Christmas Spectacular. Recorded from the Center S...

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

Sat, 22 Dec 2018

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

E.T.: Is It Really the Worst Video Game of All Time?

Thu, 20 Dec 2018

If you play video games you probably have an easy answer to worst game of all time: ET. But it turns...

Short Stuff: Unique Snowflakes

Wed, 19 Dec 2018

Amazingly, it turns out that every snowflake truly is unique. Math backs it up.  Learn more about ...

Geodesic Domes: The Wave of the Future That Wasn't

Tue, 18 Dec 2018

Sometimes a good idea doesn’t pan out in real life. Take Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome: It ...

SYSK Selects: How Igloos Work

Sat, 15 Dec 2018

Igloos were traditionally used by Inuit Indians as temporary shelter while on hunting and fishing tr...

Are good samaritan laws effective?

Thu, 13 Dec 2018

Good samaritan laws have been around for many years, helping to provide legal protections for people...

Short Stuff: Laughing Buddha

Wed, 12 Dec 2018

Did you know that the friendly, smiling Buddha we all know from bars and restaurants isn't really Bu...

How Ayahuasca Works

Tue, 11 Dec 2018

One day in the Amazon Basin, a shaman put together a plant containing DMT with a vine that allows th...

SYSK Selects: That Dang-old Goat Fell Over

Sat, 08 Dec 2018

Due to a condition known as Thomsen's disease, the muscles of fainting goats tense up whenever the a...

Was the PMRC censorship in disguise?

Thu, 06 Dec 2018

The Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s was really just censorship in disguise. But it kind o...

Short Stuff: Dolphin Detectors

Wed, 05 Dec 2018

They don’t actually disarm mines, but navies around the world use dolphins to find and tag sea min...

How Search and Rescue Dogs Work

Tue, 04 Dec 2018

All dogs are great, but some dogs work harder than others. Or play harder, depending on your view. L...

SYSK Selects: Can Your Grandfather's Diet Shorten Your Life?

Sat, 01 Dec 2018

Epigenetics is a fascinating field of genetics that studies how the epigenome and environmental, nut...

Adidas v. Puma: A Sibling Rivalry

Thu, 29 Nov 2018

Join Josh and Chuck today as they go down the sport shoe rabbit hole, detailing the strange tail of ...

Short Stuff: iSmell

Wed, 28 Nov 2018

Two men once had a dream - to add smell to the internet. And they almost gave it to us. Learn more ...

How the Navajo Code Talkers Worked

Tue, 27 Nov 2018

In WWII the US Marines devised an unbreakable code-within-a-code made from Navajo, one of the most l...

SYSK Selects: How Black Friday Works

Sat, 24 Nov 2018

On the day after Thanksgiving, Americans go kind of crazy for the deep discount sales that kick off ...

Fire twucks! Fire twucks! (sic)

Thu, 22 Nov 2018

Who doesn't love fire engines? We certainly do. So much that we geeked out on this one in a big way....

Short Stuff: Safety Pins

Wed, 21 Nov 2018

Safety pins are so ubiquitous, we take them for granted. But that’s the genius of their design –...

Finders Keepers: Real Law

Tue, 20 Nov 2018

You know that heartbreak of the schoolyard – finders keepers, losers weepers? That’s actual law ...

SYSK Selects: How Kleptomania Works

Sat, 17 Nov 2018

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss kleptomania, a disorder in which pe...

Olive Oil: Mother Nature's Gift

Thu, 15 Nov 2018

Olive oil is one of Mother Nature's greatest gifts to humanity. Learn everything you ever wanted to ...

Short Stuff: Lemonade

Wed, 14 Nov 2018

Ever wonder where lemonade came from? Let’s up the stakes a little, what about pink lemonade? Well...

Pando: Earth’s Oldest, Hugest Organism Is Trees!

Tue, 13 Nov 2018

In Utah, lives a 106-acre stand of Quaking Aspen trees that are all genetically identical because th...

SYSK Selects: How Pizza Works

Sat, 10 Nov 2018

Sure it's everywhere and there's a more-than-90-percent chance you eat it once a month. But we'll be...

Is yogurt a miracle food?

Thu, 08 Nov 2018

Yogurt has been touted as a health food, but is it? Maybe. If you eat it every day. We get into the ...

Short Stuff: Vomitoria

Wed, 07 Nov 2018

A vomitorium was a place where ancient Romans went to make themselves throw up after gorging themsel...

What were war masks?

Tue, 06 Nov 2018

War masks were made for soldiers in WWI who had horrible accidents that left their faces sometimes u...

SYSK Selects: How Grief Works

Sat, 03 Nov 2018

You can probably name the five stages of grief - from denial to acceptance - they've become pretty w...

How Easy Bake Ovens Work

Thu, 01 Nov 2018

Easy Bake Ovens are as iconic as a toy can get, as American as apple pie or baseball. Learn all abou...

Short Stuff: Labor Day

Wed, 31 Oct 2018

Labor Day, the day when most people in America paradoxically take off work, is actually rooted in so...

SYSK’s 2018 Super Spooktacular

Tue, 30 Oct 2018

It’s Halloween again and Chuck and Josh want to creep you out. Listen to two great classic horror ...

SYSK Selects: What's with the Winchester Mystery House?

Sat, 27 Oct 2018

After her daughter and husband died, heiress Sarah Winchester became obsessed with the idea that spi...

How the Amityville Horror Worked

Thu, 25 Oct 2018

In early 1975, the world was introduced to George and Kathy Lutz, a couple who had fled their home i...

Short Stuff: Exploding Manholes

Wed, 24 Oct 2018

If you live in a big city in a cold climate, you should keep an eye out for 100-pound cast-iron manh...

How Epilepsy Works

Tue, 23 Oct 2018

A seizure is like an electrical overload in the brain – when it gets overwhelmed, it just shuts do...

SYSK Selects: How Aphrodisiacs Work

Sat, 20 Oct 2018

For thousands of years humankind has pursued the enhancement of sexual pleasure and performance thro...

Waterbeds: The Sexiest Bed?

Thu, 18 Oct 2018

Waterbeds came and went pretty quickly in the United States, but despite their marketing as sex beds...

Short Stuff: Korean Fan Death

Wed, 17 Oct 2018

There’s a commonly-held belief in Korea that if you fall asleep with a fan blowing on your face yo...

Was There A Real Robin Hood?

Tue, 16 Oct 2018

Is it true that Robin Hood hung out in Sherwood Forest and stole from the rich to give to the poor? ...

SYSK Selects: How Homelessness Works

Sat, 13 Oct 2018

Today, millions of people around the world are homeless. In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck tak...

When inventions kill!

Thu, 11 Oct 2018

Few things are more ironic than an invention killing its creator. The stories behind real life cases...

Short Stuff: William King

Wed, 10 Oct 2018

Did you know that the United States has had one Vice-President who was sworn in on foreign soil? Wel...

How Marathons Work

Tue, 09 Oct 2018

You’d have to be crazy to try to run 26.2 miles in a single stretch, right? Right. But people stil...

SYSK Selects: Is lethal injection humane?

Sat, 06 Oct 2018

Since the Supreme Court's ban on capital punishment was reversed, states have sought a humane method...

Algae: Food, Fuel, What?

Thu, 04 Oct 2018

Just a couple years ago, algae was touted as the green, plentiful biofuel of the future. But that di...

Short Stuff: Grandfather Clocks

Wed, 03 Oct 2018

If you've ever wondered why a grandfather clock is called a grandfather clock and you have 12 minute...

How the Concorde Worked

Tue, 02 Oct 2018

The concorde was a wonderful thing, a super fast commerical airliner that got you across the pond in...

SYSK Selects: Does the five-second rule work?

Sat, 29 Sep 2018

You know when you drop a piece of food and if you pick it up within five seconds it's still good to ...

Seriously, What Is Dark Matter?

Thu, 27 Sep 2018

Chuck and Josh take on astrophysics again and this time it pans out well. It turns out that there si...

What is colorblindness?

Tue, 25 Sep 2018

Being colorblind doesn't mean you see in black and white, although in severe cases it can look a bit...

SYSK Selects: Was Malthus right about carrying capacity?

Sat, 22 Sep 2018

Thomas Malthus concluded that humanity is bound to outgrow Earth's carrying capacity. The prediction...

How Ranked Choice Voting Works

Thu, 20 Sep 2018

In the US, winner-take-all voting has created A LOT of political polarization. But what if rather th...

Roundabouts: The Problem Is You

Tue, 18 Sep 2018

They’re as American as Washington, DC yet most people in the US are terrified of them, hate them o...

SYSK Selects: How Commercial Jingles Work

Sat, 15 Sep 2018

You probably can recite five right now. Commercial jingles are designed to hijack your working memor...

What are think tanks all about?

Thu, 13 Sep 2018

Think tanks? More like stink tanks! We're kidding. Think tanks do valuable work, when they operate i...

SYSK Live: How Game Shows Work

Tue, 11 Sep 2018

Join Josh and Chuck and a whole bunch of great people at the Gothic Theatre in Denver for this live ...

SYSK Selects: How Circumcision Works

Sat, 08 Sep 2018

Circumcision is a common practice in which the foreskin of a male's penis is removed, typically as a...

The Lava Lamp: Goes Great With Acid

Thu, 06 Sep 2018

What started out as an egg timer at a London pub became a furnishing for bachelor pads before it too...

How Police Lineups Work

Tue, 04 Sep 2018

Police lineups are something most people have never had any firsthand experience with. What you see ...

SYSK Selects: How Patents Work

Sat, 01 Sep 2018

What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technologica...

How Elimination Diets Work

Thu, 30 Aug 2018

Elimination diets are all about whittling down what you eat, then building it back up again in order...

Why There Aren't So Many Hotel Fires Anymore

Tue, 28 Aug 2018

1946 was a particularly deadly year for hotel fires in the US. Fires killed hundreds of people in Ch...

SYSK Selects: What's the deal with Voodoo?

Sat, 25 Aug 2018

Voodoo is a religion found in parts of Africa and Haiti that's often misunderstood. In this episode,...

Pterosaurs: Not Flying Dinosaurs

Thu, 23 Aug 2018

Almost everything you know about pterosaurs is wrong. They weren't birds, they weren't flying dinosa...

Ballpoint pens? Heck yes, ballpoint pens!

Tue, 21 Aug 2018

Get ready, folks. The ballpoint pen is far more interesting than you could ever imagine. For real. B...

SYSK Selects: How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works

Sat, 18 Aug 2018

With the exception of lobotomies, no other psychological treatment has a worse reputation. But thank...

Who is The Man of the Hole?

Thu, 16 Aug 2018

In 2018, there's a man from a lost tribe still living deep in the jungles of Brazil who has been all...

How Board Breaking Works

Tue, 14 Aug 2018

If you’ve ever seen someone break a stack of boards or concrete blocks with a single karate chop y...

SYSK Selects: How Traffic Works

Sat, 11 Aug 2018

Whether you've been stuck in a traffic jam or forced to merge and avoid road construction, everyone'...

How Attila the Hun Worked

Thu, 09 Aug 2018

If you go to the Internet you'll see a few people championed as all-time greatest conquerors - Alexa...

How Search and Rescue Works

Tue, 07 Aug 2018

There are thankfully about as many ways to look for someone as there are ways to get lost. And the p...

SYSK Selects: How Miranda Rights Work

Sat, 04 Aug 2018

Back in 1966, the Supreme Court decided that suspects in criminal cases had the right to be reminded...

How the U.S. Military Draft Works

Thu, 02 Aug 2018

The U.S. military draft is far more interesting than you'd think. The process of conscription can ge...

How the Pony Express Worked

Tue, 31 Jul 2018

For as long a shadow as it casts across the history of the Old West, the Pony Express was a failed b...

SYSK Selects: How the Cannonball Run Worked

Sat, 28 Jul 2018

The Cannon Ball Run is a cross-country car race famously portrayed in the campy 1981 movie "Cannon B...

The Dyatlov Pass Mystery

Thu, 26 Jul 2018

The incident at Dyatlov Pass is one of the more enduring wilderness mysteries of all time. Russian h...

Recycling Update: How’s It Going?

Tue, 24 Jul 2018

It’s been about a decade since Josh and Chuck last checked in on recycling and since then a lot ha...

SYSK Selects: How Foot Binding Worked

Sat, 21 Jul 2018

Once in a while, all the necessary factors converge to produce a peculiar nationalized sexual fetish...

How Attorney-Client Privilege Works

Thu, 19 Jul 2018

One of the oldest protected forms of speech comes from when a lawyer speaks with their client. Over ...

Jobs of Bygone Eras

Tue, 17 Jul 2018

Join Josh and Chuck today as they take a fun look at some of the strange jobs that our ancestors did...

SYSK Selects: How Twinkies Work

Sat, 14 Jul 2018

Twinkies have a reputation for being so processed that they can last for years and years, but they'r...

Gerrymandering: How to Stifle Democracy

Thu, 12 Jul 2018

No matter which side of the political spectrum you fall on, you should be outraged about the practic...

The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five

Tue, 10 Jul 2018

In 1978, five friends set out for home from a basketball game. The next day, their car was discovere...

SYSK Selects: Did Reagan's Star Wars program win the Cold War?

Sat, 07 Jul 2018

Putting lasers in space to blast Soviet missiles out of the air was a very real part of Ronald Reaga...

How the Stanford Prison Experiment Worked

Thu, 05 Jul 2018

The infamous Stanford Prison Experiment wasn't really much of an experiment as it turns out. It was ...

How Diabetes Works

Tue, 03 Jul 2018

Diabetes is one of the biggest killers of people on the planet. And yet, it also seems to be tied to...

SYSK Selects: How Ponzi Schemes Work

Sat, 30 Jun 2018

Ponzi schemes. How do they work? And who's Ponzi? Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode to dis...

Narwhals: Unicorns of the Sea

Thu, 28 Jun 2018

Narwhals are the unicorns of the sea. They're also whales with tusks. The tusks are really long toot...

Can Anarchism Work?

Tue, 26 Jun 2018

Teenage punks going through a phase probably come to mind when you think of anarchists, but anarchis...

SYSK Selects: How Condoms Work

Sat, 23 Jun 2018

The earliest depiction of a condom is found in a 15,000-year-old cave painting. Ever since humans re...

Genghis Khan: Madman or Genius?

Thu, 21 Jun 2018

Depending on who you talk to, Genghis Khan was either a sadistic madman or one of the great leaders ...

How The Pill Changed the World

Tue, 19 Jun 2018

When the birth control pill hit the market in 1960 it landed like a social bomb. Almost overnight, w...

SYSK Selects: How Bullfighting Works

Sat, 16 Jun 2018

When the Visigoths ruled Spain, they introduced the idea of battling bulls at festivals. Today matad...

Skyscrapers: 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky

Thu, 14 Jun 2018

Skyscrapers are much more than tall buildings. They're world wonders as far as we're concerned. From...

How Tsunamis Work

Tue, 12 Jun 2018

Tsunamis are amazingly devastating natural disasters. They're miles tall and wide, travel as fast as...

SYSK Selects: How The Hum Works

Sat, 09 Jun 2018

There is a mysterious droning sound often described as like a diesel engine idling that is severely ...

Frida Kahlo: Painter, Icon, Genius

Thu, 07 Jun 2018

Frida Kahlo was a painter who transcended her own work to became an icon. Learn all about her fascin...

The Max Headroom Incident

Tue, 05 Jun 2018

In 1987, a very strange broadcast intrusion occurred in the city of Chicago. For just a couple of mi...

SYSK Selects: Was there a real King Arthur?

Sat, 02 Jun 2018

The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain a...

Is the Pied Piper About a Real Historic Tragedy?

Thu, 31 May 2018

In the German town of Hameln a tragedy that took place on a specific date in 1284 and befell specifi...

How Drug Courts Work

Tue, 29 May 2018

If you aren't in the know, you may think drug courts are set up to quickly prosecute drug users and ...

SYSK Selects: How Pinball Works

Sat, 26 May 2018

Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornogra...

How Occam's Razor Works

Thu, 24 May 2018

You know the rule that says the simplest explanation is probably the correct one? That’s called a ...

A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer

Tue, 22 May 2018

We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker an...

SYSK Selects: Is brain size related to intelligence?

Sat, 19 May 2018

The idea that the larger the brain, the higher the intelligence is an old one, but it's pretty much ...

The Collar Bomb Heist

Fri, 18 May 2018

The collar bomb heist is the crime caper that keeps on giving. Every time the story seemed like it w...

What's a quinceañera anyway?

Tue, 15 May 2018

A quinceañera is the celebration of a girl of Hispanic heritage becoming a young woman on her 15th ...

SYSK Selects: How Cremation Works

Sat, 12 May 2018

Cremation is a burial process practiced around the world, but how exactly does it work? Josh and Chu...

How Drowning Works

Thu, 10 May 2018

Hundreds of thousands of people drown around the world every year, and yet it can be easily prevente...

PT Barnum: More Complicated Than You've Heard

Tue, 08 May 2018

When your life is as outsized as the World’s Greatest Showman PT Barnum it’s pretty easy to - yo...

SYSK Selects: Are there undiscovered people?

Sat, 05 May 2018

In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck discuss whether there are any truly "undiscovered" groups of...

North Korea: What's the Deal?

Thu, 03 May 2018

For almost 70 years, North Korea has been the bane of South Korea, Japan and the US or has stood as ...

Nepotism: When Hiring the Best Just Won't Do

Tue, 01 May 2018

Nepotism is something that is very hard to avoid, and very hard to resist, even if you know it may b...

SYSK Selects: Who killed JFK?

Sat, 28 Apr 2018

For the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Josh and Chuck...

Does Pyromania Actually Exist?

Thu, 26 Apr 2018

A fascination with fire is part of every kid’s childhood, but it’s meant to be passing. For some...

Emojis: A New Language? Nah.

Tue, 24 Apr 2018

Believe it or not, there's a lot more to Emojis than meets the eye. Turns out their history is prett...

SYSK Selects: How Mirrors Work

Sat, 21 Apr 2018

Whether using polished metal surfaces or clear glass, human beings have enjoyed admiring their refle...

Two Times In the 70s When People Buried Ferraris

Thu, 19 Apr 2018

Not once, but twice in the 1970s people buried amazingly valuable Ferraris, arguably the greatest sp...

The Unabomber: Misguided to say the least

Tue, 17 Apr 2018

The Unabomber was one of the most notorious and longest lasting cases in the history of the FBI. Jus...

SYSK Selects: What happens in the brain during an orgasm?

Sat, 14 Apr 2018

In this classic episode, Chuck and Josh test the limits of their decorum as they explore the physiol...

How Paramedics Work

Thu, 12 Apr 2018

Paramedics are not EMTs. Or fire fighters. Or cops. But they do ride around in ambulances (and drive...

Why Landmines Are The Deadliest Legacy Of War

Tue, 10 Apr 2018

One of the worst legacies of war are the millions of landmines left behind. They hide for decades af...

SYSK Selects: Sherpas: Warm, Friendly Living

Sat, 07 Apr 2018

Pop quiz: What word denotes a nation of people, a last name and an occupation? If you guessed 'Sherp...

Project Azorian: The CIA's Super 70s Mission To Steal A Sunken Soviet Sub

Thu, 05 Apr 2018

In 1974 the CIA undertook one of its most brazen operations – secretly raising a sunken Soviet sub...

When Words Take on New Meanings

Tue, 03 Apr 2018

Historical words often morph and change to take on new meanings. Today on the podcast, Josh and Chuc...

SYSK Selects: How Guide Dogs Work

Sat, 31 Mar 2018

You know how when you see a guide dog leading a blind person to their destination and you think, "Th...

What are false positives?

Thu, 29 Mar 2018

When getting a medical diagnosis, it's important to understand the terms. Negative is good, positive...

How Meals on Wheels Works

Tue, 27 Mar 2018

Meals on Wheels is one of the great charitable organizations in the world, providing much-needed nut...

SYSK Selects: Subways: HUH! What are they good for?

Sat, 24 Mar 2018

As ubiquitous as they've become, it's easy to overlook the marvels of engineering that are subways. ...

How the Framingham Heart Study Works

Thu, 22 Mar 2018

In the 1940s, a tiny town outside Boston volunteered to be test subjects in a study that would becom...

How the New England Vampire Panics Worked

Tue, 20 Mar 2018

In the 19th century, in isolated villages and godforsaken towns in rural New England, people began t...

SYSK Selects: How Trickle-Down Economics Works

Sat, 17 Mar 2018

The concept of trickle-down economics is tied to Ronald Reagan, but the idea's been around and in us...

Is Vaping Really Bad For You?

Thu, 15 Mar 2018

E-cigs, vapes, whatever you call them they have been touted as a safer alternative to tobacco and ev...

The Huggable, Lovable Walrus

Tue, 13 Mar 2018

When it comes to the animal kingdom, SYSK has covered a wide range. This week, the guys dive into th...

SYSK Selects: How Cockroaches Work

Sat, 10 Mar 2018

You've seen them in your home and probably squealed in terror, but now it's time to learn all about ...

Why Do People Believe In Faith Healing?

Thu, 08 Mar 2018

Since a 1906 revival in Los Angeles, people around the world say they’ve been cured by the Holy Sp...

The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys

Tue, 06 Mar 2018

Anyone who ever picked up a comic book as a kid probably marveled at the ads for the mysterious Sea ...

