HowStuffWorks_Science

When a local football coach asked Robert Cade to help hydrate his players, he set off on a journey to find the perfect sports drink. Tune in and learn more about Cade's Stuff of Genius in this episode.

Learn how Louis Braille invented the system that sparked Helen Keller to say, "we the blind are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg."

We all use soap. But how does it work?

Loud noises suck. But are they deadly?​

Sitcoms use them all the time. But where do they come from?

Robbing a bank is a dumb idea. And not just because it's illegal.

When the President travels the friendly skies, he does it in style.

Tinnitus is what makes your ears ring after a loud noise. And it's really annoying.

What makes a planet ideal for sustaining life?

Sure, flatulence is embarrassing. But why do we do it?

Blood is always red, whether it's spilled on the floor, inside your body or dumped on your head.​

Hollywood claims female led movies don't sell. But what's the truth?

Bzzzzzzzzzz.

Trust me, you don't want one.

What makes eyes brown, blue, green, and so on?

How do layers of material enhance an animal's perception?

Why do some foods affect our dreams?

William Burroughs invented the first practical calculator. Learn more about the invention of the calculator in this video from Stuff of Genius.

Nowadays flight recorders are a mandatory piece of equipment for all commercial planes -- but why? Tune in and learn more about black box recorders, as well as the genius behind them, in this episode.

Although silicon carbide occurs in the natural world, it's extremely rare. Tune in to learn how Edward Acheson got struck by inspiration and learned how to manufacture this substance, which he called carborundum.

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.

Before the days of copiers and electronic documents, duplicating documents was a time-consuming, arduous task. Learn how John Herschel's blueprints changed the face of the modern world -- and why they're blue -- in this podcast.

Norm Larsen started with a simple idea: If water causes rust, then a substance that displaces water can prevent rust. Sure, his first 39 tries didn't work out -- but the last one was pure genius. Tune in and learn more.

After he was injured using a conventional flathead screwdriver, frustrated tool salesman Paul Robertson took matters in his own hands. Learn more about his Stuff of Genius in this episode.

Although forms of vaccination had been discovered thousands of years ago in Asia and Africa, Western Europeans didn't pick up on it until Edward Jenner turned an old wives' tale into the Stuff of Genius. Tune in and learn more in this podcast.