BrainStuff

Can Your Hair Really Turn White Overnight?

Tales of some great shock or fright suddenly turning a person's hair white go back thousands of years. Learn what researchers think is really going on -- and how our hair

Why Are Brown Recluse Spiders Not All That Scary?

Brown recluse spiders rarely bite humans, and when they do, it only causes a reaction in about 10 percent of cases. Learn how to identify brown recluses and what their bi

BrainStuff Classics: When Has a Single Vote Decided an Election?

Voting is an incredibly important way to make your voice heard, but it's very rare for a candidate to win or lose by just one vote. Learn how rare -- and about a few time

How Do You Grow a 3,000-Pound Pumpkin?

The largest pumpkins in the world now weigh well over a ton, and the record gets broken just about every year. But how (and why) would you go about growing one? Learn how

How Do Your Nerves Tell Your Muscles to Function?

Every movement our bodies make -- from waving at a friend to pumping blood -- is goverened by complex electrochemical handshakes among our nerves and our muscles. Learn h

Why Did the Massive Maginot Line Fail to Stop Hitler?

After years of trench warfare in WWI, France built a line of massive underground bunkers and other defensive fortifications along hundreds of miles of its border. Learn h

BrainStuff Classics: Why Are Some Americans Cancelling Columbus Day?

Some U.S. cities and states have officially changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Learn why -- and why some Americans disagree with the change -- in this class

American Versus British English: What Are Biscuits, Muffins, and Pudding?

The English-language terms for different baked goods vary based on where English is being spoken. Learn why an American cookie is a British biscuit, an American biscuit i

How Do Sunspots Work?

When dark spots appear on the surface of the Sun, we're actually seeing the result of massive distortions in solar magnetic fields caused by roiling plasma -- and they ap

Did the Lost Continent of Lemuria Really Exist?

A sunken continent called Lemuria was first proposed as a scientific explanation for lemur populations in the mid-1800s, but it quickly became part of the mythology of Th

BrainStuff Classics: How Did a Mad King Design Disney's Castle?

Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle -- the centerpiece of Disneyland and the Disney logo -- on a real castle in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Learn about Neuschwan

Could the Bird Flu Cause a Human Pandemic?

Since the early 2000s, the H5N1 bird flu has sickened wild and domestic birds around the world -- and sometimes humans and other mammals, too. Learn how this strain of av

Where Do Butternut Squash Come From?

Humans started domesticating edible gourds thousands of years ago, but one of today's most popular varieties has been around for less than a century. Learn about the hist

How Did the Great Stink of London Work?

In London in the summer of 1858, a Great Stink settled over the city. The sewage from its growing population was baking in the streets -- and infiltrating the city's wate

BrainStuff Classics: How Do Blue Whales Work?

It's a good question. The blue whale is the largest known animal to ever grace the planet (they may be twice as big as Megalodon was! Their tongues are as heavy as elepha

Do Political TV Ads Really Change Minds?

Every U.S. election cycle, political campaigns bombard American televisions with advertisements for candidate X versus Y. But can these ads really make a difference, espe

How Does Myasthenia Gravis Work?

What happens when your immune system attacks the point of communication between your nerves and muscles? That's an autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis, and it l

What Is It Like In Our Asteroid Belt?

The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is made up of sparse, tiny bodies of rock, ice, and metal that give us a window into our solar system's early days. Learn how J

BrainStuff Classics: How Did Fish & Chips Become England's National Dish?

Light and tender fried fish plated with crisp fried potatoes is a classic English comfort meal, but it's only a little over a century old. Learn the history of fish and c

Do Lemmings Really Jump Off Cliffs?

Lemmings are small, fierce rodents that make their home in Arctic environments -- and (spoiler alert) the idea that they kill themselves by following each other off cliff