SYSK Selects: Is there treasure on Oak Island?

Sat, 03 Mar 2018

Off Nova Scotia, the tiny spit of land called Oak Island has been host to waves of treasure hunters ...

SYSK Live: Back When Ford Pintos Were Flaming Deathtraps

Thu, 01 Mar 2018

For this special live benefit episode recorded in Atlanta, Josh and Chuck go back to the 70s and loo...

Knife Throwing: Super Cool

Tue, 27 Feb 2018

Sure knives can cut through a steak or slash through jungle vines, but probably the coolest thing yo...

SYSK Selects: How the MPAA Works

Sat, 24 Feb 2018

You may be surprised to learn those ubiquitous ratings, from G to NC-17, put on movies in America ar...

Rosa Parks: Agent of Change

Thu, 22 Feb 2018

Rosa Parks finishes out our Black History Month episodes in grand fashion. While most know her from ...

Are Feral Children Real?

Tue, 20 Feb 2018

For millennia people have been amazed by legends of wild children found in the forest or jungle, som...

SYSK Selects: How the Underground Railroad Worked

Sat, 17 Feb 2018

As early as 1786, groups assembled to help slaves escape lives of bondage. And, as the 19th century ...

The Harriet Tubman Story

Thu, 15 Feb 2018

Harriet Tubman is a legendary figure in history, but the details of her life are even more remarkabl...

How Pompeii Worked

Tue, 13 Feb 2018

What must be one of the most famous natural disasters in history took place when Mt Vesuvius buried ...

SYSK Selects: How Narco States Work

Sat, 10 Feb 2018

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss Narco States, places where illegal ...

The Mystery of The Grand Canyon Newlyweds

Thu, 08 Feb 2018

In 1928 Bessie and Glen Hyde attempted to navigate their way through the belly of the Grand Canyon i...

What is a Mold-A-Rama?

Tue, 06 Feb 2018

In the 1960s, a very cool machine debuted at the Seattle World's Fair - the Mold-A-Rama. It made rea...

SYSK Selects: How Lion Taming Works

Sat, 03 Feb 2018

Bossing a lion around in front of a crowd at a circus has been an attraction for 200 years, but exac...

Marijuana Vs. Alcohol: Which Is Worse For You?

Thu, 01 Feb 2018

It's been the subject of teenage conversation for decades already, but now you can join Josh and Chu...

The Manson Family Murders Part II

Tue, 30 Jan 2018

Listen in today for the conclusion of the story of the Manson Family Murders. Learn more about your...

SYSK Selects: Prisons - Not as Fun as You'd Think

Sat, 27 Jan 2018

Most people have a basic understanding of how prisons work, but it's often heavily influenced by fic...

The Manson Family Murders Part I

Thu, 25 Jan 2018

The '60s ended with a lot of turbulence, not the least of which was the Manson Family Murders. What ...

How Hoarding Works

Tue, 23 Jan 2018

You may be familiar with compulsive hoarding from TV, but something that’s often missing from thos...

SYSK Selects: Lab-grown meat: Order up!

Sat, 20 Jan 2018

Since Winston Churchill predicted we'd grow meat in a lab by 1981, researchers have considered doing...

How Hang Gliding Works

Thu, 18 Jan 2018

It’s a super 70s thing, sure, but hang gliding is a thrill ride for the ages. So strap in with Jos...

How Removing Public Monuments Work

Tue, 16 Jan 2018

Public monuments can be removed for a variety of reasons, from public sentiment changing, to governm...

SYSK Selects: The Wind Cries Typhoid Mary

Sat, 13 Jan 2018

In the 19th century, typhoid was considered a disease of the lower classes. When an outbreak occurre...

What is an invasive species?

Thu, 11 Jan 2018

Invasive species can mean a lot of things, from fungus to feral pigs and European starlings to kudzu...

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

Tue, 09 Jan 2018

When the Mary Celeste was discovered floating and abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean one ...

SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?

Sat, 06 Jan 2018

The term "one-hit wonder" gets thrown around a lot, and - yes - you probably are using it correctly,...

How Impeachment Works

Thu, 04 Jan 2018

Impeachment is does not necessarily mean a president is removed from office. But it could. It's a fa...

How Orchids Work

Tue, 02 Jan 2018

Ever since Victorian orchid hunters ravaged the tropics in search of unique specimens to sell for lu...

SYSK Selects: How Willpower Works

Sat, 30 Dec 2017

You use it every day to overcome your lower self (which wants you to eat cake until your vision blur...

How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Works, Part II

Thu, 28 Dec 2017

We finish our tour of the best sights of the ancient world when we get deep into the history of a li...

How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Works, Part I

Tue, 26 Dec 2017

Long before slide rulers and pocket protectors, civilizations across the world used their noggins to...

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

Sat, 23 Dec 2017

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

The 2017 SYSK Christmas Extravaganza!

Thu, 21 Dec 2017

It's the most wonderful episode of the year! Join Josh and Chuck as they ride their sleigh through t...

Narcissism: But what about me?

Tue, 19 Dec 2017

This week Josh and Chuck dive into the world of narcissism, one of the most perplexing and disturbin...

SYSK Selects: How Population Works

Sat, 16 Dec 2017

Population may not seem like the most scintillating topic in the world, but Josh and Chuck beg to di...

How the Globe of Death Works

Thu, 14 Dec 2017

The Globe of Death – el Globo de la Muerte to our Spanish-speaking friends – is perhaps the grea...

The Deal With Doulas

Tue, 12 Dec 2017

The word doula in Ancient Greek might mean "female servant" but it's really not a great description ...

SYSK Selects: How much money is there in the world?​

Sat, 09 Dec 2017

There are few things more futile than trying to count all of the money in the world. Even many gover...

How Flight Attendants Work

Thu, 07 Dec 2017

Flight attendants have come a long way. From having to put up with rampant sexism, to the current in...

How Vomit Phobia Works

Tue, 05 Dec 2017

No one - no one - likes to vomit, but there are some people who would prefer to die rather than vomi...

SYSK Selects: How Crime Scene Cleanup Works

Sat, 02 Dec 2017

Cleaning up crime scenes is a niche industry that's both lucrative and messy. In this episode, Josh ...

Cake: So Great. So, So Great

Thu, 30 Nov 2017

Cake has been around for a long time, but mostly less than great forms. It took the Industrial Revol...

How Toy Testing Works

Tue, 28 Nov 2017

It's every kid's dream - a job playing with toys that pays in toys. It's a real thing and has been a...

SYSK Selects: How Organ Donation Works

Sat, 25 Nov 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, tune in as Josh and Chuck take a detailed look at organ donation...

What is nuclear forensics?

Thu, 23 Nov 2017

Nuclear forensics is a lot of things - from UN sponsored inspections to tasks more on the down low. ...

Bath Salts: Steer Clear

Tue, 21 Nov 2017

Although much of the media-fueled hysteria over the designer drug called bath salts has been utterly...

SYSK Selects: How Daylight Saving Time Works

Sat, 18 Nov 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, Benjamin Franklin first came up with daylight saving time in 174...

Can movies be cursed?

Thu, 16 Nov 2017

First of all, movies can't be cursed because curses aren't real. However, that can't stop Josh and C...

How the Flu Works

Tue, 14 Nov 2017

Every year the flu virus makes the rounds, laying up young and old alike for days before moving on t...

SYSK Selects: How Silly Putty Works

Sat, 11 Nov 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, when the Japanese invaded Southeast Asia in World War II, they c...

What's permaculture all about?

Thu, 09 Nov 2017

Permaculture is a growing trend in the world of farming and home landscaping. It's basically a desig...

How Restaurant Health Inspections Work

Tue, 07 Nov 2017

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know the feeling that occurs when the health inspector pa...

SYSK Selects: How Exorcism Works

Sat, 04 Nov 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, is the idea of possession a misunderstanding of physiological an...

Movie Crush: Tig Notaro on Mask

Fri, 03 Nov 2017

Episode two of Movie Crush is a very special one. Comedian Tig Notaro dropped in minutes after a ver...

Movie Crush: Janet Varney on Tron

Fri, 03 Nov 2017

This week Movie Crush launches with two great episodes. Up first, actress Janet Varney talks with Ch...

How Global Warming Works

Thu, 02 Nov 2017

It's a confusing part of climate change when it seems winter is as cold as ever, but as global tempe...

SYSK's 2017 Super Spooktacular!

Tue, 31 Oct 2017

In this year's super scary Halloween episode, Chuck and Josh read two great works of horror fiction:...

SYSK Selects: How SPAM Works

Sat, 28 Oct 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, SPAM is a canned meat product made from pork shoulder and ham. F...

Episode 1,000: The Simpsons Spectacular Part II

Thu, 26 Oct 2017

Today concludes our two part celebration of one of the greatest TV shows of all time - The Simpsons!...

Episode 999: The Simpsons Spectacular Part I

Tue, 24 Oct 2017

For our 999th and 1,000th episodes, we go down the rabbit hole on a TV show that quite literally alt...

SYSK Selects: The Cheesiest SYSK Episode Ever

Sat, 21 Oct 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, cheese is often overlooked as a one of humanity's great achievem...

How Internships Work

Thu, 19 Oct 2017

The term intern comes from the medical community, but virtually every industry now uses them. From r...

SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist

Tue, 17 Oct 2017

Join Josh and Chuck live from Seattle as they (sky)dive into one of the most brazen robberies in the...

SYSK Selects: Is there such a thing as a truth serum?

Sat, 14 Oct 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, ever since people have had secrets, other people have been looki...

How Buildering Works

Thu, 12 Oct 2017

Up until recently we had no idea buildering was a word. Or that people scaling buildings has been a ...

How the Rolling Jubilee Works

Tue, 10 Oct 2017

Everyone thought it was the pits that banks were bailed out by taxpayers in 2008 while those same pe...

SYSK Selects: Did a cow start the Great Chicago Fire?

Sat, 07 Oct 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, Josh and Chuck find who's probably to blame for the Great Chicag...

How Giraffes Work

Thu, 05 Oct 2017

Even though giraffes are one of the most recognizable animals on the planet, it wasn't until the 21s...

How Police Body Cameras Work

Tue, 03 Oct 2017

Cops wearing cameras is a new thing. So new that we aren't entirely sure of all the ramifications th...

SYSK Selects: What was the most peaceful time in history?

Sat, 30 Sep 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, there is a lot of debate about whether pre-agricultural humans e...

How Nude Beaches Work

Thu, 28 Sep 2017

Probably all beaches were nude early on, but as society developed and body shame became all the rage...

How FOIA Works

Tue, 26 Sep 2017

In the 60s, Congress worried the White House was operating too much in secret and passed the Freedom...

SYSK Selects: Fecal Transplants: You Gonna Drink That Poop?

Sat, 23 Sep 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, there's an emerging field in health care called medical ecology ...

A Nostalgic Look at Crayons

Thu, 21 Sep 2017

Mixing wax with pigment is something artists have been doing since DaVinci. These little implements ...

How Frogs Work

Tue, 19 Sep 2017

They survived the extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, but unfortunately frogs seem to be no mat...

SYSK Selects: How Handwriting Analysis Works

Sat, 16 Sep 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, one of the fields of forensic investigation, handwriting analysi...

How the Secret Service Works

Thu, 14 Sep 2017

The U.S. Secret Service began after a mandate from President Lincoln called for a service to combat ...

How Psychopaths Work

Tue, 12 Sep 2017

There are people who walk among us who seem normal, maybe even more charming or intelligent than ave...

SYSK Selects: How Hip-hop Works

Sat, 09 Sep 2017

In this week's SYSK Select, what you hear is not a test, instead it's Chuck and Josh discussing the ...

Are crickets the future of food?

Thu, 07 Sep 2017

Crickets are part of a larger insect-based diet enjoyed in most parts of the world. Loaded with vita...

The Baffling Case of the Body On Somerton Beach

Tue, 05 Sep 2017

Since his corpse was found in 1948, wearing a nice suit in summer on an Australian beach, an unident...

SYSK Selects: How Shrunken Heads Work

Sat, 02 Sep 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, although U.S. museum collections are rife with counterfeits, shr...

How Satanism Works

Thu, 31 Aug 2017

Satanism may be the most misunderstood "religion" in the world. Part of that is because there are, a...

A Lip-Smacking Look at Barbecue

Tue, 29 Aug 2017

Barbecue, or for the lazy, BBQ, is a Southern cooking tradition, but also much more than that. It's ...

SYSK Selects: Is Stockholm Syndrome real?

Sat, 26 Aug 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, since a hostage standoff in Sweden took place in 1972 a peculiar...

How Personality Tests Work

Thu, 24 Aug 2017

For millennia, we have tried to put human personalities into neat types, an effort psychology took u...

Is the Uncanny Valley Real?

Tue, 22 Aug 2017

In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the m...

SYSK Selects: How Exploitation Films Work

Sat, 19 Aug 2017

In today's SYSK Select episode, we learn about exploitation films. During the 1930s-80s, the work of...

What's the deal with accents?

Thu, 17 Aug 2017

Accents are truly fascinating. Put simply, they are how a person sounds when they talk. From England...

How Stuttering Works

Tue, 15 Aug 2017

Despite as much as one percent of the adult population having the condition, science doesn't actuall...

SYSK Selects: How McCarthyism Works

Sat, 12 Aug 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, if you're accusing someone of disloyalty or subversion without d...

How Bioarchaeology Works

Thu, 10 Aug 2017

Thanks to advancements in fields like genetics, and molecular chemistry, archaeology is undergoing a...

Do motivational speakers motivate people?

Tue, 08 Aug 2017

There are all kinds of motivational speakers, from people who have overcome incredible hardships to ...

SYSK Selects: Why do men have nipples?

Sat, 05 Aug 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, they're always right there, taunting you: why do you have me, th...

Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

Thu, 03 Aug 2017

In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept...

How Public Broadcasting Works

Tue, 01 Aug 2017

Public broadcasting works a bit differently depending on where you are in the world. American TV mad...

SYSK Selects: How Disco Works

Sat, 29 Jul 2017

In today's SYSK Select episode, fly, robin, fly indeed. No musical genre has risen and burned out as...

A Dry Look at Toilet Paper

Thu, 27 Jul 2017

Over or under? One ply or two? How about six? TP has not been around that long, but is has been embr...

What is Ghost Fishing?

Tue, 25 Jul 2017

It sounds cool, but ghost fishing is actually a tragic byproduct of modern fishing practices, where ...

SYSK Selects: How the Sun Works

Sat, 22 Jul 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, amateur astrophysicists Josh and Chuck break out the stats and a...

All We Know About Guessing

Thu, 20 Jul 2017

Guessing is a weird thing. For millennia, it could have meant the difference between life and death....

Sunburn, Suntans and Sunscreen

Tue, 18 Jul 2017

It's pretty obvious something's gone wrong when you get a sunburn, but did you know a tan means you'...

SYSK Selects: Why can't we find Amelia Earhart?

Sat, 15 Jul 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, famed aviator Amelia Earhart's disappearance in 1937 is a myster...

How Fever Dreams Work

Thu, 13 Jul 2017

Fever dreams can be unsettling experiences. These ramped up nightmares are vivid, detailed and only ...

Why is There a Battle Over Net Neutrality?

Tue, 11 Jul 2017

Net neutrality is the idea that the internet is a public good and that everyone should have equal, u...

SYSK Selects: How HeLa Cells Work

Sat, 08 Jul 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, after she was diagnosed with the cervical cancer that shortly ki...

Josh and Chuck's List of Horror Movies that Changed the Genre

Thu, 06 Jul 2017

Once in a while a movie comes along that's so forward-thinking it changes the way that horror is don...

What exactly is stoicism?

Tue, 04 Jul 2017

The word stoic has taken on its own meaning apart from the philosophical movement which gave it life...

SYSK Selects: Why isn't the U.S. on the metric system?

Sat, 01 Jul 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, the U.S. stands proudly defiant and the world looks at Americans...

How Standardized Patients Work

Thu, 29 Jun 2017

Even the most brilliant medical minds need a good bedside manner, and thanks to standardized patient...

Remembering Stonewall

Tue, 27 Jun 2017

One of American history's darker moments, the Stonewall Riots were also the event that galvanized th...

SYSK Selects: Scooby Dooby Doo, Where Are You?

Sat, 24 Jun 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, for decades, Scooby Doo has captivated children across the world...

How Ketchup Works

Thu, 22 Jun 2017

Little-known fact: Ketchup, possibly the most all-American of condiments, evolved from fermented fis...

How Seed Banks Work

Tue, 20 Jun 2017

Since the advent of agriculture, humans have been storing seeds. But as sea levels rise and climates...

SYSK Selects: Do you stay conscious after being decapitated?

Sat, 17 Jun 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, historically speaking, decapitation was a popular means of execu...

What was Camp X?

Thu, 15 Jun 2017

In the early days of World War II, there was a secret training program in Canada that taught Allied ...

How the Beagle Brigade Works

Tue, 13 Jun 2017

If you've ever been to an international airport, you've probably seen one of the keenest spotters of...

SYSK Selects: How Maps Work

Sat, 10 Jun 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, yes, your brain may have just flash-dried from boredom at the th...

Why Are Whale Strandings Still a Mystery?

Thu, 08 Jun 2017

For millennia, mass strandings of whales have confounded us. Why should dozens or more whales come o...

How Coelacanths Work

Tue, 06 Jun 2017

Coelacanths are incredibly interesting as far as fish go. For one, they were thought to have gone th...

SYSK Selects: What's the deal with Rasputin's death?

Sat, 03 Jun 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, Grigori Rasputin, the Russian charismatic cleric and political a...

The Stories Behind A Few Food Fads

Thu, 01 Jun 2017

America loves to go nuts over new food trends and it turns out that the 20th century was a boon time...

Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?

Tue, 30 May 2017

Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it ...

SYSK Selects: How Beer Works

Sat, 27 May 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, at long last, Josh and Chuck take on perhaps their most importan...

How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement

Thu, 25 May 2017

Schoolhouse Rock is possibly the best children's program of all time. Join Josh and Chuck as they te...

Is a head transplant really a thing?

Tue, 23 May 2017

"Head transplant" is a bit of a misnomer, because it's more like a body transplant. But either way, ...

SYSK Selects: How Magic Mushrooms Work

Sat, 20 May 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, for thousands of years, humans have used hallucinogenic mushroom...

How the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis Work

Thu, 18 May 2017

It wasn't too long ago that humans thought the polar lights were signs from the afterlife. Thanks to...

How Champagne Works

Tue, 16 May 2017

Sure we can all agree that champagne is probably the greatest thing humans have or ever will invent,...

SYSK Selects: Gesundheit! How Allergies Work

Sat, 13 May 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, about 30-40 percent of humans suffer from some sort of allergy. ...

How Charismatic Megafauna Work

Thu, 11 May 2017

Charismatic Megafauna is not just a great band name. It's really just a fancy word for the cutest an...

How Itching Works

Tue, 09 May 2017

It was only in the last few decades that science became aware that itches aren't just low-level pain...

SYSK Selects: What's the 10,000 Year Clock?

Sat, 06 May 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, in a desert in Texas a 200-feet-tall clock is being constructed ...

Some Nutso Fan Theories

Thu, 04 May 2017

It turns out that the characters in your favorite TV shows and the like are actually dead, dreaming,...

How Poetry Works

Tue, 02 May 2017

Poetry is a broad and expansive art form. From dramatic verse to haiku, rhyming poetry and spoken wo...

SYSK Selects: How Revisionist History Works

Sat, 29 Apr 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, perhaps you equate the term to conspiracy theories and Holocaust...

How Multiple Sclerosis Works

Thu, 27 Apr 2017

When the immune system mistakes the tissue covering neural connections as foreign invaders, the resu...

How the National Security Council Works

Tue, 25 Apr 2017

Until recently, most people probably never paid much attention to the National Security Council. It'...

SYSK Selects: How Breast Implants Work

Sat, 22 Apr 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, the first attempt at breast augmentation surgery was on a dog. T...

How Swearing Works

Thu, 20 Apr 2017

Swearing is something that's been done across all cultures, virtually since humans began speaking. W...

How Corsets Work

Tue, 18 Apr 2017

Sure, we're doing an episode on corsets. Why do you ask? Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...

SYSK Selects: Lying Liars: How Lying Works, Liar

Sat, 15 Apr 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, studies find that absolutely everyone lies - some have found as ...

How Supervolcanoes Work

Thu, 13 Apr 2017

Until recently, volcanologists thought supervolcanoes were simply massive volcanoes. But further res...

How Supreme Court Nominations Work

Tue, 11 Apr 2017

Being nominated as a Supreme Court Justice is no small thing, and it doesn't always go as planned. W...

SYSK Selects: Can you die of a broken heart?

Sat, 08 Apr 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, in the early 1990s, Japanese researchers found a strange anomaly...

How Empathy Works

Thu, 06 Apr 2017

Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either ...

Composting: Nature's Most Interesting Process

Tue, 04 Apr 2017

You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you...

SYSK Selects: How Filibusters Work

Sat, 01 Apr 2017

In this week's SYSK Select episode, although lots of people incorrectly believe the filibuster was a...

The Shroud Of Turin: No Ordinary Bed Sheet

Thu, 30 Mar 2017

The Shroud of Turin is no ordinary bed sheet. Some think it's the burial cloth of Jesus. Others thin...

