Stuff To Blow Your Mind

Invisible World of the No. 7:The 7 deadly sins, the 7 continents, the 7 seas: The no. 7 is everywhere. But is its prevalence simply a byproduct of the brain's pattern recognition machinery, does the no. 7 play a significant role in both human psychology and physiology - and to what extent is one driving the other? Find out in this Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode.

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Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies: It's time to rediscover ventriloquism, the surprisingly deft art of illusion that relies on a keen sense of comic timing and obsessive technique from the performer, as well as a buy-in into the illusion from the audience member. Why do we fall for it? What's going on in the brain? All shall be explained in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your mind.

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Extreme Mammals Part II: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count down their favorite weird warm bloods from the smallest to largest.

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Extreme Mammals Part I: In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count down their favorite weird warm bloods from the smallest to largest.

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The Science of Beards: Why do human males have beards? Do they protect us? Do they make us more fearsome? Better looking? More trustworthy? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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The Status of Flatus: What is a fart? What's the science behind passing gas and why does volume, frequency and stench very so much from person to person? Answers await, gentle listener, as Robert and Julie discuss the biology behind breaking wind.

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Atlanta is in shambles. Parasite-infected humans wander the streets, stinking of death and attacking everyone in sight. Meanwhile Robert and Julie hold up in the HSW headquarters to shed light on the so-called "zombie outbreak" by highlighting real-world examples of minds hijacked and bodies zombified by tiny parasitic organisms.

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From Nose to Tail: The Colon: Finally, everything comes out in the end - which is to say it comes out of the end. Robert and Julie finish up their digestive journey with discussions of colon science, nutrient enemas, prison wallets and other astounding things.

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From Nose to Tail: Into the Intestines: In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie continue to follow the journey of a haggis through the digestive system of man. Listen in as the small intestines absorb all sorts of vital nutrients from your liquefied food.

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Nude Space Walk: In order to travel in space, humans have to bring a fragment of their native environment with them in the form of a compressed capsule or EV suit. But what would happen if you took off your helmet or simply launched yourself out the airlock in the buff? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie look for the answers.

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Emotions in Outer Space: Space madness. Freezing tears. Delirious astronauts tranquilized, duct taped to the wall and forced to listen to Phillip Glass. Yes, in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie examine the mental strains of life and space and how to address them.

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Ah, to be swallowed whole and hugged within the stomach of a colossal beast. To some this idea is bliss; to most it's the stuff of nightmares. But can any creature on Earth truly swallow a human whole and alive? How likely is it? Join Robert and Julie on this Stuff to Blow Your Mind adventure deep inside the belly of a colossal whale.

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Can You Stomach It?: Why doesn't the stomach digest itself? What sorts of chemical wonders go on inside the human gut and what strange language is it speaking after a heavy dinner? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss some stomach science.

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Mary Roach Interview: We all love Mary Roach, so in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind Robert and Julie invite the "Stiff" author on the show to chat about her latest book "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal." Plus she'll answer listener questions and discuss how to eat with your butt.

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From Nose to Tail: Mysteries of the Mouth: Food goes on quite a fantastic journey through the human body and Stuff to Blow Your Mind is here to guide you on the way. Join Robert and Julie as they begin at digestion's base camp: a world of smell, taste, saliva and gnashing teeth.

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Human Lightning Rods: Some folk claim to attract undue attention from electrical storms. Some even insist it's hereditary. But what does science have to say about individuals who incur the wrath of Thor upwards of six or seven times? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie explore the world of human lightning strikes.

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Watch Stoppers: We've all heard tales of individuals who simply cannot wear wrist watches. The time pieces simply stop working, time and time again. So what' happening? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss personal magnetism and why your watches keep breaking.

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3D Printer of the Gods II: Oh, you're into 3D printing? How 20 years ago. It's one thing to print in the three spatial dimensions, quite another to factor in the fourth dimension of time. But it's happening. And in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert break down exactly what it's all about and discuss the future of manufacturing.

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Stuff to Blow Your Mind listeners regularly send in imaginative and jaw-dropping correspondence. Sadly, Julie and Robert rarely have time to read it all. So here's a bonus episode devoted to your listener mail, courtesy of everyone's favorite mailbot.

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Sure 3D printers are cool, but where will they ultimately take us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss some of the amazing things happening in 3D printing, what the future will bring and whether it will destroy us all.

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Slay Your Paper Tigers: Sure, we all know a pile of paperwork or a job interview is nothing like a bloody battle to the death with a saber toothed tiger - but do our bodies know that? Is our brain still wired for fight or flight regardless of the modern stakes? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie discuss how and why our brains interpret minor annoyances as ancestral enemies.

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Objects of Love: We live in a world of objects to which we assign varying degrees of worth, from old newspapers to treasured action figures, family heirlooms and golden idols. What's it all about? Where does this object attachment come from? Tune in to learn more.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson chats with Robert and Julie about his new book "Space Chronicles" as well as mad science, philosophy, dark matter and humanity's future amid the stars.

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Is there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert discuss the history of SETI as well as what classic TV shows our alien neighbors might be listening to.

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Is there life out there in the cosmos and if so how do we find it? How might it find us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert discuss the history of SETI as well as what classic TV shows our alien neighbors might be listening to.

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Can science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this second part of this series, Robert and Julie continue exploring of posthuman philosophy and the possibility of winged humans.

