BrainStuff

What Was Terrible About Ivan the Terrible?

Ivan IV Vasilyevich wasn't called 'the Terrible' during his lifetime, but he lived up to the name. Learn how he became Russia's first tsar, expanded his power, and terror

How Does the Thymus Work (and What Can Happen When It Doesn’t)?

The thymus is a small organ in the center of your chest that's responsible for getting your immune system's T cells ready to protect you from germs. Learn what we know an

BrainStuff Classics: How Does Venus Work?

Venus is the hottest planet, its years are shorter than its days, and its atmospheric pressure is 92 times greater than that on Earth. Learn how researchers think Venus g

Why Do We Eat Three Meals a Day?

The concept of eating three square meals a day only goes back about 150 years. Learn how technology, marketing, and other factors have shifted our meals and mealtimes in

How Do Walkie-Talkies Work?

This technology is going on a hundred years old, but for reliable voice communication across relatively short distances, walkie-talkies are still relevant -- and sometime

Dimetrodon Wasn't a Dinosaur -- So What Was It?

This four-legged prehistoric animal had a bony sail on its back and was probably scaly, but it was more closely to related to mammals than it was to dinosaurs. Learn abou

BrainStuff Classics: How Does Samhain Work?

Samhain is a pagan holiday -- celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice -- that helped form modern, secular Halloween celebrations. Learn about Samhain in t

What Really Happened at the 'Amityville Horror' House?

After a tragic set of murders in 1974, the next residents at a grand old house in Amityville, New York, claimed the home was demonically haunted. Their story spawned a ho

How Is Chocolate Made?

From the seed of a tropical tree to creamy candies, it takes a lot of science to turn cacao into chocolate. Learn how cacao is farmed, fermented, and processed into cocoa

Was James Dean's Final Car Cursed?

After James Dean died in a car crash at 24 years old, the remains of that car -- a silver Porsche 550 Spyder -- were implicated in a series of other accidents before the

BrainStuff Classics: Does the Community of Lily Dale Reconnect the Living and the Dead?

Spiritualism is a 19th-century belief system that holds that the living can communicate with spirits of the dead through mediums. Learn about the community where spiritua

How Did the Philadelphia Experiment Work?

The Philadelphia Experiment is a fringe theory that says a secret military project made a WWII ship disappear (or time travel, or eat some of its crew). Learn about the h

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