How Foreign Accent Syndrome Works

Tue, 28 Mar 2017

Foreign accent syndrome isn't when your mom talks funny when she goes abroad. It's an actual conditi...

How the Hyperloop Will Work

Thu, 23 Mar 2017

If you’re out there, Elon Musk, this one’s for you (although you already know everything in this...

Solitary Confinement: Cruel and Unusual

Tue, 21 Mar 2017

In our continuing exploration of crime and punishment, we take a look at the practice of solitary co...

Southerners Aren’t Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm

Thu, 16 Mar 2017

There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a ...

Pain Scales: Yeeeow!

Tue, 14 Mar 2017

Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat p...

History of the Trail of Tears, Part II

Thu, 09 Mar 2017

In the second of two parts, what was once a voluntary resettlement program becomes a violent, forced...

History of the Trail of Tears, Part I

Tue, 07 Mar 2017

In this first of two episodes on the Trail of Tears, learn about the forces that converged to create...

How Optical Illusions Work

Thu, 02 Mar 2017

Now you see it, now you don't — optical illusions can fool us into seeing what's not actually ther...

How Free Speech Works

Tue, 28 Feb 2017

Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment does...

How Famines Work

Thu, 23 Feb 2017

It’s common knowledge that famines are usually caused by major droughts: Rain doesn’t fall, crop...

The ins and outs of the DEATH TAX

Tue, 21 Feb 2017

The estate tax, also known as the death tax, is not new. It's actually been around in some form sinc...

The Black Panther Party

Thu, 16 Feb 2017

The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant gro...

Tardigrades: Nature's Cuddly, Indestructible Microanimal

Tue, 14 Feb 2017

You can burn them, freeze them, shoot them into space – they wouldn’t bat an eyelash, even if th...

Live from San Francisco: How Malls Work

Thu, 09 Feb 2017

In this show recorded live on January 5, 2017 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Josh and Chuck de...

The Quinoa Revolution!

Tue, 07 Feb 2017

Quinoa is a trendy food, right alongside kale and anything else farm to table. But it's really an an...

What's the future of virtual sex?

Thu, 02 Feb 2017

In the not too distant future, sex may not involve being in the same room as your partner. In fact, ...

Elastics: Where God and Science Smooch

Tue, 31 Jan 2017

You could be forgiven for thinking the story behind elastics was boring. You’d still be wrong, tho...

How Pacifism Works (And Could It?)

Thu, 26 Jan 2017

There is deep disagreement over whether humans are essentially peaceful or essentially warlike. Depe...

How Dictators Work

Tue, 24 Jan 2017

There are many types of dictators, from so called "benevolent" ones to the kind who rule with an iro...

How Soylent Works

Thu, 19 Jan 2017

Soylent is a meal replacement drink, but not really. So what is it? Total sustenance in a glass? Som...

Are Artificial Sweeteners Really Bad For You?

Tue, 17 Jan 2017

Artificial sweeteners have gotten a bad rap in the press for as long as they’ve been in use. But i...

How Watersheds Work

Thu, 12 Jan 2017

Unless you happen to be standing on a hilltop or swimming in the ocean right now, you are on a water...

What's the deal with Baby Boomers?

Tue, 10 Jan 2017

Baby Boomers are probably the most talked about generation in American history. But who are these pe...

How Feeding Babies Works: The Bottle

Thu, 05 Jan 2017

The decision to bottle feed a baby instead of breast-feeding is a weighty one these days, fraught wi...

How Feeding Babies Works: The Breast

Tue, 03 Jan 2017

Breast milk is considered a perfect food for infants, so much so that for the first four to six mont...

Human Blockheads: A Real Thing

Thu, 29 Dec 2016

Human blockheads are performers who hammer nails and things into their noses. Yup. That's a thing. A...

Can you live without a bank account?

Tue, 27 Dec 2016

Seems like it would be nearly impossible to live without a bank account these days. But it is possib...

The Stuff You Should Know 2016 Christmas Extravaganza in 3-D!

Thu, 22 Dec 2016

It’s the most wonderful time of year again! Time for Josh and Chuck to take you on a cozy, hall-de...

The Golden Age of Grave Robbing: Stuff You Should Know Live in London

Tue, 20 Dec 2016

There was a brief period in the US, UK and Ireland when a dead body could fetch a pretty penny for a...

How Porta-Potties Work

Thu, 15 Dec 2016

Despite our lengthy history of evacuating our bowels and bladders, it wasn’t until the relatively ...

Will We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects?

Tue, 13 Dec 2016

In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evid...

Is computer addiction a thing?

Thu, 08 Dec 2016

Computer addiction is really an umbrella term for the various addictions that can come along with th...

Horoscopes: Written in the Stars?

Tue, 06 Dec 2016

A lot of people read their daily horoscopes, but does anyone really take stock in them? Turns out th...

How a Flea Circus Works

Thu, 01 Dec 2016

If you've ever seen a flea circus, then count yourself among the few. It's a dying art, but back in ...

Frostbite: Yeeeow!

Tue, 29 Nov 2016

Up to the 1950s most reports of frostbite came from the world’s militaries, but as outdoor sports ...

Should Advertising to Kids Be Banned?

Thu, 24 Nov 2016

As kids’ buying power in America has exploded in recent decades, so too has the amount companies s...

The Kitty Genovese Story

Tue, 22 Nov 2016

Most people have heard of the story of Kitty Genovese. She was murdered near her apartment in 1964 a...

What's the Deal with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?

Thu, 17 Nov 2016

Concussions are bad enough for football players, but research has found all of those smaller hits ca...

How Fireplaces Work

Tue, 15 Nov 2016

They are dirty, harmful to your health, bad for the environment and utterly charming. Wood-burning f...

How Monty Python Worked: SYSK Live from LA Podfest

Thu, 10 Nov 2016

Things get awesome when Josh and Chuck do a live show on Monty Python at the LA Podcast Festival. Ha...

Do sin taxes work?

Tue, 08 Nov 2016

Taxing things like alcohol, tobacco and gambling is big money and has been for a long time. But are ...

A Partial History of Action Figures

Thu, 03 Nov 2016

Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots ...

Ham Radio and the Hams Who Use Them

Tue, 01 Nov 2016

If you thought that Ham Radio enthusiasts were (mostly) men and boys who sit alone late at night in ...

SYSK The Podcast: Special Halloween Bonus Episode 2016, The Sequel – From Hell

Mon, 31 Oct 2016

Lock your doors and grab something heavy to defend yourself, like a candlestick or something, becaus...

The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders

Thu, 27 Oct 2016

In 1922, a little farm in the woods of Bavaria became the site of what would become Germany’s most...

How Sleep Paralysis Works, or The Worst Thing That Can Happen While You're Sleeping

Tue, 25 Oct 2016

For as long as people have been sleeping, about half of us have probably suffered from sleep paralys...

Living Underground in Beijing

Thu, 20 Oct 2016

Chairman Mao’s paranoia of a Soviet invasion led to hundreds of thousands of Beijing residents put...

What's the What with Fish Fraud?

Tue, 18 Oct 2016

Fish fraud, misrepresenting a fish as a more expensive one, costs Americans $25 billion a year. And ...

How the Census Works

Thu, 13 Oct 2016

Counting humans has been happening for a long, long time. It usually had to do with taxing them, but...

Hibernation: Not a Snooze

Tue, 11 Oct 2016

When animals are faced with scarce food in the winter, they have two choices to stay alive: migrate ...

Why Did Easter Island's Civilization Collapse?

Thu, 06 Oct 2016

When the first Europeans landed on Rapa Nui, which they renamed Easter Island, they were puzzled by ...

The Amazing History of Soda

Mon, 03 Oct 2016

The soda we get instantly mixed at a fast-food joint owes a lot to a rich history going back to the ...

How Polar Bears Work

Thu, 29 Sep 2016

Polar bears are more than just lovable creatures that roam the ice in search of food. They're one of...

How Ice Ages Work

Tue, 27 Sep 2016

Believe it or not, we live in an ice age. The polar glaciers give it away. Those glaciers used to co...

All we know about Zika so far...

Thu, 22 Sep 2016

Zika is all over the news these days, yet in America, people don't seem to be too concerned just yet...

How Cerebral Palsy Works

Tue, 20 Sep 2016

Cerebral palsy isn’t a disease, but an umbrella term for conditions arising from brain damage suff...

What's the deal with Stradivarius violins?

Thu, 15 Sep 2016

The Strad violin is noted for its tonal qualities and superior craftsmanship. And for its price tag....

Alexander Hamilton: Most Influential American?

Tue, 13 Sep 2016

Alexander Hamilton, the "ten dollar founding father," is more than the toast of Broadway. In fact, h...

Do Animals Have Natural Rights?

Thu, 08 Sep 2016

Animals have had legal protection from unnecessary harm since the 19th century. Yet what harm is nec...

How Animal Testing Works

Tue, 06 Sep 2016

The use of animals for commercial and scientific testing is a quietly controversial topic. That we h...

How the Negro Leagues Worked

Thu, 01 Sep 2016

A decade before the U.S. officially segregated in 1896, baseball banned black players. A decade befo...

How Food Tasters Work

Tue, 30 Aug 2016

Some people might think that tasting food for a living is the best job in the whole wide world. But ...

This Custom of Customs

Thu, 25 Aug 2016

Customs may be a pain when you're traveling, but it's a necessary instrument the government uses to ...

Jellyfish: Even Cooler than Octopi?

Tue, 23 Aug 2016

Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into...

The Delightful History of Steam Technology

Thu, 18 Aug 2016

One of the coolest things humans have ever figured out is how to use steam as power. It made the Ind...

How Woolly Mammoths Worked

Tue, 16 Aug 2016

It was only 11000 years ago that the last true woolly mammoths died out, close enough to the modern ...

Evel Knievel Part II

Thu, 11 Aug 2016

In today's episode, we cover part two of our Evel Knievel suite. The man, the myth, the legend. Chec...

Evel Knievel Part I

Tue, 09 Aug 2016

Evel Knievel was perhaps the world's most legendary daredevil. He came along at a time when the worl...

Mermaids: Not a real thing

Thu, 04 Aug 2016

Mermaids aren't real. That much we know. But the history and lore of these magical and sometimes men...

How Night Terrors Work

Mon, 01 Aug 2016

Night terrors, an uncommon sleep disorder, happen when the brain doesn't transition correctly to dee...

What is exploding head syndrome?

Thu, 28 Jul 2016

Exploding head syndrome isn't nearly as weird as it sounds, and there are no brain parts being damag...

How Triage Works

Tue, 26 Jul 2016

Triage is a system that provides immediate attention and categorization for medical emergencies that...

How the Moonwalk Works

Thu, 21 Jul 2016

When Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk in 1983 the world was enrapt. The dance goes back farther,...

How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe

Tue, 19 Jul 2016

Since the age of Descartes, science has put all of its eggs in the basket of determinism, the idea t...

The Gettysburg Address: Short and Sweet

Thu, 14 Jul 2016

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in political history, despite only being a...

How Radiation Sickness Works

Tue, 12 Jul 2016

Fortunately, science has very few instances where humans have been exposed to acute radiation poison...

What's with this "Internet of Things"?

Thu, 07 Jul 2016

You may have heard about the Internet of Things and not known what the term meant. It's basically a ...

Research tips from SYSK

Tue, 05 Jul 2016

People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'l...

How Lighthouses Work

Thu, 30 Jun 2016

People have been burning fires on cliffs as long as other people have used boats, but after the Age ...

How Underground Mining Works

Tue, 28 Jun 2016

People used to use deer antlers to beat the minerals out of rock hidden in the earth. Luckily, they ...

What's the misery index?

Thu, 23 Jun 2016

Economists love their data because somewhere in the numbers lies the answer to the ills of the count...

How Space Stations Work

Tue, 21 Jun 2016

It seems like we largely take it for granted these days, but the fact that we have humans living in ...

How Steadicams Work

Thu, 16 Jun 2016

There have been many inventions that have advanced filmmaking, but maybe none as important as the st...

Why Are So Many Disembodied Feet Washing Ashore In British Columbia?

Tue, 14 Jun 2016

Between 2007 and 2016, 17 disembodied feet - still wearing shoes - have washed ashore between Washin...

What's the deal with controlled burns?

Thu, 09 Jun 2016

Starting a fire to prevent fire seems counterintuitive, but it makes a lot of sense once you underst...

How Motion Sickness Works

Tue, 07 Jun 2016

Motion sickness is the worst and hits about 25 to 40 percent of humans when they ride in cars, boats...

How Gene Editing Works

Thu, 02 Jun 2016

With the discovery of a surprising immune response in E coli bacteria, we are facing a new era of fr...

How SuperBalls Work

Tue, 31 May 2016

You can thank Wham-O's SuperBall for inspiring the name of the NFL's Big Game (buh) and you can than...

How Crumple Zones Work

Wed, 25 May 2016

If you've ever been in a bad accident in a newer car, you probably have crumple zones to thank for y...

Chiggers: The Phantom Menace

Mon, 23 May 2016

Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. ...

The Unsolved Mystery Disappearance of the Sodder Children

Wed, 18 May 2016

In 1945 a house fire took the lives of five children - except that no trace of their bodies was ever...

How Bonsai Works

Mon, 16 May 2016

For thousands of years people have been taking normal trees and forcing them into miniature. Learn a...

True stories of survival cannibalism!

Wed, 11 May 2016

Cannibalism is the macabre practice of eating other humans. But sometimes, people have no choice if ...

How Snake Handlers Work

Mon, 09 May 2016

Snake handling ranges from professional snake milkers for antivenin to religious handlers who tend t...

How LSD Works

Thu, 05 May 2016

In 1943 Swiss chemist Albert Hofman discovered he'd created what may be the most potent hallucinogen...

How Megalodon Worked

Tue, 03 May 2016

Between 2 to 20 million years ago, the biggest shark with perhaps the most devastating bite of any a...

What was Operation Plowshare?

Thu, 28 Apr 2016

America had already used two nuclear bombs to devastating effect when researchers thought "maybe we ...

Myths and Truths About Tornadoes

Mon, 25 Apr 2016

Tornadoes can make mincemeat out of houses, people, cars, you name it. So do you know what to do - a...

Does Kin Selection Explain Altruism?

Thu, 21 Apr 2016

There's a curious puzzle unanswered by the theory of evolution: why do some animals give up their ch...

What Makes Lead So Poisonous?

Tue, 19 Apr 2016

The people of Flint, MI were horrified to find their drinking water was poisoned with lead. As we le...

How Big Bang Theory Works, with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Thu, 14 Apr 2016

There are a number of theories for how the universe evolved but none are more widely accepted than t...

How the Gender Pay Gap Works

Tue, 12 Apr 2016

The gender pay gap is the amount of time into the next year a woman must work to earn as much as a m...

How Labor Strikes Work

Thu, 07 Apr 2016

Labor strikes are the last resort of a workforce frustrated with low pay or dangerous working condit...

Our cats episode - right here, right meow

Tue, 05 Apr 2016

Cats are the most popular pet in the United States, despite the fact that we've only been keeping th...

Nostalgia is not the most toxic impulse

Thu, 31 Mar 2016

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It's not home sickness, it's more connected to emotions and a time in yo...

What Was the Deal With the Hatfields and McCoys?

Tue, 29 Mar 2016

It was America's most famous family feud, but the history of the Hatfields vs the McCoys is fraught ...

How TED Talks Work: Featuring Roman Mars

Thu, 24 Mar 2016

TED Talks have been around longer than you think. They became really popular once YouTube came along...

Who Gets to Name Continents?

Tue, 22 Mar 2016

America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, right? Maybe not. And who named Australia? Find out the unu...

How Makeup Works

Thu, 17 Mar 2016

Humans have been wearing makeup for a few thousand years now and yet, here in the US the chemicals u...

Some Really Interesting Cases of Mass Hysteria

Tue, 15 Mar 2016

Around the world and across time, people have fallen victim to one of the strongest contagions of al...

How Dark Money Works

Thu, 10 Mar 2016

Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in the Citizens United case that political contributions are s...

How The Iditarod Works

Tue, 08 Mar 2016

Each year hundreds of dogs haul humans in sleds as part of the 1,100 plus mile Iditarod Trail Sled D...

How Freak Shows Worked

Thu, 03 Mar 2016

Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with a physical disformity...

How El Nino Works

Tue, 01 Mar 2016

El Nino may mean "the little boy" or "Christ Child" in Spanish, but this weather phenomenon really m...

(Approximately) 10 Things That Vanished Mysteriously

Thu, 25 Feb 2016

Sometimes things - like dentures, airplanes or even people - go missing. And when they never turn up...

The Future of Renewable Energy, Featuring Bill Gates

Tue, 23 Feb 2016

Renewable energy could be the key to ensuring the future prosperity and health of Planet Earth and h...

How Nitrous Oxide Works

Thu, 18 Feb 2016

For about 175 years people have been huffing nitrous oxide for everything from vision quests to anes...

How Jackhammers Work

Tue, 16 Feb 2016

It's likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn...

What's the Deal With Poop?

Thu, 11 Feb 2016

We are going to get down and dirty with all things poop in this episode: What a healthy poop looks l...

How Rabies Works

Tue, 09 Feb 2016

Rabies may have gotten a lot of attention in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, but it's still an issue in...

How Land Diving Works

Thu, 04 Feb 2016

On Pentacost Island the ritual that preceded bungee jumping is alive and well. Just why do these tri...

Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis

Tue, 02 Feb 2016

In World War II, a secret department of British 'corkscrew thinkers' hatched a plan to use the cadav...

Does Whole-Body Cryotherapy Work?

Thu, 28 Jan 2016

Forty years after a Japanese doctor began using whole body cryotherapy to treat patients with arthri...

How Personalized Medicine Works

Tue, 26 Jan 2016

Hippocrates realized that it is even more important to understand the patient than to understand the...

Timber! How Timber Works

Thu, 21 Jan 2016

Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting pr...

Sir Isaac Newton: Greatest Scientist of All Time?

Tue, 19 Jan 2016

There have been a lot of great scientist throughout history, but Sir Isaac Newton might just take th...

The Duality of Caffeine

Thu, 14 Jan 2016

Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad ...

How Futurology Works

Tue, 12 Jan 2016

Science fiction writers have made some amazingly accurate predictions over the years, but in 1945 th...

Body Language!

Thu, 07 Jan 2016

Body language is how you communicate without words. Some say it bears more impact in communication t...

The "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s

Tue, 05 Jan 2016

In the late 1980s, the United States experienced a "Satanic Panic," leading parents to fear for the ...

How Lizzie Borden Worked

Thu, 31 Dec 2015

Everybody knows how many whacks Lizzie Borden gave her mother and father with that axe, but there is...

The Great Wall of China Episode

Tue, 29 Dec 2015

The Great Wall of China is one of the most visited tourist desinations in the world. How'd it get bu...

The Stuff You Should Know 2015 Jolly Christmas Extravaganza

Thu, 24 Dec 2015

It's the most wonderful time of year again! Join Chuck and Josh as they explore Christmas traditions...

How Gossip Works

Tue, 22 Dec 2015

You know what I heard? That Josh and Chuck hate each other and they're just faking being friends for...

The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

Thu, 17 Dec 2015

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...

How the Antikythera Mechanism Works

Tue, 15 Dec 2015

In 1900 sponge divers found the wreck of a 2000 year-old treasure ship that contained within it a ma...

How Reverse Psychology Works

Thu, 10 Dec 2015

You have very likely used reverse psychology before, trying to persuade someone to do something you ...

Carl Sagan: American Hero

Tue, 08 Dec 2015

Carl Sagan was the world's first mainstream media super scientist, capapble of breaking down complex...

How HIV/AIDS Works, Part II

Thu, 03 Dec 2015

In part two of the series on HIV/AIDS, Chuck and Josh explore how the battle against the disease is ...

How HIV/AIDS Works, Part I

Tue, 01 Dec 2015

AIDS is one of the most well-known and most misunderstood diseases humans are susceptible to. In par...

Live in Chicago: How Public Relations Works

Thu, 26 Nov 2015

After a year of taking it on the road, Josh and Chuck are releasing their show on public relations. ...

The Lowdown on Anonymous

Tue, 24 Nov 2015

Anonymous is an amorphous group of hacktivists with no single leader or power structure. Some call t...

How Dementia Works

Thu, 19 Nov 2015

The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to explode in the coming decades and, in a ...

How Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA

Wed, 18 Nov 2015

Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. ...

What's the Deal With Staring?

Tue, 17 Nov 2015

Gazing too long upon another person is almost universally viewed as anywhere from impolite to hostil...

How The Voynich Manuscript Works

Thu, 12 Nov 2015

Since its re-discovery in the early 20th century, the Medieval codex the Voynich Manuscript has thor...

Maggots: Good For Healing Wounds, Turns Out

Tue, 10 Nov 2015

Cultures around the world over the years have been inspired by, then repulsed, then inspired by magg...

How Grimm's Fairy Tales Work

Thu, 05 Nov 2015

Unless you were raised alone in a basement (in which case you may be the subject of one), you probab...

The Dark Origins of Fairy Tales

Tue, 03 Nov 2015

Fairy tales are for kids right? Well not at first they weren't. They were dark tales of murder, rape...

Josh N Chuck's Hallowe'en Spooky Scarefest

Thu, 29 Oct 2015

Each year, Chuck and Josh read a couple of scary stories and this year they have a pair of truly fri...