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Can science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss Joseph Rosen's posthuman philosophy and ponder what we'd have to do to transform arms into wings.

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Leprechaun Hallucinations: As Saint Patrick's Day nears, our minds inevitably turn to the little people of Irish folklore. But diminutive fairy folk pop up in folk traditions around the world. Listen in for a celebration of the myth and science behind those Leprechaun encounters.

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Chances are you didn't pack mud pies or clay bricks for lunch, but humans - like many animals - are not above pica in their diet. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the practice of dirt and mineral consumption and just what impulses are at work.

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Like most ubiquitous technology, elevators are often ignored. But there would be no skyscrapers without them. There would be no tightly-packed awkwardness, no dusting of claustrophobic fear. Tune in to learn about the psychology and science of elevators.

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While humans generally try to avoid puking, an upchuck is just another biological function for other creatures. In this episode, Robert and Julie present a vomitory smorgasbord of cud-chewing monkeys, acid-puking spiders, corpse-hurling vultures and more.

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To what extent are we shackled to genes? How does our upbringing, environment and our grandfather's life choices affect the expression of our genome? Join Julie and Robert as they discuss epigenetic research and ponder underlying questions of free will.

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Between the code and the creature lies the epigenome, where environmental impulses alter genetic expression. Join Robert and Julie as they introduce epigenetics and gene memory. Join them as they discuss Lamarckian Evolution, mice, rats and flat worms.

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So you're telling me slime molds can solve mazes and recreate trade routes? Yes, indeed we are. In this episode, Julie and Robert explore the "intelligence" of slime molds and why they force us to re-think the evolution of intelligence.

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My Slimey Valentine: Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a Valentine's hater, Robert and Julie have quite the episode for you. Prepare to have your mind blown as they expose the daring, disgusting, weaponized, cannibalistic and marathon lovemaking ways of slugs and snails.

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We all love slime, but do we really respect it in all its glory? Join Julie and Robert for a mucus-coated journey through the slime of slugs, sea hags and fish. Learn how it provides locomotion, protection, communication and food.

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Is multitasking a female super power, a learnable skill or pure myth? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert consider our multitasking world, our unitasking minds and the rare "super taskers" capable of doing it all.

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All joking aside, the Interrupting Cow takes a real toll on your brain and your work life. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie examine just how interruptions and distractions impact our cognitive functions.

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Pineal Optics: Prepare to open that third eye, listeners, because Robert and Julie are taking you on a journey from philosophical ponderings about human spirituality to scientific explorations of the human pineal gland and the extra parietal eye common to other animals.

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Undercover Actors and the Shadow Self: In this episode, we discuss the place where cover and identity collide in the human mind. It's a topic we first raised in our "Wrestling With Kayfabe" episode - so if you skipped that one because of the wrestling content, I urge you to give it a second chance. In this episode, we keep coming back to the idea of an avatar in the traditional sense: one of many physical forms that a formless deity may take in order to engage with a physical world. Your mind is that formless god, and all the versions of you are its avatars.

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Wrestling with Kayfabe: Professional wrestling is somewhat of a cultural oddity, as it blurs the lines between reality, fiction, sport and theater. Join Robert, Julie and "Art of Wrestling" podcaster Colt Cabana as they lock up with wrestling's mind-twisting layers of fiction. Enjoy part II of this podcast, Undercover Actors and the Shadow Self. Image: French pro-wrestler L'Ange Blanc in Paris, 1959. (Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty )

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A lot of cool science went down in 2012, but it's possible you missed some of these smaller stories amid all the Mars landing and Higgs searching. In this episode, Julie and Robert take you on a journey full of immortal jelly fish and solar tornados.

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As you leave 2012 in the dust, join Julie and Robert as they take one last look in the rearview mirror at some of the truly mind blowing science that went down in the past year.

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Temptation is all around us and as humans we only have so much willpower in the tank to fight it. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the science behind willpower, how we deplete this exhaustible resource and what you can do to boost your resolve.

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Having escaped from the confusion of the Minoan maze, it's time to walk the serene, calming paths of the Chartres Labyrinth. Why is this experience so different? Join Robert and Julie as they discuss the calming effects that labyrinths have on the mind.

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Enter the Minoan maze and wander its endless halls. Feel your heart race. Feel your limbs quiver as the minotaur's roar echoes through the walls. Join Robert and Julie as they explore the world of mazes and how they affect the brains of humans and rats.

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The teenage brain is a wonderful thing, full of intense rewiring and rapid shifts in priority. In this episode, Robert and Julie reminisce about the teenagers they were and just what was going on in their brains to fuel all that odd, erratic behavior.

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New Year's Life Hacks: Want improved focus this year? A better creative flow or stronger decision-making skills? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie run through some simple, scientifically-backed ways to maximize your new year.

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The Shaman and the Scientist: Hallucination: Join Robert and Julie as they continue their discussion of the overlap between shamanism and cognitive neuroscience. What sort of experiences do substances like DMT, psilocybin and salvia grant users? Why do human bodies have trace elements of DMT?

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The Shaman and the Scientist: My Egoic Mind: A shaman consumes a psychedelic mushroom and visits the spirit world. Meanwhile, a scientist studies the effects of psilocybin on depression and conceptions of self. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss the common ground shared by these disciplines.

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