Episodes

A common ingredient listed on perfumes, colognes, soaps and lotions is “fragrance.” That doesn’t tell you much. This episode begins with an explanation of why manufacturers don’t have to list more detail than that and why you...

Everyone know that texting and driving is dangerous. But why is it so much more dangerous than driving and drinking coffee or driving and talking to a passenger or driving and tuning the radio? This episode starts with what t...

In the last several years, a lot of different kinds of salt have popped up on store shelves. It used to be just salt and kosher salt. Now there is sea salt, Himalayan salt, pink salt and a million more it seems. So what’s the...

You have probably noticed that aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. Why? What’s the difference - and why do some recipes call for it to be either shiny side up or shiny side down? This episode begins with an explan...

Anyone who travels knows you often don’t sleep well on the first night at your new destination - especially if you have travelled across time zones. This experience is so common it has a name – it is called the “First Night E...

When you order something online, do you then track the package to see where it is and when it is coming? This episode begins with the results of a survey about how people track their orders and why and how they hate it when a...

You’ve washed your hands a million times. Yet there is a pretty good chance you are probably doing it incorrectly. Over the last year and a half we have all learned that hand washing is important - still people often to spend...

Are you neat or messy? You most likely have a preference for either a neat or a cluttered work environment. There is a general assumption that neat is better - but is it? It apparently depends on what type of work you are doi...

Moms have been passing down health and beauty advice for generations and some of it is just plain wrong! Listen as we bust some myths about some of the things mom told you that just are not true. https://www.everbeautiful.com...

Hard to imagine a hot summer day without a can of soda or beer. Before the mid-60s those cans were absolutely useless unless you had a can opener handy. This episode begins with the story of the pop-top can and how it changed...

Do you know what happens to your brain when you are sleeping? In a sense, a cleaning crew gets in there to clean out all the toxins so that your brain works better the next day. I know it sounds weird but it is exactly what h...

Have you ever had déjà vu - that feeling that what you are experiencing now, you have experienced before? Most people have. This episode begins with some interesting insight into what it is, why it occurs and when and where i...

How does music affect your feelings and emotions? This episode begins by looking at some interesting research that shows how just the right music can influence how you feel. https://www.theregister.com/2010/06/21/mood_music/ ...

It just happens that sometimes you have to ask a stranger for a favor. Perhaps you need to borrow their phone or help you carry something. And there is one proven way that will greatly increase the chances they will grant you...

Dogs are fascinating. The things they do, the ways they behave are so interesting to watch. Plus, the fact that most dogs give their owners unconditional love - hard to beat that. Did you know that even though dogs will eat a...

Ask people what their favorite number is and you will get a lot of different answers. But if you ask thousands of people, one number emerges as the clear winner? This episode begins with what that number is and why so many pe...

If you have brothers or sisters, you probably know that sibling relationships change as we move from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes they change for the better – sometimes not. We begin this episode by unraveling the compli...

Remember when we all started using reusable grocery bags and there was a big concern about germs and bacteria in those bags? You don’t hear so much about this anymore - so is it still a big concern? This episode begins with a...

Hold a strand of spaghetti at each end and break it in 2. It cannot be done. And this puzzle has mystified great minds of science including Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman. Now there appears to be an explanation which I’ll...

Have you heard the advice that couples should have a date night. That’s common advice to help keep the romance alive in long term relationships. But interestingly, “couple time” is not the highest quality time couples can hav...

Has it ever happened that your cellphone rang or buzzed but when you checked it had not? It was a phantom ring. This episode begins with an explanation as to why that happens to a lot of us. https://www.bbc.com/future/article...

A kiss is so much more than just a kiss. It turns out kissing sends messages to the person you are kissing. This episode begins with some interesting facts about what kissing does, the messages it sends and why men and women ...

Ever notice those people who shop at the grocery store and sometimes changes their mind and take items out of the shopping cart and stash them somewhere in the checkout line ? Well, stores are making it harder to do that and ...

Skill, practice and hard work are often considered the cornerstones of success. Maybe. However, one often overlooked strategy to being great at something is - reverse engineering. By disassembling and analyzing what others ha...