Brain Junk

Trace Kerr and Amy Barton
  • 4.9 (34)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Brain Junk

Brain Junk is an off-the-wall, totally unbelievable but true podcast where Amy Barton and Trace Kerr shake up science & history in the hunt for answers to questions you never knew you wanted to know. We bring you the inside scoop on things like: Can goldfish drive? How do whales not drown while eating? Who had the first prosthetic eye? We cannonball off the question high dive every other Tuesday -- those of you in the front seats, bring your ponchos. We're out to flood your brain.

  1. OCT 15

    322: Screaming Plants

    Scientists wanted to know if plants scream and tortured tomatoes to find out the answer. Beckett (Trace's youngest spawn) wanted to know, if plants do scream, can our pets hear it and is this why cats knock plants off shelves? Show Notes: YouTube sound of Plants "screaming": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-_AGgoJ3VA Sci News, Plants Emit Ultrasonic Sounds When Stressed, Groundbreaking Study Shows: https://www.sci.news/biology/plant-ultrasonic-sounds-11794.html How Well do Animals Hear: https://www.lsu.edu/deafness/HearingRange.html Hidden Hearing, Human hearing ranges: https://www.hiddenhearing.co.uk/hearing-blog/hearing-loss/what-animals-have-better-hearing-than-humans

    13 min

  2. OCT 1

    321: Joro Spiders

    Amy laid the perfect web of "lies"; she lured Trace into an episode about shapeshifting women and then sprang the trap...this episode is about the Joro spider. We talk about the convergence of giant invasive spiders and Japanese mythology. Show Notes: Joro Spider (warning, there are spider photos): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/millions-of-joro-spiders-are-moving-up-the-east-coast-heres-what-to-expect/ Wikipedia Joro spider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavata Wikipedia Jorogumo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jor%C5%8Dgumo Described and Captioned Media Program: PBS Digital Studios & Monstrum: https://dcmp.org/media/14555-monstrum-jorogumo-the-deadly-spider-woman-from-yokai-lore (Amy was Right!!!!) Blackarachnia: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blackarachnia_(BW) Selkies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie

    13 min

  3. SEP 17

    320: Voices in Your Head

    How do we define and study the little voice in your head? Is it something you HEAR, hear or is it something you think? For some of us, there's no inner monologue, for others, it's so loud in there, it's hard to participate in the outside world. Trace fell down the research stairs on this one! It's a double header of things we hear and see in our heads. Get ready for anendophasia and aphantasia! Show Notes: Inner voice: https://neurosciencenews.com/anendophasia-inner-voice-memory-26107/ Prevention: inner voice: https://www.prevention.com/health/mental-health/a43128717/inner-monologue/ Not everyone has an inner voice: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38728320/ Sister “issue” aphantasia: https://aphantasia.com/what-is-aphantasia/

    22 min

  4. SEP 3

    319: Porridge Championship

    Who knew that a simple combination of oats, water and salt could make for a yearly competition that's lasted for 30 years? We dive into the history of oats in Scotland and the famous Golden Spurtle competition! Show Notes: Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship: https://www.goldenspurtle.com/ BBC: World Porridge winner crowned October 2023: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-67053001 Wikipedia World Porridge Making Championship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Porridge_Making_Championship 2023 Golden Spurtle newsletter: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/d871ced870.html#page/1 Bob's Red Mill, Porridge vs Oatmeal: https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/porridge-vs-oatmeal/ BBC How humble oats have fueled a nation: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231004-oats-the-humble-grain-that-fuelled-scotland YouTube Golden Spurtle prep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJhlAaW5uIA The Guardian No milk, no rolled oats and always add salt: how to make porridge like a champion Gravy restaurant: https://gravyrestaurant.com/menu/

    21 min

  5. AUG 20

    318: All Things Cheeky

    We're heading into the end of summer break so it's time for a mash up of wacky facts. Fake navels, cheetahs in heat, the weenus and MORE. Oh yes, we adore a good internet fact deep dive. Also, Trace does drop the 'shit' word once. Show Notes: Amazon fake navels: https://www.amazon.com/Belly-Button-Stickers-Fashion-Longer/dp/B0CC5TZ23P?th=1 SCMP Fake belly button article: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3230438/fake-belly-buttons-all-rage-china-women-seek-freedom-dress-and-boost-confidence-some-raise-body Cleveland Clinic limb lengthening: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24316-limb-lengthening-surgery Bears and skunk cabbage: https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Skunk-Cabbage USDA Forest Service yellow skunk cabbage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ipnf/learning/?cid=fsm9_019161 Maryland Biodiversity project & skunk cabbage: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/1660 Nude Cruise: https://cruisebare.com/ Ovulation: https://productions-animales.org/article/download/2583/13696?inline=1 Cheetah vocalization FB: https://www.facebook.com/runningwildconservation/videos/listen-to-jordan-making-stutter-bark-sounds-to-shadow-in-the-camp-adjacent-to-hi/484675892467812/ CNN Travel "Bare-adise" https://www.cnn.com/travel/bare-adise-adventure-nude-cruise-miami-2025/index.html Pee Pants: https://www.jordanluca.com/collections/denim Complex designer jeans: https://www.complex.com/style/a/alex-ocho/pee-stained-designer-jeans-sell-out Wenis. Thanks Merriam-Webster (LOL) https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/weenus-weenis-slang-definition-origin

    30 min

  6. AUG 6

    317: Silkhenge

    It's tiny, inscrutable, made with spider silk, and we really don't know much about the mysteries of it's intricate construction. Show Notes: Nat Geo https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/silkhenge-spiders-ecuador-mystery Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkhenge Internet archive https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125631/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2014/01/09/mystery-picket-fence-in-amazon-explained-2/ Earthtouch news network https://www.earthtouchnews.com/discoveries/discoveries/remember-those-mystery-silkhenge-spiders-now-you-can-watch-them-hatch/ Youtube spiders hatching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unc-g9AHl2Y&t=106s Linkedin post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dante-fenolio-ms-ph-d-76833a52_silkhenge-spider-amazon-activity-7147602639663316992-gZY4 Live science https://www.livescience.com/silkhenge-returns-video.html Live science2 https://www.livescience.com/57401-silkhenge-spiders-hatch-on-video.html Youttube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unc-g9AHl2Y iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&q=silkhenge&subview=map Medicinal leeches: https://media.vwr.com/emdocs/docs/scied/Medicinal_Leeches.pdf

    19 min

  7. JUL 23

    316: Fish Doorbell

    In the spring, fish like perch travel through the rivers in the Netherlands to find places to spawn. They used to get stuck behind Weerdsluis lock: waiting for it to open. But not anymore! A virtual doorbell was created to help let the lock keeper know they're there. Hot tip, starting March 3, 2025, you can go to their website to hit the doorbell!!!! Show Notes: Visdeurbel! Youtube: Dutch Wall Fish Scientific American article: Ring the Dam Doorbell Ballard Locks fish ladder Wolfenoot McGill Office of Science and Safety: Do Fish Drink

    17 min

  8. JUL 9

    315: NSFW Summer Edition

    It's a super long length summertime episode with the sex lives of penguins, periods in space, Humpback whale sex, swearing parrots, terminal velocity poop, & penis size vs. nose size. Buckle up! Show Notes: Dr. George Murray Levick (1876–1956): unpublished notes on the sexual habits of the Adélie penguin The Guardian: 'Sexual depravity' of penguins that Antarctic scientist dared not reveal Live Science: Are penguins really monogamous? Penguin divorce rates Penguinsinternational.org: Divorcing Penguins Edinburgh Zoo pebbles for penguins Popular Science: Menstruation in Space NPR: TED Radio Hour Nautilus: Humpback Whales, getting humpy Happy Whale Lincolnshire Wildlife Park's swear parrots: FB page with videos Smithsonian: Parrots, What the Flock?! The complete sillyness of reindeer poop "science" Instagram: Toiley T Paper Penis size and Nose size, it's a real scientific paper, we promise: Penile length and circumference: are they related to nose size?

    39 min
See All (315)

4.9
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Brain Junk is an off-the-wall, totally unbelievable but true podcast where Amy Barton and Trace Kerr shake up science & history in the hunt for answers to questions you never knew you wanted to know. We bring you the inside scoop on things like: Can goldfish drive? How do whales not drown while eating? Who had the first prosthetic eye? We cannonball off the question high dive every other Tuesday -- those of you in the front seats, bring your ponchos. We're out to flood your brain.

Information

  • Creator
    Trace Kerr and Amy Barton
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    315
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2018 Amy Barton and Trace Kerr
  • Show Website
    Brain Junk

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