HowStuffWorks_Science

How can a single piece of glass look like a mirror from one side but a window from the other? It's not magic, it's materials technology.

The real answer to this question is “it’s complicated,” but Lauren breaks down the current research and evidence for you.

A majority of people feel like they're falling when first going to sleep, resulting in twitches. What is this jerking night spasm?

It's one of the strangest - and potentially grossest - challenges out there. But what happens when you drink milk? Why does it make you throw up (and is Ben going to try it)?

Although the idea of an aerosol spray back to the 18th century, Erik Rotheim was the first person to make a working device based on the concept. Tune in and learn how his Stuff of Genius has changed the world -- for better or worse.

Although toast itself dates back into prehistory, the toaster is a very recent -- and convenient -- invention. Tune in and learn how Charles Strite's Stuff of Genius became a fixture of the modern kitchen.

Have you ever been curious about the story behind those bright city lights? Then tune in and learn how Georges Claude's Stuff of Genius illuminated the world of advertising in this episode.

As an electrician, Charles Fritts was intimately acquainted with the drawbacks of coal-powered electricity distribution grids. Tune in and learn how he used selenium, gold and glass to make his own solar-powered Stuff of Genius in this episode.

Flat-head screwdrivers have been around for centuries, but when Henry Phillips realized he'd need a better screwdriver for power tools, inspiration struck. Learn more about his Stuff of Genius -- the Phillips Screwdriver -- in this episode.

09/02/2015: Are you looking for that someone special but you're tired of sending candidates to the Tinder reject pile? Artificial intelligence is here to save the day!

09/01/2015: What happens when a bird needs to be heard over the din of us loud humans? They shout. But at what cost?

Have you ever watched a film and thought, "Oh, I hope she doesn't go through that door."? What if the character could actually hear your thoughts and act on them?

07/30/2015: It was long assumed that nitrates in urban grime are 'locked' in place. Find out how sediment from pollution is belching its way back into the atmosphere.

07/30/2015: There's gold in them there sewers - microbial gold. Find out why some researchers at MIT are donning biohazard suits and lowering themselves into sewer systems.

Every different nation has its own policy about maternity leave. But do these policies meet their goals?

The Internet has been called a series of tubes. But long before email, people sent messages across cities through networks of pneumatic tubes. Learn how they work!

Sure, night vision looks cool in the movies - but what is it, exactly? How can a scope or a pair of goggles help you see in near-absolute darkness?

Scientists have found evidence that plants have senses, memories, and can even communicate with each other. But does this mean they're conscious?

They’re convenient, ubiquitous and easy to use. But how do these things work, exactly? What do people mean when they say a microwave cooks food inside out?

After making millions from a new photo paper, many people would retire. Leo Baekeland, on the other hand, was just getting started. Learn more about how he invented Bakelite -- and how it changed the world -- in this episode.

07/27/2015: What brought together an Apple founder, a Google executive, Tesla's CEO and a theoretical physicist? Bots on the warpath.

Learn how the engine changed our way of life over the centuries thanks to innovators like Hero of Alexandria, John Newcomen, James Watt, Etienne Lenoir and Nikolaus Otto.

DARPA has a request for proposal out asking companies to submit ideas for a vanishing drone. How would that work?

10/15/2015: Troubled by xenophobic attitudes and a pesky belief in a higher power? Don't worry, because according to a new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, science can zap those vibes right out of your brain

Since Back to the Future II, people have been asking, "Where’s my hoverboard?" We're going to answer that question.