SYSK Selects: Juggling: What the Heck
There is a lot – A LOT – to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion’s share of it in this classic episode. Delve into the deep history, physics, how-tos and different types of juggling in this surprisingly sweeping look at a putatively innocuous pastime. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Matcha: That Ain't Just Tea
Matcha is something else, healthy and delicious and all the rage. Learn all about this trendy beverage today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Short Stuff: Nouns of assemblage... assemble!
A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. Nouns of assemblage are awesome and we talk about them for about 12 minutes in today's Short Stuff installment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
How Ultrasound Works
Sure you know all about ultrasound. You can see pictures of little babies right there cozy in the womb just by waving a magic plastic stick over the mom’s tummy. And magic is basically right. Believe us. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
SYSK Selects: Research tips from SYSK
People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'll give you some tips on how to root out the bad studies from the good ones. Learn all about shady studies and reporting in this classic episode! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Manhattan Grid
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Short Stuff: Haint Blue
Haint Blue is a kind of robin's egg color that you might commonly find on porches of the low country of the Southeastern United States. But what does it have to do with ghouls and ghosts? Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
SYSK Selects: How Flamethrowers Work
Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh and Chuck talk about the (very) early origins, history and technology of the flamethrower in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Can You Eat A Tapeworm To Lose Weight?
There’s a persistent insistence that you can ingest a tapeworm and as the parasite hijacks a lot of the calories you eat, the pounds will fall right off. In theory this could be true, but it’s also extremely dangerous. And has anyone ever really done it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Short Stuff: Foie Gras
Foie gras means “fatty liver” in French, which makes sense because it’s made from the overripe livers of force-fed ducks and geese. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
How Project Star Gate Worked
In yet another testament to how amazingly great the 70s were, in 1975 the US started a program that tried to harness the powers of clairvoyance to remotely spy on the Soviet Union. Since clairvoyance doesn’t seem to exist, it wasn’t super successful. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
SYSK Selects: How The Black Panther Party Worked
The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant group who hated white people. Far from it, they were actually men and women trying to affect change in their community. Their history is one of the more interesting American stories, from the early stages of policing the police to their community service efforts to their inevitable fall. Learn all about the Black Panther Party in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Massacre at Tiananmen Square
Tank Man. An indelible image burned in our brains. But what led to this extraordinary event? Chuck and Josh walk you through the days and weeks leading up to the massacre at Tiananmen Square, which is more of a cautionary tale than we realized. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
SYSK Selects: How Jackhammers Work
It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have hummed along quite so smoothly. Certainly a lot more trains would go around mountains than through them. Learn about this essential tool in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
How Narcolepsy Works
Narcolepsy is one of those amazing rare disorders that everyone thinks they understand – people just fall asleep at random times, even in the middle of doing something. But there’s a lot more to it and – even better – we actually may be able to explain it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Short Stuff: Lawn Darts
There was a time when kids had to look out for flying darts that could pierce their skulls when they played in the backyard. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom
If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also lightning fast and have the endurance of a marathoner and a telethoner put together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
SYSK Selects: How The Enlightenment Works
The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in reason. Did it shift too far? In this classic episode, learn about this massive shift in thinking which we are still sorting through and coming to understand today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
How Bras Work
Bras are loved and hated, sometimes at the same time. But as difficult and restrictive as they can be, they rescued women from a much cruel contraption: corsets. The question remains, though, do women need bras at all? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Short Stuff: Mary Had A Little Lamb
Did you know the little nursery rhyme is controversial? It’s true: Two towns in New England can barely stand to see one another on the map (kind of). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers