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Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it a reality.
I don’t know about you, but when I think about a “scanning electron microscope” my brain tends to categorize it into a “not possible to build at home” bin. I’m not sure why – maybe because I have never seen an SEM in someone’s home. Every time I’ve ever seen or used an SEM, it [...]
A flashlight is normally a very simple device. You have a bulb, and battery and a switch. Flip the switch and the bulb turns on to produce light. What if you want a LOT of light from your flashlight? Here is a 50 watt, 500 LED flashlight that shows you the possibilities: What if you [...]
In the following article, a really interesting question is explored. The question is: Is there a better, more efficient way to launch airplanes? Electric Aviation is the Future of Transport If you think about how airplanes take off now, you can see the potential problem. The pilot positions the plane at the end of the [...]
Plastic is a ubiquitous and incredibly useful invention, but it has some serious downsides. But what if plastics were biodegradable? Tune in to learn more about the evolution and advantages of bioplastics.
Before Bartolomeo Cristofori began tinkering with musical instruments for Ferdinando de Medici, no one had heard of a piano. Tune in to learn how Cristofori’s Stuff of Genius changed music — and history — in this podcast.
Today the MRI is a crucial piece of technology, and its ability to scan the human body in a noninvasive way makes it an invaluable diagnostic tool. But who built it, and how does it work? Tune in to find out.
Whether they’re building blood banks or conveniences like air conditioning and the world wide web, inventors have given us a lot to be thankful for. Tune in and watch as we thank three inventors in particular in this special Thanksgiving episode.
Unlike many modern inventions, high heels can’t be traced to a single inventor. In fact, this unique form of footware dates back into antiquity. Listen in and learn more about the evolution of high heels.
You might be surprised to learn that the creator of modern-day Tabasco sauce was once a banker. Yet when the Civil War wiped his fortunes away, Edmund didn’t give up. He hunkered down in his garden and made the Stuff of Genius. Tune in to learn more.
Before his Stuff of Genius struck, Thomas Adams had already lived a very interesting life — in fact, he even spent time with the infamous Santa Anna. Tune in to learn how Thomas failed at making synthetic rubber and ended up with chewing gum.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
- Draw a Pretty Picture With Your Bike and Your Phone
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Nebula in a Box
- Blow Your Mind: Three Minutes Till Impact
- Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death
Stuff You Should Know
- Stuff You Should Know at SXSW
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Listener Mail: What’s the world’s largest engine?
- Listener Mail: What makes a “classic car” classic?
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
How-to Stuff
- How to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
- How to Travel the World in 4 Days
- How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 66: Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlists
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
- Good News from the Oldest Mayan Calendar
- One Year Later: Colony Collapse Disorder
- Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