How Passports Work

Tue, 27 Oct 2015

The concept of passports - that people should enjoy protected freedom of movement - is an ancient on...

Vocal Fry and Other Speech Trends

Thu, 22 Oct 2015

You've heard lots of complaints about vocal fry, mostly from older white men. But it's not exclusive...

Please Listen to How Plasma Waste Converters Work

Tue, 20 Oct 2015

There is a way to not only sustainably get rid our household waste, but also produce enough energy f...

How Wine Fraud Works

Thu, 15 Oct 2015

Wine fraud may be a case of rich con artists tricking wealthy people into parting with money, but it...

How Vestigial Organs Work

Tue, 13 Oct 2015

Darwin asserted that seemingly useless organs and behaviors are left over from our evolutionary hist...

What was the Philadelphia Experiment?

Thu, 08 Oct 2015

The Philadelphia Experiment is a bad movie from the 1980s, and also the conspiracy theory that refus...

How Lobbying Works

Tue, 06 Oct 2015

Lobbying is an entrenched part of American politics and one that many people think is breaking gover...

How PEZ Works

Thu, 01 Oct 2015

PEZ began in Vienna as a mint meant to help people quit smoking. But once American kids got ahold of...

Chuck and Josh Make It Through Female Puberty

Tue, 29 Sep 2015

In part two of the SYSK puberty saga, Josh and Chuck venture into new territory as they explore all ...

Geothermal Energy: Earth's Gift to Mankind

Thu, 24 Sep 2015

Green energy is good for all, and it doesn't get much greener than using the Earth's own heat to war...

How Cult Deprogramming Worked

Tue, 22 Sep 2015

The fear of cults in the 1970s drove Americans to look the other way on kidnappings, abuse and tortu...

The Great Nuclear Winter Debate of 1983

Thu, 17 Sep 2015

At the height of the Cold War, a group of concerned scientists promoted their findings on the horrif...

How Publicists Work

Tue, 15 Sep 2015

Some people call them flacks. Other people call them liars. But if you're in the public eye and sudd...

How Chili Peppers Work

Thu, 10 Sep 2015

Born and raised in South America, chilis were the earliest crop domesticated in the continent and am...

How Police Dogs Work

Tue, 08 Sep 2015

Police dogs have been used since the 19th century - one WWI German defector became a major movie sta...

How Alcoholism Works

Thu, 03 Sep 2015

In the US, 17 million people are alcoholics. Not merely abusing alcohol, these sufferers become phys...

How to Donate Your Body to Science

Tue, 01 Sep 2015

Donating your whole body to further science and medicine is probably the best thing you could do wit...

Nirvana: Not The Band

Thu, 27 Aug 2015

Hinduism and Buddhism are closely related in a number of ways, including their vision of what comes ...

How Hot Air Balloons Work

Tue, 25 Aug 2015

Arguably the most beautiful objects in the entire world, hot air balloons take advantage of some int...

How Umami Works!

Thu, 20 Aug 2015

For millennia humans have recognized four tastes, but in the 1980s a fifth taste first isolated in J...

Pigeons: Homing, Passenger, Carrier and Otherwise

Tue, 18 Aug 2015

Pigeons can get a little confusing. Passengers, messengers, carriers, homing - the list goes on. But...

Hula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape

Thu, 13 Aug 2015

We've covered our fair share of pop-culture icons and here is another - Hula-Hoops. They've been aro...

How Auto-Tune Works

Tue, 11 Aug 2015

What began as a challenge to an oil engineer to make a terrible singer into a pitch-perfect one, Aut...

How Droughts Work

Thu, 06 Aug 2015

Droughts can be an inevitable feature of a local climate or a catastrophic result of human meddling....

How Earth-Like Planets Work

Tue, 04 Aug 2015

Since the Kepler telescope went online, astronomers have found there may be an estimate 40 billion p...

How Bats Work

Thu, 30 Jul 2015

They are creepy, sure, but they are also useful, cute and in great danger of extinction. Get a new l...

How Profiling Works

Tue, 28 Jul 2015

At its base, criminal profiling is a legitimate investigatory tool. The Supreme Court has drawn a cl...

Road Rage: GRRRR!!!

Thu, 23 Jul 2015

About half of all people experience rage on a daily basis when they get behind the wheel. What is it...

How Citizen's Arrests Work

Tue, 21 Jul 2015

In some states, it is not only your right but your duty to arrest someone you see committing a crime...

The Time Nazis Invaded Florida

Thu, 16 Jul 2015

During World War II, Nazis invaded the United States with saboteurs bent on fomenting chaos. Three t...

How the Terracotta Army Works

Tue, 14 Jul 2015

In 1974, Chinese farmers discovered the first of what would number 7,000 terracotta soldiers meant t...

How Brickfilm Works

Thu, 09 Jul 2015

What began as a pair of teens who made a film for their grandparents has exploded into its own art f...

How Egypt's Pyramids Work

Tue, 07 Jul 2015

Pyramids can be found in ruins around the world, but no civilization perfected the feat of engineeri...

How Circus Families Work

Thu, 02 Jul 2015

Don't be confused - this one is about actual circus acts made of family members, not the controversi...

How Audience Testing Works

Tue, 30 Jun 2015

Did you know some of our most beloved movies originally had different, sometimes better, endings? Th...

Mosquitoes: The Worst

Thu, 25 Jun 2015

Sun Tzu said know your enemy, and so it is in this spirit that we present this episode on one of the...

How Landfills Work

Tue, 23 Jun 2015

Well-planned landfills have only recently come into widespread use. Recently, waste managers have fo...

Are You My Mother?: How Animal Imprinting Works

Thu, 18 Jun 2015

What do little baby ducklings have to do with Nazis? A lot actually. Find out about animal imprintin...

How BASE Jumping Works

Tue, 16 Jun 2015

You should never BASE Jump. It is one of the most genuinely dangerous sports on the planet. But with...

Bridges: Nature Abhors Them

Thu, 11 Jun 2015

From prehistoric logs across streams to the 102-mile Kunshan Grand Bridge, nature works ceaselessly ...

How the Wow! Signal Works

Tue, 09 Jun 2015

In 1977, Ohio State astronomers discovered a radio transmission from space that was 30 times louder ...

How Ocean Currents Work

Thu, 04 Jun 2015

It's easy to overlook the importance of ocean currents - they move along out at sea, while we stay m...

How Street Gangs Work

Tue, 02 Jun 2015

The street gang problem in America peaked in the 1990s, but recent FBI reports find that gang member...

How Tupperware Works

Thu, 28 May 2015

Tupperware won immediate design acclaim when it was released in 1947, but it took a pioneering femal...

How Junk Food Works

Tue, 26 May 2015

Junk food is literally that, empty calories of energy that provide little nutritional value and usua...

How Color Works

Thu, 21 May 2015

Science doesn't have a good explanation for why we sense color, yet it is everywhere and affecting u...

How Internet Censorship Works

Tue, 19 May 2015

Some of it seems innocuous enough: protecting kids from unseemly sites or intellectual property from...

How Pinewood Derbies Work

Thu, 14 May 2015

Tens of millions of Scouts, and their parents, have taken standard blocks of wood and turned them in...

Does the FDA Protect Americans?

Tue, 12 May 2015

The FDA was the first consumer protection agency in the US. Since 1906, it's been issuing regulation...

Josh and Chuck Make It Through Male Puberty

Thu, 07 May 2015

Around ages 9 or 10 a boy will begin to undergo a magical, surprising, weird, amazing, totally bonke...

How Therapeutic Hypothermia Works

Tue, 05 May 2015

Physicians noticed centuries ago that people exposed to cold temperatures often have amazing recover...

How Spiders Work

Thu, 30 Apr 2015

Spiders are second only to snakes in the dread departemnt, but they're actually very helpful arachni...

How Water Slides Work

Tue, 28 Apr 2015

Water slides have been around in one form or another since the Romans. But back then they didn't kno...

Oh No, Snakes!

Thu, 23 Apr 2015

If you think snakes are legless reptile carnivores, then you are exactly right. If you think snakes ...

How Clowns Work

Tue, 21 Apr 2015

Jesters of some sort have been around since ancient Egypt and China. Our modern clown was invented a...

How Zero Population Growth Works

Thu, 16 Apr 2015

In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich'...

How Slinky Works

Tue, 14 Apr 2015

It has been called a "glorified spring", but Slinky is one of the best selling toys of all time. Fro...

What's the deal with blood types?

Thu, 09 Apr 2015

Blood types have one of the more interesting backstories in medical history. But as much as we've fi...

Polyamory: When two just won't do

Tue, 07 Apr 2015

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of polyamory. Turns out...

Thanks, Easter Bunny! Bock Bock!

Thu, 02 Apr 2015

Happy Easter from Stuff You Should Know! Learn all about Easter, from its humble beginnings as a pag...

Does the body replace itself?

Tue, 31 Mar 2015

Does the human body really replace itself every few years? The answer is yes, but different parts of...

How Desalination Works

Thu, 26 Mar 2015

Why would people want to remove salt from water? To solve the world's water problem, that's why. Lea...

10 Bizarre Medical Treatments

Tue, 24 Mar 2015

Medical science has a long and storied history of trying out cures and procedures that later strike ...

Earwax: Live With It

Thu, 19 Mar 2015

Despite tons of people using cotton swabs each day to clean the earwax from their ears, cerumen (as ...

How Anesthesia Works

Tue, 17 Mar 2015

The use of general anesthesia is less than 200 years old. Before doctors were able to cause unconsci...

How Tea Works

Thu, 12 Mar 2015

Legend has it that tea was discovered by a curious Chinese emperor after leaves blew into his boiled...

How Fleas Work

Tue, 10 Mar 2015

Fleas are the bane of the existence of pet owners. From their eggs to their lifespan to their feedin...

How Stonehenge Works

Thu, 05 Mar 2015

Even as far back as the Roman invaders, people have had absolutely no idea just what the massive mon...

How ESP Works(?)

Tue, 03 Mar 2015

Even though almost half of Americans believe in it, ESP usually is treated as a load of bull by skep...

Some Movies That Changed Filmmaking

Thu, 26 Feb 2015

An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this e...

Why Do Lefties Exist?

Tue, 24 Feb 2015

For at least the last 200,000 years, between 10-15% of the human population are left-handed and this...

How Perfume Works

Thu, 19 Feb 2015

Women consistently rate scent as the most important factor in a man's attractiveness and men have be...

Is there treasure on Oak Island?

Tue, 17 Feb 2015

Off Nova Scotia, the tiny spit of land called Oak Island has been host to waves of treasure hunters ...

What is folklore?

Thu, 12 Feb 2015

What is folklore? Turns out it's just about anything you can think of that's shared by more than two...

How Feng Shui Works

Tue, 10 Feb 2015

Feng Shui is an Asian concept that strives to unlock your chi by how your home or office is arranged...

How Ice Cream Works

Thu, 05 Feb 2015

We all scream for ice cream, sure, but did you know we're all technically screaming about a colloida...

Rainbows: Delighting humanity since forever

Tue, 03 Feb 2015

Rainbows seem to defy nature, but they're really pretty simple when it comes down to it. Turns out i...

How Hot Wheels Work

Thu, 29 Jan 2015

If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your...

How Poison Ivy Works

Tue, 27 Jan 2015

Poison ivy, oak and sumac are all variations of the same plant and they all can make you itch... if ...

Nostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much.

Thu, 22 Jan 2015

Nostradamus delighted us all in grade school, but it turns out the real guy wasn't quite as prescien...

How the March on Washington Worked

Tue, 20 Jan 2015

1963 was a huge year of conflict and progress for the American Civil Rights Movement and the March O...

Juggling: What the Heck

Thu, 15 Jan 2015

There is a lot - A LOT - to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion's share of it. Delve into t...

How the Scientific Method Works

Tue, 13 Jan 2015

It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many pe...

How Online Gambling Works

Thu, 08 Jan 2015

Pretty much immediately after the Internet was opened to the world online gambling sites sprang up. ...

How Jim Henson Worked

Tue, 06 Jan 2015

We've already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved into ...

SYSK Live: How Bars Work

Thu, 01 Jan 2015

Join Josh and Chuck live from Vancouver as they dive in to the ins and outs of one of the oldest bus...

How Sea Monsters Work

Tue, 30 Dec 2014

Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited with creatin...

Josh and Chuck's 2014 Christmas Extravaganza!

Thu, 25 Dec 2014

It's that time of year again! Time to get cozy and tuck in with Josh and Chuck as they spread glad t...

How the GED Test Works

Tue, 23 Dec 2014

The GED test was once part of a non-profit organization. That all changed in 2014, when it was priva...

How Cinnamon Works

Thu, 18 Dec 2014

In another commodities edition of SYSK, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of cinnamon, once the wor...

Boomerangs: Magic Sticks of Physics

Tue, 16 Dec 2014

The physics behind returning boomerangs literally may be the most difficult concept to understand in...

Homeschooling: Not Just For Hippies and Religious People Anymore

Thu, 11 Dec 2014

Back in the 1970s, homeschooling was illegal in the U.S., but after activists of all stripes lobbied...

How The Hum Works

Tue, 09 Dec 2014

There is a mysterious droning sound often described as like a diesel engine idling that is severely ...

How X-Rays Work

Thu, 04 Dec 2014

Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medica...

How Leper Colonies Worked

Tue, 02 Dec 2014

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, used to mean a one-way ticket to banishment. But once medic...

How Terraforming Will Work

Thu, 27 Nov 2014

A lot of great thinkers are warning that if humans are to survive as a species we are going to have ...

How Kickstarter Works

Tue, 25 Nov 2014

With billions of dollars raised, Kickstarter has singled itself out as the go-to site for creative c...

What is Collective Hysteria?

Thu, 20 Nov 2014

Throughout the history of the world, there have been many cases of what is known as collective hyste...

How the Enlightenment Works

Tue, 18 Nov 2014

The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in re...

What's the deal with crop circles?

Thu, 13 Nov 2014

For a while in the 1980s, people were fascinated and confused about what exactly crop circles were. ...

How Patents Work

Tue, 11 Nov 2014

What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technologica...

How Limousines Work

Thu, 06 Nov 2014

The first limousines weren't even cars! Learn all about the history of limousines, how they're made ...

Can Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World?

Tue, 04 Nov 2014

The world's energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working on...

SYSK's Halloween Scare Fest

Fri, 31 Oct 2014

Get ready to be creeped out and join Chuck and Josh as they read you with two spooky classic horror ...

How Haunted House Attractions Work

Thu, 30 Oct 2014

Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of s...

Is there a disease that kills by preventing sleep?

Tue, 28 Oct 2014

The strange disease of fatal familial insomnia was first recorded in the 18th century. Its victims l...

How Animal Camouflage Works

Thu, 23 Oct 2014

The wild kingdom is filled with examples of animals that can camouflage themselves into their enviro...

How Extinction Works

Tue, 21 Oct 2014

Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have d...

How The Great Train Robbery Worked

Thu, 16 Oct 2014

In 1963, 15 men got together in England to pull off one of the most daring heists in history. The Gr...

Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck

Tue, 14 Oct 2014

Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're...

How Skywriting Works

Thu, 09 Oct 2014

Back in the 1920s, skywriting was invented to communicate with troops, but it quickly found its foot...

How Karate Works

Tue, 07 Oct 2014

Karate, meaning "open" and "hand", was developed in Okinawa before being exported to Japan and then ...

How Panic Attacks Work

Thu, 02 Oct 2014

Almost three percent of Americans suffer from a debilitating disorder that causes them to suffer int...

How Rogue Waves Work

Tue, 30 Sep 2014

Rogue waves come out of nowhere and tower as much as 100 feet over hapless ships they encounter, bre...

How Animal Domestication Works

Thu, 25 Sep 2014

It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domest...

How Police Interrogation Works

Tue, 23 Sep 2014

Every year, police across the U.S. get thousands of criminals to confess to their crimes. The troubl...

How Currency Works

Thu, 18 Sep 2014

Even if you entirely eschew the concept of money, we'll bet you'd be hard pressed not to trade in so...

How Socialism Works

Tue, 16 Sep 2014

In America it's virtually a dirty word, but after being dragged through the mud for a century, socia...

How Stem Cells Work

Tue, 09 Sep 2014

Since scientists realized there is a type of cell that can grow into any other type, they have worke...

How TV Ratings Work

Thu, 04 Sep 2014

Ever wonder why some great shows go off the air after a season or less? Blame it on the Nielsen comp...

How Pinball Works

Tue, 02 Sep 2014

Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornogra...

How Blimps Work

Thu, 28 Aug 2014

After newsreels captured the Hindenburg erupting in fire in 1937, the promising development of airsh...

What's the deal with headstones?

Tue, 26 Aug 2014

Headstones have quite an interesting history. From the beginnings of marking graves with simple wood...

How the Berlin Wall Worked

Thu, 21 Aug 2014

It's hard to believe now, but just over 25 years ago there was a giant concrete wall separating East...

Going Up: Elevators

Tue, 19 Aug 2014

Elevators are way more interesting than you might think. In this week's episode, Chuck and Josh boar...

How Ebola Works

Thu, 14 Aug 2014

A disease that was discovered and contained to Central Africa in the 1970s has revived and spread in...

How the NSA Works

Tue, 12 Aug 2014

Chuck and Josh dive into the secret world of the National Security Agency, from the origins of the s...

What is a Numbers Station?

Thu, 07 Aug 2014

If you think secretly coded messages sent via short wave radio is Cold War relic, think again. Chuck...

How Play-Doh Works

Tue, 05 Aug 2014

Do you love Play-Doh? Chuck and Josh certainly love to talk about it, from its interesting history a...

How Morgellons Disease Works

Thu, 31 Jul 2014

There is a condition that can cause people to feel bugs crawling beneath their skin so acutely that ...

Is there a dark side of the moon?

Tue, 29 Jul 2014

Josh and Chuck explore the old notion that there's a dark side of the moon. There is, but it turns o...

The Skinny on Probiotics

Thu, 24 Jul 2014

You can find probiotics - bacteria thought to have healthful benefits for humans - in everything fro...

How Trickle-Down Economics Works

Tue, 22 Jul 2014

The concept of trickle-down economics is tied to Ronald Reagan, but the idea's been around and in us...

How In Vitro Fertlization Works

Thu, 17 Jul 2014

In the U.S. alone, more than 6 million people are affected by infertility and science has taken up t...

How Sushi Works

Tue, 15 Jul 2014

Sushi grew out of a way to ferment fish a couple thousand years ago and in the late 20th century beg...

How Grass Works? Yes, How Grass Works

Thu, 10 Jul 2014

There's nothing more boring than watching grass grow, which is why Josh and Chuck aren't asking you ...

Is brain size related to intelligence?

Tue, 08 Jul 2014

The idea that the larger the brain, the higher the intelligence is an old one, but it's pretty much ...

How Monopoly Works

Thu, 03 Jul 2014

Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you're probably familiar with the board game Monopo...

How The Louvre Works

Tue, 01 Jul 2014

The most famous museum in the world, France's Louvre, has been the seat of high art and culture for ...

How the MPAA Works

Thu, 26 Jun 2014

You may be surprised to learn those ubiquitous ratings, from G to NC-17, put on movies in America ar...

How the La Brea Tar Pits Work

Tue, 24 Jun 2014

It's surprising that a few 12-feet-deep pools of asphalt have proven to be one of the most significa...

How Soccer Works

Thu, 19 Jun 2014

Maybe you hail from a soccer crazed country - or from the U.S. Either way, there's lots to discuss a...

Is your employer spying on you?

Tue, 17 Jun 2014

Your employer may be secretly reading your emails, watching what websites you visit and tracking you...

Sugar: It Powers the Earth

Thu, 12 Jun 2014

Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanel...

How the Placebo Effect Works

Tue, 10 Jun 2014

For centuries, doctors have prescribed drugs they knew weren't real - but that still somehow worked....

How the Space Race Worked

Thu, 05 Jun 2014

In the 1950s and 60s, the United States and the Soviet Union battled it out to see who would dominat...

Why is Venice so wet?

Tue, 03 Jun 2014

Venice, Italy has a problem. It's sinking, and the water around it is rising. Thankfully, some engin...

Archaeology in a Nutshell

Thu, 29 May 2014

If you thought Indiana Jones was the model archaeologist, you're pretty much right. Archaeologists a...

How Temper Tantrums Work

Tue, 27 May 2014

When your kid boils over in the grocery store, it can be tough to stay calm and ignore it, but that'...

How Avalanches Work

Thu, 22 May 2014

Each year, as snow builds on peaks across the world's mountain ranges, the potential for avalanches ...

8 Reasons Why Your Body Is So Gross

Tue, 20 May 2014

Your body right now is home to a liter of mucous, countless fat-loving mites, acid that can dissolve...

How the Paleo Diet Works

Thu, 15 May 2014

You may have heard of the Paleo Diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, but do you know the science it...

How the Human Microbiome Project Works

Tue, 13 May 2014

If it was possible to take a full scan of all of the DNA of every cell in and on your body the resul...

How Bipolar Disorder Works

Thu, 08 May 2014

Suffering from bipolar disorder means a lot more than your garden variety mood swings. Bouts of mani...

How Gypsies Work

Tue, 06 May 2014

Gypsies were called that because they were long ago mistaken as Egyptians. Even their more appropria...

