HowStuffWorks_Science

If you’ve ever had a cold or been congested, someone may have recommended that you treat yourself to some spicy food. But why? What is it about spicy food that turns people into snot spouts?

Coffee is a drug that shares more than a few traits with its notorious counterparts, cocaine and amphetamines. How exactly does it work on the brain? And what did a world without coffee look like anyway?

Anxiety is a normal, healthy response for the human body. But when it interferes with daily life it can become a disorder. We investigate anxiety's symptoms and biochemistry to learn how it can become irrational... and how you treat it.

Gravity is the force that holds us on the planet -- but how does it actually work? Join Robert and Julie as they explain how gravity works, and make a handy experiment to demonstrate gravity's effects.

In this episode, we focus on vaccine delivery, from micro-needle patches to vaccines that are resistant to temperatures of 140°F increasing accessibility to people around the world.

The sheer size of the universe ensures the existence of extraterrestrial life. So why haven’t we come into contact with any yet? Where are the aliens?

Fairy tales are for kids right? Well not at first they weren't. They were dark tales of murder, rape, incest, cannibalism and mayhem geared toward adults. What changed? Chuck and Josh will drop that knowledge in this clip from Stuff You Should Know.

A 2006 Duke University study found that up to 45 percent of our daily “decisions” are actually just habits. Find out how to break the habit loop and exercise your self-control muscles.

The FDA recently changed their Nutrition Facts label to include added sugars. But why?

Everyone loves videos of baby animals falling asleep, but let's ask the obvious: Why do the sleep? And are there any animals that don't score some precious shut-eye?

Does love at first sight really exist? And what happens in the brain when we're suddenly lovestruck?

You’ve probably heard that it takes just three weeks to make or break a habit. That is poppycock. Find out about “habit loops” and what it takes to create a new behavior.

Are humans so suggestible that we’d let our names shape our identities? Find out what nominative determinism is and if there’s a link between names and life choices, or even health.

When you get coffee jitters, caffeine has tricked your brain into anticipating danger. Lauren explains how it works.

It's true: all words were made up at some point. But could you really invent your own words and make them an official part of the English language? (Spoiler: yes.)

So what is consciousness anyway? Is it a simple matter of being conscious or not? As we explore further into these and other questions, some potential tests come up. Learn more in this video from Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

The site of the worst nuclear accident in history is now home to diverse wildlife. Can studying the animals help researchers discover how radiation affects us all?

For thousands of years, medical professionals have diagnosed illness based on their patient’s scent. How do humans, dogs and machines smell disease today?

Josh explains Frank Drake's famous formula for determining whether intelligent alien life exists.

According to researchers, your personality shapes your musical tastes more than your socioeconomic status, gender, age or cultural background. Rock on!

As a professor in Budapest, Erno Rubik had a pretty swell day job -- but his hobby was even more fascinating. Tune in and learn how Erno Rubik's hobby became the brain-teasing Stuff of Genius that baffles millions in this episode.

So you’ve seen those location-tagging numbers on maps and GPS devices before, but do you actually know what they mean? Brainstuff is here to fill you in.

In August 2016 astronomers made a huge announcement: they had discovered a potentially habitable exoplanet right in our cosmic backyard. The world is called Proxima B, and it's located within Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth.

Erasers lift our mistakes right off the page, but it's not magic - it's the microscopic physics of stickiness.

Daisuke Inoue was a drummer for several Japanese bands, and spent hours memorizing popular songs. At least, that is, until he realized how much easier life would be if he could automate the band. Learn more in this episode.