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Most people are familiar with speedometers in cars, but do you know how air speed is determined? In this episode, Marshall explains how devices called pitot tubes gauge the speed of moving aircraft.
Plastics have become so ubiquitous that we often take them for granted, but have you ever wondered where these popular materials come from? In this episode, Marshall explains what plastics are made of.
How can you store an entire movie on one little DVD disc? It’s all about compression! In this episode, Marshall explains the technical details and standards of video compression.
Nor’easters are storm systems that frequently occur in the eastern United States during winter. In this episode, Marshall explains where Nor’easters get their name, how they work and why some Nor’easters are more powerful than others.
In this episode, Marshall explains how proteins determine your blood type — and why blood types must match for blood transfusions to be successful.
Race car tires are often filled with nitrogen because nitrogen pressure is more consistent than air pressure. In this episode, Marshall explains why nitrogen is better for race cars — but not for regular vehicles.
Created in the 1980s, the Avion is a car that can get more than 100 miles per gallon. In this episode, Marshall Brain talks about the factors that make the Avion so efficient — and how the same techniques could be applied to production vehicles.
Retractable roofs are the latest trend in sports stadium design. Marshall highlights multiple examples of convertible stadiums in the United States and explains how they work in this episode.
Wind farms and solar power plants are promising sources of renewable energy, but they’re not as reliable as conventional power sources. In this episode, Marshall explains how large-scale storage technologies could make solar and wind power more viable.
Low-emissivity (Low-E) glass is a special, expensive type that blocks out ultraviolet and infrared light. This coated glass can help protect your furniture and improve the energy efficiency of your home, as Marshall Brain explains in this episode.
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