How Marijuana Works

Thu, 01 May 2014

For millennia people used marijuana for fun and medicine. Not until the 20th century that was it vil...

How the ACLU Works

Tue, 29 Apr 2014

Being a card-carrying member of the ACLU is tantamount to being a super liberal to some, but the ACL...

Halitosis: Worst Smell Ever?

Thu, 24 Apr 2014

Occasional bad breath is one thing, halitosis is another. Or is it? From its odd origins as a market...

How Mars Works

Tue, 22 Apr 2014

Sure today Mars would kill you with its thin, toxic atmosphere and cold desert temperature swings of...

How Burlesque Works

Thu, 17 Apr 2014

What's old is new again as far as burlesque is concerned. Come explore what was an old-timey outlet ...

How Dissociative Identity Disorder Works

Tue, 15 Apr 2014

Dissociative Identity Disorder was known as multiple personality disorder until a case of mass hyste...

How Natural Selection Works

Thu, 10 Apr 2014

While evolution gets all the spotlight for moving species into better versions of themselves, but re...

How Charles Darwin Worked

Tue, 08 Apr 2014

Charles Darwin wasn't the first or only scientist to grasp the theory of evolution through natural s...

How Income Taxes Work

Thu, 03 Apr 2014

They are among the more reviled concepts of modern life, and yet they are as inevitable as death. Jo...

How 3D Printing Works

Tue, 01 Apr 2014

With 3D printing you can print not just pictures and words, but actual objects from files. And as co...

How Landslides Work

Thu, 27 Mar 2014

Landslides are a form of mass movement of the Earth, and with the amount of death and destruction th...

How Amnesia Works

Tue, 25 Mar 2014

Those movies where someone gets hit on the head and can't remember who they are anymore? They're act...

How Electricity Works

Thu, 20 Mar 2014

It is literally all around you (and even inside you) - electricity makes up the basis of modern life...

Tattoos: Not Just For Dirtbags Anymore

Tue, 18 Mar 2014

Most Europeans first encountered tattoos after sailors visiting the South Pacific returned covered i...

How Black Boxes Work

Thu, 13 Mar 2014

Black boxes are designed to be the only survivor of plane crashes so they can live to tell the tale ...

How Skateboarding Works

Tue, 11 Mar 2014

Skateboarding started out as something bored surfers did when the waves weren't breaking, but after ...

How Online Dating Works

Thu, 06 Mar 2014

No longer weird, possibly still desperate and approaching normal, online dating's been around almost...

How the Spanish Inquisition Worked

Tue, 04 Mar 2014

The idea of pious monks imbued with unbridled power and with a penchant for dealing torture and deat...

What happened at Kent State?

Thu, 27 Feb 2014

On May 4, 1970, four days of anti-war protests at Kent State University in Ohio culminated in the un...

Termites: They Bore But They Aren't Boring

Tue, 25 Feb 2014

Their soft white bodies look creepy and, to be sure, they are, but termites are pretty amazing bugs....

How Amputation Works

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

Amputation is one of the oldest surgeries and an even older punishment for crime, but it wasn't unti...

How Salt Works

Tue, 18 Feb 2014

A Roman senator once said, "Mankind can live without gold, but not without salt." Right he was. The ...

How Cave Dwellers Work

Thu, 13 Feb 2014

You know the cavemen, a race of human cousins who lived exclusively in caves? They didn't exist. Sur...

Do objects or experiences make us happier?

Tue, 11 Feb 2014

Since Sartre classified things that make us happy into the categories of having and doing, science t...

How Sign Language Works

Thu, 06 Feb 2014

It wasn't until the was developed and despite its co-existence alongside English, a user would be ha...

Will computers replace doctors?

Tue, 04 Feb 2014

With savvy and health-conscious people taking control of their wellbeing through apps and sites, tec...

What are crystal skulls?

Thu, 30 Jan 2014

Back in the early 20th-century mysterious skulls made from polished crystals began to enter the coll...

What's the deal with the debt ceiling?

Tue, 28 Jan 2014

Lately it's been common news fodder that Congress uses its ability to raise the debt ceiling to hold...

How the Deep Web Works

Thu, 23 Jan 2014

Perhaps you didn't realize that when you search the web you're only skimming the surface. In fact, t...

Chuck and Josh Bust a Few Everyday Myths

Tue, 21 Jan 2014

There are lots of common "facts" that everyone knows, but it turns out a lot of them are actually fa...

How Pet Psychics Work

Thu, 16 Jan 2014

In the early 21st century a trend of people who claim to be able to telepathically and clairvoyantly...

Was there a real King Arthur?

Tue, 14 Jan 2014

The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain a...

Your limb is torn off - now what?

Tue, 07 Jan 2014

Were you to be the unfortunate victim of a limb removal of any sort, you could take hope. Here in th...

Could you live without a refrigerator?

Thu, 02 Jan 2014

Do you know that hulking refrigerator in your kitchen emits CO2 thanks to the electricity it uses ea...

Will solar sails take us to the stars?

Tue, 31 Dec 2013

We have within our grasp here on Earth the technology that could make interstellar travel a reality ...

How Fire Breathing Works

Thu, 26 Dec 2013

As part of their strange, ongoing suite on circus arts, Chuck and Josh discuss one of the more dange...

Josh and Chuck's Warm and Cozy Christmas Extravaganza 2013

Tue, 24 Dec 2013

It's finally here, the best episode of the year! It's time to settle in by a nice fire, wrap up in a...

Is lethal injection humane?

Thu, 19 Dec 2013

Since the Supreme Court's ban on capital punishment was reversed, states have sought a humane method...

How Manhunts Work

Tue, 17 Dec 2013

When a suspect or prisoner goes on the lam there are plenty of ways to hide: in plain sight, in the ...

How Underwater Tunnels Work

Thu, 12 Dec 2013

It's a pretty amazing feat to dig a tunnel beneath a body of water that's big enough (and safe enoug...

How Maglev Trains Work

Thu, 05 Dec 2013

Thanks to the amazing properties of magnets, clever engineers have figured out how to make entire tr...

How Castration Works

Tue, 03 Dec 2013

In this episode, Josh and Chuck teach you everything you ever wanted to know but were too freaked ou...

How Black Friday Works

Thu, 28 Nov 2013

On the day after Thanksgiving, Americans go kind of crazy for the deep discount sales that kick off ...

Is there a scientific formula for funny?

Tue, 26 Nov 2013

Recorded live at the Los Angeles PodFest, this episode of SYSK delves into the longstanding attempt ...

Who killed JFK?

Thu, 21 Nov 2013

For the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Josh and Chuck...

How Chocolate Works

Tue, 19 Nov 2013

People have been consuming chocolate for at least a couple thousand years, but it's only been in the...

How Werewolves Work

Thu, 14 Nov 2013

If you've ever been bitten by a wolf, you're probably familiar with the anxiety of waiting for the n...

Some Interesting Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

Tue, 12 Nov 2013

Everybody knows that cosmologist Stephen Hawking has an enormous brain, but did you also know he has...

How Lewis and Clark Worked

Thu, 07 Nov 2013

They may be the most famous explorers in U.S. history, but there are plenty of interesting details t...

How Chess Works

Tue, 05 Nov 2013

Despite its knights, bishops and castles, the game of chess has been around a lot longer since the M...

What's with the Winchester Mystery House?

Thu, 31 Oct 2013

After her daughter and husband died, heiress Sarah Winchester became obsessed with the idea that spi...

The Empty House

Wed, 30 Oct 2013

It's Halloween, and Josh and Chuck are ready to creep you out with this year's spooky story, Algerno...

How Ouija Boards Work

Tue, 29 Oct 2013

Although most people who've used Ouija boards don't think they're communicating with the beyond, the...

How Guide Dogs Work

Tue, 22 Oct 2013

You know how when you see a guide dog leading a blind person to their destination and you think, "Th...

10 Easy Ways to Save Money

Thu, 17 Oct 2013

Times are still kind of tough, but there are some time-tested and easy ways to get ahead and in this...

How the Maori Work

Tue, 15 Oct 2013

It's a familiar theme, an indigenous group's culture falls apart when exposed to European ideals, we...

Did Archimedes build a death ray?

Tue, 08 Oct 2013

During the siege of Syracuse in 214 BCE, the city-state's resident genius, Archimedes, built a numbe...

Can NASA predict natural disasters?

Thu, 03 Oct 2013

The US has developed some great equipment for peering into deep space that can also be used to great...

What's the deal with diplomatic immunity?

Tue, 01 Oct 2013

You've heard all about diplomatic immunity, but we'll bet you don't really know how it works. Take s...

Does owning a gun change your behavior?

Thu, 26 Sep 2013

Back in the 1990s, Congress effectively banned the scientific study of gun violence. Still, a handfu...

How Crack Works

Tue, 24 Sep 2013

Back in the mid-1980s a new and extremely potent drug hit the scene: crack cocaine. In short order, ...

How Dying Works

Thu, 19 Sep 2013

Chuck and Josh have covered just about every aspect of death except dying itself. Here, they fulfill...

How IEDs Work

Tue, 17 Sep 2013

Improvised explosive devices were the primary killer of American troops in Iraq and continue to top ...

How much money is in the world?

Thu, 05 Sep 2013

There are few things more futile than trying to count all of the money in the world. Even many gover...

How the Rosetta Stone Works

Tue, 03 Sep 2013

Sometimes providence smiles on historians. Thus is the case with the Rosetta stone, an ancient Egypt...

How did 168 conquistadors take down the Inca empire?

Thu, 29 Aug 2013

Just before Francisco Pizarro arrived in South American in 1532, the Inca empire covered 350,000 squ...

How Broken Bones Work

Tue, 27 Aug 2013

It's a pretty miserable thing to break a bone. There's the initial blinding pain, all of the medical...

History's Greatest Traitors

Thu, 22 Aug 2013

The annals of history hold a special place for people who have carried out treachery and betrayed th...

How Ejection Seats Work

Tue, 20 Aug 2013

When the Jet Age came about, pilots found they had a brand new problem with their brand new planes: ...

How Cockroaches Work

Thu, 15 Aug 2013

You've seen them in your home and probably squealed in terror, but now it's time to learn all about ...

Why was Davy Crockett king of the wild frontier?

Tue, 13 Aug 2013

If there is an American legend who is both real-life and larger-than-life it is Davy Crockett. While...

How does a diving bell work?

Thu, 08 Aug 2013

About 2,400 years ago Aristotle mentions the use of diving bells, apparatuses that convey divers to ...

The Shark Diaries

Wed, 07 Aug 2013

In this special episode of Stuff You Should Know, Chuck and Josh tip their hats to Shark Week with a...

How Horseshoes Work

Tue, 06 Aug 2013

That laziest of backyard games, horseshoes, is also a very ancient one, developed by people followin...

How Fingerprinting Works

Thu, 01 Aug 2013

The Babylonians, one of the earliest civilizations, were the first to use fingerprints to differenti...

How LARP Works

Tue, 30 Jul 2013

Dressing up in duct tape-covered cardboard suit of armor and pretending you're an elf warrior for a ...

Why should you never scare a vulture?

Tue, 23 Jul 2013

Being ravenous eaters of decaying flesh, vultures have long been shunned by humans. But because of t...

Who owns an abandoned house?

Thu, 18 Jul 2013

Ever since the real estate bubble in the U.S. burst in 2008, American cities have had to deal with a...

How Building Implosions Work

Tue, 16 Jul 2013

When you need to take down a 20-story building, a wrecking ball won't do. Instead, you'll need to tu...

How Hip-hop Works

Thu, 11 Jul 2013

In this week's SYSK Select, what you hear is not a test, instead it's Chuck and Josh discussing the ...

10 Medieval Torture Devices

Tue, 09 Jul 2013

Warning: This episode on instruments designed solely to produce extreme human suffering during the M...

How Miranda Rights Work

Thu, 04 Jul 2013

Back in 1966, the Supreme Court decided that suspects in criminal cases had the right to be reminded...

How Pollen Works

Tue, 02 Jul 2013

For about 375 million years, plants have been using pollen (aka plant sperm) to propagate their spec...

How Burning Man Works

Thu, 27 Jun 2013

You've probably heard about Burning Man, it's a week-long party in the middle of a desert made of 50...

How Ghosts Work

Thu, 20 Jun 2013

According to a 2009 poll, more Americans believe in ghosts than don't. But what are ghosts exactly? ...

How Bitcoin Works

Mon, 17 Jun 2013

In 2008 Bitcoin, the world's first decentralized, anarchistic all-digital currency, was introduced t...

Capgras Syndrome: You Are Not Who You Think You Are

Tue, 11 Jun 2013

There is an extremely rare condition where the sufferer is convinced that everyone around him is an ...

How Drag Queens Work

Tue, 11 Jun 2013

You can trace the origin of men dressing as women in public back to classic Greek theater, but moder...

How do trees affect the weather?

Thu, 06 Jun 2013

Sure, you know that trees have an impact on climate change: to wit, fewer trees mean more atmospheri...

What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke?

Tue, 04 Jun 2013

Before Jamestown became the first successful English colony in the New World, an entire group of set...

How Coffins Work

Tue, 28 May 2013

Sure, you've probably laid in one at the store or a funeral home, but how much do you know about rec...

How Police Chases Work

Tue, 28 May 2013

Entire TV shows are dedicated to them and Americans love to watch a live one, but police chases aren...

How PTSD Works

Thu, 23 May 2013

With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder the sufferer relives, over and over again, the worst moment of h...

How Cicadas Work

Tue, 21 May 2013

Cicadas are crawling out from underground, where they have been hiding in the darkness for almost tw...

How Aerosol Cans Work

Thu, 16 May 2013

In the 87 years since they were invented aerosol cans have protected soldiers, temporarily fixed fla...

How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works

Tue, 14 May 2013

With the exception of lobotomies, no other psychological treatment has a worse reputation. But thank...

How Foot Binding Worked

Thu, 09 May 2013

Once in a while, all the necessary factors converge to produce a peculiar nationalized sexual fetish...

How Fair Trade Works

Tue, 07 May 2013

The West has gotten rich off the backs of underpaid labor living elsewhere; people who are dedicated...

How Dungeons and Dragons Works

Thu, 02 May 2013

Despite what you've heard, Dungeons and Dragons isn't just for geeks, it isn't satanic and it's actu...

What makes us yawn?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013

What is it that makes us suddenly draw in a deep breath through a wide-open mouth? The beautiful thi...

How Magnets Work

Tue, 23 Apr 2013

You can stick them to the fridge or use them to transpose sound to tape, whatever they are used for ...

Uses of the Insanity Defense

Thu, 18 Apr 2013

The idea that a person who can't understand the crime they've committed is wrong lets them off the h...

How Marriage Works

Tue, 16 Apr 2013

You can tell a lot about a culture through marriage statistics: what age people get married, how man...

Do men and women have different brains?

Thu, 11 Apr 2013

It's a pretty touchy subject because of the possible implications - if you find differences between ...

What's the deal with duckbill platypuses?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013

It is pretty much impossible to describe duckbill platypuses without using the word "hodgepodge" and...

How Grief Works

Thu, 04 Apr 2013

You can probably name the five stages of grief - from denial to acceptance - they've become pretty w...

How the Panama Canal Works

Tue, 02 Apr 2013

It's on more than one list of the Seven Wonders of the World and for good reason - the Panama Canal ...

How No-fly Zones Work

Thu, 28 Mar 2013

They have become such a ubiquitous tool used by the UN and NATO to intervene in international crises...

How Apartheid Worked

Tue, 19 Mar 2013

After WWII, while the rest of the world grew more socially progressive, the government of South Afri...

How the U.S. Postal Service Works

Thu, 14 Mar 2013

The USPS is currently teetering on the edge of going under and there are a lot of plans to save it, ...

How Police Sketches Work

Tue, 12 Mar 2013

Creating composite drawings of suspected criminals from eyewitness accounts has been around since a ...

Can We Build an Elevator to Space?

Sat, 09 Mar 2013

With the end of the shuttle program and an International Space Station still in need of supplies, th...

Do People Really Run Off to Join the French Foreign Legion?

Thu, 07 Mar 2013

Anyone who knows anything about Jean-Claude Van Damme knows he played a French legionnaire in the mo...

What Makes a One-hit Wonder?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013

The term "one-hit wonder" gets thrown around a lot, and - yes - you probably are using it correctly,...

How the Papacy Works

Thu, 28 Feb 2013

In February 2013, Pope Benedict said he would become the first pope to retire in 600 years. Check ou...

How CPR Works

Tue, 26 Feb 2013

You have a golden opportunity to make yourself into a worthwhile human being simply by learning how ...

How Spies Work

Sat, 23 Feb 2013

Psst. You want to know how governments and corporations get the drop on one another? The frontline o...

What Would Happen If the World Stopped Spinning?

Thu, 21 Feb 2013

Over the last 400 million years, the day has grown longer by two full hours thanks to a slowing of t...

How Surfing Works

Tue, 19 Feb 2013

You know the Beach Boys and you've seen those Hang Ten shirts with the little feet emblem, but there...

Myths About the Brain

Thu, 14 Feb 2013

As is usual for SYSK, Josh and Chuck go over some, but not all, of the entries in this list of ten c...

How Jet Lag Works

Tue, 12 Feb 2013

It was only since 1958 that the Jet Age began, and jet lag became a real condition. Also known as de...

How Weather Modification Works

Sat, 09 Feb 2013

It began with old-timey guys dropping dry ice on clouds. Since then weather modification was used to...

How Willpower Works

Thu, 07 Feb 2013

You use it every day to overcome your lower self (which wants you to eat cake until your vision blur...

How Garbage-powered Cars Could Work

Tue, 05 Feb 2013

We're not so far off from being able to power our cars using beer and banana peels, like Doc in Back...

How Gold Works

Thu, 31 Jan 2013

Only 161,00 metric tons of gold has been mined in the entire history of the world. Considering about...

How Stuntmen (and -women) Work

Tue, 29 Jan 2013

They get blown up, shot, drowned and thrown out of windows on the silver screen - and we don't even ...

How Bees Work

Sat, 26 Jan 2013

With less than a million neurons in their tiny heads, bees shouldn't be able to do much more than ea...

How the Frick Fracking Works

Tue, 22 Jan 2013

Fracking, the process of breaking trapped resources like natural gas and oil from shale, has led to ...

Does the five-second rule work?

Thu, 17 Jan 2013

You know when you drop a piece of food and if you pick it up within five seconds it's still good to ...

How Death Masks Work

Tue, 15 Jan 2013

One of the earliest civilizations we've detected, the Myceneans, kicked off the habit of creating a ...

Can you outrun an alligator in a zig-zag?

Tue, 08 Jan 2013

You've heard the warning before: If you're being chased on land by an alligator, run in a zig-zag. O...

What was America's first terrorist threat?

Thu, 03 Jan 2013

From the moment it was established, the United States had headaches with terrorism of the pirate var...

How Bigfoot Works

Tue, 01 Jan 2013

For centuries North American tribes have told stories of a hairy wild giant in the wilderness, and o...

How Dog Shows Work

Thu, 27 Dec 2012

You know those shows where people wearing sensible shoes jog dogs around in circles? They actually r...

Josh and Chuck's Christmas Extravaganza 2012

Fri, 21 Dec 2012

Kick back and raise a glass of eggnog to Josh and Chuck as they carry on a new holiday tradition of ...

How Barbie Doll Works

Thu, 20 Dec 2012

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the history, cultural impact and feminist ire raised by the ...

Lab-grown meat: Order up!

Tue, 18 Dec 2012

Since Winston Churchill predicted we'd grow meat in a lab by 1981, researchers have considered doing...

How Condoms Work

Thu, 13 Dec 2012

The earliest depiction of a condom is found in a 15,000-year-old cave painting. Ever since humans re...

Will we reach peak oil?

Thu, 06 Dec 2012

A 2012 report showed that the U.S. may be energy-independent in just a few years, but not too long a...

How Vampires Work

Tue, 04 Dec 2012

Out of obligation, Chuck and Josh mention Twilight, but it is the longstanding vampire lore that get...

How Caving Works

Thu, 29 Nov 2012

Entrances to the underworld have been places of wonder for eons, and humans have ventured into caves...

Why do leaves change colors in the fall?

Tue, 27 Nov 2012

Ah, autumn - arguably the most beautiful time of the year, thanks to the vibrant colors trees put on...

Philanthropy: Humankind and Loving It

Thu, 22 Nov 2012

Sure the fatcats get all the credit for donating millions, but did you know US households making $20...

Should we be designing our children?

Tue, 20 Nov 2012

In 2009, a fertility clinic controversially offered parents the ability to customize their children....

How Meth Works

Thu, 15 Nov 2012

You know how when you do a lot of crystal methamphetamine you get meth mouth, where your teeth decay...

How close are we to holographic environments?

Tue, 13 Nov 2012

Star Trek was famous for its holodeck, a completely immersive holographic environment that could be ...

What will happen when we reach the Singularity?

Thu, 08 Nov 2012

Futurists have unnervingly predicted an impending moment in human history: the Singularity, when a s...

Yakuza: From Samurai to Slot Machines

Tue, 06 Nov 2012

The Yakuza trace their lineage back to the 18th century samurai, left masterless following political...

SYSK's Halloween Horror Fiction Winner!

Tue, 30 Oct 2012

Josh and Chuck have been planning this thing since spring and it's finally here! Tune in to hear whi...

