BrainStuff

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

What Would Happen If You Drank Saltwater?

Our bodies need salt and our bodies need water, so why is drinking saltwater not good for you? Learn what salt does in our bodies and why seawater will actually dehydrate

How Is Tungsten So Hard and Heat-Resistant?

Tungsten's boiling point is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and as tungsten carbide, it's one of the hardest materials we know. Learn how it's used for everything from ar

BrainStuff Classics: How Does the Hippocampus Work?

Without the hippocampus, our brains have serious trouble recalling and recording certain types of long-term memories. Learn how this brain structure works in today's clas

What Happened During Agatha Christie's Mysterious Disappearance?

In 1926, detective novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days under strange circumstances. Learn about her life and record-setting, best-selling works (second only

How Does Escargot Work?

Escargot is just one of many ways that humans enjoy eating land snails -- and we've been eating them for 30,000 years. Learn about the snails in question, how they're far

How Does a Geiger Counter Work?

The Geiger counters we use to detect harmful radiation today are 100-year-old technology that works based on simple behaviors of electrons and ions. Learn about ionizing

BrainStuff Classics: How Do Starling Murmurations Work?

Starlings flock in swooping, harmonious groups of thousands of birds called murmurations. Learn how these birds pull off such an amazing feat through simple actions in th

Why Was Rome's Emperor Commodus So Hated?

You may know him as the villain in the film 'Gladiator', but the real-life Emperor Commodus is said to have been even more cruel and megalomaniacal. Learn about his unusu

What If Earth Had Rings?

Planetary rings are gorgeous, temporary structures created when a planet's gravity captures and tears apart smaller objects. Learn why Earth doesn't have rings (right now

Why Do We Blush When We're Embarrassed?

Blushing is an involuntary reaction that can seem to draw more attention to yourself at exactly the worst moment. Learn why this embarrassing response to embarrassment ca