PBS

Why do you get a brain freeze? Sometimes, after ice-cream or a cold drink, it can feel like your skull is squeezing in our your brain – it can even be pretty painful. The cold temperatures are picked up by pain receptors near your palate, so while a brain freeze feels like a headache, it's actually just referred pain from your mouth. Keep watching for a few ways to get rid of a brain freeze... as

Generally we move our bodies pretty automatically and quickly, thanks to myelin, insulation which coats some of our nerve cells. Though one autoimmune disease – Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – attacks this insulation, impacting patients’ motor and sensory functions. Researching brain development and the disease itself can help develop better treatments for MS patients in the future.

For fun, we compiled some of our favorite GIFs from the Off Book Animated GIF episode, and mashed them all together in this fun short piece. GIFs continue to amaze us, and we hope you enjoy this little tribute to the form!

Every once in a while we add a second onto our days. Similar to the Leap Year, this is known as the Leap Second. But, if the Leap Year already helps us account for the offset from a calendar in days, what exactly does the Leap Second do? Check out this video for the answer!

Why do we go to space? In the beginning of our space program, the answer had a lot to do with war and paranoia. But with the dawn of the space shuttle, that all changed. Where do we go from here?

Most of us have felt it before, that strange sensation that you’ve been somewhere or seen something before, as if you already remembered what’s happening. Are you psychic? Nope, that’s just déjà vu. Why does déjà vu happen? Well, scientists aren’t completely sure, but they’ve got a few good theories about it.

How many stars are there in the universe? Are there more stars out there than grains of sand on Earth? Thanks to advanced space telescopes, we’ve been able to peer farther into deep time and the distant universe than we ever thought possible, and we might finally be able to answer these mind-boggling questions.

Joe went behind the scenes at Monterey Bay Aquarium to meet the Giant Pacific Octopus, a powerful and curious creature that challenges many of our notions of intelligence!

Now you "sea" them, now you don't! Cuttlefish are more than the chameleons of the sea, these cephalopods take camouflage to a whole new level.

Before people came to Monterey Bay to watch fish, they came here to catch them. And they caught a LOT of one fish: the sardine. But when you empty one species out of the ocean, bad things can happen. Learn how one Monterey Bay scientist, with the help of his friend John Steinbeck, changed how we view our relationship with nature and helped give birth to the field of ecology.

Goats are amazing creatures, but there's a lot more than meets the eye.

Build your own cloud chamber particle detector and test relativity at home!

I took a trip to Washington D.C. to check out some of our nation's most famous monuments. Where do they come from? From the depths of the Earth to the distant reaches of the cosmos, you'll never look at history the same way again

Ever wonder what all those names on the periodic table actually mean? There's a whole lot of fascinating history on Mendeleev's table. Some carry names from antiquity, some are named for people, some are named for places, and some are named for mythical beings. Discover the etymology of the elements!

If you traced your family tree back 185 million generations, you wouldn't be looking at a human, a primate, or even a mammal. You'd be looking at a fish. So where along that line does the first human show up? The answer may surprise you

They say mom's never far away, but I don't think this is what they had in mind. In this episode, learn about the mind-blowing connection you share with your mom. A little bit of you never leaves the other!

The past is different from the future. Why?

A little bit of explanation for the cycle of carbon and oxygen

As massive magnetic fusion reactors go, the sun is pretty awesome.

I smell a science storm a-comin'!!

Can we subconsciously "catch" emotions from other people?

The honest truth about keeping secrets.

Our reaction to be tickled may be nature's way of encouraging self defence training from an early age.

Your brain does its best to piece together the world – but our senses are susceptible to being tricked. For centuries we thought that optical illusions only tricked our visual perception – now we know that the same illusions can trick the touch perception of those who are blind. There’s more to the humble optical illusion than first meets the eye

Even those that are most productive in their lives are known to take a “breather” from the chores and obligations and just let their mind wander. Taking a break to do simple or "mindless" tasks can have a positive impact on your creativity, productivity and decision making. So if you're going to procrastinate or waste time, here's how to do it properly. And it involves one of our most favorite platforms - YouTube! There are ways you can effectively waste time that can lead to a boost in problem-solving, productivity and creativity. Researchers at the University of Melbourne have published a number of studies on “workplace internet leisure browsing”. We have to say, we are experts at workplace internet leisure browsing! In one of said studies, researchers have said that those who “surf the internet for fun at work” within a reasonable time limit, say, less than 20% of their total time in the office, are 9% more productive than those who stay clear of these activities. In the follow-up studies, researchers argue that workplace internet leisure browsing is “an unobtrusive interruption which enables restoration of mental capacity and fosters feels of autonomy”. A study titled “Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation” from the University of California, found that when participants did an undemanding task, it led to substantial improvement in performance on a problem they’ve encountered before, compared to those doing a demanding task, just resting or having no break at all. The conclusion is that letting the mind to wander by doing simple tasks can boost creative problem-solving. You don’t have to watch <a href="https://rumble.com/v33t8a-what-what-goat.html" target="_blank">goat</a> or <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zo8e-6-month-old-kitten-dancing-with-her-owner.html" target="_blank">kitten videos</a>; you can just go for a walk. It is equally as effective.