Exoskeletons: How's it coming?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012

Since the 1960s, the Pentagon has called for a suit that can make a soldier jump higher, run faster ...

How Commercial Jingles Work

Tue, 23 Oct 2012

You probably can recite five right now. Commercial jingles are designed to hijack your working memor...

How Lion Taming Works

Thu, 18 Oct 2012

Bossing a lion around in front of a crowd at a circus has been an attraction for 200 years, but exac...

How Black Holes Work

Tue, 16 Oct 2012

It wasn't too long ago when black holes were strictly predictions in theoretical math. Over decades,...

How Pizza Works!

Thu, 11 Oct 2012

Sure it's everywhere and there's a more-than-90-percent chance you eat it once a month. But we'll be...

How Rainforests Work

Tue, 09 Oct 2012

It's been called the world's lungs, the world's pharmacy and the world's air conditioner. It takes u...

How Fire Works

Thu, 04 Oct 2012

Creating fire was possibly the most important human discovery, but it's easy to take for granted. Bu...

How Whiskey Runners Worked

Tue, 02 Oct 2012

Sure, Chuck and Josh have discussed it before, but it's worth revisiting: Running moonshine led to t...

Subways: HUH! What are they good for?

Thu, 27 Sep 2012

As ubiquitous as they've become, it's easy to overlook the marvels of engineering that are subways. ...

Q: Are we in the midst of cyberwar? A: Yes

Tue, 25 Sep 2012

There's a secret war going on around us, and it's happening on a daily basis. The Air Force recently...

Why does music provoke emotion?

Thu, 20 Sep 2012

A well-crafted piece of music can bring us to incredible highs and crushing lows, sometimes within t...

Are we all Martians?

Tue, 18 Sep 2012

There's a very good question that no one has yet satisfactorily answered: Where did life on Earth co...

How Book Banning Works

Thu, 13 Sep 2012

If you want to control the masses, control what they read. After all, books are seeds that germinate...

How Asexuality Works

Tue, 11 Sep 2012

When Alfred Kinsey conducted his sex surveys he turned up, but ignored, a fourth sexual orientation:...

Bioluminescence: A Bright and Shiny Fish

Thu, 06 Sep 2012

Science has a handle on fireflies and glowworms, but most bioluminescent animals live in the ocean a...

Can you test a nuclear weapon without a fallout?

Tue, 04 Sep 2012

Over the course of human existence, thousands of nuclear weapons have been exploded on Earth and in ...

How Flesh-eating Bacteria Work

Thu, 30 Aug 2012

Possibly the most horrifically-named disease anyone could contract, flesh-eating bacteria can lead q...

How the Electoral College Works

Tue, 28 Aug 2012

When you vote in an American presidential election, you're not voting for your candidate - you're vo...

What happens to abandoned mines?

Thu, 23 Aug 2012

Did you know there are as many as 500,000 abandoned mines in the US, but the federal government know...

Why You Probably Have a Criminal Record

Tue, 21 Aug 2012

If you're an American adult, there's a 1 in 4 chance you have a criminal record. While it's less lik...

Did Reagan's Star Wars program win the Cold War?

Thu, 16 Aug 2012

Putting lasers in space to blast Soviet missiles out of the air was a very real part of Ronald Reaga...

The Shark Diaries

Tue, 14 Aug 2012

In this special episode of Stuff You Should Know, Chuck and Josh tip their hats to Shark Week with a...

How Shark Attacks Work

Thu, 09 Aug 2012

A shark attack is a terrifying experience for the victim -- but are sharks really man-eating monster...

How Ramadan Works

Tue, 07 Aug 2012

It's the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, and for good reason. It was during the month of Ramad...

Can we build an elevator to space?

Thu, 02 Aug 2012

With the end of the shuttle program and an International Space Station still in need of supplies, th...

How the Musketeers Worked

Tue, 31 Jul 2012

You know and love them as a fluffy chocolate nougat and maybe as a book and a movie, but musketeers ...

How Time Travel Works (Live at SD Comic-Con)

Thu, 26 Jul 2012

How does time travel work? Could it ever cross the line from science fiction into science fact? Join...

How White-collar Crime Works

Tue, 24 Jul 2012

White-collar crime often involves fraud and other nonviolent acts. For most people, the term "white-...

How Lightning Works

Thu, 12 Jul 2012

You've seen lightning before, and maybe you're even afraid of it. You should be. The air is ripped a...

Geysers: Nature's Innuendo

Tue, 10 Jul 2012

The spectacular eruptions of steam and water we call geysers are only the tip of the proverbial iceb...

How Tabloids Work

Thu, 05 Jul 2012

Having started as an egalitarian answer to 19th-century newspapers, tabloids came to peddle shock an...

Is the Dead Sea dead?

Tue, 03 Jul 2012

An anomaly of geography, the shores of Dead Sea form the lowest dry spot on Earth. It's been visited...

What's the deal with Executive Orders?

Thu, 28 Jun 2012

Depending on who's in office, they're either a presidential tradition or the acts of a despot. Execu...

10 Accidental Inventions: By the Numbers

Thu, 21 Jun 2012

Every once in a while Chuck and Josh do things by the numbers and here's a good example. Turns out a...

How Icebergs Work (Very Cool)

Tue, 19 Jun 2012

" Icebergs: floating chunks of ice. True, but whoa there. Scientists are learning that there's a lot...

Whatever happened to acid rain?

Thu, 14 Jun 2012

Along with the hole in the ozone layer, acid rain was one of the first international environmental t...

Should we have a fat tax?

Tue, 12 Jun 2012

The concept of fighting unhealthy behavior like overeating by taxing unhealthy food has been around ...

Fractals: Whoa

Thu, 07 Jun 2012

In the 1980s, IBM mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot gazed for the first time upon his famous fractal. ...

How Moss Works

Tue, 05 Jun 2012

Think you have moss figured out? You probably don't. Join Josh and Chuck as they explore some of the...

Can it rain frogs?

Thu, 31 May 2012

If you've seen the movie Magnolia, you've seen what it looks like to rain frogs. While there are rep...

Do video games produce real-life violence?

Tue, 29 May 2012

The disturbing trend of school shootings around the world has dragged violence in video games into t...

Are we obsessed with goals?

Thu, 24 May 2012

We've all been brought up to keep our eyes on the prize and our pedal to the medal when we go for th...

How Labor Unions Work

Tue, 22 May 2012

Yes, it's true: Unions have a shady mob-related past and were originally championed by anarchists. B...

What is the future of Earth?

Thu, 17 May 2012

What will the Earth be like in 5,000 or 50,000 years? In this far-sighted episode, Josh and Chuck ex...

Interpol: World Police

Tue, 15 May 2012

Interpol is an international police agency that helps other law-enforcement agencies track criminals...

What is a shotgun house?

Thu, 10 May 2012

Shotgun houses are iconic pieces of American architecture: they're long, narrow, and filled with art...

Did the Dutch trade Manhattan for nutmeg?

Tue, 08 May 2012

Today nutmeg is commonplace, but this wasn't always the case. In the 17th century, the Dutch and the...

How Bullfighting Works

Thu, 03 May 2012

When the Visigoths ruled Spain, they introduced the idea of battling bulls at festivals. Today matad...

How did language evolve?

Tue, 01 May 2012

" Sure animals talk in their own way, with chirps and grunts and the like, but only humans can form ...

How Medical Marijuana Works

Thu, 26 Apr 2012

Some quarters of the medical establishment endorse it, others abhor it. The DEA is cracking down on ...

How Air Traffic Control Works

Tue, 24 Apr 2012

You know how when you fly in an airline you usually don't die? You can thank the battalion of air tr...

Social Security Numbers: Less Boring Than You'd Think

Thu, 19 Apr 2012

Do you know that up until July 2011 an ambitious hacker with a good software program could deduce yo...

How Whaling Works

Tue, 17 Apr 2012

Despite its embattled status as brutal and illegal, commercial whaling is a tradition that dates bac...

Body Odor: You Stink

Wed, 11 Apr 2012

Chuck and Josh end up making reduxes of past episodes on things like sweating and deodorant in this ...

Was Atlantis a real place?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012

While the search for Atlantis has been pushed to the fringes since the 19th century, archaeologists ...

How Diamonds Work

Tue, 03 Apr 2012

There's no denying that diamonds are pretty -- but where do they come from, and why are they so expe...

How Music Sampling Works

Thu, 29 Mar 2012

Today music sampling is a common practice, especially in electronic or hip-hop music. But how does i...

10 Big Cases of Revenge

Tue, 27 Mar 2012

Who doesn't love a good story about comeuppance? Whether served cold or piping hot, revenge is an an...

How Tipping Works

Thu, 22 Mar 2012

Tipping is commonly expected in some places, such as U.S. restaurants. Yet this practice varies acro...

How Comic Books: Live from SXSW

Tue, 20 Mar 2012

Although you might not be a fan of comic books, there's no denying that they have a fascinating plac...

How the Donner Party Worked

Thu, 15 Mar 2012

Did they or didn't they? There is plenty of written evidence that the ill-fated Donner Party resorte...

Should chimps be used for medical testing?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012

If you've got half a heart it's an easy question to answer. But if you're happy living without polio...

How Noah's Ark Worked

Thu, 08 Mar 2012

Stories of a great flood and a man who managed to stay afloat while the world drowned abound in anci...

Duels: A guide to throwing down the gauntlet

Tue, 06 Mar 2012

Pretty much everything you know about duels is true - it's a challenge to violence to defend honor. ...

How SETI Works

Thu, 01 Mar 2012

SETI stands for 'search for extraterrestrial intelligence,' and the term is used to describe both th...

How Crying Works

Tue, 28 Feb 2012

You probably did it around 70 times last year, yet you probably don't understand the psychological a...

Fasting: deadly or what?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012

Avoiding food for religious or health reasons has been around for millennia. But while God may appre...

How Autopsies Work

Thu, 16 Feb 2012

In the 400th episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck take a trip through the morgue and loo...

How Zero Works

Tue, 14 Feb 2012

Few numbers have as storied a past as zero. Even fewer have had as great an impact on our ability to...

How Coral Reefs Work

Thu, 09 Feb 2012

Coral reefs are the largest organic structures on Earth, yet they're created through a symbiotic rel...

Pickpockets: Artists or Crooks?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012

There aren't many criminal pursuits that are as storied as pickpocketing, and some people fondly rem...

How Floods Work

Thu, 26 Jan 2012

Floods happen when more water is introduced to an area than can be quickly removed. That's about it,...

How Human Trafficking Works

Tue, 24 Jan 2012

Despite worldwide prohibitions, slavery still exists. Slaves are forced or coerced into prostitution...

How Mexican Wrestling Works

Thu, 19 Jan 2012

Perhaps it's the colorful masks or the high-flying, rapid-fire acrobatic moves. Whatever it is, ther...

Are contrails actually chemtrails?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012

You know those trails that jets leave in the sky? While science has explained why they happen, plent...

What's the deal with the Bermuda Triangle?

Thu, 12 Jan 2012

There's roughly 500,000 squares miles encompassed in a triangle with points in Miami, Bermuda and Sa...

Can you vacation in Antarctica?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012

The answer is yes, but there's a lot more to traveling to the southernmost continent. Learn why empe...

Was there a curse on King Tut's tomb?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012

When Howard Carter opened Tutankhamen's tomb, some believe he unleashed a curse on everyone associat...

How Yo-Yos Work

Tue, 03 Jan 2012

You may have played with a yo-yo before -- perhaps you've even walked the dog -- but do you know abo...

Coffee: The World's Drug of Choice

Thu, 29 Dec 2011

There's a 98 percent chance you're drinking coffee right now. Maybe not, sure, but coffee is ubiquit...

What happens in the brain during an orgasm?

Tue, 27 Dec 2011

Chuck and Josh test the limits of their decorum as they explore the physiology of an orgasm. Learn a...

Josh and Chuck's Christmas Extravaganza

Thu, 22 Dec 2011

Have you ever wondered why the poinsettia is the official plant of Christmas or why we hang stocking...

How Pepper Spray Works

Tue, 20 Dec 2011

Lt. John Pike of the Davis, Calif., police department brought the wrath of the Internet on himself w...

How Earthworms Work

Thu, 15 Dec 2011

Earthworms come in a wide range of sizes: The average U.S. earthworm is 6 to 11 inches long, and the...

How the Digestive System Works

Thu, 08 Dec 2011

The digestive system uses mechanical and chemical processes to absorb and transport all the nutrient...

How Daylight Saving Time Works

Tue, 06 Dec 2011

Benjamin Franklin first came up with daylight saving time in 1748, and people still practice it toda...

What made the donkey and the elephant political?

Thu, 01 Dec 2011

Sure we take it for granted the elephant represents the Republican party and the donkey Democrats, b...

Cash Debit or Credit: Which is best?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011

Chuck and Josh take a stab at answering the age old question of whether cash or plastic is the best ...

How Thoroughbred Horses Work

Thu, 24 Nov 2011

It's been just 300 years since the Thoroughbred breed has been around, but it has produced some of t...

Crossbows: They Look Cool

Tue, 22 Nov 2011

Sure, they look cool. It's as if someone put a bow and a rifle together, but in fact crossbows preda...

How Air Force One Works

Thu, 17 Nov 2011

As you might imagine, the President of the United States doesn't fly coach. But what exactly does he...

How Alcatraz Works

Tue, 15 Nov 2011

Sure, you've heard stories about Alcatraz. From high-profile escape attempts to tales of notorious i...

How Presidential Debates Work

Thu, 10 Nov 2011

The first televised Presidential debate had some odd results: The radio audience tended to believe N...

How Gene Patents Work

Tue, 08 Nov 2011

Should a company be able to own the rights to something found inside your own body? In this episode,...

What Saved the American Bison

Thu, 03 Nov 2011

The pre-colonial range of the American bison stretched from Canada to Mexico. From 1820 to 1880, the...

How the Autobahn Works

Tue, 01 Nov 2011

The autobahn has an international reputation, and people around the world love the notion of driving...

Berenice

Thu, 27 Oct 2011

It's Halloween again, and this year Chuck and Josh are ringing in the holiday with a special reading...

How Anti-matter Spacecraft Will Work

Tue, 25 Oct 2011

There may be a Bizarro World in our universe. Every particle has a mirror image with a reverse elect...

Do you lose the right to privacy when you die?

Thu, 20 Oct 2011

If you live in a place where privacy is protected, the legal system keeps prying eyes from your pers...

The Nile IS Just a River in Egypt

Tue, 18 Oct 2011

The Nile River has been flowing south to north for about 30 million years, and the human race's crad...

The Wind Cries Typhoid Mary

Thu, 13 Oct 2011

In the 19th century, typhoid was considered a disease of the lower classes. When an outbreak occurre...

A Podcast on Zoot Suits? Yes

Tue, 11 Oct 2011

Few riots can be attributed to passing fashions, but zoot suits are top among them. After originatin...

How the Peace Corps Works

Thu, 06 Oct 2011

Since its inception, the Peace Corps has sent 200,000 members to 193 countries to deliver aid and go...

How Silly Putty Works

Tue, 04 Oct 2011

When the Japanese invaded Southeast Asia in World War II, they cut off America's rubber supply. Luck...

How U.S. Marshals Work

Thu, 29 Sep 2011

Thought Chuck and Josh had already covered every law enforcement agency? Think again. The Marshals S...

How Sword Swallowing Works

Tue, 27 Sep 2011

Houdini suggested that sword swallowing was merely a trick. But there's no sleight of hand or throat...

How Family Crests Work

Thu, 22 Sep 2011

After 800 years of creating coats and crests, some meaning has been lost to history, but much has be...

How Acne Works

Tue, 20 Sep 2011

Over the course of our lives, 80 percent of us will experience acne. Ultimately, acne comes down to ...

How the Moon Works

Thu, 15 Sep 2011

Did you know that science still doesn't know the exact origin of the moon? Do you know how the moon ...

How Casinos Work

Tue, 13 Sep 2011

Gambling predates the written word; dice made of bones have been discovered at prehistoric sites. To...

How the World Trade Center Memorial Works

Thu, 08 Sep 2011

The World Trade Center was once a global symbol of progress. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, the area...

10 Scientists Who Were Their Own Guinea Pigs

Tue, 06 Sep 2011

Over the centuries, some scientists have concluded that the best test subject is looking at them in ...

How Lie Detectors Work

Thu, 01 Sep 2011

Instead of actually detecting lies, polygraph machines sense physiological variations, ostensibly br...

Cryonics: Hi, Frozen Body!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011

In 1964 The Prospect of Immortality laid out a plan for placing humans in suspended animation. The f...

How Schizophrenia Works

Tue, 23 Aug 2011

Up to 24 million people worldwide have schizophrenia. Despite the vast amounts of research, the diso...

How to Land on a Government Watch List

Thu, 18 Aug 2011

The U.S. Government's Consolidated Terrorist Watch List keeps track of people who are known or suspe...

How Murphy's Law Works, the Redux

Tue, 16 Aug 2011

Years back, Josh recorded this show without Chuck, and the old version's omitted facts bugged him. I...

Laughter: What's so funny about that?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011

The response to humor starts with electrical activity, potentially translating to physical responses...

What's the future of the internet?

Tue, 09 Aug 2011

It's tough to predict the future. Instead, the future looks a lot like it does now: Faster data tran...

Ethnobotany: How to Get Drugs from Plants

Thu, 04 Aug 2011

In 1820, most of the drugs listed in the American Pharmacopoeia were plant-based; by 1960, it was a ...

Can you sweat colors?

Tue, 02 Aug 2011

A condition known as chromhidrosis can be jarring: The sufferer excretes colored sweat from the eccr...

How SPAM Works

Thu, 28 Jul 2011

SPAM is a canned meat product made from pork shoulder and ham. First introduced in 1937, this iconic...

How Wildfires Work

Tue, 26 Jul 2011

Wildfires consume an annual average of 5 million acres in the US. But what causes wildfires? How do ...

How Karma Works

Thu, 21 Jul 2011

While it's kind of perverted in the West, the concept of karma is a central tenet of several Eastern...

Does smiling make you happy?

Tue, 19 Jul 2011

You smile because you're happy, yet happiness research suggests the opposite can also hold true. Smi...

Stuff You Should Know July 4th Extravaganza, Part 2: Baseball and Apple Pie

Thu, 14 Jul 2011

What makes America unique? In the second segment of this special two-part episode, Josh and Chuck jo...

Stuff You Should Know July 4th Extravaganza, Part 1: Mom

Tue, 12 Jul 2011

What makes America unique? In the first segment of this special two-part episode, Josh and Chuck joi...

How Human Cannonballs Work

Thu, 07 Jul 2011

There's no question that human cannonballs are daredevils. They pack themselves into the confines of...

How Hate Works

Tue, 05 Jul 2011

Hate is generally defined as an extreme hostility to something or someone, usually stemming from fea...

Who was America's first murderer?

Thu, 30 Jun 2011

John Billington didn't just sign the Mayflower Compact -- he was also the colony's first criminal, a...

How Asteroid Mining Could Work

Tue, 28 Jun 2011

There may be trillions of dollars' worth of resources in asteroids, and some scientists believe we c...

How Suicide Bombers Work

Tue, 21 Jun 2011

It 1981 the first modern suicide bomber blew himself up. But this was by no means the first suicide ...

How Curiosity Works

Thu, 16 Jun 2011

Alternately hailed a crucial part of the human condition or accused of killing cats, curiosity remai...

How Military Snipers Work

Tue, 14 Jun 2011

Military snipers always work in pairs, and they're called force multipliers because of the profound ...

Was Malthus right about carrying capacity?

Thu, 09 Jun 2011

Thomas Malthus concluded that humanity is bound to outgrow Earth's carrying capacity. The prediction...

How the Underground Railroad Worked

Tue, 07 Jun 2011

As early as 1786, groups assembled to help slaves escape lives of bondage. And, as the 19th century ...

How Fear Works

Thu, 02 Jun 2011

Fear results from your brain's reaction to a stressful stimulus, and -- though it may be unpleasant ...

How Nicotine Works

Tue, 31 May 2011

Sure, nicotine doesn't cause cancer, but it does rearrange the brain's reward system. Humans have be...

How do I start my own country?

Thu, 26 May 2011

Whether through revolution, colonization or other means, every country has its start somewhere. But ...

What is terror management theory?

Tue, 24 May 2011

Terror management theory isn't about mid-level bureaucrats in Al-Qaeda -- so what exactly is it, and...

What is parallel evolution?

Thu, 19 May 2011

In the process of parallel evolution, two seemingly unrelated species living in isolation can evolve...

Can the sun kill you?

Tue, 17 May 2011

Could the sun, typically known for providing light and warmth, kill us? The Apollo 17 mission almost...

How Con Artists Work

Thu, 12 May 2011

They say you can't con an honest man, and that's key to thwarting cons; if it sounds too good to be ...

What is mountaintop removal mining?

Tue, 10 May 2011

Mountaintop removal mining is (to say the least) a controversial practice. But what exactly is it, h...

A Podcast to Remember (How Memory Works)

Thu, 05 May 2011

How does memory work? How is internet access changing the function of the human brain? In this podca...

How Parkour Works

Tue, 03 May 2011

The art of parkour is an astonishing combination of agility and physical strength pursued across the...

