Posts Tagged: ‘marshall’
Instant cameras made it possible to see a photograph almost immediately after you’d taken it. But how? In this episode, Marshall explains the chemical processes behind regular and instant photographic film.
When Al Gross was nine years old, he wandered into a steamboat’s radio room while vacationing with his family. For the rest of his life he was fascinated by wireless communication. Tune in and learn more about Al’s Stuff of Genius.
Skin covers our bodies, so it’s very easy for this delicate organ to get irritated. In this episode, Marshall explains why our bodies respond to irritants with an itching sensation — and why we’re programmed to scratch.
If you enjoy drinking carbonated water, this episode’s for you! Listen in as Marshall Brain explains how to make your own carbonated water at home for a fraction of the price you pay in stores.
Daniel Fahrenheit built several types of thermometers, but his Stuff of Genius wasn’t restricted to a few temperature measuring devices. Tune in and learn how Daniel Fahrenheit invented the system that bears his name today.
When it comes to differentiating between hardwoods and softwoods, it’s not a matter of hardness or density — it’s all about plant reproduction. Marshall explains what angiosperms and gymnosperms are in this episode.
One night, Marshall went outside with a headlight lamp on his head and discovered that his backyard was full of sparkling reflections. What were these sparkles? Discover the surprising answer in this episode.
Continuous chest compression is an updated form of CPR that’s much easier to administer — and, studies suggest, more effective. In this episode, Marshall Brain explains how CCC works.
As a reporter in Chicago, George Hancock was resigned to the bitter, snowy winter weather that trapped people indoors and stopped them from playing outdoor sports like baseball. At least, that is, until his Stuff of Genius struck. Tune in and learn more.
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.
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
- Sun, Sand and a Passenger Jet Coming Right for You
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
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 69: Perfume: The Culture of Scent
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
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