How Rollercoasters Work, Minus the Fun

Thu, 28 Apr 2011

Whether you're a rollercoaster fan or avoid them like the plague, there's no denying that these cont...

How Wills Work

Thu, 21 Apr 2011

Whether it's oral, scrawled in blood or signed on a deathbed everyone should have a will. But how do...

Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me

Tue, 19 Apr 2011

Flies: They're disgusting, disease-spreading flying machines. They're also really fascinating. Flies...

How Molecular Gastronomy Works

Tue, 12 Apr 2011

After botching a particularly tricky dish, molecular chemist Herve This decided to figure out why hi...

Does oil speculation increase gas prices?

Thu, 07 Apr 2011

In an uncertain economy, investors often flock to commodities like oil, trading oil futures in a der...

Sherpas: Warm, Friendly Living

Tue, 05 Apr 2011

Pop quiz: What word denotes a nation of people, a last name and an occupation? If you guessed 'Sherp...

SYSK Live from SXSW: How UFOs Work

Thu, 31 Mar 2011

In this episode, Josh and Chuck ditch the studio and head west -- south by southwest, in fact -- to ...

How Igloos Work

Tue, 29 Mar 2011

Igloos were traditionally used by Inuit Indians as temporary shelter while on hunting and fishing tr...

That Dang-old Goat Fell Over

Thu, 24 Mar 2011

Due to a condition known as Thomsen's disease, the muscles of fainting goats tense up whenever the a...

How a Nuclear Meltdown Works

Tue, 22 Mar 2011

The recent disaster in Japan has caused massive damage and killed thousands -- but that's not all: T...

Why's that dude in that dumpster?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011

Freegans prefer scavenging, volunteering and squatting to the more mainstream consumer practices of ...

How Mummies Work

Tue, 15 Mar 2011

A mummy is a human being whose soft tissue has been preserved after death, and there are mummies aro...

Is it legal to sterilize addicts?

Thu, 10 Mar 2011

It's a controversial idea, to say the least: If evidence shows that addicts tend to be irresponsible...

Cults: Who is this "The Leader?"

Tue, 08 Mar 2011

Cults are conventionally understood to be unestablished, non-mainstream religious groups that follow...

How Fossils Work

Thu, 03 Mar 2011

A fossil is a piece of once-living organic material that has undergone a transition from an organic ...

Were U.S. citizens in Japanese internment camps?

Tue, 01 Mar 2011

During World War II, the U.S. interned more than 100,000 Japanese and Japanese-American citizens. In...

What is stagflation?

Thu, 24 Feb 2011

When high inflation, slow growth and high employment combine, they result in an unfortunate economic...

How Tickling Works

Tue, 22 Feb 2011

What's the deal with tickling? Why does it make people laugh, and what's the science behind the reac...

How Crime Scene Photography Works

Thu, 17 Feb 2011

Crime scene photography is a crucial aspect of forensic investigation, but it's by no means a new pa...

How Blood Pattern Analysis Works

Tue, 15 Feb 2011

Numerous television shows feature blood pattern analysis -- but how do these fictional portrayals me...

How the Black Death Worked

Thu, 10 Feb 2011

The Black Death was gruesome: Symptoms included tumors, purple splotches, fevers and vomiting. But h...

How Bartering Works

Tue, 08 Feb 2011

Bartering is an ancient practice. With the emergence of money-based transactions, it's no wonder tha...

How Munchausen Syndrome Works

Tue, 01 Feb 2011

Why would someone fake an illness? Here's an even better question: Why would someone repeatedly make...

How to Control a Riot

Thu, 27 Jan 2011

It's no secret that people in crowds will behave differently than they would if they were alone. In ...

What has the world's deadliest venom?

Tue, 25 Jan 2011

Venom isn't unique to snakes -- animals like scorpions, spiders, jellyfish and even platypuses can a...

Can oceans power the world?

Thu, 20 Jan 2011

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth's surface. But could the kinetic power of the tides or th...

How the Mafia Works

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Many people are familiar with depictions of the Mafia in film, but what's the real story? Join Chuck...

Does acupuncture work?

Thu, 13 Jan 2011

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice rooted in the precepts of Taoism, and for thousands of ye...

Little, Fluffy Clouds

Tue, 11 Jan 2011

Today every schoolkid learns a fair share of facts about clouds and the water cycle, but this wasn't...

How Antiques Work

Thu, 06 Jan 2011

At what point does something become an antique? Could that old piece of furniture in the attic be wo...

Should you not eat gluten?

Tue, 04 Jan 2011

Since gluten is found in rye, wheat and barley grains, it's a near-ubiquitous part of many diets. So...

How Volcanoes Work

Thu, 30 Dec 2010

Volcanic eruptions are destructive and often newsworthy events, but why do they occur? What are volc...

How Immigration Works

Tue, 28 Dec 2010

Immigration systems regulate the flow of foreign immigrants into any given country. But why is immig...

How Homelessness Works

Thu, 23 Dec 2010

Today, millions of people around the world are homeless. In this episode, Josh and Chuck take a look...

How Migraines Work

Thu, 16 Dec 2010

Most people know what a migraine headache is -- some from painful experience -- but there's a lot mo...

How Agritourism Works

Tue, 14 Dec 2010

Agritourism marries farming and tourism, but why do people pay to pick apples or work on a farm? And...

How Hanukkah Works

Thu, 09 Dec 2010

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday, but what's it all about? And why do some people think of it...

Green Renovation and Construction

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Demolition and construction creates a lot of waste, so renovating your house is generally a "greener...

How the Rules of War Work

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

The rules of war are agreed-upon rules that are intended to govern international wars and conflicts....

How Circumcision Works

Tue, 30 Nov 2010

Circumcision is a common practice in which the foreskin of a male's penis is removed, typically as a...

How Dreadlocks Work

Thu, 25 Nov 2010

Dreadlocks are matted coils of hair that form a very distinctive (and often misunderstood) hairstyle...

A Rigid, Sterile Look at Kissing

Tue, 23 Nov 2010

A majority of human cultures practice kissing in one form or another. But why do we kiss? Is the beh...

Can Lifestraw save the world?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010

Over a billion people do not have access to clean water, and many die from water-born diseases. With...

Have all the good ideas already been discovered?

Tue, 16 Nov 2010

It's no secret that human beings have an obsession with innovation -- but has our species already fo...

How Rehab Works

Thu, 11 Nov 2010

These days, alcoholics and other people suffering from addictions are often sent to rehabilitation c...

Prohibition: Turns Out That America Loves to Drink

Tue, 09 Nov 2010

Prohibition was a 13-year period in American history when selling or producing alcohol was illegal. ...

Addiction: Why you can't kick SYSK

Thu, 04 Nov 2010

Modern scientists have extensively researched addicts and the things they abuse, but we still don't ...

Animal Migration: Where's that gnu gnoing?

Tue, 02 Nov 2010

When you think of animal migrations, you probably picture thousands of animals thundering across the...

The Tomb

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

In this spooky episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck get you ready for Halloween as they ...

Jealous much?

Tue, 26 Oct 2010

All of us have experienced the feeling of jealousy at some point or another. But why do we get jealo...

Can you treat mental illness with psychedelics?

Thu, 21 Oct 2010

Hallucinogenic drugs are currently illegal, but they were once commonly used in psychological treatm...

How House Swapping Works

Thu, 14 Oct 2010

Traditionally, house swapping involves temporarily exchanging homes with a stranger for vacation pur...

Is science phasing out sleep?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010

Sleep is a restorative state that's vital to human functioning -- or is it? In this episode, Josh an...

How Knights Work

Thu, 07 Oct 2010

In medieval times, knights were warriors with specialized skills, extensive training and their own c...

Why would anyone want multiple spouses?

Tue, 05 Oct 2010

Polygamy, the practice of having multiple spouses, is mostly illegal in the United States but very c...

Is tone deafness hereditary?

Thu, 30 Sep 2010

If you're tone deaf, you can't hear the difference between musical pitches and notes. And it's proba...

How Roller Derby Works

Tue, 28 Sep 2010

Nowadays roller derby is increasingly popular across the US -- but how did it get its start, and how...

Hypnosis: You're Getting Sleepy

Thu, 23 Sep 2010

The modern conception of hypnosis came into vogue in the late 18th century, and it's been the subjec...

Octopus, Octopi, Octopod, Octopuses

Tue, 21 Sep 2010

Whatever you call them, octopuses are amazing creatures. In this episode, octopus enthusiasts Josh a...

What is biospeleology?

Thu, 16 Sep 2010

Biospeleology is the scientific study of cave organisms and ecosystems. In this episode, amateur bio...

How Mirrors Work

Tue, 14 Sep 2010

Whether using polished metal surfaces or clear glass, human beings have enjoyed admiring their refle...

How Customs Works

Thu, 09 Sep 2010

description Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio....

How Crime-Scene Clean-up Works

Tue, 07 Sep 2010

Cleaning up crime scenes is a niche industry that's both lucrative and messy. This episode, Josh and...

How are college football rankings determined?

Thu, 02 Sep 2010

Established in 1998 as a way to determine college football rankings, the Bowl Championship Series (B...

How Cremation Works

Tue, 31 Aug 2010

Cremation is a burial process practiced around the world, but how exactly does it work? Josh and Chu...

How Freemasons Work

Thu, 26 Aug 2010

There are lots of conspiracy theories about Freemasons, but how much do you really know about this s...

How Sleepwalking Works

Tue, 24 Aug 2010

Sleep behaviors are pretty fascinating. Some people snore, some grind their teeth -- and some take a...

How the MARS Turbine Works

Thu, 19 Aug 2010

MARS stands for Magenn Air Rotor System, but a MARS turbine isn't your typical windmill. It's a blim...

Breathalyzers: Really, Really Complicated

Tue, 17 Aug 2010

Breathalyzers work on a simple principle: Alcohol is absorbed into the lungs and present in breath. ...

Prisons: Not as Fun as You'd Think

Thu, 12 Aug 2010

Most people have a basic understanding of how prisons work, but it's often heavily influenced by fic...

How Grow Houses Work

Tue, 10 Aug 2010

As many as one in five houses in Vancouver, British Columbia are used to grow marijuana. Join Josh a...

What's so special about Route 66?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck hit the open road as they explore the history, allure and decline of...

How Quantum Suicide Works

Tue, 03 Aug 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck tackle a mind-melting topic: quantum physics! They ponder subatomic ...

How Presidential Pardons Work

Thu, 29 Jul 2010

A presidential pardon is a unique, unchallengable power granted to the president of the United State...

Why Ticks Suck

Tue, 27 Jul 2010

It's no surprise that ticks are one of mankind's least favorite animals. After all, they subsist on ...

Saunas: More Interesting Than You Think!

Thu, 22 Jul 2010

Although they seem pretty mundane, saunas are surprisingly fascinating inventions. Josh and Chuck br...

Taste and How it Works

Tue, 20 Jul 2010

Taste seems like a pretty simple sense, but scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how it...

What's the deal with Bond, James Bond?

Thu, 15 Jul 2010

James Bond, the most infamous secret agent ever to grace the silver screen, originated in the pages ...

How Reincarnation Works

Tue, 13 Jul 2010

A large percentage of the world's population believes that you will be reborn after you die. So why ...

How do butterfly wings get their color?

Thu, 08 Jul 2010

Butterflies' wings are colored as a result of iridescence; this fascinating optical phenomenon is th...

What's the deal with Voodoo?

Tue, 06 Jul 2010

Voodoo is a religion found in parts of Africa and Haiti that's often misunderstood. In this episode,...

Did Thomas Jefferson rewrite the Bible?

Thu, 01 Jul 2010

Thomas Jefferson is famous for his role in shaping the United States of America -- and for creating ...

How Traffic Works

Tue, 29 Jun 2010

Whether you've been stuck in a traffic jam or forced to merge and avoid road construction, everyone'...

Can quicksand kill you?

Thu, 24 Jun 2010

In many films, hapless characters meet their untimely demise in a lethal pit of quicksand. It's a gr...

How Ghost Prisons Work

Tue, 22 Jun 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the controversial "ghost prisons," covert prisons created by...

How Samurai Work

Thu, 17 Jun 2010

The Samurai were legendary Japanese swordsmen and warriors, known for their loyalty and adherence to...

How the Innocence Project Works

Tue, 15 Jun 2010

The Innocence Project is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to exonerate wrongly c...

Can your grandfather's diet shorten your life?

Thu, 10 Jun 2010

Epigenetics is a fascinating field of genetics that studies how the epigenome and environmental, nut...

What's the deal with sinkholes?

Tue, 08 Jun 2010

Recently, a massive sinkhole opened up in Guatemala City, swallowing a three-story building in the p...

How Flamethrowers Work

Thu, 03 Jun 2010

Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh...

How do you clean up an oil spill?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010

The modern world runs on fossil fuel, and offshore oil drilling powers a large part of the global ec...

Can humans start an earthquake?

Thu, 27 May 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss reservoir-induced seismicity and the conditions under which ...

What makes a serial killer?

Tue, 25 May 2010

Serial killers are notorious for their grisly crimes and disturbing behavior, but what makes a seria...

SYSK's Guatemalan Adventure, Part Two

Thu, 20 May 2010

Josh and Chuck talk more about their experiences in Guatemala and the amazing work that the non-prof...

SYSK's Guatemalan Adventure, Part One

Tue, 18 May 2010

Josh and Chuck share the story of their recent eye-opening trip to Guatemala, which was sponsored by...

5 Successful Counterfeiters

Thu, 13 May 2010

Counterfeiting currency successfully takes serious skills, and some consider counterfeiting an art. ...

How Twins Work How Twins Work

Tue, 11 May 2010

Twin siblings are common enough that most people know a pair or two, but why does twinning occur? Jo...

How hard is it to steal a work of art?

Thu, 06 May 2010

In general, stealing valuable items tends to be difficult and dangerous, but stealing works of art c...

How LEGOs Work

Tue, 04 May 2010

Most people are familiar with the plastic, interconnecting bricks called LEGO bricks, but what's the...

How Cliff Diving Works

Thu, 29 Apr 2010

As far as sports go, cliff diving doesn't require much equipment. It does, however, require a certai...

What makes a genius?

Tue, 27 Apr 2010

When you hear the word 'genius,' names like Einstein and Mozart probably spring to mind. Defining wh...

Mirror Neurons: Are there people who feel others' pain?

Thu, 22 Apr 2010

People with a condition known as mirror-touch synesthesia literally feel the pain of others -- but w...

Are there people who can't feel pain?

Tue, 20 Apr 2010

There are less than a hundred documented cases of people who cannot feel pain and suffer from a cond...

How Castles Work

Fri, 16 Apr 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the most famous fortified structure in the world -- the cast...

How Tourette Syndrome Works

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, commonly referred to as Tourette's, is a neurological disorder chara...

Are zoos good or bad for animals?

Thu, 08 Apr 2010

Zoos are popular because they allow visitors to see wild animals from all around the world, but how ...

How Desertification Works

Tue, 06 Apr 2010

Josh and Chuck discuss the problem of desertification, from what causes serious degradation of dryla...

How McDonald's Works

Thu, 01 Apr 2010

McDonald's is arguably the most famous fast food restaurant on the planet. Join Josh and Chuck as th...

What the heck is a hiccup?

Tue, 30 Mar 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the many theories behind the mysterious phenomenon of hiccup...

How Taxidermy Works

Thu, 25 Mar 2010

Josh and Chuck tackle taxidermy, the practice of preserving and mounting dead animal skins for displ...

How Urban Planning Works

Tue, 23 Mar 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the origins, philosophies and practices of urban planning. ...

Who were the Vikings?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010

Vikings were fierce, plundering Scandinavian warriors; and even today, their reputation precedes the...

How Lotteries Work

Tue, 16 Mar 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the history, practices and controversies of lotteries. Lear...

What exactly is Fascism?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010

Fascism is a specific political philosophy that's often mistakenly used to describe any authoritaria...

What's the deal with carbon trading?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck demystify carbon trading, discussing everything from cap-and-trade s...

How Scabies Work

Thu, 04 Mar 2010

Scabies is a contagious skin disease with a bad reputation. Tune in as Josh and Chuck discuss this i...

Was Mesopotamia the Cradle of Civilization?

Tue, 02 Mar 2010

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss the reasons why Mesopotamia is ofte...

How Bounty Hunters Work

Thu, 25 Feb 2010

In part two of their series on bail, Josh and Chuck talk about bail enforcement agents, a.k.a. bount...

How Bail Works

Tue, 23 Feb 2010

Bail is a centuries-old practice that allows defendants in criminal cases to be released from jail u...

Five Crazy Government Experiments

Thu, 18 Feb 2010

Chuck and Josh discuss five of the most bizarre experiments ever undertaken by governments, from tra...

Who are the Amish?

Tue, 16 Feb 2010

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuckers discuss the origins and practices of the...

How Braille Works

Thu, 11 Feb 2010

Josh and Chuck discuss the Braille alphabet -- from its origins in Charles Barbier's "night writing"...

How Witchcraft Works

Tue, 09 Feb 2010

Witches are perhaps one of the most reviled and misunderstood groups in history -- but why? Join Jos...

Why do we believe in urban legends?

Thu, 04 Feb 2010

In this episode, amateur anthropologists Josh and Chuck discuss urban legends, from how they're defi...

How Swat Teams Work

Tue, 02 Feb 2010

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss SWAT teams, elite police units that...

Are there undiscovered people?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010

In this episode, Josh and Chuck discuss whether there are any truly "undiscovered" groups of people ...

What are ninja?

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Ninja, Japanese warriors famous for stealth, deception and sabotage, were inspired by Chinese milita...

Will the moon save humanity?

Thu, 21 Jan 2010

In this disaster-themed episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck ponder ways the world could...

Why are honeybees disappearing?

Tue, 19 Jan 2010

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck examine the various factors that have cause...

How Organ Donation Works

Tue, 12 Jan 2010

Tune in as Josh and Chuck take a detailed look at organ donation -- from the earliest organ transpla...

How Mercenaries Work

Thu, 07 Jan 2010

Mercenaries are soldiers of fortune who fight in wars and conflicts for profit. Join Josh and Chuck ...

How Noodling Works

Tue, 05 Jan 2010

Noodling is a type of fishing in which the participant uses his or her hand in lieu of fishing gear ...

How Human Experimentation Works

Thu, 31 Dec 2009

Human experimentation is an age-old practice, dating back to 4 BCE. Listen in as Josh and Chuck give...

How Pirates Work

Tue, 29 Dec 2009

Although today's pirates aren't storming the coast of Florida or other eastern states, piracy is sti...

How Christmas Worked

Thu, 24 Dec 2009

On Christmas eve, Josh and Chuck decide to take that ineffable Stuff You Should Know approach to the...

Do concussions cause early death?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss the origins and complications of co...

How Kleptomania Works

Thu, 17 Dec 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss kleptomania, a disorder in which pe...

How Narco States Work

Tue, 15 Dec 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss Narco States, places where illegal ...

How the Hells Angels Work

Thu, 10 Dec 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss the notorious Hells Angels Motorcyc...

Will the Large Hadron Collider destroy the Earth?

Tue, 08 Dec 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss the Large Hadron Collider, from its...

How Near-Death Experiences Work

Thu, 03 Dec 2009

The concept of a near-death experience is well-known in popular culture, but we still don't know why...

How Food Cravings Work

Tue, 01 Dec 2009

Why do we crave certain foods? Does everyone experience food cravings? In this episode of Stuff You ...

How Hostage Negotiation Works

Thu, 26 Nov 2009

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explain the finer points of hostage negotiation, including the symbo...

What is Mutual Assured Destruction?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck discuss nuclear profliferation, nuclear par...

10 Odd Town Festivals

Thu, 19 Nov 2009

The world is full of festivals, some of which are really odd. Tune in as Josh and Chuck take a playf...

What's the deal with totem poles?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009

If you've ever wondered where the expression "low man on the totem pole" comes from, this episode of...

How Population Works

Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Population may not seem like the most scintillating topic in the world, but Josh and Chuck beg to di...

How will the future crime database work?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009

The US and England have databases containing DNA from millions of citizens. Originally only criminal...

How Product Placement Works

Thu, 05 Nov 2009

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck take a look at the advertising practice of ...

Can you remember being born?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009

Some people have memories of very early childhood, but how far back can you go? Is it possible to re...

The Real How Jack the Ripper Worked

Thu, 29 Oct 2009

In this Halloween episode, Josh and Chuck go way back to late 19th century London to examine the gri...

How Witness Protection Works

Tue, 27 Oct 2009

The Witness Protection Program, or the Witness Security Program, was established in 1970 to protect ...

How the Cannonball Run Worked

Thu, 22 Oct 2009

The Cannon Ball Run is a cross-country car race famously portrayed in the campy 1981 movie "Cannon B...

What is China's one-child policy?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009

China's one-child policy, implemented in 1979, was designed to limit population growth. In this epis...

What is a hangover, really?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009

After a night of heavy boozing, many partygoers find themselves the victim of a hangover. But what e...

How to Find the History of Your House

Tue, 13 Oct 2009

Ever wondered about the history of your house? In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Ch...

Who were the first Americans?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009

Columbus is often touted as the "discoverer" of the Americas, he wasn't the first to set foot on Ame...

Health Care Systems Around the World

Tue, 06 Oct 2009

In this final installment of their 4-part suite on health care, Josh, Chuck and Molly take a tour of...

Is Bhutan on to something with Gross National Happiness?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009

How do you measure happiness? How do you measure it on a national scale? Tune in as Josh and Chuck d...

Rumors, Myths and Truths Behind Obama's Health Care Plan

Tue, 29 Sep 2009

In this third episode of Stuff You Should Know's health care reform series, Josh and Chuck -- and sp...

Do zombies really exist?

Thu, 24 Sep 2009

In movies and stories, zombies are undead menaces that lurch around mindlessly, in search of flesh -...

President Obama's Health Care Plan: Soup to Nuts

Tue, 22 Sep 2009

In this special episode of Stuff You Should know, the second in a four-part series, Josh and Chuck -...

How do dogs perceive time?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009

A dog that knows exactly when its owners will arrive home every day seems to have a human perception...

How Health Care in the United States Works Right Now

Tue, 15 Sep 2009

The United States is abuzz with talk of health care reform, but why does the system need repairs in ...

Could microlending develop the world?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009

Microlending is a practice that provides funds for entrepreneurs in developing countries who couldn'...

What is geocaching?

Tue, 08 Sep 2009

Armed with only a GPS and a sense of adventure, geocachers use their wits to locate containers acros...

What is an Ig Nobel Prize?

Thu, 03 Sep 2009

Each year, the Ig Nobel Prize is awarded to researchers for unusual -- and generally humorous -- con...

Why is the U.S. so dependent on cars?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009

Today, automobiles are undoubtedly the dominant form of transportation in the United States, but tha...

How Muppets Work

Thu, 27 Aug 2009

Jim Henson's Muppets, including the beloved Kermit the Frog, first came to life in the mid-1950s. Jo...

How easy is it to steal a nuclear bomb?

Tue, 25 Aug 2009

Nuclear weapons are extremely well guarded, so stealing one would be quite tricky. Join Josh and Chu...

Is the Necronomicon real?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009

H.P. Lovecraft's strange, elaborate stories and mythologies have inspired a devoted following. Join ...

What's sarcopenia and what can you do about it?

Tue, 18 Aug 2009

Sarcopenia is a form of muscle loss and coordination associated with aging. Luckily, a little extra ...

Is fluoride making us stupid?

Thu, 13 Aug 2009

Fluoride is a common additive in toothpaste and the water supply of some countries. It's purportedly...

What are Japanese stragglers?

Tue, 11 Aug 2009

During World War II, Japanese soldiers adopted a version of the samurai code of honor. Fiercely comm...

What's up with competitive eating?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009

Competitive eating is a modern "sport" that's very popular in the United States. Join Josh and Chuck...

How Agent Orange Worked

Tue, 04 Aug 2009

Agent Orange was a potent herbicide used by the U.S. government during the Vietnam War. Learn more a...

How Whale Sharks Work

Thu, 30 Jul 2009

Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the ocean. Tune in as Josh and Chuck discuss these gentle giant...

What are tinnovators?

Tue, 28 Jul 2009

Tinnovators are folks who come up with new and innovative ways to use old Altoids mint tins. Learn a...

Three Gross Parasites

Thu, 23 Jul 2009

There are some pretty disgusting parasites out there, but Josh and Chuck have settled on three parti...

Are stupid people happier?

Tue, 21 Jul 2009

Is there a negative correlation between happiness and intelligence? Is ignorance truly bliss? Josh a...

What is a body farm?

Thu, 16 Jul 2009

Most farms host crops and animals, but body farms specialize in corpses. Join Josh and Chuck as they...

How has toxoplasma turned the world into zombies?

Tue, 14 Jul 2009

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that favors cats, but it can also be found in humans. Discove...

How Twinkies Work

Thu, 09 Jul 2009

Twinkies have a reputation for being so processed that they can last for years and years, but they'r...

Is it possible to brainwash someone?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009

Brainwashing is an extreme form of "thought reform," but does it actually work? Tune in to this podc...

How can hypermiling save you gas?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009

The EPA tests vehicles for maximum fuel efficiency, but those impressive estimates don't always pan ...

How Earthquakes Work

Tue, 30 Jun 2009

What makes the earth quake? Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the science and history of earthquak...

How Body Dysmorphic Disorder Works

Thu, 25 Jun 2009

People who suffer with body dysmorphic disorder have a distorted, unhealthy view of their bodies. Le...

Can you control your dreams?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009

In a lucid dream, the sleeper is aware that he or she is in a dream state. Does that mean you can co...

What exactly is the Peter Principle?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009

The Peter Principle describes how workers who excel in bureaucratic systems are promoted until they ...

Three Innovations We Need Right Now

Tue, 16 Jun 2009

The world's problems necessitate innovative solutions. Listen in as Josh and Chuck propose some inno...

How Carbon Capture and Storage Works

Thu, 11 Jun 2009

Carbon capture and storage is a way to filter excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it...

How did Nikola Tesla change the way we use energy?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009

Many people associate Edison with the invention of electricity, but Nikola Tesla heavily shaped the ...

How Biohydrocarbons Work

Thu, 04 Jun 2009

Hydrocarbons are simple compounds that help fuel the modern world, but they're not really a sustaina...

What's a brownfield remediation project?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009

The EPA defines a brownfield as land that is abandoned because redevelopment is complicated by possi...

Is spontaneous human combustion real?

Thu, 28 May 2009

Scientists have proven that spontaneous combustion, or burning without an external ignition source, ...

How Propaganda Works

Tue, 26 May 2009

Propaganda, a persuasion tactic typically associated with deception, has been around for centuries. ...

Do animals have a sixth sense?

Thu, 21 May 2009

People have long believed that animals had mysterious powers of prediction. Do animals have a sixth ...

How Lobotomies Work

Tue, 19 May 2009

Lobotomies -- brain surgeries to relieve psychiatric problems -- are rarely performed today, but the...

Is it better to buy local or organic food?

Thu, 14 May 2009

These days, shopping for food can pose a dilemma. Should you buy regular, organic or local food? Che...

What causes rigor mortis?

Tue, 12 May 2009

If you've ever watched a crime drama, you know that bodies get stiff after death. But why? Explore t...

How can a lake explode?

Thu, 07 May 2009

Lakes are usually tranquil bodies of water, but in rare instances, they can be deadly. Tune in to th...

Why do humans have body hair?

Tue, 05 May 2009

Humans aren't truly naked apes, but other primates put us to shame when it comes to body hair. Why? ...

How do credit default swaps work?

Thu, 30 Apr 2009

In theory, credit default swaps are simply insurance against failed investments. In reality, these s...

Is high fructose corn syrup bad for you?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009

High fructose corn syrup gets a bad rap, but is it deserved? Tune in as Josh and Chuck discuss the o...

How Face Transplants Work

Thu, 23 Apr 2009

Believe it or not, scientists and doctors have discovered a way to transplant part -- or all -- of a...

How much money do I really need to live?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009

How much money does a person or a family need to live? Josh and Chuck are curious to find out, too. ...

Do toads cause warts?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009

Toads have a reputation as wart-spreaders, but they're not actually to blame for the unsightly growt...

How Money Laundering Works

Tue, 14 Apr 2009

Money laundering -- the practice of disguising illegal funds -- can be domestic or international in ...

How Ponzi Schemes Work

Thu, 09 Apr 2009

There's been a lot in the news about Ponzi schemes lately. How do they work? And who's Ponzi? Check ...

How can some centenarians lead unhealthy lives?

Tue, 07 Apr 2009

You'd think that centenarians -- people age 100 and older -- would owe their longevity to healthy ha...

Bizarre Ways to Die

Thu, 02 Apr 2009

When it comes to shucking this mortal coil, no two deaths are exactly alike -- and some are truly bi...

Is the world going to end in 2012?

Tue, 31 Mar 2009

According to the Mayan calendar, a new age will begin on December 21, 2012. Will this mean the end o...

Are there dead bodies on Mount Everest?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009

Every year, adventurers brave the elements and attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Yet dan...

How Déjà Vu Works

Tue, 24 Mar 2009

Does this episode seem strangely familiar? If so, you might be experiencing déjà vu, a topic that ...

Can anger be a good thing?

Thu, 19 Mar 2009

Anger gets a bad rap, but this unpopular emotion can actually be beneficial to us. Tune in to this p...

What are microexpressions?

Tue, 17 Mar 2009

Microexpressions are brief facial cues that reveal a person's true intentions. Listen in as Chuck an...

How Aphrodisiacs Work

Thu, 12 Mar 2009

For thousands of years humankind has pursued the enhancement of sexual pleasure and performance thro...

Who owns the oceans?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009

International waters cover 71% of the Earth's surface, and a separate set of laws and regulations go...

How Alien Hand Syndrome Works

Thu, 05 Mar 2009

When a person has alien hand syndrome, his or her hand can move involuntarily, and seemingly of its ...

Could a 'thinking cap' make me a genius?

Tue, 03 Mar 2009

When Allan Snyder discovered that transcranial magnetic stimulation produces strange cognitive chang...

How Junk Mail Works

Thu, 26 Feb 2009

Almost no one likes junk mail. It's seen as wasteful, unproductive and -- potentially -- harmful. Li...

Can people really die of fright?

Tue, 24 Feb 2009

Can a human being be scared to the point of sudden death? Listen in as Chuck and Josh explore the ph...

How Going Over Niagara Works

Thu, 19 Feb 2009

Since 1901, about 16 adventurous souls have gone over the falls in search of fame, usually in a barr...

How Squatting Works

Tue, 17 Feb 2009

The practice of squatting is usually defined as camping on unused land or moving into an abandoned s...

How Friday the 13th Works

Thu, 12 Feb 2009

What is it about Friday the 13th that gives us the collective willies? Discover the surprising roots...

How long can you go without food and water?

Tue, 10 Feb 2009

When it comes to survival, food and water are pretty much non-negotiable. How long can you go withou...

Why is it so hard to say "toy boat" three times fast?

Thu, 05 Feb 2009

If you've ever tried to say "toy boat" three times fast, you'll know that these two words can quickl...

Why do some people believe the moon landings were a hoax?

Tue, 03 Feb 2009

Three decades after the first reported manned lunar landing, some theorists still believe the landin...

How Hypoallergenic Cats Work

Thu, 29 Jan 2009

One-third of US cat owners are allergic to cats, resigning themselves to years of suffering and expe...

How Comas Work

Tue, 27 Jan 2009

Several conditions can cause comas, including brain tumors and overdoses. Tune in as the crew discus...

How Moonshine Works

Thu, 22 Jan 2009

Moonshiners brew illegal alcohol, usually a liquor from corn. In the United States, this practice le...

Recycling and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Tue, 20 Jan 2009

Recycling has come a long way since its debut -- and so have landfills. In this twofer HowStuffWorks...

How Redheads Work

Thu, 15 Jan 2009

Redheads are supposedly fiery, passionate people, but is there any truth to these stereotypes? Find ...

What are urban explorers?

Tue, 13 Jan 2009

Urban explorers investigate abandoned structures such as hospitals, grocery stores, warehouses and u...

How Body Armor Works: A Special Request

Thu, 08 Jan 2009

Body armor has used by bodyguards, celebrities and soldiers for thousands of years. Tune into this H...

How Exorcism Works

Tue, 06 Jan 2009

Is the idea of possession a misunderstanding of physiological and psychological conditions, or has s...

How Midnight Regulations Work

Thu, 01 Jan 2009

After the election in November, outgoing Presidents have an opportunity to pass last-minute (often u...

How Habeas Corpus Works

Tue, 30 Dec 2008

Habeas Corpus is a Latin term meaning "you have the body," and -- in theory -- guarantees an incarce...

How to Survive a Plane Crash

Thu, 25 Dec 2008

Although you're much more likely to die in an auto accident, odds are you're more afraid of flying -...

How Flirting Works

Tue, 23 Dec 2008

Flirting is an ancient -- and, at times, unconscious -- form of communication used to indicate inter...

What can be done with a dead body?

Thu, 18 Dec 2008

From transforming into a gem to being shot into space, modern technology has created a multitude of ...

Where's the best place on your body to get shot?

Tue, 16 Dec 2008

Although no one wakes up in the morning hoping for a gunfight, we all know life can be unpredictable...

Extended Product Warranties: To Buy or Not to Buy?

Thu, 11 Dec 2008

Statistically speaking, extended product warranties aren't generally worth the money, but there are ...

How the Five Day Weekend Works

Tue, 09 Dec 2008

What if Congress passed a law mandating a two-day week work? The Friends of the Five Day Weekend wan...

How Guerrilla Gardening Works

Thu, 04 Dec 2008

You've heard of guerrilla fighting tactics, but how much do you know about guerrilla gardening? Chec...

How OCD Works

Tue, 02 Dec 2008

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compuls...

How Thanksgiving Works

Thu, 27 Nov 2008

Thanksgiving is an unusual holiday in America -- there's no religious connotation, and the only trad...

How Albert Einstein's Brain Worked

Tue, 25 Nov 2008

Albert Einstein is one of the world's most recognizable geniuses. But was his brain any different fr...

How Corporate Personhood Works

Thu, 20 Nov 2008

Corporate personhood is an ancient legal custom tracing back to Roman law, whereby a corporation is ...

How Eco-anxiety Works

Tue, 18 Nov 2008

Eco-anxiety -- a chronic fear of environmental doom -- is a recent, specialized type of anxiety diso...

Why doesn't the FDA regulate herbal supplements?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008

For thousands of years, societies across the globe have used herbs as medicine. While this practice ...

Did the CIA test LSD on unsuspecting Americans?

Tue, 11 Nov 2008

As more and more time passes, the Freedom of Information Act provides increasingly disturbing storie...

How Mortgage-backed Securities Work

Thu, 06 Nov 2008

The 2008 US financial crisis has been blamed on the excessive use of mortgage-backed securities. But...

How Prayer Healing Works

Thu, 30 Oct 2008

Studies have shown that prayer has a positive effect on individuals, but can your prayer heal someon...

Is a free market "free" if it's regulated?

Tue, 28 Oct 2008

Prices in a free market are determined by the law of supply and demand, yet the US government has re...

How do Tibetans avoid altitude sickness?

Thu, 23 Oct 2008

Due to the region's elevation, the average traveler to Tibet often experiences altitude sickness -- ...

How the Bailout Works

Tue, 21 Oct 2008

The economy imploded as US banks reaped the consequences of subprime mortgage trades. Controversiall...

How Living Off the Grid Works

Thu, 16 Oct 2008

If you're tired of paying utility bills or relying on fossil fuels, it might be time to consider liv...

Will we soon be extinct?

Tue, 14 Oct 2008

Is Earth due for a mass extinction? Population ecologists think so. Check out this HowStuffWorks pod...

How Cannibalism Works

Thu, 09 Oct 2008

Cannibalism is one of humanity's near-universal taboos, but it has been practiced in widely varying ...

How Entomophagy Works

Tue, 07 Oct 2008

Entomophagy -- the practice of eating insects -- is common outside of Europe and North America. Desp...

How China's Pollution Sniffers Work

Thu, 02 Oct 2008

In China's Guangdong province, twelve volunteers have been trained to detect harmful pollution by us...

How Delta Force Works

Tue, 30 Sep 2008

With the world's best weaponry, a shadowy legal status, and almost no oversight, Delta Force is the ...

How Graceland Works

Thu, 25 Sep 2008

Graceland attracts millions of visitors every year. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn mo...

Is quitting smoking contagious?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008

Everyone knows it's tough to quit smoking -- but did you know quitting can be contagious? Check out ...

How Can I Erase My Identity and Start Over?

Thu, 18 Sep 2008

Everyone dreams of snagging a fresh start at life. Whether you've thought of changing your dull give...

What's the ultimatum game?

Tue, 16 Sep 2008

The ultimatum game is an economics experiment that provides insight into the human psyche. Check out...

Why don't we live underground?

Thu, 11 Sep 2008

Humanity has adapted to life on the surface. We like sunlight and fresh air -- but do we need it to ...

Is sleep that important?

Tue, 09 Sep 2008

Sleep is one of those funny things about being a human being -- you just have to do it. Have you eve...

What's the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008

The function of antiperspirant and deodorant is to prevent sweat or to mask the scent of body odor. ...

Is there a worst way to die?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008

But there's no consensus among professionals about which method of death is the least desirable. A p...

What are smart mobs?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008

With the benefit of wireless technologies like cell phones and text messaging, large groups of peopl...

Will robots get married?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008

Some researchers believe that weddings between a human and a robot could be possible by the year 205...

How Blood Pressure Works

Thu, 21 Aug 2008

High blood pressure -- or hypertension -- is elevated pressure of the blood in the arteries. Hyperte...

Are humans wired to survive?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008

Are humans born with survival instincts? Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about hum...

10 Terribly Bungled Crimes

Thu, 14 Aug 2008

Ten terribly bungled crimes throughout history are explored, such as drug deals gone wrong. Find out...

Is there a torture manual?

Fri, 08 Aug 2008

In May of 2007, the US military found drawings believed to be part of an Al-Qaida torture manual. Ho...

Are there real-life fight clubs?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008

The 1996 Chuck Palahniuk novel, "Fight Club," has been blamed -- and lauded -- by various groups for...

Exactly what happens if we run out of water?

Thu, 31 Jul 2008

In 1995, World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin declared that "the wars of the next century wil...

Is knife hunting the fairest way to hunt?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008

Fair chase is the idea that a balance should be struck between the hunter's ability to kill prey and...

Why do people blush?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008

Blushing from embarrassment is governed by the sympathetic nervous system, which governs involuntary...

How Carbon Capture Works

Tue, 22 Jul 2008

Carbon capture is the process of trapping carbon emissions and storing them away from the atmosphere...

Are Dogs a Shark's Favorite Meal?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008

In 2005, The Sun reported that dogs were being used as live bait in the Indian Ocean. Is it possible...

Can I Survive a Shark Attack by Gouging Out Its Eyes?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008

Although it can be intimidating, a shark is not invulnerable. Punching its nose, gouging its eyes, o...

How Ripperology Works

Thu, 10 Jul 2008

The unsolved murder spree of Jack the Ripper has captivated generations of amateur investigators, ea...

How Personal Rapid Transport Works

Mon, 07 Jul 2008

Personal rapid transport combines the best traits of subways and taxis, and costs less to build than...

How Abandoned Cities Work

Tue, 01 Jul 2008

Cities can become abandoned for a number of reasons, from economic meltdowns to nuclear catastrophes...

How Murphy's Law Works

Tue, 01 Jul 2008

Murphy's law originates in 1949, and states 'anything that can go wrong, will.' Check out this HowSt...

How Death-Proof Cars Work

Thu, 26 Jun 2008

Could high-end digital auto systems such as blind-spot detection and collision prevention overcome t...

How Oil Shale Works

Tue, 24 Jun 2008

Oil shale is a term for oil trapped in rock, rather than existing in liquid form. Check out this How...

How Swearing at Work Works

Fri, 20 Jun 2008

Swear words are usually considered workplace taboos -- yet the debate continues over whether these w...

How Manufacturing Water Works

Wed, 18 Jun 2008

The United Nations has found that 22% of the world's population does not have access to clean drinki...

What's the most expensive toilet in the world?

Thu, 12 Jun 2008

The most expensive toilet in the world is made of solid gold and can be found in Hong Kong. Learn mo...

Could salt water fuel cars?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008

Salt water fuel could be the next viable alternative to foreign oil. Learn about the ongoing researc...

How The Eye of a Tornado Works

Thu, 05 Jun 2008

In recorded history, only two people have entered the eye of a tornado and returned to tell the tale...

How Contagious Yawning Works

Tue, 03 Jun 2008

Yawning is contagious, but why? Check out the leading theories on contagious yawning and empathy in ...

Can People Really Get Hysterical Strength?

Thu, 29 May 2008

During times of emergency, people have been known to preform feats of great strength. Learn more abo...

How Antibacterial Soap Works

Wed, 28 May 2008

Could the routine use of antibacterial soap increase the presence of drug-resistant bacteria in your...

Does Gum Stay in your Stomach for Seven Years?

Thu, 22 May 2008

Does gum really stay in your stomach for Seven Years? Josh and Chuck take on the parental myth of gu...

Are Dogs Really Man's Best Friend?

Tue, 20 May 2008

Check out the story of Hachiko, a loyal Akita who waited for over ten years for his master to return...

How Evolution in Isolation Works

Thu, 15 May 2008

How does isolation spur evolution? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about speciati...

Why Does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad?

Tue, 13 May 2008

Why does toothpaste make orange juice taste bad? Chuck recounts his first-hand experience, and how i...

How Trolley Problems Work

Tue, 06 May 2008

The trolley problem is an ethical dilemma that proposes a difficult decision about choosing whether ...

Can I feel pregnant when my wife is?

Tue, 06 May 2008

Sympathy pregnancy is the condition where a man feels pregnant while his wife actually is. Learn mor...

Are Nazi War Criminals Still At Large?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008

After the close of World War II, Nazi war criminals fled Europe and attempted to hide under assumed ...

How Altruism Works

Thu, 17 Apr 2008

Is there such a thing as a truly unselfish act? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast and learn more ...

How Lame Ducks Work

Thu, 17 Apr 2008

In U.S. politics, a lame duck is a president who will not be re-elected because he or she has been p...

How Grassoline Works

Thu, 17 Apr 2008

Could switch grass become the car fuel of the future? Learn more about alternative fuel in this HowS...